Wow , Eagle Eyes is over the moon here. Your incredible support will for sure make some if EE`s dream come true on the Touching History Tour. Thank YOU so much and we send our greetings to you and be safe out there.
I am speechless, I have never seen a WW2 bunker in that condition let alone the turret itself. The level of preservation is incredible, I am certain that it all still works as intended and could complete a fire mission tomorrow. I'd need the best part of a week to see that complex and record it fully. We owe a huge debt of gratitude to the volunteers who are keeping it all in such amazing condition.
Truly awesome. As a museum piece It’s historically pleasing to see it’s been looked after and kept in such amazing condition (not vandalized or cut up as scrap). Cannot imagine how difficult it was to transport all that off the battleship & then get it up a mountain and installed so quickly and to such a high standard. Great video 👍
Most of the work was done by the "Organisation Todt". A Nazi working group led by Fritz Todt. At the beginning they counted round about 240.000 workers, at peak up to 430.000 workers, at the end also many jew prisoners. One of their main project was the so called "atlantic-wall", the coast defense line from France to Norway.
I wonder how far they had to disassemble it to effectively move it? It would have taken something like the building of a pyramid to get it moved and assembled correctly and useable. As heavy as it was and to think of engineering a place for it to be placed. What kind of thinking it would have taken. To fix a base for the turret to sit. The stresses that it must have placed on the base were probably something that needed to be observed quite often.
@@johnskipper432The rotating mass of one Scharnhorst - class battleships main turret is 750 tons, of which the easily detached gun barrels took 160 tons. Not very extreme task for the cranes, even at WW2 era. (Turrets did not need to be locked into place, they were just lifted into the wanted spot. After that it took a total capsizing for turrets to fall off, as happened for example when Bismarck sunk.)
Wow , that is so kind of you and EE is jumping up and down here as he has just realized that more of his dreams can come true. Thank YOU and it is appreciated :)
Sorry you felt rushed but at least people are interested enough to come see this wonderful place. Fascinating to see just how much was involved in operating this place. You'd never realize how deep into the mountains this goes. Thank you for bringing us along
Thanks for taking us there HH. For the Germans a tremendous amount of effort to remove a Battlecruisers turret and associated equipment and install on land, for effectively no use.
That was my thought too. I’m glad that it wasn’t looted or destroyed like the flak towers that were kinda blown up. Edit: It’s also incredible how great of shape everything is kept in. We’ve all seen museum ships that isn’t even as old that’s not this great of shape. I know part of it is because of German engineering
@@karlheinzvonkroemann2217Post WW2 i don't think any German installations in non German countries would have any sentimental value in the immediate aftermath if what happened.
They have done an amazing job on the restoration of the gun emplacement. That must have been a real treat for you and EE to walk around. Thanks for taking us along and showing us what is underneath.
This was amazing. The condition of this place was mind blowing. I know I have said this before, but you simply must admire the German's ability to design and build these bunkers and gun emplacements in the numbers the did, in the time they did to the standards they did has to simply incredible. Thank you my friend for this amazing video both to yourself and Eagle Eyes. Take care guys.
I agree that is AMAZING to say the least.Just crazy stuff and we are very glad we could share this with you. Thank YOU for your ever so kind support my friend and we send a greeting from us :)
Amazing job of keeping and maintaining this WWII Gun. I can imagine the moisture control was a big problem. I am a German trained HD machinist and know the precision was sought in everything that came from their way of doing things. Thanks a bunch for this tour of hopefully will never be fired again.
Wow! This is a most impressive site with the massive gun loading and firing controls still in place. Quite a sight to see heavy cruiser turret machinery still in place and not scrapped like many other heavy gun emplacements were at the end of the terrible conflict called WW2 in Europe. Thank you so much. These are places I will never see in my lifetime as I am on the other side of the Atlantic and now I am in my 70s and cannot walk for long distances again. You travel for all of us. Thank you and to Eagle Eyes too! Just Keep posting and we will watch ! We promise.
That is just an amazing place. The last time the guns were fired was in 1958, but it all looks like it could easily be put back into service tomorrow. Super kudos to the guys and gals who keep that all running, and looking pristine. And seeing all those different rooms deep below the actual turret, with all those original fittings gives a great idea of how all those other large bunkers, that we've seen over the years, would have looked before everything was stripped out. But I can imagine those very bottom level, crew quarters, were always cold, damp, and stuffy, despite all the machinery, and gizmos trying to warm the place. Probably why they were deemed uninhabitable after such a short time. Many, many, thanks for this amazing tour, of this spectacular, massive, piece of History. We really appreciate everything you guys do to bring us these incredible locations. Cheers to you both!
Yes, it must still be operational, and why not? It would cost 1,000 times more to buy and equip a battery of modern artillery than it does to maintain that thing. I'll bet Ukraine wishes they had one of those things.
After the war norway kept Part of the German personnel to teach them how to use It. It was fired a couple of Times in the 60's but it shattered cristals from homes a few km away. It is no longer operative.
The technology back when this was built is so amazing, this is a spectacular piece of German history and that it’s been preserved for generations to see and learn about the war movement during WWII, I have to say thank you for sharing this amazing piece of history and hopefully generations and generations will come and understand the magnitude of war!!
What a wonderful thing to see this location being well cared for. This turret is so impressive, never realized how much equipment there was to fire it. Can't thank you and EE enough for all you do. Hope all is well and stay safe out there my friends.
battle cruiser and even saying that is a stretch with 11 inch guns. a true battle cruiser would have 15 inch guns for its year so how is there any of the 2 with 11 inch guns it was not built to battle other ships built light for commerce raiding @@bustabusts
As an Engineer it always blows me away seeing things like this and thinking this all came to be without electronic calculators, Computer Aided Design tools, CNCs, etc... Thanks for taking the time to take us on the tour. -
@@WW2HistoryHunter So is this a Russian Bunker? ... or German Bunker, from the thumbnail you made it look german ( ww2 ) although they would not have had a Swastika on it. Also you have given no information where abouts this bunker is. so where is it?
