Gun Battery Dollmann

When the Germans conquered France in 1940, they also captured a stock of French 220 mm. guns, that had been built in 1917. Four of these guns were sent to the Channel Island of Gurnsey to be part of the coastal defense of the former British island. The guns had a range of 22 km. and were operational in late 1941. They were set in open ring positions, with crew and ammunition bunkers nearby. The battery which was initially conceived as a temporary reinforcement, remained operational throughout the war.

The Germans in Guernsey and the other Channel Islands surrendered to the Allies 9 May 1945.

In 1997, a group of enthusiasts from Guernsey Armouries started to excavate the old bunkers. They also managed to acquire and renovate the barrel from one of the old 220 mm. guns. This gun had actually been dumped into the sea near Gun Battery Moltke on the neighboring island of Jersey. A carriage was made for the gun, using original drawings, and the gun is now on display as a museum piece.