coastal batteries

How effective were the Romanian coastal defence batteries?

I can tell you only what I've heared from an old veteran (friend to my gradfather). He said that the heavy guns had a max. range of about 16 miles (30 kilometers) and an effective range of 20 kilometers. But he was an AA gunner defending the Constanta harbour, so I ca't tell if that info is good or not.

Anyway, the most powerfull costal battery was located at cape Midia and I found some refferences that the site had also heavy AA guns around it, being considered almost impossible to destroy eigher from the air or from the sea.

Some coast fortresses still exist, deserted but intact, scattered along the entire coast, and in some points the modern costal batteries replaced the old ones at the same locations.

I'll try to get some more detailed info in this matter, you made me curious.

Dr_V

The Romanian coastal batteries did not see too much action, simply because the Soviet ChF did not appear off the Romanian coast too often.

On 26 June 1941 it was the German Tipitz battery that joined the Romanian destroyers in the battle with the Moskva and Kharkov,but it only fired 5 salvoes before they exited its range. This was the heavy battery Dr_V is referring to.

The coastal artillery on 22 June 1941:

"Constanta" Coastal Artillery Group
"Midia" Battery: 4 x 152.4mm Obuhov guns
"Tataia" Battery: 3 x 152mm Armstrong guns
"Constanta oras" Battery: 4 x 76.2mm AA guns
"Constanta port" Battery: 4 x 66mm Skoda guns
"Agigea" Battery: 4 x 120mm St. Chamond guns
"Constanta VII" Battery: 4 x 75mm St. Chamond guns
37mm AA "Constanta" Section

"Constanta" German Coastal Artillery Group
"Tirpitz" Battery: 3 x 280mm guns - south Constanta
"Lange Bruno" Battery: 3 x 280mm rail guns - north Constanta
Added by the end of 1941:
"Comorova" Battery: 3 x 152mm Armstrong guns - north Mangalia
"Petru Rares" Section: 2 x 75mm guns - Mangalia harbor
"Breslau" Battery: 3 x 170mm guns - south Constanta

"Sulina - Sf. Gheorghe" Coastal Artillery Group
"Stefan" Battery: 4 x 120mm Skoda guns
"Tepes" Battery: 3 x 101.6mm guns
"Sulina" Section: 2 x 76mm AA/naval guns
"Sf. Gheorghe" Section: 2 x 76mm AA/naval guns
2 x 13.2mm AA Sections - Sulina

Until the end of 1941 were added:
2 x 47mm Skoda guns
AA Artillery Battalion:
4 x 75mm Vickers
4 x 40mm Bofors
4 x 37mm Rheinmetall
4 x 13.2mm Hotchkiss

Hello,

there is an interesting post/photos on the Constanta batteries on axis forum. Who can identify and pinpoit these batteries?

http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php...der=asc&start=0

Many thanks

Peter

It's definately south of the city, so it can only be the Breslau or the Tirpitz. IIRC the Tirpitz much more to the south, so my guess is this is the Breslau. The guns look like 170 mm caliber, rather than 280 mm. Will have to check it with maps though.

If that is Constanta in the photo...

Many thanks Victor, I thoutgh the gun was 10,5 cm S.K. C/28, and I can not find these in the list.

Peter

IIRC a similar artillery piece is on display at the Naval Museum in Constanta.

Can we be shown the position of these batteries on a map, thanks.

the picture was taken south of Constantza for sure, because of the unique shape of the three column shaped Saligny silo as it could be observed in the far left background of the picture. So it's probably on of the 170 mm Breslau's, or the 105 mm belonging to the 789 Artillery Division digged on the same point as the Breslau,and which is the "Vii". if it is to be simillar with the piece kept by the Romanian Naval Museum, than it couldn't be a 170mm calibre, but a 105mm. The one from the Museum is a 130 mm B-13 from 1950's. Though one of the photos posted on that topic seems to depict a 105mm SKC/28

Thanks av0c. Didn't know there were also Heer batteries alongside the KM ones.

From a russian E-book :

Romanian Navy also had one Sea-shore Division, with coastal batteries (they were some others built and operated by germans). At the end of the war, the Division had two coastal deffence regiments – of Danube and of Constanta. The last one had two battalions (divizioane), Constanta si Mangalia.

Divizionul Constanta :
- 4 x 152/45 bat. Mircea (North Constanta, range 19 km, since winter 1940/41);
- 4 x 152/45 bat. Ovidiu (North Constanta, range 19 km, since Apr.1943);
- 3 x 152/40 bat. Tudor (North Constanta, range 11,4 km, since 1928);
- 4 x 66/30 bat. Raresh (inside port – oil area, since 1940);
- 3 x 76/40 bat. Vulturul (inside port 44°09'54 N / 28°27'54 E, range 8 km, AA 6,5 km, since 1940);
- 3 x 170/40 bat. Mihai (inside port, south oil area 44°09'54 N / 28°37'54 E, range 18 km, since 1940);
- 3 x 105/45 bat. Carol (inside port, south oil area 44°09'26 N / 28°37'54 E, range 15,2 km, since 1942);
- 4 x 152/47 bat. Ivan Dimitrov(?) (cape Midia, range 21,5 km, since 1944).

Divizionul Mangalia :
- 4 x 120/50 bat. Elisabeta (North cape Tuzla, range 14 km, since 1940).
- 4 x 122/46 bat. Vlaicu (South cape Tuzla, range 18 km, since 1944);
- 3 x 152/40 bat. Aurora (North Mangalia, range 11,4 km, since 1941);
- 4 x 75/50 bat. Vasile Lupu (North limit Mangalia, range 8 km, since 1941 (2) then 1944 (2));


This post has been edited by Petre on February 25, 2012 07:59 pm

Hello to all,

... From russian source :

... " 3 x 105/45 bat. Carol (inside port, south oil area 44°09'26 N / 28°37'54 E, range 15,2 km, since 1942)" ... - This is well defined.
In 1942 was an AA battery composed from 3 Rheinmetall AA guns type : 10,5 cm SK C/32 in 10,5 cm MPL C/32 with shield boxes of type 2 and 45 cal. length, with german soldiers, latter with romanian.

No 10,5 cm SK C/28 on romanian land or coast artillery in the second world war .
Regards,
VladAlex.[B]10,5 cm SK C/32 in 10,5 cm MPL C/32 with shield boxes of type 2 and 45 cal. length