That place is magnificant, so much to see, and so much history. Looking from the outside, you would never know how deep into the mountain the complex goes. Worth waiting for , so thanj you for sharing this with us all. Stay safe and well my friends
yes what a surprise to see the inside and it is even bigger then what you and we saw. Fantastic place my friend and we are so glad we could share that with you :)
It is good to see that this location has been so well preserved for people to visit and to learn about this installation. Much of the naval shell and powder handling mechanisms are still in place and it looks like much of it would still work today! Thank you for taking us through this "turret" and the supporting bunker rooms and equipment. Very interesting! Stay safe and stay well!!
yes Donald , it almost looked like the troops just left it and we enter the rooms. Totally AWESOME i fell and we are proud to have shared that with you :)
It looks so crudely designed on the outside, but when you go into the gun turret, you start to instantly realize these people were master engineers and builders
Your adventure is so great and that EE can fulfil his dreams with this. The fact that the inside has been preserved so well and original is a big thumbs up for all the maintenance and preservation involved
My first thought at seeing the size of that turret and the huge guns: "This reminds me of the 1961 classic film, 'The Guns of Navarrone,'" starring Gregory Peck, Anthony Quinn and David Niven. It's one of my all-time favorite WW2 films. You did a great job showing an amazing place under somewhat harried circumstances. Keep up the excellent work!
I just watched the Guns of Navarrone DVD a month ago again. My dad took us to the theater to see the film when it first came out. I was 7 years old. I was so impressed with those huge shells and propellant cases that I started collecting inert military ammunition back then. My dad was on an Attack Transport in WWII and made all kinds of trench art, lighters, ash trays and lamps out of the brass cases on his ship. He encouraged me to collect these things. The king of my collection is an inert 16''-50 406mm shell that weighs 1900 pounds, 862Kg. I think these guns in the video are 280mm, 11 inch bore. Very good video! Thank you.
@kimmer6 I had the Guns of Navarrone toy set when I was a kid, lol. The set came with German soldiers which I then painted to make them look more realistic.
"The Guns of Navarrone... one of my favorite films about the Second World War" - Well, I forgive you for your adolescent naivety, but, evidently, being a little older than you and above all having lived a few years under the German military occupation, I have acquired a rather different opinion about the "bad guys". A film critic here in my hometown put it this way at the time: "If the Germans were so stupid and inept, someone should tell me how they got to the Caspian Sea." A banal film, full of clichés and supported only by the presence of a stellar cast.
This place is incredible! Outstanding job on filming this massive underground bunker. I am blown away that they built that in a year, that's amazing. I would never have believed I could have seen such a complete and fully functional facility. The features are way before their time in a lot of cases. This was spectacular! Thank you so much for sharing this. Take care and stay safe. 💖💯
Battleship turrets were the most technologically advanced pieces of weaponry of their time. This is one of the 3 turrets from the battlecruiser Gneisenau, sister of the Scharnhorst. Her 11 inch guns were considered not powerful enough and there were plans to place 15 inch guns on both, but because they were urgently needed, both were completed with 11 inch guns.
@@CRAIGKMSBISMARCKTIRPITZ533 Interesting what you say. I understand that the Captain of the Bismarck insisted that his crew refed to his ship in the masculine, such as HE and not SHE, as they would in the British Navy.
Thanks! Why was such a enormous installation needed ? The gun is big but that's a lot of bunker. Its amazing to see all the equipment just how it was when the last soldier walked out. 😮 PS was there live gun powder?
yes i agree. It covered a very important stretch of water and the Germans also had several very important features further inland like u-boat pen , airfield , festung that they protected with this gun. No live ammo or such there , thank god :) Thanks my friend for your ever so kind support :)
This place really is spectacular! I'm glad that this site has been restored as it would have been a shame to have let it fall into irreversible decay. German engineering at its best and, presumably, built by Operation Todt? Many thanks for taking your supporters with you and EE on this visit!
What I find ridiculous is that so many places like this were allowed to collapse, or were deliberately damaged & destroyed. This place has obvious value, even today. As a shelter against natural disasters (any kind) or in a time of war, even, it would be fantastic. Maybe that is how they were able to gather the funds to preserve it?
The controls, hydraulics, electronics plus firing the guns crazy ! What an amazing site. Too bad you had to rush through, but thanks for sharing your tour. Would be really worthwhile to go back and get more detail on this bunker. EE deserves another run through!
Absolutely amazing. I never realized how complicated and the amount of engineering was involved in those big guns. Even more amazing is how accurate they were when mounted on battleships when you must calculate for all the axis movements of a ship in the ocean.
Wow... that's blown my mind HH & EE. Considering all of that gun was from a former battle ship and rebuilt with that installation, it is no small feet. Also, building all of that within a year is awesome. Massive thank you to you both for bringing us unseen and historic content. From Austin in the 🇬🇧
Yes seing it there is one thing. Knowing that every little pin and bolt was transported from Germany is totally crazy. We thank you for being here and greetings from us.
@@wirelessone2986 that was one of the issues with the german war machine. I think he said 3 weeks after completion it was uninhabitable. They spent so much time and resources on building and designing these defensive systems that were never used or to any great effect.
@@WW2HistoryHunterHi. You mentioned in in passing that 3 weeks after completion it was uninhabitable. Do you know more of that story ? Given the spectacular effort,what was the failure ? How was it fixed ? Given the privations of the average soldier on the Eastern Front,this installation would not be allowed to fail. Enormous investment of resources here.
@@paulmanson253 Yes that would be good to know WHY no one could stay in it.Was in ground water?Poisonous gas?It had to be something big to stop Nazis from living in it
Well that is a lot of places. The very best you can do is to research areas and just pick whatever you take interest in as there are hundreds if not thousands of locations to visit. Thank for your kind support and greetings from us.
