Cross-Channel guns in the Second World War
| Dover Strait coastal guns | |
|---|---|
| Part of British coast defences/Atlantikwall | |
| English Channel Near Dover/Calais in Britain/occupied France |
|
Strait of Dover
|
|
| Coordinates | Coordinates: 51°00′00″N 01°27′00″E / 51.00000°N 1.45000°E |
| Site information | |
| Operator | Dover Command/Kriegsmarine |
| Controlled by | British Army/German Navy |
| Condition | Museum pieces or demolished |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1940 |
| Built by | British civilian contractors/Organisation Todt |
| In use | 1944 |
| Materials | Steel-reinforced concrete |
| Fate | Defunct |
| Battles/wars | Channel convoys Channel Dash Operation Undergo |
| Events |
Battle of Britain Normandy landings |
The Dover Strait coastal guns were British and German long-range coastal artillery pieces, on the English Channel coasts of Kent, England and the Pas-de-Calais, occupied France. The Strait of Dover is the narrowest channel between England and continental Europe. During the Second World War, both sides used their guns to bombard shipping in the Channel as well as coastal towns and military installations.
The Battle of France in May and June 1940 placed Calais and vicinity under the control of an enemy of Britain for the first time since the end of the Napoleonic Wars, 125 years earlier. On 21 May 1940, Hitler discussed the possibility of invasion with Großadmiral (Grand Admiral) Erich Raeder, the Commander-in-Chief of the Kriegsmarine (German Navy) and on 25 June surprised Oberkommando der Wehrmacht (OKW, supreme command of the armed forces), by ordering the preparation studies and appreciations for an invasion of Britain, which were ready on 2 July.
In an OKW directive on 10 July, the purpose of the guns was to
All preparations are to be made to provide strong frontal and flank artillery protection for the transportation and landing of troops in case of a possible crossing from the coastal strip Calais–Cape Gris Nez–Boulogne.
under the control of the Kriegsmarine.
Hitler issued Fuhrer Directive 16 on 16 July for an invasion as Unternehmen Seelöwe (Operation Sea Lion), in which,
Strong forces of coastal artillery must command and protect the forward coastal area.
Organisation Todt began work on positions capable of withstanding the heaviest bombing for every heavy artillery piece available, primarily at Pas-de-Calais, commenced on 22 July 1940.
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