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Regelbau
The ''Regelbau'' (German for "standard design") were a series of standardised bunker designs built in large numbers by the Germans in the Siegfried Line (german: Westwall) and the Atlantic Wall as part of their defensive fortifications prior to and during the Second World War. Purpose There were several advantages to standardising the design and construction: # Retention of proven design features when building new bunkers # Simpler manufacture of large quantities e.g. of armoured and ventilation components and simplified ordering from the industrial manufacturers involved # Easier surveying of construction sites with regard to the tactical situation # Simplified construction process # Easier supply of materials to the construction site Extent of standardization As early as 1933 the Army command began work on the standardisation of defensive works with their publication of the Order for the Construction of Permanent Fortifications (''Vorschrift zum Bau ständiger Befestigung ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Atlantic Wall
The Atlantic Wall (german: link=no, Atlantikwall) was an extensive system of coastal defences and fortifications built by Nazi Germany between 1942 and 1944 along the coast of continental Europe and Scandinavia as a defence against an anticipated Allied invasion of Nazi-occupied Europe from the United Kingdom, during World War II. The manning and operation of the Atlantic Wall was administratively overseen by the German Army, with some support from ''Luftwaffe'' ground forces. The ''Kriegsmarine'' (German Navy) maintained a separate coastal defence network, organised into a number of sea defence zones. Hitler ordered the construction of the fortifications in 1942 through his Führer Directive No. 40. More than half a million French workers were drafted to build it. The wall was frequently mentioned in Nazi propaganda, where its size and strength were usually exaggerated. The fortifications included colossal coastal guns, batteries, mortars, and artillery, and thousands o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
German Fortification Of Guernsey
After the Wehrmacht occupied the Channel Islands on 30June 1940, they assessed the existing defences to determine if they would be of use. The Germans found the Islands' fortifications antiquated and woefully inadequate for modern warfare. Because the Germans expected to invade the United Kingdom in the autumn of 1940, they decided that expenditure on defences for the islands would be a waste. Initially the Germans built only ''feldmässige Anlage'' (field-type construction) positions. By 1941 the prospect of conquering Britain had decreased and the probability of an eastern war increased, requiring defences to be built to reduce the number and quality of troops required to defend the western ocean areas. Whilst the Luftwaffe and Kriegsmarine had their roles in protecting the islands from the Allies, the occupying forces put their main effort into land defences aimed at repelling a seaborne or airborne assault. The resulting construction work in the Channel Islands was extensive; ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Regelbau 638
Regelbau 638 was a German army standardized bunker. Before and during World War II, the Wehrmacht built several standardised bunkers and weapon positions in Germany and German-occupied countries. These buildings were called Regelbau, i.e. standardised buildings. Regelbau 638 was a small field hospital (''Kleiner Sanitätsunterstand''). A fully restored Regelbau 638 bunker can be seen at the museum, Fjell festning at Fjell Fortress outside Bergen, Norway and in Agde, France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac .... In 2009–2010, this bunker was restored inside and supplied with authentic German hospital and sanitary equipment from World War II by the local voluntary society ''Fjell Festnings Militærhistoriske Samlinger''. References External links Regelbau 638 R ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dover Strait Coastal Guns, 1940–1944
The Dover Strait coastal guns were long-range coastal artillery batteries that were sited on both sides of the English Channel during the Second World War. The British built several gun positions along the coast of Kent, England while the Germans fortified the Pas-de-Calais in occupied France. The Strait of Dover was strategically important because it is the narrowest part of the English channel. Batteries on both sides attacked shipping as well as bombarding the coastal towns and military installations. The German fortifications would be incorporated into the Atlantic Wall which was built between 1942 and 1944. German installations After the Fall of France in June 1940, Adolf Hitler personally discussed the possibility of invasion with ''Großadmiral'' (Grand Admiral) Erich Raeder, the Commander-in-Chief of the ''Kriegsmarine'' (German Navy) on 21 May 1940. Almost a month later on 25 June he ordered '' Oberkommando der Wehrmacht'' (''OKW'', supreme command of the armed forces) t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
List Of Surviving Elements Of The Siegfried Line
This article lists those elements of the Siegfried Line (german: Westwall) that have survived or whose function is still clearly recognisable. The structures are listed roughly from north to south and grouped by the individual construction programmes involved in building the Siegfried Line. Geldern position, Brüggen-Kleve Sector * Kleve Sector of the Siegfried Line ** Three bunkers of Regelbau Type 102V near Kranenburg-Nütterden ** Regelbau Type 102V near Kessel * Goch Sector of the Siegfried Line ** Five bunkers of Regelbau Type 102V near Goch Border Guard Programme * Bunker for an anti-tank gun emplacement near Aachen-Bildchen * Garage for an anti-tank gun emplacement near Simmerath * Bunker near Simmerath * Garage for an anti-tank gun emplacement near Monschau-Konzen Engineer Programme * Saarland ** Merzig-Wadern county *** Besseringen B-Werk *** Bridge-guarding bunker, Mettlach (Regelbau B1-1 combined with Regelbau B1-18) *** Bridge-guarding bunker, Besseringen (Dou ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
V-weapons
