South Batteries

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South Batteries
Part of Fortifications of Gibraltar
Gibraltar
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South Batteries
Coordinates 36°06′47″N5°20′41″W / 36.11305°N 5.3447°W / 36.11305; -5.3447
Type Artillery Battery
Site information
Owner Ministry of Defence

South Batteries is an artillery battery in the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar. [1]

Artillery battery artillery unit equivalent to an infantry company

In military organizations, an artillery battery is a unit of artillery, mortars, rocket artillery, multiple rocket launchers, surface to surface missiles, ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, etc., so grouped to facilitate better battlefield communication and command and control, as well as to provide dispersion for its constituent gunnery crews and their systems. The term is also used in a naval context to describe groups of guns on warships.

British Overseas Territories territories under the jurisdiction and sovereignty of the United Kingdom but not part of it

The British Overseas Territories (BOTs) or United Kingdom Overseas Territories (UKOTs) are fourteen territories under the jurisdiction and sovereignty of the United Kingdom. They are remnants of the British Empire that have not been granted independence or have voted to remain British territories. These territories do not form part of the United Kingdom and, with the exception of Gibraltar, are not part of the European Union. Most of the permanently inhabited territories are internally self-governing, with the UK retaining responsibility for defence and foreign relations. Three are inhabited only by a transitory population of military or scientific personnel. They all share the British monarch as head of state.

Gibraltar British Overseas Territory

Gibraltar is a British Overseas Territory located at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula. It has an area of 6.7 km2 (2.6 sq mi) and is bordered to the north by Spain. The landscape is dominated by the Rock of Gibraltar at the foot of which is a densely populated town area, home to over 32,000 people, primarily Gibraltarians.

Description

The South Battery had four 3.7 inch guns during World War II. It was just south west of Buffadero Battery at the southern end of the Rock of Gibraltar. [1] The battery was directed from the "Gun Operation Room" which was hidden and protected underground with tunnels leading to Lathbury Barracks and to the north end of the rock via a number of tunnels including the Great North Road. [2]

World War II 1939–1945, between Axis and Allies

World War II, also known as the Second World War, was a global war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. The vast majority of the world's countries—including all the great powers—eventually formed two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis. A state of total war emerged, directly involving more than 100 million people from more than 30 countries. The major participants threw their entire economic, industrial, and scientific capabilities behind the war effort, blurring the distinction between civilian and military resources. World War II was the deadliest conflict in human history, marked by 70 to 85 million fatalities, most of whom were civilians in the Soviet Union and China. It included massacres, the genocide of the Holocaust, strategic bombing, premeditated death from starvation and disease, and the only use of nuclear weapons in war.

Buffadero Battery

Buffadero Battery was an artillery battery in the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar. It is located on Windmill Hill.

Rock of Gibraltar Monolithic limestone promontory located in the British overseas territory of Gibraltar

The Rock of Gibraltar, also known as the Rock, is a monolithic limestone promontory located in the British overseas territory of Gibraltar, near the southwestern tip of Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. It is 426 m (1,398 ft) high. Most of the Rock's upper area is covered by a nature reserve, which is home to around 300 Barbary macaques. These macaques, as well as a labyrinthine network of tunnels, attract many tourists each year.

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References

  1. 1 2 Fa & Finlayson (2006). The Fortifications of Gibraltar 1068-1945. Osprey Publishing. p. 51. ISBN   978-1-84603-016-1 . Retrieved 4 April 2013.
  2. ↑ "Gun Operations Roorm (South)". gibcaving.net. Archived from the original on 24 June 2013. Retrieved 8 June 2013.


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