The Barakke Battery and the Saltholm Battery were both built at the little island of Saltholm in the years before World War I.
The Barakke Battery
The Barakke Battery was situated at the northwestern coast of the island. It was built in 1904.
It was built in the context of the Russian-Japanese War 1904/1905.
The battery was primarily to show the great powers in Europe, that Denmark was able to maintain control over the strait of the Öresund.
It was primarily Russia and Germany that were interested in this transit.
Russia wanted to use their Baltic Fleet (which was later destroyed) against the Japanese, and therefore wanted to pass using the Storebält with Danish pilots.
At the same time, there was an secret English-Japanese treaty that allowed English intervention against Russia if war occurred between these to nations.
Germany feared English penetration into the Baltic Sea, but they also was interested getting the Russian Baltic Fleet to Japan. Germany wanted this in order to become the dominant naval power in the Baltic Sea. Barakke Battery is, as far as is known, the only fortifications of the Russian-Japanese war that originated in Europe
The battery was an open construction, with the artillery mounted on a concrete emplacement behind some small crescent-shaped ramparts. It was originally armed with two 47 mm guns.
During the First World War, the battery was expanded and further reinforced with two pcs. of 75 mm. field cannons and two pcs. of 47 mm. cannons as anti-aircraft guns.
The floodlight of the battery was mounted on a low wooden tower north of the barracks.
There was also a garage for the locomotive from the Salthoolm railroad, an ammunition magazine and a number of other buildings.
The task of the battery was to illuminate and protect the minefields in the waters Holländerdybet.
The battery was dropped in 1932 and there is virtually nothing left of it.
The Saltholm Battery was built in 1912 and located on the western coast of the island.
It was an open work with a wet moat. The guns were mounted on concrete emplacements, separated by a traverse containing the ammunition magazine.
On top of the traverse the battery fire control post were located along with the floodlight.
Just behind the ammunition magazine is a small, rectangular barracks building.
The task of the battery was to prevent enemy landing on the Saltholm and to protect the minefields between the Saltholm and the Dragør Fort as well as protecting the waters between Zealand and the Middelgrund Fort.
Finally, the battery should prevent hostile units from operating in the waters around Saltholm.
The battery was armed with two pcs. of 75 mm guns and eight machineguns.
The battery was decommissioned in 1932 and is private property today.