The three guns, model 28 cm SK L/45, came from spares for the World War I-era Nassau-class battleships.
After Romania joined the Axis by signing the Tripartite Pact in November 1940, German troops began crossing into the country to provide training and modernization to the Romanian Armed Forces.
Nominally, the battery which was served by 700 Kriegsmarine personnel was under Romanian control, as were all the Axis forces in Romania.
German Vice Admiral Helmuth Brinkmann had orders to hold Constanța at all costs.
However, after a face-to-face meeting with Romanian Rear Admiral Horia Macellariu, he was persuaded to retreat orderly and avoid an unnecessary and costly battle.