We toured the gun during the 70’s as a United States Marine while on deployment for a NATO exercise. It wasn’t a tourist attraction back then but a functional weapon of war. A little old man maintained the facility, just as you showed us, and it was spotless. We were told that 1 of the guns had some sort of crack somewhere and was not safe to fire and the last time it was fired in the 50’s, it blew out all the windows in the village below. Really some sort of engineering marvel. As to how it was built, it was slave labor
Glad you enjoyed it and yes it is just incredible to think that all of that was on a vessel and then rearranged to fit there. Just amazing. Thanks from us :)
What an amazing place! It's great that it has been fully preserved and just like it was during WWII. It may be ugly to some folks, but preserving history, ugly or not, is pretty darned important.
I have always loved watching your channel and the why of it shows so much so in this episode listening to the excited tone in your voice was it's own special reward . I know why I love this channel it's that YOU love what you are doing talking about and discovering the history of World War 2 for you and what your family are doing I thank you !...!...!
That is very kind of you my friend and we appreciate that and it will come in very handy in future explores to share with you my friend. Greetings from us and be safe out there :)
Absolutely mind boggling location amazed by the amount of electronics levers and gauges to load and fire this behemoth of a gun. It would be nice for HH and EE to return and have an exclusive tour of this place.The Curators have done a fantastic job restoring this place.👍👍
What an amazing video from such a truly fascinating location! After seeing so many bunkers with missing equipment it’s really a fantastic experience seeing a location that basically looks and functions exactly the same as it did when history was being made! Can’t thank you enough for sharing this!
It's very awesome and absolutely amazing that this is still sitting fully historically intact in every way shape and form and in all of its detailed design and functions in all of its spectacular glory, Unlike all of the other many gun sites along the coast of Normandy and various other coastal fortifications and so forth and so on that have been totally dismantled, And a very great thanks to you and your son Sir for this fabulous presention and tour of this fabulous site indeed!👍.
That block is the breach block. Once the shell is ramed in the powder is pushed in next then the breach block is closed and a primer is pushed into a hole in the breach block then the gun can be fired.
This really is incredible to survive all of these years and to be preserved to such a very high standard?. Thank you for this informative movie, you really are so very fortunate to be able to access these wonderful places.
The analog talking tubes are truly that. The large one is for speaking into and the smaller ones were for putting your ear up to so you could hear what was being said, they had plugs so you could plug one off when you weren't listening to that particular location but you needed to put your ears up to the smaller horns because when the whole facility is in operation it could get quite loud inside because of all the machinery and the shouting going on between the men. so that is what the small ones were for.
That was a very interesting tour of that incredible gun. I've always had a fascination with those monster guns, and am so glad you were able to photograph it for us 🙂 And I'm just thinking of young Eagle Eyes - if I saw this at his age I'd be losing my mind haha. We have a few gun emplacements from that period around here, but nothing as big or complex as this as you can imagine. Thank you both for this, you really made my day!
I’ll have to admit, you did a fantastic job with this video considering how you were rushed through this gun. The gun and bunker is massive. It would be easy to get lost in there. They are doing a great job restoring everything. How fantastic to see the bunks still there. Also the cables running along the wall. Must have took a lot of training to operate this location after looking at all the equipment and valves. This video definitely requires another look just see what I might have missed.
OH MY GRAVY!!!! I am Stunned by that bunker!!!! I loved the brick layout in the lower half where the men slept. That was awesome!!! I definitely want to go and see this place for myself!!! I am still stunned about it!!! I would have to stay at least 2-3 days to go thru it all, step by step, inch by inch.....Would appreciate a pm on where this is; I am wanting to see this!!! Thanks for the demo EE on the how they fired those massive guns too!! Until the next adventure; stay well,safe and smile.......................................................................
it was this model 11 inch gun turrent holds the records for two of the longest range hits on a moving target in naval history.. the first hit was against a british aircraft carrier and the last one was against the Duke of York battleship when the german battlecruiser was sunk.
Quite amazing really. Hard to imagine the installation below until you see it. Just seeing the gun turret up top is rather deceiving to what is really underneath.
You are correct on the tips of the warheads they would screw in a fuse that was the detonator on the side of the detonator there was a small switch which could be turned to 2 different settings either quick charge which means the warhead will explode on impact with target and delay charge which meant that the warhead would actually land and there would still be a few seconds before it would explode
Very cool to see the inside of the turret. I was recently inside gun turret #2 on the USS New Jersey in Philadelphia. Its funny that both turrets were owned and operated by adversaries, but similar in how they worked and the setup inside isn't too much different either.
I'll bet Eagle Eyes was surprised and excited! What an incredible site! Shame that group of eight came along and made the tour rushed. Quite spectacular but you could see how you were rushed. Would be great if you could get back there and spend a full day going through it. I know I would want to spend the full day there slowly exploring that site. Thanks for taking us along.
EE did now know at all what was here before he came up the hill and spotted it and just started running up the hill screaming gun gun gun ! I loved to see his reaction and i thank YOU for letting us have the chance to see and share that. Have a great week my friend and greetings from us.
@@WW2HistoryHunter Yes, I remember one of the preview videos where you show him running towards it screaming in joy. I would've been doing the same thing. 😁
There are a few naval cannon installations like this that date from WW2 still in semi-active use in Finland. They are officially still part of the current defence doctrine, and are kept in firing condition despite also functioning as museum pieces. They have a huge part in securing the Baltic shipping lines during wartime and augment the Finnish Defence Fleet very well due to the enormous range these cannons have.
Wow this was such an amazing place, to see it all restored is great! Now I want to visit it! Thanks HH and EE for taking us there. Oh wow I do hope a return trip happens that would be so cool!
You must go back and provide us with as much detail as possible. I'd love to know more about the hydraulic system and how it was plumbed. What about escape options? I've seen some of these had "secret" escape tunnels under the shore battery that led far enough away that men would have a chance of living if it were overtaken. The more minutia, the better!!! Part of my business sells flashlights, so it's so frustrating you don't have one. Shoot me your address, and I'll see if I can get something convenient to Europe. BEST.
