What is Batterie – Lothringen?

Batterie-Lothringen is a WW2 coastal artillery site on Noirmont point in Jersey. It was part of Hitlers ‘Atlantic Wall’ and was built during the German Occupation of Jersey. The site was named after the SMS Lothringen, which most of the sites guns came from. The German Navy or ‘Kriegsmarine’ were the ones in charge here. In March 1946, many of the guns were tipped over the edge of the cliff at Grosnez and had to be recovered by helicopter to put them back where they are now and many of the bunkers and walkways were filled in and had to be dug out and excavated by the Jersey Occupation Society in 2009. The site after the war belonged to the Manor, however it was bought by the states for £9,000 as they believed that it would be a good memorial site.

Our Visit

Whilst at Batterie-Lothringen, German Occupation expert Tony talked us through the history and the different uses of the guns and bunkers. We then went off to take photographs of the area with certain artists and the knowledge Tony gave us in mind, trying to capture the mood of the place. Unfortunately, due to the weather, I was unable to come out with images I went into this wanting to get, which would’ve required more harsh sunlight to create shadows, however I still managed to get a lot of photos, adopting a more moody vibe. Tony then led us into to one of the underground bunkers and we looked at the displays and other artefacts there. This allowed us to understand more about Batterie-Lothringen and German fortifications to inform other photoshoots that we will do in the future.

Image Selection

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