Devils Battery facts for kids

Devils Battery, also known as Devils Point Battery or Hartlen Point Tunnels, was a secret military base built near Halifax Harbour in Eastern Passage, Canada. It was constructed between 1940 and 1945 during World War II to protect the Halifax area from the German navy.

This important site had three huge 9.2 inch (234 mm) guns. These guns were operated by soldiers from the 53rd Heavy Battery of the 1st (Halifax) Coast Regiment. Devils Battery was used until the 1950s. Today, the area is a golf course, but the original underground parts of the fort are still buried there. The battery was named after Devils Island, which is close by.

Building a Secret Fortress

On September 10, 1939, Canada declared war on Nazi Germany. This meant Canada needed strong defenses, especially for important places like Halifax Harbour.

To build Devils Battery, the government asked fishermen living on Devils Island to move to the mainland. Only the lighthouse keeper stayed behind.

A Brand New Defense

Britain helped Canada by providing plans for this military structure. While other forts around Halifax were being updated, Devils Battery was built completely from scratch. It became one of the largest coastal defenses on the Atlantic coast!

A company from Toronto called Angus Robertson was hired to build it. Many local people from the "Passage" area helped with the construction. They were known for helping with military projects.

Underground Powerhouse

After July 1940, military patrols kept people away from the forts to keep them secret. Hartlen Point was already military land, but more land was bought, and some houses had to be moved. This was to keep people safe if there was a battle.

To hide Devils Battery from enemies, most of it was built underground.

• The lowest level had heating and air systems.
• The second level had plotting rooms where soldiers tracked targets.
• The top underground level, right below the guns, had living quarters, map rooms, telephones, and storage for ammunition.

All these parts were connected by sound-proof tunnels that led to the main command post. The ammunition storage areas were kept separate for safety. Devils Battery even made its own power in a special underground area with a huge hydraulic system. The underground diesel engine was as big as a two-story house and needed two engines to start it!

The Gate House

Along the hillside, you can still see the strong guard post. This building was separate from the rest of the fort. It was connected to a large concrete wall that held the main entrance. This entrance led into the underground plotting room and three covered paths that connected to the network of underground tunnels.

Lookout Points

The two highest spots chosen for observation posts were Flandrum Hill in Cow Bay and Caldwell Road. Each of these spots had a four-story concrete observation post. These posts had plotting rooms and telephones that connected to the main Halifax command center.

Two other three-story observation posts were built. One was at the new radar station at Osborne Head, and the other was on the hill behind the three big guns. Each lookout post had a crew of two soldiers. They used a special tool called a Depression position finder to look for any suspicious ships or submarines in the harbour.

Clever Disguise

Devils Battery was designed to look like something else entirely! To an enemy U-boat, E-boat, or aircraft, it wouldn't look like a military base at all. The three gun turrets were disguised as farm houses, and the observation post behind the site looked like a church.

About 750 meters (800 yards) east, near the Osborne Head radar station, a fake battery was even set up with props to trick enemies even more!

Early Challenges

Building and operating Devils Battery had some problems, especially during the winter.

• One of the huge 28-ton guns, which were installed by cranes, accidentally broke free from its cables. It crashed through the concrete ground and sank three meters (nine feet) into the thawed earth!
• There were also leaks in the underground areas.
• The complex hydraulic system had flaws, and mechanical parts would sometimes break down underground.

Once, when engineers and important guests came to see the guns fired, many of the welds failed. This caused 6800 liters (1500 gallons) of hydraulic oil to flood the inside of the battery! Even some parts that were carefully made in England didn't fit as expected.