We thank you for that my friend and we shall actually visit there later for more exploring there. We do actually have flashlights we use but at that location we just did not think it would be so needed :) Thank you my friend and we send a greeting from us :)
Great follow-on video. Was it ever test fired? I am wondering about recoil; on a ship the hull will actually move in the water. I don't believe the land mass moved so it had to absorb it. Great job HH as always. Both of you stay safe and well out there.
It did test fire some rounds indeed and must have been interesting to see that. Yes so much energy involved and my thought as well being in there. Loved it and we thank you for your great support.
This is for EE and the "Touching History" trip. Good luck
Wow , Eagle Eyes is over the moon here. Your incredible support will for sure make some if EE`s dream come true on the Touching History Tour. Thank YOU so much and we send our greetings to you and be safe out there.
@@WW2HistoryHunterI think the technical term is shore battery.
@@Uncommonsensetoo he said on the Atlantic wall and it came from a German battleship battery. Just Google it.
And still working😊
hono
I’m blown away by the ability to transport and install such a massive gun and facility below it. Just wow!
yes what incredible piece of work that is. Thanks for watching.
@@davedixon2068 Pretty much yeah.. Many people died to build it in short time. Still an incredible piece of military art.
forced slave labour
built in just one year also !!!! goes to prove the war effort was a huge task on both sides
Only for it to be deemed uninhabitable 3weeks later 🤔
I am speechless, I have never seen a WW2 bunker in that condition let alone the turret itself. The level of preservation is incredible, I am certain that it all still works as intended and could complete a fire mission tomorrow. I'd need the best part of a week to see that complex and record it fully. We owe a huge debt of gratitude to the volunteers who are keeping it all in such amazing condition.
Yes what a great place that is. Thanks for being here :)
Yep. Personally I only knew smelly ones in France 😅
Gotta be able to swim pretty deep to see most German WW2 Navel turrets
En qué lugar se encuentra esa torretas
@@RafaelAraujo-fj1lhNoruega. Yo lo he visitado y de verdad en el vídeo no se aprecia lo enorme que es.😮
Truly awesome. As a museum piece It’s historically pleasing to see it’s been looked after and kept in such amazing condition (not vandalized or cut up as scrap). Cannot imagine how difficult it was to transport all that off the battleship & then get it up a mountain and installed so quickly and to such a high standard. Great video 👍
Yes just imagine how much work that must have been. i am very glad it is there and we can enjoy that historical place. Thanks :)
Most of the work was done by the "Organisation Todt". A Nazi working group led by Fritz Todt. At the beginning they counted round about 240.000 workers, at peak up to 430.000 workers, at the end also many jew prisoners. One of their main project was the so called "atlantic-wall", the coast defense line from France to Norway.
I wonder how far they had to disassemble it to effectively move it? It would have taken something like the building of a pyramid to get it moved and assembled correctly and useable. As heavy as it was and to think of engineering a place for it to be placed. What kind of thinking it would have taken. To fix a base for the turret to sit. The stresses that it must have placed on the base were probably something that needed to be observed quite often.
@@johnskipper432The rotating mass of one Scharnhorst - class battleships main turret is 750 tons, of which the easily detached gun barrels took 160 tons. Not very extreme task for the cranes, even at WW2 era.
(Turrets did not need to be locked into place, they were just lifted into the wanted spot. After that it took a total capsizing for turrets to fall off, as happened for example when Bismarck sunk.)
Constructed up and functioning in a years time!!! Amazing!!!
The underground is huge and amazing! Thanks for taking us along with you. It is so cool to see this history with you both!
Wow , that is so kind of you and EE is jumping up and down here as he has just realized that more of his dreams can come true. Thank YOU and it is appreciated :)
AMAZING! You've shown us many deserted gun emplacements, so it was a real treat to see one that's so well preserved. Great work, guys!
Thanks for that :)
Sorry you felt rushed but at least people are interested enough to come see this wonderful place. Fascinating to see just how much was involved in operating this place. You'd never realize how deep into the mountains this goes. Thank you for bringing us along
Yes like an iceberg you just see the top and so much down under there. AMAZING place that is. Thanks.
@@WW2HistoryHunter I have two questions: what were the dimensions of this "iceberg"?
And why was it inhabitable?
Thanks for taking us there HH. For the Germans a tremendous amount of effort to remove a Battlecruisers turret and associated equipment and install on land, for effectively no use.
Our pleasure!
Slave labour would have been used to remove the 11inch guns from KMS Gneisnau
I'm glad that they didnt destroy this its amazing to see today I'm 66 yrs old and find it fascinating that it's still opertable
So are we and very glad we could share that with you. Thanks.
That was my thought too. I’m glad that it wasn’t looted or destroyed like the flak towers that were kinda blown up.
Edit:
It’s also incredible how great of shape everything is kept in. We’ve all seen museum ships that isn’t even as old that’s not this great of shape. I know part of it is because of German engineering
@@WW2HistoryHunter
The French keep the guns operational in case the English attack them again.
Why wiould antbody destroy it?
@@karlheinzvonkroemann2217Post WW2 i don't think any German installations in non German countries would have any sentimental value in the immediate aftermath if what happened.
They have done an amazing job on the restoration of the gun emplacement. That must have been a real treat for you and EE to walk around. Thanks for taking us along and showing us what is underneath.
Yes EE was over the moon that day ands o surprised he was and i loved to see that. Thanks my friend.
Thanks!
This was amazing. The condition of this place was mind blowing. I know I have said this before, but you simply must admire the German's ability to design and build these bunkers and gun emplacements in the numbers the did, in the time they did to the standards they did has to simply incredible. Thank you my friend for this amazing video both to yourself and Eagle Eyes. Take care guys.
I agree that is AMAZING to say the least.Just crazy stuff and we are very glad we could share this with you. Thank YOU for your ever so kind support my friend and we send a greeting from us :)
Amazing job of keeping and maintaining this WWII Gun. I can imagine the moisture control was a big problem. I am a German trained HD machinist and know the precision was sought in everything that came from their way of doing things. Thanks a bunch for this tour of hopefully will never be fired again.
