Hamburg N49 40.732 W001 27.280 Map 1210E
Hamburg was the last battery to be built and operational before D-day, although
not completed.
The Germans intended to house the cannons in casemates, but the work was by no
means completed by D-day and the guns remained in the open, protected by steel
turrets.
The four casemates were of the SK type and are huge compared with any others in
Normandy, and in fact had the battery been completed it would have been the
biggest in France.
The guns installed here were of 240 mm and had a range of over 25 kms.
Two of the casemates has been used as houses since the liberation and the gun
installed there was taken back to the USA and is now on display at Baltimore.
The site was also protected by six 75 mm anti aircraft guns as well as numerous
light flak guns.
Just before the liberation the defense of the area was strengthened by 50 mm and
75 mm anti tank guns.
There is a theory that there should have been four guns installed here together
with a Fire Control Post in the village, but to date no evidence has been found,
although a plan has be published on the Internet..
The Commander of Hamburg Oberluetnant Rudi Max Gelbhaar was decorated with the
Croix de Chevalier for his action against the Allied fleet on June 25th.
The site also has a command post built in the later lighter style.
These were introduced after the Gestapo had taken over much of the
responsibility of defence of the Third Reich, late in 1943.
This control post is to the rear of the site and underground, there is a similar
structure at WN63 on Omaha Beach.
Locals tell of the command post being used as a hospital during the attack by
the Americans during the capture of Cherbourg
