Batterie Mirus

The Batterie Mirus is located in Saint Peter and Saint Saviour, Guernsey. Originally called Batterie Nina, it comprised four 30.5 cm guns. The battery was constructed from November 1941 and through the first half of 1942, it was the largest battery in the Channel Islands, the guns having a maximum range of 51 km. The guns were removed in the early 1950s however the reinforced concrete structures and associated positions remain intact.

In 1940 it was initially agreed that the defence of the Channel Islands would come under the remit of the German Kriegsmarine, so Marine Artillerie Abteilung 604 (MAA604) was dispatched to set up a battery on each of the principal islands with calibers of 22 cm, 17 cm and 15 cm. These were installed by May 1941.

On 2 June 1941 Adolf Hitler asked for maps of the Channel Islands. By 13 June Hitler had made a decision. Ordering additional men to the Islands and having decided the defences were inadequate, lacking tanks and coastal artillery, the Organisation Todt (OT) was instructed to undertake the building of 200-250 strongpoints in each of the larger islands. The Westbefestigungen (Inspector of Western Fortresses) was put in overall command, and reports would be made every two weeks of progress.

After visits to the islands by Dr Todt, the OT plan, was finalised and submitted to Hitler. The original defence order was reinforced with a second dated 20 October 1941, following a Führer conference on 18 October to discuss the engineers assessment of requirements. Referring to the “permanent fortification” of the Channel Islands to make an impregnable fortress to be completed by December 1942.

The plan had required three batteries of 38 cm guns be based on the islands to also provide protection for the bay of Saint-Malo, however they could not be supplied. It was at this conference that the proposal for the 30.5 cm Batterie Nina was approved as four guns and 1,000 rounds of ammunition could be provided at short notice. The work would continue as planned, despite the death of Dr Todt, who was also Minister of Armaments, in a plane crash in February 1942. He was replaced by Albert Speer.

The 15.85 meters long barrels were cast at the Obuchov foundry in 1914 and became the main armament for one of a series of dreadnoughts of the Imperial Russian Navy's Black Sea Fleet.

...
Wikipedia