Slītere fake lighthouse

Foto: Alise Lūse

During the wars, various methods were used to deceive the enemy. False navigational signs were created to deceive ships at sea, one of which may have been at the Slītere lighthouse

The Irbe Strait is a rather dangerous place for navigation, where deviation from a marked shipping lane can lead to shipwreck. Therefore, during the Second World War, the Germans at night at the Slītere lighthouse deceived the possible enemy ships and submarines, raising a false fire in the air near the lighthouse. It was a lightweight aluminum mast or tower that could be lifted with a hand winch. The shift of the lighthouse fire in the dark was enough for the enemy ships to deviate from the correct fairway and run aground near the shore. The masters of the German vessels were then aware of the magnitude of the fire shift and were able to correct the error during this section of the sea.

The Slītere lighthouse during the day was protected by an aerostat attached to the rope, which made it difficult for the opponent's planes to make precise ball blows in the direction of the lighthouse tower.

The story is indirectly confirmed by the concrete foundation blocks in the meadow about 100 m inland from the lighthouse. They may have survived from those times and mark the location of a fake lighthouse tower.

 
Storyteller: No vietējo ļaužu stāstiem; Wrote down this story: Normunds Smaļinskis, Jana Kalve
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From the stories of local people