eddy8men Posted March 13, 2011 Share Posted March 13, 2011 i'd love to get a good look around those ranges with antar's m578 and a lowloader :cool2: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diver99 Posted March 13, 2011 Share Posted March 13, 2011 What about these, if you haven't seen them already. :cool2: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steveo578 Posted March 13, 2011 Share Posted March 13, 2011 Any views of the front of the Cromwell/Cenaur as the barrel extraction plate is still in place:cool2: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diver99 Posted March 13, 2011 Share Posted March 13, 2011 This is the only one i can find at the moment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diver99 Posted March 13, 2011 Share Posted March 13, 2011 I'll agree with you there Tony. I have had some first had stories, but once you question and dig a little deeper, the weapons cache turns into a few rifles then the rifles turn into one rifle and then that turns out to be a rusty bolt assy with a missing barrel and no stock. About six years ago, I had occasion to do some work on some wood from medieval wrecks from Guernsey harbour. The shed we were working in had half a dozen german field kitchens, various gun barrels, a fire engine and other general council rubbish. I should have got a key cut! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajmac Posted March 13, 2011 Author Share Posted March 13, 2011 Those photos reminded me that earlier Centaur / Cromwells were riveted, I spent some of today cutting the heads of rivets and driving them through the plates! What a job.....then you have got to rivet it all back together again:shocked: Rather you than me rick. Thinking ahead though... what shall I get to restore once the Loyd is completed? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steveo578 Posted March 14, 2011 Share Posted March 14, 2011 diver99 This is the only one i can find at the moment. thanks Dave, good enough shows the barrel is missing, but shows a pretty rare No20 hull machine gun mount -the type that was periscope aimed, confirming it was a Centaur -shame eddy can't get down there some useful stuff for his Centaur. Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eddy8men Posted March 14, 2011 Share Posted March 14, 2011 i've always fancied a camping holiday in france :cool2: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diver99 Posted March 14, 2011 Share Posted March 14, 2011 Thought you'd like that. :-D Time to go is Bastille Day when they are all off. Or xmas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pzkpfw-e Posted March 14, 2011 Share Posted March 14, 2011 Day after Bastille Day, they're all sleeping it off! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony B Posted March 14, 2011 Share Posted March 14, 2011 How many prisoners were relased from the Bastille Two wasn't it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steveo578 Posted March 14, 2011 Share Posted March 14, 2011 Tony B How many prisoners were relased from the Bastille There were 2 lunatics:nut: 4 forgers or debtors and an aristorcate deviant. so 7 in all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ford 369 Posted March 15, 2011 Share Posted March 15, 2011 Guernsey had 2 x command version 12 x normal 5 x flame-throwers Jersey had 12 x normal 5 x flame-throwers plus various renault ft 17s delivered earlier Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony B Posted March 15, 2011 Share Posted March 15, 2011 Plus lots of machine gun and 37mm turrets! These were mounted on various fortifications all round the Island's. Funny enough the most prolific anti tank gun seems to ne the Ex Checz 4.7mm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diver99 Posted March 16, 2011 Share Posted March 16, 2011 i've always fancied a camping holiday in france :cool2: The memsahib has just suggested going on holiday to France later on in the year. I said ok then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mash Posted March 16, 2011 Share Posted March 16, 2011 Plus lots of machine gun and 37mm turrets! These were mounted on various fortifications all round the Island's. Funny enough the most prolific anti tank gun seems to ne the Ex Checz 4.7mm. Thats unless you include the various 8.8 (15 batteries, containing 90 guns in all) :shocking: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony B Posted March 16, 2011 Share Posted March 16, 2011 Most of the guns seem to have been nicked from other people, especially the Russians. The Mirus guns were ex St Petersburg battleship Naval guns. A lot of the 105 and 122 guns were French. One I remember is dated 1895! The recent Time Team excavation at Les Giellettes uncovered six 88 bases, dosen't mean they were all installed! I have always been told there were FOUR 88mm Flax guns up there. A lot of emplacments seen today were 'Tempoary' open pits. The intention was to cover all the guns. