...Railway artillery - Personal Page of GENE SLOVER

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759. Information contained herein was secured through study
of reports in the offices of Gen. Arnoulde in Brussels, through conversation
with Gen. Arnoulde, through inspection of all of the guns
and carriages discussed, from discussion with French officers who
have inspected the same material, and from the It Renseignements de
l'Artillerie" of January and February, 1919.
760. The writer wishes to acknowledge his indebtedness to Lieut.
Gen. Arnoulde, Chief of Artillery of the Belgian Army, for the coUrtesy
extended by him for this inspection. Acknowledgment is
made likewise of the excellent service of Sergt. J. P. Ferris, who
assisted on this inspection. .
HlSTORY·OJl' TilE INSTALLAT!ON.
761. The coast of Belgium was occupied by the Germans during
the month of October, 1914. They occupied Ostend on October 15.
It is probable that they at once installed some minor caliber guns
for its defense against landing parties, but the evidence available
indicates that the major caliber guns described in this report were
installed during the years of 1916 and 1917, in preparation for and
support of their major submarine campaign.
762. When the writer was with the British Fourth Army at Ypres
in February, 1918, he was told by the British ordnance officers of that
army that they had received very authentic reports to the effect that
the Germans had been rapidly dismantling their second navy and were
mounting the guns on railway carriages for both coast defense and land
service. The 28-centimeter guns on railway mounts that were operated
in the Batteries Preussen, Hanover, and one other battery not
indicated on the map, were probably some of the guns removed from
the second navy. The emplacements for these railway mounts did
not make their appearance in the air photographs until the year 1918.
763. It is likely that the 38-centim.,ter gun, Battery Pommem,
near Leugenboom, was placed primarily for the purpose of bombarding
Dunkirk and Ypres. Both of these places were heavily shelled
by a gun of this caliber during the years 1916 and 1917. Battery
Goeben, at Zeebrugge, was made up of four complete turrets. In
this battery the original turret equipment was complete even to the
inclusion of the ammunition hoists, electrical traversing mechanism,
etc.
764. During the spring of 1918, April 23, an attempt was made to
block the harbors of Zeebrugge and Ostend. The mole at Zeebrugge
was pierced and the boat, Vindictive, loaded with concrete, was
placed across the entrance of the Ostend harbor. The boats engaged
in these undertakings received terrific punishment, but apparently
accomplished their mission. It seems probable that had the Allies
eared to make the sacrifice, it would have been possible to force either
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