Nordabschnitt Antwerpen

[Bunkerfreak]

Hello,

The reason why i like to publish this here is because those bunkers are the regelbau predecessors which where build under the Regelbau 1916 programm. Lucky for us, a whole stellung with more than 500 bunkers is still standing proud north of the Belgian city of Antwerp. On the West and South side of Antwerp there are other simullar stellungen, but here i do not know the exact number of because this is not my field of research (yet).

First of all, i'm willing to inform that the best preserved part of the Nordabschnitt will be opened for public on the 12th of october. We have almost 4km of intact german trenches connecting the stellungsbau-bunkertypes. For those intrested, four bunkers will be opened for public, the rest kept closed in benefit for the bats.

Underhere i will post all remaining modernized bunkertypes of stellungsbau 1916 with the correct bunkernames and not with the "type X" typologie which was created by the belgian army in the '20ies.

It's something else than A'wall and i hope its respected for you to post it in here, after all, this is where all regelbau- starts!

Also i would like to thank someone, which i mostly forget to do. Its maybe the right time now with all those arguements the last days. Everything i know and what i can recognize in this old bunkerline from other Atlantikwall bunkers, is learned by Dirk Peeters back in the good ol' days. All this info i know now, will be re-used in guiding tours which are placed from 12th october and beyond, all thanks of the expertise of Dirk Peeters. It feels right to thank him for that!

Tom Oliviers

[Bunkerfreak]

The first one we place in here is the mostly build "Unterschlupf für 18 mann". In the entire 3th regiment, we have around 70x of them. They where called in german type "U" (Unterschlupf). The belgian army called thisone an "type VI", which is completely incorrect and unfortunatly used in many many modern books about this subject.

Its a rather small bunker and there is no way there could be 18 mann inside, so i have a theory, there is room for maximum 6 men, so i think 6men at rest and 12 men in the trenches? does anyone have other opinions about this?

There are two major varieties of this Unterschlupf, the ones that lies in the front, they where all round edged and camouflaged with concrete dots and the ones in the second line, which are all from a more poor concrete quality and diagonal corner-edged and no camouflage at all.

Here a normal "Unterschlupf" where you will see a lot of things which we all recognize from the atlantikwall. thisone is build in the frontline and is round edged and fully camouflaged

Thisone is called "U 1" and lies in the 3.I sector (3the regiment, I batallion), next to an important railroad from Antwerp to Holland.

Unterschlupf "U 1"

Bricked entrance of "U 1"

If you visit the line, you will see that almost all bunkers are bricked, this is done by the Germans in 1943, bacause they where building a new defenceline arround Antwerp (more close to the city), the so called Dnjepr-stellung. The reason why this new line must be closer to the city was because the Abschnitt Antwerpen had not enough troops to man a wide frontzone during an enemy attack, this is the reason why the build a smaller defenceline and the old defence (german 1916 and belgian 1939) where all bricked up with thick masonry walls so the enemy could no re-use this positions easely.

Notice this nice dotted camouflage!

Notice also the original 100 year old bunkerpaint underneath those dots!

One of the entrances which we re-opened.

Also all remaining bunkerparts where scrapped by the germans in 1943, so we are wandering in the dark about how those bunkers where looked like during the first world war. Does anyone have documents about what materials (beds, stoves, telephones,...) where used inside?

Notice the diagonal line

Also something we recognize from our favorite Atlantikwall, those diagonal lines to get rid of reflecting sunlight in the entrance

[Bunkerfreak]

A peek inside the crewroom where 18 mann must been housed (??) i think this was in three shifts of 6 men, 6 men in the bunker at rest and 12 men in the trenches defending.

The nishe where a bunkerstove was placed. In the middle you see the chimney of that stove.

In each side of the bunker there is a nishe, which could be sealed off with an wooden (??) door.

At the back there are two nisches for lanternes.

Above one nishe there is a periscope tubing through the roof, also something we all know from the modern Atlantikwall!

[Bunkerfreak]

The second bunkerentrance, still bricked up with an german 1943 masonry wall.

Tom "Bunkerfreaks" Oliviers

[Bunkerfreak]

Here is another type "U" from the frontzone, which is modified by the Belgian Army in 1939 and equiped with a Chardome carriage. On this carriage there was placed an MG 08 (with another barrel fitted for belgian calibre rounds). Thisone is bunker "U 16" and lies also in the 3.I sector. We found two of them which are modified, but this is the most beautifull preserved.

