Marine Küsten Batterie Waringzelle
Stützpunkt 164a Sicklingen was constructed with two Regelbau M 270 “Geschützschartenstand” naval artillery bunkers forming Batterie MKB Waringzelle. These emplacements both housed a 150mm SK L/45 gun. The bunkers stand side by side along the Channel coastline and are positioned in front of the V 143 stand for the “Mammut” radar.
V 143 Stand für Mammutgerät
This Stützpunkt also had a Kriegsmarine Regelbau V 143 bunker, which was the base for the large German “Mammut” radar device, used for aircraft detection of targets at greater distances. The remote search system FuMG 41/42 Mammut (Luftwaffe designation) or FMO51/52 Seetakt (Kriegsmarine designation) could locate targets at an altitude of 8,000 m and a distance of 300 km. Although the antennas were fixed, the radar could swivel its directional beam electronically by 60 degrees.
The V 143 stand could accommodate 12 men. The concrete towers formed the base of the interconnected Freya radar antennas, of which the outermost towers had a vertical cable/service shaft leading up in the center of each. The stand was to be connected to the overland network or to the power supply network of a battery. As an additional power supply, the bunker had two 28 kVA 380 / 220 V diesel generators installed in its engine room. Most of the bunker was hidden underground. The bunker had two personnel entrances at this level that were guarded by MG-stands.
The V 143 bunker of Stzpkt. 164a Sicklingen is sealed and not accessible.
Regelbau Type 621 and Type 622
There was also a group shelter of regelbau type 621 and a double group shelter of regelbau type 622. Both these bunkers are covered and sealed with soil, only the roof is still visible. You can see them situated south of the V 143 on the maps view below.
Operation Undergo
As the Allies judged it essential to silence the heavy guns at Cap Gris Nez and the Audinghen area, they launched a series of intense aerial bombardments preliminary to a ground assault on the German Batteries in September 1944. In the picture courtesy of Google Maps above, the impact craters of this operation are still visible today.
Visit
You can visit Stützpunkt 164a Sicklingen following a farm road leaving the D191 Route du Cap. Please be respectful to the premises and the cattle and ask the farmer for permission before you enter the bunkers.
