Skip to main content

Bofors 40mm Gun Pits?- Operation Diver Welter Site TA2

I have found little information on  Operation Diver in Suffolk (defence against V1 Flying Bombs) except for the relevant AA War Diaries at TNA. Combining this with reference to a Military Training Pamphlet (Gun Drill for 40-MM A.A. Gun and Predictor A.A. No.3 - Land Service, W.O Feb 1945) and field work is the subject of this post. BUT I must admit I am still uncertain if my findings are correct!!!

In a recent post on Welter Site TA2 I mentioned four possible gun pits. These do seem to fit quite well with the illustration of a gun pit for the 40 mm Bofors. The object of any gun pit was to give protection to the gun crew and the gun. However would this have been necessary in Britain during 1944/45?- there was no threat of enemy troops and slit trenches were dug on Diver sites for protection of gunners from aircraft or the flying bombs themselves. Certainly some photos I have seen on 40mm's employed on Operation Diver were not dug in.

A problem I soon hit was finding similar pits at  another Diver Site  (or at least I think it's a Diver site!) - except this  site was a HAA site (i.e. only had four 3.7" HAA Guns) and not a Welter site (i.e. mix of 3.7" guns and 40mm guns). This site will be the subject of the next few posts - it also has an unanswered question on gun pits!.

Anyway, back to the pits. The manual gives examples of two pits - one for the Mk 1 and American supplied guns and one for the Mk 2,3 and 4 guns. The pits I found resemble those for the Mk 1. The manual gives the the dimensions as 14 ft across at the widest point by 19 ft long. In addition there is a ramp down into the pit. The pits were initially to be dug 2 ft deep although the height of the walls could be added to by digging borrow pits. 

It is now almost impossible to get accurate measurements from the pits I've come across - erosion, forestry operations and even rabbits have all had an their impact over the last 65 odd years. However, my best estimate of dimensions from the best preserved pit is 15 ft across at the widest point by 23 ft long (which includes what I think is the ramp down). The depth is about 2 ft.

The pits, as shown on the GPS plot on the earlier post on this site are laid out in a horse shoe. I still have no idea on the layout of Welter Sites - probably no standard layout existed. I am slightly sceptical that any guns employed on Operation Diver were employed in the horse shoe pattern - all the evidence I've seen so far would suggest they were laid out in a line.

So after all that no conclusion - the pits still remain a mystery!!

Image 1: Pits for 40mm Bofors (a is for Mk 1 and b and c are stage 1 and 2 in digging for the Mk 2,3 and 4).
Image 2: Pit for 40mm Bofors, Mk 1
Image 3: Pit at site of Welter Battery TA 2 which closely resembles that of the pit for the Mk 1 in the manual.
Image 4: 40mm Bofors employed on Operation Diver on the South Coast - note lack of digging in and linear deployment.
Image 5: 40mm Bofors employed on Operation Diver.
Image 6: Diagram of 40mm Bofors - Gun Drill for 40mm AA Gun and Predictor AA No 3, WO, 1945
Image 6 and 7: Bedford Tractor for 40mm Gun - Gun Drill for 40mm AA Gun and Predictor AA No 3, WO 1945










Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Eastern Command Line - a lazy post

As the title suggests, just a lazy post today, a few pics of CRE Colchester design pillboxes in the Sudbury area to round of the thread on this May visit. Also one pic of concrete road block cylinders now being used as part of river bank defences. This is the first time I have come across this type of road block in Suffolk although I suspect it was probably used quite widely on this Stop Line, perhaps I will come across more examples / references in time. These pictures do show a timeless landscape - traditional floodplain meadows still used for grazing, with the Second World War clearly marking its presence. Lets just hope both the pillboxes and  grazing meadows will be preserved.

RAF Hethel Defence Post

At RAF Station Hethel, a remarkable defence post still exists.  Admittedly, RAF Hethel is in Norfolk and not Suffolk, but the records for this site do provide some interest in relation to the defence of airfields in Eastern Command. Work on Hethel began in 1941 and the station was opened late 1942 and was actually one of the RAF Stations handed over to the USAAF for the use of its bomber units. The defence post was constructed in accordance with a new policy adopted by Eastern Command. Previously, airfield defences had been built as a result of the Taylor Report and largely consisted of pillboxes and breastworks which were large and conspicuous and vulnerable to air attack. Experience at Crete had shown the need for small inconspicuous field works. The new defences were to now consist of small two man weapon-slits and small machine gun pits constructed in accordance with “Infantry Training, 1937” Supplement No.3 – “The design and lay-out of Field Defences, 1942”. Above...

Anti-tank ditch

December 31st Decided to visit the anti-tank ditch at Aldringham Walks this afternoon. It was constructed between late 1940 and early 1941 and ran from (north to south) Sizewell to the north of Thorpeness Mere. Some of its length is still visible today (see map and bottom photo)). The war diary of 9th Cameronians (15th Div) mentions the construction of the ditch in Margaret Wood (vicinity of No 12 Platoon, B Coy).  The diary also mentions a pillbox being destroyed by the RE in No 12 platoons area, but no luck in finding any remains this time. The diary would also indicate the ditch was a combined obstacle with Z1 scaffolding. The top left photo shows the remains of a weapons pit/shell slit; six pieces of angle iron revetment still exist - one of the pieces is clearly visible in the photo. Perhaps this is part of No 12 platoons position. Many years ago when beating up the young woodland I found a Yorkshire billhook with the WO arrow dated 1946, so this area would appear to have ...