Railway Gun 1940 photo

I have two photos of a railway gun that might be German, can any one ID the area that it is at.
I have a air recon photo of one near Calais in 43. The two photos has a Morris PU in the background. i was told the photos were taken in 1940.
Keith

 

There were three guns in the Calais, Wimereux area ,two K5 survive one which I saw three years ago at the Atlantic Wall Museum the other is in America at the Army Ordnance Training and Heritage Centre Aberdeen USA (Anzio Annie is actually made from parts of two guns salvaged from Italy.).
During my holiday we visited the Cathedral Bunker for 280mm Railway Gun, at Calais it was a Leger tour so Paul Reed may be able to give the original location?

Railway Gun Batteries by Calais

Regards

Kyle

 

I don't know much about the whole 1940 Calais thing but for what it's worth there was a cable (wire?) at Sangatte that went to Dover for comms.

 

Here are some shots I took at Aberdeen in 2008. Pretty poor quality as we were in a big rush but it shows that it was in a much prettier setting than it is now after the move to Fort Lee.




Train watchers were on their game and got some nice videos of the barrel being transported up to Ft Lee. Rest of the components went by truck. Would have been great to see the whole thing being coupled to a locomotive in one piece. I'm sure all kinds of railway regulations prevented that (current brakes might be one tiny item )




Here's the atomic cannon they had. Only warrantied for one shot

 

You can see the defence of the area around the gun and coast.
Good photos you guys have put on. Thanks.
Keith

 

Found two links, one of them is at a chalk mine, that might be the one in the photo ?
Railway batteries, Pas de Calais | Bunkersite.com

les fameaux canons K5 dans le Pas-de-Calais

 

I stand to be corrected but this canon looks like a 28cm Kanone 5 (Eisenbahn) or 28 cm Canon (Railway)
of which development started in 1934 and first tested in 1937.
To February 1940 eight were in service and up to 1945 25 were manufactured in total.

Regards
Tom

 

As it is now on Google maps. Bottom right of photo now with water in it.

 

K5 in 1941 on the Atlantic Wall moving out of its shelter in Hydrequent, northern France (50°48′49.96″N 1°45′17.09″E).
from wiki.

More details on the quarry site: France - Commune de Ferques

Makes for an interesting comparison.

 

One more photo i have , German railway gun .
Keith

 

Posted by EKB in an obscure place, the current 'The D in DDay' thread in June 2024:

A very good account too from South Africa.

I saw "Anzio Annie" long ago @ Aberdeen Proving Grounds (USA), didn't know it had moved in 2010 to Fort Lee, Virginia (as referred to here).

 

28-cm-Kanone Bruno (E) Westwall 1940: A live-fire exercise by Railway Battery 688 near Braunshausen an der Saar.

Nachladen! Marsch,Marsch!