The story of a unique military object in Karosta
For years, I have not noticed any sustained interest in the unique places just eight to ten kilometres north of the city centre among the residents of Old Liepaja. But hidden in the thicket of the forest, on the dune bank or on the marsh paths, the historic sites of the Karosta are no less interesting historical facts and stories worthy of long-forgotten legends. One of them - the former 23rd Coastal Artillery Battery of the USSR - will be the subject of this story.
Simultaneously with the artillery battery of the 27th coast in the current Pērkone Greenland, the USSR military also started to build powerful artillery positions in the northern part of Liepāja, Karosta, Tobago and Jātnieku streets. Today, this is evidenced by the well-preserved rangefinder towers, underground command post, concrete warehouse vaults, communication center and fire pool contours. However, four concrete positions of 130 mm caliber naval cannons have been the least able to withstand the time tooth and shore collapses.
The importance and urgency of the Russian Soviet "limited" contingent in the Republic of Latvia to station heavy cannons right here can be ascertained by walking along Lībiešu Street in the direction of Šķēde Gardens - the 23rd battery temporary positions are still visible on the partially swampy and overgrown left side of the highway. Their capers - ramparts for three cannons were built on wooden shelves first, during the frosts of the autumn of 1939. Cannon crews who had to sleep in tents began battle duty at the end of November 1939.
Construction of the "real" battery began in January 1940. The first objects were the so-called engineering positions - diesel power plant, heating mains, wooden log barracks, sanitary barracks, laundry and boiler house, but the former tsarist batteries No. 2 on the south side, also concrete and armored steel "hat" covered command post. In May 1940, while planning a road route in the dunes to move heavy cargo, about 300 soldiers set about concreting cannon positions and underground galleries. Needless to say, all the works were vigilantly watched by the NKVD and local farmers of Šķēde and Medze parishes, who worked on bringing stones and gravel, the entrance was denied - the Chekist took the reins of the cart and entered behind the barbed wire fence, there is nothing to rub blisters in foreign eyes! *
However, no secret concealment in the bag prevented the rumors that a dozen concreting works had been an alien element to the working class and negligently violated the process of continuous pouring of concrete. The villain was shot, of course.
A resident of Medze, then a boy, recently told me about the rather strange adventures while building the battery: "We were driving to the Liepāja market in the sleds, and we heard the noise of hell at the" Zvaigznes ". Giant sleds were made of two logs, stacked with steel studs from the Medze quarries, and Russian soldiers also walked next to them or sat on the "sleds", but on the stone carriage like a man with a "gourmet" sitting on the throne **.
23. The batteries were put into operation on May 5, 1941, and on May 17, the crew, 180 people, started combat duty.
In the June 1941 battles, the commander of the battery, Captain Gordeychuk, managed to move the cannons for shooting against the attacking Germans in the Grobiņa-Brēdiki district. On June 27, the cannons were blown up.
Now the remains of a battery, artillery rangefinders, cannon yards, underground galleries and a command post are forgotten and gloomy objects, but I think they have retained their aura of sad history.
* Глаза мазолить - a Russian expression - to hide from strangers.
** Garmoška. Musical instrument - bellows harmonicas.
https://irliepaja.lv/vide/stasts-par-unikalu-militaru-objektu-karosta/
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