Two old coastal artillery batteries and the incredible landscapes of western Menorca

@ElentirENG ES 6·28·2024 · 23:21 0

During the Spanish Civil War, the island of Menorca, which had great strategic importance, remained in the hands of the Republican side.

The ruins of the once powerful F-2 coastal artillery battery at Favarich, Menorca
The formidable Fortress of La Mola, in Menorca, and its enormous Vickers guns

Menorca was the exception in the Balearic Islands, since the rest of this archipelago was in the power of the national side. The Republican Army decided to install two coastal artillery batteries in the town of Ciudadela, in the west of Menorca, to better protect the coasts of this island against possible attacks from the other side coming from the island of Mallorca . One of these batteries was installed in 1937 in Bajolí, northwest of the urban area of ​​Ciudadela. This battery was equipped with four 15 cm Munaiz-Argüelles cannons and two 240 mm Ordóñez howitzers, making it a very well defended position.

Further north, the Punta Nati Battery was installed, near the lighthouse in that place, which was inaugurated on September 1, 1913. This battery was equipped with two Schneider Model 1917 howitzers 155 mm, pieces of French origin manufactured for field artillery. The peculiarity of this battery is that its two howitzers were camouflaged under stone constructions that imitate barracas, a typical construction in Menorca whose purpose is to protect livestock from the wind that usually blows on the island.

This Friday, the excellent channel Aventuras Entresierras (which I recommend you subscribe to) has published a video touring these two old batteries, which today are dismantled and in a sad state of abandonment (the video is in Spanish, you can activate the automatic English subtitles in the bottom bar of the player):

You can see here some screenshots from the video, in which I omit one of its most notable details: the incredible landscapes of western Menorca, with some truly incredible cliffs. I start here with an image of the Punta Nati lighthouse (taking the opportunity to dedicate my friend Manolo Scarface's kind dedication to him, he already knows that I am a great fan of maritime lighthouses). 😉

Here we see one of the artillery positions of the Bajolí battery, whose camouflage consists of having the appearance of a Menorcan cattle hut. A very intelligent camouflage, of course, considering a coast where it is difficult to conceal an artillery position.

One of the wells of one of the pieces of the Punta Nati battery, already dismantled but preserving the screws at the base of the cannon. On the sides of the well we see the space reserved to house the ammunition.

The video also tours the battery of Punta Nati projectors. These projectors were used to illuminate the battery targets at night. In the video you can see the interior of this battery of projectors, which is in very good condition.