The story of Ventspils 46th Coast Guard Battery Fire Correction Tower
The Ventspils Military Heritage Site is unique because it is one of the few coastal defence structures in Latvia and the Baltics that depict the history of World War II fortifications. It is also unique in that it is a military object built by the Soviet Union during the years of independence of the Republic of Latvia and in a way symbolises the inability of a small country to confront the superpowers on the eve of World War II. It is the only coastal defence battery that has survived so well, without historical layers and in its complete state of construction. The site shows the entire evolution of the Soviet military concept from 1939 until the withdrawal of Soviet troops in 1994.
In November 1939, the 35th Battalion of Engineers / Builders of the Soviet Army arrived in Ventspils to begin construction of the 46th Coast Guard Battery of the Red Flag Baltic Fleet of the Soviet Union. The builders are located in tents in the south of the city, in the area of Vasarnīcu Street. The battery consisted of four Б -13 cannon positions, a fire control tower, a command post, a water intake bunker, a generator / boiler house bunker, and an engineering bunker. Near the positions of the cannons, in the district of Mētru and Sila streets, a war town was established, which housed officers with their families, as well as other personnel servicing the coastguard batteries. By the start of the war, the Coast Guard battery had been completed and was ready for battle. The battery obeyed the Soviet Red Flag Baltic Fleet, SKBF, and was serviced by naval sailors.
On June 22, 1941, at four in the morning, Nazi German aviation flown over the city, the port, and the airfield. On June 24, a German torpedo boat (possibly a Schnellboot S-38 type) tried to attack the port of Ventspils, but with the help of the fire of the 46th Coast Guard battery, the enemy was expelled, it was the first battle of this battery. On June 25, a German torpedo boat made a second attempt to attack the port and ships in the port area, but the battery failed to fire. On June 26, the Germans tried to occupy the city by sea and air, the attack was repulsed, but the situation in the city was threatening, and on the morning of June 28, the cannons were blown up and Soviet soldiers left the city. It is known that German aviation made several attacks on the battery at the beginning of the war.
After the Red-flagged navy sailors left the battery, it was abandoned until 1944, when it was occupied by Nazi German troops, which dismantled blown up Russian cannons and replaced them with Flak-40 anti-aircraft artillery cannons. purposes.
In addition to the built-in concrete positions, caponers (earthen embankments specially designed for military equipment) are excavated so that the cannons can be brought, placed and fired, and these positions can be expedited if they are discovered.
With the development of modern military technology, cannons are being replaced by missiles. The 46th Coast Guard Battery was also preserved in the early 1960s and construction began on the Missile War.
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Fire correction tower of the Ventspils 46th Coastal Defence Battery
The restored fire control tower of the 46th Coast Guard Battery in Ventspils is located on Saulrieta street and is available to visitors in the form of an observation tower. There are four artillery gun positions near the tower and it is the only World War II coastal defence battery in Latvia in such a good condition. Visitors can take the tower stairs to an outdoor viewing platform overlooking the sea. An information stand with a QR code is available next to the tower. You can use the QR to watch an animation about historical events. There is a new street leading to the tower, a large parking lot and a wooden footbridge that crosses the protected nature area next to the tower.
This military complex was built in 1939, marking the start of construction of USSR military bases in Latvia. The 46th Coast Guard Battery had four positions for the gun type Б-13. This battery had its first military engagement on 24 June 1941, when Ventspils harbour was attacked by German torpedo boats that were driven away from the shores of the Baltic Sea by battery fire. On June 28 the Soviet Army blew up the guns and left.
