“Memel-Nord” Coastal Artillery Battery
Infrastructure
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The “Memel-Nord” Coastal Artillery Battery is located in Giruliai, next to the “Olando kepurė” (Dutch hat) on the Baltic Sea coast.
The “Memel-Nord” Coastal Artillery Battery is a part of the coastal defence system of the German Navy, built in 1939 after the annexation of the Klaipėda region to Germany and the beginning of the fortification works of the city. “Memel-Nord” is an integral part of the fortifications of Klaipėda fortifications, consisting of two coastal artillery and six air defence batteries.
The fortifications of the coastal artillery battery were built in two phases: In April and May 1939, temporary fortifications were built for the coastal artillery battery, and at the end of 1939, a decision was made to extend them by developing a permanent position. For this purpose, the coastal artillery battery was equipped with four gun emplacements, equipped with 150 mm SKL-45 guns, fire control posts and an ammunition depot for 150 artillery shells. After the completion of the works, the battery was named “Brommy”.
The battery consists of three structures, with a concrete fire control point in the centre and two artillery blocks with ammunition depots next to it. Since 2002, an exhibition on the history of the Klaipėda region has been opened in one of the artillery blocks.
Used sources and references:
T. Tamkvaitis, doctoral dissertation "Coastal defense systems on the coasts of Lithuania and Latvia in 1939-1945 and problems of their preservation", Klaipėda University, 2024.
ROLF, Rudi, "German coastal defense fortifications in the Klaipėda region (1939–1944). In 20th-century fortification in Lithuania", Kaunas, 2008, pp. 111– 124.