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mash Posted March 16, 2011 Share Posted March 16, 2011 I am under the belief that there was more costal defense's and weapon instilations on the channel islands than the french coast. You are right Tony the guns where a right mix and match of all varieties and places of origin, the story i have heard about the mirus guns where they where captured then stored in Norway, where they lay forgotten, until an officer remembered them, it was from then they where overhauled and down rated in the explosive charge that could be placed in them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ford 369 Posted March 16, 2011 Share Posted March 16, 2011 I am under the belief that there was more costal defense's and weapon instilations on the channel islands than the french coast. You are right Tony the guns where a right mix and match of all varieties and places of origin, the story i have heard about the mirus guns where they where captured then stored in Norway, where they lay forgotten, until an officer remembered them, it was from then they where overhauled and down rated in the explosive charge that could be placed in them. I think you will find that there was a larger concentration of guns in the Channel Islands than any other part of the Atlantik wall not just France just proves Hitlers obsession with this small part of the British Isles Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steveo578 Posted March 16, 2011 Share Posted March 16, 2011 Tony B Funny enough the most prolific anti tank gun seems to ne the Ex Checz 4.7mm. The Czech (skoda) PAK 36(t) was a wheeled A/T gun, the armament of the 4.7cm pak 36(t) auf Renault 35 which was one of the few PanzerJaegers (SPG) to serve in the Channel Island and importantly as a casemate gun mounted in bunkers enfilading prospective landing beaches- large numbers were taken from the Czech defence lines out manuvered by the siezure of the Sudatenland in 1938. Possibly the oldest French artillery used in the Channel island are 15.5cm K422(f) which were barrels of the Canon de 155 L1877 (de Bang) which were fitted to the carriage of the more modern Schneider 152mm Mle 1910 (a gun built for the imperial russian Army) so although a 1914 weapon the barrels were an 1877 design. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony B Posted March 16, 2011 Share Posted March 16, 2011 The figure most quoted is that 10% of the Atlantic Wall defences were concentrated in the Channel Islands. 35,000 men just sitting there. Can you imagine if they had been available for D Day? :noyay: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steveo578 Posted March 16, 2011 Share Posted March 16, 2011 mash...the story i have heard about the mirus guns where they where captured then stored in Norway, where they lay forgotten, until an officer remembered them.... the mirus guns had a bazaar history -they were the main armament of the Imperial russian black Sea fleet Battleship Imperator Aleksandr III which was interned by the French government at Bizerta (French north Africa) in October 1924 it was broken up from 1926 to 1937. The guns stored nearby until they were disposed of to the Finns in 1939-40 to assist in the Winter War. Of the 12 x 30.5cm guns the last 4 were in transit when they were captured in Norwegian waters by German forces and sent to Germany for storage and further use. When mounted in Guernsey one of the guns broke its yoke during proofing by luck the Germans were able to despatch a truck to the imperial Russian gun factory where the guns were forged prior to WW1, which had been overrun during Barbarossa and a spare yoke was found - thereafter the guns at mirus were never allowed to fire at full charge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mash Posted March 16, 2011 Share Posted March 16, 2011 the mirus guns had a bazaar history -they were the main armament of the Imperial russian black Sea fleet Battleship Imperator Aleksandr III which was interned by the French government at Bizerta (French north Africa) in October 1924 it was broken up from 1926 to 1937. The guns stored nearby until they were disposed of to the Finns in 1939-40 to assist in the Winter War. Of the 12 x 30.5cm guns the last 4 were in transit when they were captured in Norwegian waters by German forces and sent to Germany for storage and further use. When mounted in Guernsey one of the guns broke its yoke during proofing by luck the Germans were able to despatch a truck to the imperial Russian gun factory where the guns were forged prior to WW1, which had been overrun during Barbarossa and a spare yoke was found - thereafter the guns at mirus were never allowed to fire at full charge. Very informative Stevo, thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mash Posted March 16, 2011 Share Posted March 16, 2011 The figure most quoted is that 10% of the Atlantic Wall defences were concentrated in the Channel Islands. 35,000 men just sitting there. Can you imagine if they had been available for D Day? :noyay: Imagine if they had stood and fought to keep the islands, would the British government of flattened them???? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony B Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 (edited) There was a plan Ramiekin A for an offensive landing on the Islands. It was considered even at the time as an absoletly last resort. The Commandant Huffmier did intend to hold out after the armistice. When HMS Bulldog approached Guernersey on May 8th 1945 Huffmier sent out a junior officer to 'negotiate terms'. The reply was no terms, complete surrender. The Britsh commander Brigader Snow was warned that as the surender terms di come in till midnight the ships may be fired on. His retort was that if that happned Huffmier would hang. The British ships did then withdrw till midnight plus one. Another bizzare twist to the story, and back on theme! The Panzer regiment in the Channel Islands were the only ones never to see action. Edited March 17, 2011 by Tony B Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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