map of Coxyde delivers new position of bunker at La Panne

[myt1prod]

Hello, it's me again, ...
the search for the long lost history of La Panne continues... (chapter 5)

A map of Coxyde by the Group Marc, showing little information on La Panne, does show a 'unknown' bunker standing in La Panne which isn't mentioned on other information (to my knowledge). When overlaying the map by the Group Marc with the present situation, this bunker had to be standing at the location of the watertower as shown below.

Again... anyone (Pierrot probably ) with information concerning this bunker/stronghold, it's function, type, ... ??

thanks ahead
jean

[Bart]

Hi jean,


Are we talking about "Moeder Lambiek"?

Bart

[myt1prod]

Hi Bart,
Yes the area is locally known as 'Moeder Lambiek'. In the small stretch of dunes just behind the watertower I recall lots of masonry and concrete rubble laying around at the time (it's been a while since I went there).
Jean

[pierrot]

Hi Jean,


There was a Battalion Headquarter located there (II/IR 71, 171. Res.Inf.Div)and one R608 has been built there.
With my team, we scanned already all the wooded area between the water tower and the supermarket with the ground radar but without success. The bunker is most probably gone. It's hard to see something on the post-war air pictures.
All what's remain there, are some small storage brick constructions in the gardens of the houses along the street going to France.
A few years ago, I visited also the ground of the water company around the water tower but no trace of the bunker, also not under the tower as so rumors said).

Gr.

Pierrot

[myt1prod]

Hi Pierrot
My hope was perhaps this bunker was dug under... but as you already investigated; it is clearly gone. Again no luck. Nice to have some information to add to my search though, thanks!
A local, which grew up in one of the houses overthere, claims that there are still two 'bunkers' present in the gardens partially under the dunes. In my opinion he must be refering to these brick constructions and likes to think of them as being true bunkers. Worth to investigate however, so I'll be dropping a visit some time.
Also in the area I recall - which should be still present - a masonry climbing shaft. Perhaps an indication to the location of a subterrain tunnelsystem. (My father used to tell about being able to enter the tunnels in the forest and emerging near the border, many locals speak of such tunnelsystems all over De Panne)
Grtz
jean

[myt1prod]

hello
Knocked on a few doors this morning to go and have a look at these so called remaining 'bunkers'. With thanks to the people living there I could locate tree of them (2 on private domain and 1 on uninhabited domain). There should be at least 1 more (claimed to be bigger then the rest) on uninhabited domain which is inaccessible due to overgrowth.

At nr. 70
According to the lady living there it used to have a L-shaped wall protecting the entrance which they took down.

front view

inside vieuw from doorway (notice iron on the right and original small brick wall possibly storage of bulk goods as coal)

inside view from backwall

...

[myt1prod]

...

At nr. 72

view of remaining backwall with possible chimney entrance hole

At nr. 74 (or 76 - uninhabited domain, not freely accessible)

view inside from doorway

view inside from backwall (notice some kind of drainage pipe on the left)

grtz
jean

[myt1prod]

these are the plans for the 608 which stood at Moeder Lambik in De Panne/Adinkerke:
I based them on drawings of the specific bunker standing here. As the measurements were writen in pencil I couldn't read them all, some measurements appeared wrong when doing the maths and other measurements were not mentioned... so I had to do quite some deduction based on the most accurate measurements.
This specific model seems to have small deviations concerning the inside walls and the length of the 'ringstand-wall' when resembling to the regular 608.

I'm not sure though about the heigth of the doorways (2m?) and the heigths of the schartes... Especially the heigth of the scharte in the nahkampfraum seems strange. The drawing didn't mention any steps leading to the nahkampfraum; in this case the scharte would practically be on the heigth of the 'outdoor-ground-level'... which seems to be very low near the ground. In my drawings I placed it a bit higher up.... Any confirmation on heightmeasurements would be nice.

Greetz
Jean

[ducatim901]

Did they measured the outher walls wrongly or is it one of those St-bunkers built in one metre?
JK

[myt1prod]

Did they measured the outher walls wrongly or is it one of those St-bunkers built in one metre?
JK

I don't know... could be that the outher walls were wrongly measured, but they were clearly mentioned on the pencil drawing... perhaps a local variant?

[jopaerya]

Hello Jean

I know the drawing of the 608 in the Panne , but do you have arial picture or other proof of this bunker ??
There should also be a 608 build according to the resistance in Stp. Westkappele Haus but I never found it .

Regards Jos

[myt1prod]

Hi Jos

This plan mentions that this bunker was built at 2,36km from De Panne in Adinkerke, it doesn't actually mention that the location was at Moeder Lambik (watertower). But as Pierrot states that a 608 was built on this location and noticing the mentioned distance would fit this location, I think it is save to presume this was the actual location. The existance of the map is proof of this bunker being actually built at De Panne I guess??

I have no aerial of the region; the only ones I know off require payed membership... something I'm considering to do. On the otherhand I wrote a letter to the watercompany which now owns the domain were this bunker was assumed to be standing. At the time there was an old watertower which the Germans blew up upon retreating. Afterwards a new one was built. My hope is that the watercompany has some photogaphical evidence (or more plans) which proves the bunker was actually there (or still is??)* at time this new watertower was built.

earlier in this topic Pierrot mentions their group already scanned the area for remains and couldn't find any, on the otherhand no proof of the demolishion/it's existance this far and a lot of contradiction amongst local people

[pierrot]

Hello Jos and Jean

This 608 of Adinkerke has been built as well as the one of Stp Westkapelle-Haus.
The 608 of Adinkerke was still on the list of the Belgian Army in 1962. I have several air picture from 1948 to 1967 but none of them gives a 100% certainty about its exact location.
The 608 of Westkapelle-Haus is quite obvious on the air picture hereunder.
About the one of Westkapelle-Haus, the problem is that everybody use the same source: the Stp map from april 1943 were no 608 are present and 5 x 501 built. One of the 501 is in fact a 134 and the 608 has been built later in the war. Also the exact position of the bunkers on the German map is not 100% correct. The Belgian postwar inventory gives it right with the 608 and the 134 munition in place of one of the 501.

Gr.

Pierrot

Adinkerke

Stp Westkapelle-Haus

[dirk Peeters]

thanks pierrot
dirk

[AW]

Hi,

this one is better, you can see the entrance...

today there is an "Lidl"...

I have the apprehension that he killed him,
but maybe they overbuild him only... have a look

greetz

Alex