Thanks for being here :)
Wow! This is a most impressive site with the massive gun loading and firing controls still in place. Quite a sight to see heavy cruiser turret machinery still in place and not scrapped like many other heavy gun emplacements were at the end of the terrible conflict called WW2 in Europe. Thank you so much. These are places I will never see in my lifetime as I am on the other side of the Atlantic and now I am in my 70s and cannot walk for long distances again. You travel for all of us. Thank you and to Eagle Eyes too! Just Keep posting and we will watch ! We promise.
Yes Karl , what a INCREDIBLE location to visit. So gald we could and we tank you for your great support.
That is just an amazing place. The last time the guns were fired was in 1958, but it all looks like it could easily be put back into service tomorrow. Super kudos to the guys and gals who keep that all running, and looking pristine. And seeing all those different rooms deep below the actual turret, with all those original fittings gives a great idea of how all those other large bunkers, that we've seen over the years, would have looked before everything was stripped out. But I can imagine those very bottom level, crew quarters, were always cold, damp, and stuffy, despite all the machinery, and gizmos trying to warm the place. Probably why they were deemed uninhabitable after such a short time. Many, many, thanks for this amazing tour, of this spectacular, massive, piece of History. We really appreciate everything you guys do to bring us these incredible locations. Cheers to you both!
yes , what a fantastic place to see and learn from and so much going on in there. Just loved it and glad we could share that with you :)
In war time I know comfort was never a consideration.
@@kjellrogerjgensen60 It would be something to see and feel for sure
Yes, it must still be operational, and why not? It would cost 1,000 times more to buy and equip a battery of modern artillery than it does to maintain that thing.
I'll bet Ukraine wishes they had one of those things.
After the war norway kept Part of the German personnel to teach them how to use It.
It was fired a couple of Times in the 60's but it shattered cristals from homes a few km away. It is no longer operative.
The technology back when this was built is so amazing, this is a spectacular piece of German history and that it’s been preserved for generations to see and learn about the war movement during WWII, I have to say thank you for sharing this amazing piece of history and hopefully generations and generations will come and understand the magnitude of war!!
We thank YOU for being here my friend :)
Thank you for your wonderful video’s. I enjoy them very much.
That is very kind of you my friend and will come in very handy in future explores. Thanks and greetings from us.
What a wonderful thing to see this location being well cared for. This turret is so impressive, never realized how much equipment there was to fire it. Can't thank you and EE enough for all you do. Hope all is well and stay safe out there my friends.
it is a turret from a battleship. Gneisenau
battle cruiser and even saying that is a stretch with 11 inch guns. a true battle cruiser would have 15 inch guns for its year so how is there any of the 2 with 11 inch guns it was not built to battle other ships built light for commerce raiding @@bustabusts
As an Engineer it always blows me away seeing things like this and thinking this all came to be without electronic calculators, Computer Aided Design tools, CNCs, etc...
Thanks for taking the time to take us on the tour.
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I agree , they sat with drawing tables and pen and paper. Awesome details there. Thanks for watching.
@@WW2HistoryHunter So is this a Russian Bunker? ... or German Bunker, from the thumbnail you made it look german ( ww2 ) although they would not have had a Swastika on it. Also you have given no information where abouts this bunker is. so where is it?
@@michaelhawkins7389 This is 100% German Costal Artillery from the looks of it, but I'm not sure of the location.
@@T-10M it’s in Norway
@@truxton1000 Yes it is in Norway but, Austrått Fort is German.
That place is magnificant, so much to see, and so much history. Looking from the outside, you would never know how deep into the mountain the complex goes. Worth waiting for , so thanj you for sharing this with us all. Stay safe and well my friends
yes what a surprise to see the inside and it is even bigger then what you and we saw. Fantastic place my friend and we are so glad we could share that with you :)
It is good to see that this location has been so well preserved for people to visit and to learn about this installation. Much of the naval shell and powder handling mechanisms are still in place and it looks like much of it would still work today! Thank you for taking us through this "turret" and the supporting bunker rooms and equipment. Very interesting! Stay safe and stay well!!
yes Donald , it almost looked like the troops just left it and we enter the rooms. Totally AWESOME i fell and we are proud to have shared that with you :)
It looks so crudely designed on the outside, but when you go into the gun turret, you start to instantly realize these people were master engineers and builders
Indeed and thanks for watching.
Sind wir heute noch, Danke.
@@WW2HistoryHunteris that a German casemate gun one of the biggest ever built by the nazi gun army
Most of it slave labor
@@kasauerkrautimgulaschwrong.
That's Awesome!!! That's a battle ships turret stuck on land! Very impressive stuff and amazing condition of everything underneath that gun.
Yes just pure EPIC inside there and thanks for being here :)
These coastal batteries actually were battleship guns. 283mm Bore.
I visited the fort many years ago, you and EE brought back many fond memories of the trip. Thank you both.
Great place and love to share that with you :)
Your adventure is so great and that EE can fulfil his dreams with this. The fact that the inside has been preserved so well and original is a big thumbs up for all the maintenance and preservation involved
Yes EE was totally surprised when he came up that hill and saw it. Loved it and thanks for being here with us Chris :)
Thanks
Very kind of you my friend and Happy New Year to you :)
My first thought at seeing the size of that turret and the huge guns:
"This reminds me of the 1961 classic film, 'The Guns of Navarrone,'" starring Gregory Peck, Anthony Quinn and David Niven. It's one of my all-time favorite WW2 films.
You did a great job showing an amazing place under somewhat harried circumstances. Keep up the excellent work!
Thank you and greeting from us.
I just watched the Guns of Navarrone DVD a month ago again. My dad took us to the theater to see the film when it first came out. I was 7 years old. I was so impressed with those huge shells and propellant cases that I started collecting inert military ammunition back then. My dad was on an Attack Transport in WWII and made all kinds of trench art, lighters, ash trays and lamps out of the brass cases on his ship. He encouraged me to collect these things. The king of my collection is an inert 16''-50 406mm shell that weighs 1900 pounds, 862Kg. I think these guns in the video are 280mm, 11 inch bore. Very good video! Thank you.
