Heeres Küsten Batterie 5/974 Straumöy-Nord is covering the inlet to one of the worlds strongest Maelstroms outside Bodö in Northern Norway. It is a large fortification built on a hill with other fortifications and fake positions on nearby hills. There was also a small POW camp with Red Army POWs here. The Nord hill was ready in September 1942 and was well armed and all the positions are connected by underground tunnels and elevator shafts for bringing ammo up to the guns. Trenches are well hidden between the positions and you can see the foundations of the different barracks and buildings surrounding the hill.
The fort were armed with one 7,65 cm Czech gun , two 2,5 cm Pak, two 5cm KwK, two Mg positions, three 5cm mortar positions, two 2cm FlaK 38 and two searchlights 60 and 150 cm. The main guns were four 10,5 cm french K331 cannons with a range of 12000 meter.
I made a trip here several weeks ago just before the really cold and nasty winter weather set. I went there early so I could spend all day walking through the bunkers. As I hadn`t been on this part of the fortress before I didn`t know what to expect and I was stunned to see the great condition this fort was in. The landowner and some enthusiasts have spent a lot of effort cleaning out garbage and rubble so it is a very clean and tidy place. It was very interesting exploring this place and I will strongly reccommend a visit here. In the mean time here is a ton of photos for you to enjoy.
