Naval Observation and Fire control tower – MP 3
On the United Kingdom Channel Island Jersey at the Les Landes area there is a beautiful object of a dreaded time. Close to Stützpunkt Butts and Coastal battery Moltke stands the Kriegsmarine Peilstand und Messtellung 3, short MP 3. This beautiful tower was built while the Channel Islands were occupied during World War Two by the German Army. In this period coastal defense was set up by the Kriegsmarine. Nine towers would be built around the island to observe incoming ships and to direct the fire of the coastal batteries. Two observation positions were needed to determine range, speed and give a fire solution to the coastal batteries and direct their cannon fire towards the designated target. They guided the guns at Batterie Mölke.
The German high command made a difference in coastal defense, it was spilt up with bunkers in the Atlantic Wall to defend the beaches and inland from an invasion and the coast line from ships who wanted to reach the beaches or bombard German lines and positions from the sea. The beach and inland defense were under the Wehrmacht control, the ocean and sea were the Kriegsmarine to defend. Lots of coastal batteries are Kriegsmarine commanded with Feuerleitung bunkers or Fire control bunkers. A third party was the Luftwaffe with specializedd anti-air of Flak positions.
Only three towers were completed during the war period. In the meantime other construction of lesser beauty were used as observation post. They were named M with a number, M 1 to M 10. The completed towers are named MP 1 at Noiront Point, MP 2 at at Corbiere and this MP 3 at Les Landes. In the adjacent bunker was next to a close defense post and living quarters a generator room to power the equipment in the MP 3 tower.
The walls were 2 meters thick reinforced concrete and 7 stories high with a diversity of observation equipment. A Seetakt-Funkmessgerät or Seetakt radar was placed on top of the tower. Original developed as an radar carried on a ship with a range of about 11 to 19 kilometers but converted to a land based radar named Freya. Freya was an early warning radar named after the Norse Goddess of love and war. Near the tower MP3 were other observation posts like the M 2 and Flak, Anti-air, positions.
Gun barrels left behind after the war were throw down into the sea close to the Observation tower 3 and can be seen (with a lot of climbing or a drone) at flow.
Visit
You can park your car on a nearby public parking and walk towards the MP 3 tower. Enjoy the beauty of nature along the way. The tower is closed but still beautiful to see. Check out the website of Jersey War Tours if the tower is open with special tours.
