Dover Strait coastal guns | |
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Part of British coast defences/Atlantikwall | |
English Channel Near Dover/Calais in Britain/occupied France | |
Coordinates | 51°00′00″N 01°27′00″E / 51.00000°N 1.45000°E |
Site information | |
Operator | Dover Command/Kriegsmarine |
Controlled by | British Army/German Navy |
Condition | Museum pieces or demolished |
Site history | |
Built | 1940 |
Built by | British civilian contractors/Organisation Todt |
In use | 1944 |
Materials | Steel-reinforced concrete |
Fate | Defunct |
Battles/wars | Channel convoys Channel Dash Operation Undergo |
Events | Battle of Britain Normandy landings |
The Dover Strait coastal guns were long-range coastal artillery batteries that were sited on both sides of the English Channel during the Second World War. The British built several gun positions along the coast of Kent, England while the Germans fortified the Pas-de-Calais in occupied France. The Strait of Dover was strategically important because it is the narrowest part of the English channel. Batteries on both sides attacked shipping as well as bombarding the coastal towns and military installations. The German fortifications would be incorporated into the Atlantic Wall which was built between 1942 and 1944.