Notice that this bunker is used for the bats, so its not possible to visit it without permission and on the right time when no bats are inside.

Also round edged and beautifull camouflaged. This is one of the 50+ type "U" (Unterschlupf für 18 mann) in the frontline of 3.I sector. In the second line we have in this sector another 20+ of them.

Notice the corrugated steel in the roof, which is also typical for frontline bunkers. The bunkers of the second line have wooden planks instead of corrugated steel.

The beatifull chardome carriage which is a modification of the belgian army from 1939! In 1917 this bunker was a normal troop bunker.

Detail on the embrassure.

Detail on the chardome carriage.

[Bunkerfreak]

one of the nisches for an lanterne, with above the periscope tubing where some kind of steelplate is placed through. perhaps also something from the belgians?

Detail on the periscope tubing, which could be sealed of with a slider (notice the steel bars for that)

Tom "Bunkerfreak" Oliviers

[Bunkerfreak]

Some plans which we measured (togheter with Jean Rijlant) and i drawn them with Google Sketchup in 3D:
This is the Unterschlupf with the modified embrassure:

The Belgian embrassure

Regards
Tom

[Bunkerfreak]

This is an third "Unterschlupf für 18 mann", type "U". Thisone lies in the second line and is from a poor concrete quality and a lot of detailled differences:

I view on "U II-2"

Last summer we could open the bricked walls.

A peek into one of the entrances. Notice the damage underneath allthough there is never been battled in this sector during WW1. Maybe in WW2 there where some battles outside between germans and canadians. Notice also the wooden planks in the roof, those second line bunkers does not have the corrugated steelplates.

The backwall with two nisches for lanternes.

The tubing for a bunkerperiscope, notice also the small rail which was used for the closing mechanism of this tubing.

[Bunkerfreak]

Nische for the bunkerstove togheter with some ventilation openings. I'm not shure if every bunker had an telephone, there are in most of the bunkers some vertical slits where possible a lichtspräch or blinkgerät could communicate through with some small commandposts (as the UTR) behind. This subject is one of things where we are completely noobish in... does anyone have documents about the communication devices an structure which was used in those bunkers?

Notice how high those second line bunkers are, in those bunkers you can easely walk straight up! Also the nishes in the second line are noticable higher than those in the first line, in this bunkers the nisches are connected with the roof.

A peek towards the second entrance.

During our cleaning works we stumbled against some german grenades.

They where taken away by the Belgian Army's DOVO (deminage).

[Bunkerfreak]

Does anyone know the exacte name for this german carriage? is it WW1 or WW2 dated?

Unfortunatly it was in very bad shape, i think this lies now in a archeologist university where they try to conserve it.

Some details

Details on the 'nades.


Tom "Bunkerfreak" Oliviers

[DaSk]

Nice pictures and findings!
Very interesting mounting for MG. To be honest I see such thing first time. Did You measured this mounting? Do You think that this mounting is prussian or has got another origin?
As I see those hollow bricks are hibernaculas for bats.

[Bunkerfreak]

Hello DaSk,

This mounting is from the Belgian army and is placed in 1939 in the bunker, also the opening for the MG was cut through the allready existing wall of the german bunker.

So it is an troop bunker of 1917 which had no MG at all, the Belgians re-used the bunker for their position fortifiée de Anvers (PFA), in english it means the fortified position of Antwerp. The mounting is from the type Chardôme and could be used for the MG08 maxim.

its a bit ironical that the Belgian Army re-used old German WW1 bunkers against the new German forces of WW2. after the Germans took Belgium in 1940 they did nothing with their old bunkers, the only thing they did was brick them up with thick walls in the entrances, this was done around 1943. And now, 2013 - 2014 they are finally opened again.

Tom

[DaSk]

Thanks for so quick answer.
Here You are picture of I WW prussian bunker near Kaunas.

[Bunkerfreak]

WOW!

Thanks, that looks like an Infanterie Observation or an Batallion command with coupola of the stellungsbau 1916 document? we have also a lot of coupola's, but from an entire other type (more like some armoured plates).

[Bunkerfreak]

Here is one of our "Artillerie Beobachtung" bunkers, which recieved the bunkernumer "AB 1":

I've measured the bunker and drawn a layout of it with Sketchup

The entrance, with a new door of 2013. This bunker we also re-used in benefit for the bats
(we have to work together with the bat-researchers these days, i have no problem with that)

The entrance after we opened it last summer (2013)

A peek inside

A peek towards the entrance