V-weapons, known in original German as (, German: "retaliatory weapons", "reprisal weapons"), were a particular set of long-range artillery weapons designed for strategic bombing during World War II, particularly strategic bombing and/or aerial bombing of cities. They were the V-1, a pulsejet-powered cruise missile; the V-2, a liquid-fueled ballistic missile (often referred to as V1 and V2); and the V-3 cannon. All of these weapons were intended for use in a military campaign against Britain, though only the V-1 and V-2 were so used in a campaign conducted 1944–45. After the invasion of Europe by the Allies, these weapons were also employed against targets on the mainland of Europe, mainly France and Belgium. Strategic bombing with V-weapons killed approximately 18,000 people, mostly civilians. The cities of London, Antwerp and Liège were the main targets. They were part of the range of the so-called (superweapons, or "wonderweapons") of Nazi Germany. Development As e ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Organisation Todt
Organisation Todt (OT; ) was a civil and military engineering organisation in Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945, named for its founder, Fritz Todt, an engineer and senior Nazi. The organisation was responsible for a huge range of engineering projects both in Nazi Germany and in occupied territories from France to the Soviet Union during World War II. It became notorious for using forced labour. From 1943 until 1945 during the late phase of the Third Reich, OT administered all constructions of concentration camps to supply forced labour to industry. Overview The history of the organisation can be divided into three phases. From 1933 to 1938, before the organisation existed, Fritz Todt's primary post was that of the General Inspector of German Roadways (''Generalinspektor für das deutsche Straßenwesen'') and his primary responsibility, the construction of the ''Autobahn'' network. He was able to draw on "conscripted" (i.e., compulsory) labour, from within Germany, through the Rei ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Defensive Fighting Position
A defensive fighting position (DFP) is a type of earthwork constructed in a military context, generally large enough to accommodate anything from one soldier to a fire team (or similar sized unit). Terminology Tobruk type positions are named after the system of defensive positions constructed, initially, by the Italian Army at Tobruk, Libya. After Tobruk fell to the Allies in January 1941, the existing positions were modified and significantly expanded by the Australian Army which, along with other Allied forces, reused them in the Siege of Tobruk. A foxhole is one type of defensive strategic position. It is a "small pit used for cover, usually for one or two personnel, and so constructed that the occupants can effectively fire from it". It is known more commonly within United States Army slang as a "fighting position" or as a "ranger grave". It is known as a "fighting hole" in the United States Marine Corps, a "gun-pit" in Australian Army terminology, and a "fighting pit ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa (german: link=no, Unternehmen Barbarossa; ) was the invasion of the Soviet Union by Nazi Germany and many of its Axis allies, starting on Sunday, 22 June 1941, during the Second World War. The operation, code-named after Frederick Barbarossa ("red beard"), a 12th-century Holy Roman emperor and German king, put into action Nazi Germany's ideological goal of conquering the western Soviet Union to repopulate it with Germans. The German aimed to use some of the conquered people as forced labour for the Axis war effort while acquiring the oil reserves of the Caucasus as well as the agricultural resources of various Soviet territories. Their ultimate goal was to create more (living space) for Germany, and the eventual extermination of the indigenous Slavic peoples by mass deportation to Siberia, Germanisation, enslavement, and genocide. In the two years leading up to the invasion, Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union signed political and economic pacts for st ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Operation Claymore
Operation Claymore was a British commando raid on the Norwegian Lofoten Islands during the Second World War. The Lofoten Islands were an important centre for the production of fish oil and glycerine, used in the German war economy. The landings were carried out on 4 March 1941, by the men of No. 3 Commando, No. 4 Commando, a Royal Engineers section and 52 men from the Norwegian Independent Company 1. Supported by the 6th Destroyer Flotilla and two troop transports of the Royal Navy, the force made an unopposed landing and generally continued to meet no opposition. The original plan was to avoid contact with German forces and inflict the maximum of damage to German-controlled industry. They achieved their objective of destroying fish oil factories and some of oil and glycerine. The British experienced only one accident; an officer injuring himself with his own revolver and returned with some 228 German prisoners, 314 loyal Norwegian volunteers and a number of Quisling regime c ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Saint-Nazaire Submarine Base
The submarine base of Saint-Nazaire is one of five large fortified U-boat pens built by Germany during the Second World War in occupied Saint-Nazaire, France. Construction Before the Second World War, Saint-Nazaire was one of the largest harbours of the Atlantic coast of France. During the Battle of France, the German Army arrived in Saint-Nazaire, in June 1940. The harbour was immediately used for submarine operations, with the arriving as soon as 29 September 1940. In December, a mission of the Organisation Todt (Oberbauleitung Süd) inspected the harbour to study the possibilities to build a submarine pen invulnerable to air bombing from England. Work soon began under the supervision of engineer Probst. The selected space was that of the docks and buildings of the Compagnie Générale Transatlantique, which were razed. Building began in February 1941, with pens 6, 7, and 8 completed in June 1941. On 30 June 1941, Vizeadmiral Karl Dönitz formally opened the U-boat p ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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