@kimmer6 I had the Guns of Navarrone toy set when I was a kid, lol. The set came with German soldiers which I then painted to make them look more realistic.
Reminded me of the classic movie Guns of navarone 🎉
"The Guns of Navarrone... one of my favorite films about the Second World War" - Well, I forgive you for your adolescent naivety, but, evidently, being a little older than you and above all having lived a few years under the German military occupation, I have acquired a rather different opinion about the "bad guys". A film critic here in my hometown put it this way at the time: "If the Germans were so stupid and inept, someone should tell me how they got to the Caspian Sea." A banal film, full of clichés and supported only by the presence of a stellar cast.
This place is incredible! Outstanding job on filming this massive underground bunker. I am blown away that they built that in a year, that's amazing. I would never have believed I could have seen such a complete and fully functional facility. The features are way before their time in a lot of cases. This was spectacular! Thank you so much for sharing this. Take care and stay safe. 💖💯
Such a great place to explore and visit Julie and we thank you for being here :)
That’s some beautiful hvac/plumbing/electrical work for 1940’s absolutely incredible
Great explore and thanks for watching.
Tack!
🤙Thanks for being here with us an for your kindness. :)
Battleship turrets were the most technologically advanced pieces of weaponry of their time. This is one of the 3 turrets from the battlecruiser Gneisenau, sister of the Scharnhorst. Her 11 inch guns were considered not powerful enough and there were plans to place 15 inch guns on both, but because they were urgently needed, both were completed with 11 inch guns.
Interesting explore and thanks for being here :)
Germans Referred Their Ship's Males Not Females. Yes Germans Put KMS GNEISENAU TURRETS On The Mountain 😃. After They've Scrapped KMS GNEISENAU 😭
@@CRAIGKMSBISMARCKTIRPITZ533 Interesting what you say.
I understand that the Captain of the Bismarck insisted that his crew refed to his ship in the masculine, such as HE and not SHE, as they would in the British Navy.
Thanks!
Why was such a enormous installation needed ? The gun is big but that's a lot of bunker. Its amazing to see all the equipment just how it was when the last soldier walked out. 😮 PS was there live gun powder?
yes i agree. It covered a very important stretch of water and the Germans also had several very important features further inland like u-boat pen , airfield , festung that they protected with this gun. No live ammo or such there , thank god :) Thanks my friend for your ever so kind support :)
This place really is spectacular! I'm glad that this site has been restored as it would have been a shame to have let it fall into irreversible decay. German engineering at its best and, presumably, built by Operation Todt? Many thanks for taking your supporters with you and EE on this visit!
yes Todt was heavily involved and what a fantastic place that is. Thanks Sue :)
What I find ridiculous is that so many places like this were allowed to collapse, or were deliberately damaged & destroyed.
This place has obvious value, even today. As a shelter against natural disasters (any kind) or in a time of war, even, it would be fantastic. Maybe that is how they were able to gather the funds to preserve it?
Yes, the "Organisation Todt" (in English written with a "z") was obviously involved.
I am speechless and also hooked on your channel 🙌🏼 Thanks to you I’ve discovered a new and unknown interest in war history!
Appreciated and greetings from us.
The controls, hydraulics, electronics plus firing the guns crazy ! What an amazing site. Too bad you had to rush through, but thanks for sharing your tour. Would be really worthwhile to go back and get more detail on this bunker. EE deserves another run through!
Yes , that is such a great place and very glad we could share that with you and we send a greeting your way :)
Agreed! The german technology craftsmanship,inventive research, agrarian, scientific breakthroughs were decades ahead of any other country.
Indeed they were. Thanks for being here :)
which didn't help them to win the war.
Wheraboo alert! 🙄🙄🙄
This just in: Historians wrong. Germany actually won the war.
Goddam goose-stepping fanboys.
Absolutely amazing. I never realized how complicated and the amount of engineering was involved in those big guns. Even more amazing is how accurate they were when mounted on battleships when you must calculate for all the axis movements of a ship in the ocean.
Thanks :)
Absolutely amazing. I'm so glad they saved all that so we can see it today! Thank you so much for the tour! 🙂
Appreciated and greetings from us.
Wow... that's blown my mind HH & EE. Considering all of that gun was from a former battle ship and rebuilt with that installation, it is no small feet. Also, building all of that within a year is awesome. Massive thank you to you both for bringing us unseen and historic content. From Austin in the 🇬🇧
Yes seing it there is one thing. Knowing that every little pin and bolt was transported from Germany is totally crazy. We thank you for being here and greetings from us.
Its crazy to imagine all the expense and effort to never have had fired at an Allied target
@@wirelessone2986 that was one of the issues with the german war machine. I think he said 3 weeks after completion it was uninhabitable. They spent so much time and resources on building and designing these defensive systems that were never used or to any great effect.
@@WW2HistoryHunterHi. You mentioned in in passing that 3 weeks after completion it was uninhabitable. Do you know more of that story ? Given the spectacular effort,what was the failure ? How was it fixed ? Given the privations of the average soldier on the Eastern Front,this installation would not be allowed to fail. Enormous investment of resources here.
@@paulmanson253 Yes that would be good to know WHY no one could stay in it.Was in ground water?Poisonous gas?It had to be something big to stop Nazis from living in it
I’m going to Norway, Poland, Austria, and Germany in May. What are some WW2 places you suggest going to?
Well that is a lot of places. The very best you can do is to research areas and just pick whatever you take interest in as there are hundreds if not thousands of locations to visit. Thank for your kind support and greetings from us.
This one is at the Trondheim Fiord. A larger one is at Harstad. Both Norway.
@@ovekkjlstad7703thank you!
This has been one of the best showing you have done seeing something like this comes only once thank you so much for this. ❤❤❤
Thank you.
Thx for sharing this incredible place with. So much thought and planning that has gone into it. Great effort to preserve a part of history.
