Cuxhaven is a lovely northern German NorthSea harbour town and once was the home of the German mine sweeper fleet and home to the largest Zeppelin base in WW1.
I visited Fort Kugelbake, hidden in the middle of a lively area and long time forgotten until some enthusiasts awoke it from sleeping beauty

The fort protects the outer entrance to Elbe River (access to Hamburg)

The entrance seen from across the moat

The tracks from the ammunition supply train are still visible, crossing the moat into the fortress

...

Loopholes in the guard house to the right of the bridge

The moat was protected by several , erm, yes, how does one call these firing positions?

I am standing on top of the dyke, North Sea immediately backwards, picture showing the outer walls of the fort (seaside)

Cuxhaven was home base/garrison of all East Africa troops and those of Tsingtau/China. The beautiful restored brick barracks and parade grounds are still there, serving as schools and city admin buildings. Street names like Lettow-Vorbeck are still posted and for the vigilant eye there are still a lot of WW1 area remnants. I was very much astonished today to see the remaining forces of the German East Africa corps now pensioned in town:

Egbert

I have sailed past this point on many occasions on my way into Hamburg. Great photos will be worth a visit next time I'm in that area.

Regards
Paul

Caponier I think.

Nigel

Thanks for posting the photo's Egbert..
regards
Tom

Super photos, Egbert. Thanks for posting them. I'd agree on Caponier. I must also have sailed past it on the way to England.

Christina

I want to thank you all for your interest for something outside England, the Somme or Flanders.
Caponier- I have learnt something new then

Thanks, as ever, Egbert, for sharing your interesting pics. What is the date of the fort - 19th century? Remarkable that it has survived so comparatively intact, at least externally. The view on Google Earth suggests that the interior is rather 'knocked about', and I presume it was used for coastal and Flak defence in WW2. What plans do the enthusiasts you mentioned have for the fort?

It looks more like an 18th century fort. It could of course be even earlier, but it looks to be somewhere in date to be between Tilbury and Coalhouse forts. Egbert, do you have any detailed information as to the history of the fort?

Egbert,

thanks for sharing these photos with us.

Regards,
Scottie

Caponier was I think a type of fortification in place to enfilade a dry ditch (usually being in it) rather than a type of gun port. The name was also possibly applied to some types of light cannon

I believe the caponier (French for 'chicken run') started life as a closed passageway for moving between strongpoints and later developed ports/loopholes to further augment a fortress's defences.

More interest than I thought at first. I will post some historical data as requested hopefully tonight -have to explore Budapest now

Egbert...your pictures are always of interest, and I thank you for them.
Not all us Brits are entirely fixated on the Western Front, you know!

Going to Buda or to Pest?

Bruce

Thanks for the photos Egbert,

I share Bruce's comments.

The Vosges, the North Sea coast, it's like a personal guided tour to sites we might otherwise never get to see. What are you going to find in Budapest ?

Keep up the good work !

"....I have sailed past this point on many occasions on my way into Hamburg...."

Is there now any way of sailing into Hamburg from UK? I've spent my life looking forward to that journey but it does now look as if everyone has given up doing it !!

Example of a Caponier

To answer the questions first:
Bruce and Steve: Buda as well as Pest . Excellent food and nice city. Will go to war museum on Wednesday- let's see whether I find something WW1 related.
Graham, right when I took the pictures of fort Kugelbake the RoRo ferry from the UK sailed into harbour. Last month the QEII sailed to Hamburg passing Cuxhaven. I have been there when at 23:30 she passed the Kugelbake and a huge 30 min fireworks celebrated the summer season as well as the passing of the QEII. A big big spectacle and the ship answered many times with its deep deep claxons.

Fort Kugelbake:
was built 1869-1879 and is today the only remaining fort at the German North Sea coast. Its significance added by the inauguration of the Kiel Canal. The fort protected the Elbe River entrance/exit. The Elbe is a strategic river coming from Hamburg and the Kiel Canal. 1911 the most powerful searchlight was installed to identify unlightened ships.The beam reached out for 4.5km. The fort was not destroyed after the war , only the guns were removed. In WWII it was a Flak position and the first Wellingtons were creditd to the crews. after the war years it fell into a sleeping beauty sleep until some enthusiasts woke the fort from further deterioration and with EU and state funds cleaned the fort up and repaired the main buildings for 5Mio euros. today it looks tidy and nice and the inside is a real gem, just google for Fort Kugelbake images and you will see what I mean......

That's a very interesting picture of a closed caponier. Where did you take it?

Christina

Very interesting collection of photos. Thanks for posting them.

I assume the landscape around it has built up, as in the photo showing the 'sea defences' the ground almost seems to obscure the view from the barracks?

Thanks again
Arm

As always.

Fascinating photographs with a history lesson thrown in.

I like it.


Tony

Thanx for the comments.
W/R to the build-up: yes you are correct, the dyke just in front of the Fort was heightened considerably (in anticipation of global warming's storm waves? )

Click here to see another historic military photo from northern Germany. It's Private Elvis Presley, U.S. Army, arriving in Bremerhaven in 1958!

Hae?

Bremerhaven has some interesting old military buildings. The hospital used by the U.S. Army there in 1978 had stained glass windows showing the Kreigsmarine during the Third Reich days. When I saw it I wondered how the glass survived the bombing. I was looking for a photo of it when I found the Elvis image.