BATTERIE MOLTKE – LES LANDES COMMON, ST. OUEN’S
SUNDAY 23rd October. 11-4PM.
Bonus! A Living History Display with Force 135 British Liberation troops!
Originally intended as Kriegsmarine (Naval) ‘Marine Battery 1’ armed with 4 modern quick firing 15cm turreted guns which never arrived thanks to the Allied bombing raids in Europe, so the site was handed over to the Army Coastal Artillery, armed with 155mm field guns and named Batterie Moltke.
The CIOS maintain and restore the vast and impressive interconnected complex of Number 4 gun which consists of a personnel shelter, 2 ammunition bunkers, the underground gun emplacement intended for the quick firing 15cm turreted gun and a ‘temporary’ emplacement mounting a 15.5cm ex-French GPF field gun recovered from the base of nearby cliffs where it was dumped by the British Army in 1946! There is also ample information on various aspects of the Occupation for the interested visitor and knowledgeable members on hand to help you with your visit. See if you can spot the hobnailed boot prints in the corridors!?
Force 135 Living History Group will demonstrating minefield clearance (weather permitting!) as well as displays of period items of relevance. More info on their group can be found here:
Admission is £5 per adult and under 16s free.
OPENING TIMES NOT CONVENIENT?As a volunteer Society, we can’t open as much as we would like too. But we do work with Jersey Bunker Tours (who have the bonus of a superb online resource regarding the Occupation!) as well as History Alive who both offer ‘out of hours’ tours of all our sites. With tours available for all budgets and tailored for requests, you can check out more details in the ‘featured’ section at the top of this page!
The CIOS arguably boasts some of the best-preserved fortifications today that originally formed and defended part of Hitler’s much vaunted “Atlantikwall” which stretched from inside the arctic circle of northern Norway to the French/Spanish boarder with about 10% of the fortifications constructed found in the Channel Islands! Today, thanks to the work of the CIOS, these structures attract both experts and those with a general interest in the Occupation with displays including first-hand accounts of soldiers of both sides, the forced labours used to build the fortifications through to civilian life and the Allied battles that took place to help Liberate Europe and those who sacrificed their lives for this goal.
But the CIOS is not just about bunkers!
With a reputation as the ‘go to’ Society for information regarding the Occupation, the CIOS also has an extensive archive, which is held with Jersey Heritage, and we welcome new members from all backgrounds to join our volunteers to help open and maintain sites. So, if you’re interested give us a shout!