Glad you enjoyed it
We toured the gun during the 70’s as a United States Marine while on deployment for a NATO exercise. It wasn’t a tourist attraction back then but a functional weapon of war. A little old man maintained the facility, just as you showed us, and it was spotless. We were told that 1 of the guns had some sort of crack somewhere and was not safe to fire and the last time it was fired in the 50’s, it blew out all the windows in the village below. Really some sort of engineering marvel. As to how it was built, it was slave labor
Thanks for sharing and for watching.
Great video, amazing that all that fitted in a battleship, removed and reconstructed not once but 3 times in the batterys around the coast.
Glad you enjoyed it and yes it is just incredible to think that all of that was on a vessel and then rearranged to fit there. Just amazing. Thanks from us :)
What an amazing place! It's great that it has been fully preserved and just like it was during WWII. It may be ugly to some folks, but preserving history, ugly or not, is pretty darned important.
Totally so and thanks for being here :)
It is basically a battle ship built into a hillside
So fantastic to see that it has been saved so everyone can see and experience it 👍👍🇦🇺
Yes just my thoughts being there and looking at the turret the first time. Thanks for being here :)
I have always loved watching your channel and the why of it shows so much so in this episode listening to the excited tone in your voice was it's own special reward . I know why I love this channel it's that YOU love what you are doing talking about and discovering the history of World War 2 for you and what your family are doing I thank you !...!...!
Very glad and honored to read your kind words my friend. Thank YOU for that and we send a greeting from us :)
I like what @CWilsonUSA said, so I'll simply add my own "Thanks!"
That is very kind of you my friend and we appreciate that and it will come in very handy in future explores to share with you my friend. Greetings from us and be safe out there :)
😮 what a amazing site. Lots of work must have been done to restore the site. Thanks again for sharing. ❤😎👍✌️
Yes it was for sure and what a INCREDIBLE location to see. Thanks so much for being here Robert :)
I like the fact the engineering is so good the turret rotates from a oversized motorbike chain and sprocket.
IT is a interesting place to say the least. Thanks for watching.
What an amazing two part video series. Thank you for sharing it with us.
Very glad you liked it my friend :)
Absolutely mind boggling location amazed by the amount of electronics levers and gauges to load and fire this behemoth of a gun. It would be nice for HH and EE to return and have an exclusive tour of this place.The Curators have done a fantastic job restoring this place.👍👍
Interesting place to say the least :) Thanks my friend :)
What an amazing video from such a truly fascinating location! After seeing so many bunkers with missing equipment it’s really a fantastic experience seeing a location that basically looks and functions exactly the same as it did when history was being made! Can’t thank you enough for sharing this!
Glad you enjoyed it and thank you very much :)
Thank you for recording this, absolutely mind blowing stuff, crazy to think about how good of a condition it’s still in
Thanks for watching.
It's very awesome and absolutely amazing that this is still sitting fully historically intact in every way shape and form and in all of its detailed design and functions in all of its spectacular glory, Unlike all of the other many gun sites along the coast of Normandy and various other coastal fortifications and so forth and so on that have been totally dismantled, And a very great thanks to you and your son Sir for this fabulous presention and tour of this fabulous site indeed!👍.
Great explore and thanks for watching :)
Thanks for letting us see this incredible tour,first time ever seeing a preserved WWII bunker & turret
Thank you for being here with us :)
Wow, Amazing what fortifications they had and still preserved for viewing by generations to come. Thank you for sharing
Yes and so glad they do for the future generations to learn from. Thanks John :)
Absolutely amazing! Thanks so much for presenting this video for all of us that can only dream of visiting such a place.
Glad you enjoyed it!
That block is the breach block. Once the shell is ramed in the powder is pushed in next then the breach block is closed and a primer is pushed into a hole in the breach block then the gun can be fired.
Great to know and thanks for being here :)
This really is incredible to survive all of these years and to be preserved to such a very high standard?. Thank you for this informative movie, you really are so very fortunate to be able to access these wonderful places.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Very interesting, thanks for sharing. Must've been an amazing experience 😊
It really is!
Yes, they took the whole basket assembly out of the ship and put it underground. That was really neat. Thank YOu.
Incredible stuff ands so glad we could see that and share it with you :) Thanks for being here :)
Wow , impressive ! I would have never guessed that this still exists today. Great video tour guys !
Our pleasure Dave and loved to share that with you :)
Very cool! Those slogger wrenches are really cool too! Thanks for another awesome video guys!
Totally awesome details there and thanks :)
The analog talking tubes are truly that. The large one is for speaking into and the smaller ones were for putting your ear up to so you could hear what was being said, they had plugs so you could plug one off when you weren't listening to that particular location but you needed to put your ears up to the smaller horns because when the whole facility is in operation it could get quite loud inside because of all the machinery and the shouting going on between the men. so that is what the small ones were for.
Great details and thanks for watching.
By far one of your top 5 videos ! How awesome !
Thanks for watching.
Amazing location. Thanks for sharing.
Appreciated my friend :)
And thank you!
For taking us along and being an incredible awesome informative bunker history guide!
Glad you enjoyed it
That was a very interesting tour of that incredible gun. I've always had a fascination with those monster guns, and am so glad you were able to photograph it for us 🙂
And I'm just thinking of young Eagle Eyes - if I saw this at his age I'd be losing my mind haha. We have a few gun emplacements from that period around here, but nothing as big or complex as this as you can imagine.
Thank you both for this, you really made my day!
EE was totally in chock and i loved to surprise him with that. Thanks for watching.
Wow! Even rushed it was an amazing explore, and good to see it is well maintained. Thank you!
Glad you enjoyed it
I’ll have to admit, you did a fantastic job with this video considering how you were rushed through this gun. The gun and bunker is massive. It would be easy to get lost in there. They are doing a great job restoring everything. How fantastic to see the bunks still there. Also the cables running along the wall. Must have took a lot of training to operate this location after looking at all the equipment and valves. This video definitely requires another look just see what I might have missed.
Yes it came out just about ok. Loved it and so much to see. Thanks so much for being here and greetings from us.
OH MY GRAVY!!!! I am Stunned by that bunker!!!! I loved the brick layout in the lower half where the men slept. That was awesome!!! I definitely want to go and see this place for myself!!! I am still stunned about it!!! I would have to stay at least 2-3 days to go thru it all, step by step, inch by inch.....Would appreciate a pm on where this is; I am wanting to see this!!! Thanks for the demo EE on the how they fired those massive guns too!! Until the next adventure; stay well,safe and smile.......................................................................
Yes we could spend many days studying it all and perhaps we can later. Thanks so much for the great support and greetings from us :)
it was this model 11 inch gun turrent holds the records for two of the longest range hits on a moving target in naval history.. the first hit was against a british aircraft carrier and the last one was against the Duke of York battleship when the german battlecruiser was sunk.
Good to know and thanks for watching.
Also the same turret and gun arrangement that was used on the "pocket battleships" like Graf Spee and her sisters
ahhhh at what distance?, in miles?
Wunderbar!! Well worth the wait for part two. Thank you both for sharing and as always " Good Hunting "
So appreciated my friend :)
Loved the adventure my Friends. Be safe careful and stay well.
Thank you! Will do!
Very awesome of you to get inside that turret. If I remember right, that was turret 'Caesar' from the Gneisenau.
There will very soon be a follow up video with much more details. We spent almost a day in there later and you will love that :)
Quite amazing really. Hard to imagine the installation below until you see it. Just seeing the gun turret up top is rather deceiving to what is really underneath.
yes a totally amazing place that is and so glad we could share that with you. Thanks.
Absolutely stunning! A "must see" for any fortification enthusiast!
Great explore and thanks :)
So glad to see that piece of history still intact.
Totally agree and thanks.
Beautiful preservation and restoration. A lot of respect to all those involved. Thanx for posting.
Glad you enjoyed it
You are correct on the tips of the warheads they would screw in a fuse that was the detonator on the side of the detonator there was a small switch which could be turned to 2 different settings either quick charge which means the warhead will explode on impact with target and delay charge which meant that the warhead would actually land and there would still be a few seconds before it would explode
Cool to know and thanks for being here with us :)
Fantastic site! I'm so happy they restored and preserved all that beautiful history
Totally so and thanks for being here :)
WOW! there was way more to that gun turret than I thought
Totally so and thanks for watching.
Very cool to see the inside of the turret. I was recently inside gun turret #2 on the USS New Jersey in Philadelphia. Its funny that both turrets were owned and operated by adversaries, but similar in how they worked and the setup inside isn't too much different either.
Thanks for watching.
I cannot believe how complex the gun is. It must have taken thousands of hours just designing it on paper, what a thing!
yes a very complex set up it is and so interesting to study. Thanks and greetings from us.
I'll bet Eagle Eyes was surprised and excited! What an incredible site! Shame that group of eight came along and made the tour rushed. Quite spectacular but you could see how you were rushed. Would be great if you could get back there and spend a full day going through it. I know I would want to spend the full day there slowly exploring that site. Thanks for taking us along.
EE did now know at all what was here before he came up the hill and spotted it and just started running up the hill screaming gun gun gun ! I loved to see his reaction and i thank YOU for letting us have the chance to see and share that. Have a great week my friend and greetings from us.
@@WW2HistoryHunter Yes, I remember one of the preview videos where you show him running towards it screaming in joy. I would've been doing the same thing. 😁
There are a few naval cannon installations like this that date from WW2 still in semi-active use in Finland. They are officially still part of the current defence doctrine, and are kept in firing condition despite also functioning as museum pieces. They have a huge part in securing the Baltic shipping lines during wartime and augment the Finnish Defence Fleet very well due to the enormous range these cannons have.
Good to know and thanks for watching.
Wow this was such an amazing place, to see it all restored is great! Now I want to visit it! Thanks HH and EE for taking us there. Oh wow I do hope a return trip happens that would be so cool!
Totally agree and such a nice surprise to see it all and very glad we could share that with you :)
Generator engines are very similar to the ones that were fitted in U boats.
Thanks for watching.
You must go back and provide us with as much detail as possible. I'd love to know more about the hydraulic system and how it was plumbed. What about escape options? I've seen some of these had "secret" escape tunnels under the shore battery that led far enough away that men would have a chance of living if it were overtaken. The more minutia, the better!!!
Part of my business sells flashlights, so it's so frustrating you don't have one. Shoot me your address, and I'll see if I can get something convenient to Europe. BEST.
We thank you for that my friend and we shall actually visit there later for more exploring there. We do actually have flashlights we use but at that location we just did not think it would be so needed :) Thank you my friend and we send a greeting from us :)
I love watching yaks videos keep up the good work!!!
Thanks! Will do!
The complexity of this installation is mind boggling.
HOLY MADONNA!!!!! That place was awesome!!!!!
Loved it and thanks :)
loved this upload !! great time spent and a lot learnt
Glad you enjoyed it!
Great follow-on video. Was it ever test fired? I am wondering about recoil; on a ship the hull will actually move in the water. I don't believe the land mass moved so it had to absorb it. Great job HH as always. Both of you stay safe and well out there.
It did test fire some rounds indeed and must have been interesting to see that. Yes so much energy involved and my thought as well being in there. Loved it and we thank you for your great support.
It was first Test-fired by the Germans in August 1943, and the last time was in 1953, as part of the Norwegian coastal artillery.
Thanks for the video. It was very informative. Keep up the good work and effort!
Glad it was helpful!
Pretty impressive and so complete. Are tours offered? Where on the Atlantic Wall is this located?
Great place to explore and thanks for watching.
Austrått Fort, near Trondheim, Norway
Thanks for the opportunity to see this and explained. RUclips creations. Never thought there was so much below those turrets
Glad you enjoyed it
Talk about an amazing weapon system.
Special indeed and thanks for watching
@@WW2HistoryHunter Your very welcome. 😁 I appreciate your videos as I love studying history as well.
Everything is so well preserved! Good job to the tour staff!
Loved it and thanks :)