Bunkers in Belgium

[Guest Simon Bull]

Attached is a recent letter re demolitions of bunkers in Belgium.

I wondered if any of our Belgian Pals could:

(1) Prove more detail.

(2) Suggest what Pals might do to oppose these demolitions, or at least to persuade the Belgiam autorities to coherent planning re which bankers should be preserved.

[BatterySergeantMajor]

A since long existing problem! Even most of the mines of the Battle of Messines are not under protection (some are already filled).

Monument care and protection is under Flemish government (or Walloon/Brussels governments, depending on the area), so they should be approached.

Only a few years ago some bunkers were destroyed on private grounds near Tyne Cot ("Hamburg"), and the last remaining one, probably the one where Sgt McGee won his Victoria Cross, is in no way protected and can meet the same fate everyday. The A19 motorway-discussion is a similar demonstration of the lack of interest.

If someone has an idea for a coördinated action? I regret I have not the time to put my shoulders under this.

Our government and some local councils do only wake up when there is some negative press coverage. Luckily enough other councils try do do what they can, but this is very difficult without resources and legal support.

Erwin

[egbert]

Let's pretend Nazi Germany invaded UK succesfully in 1940. To strengthen their position against a US liberation operation, Organisation Todt had built thousands of solid bunkers which now litter the beautiful Brit landscape. Would you like to see them preserved for eternity? The answer is most likely NO "we would have gotten rid of them..."

So don't blame the Flemish, the French, the Dutch, the Norwegian, the Danes....if they demolish these remnants, nor the Germans who succesfully got rid of almost all fortifications of Westwall (which was quite an undertaking!)

[ArmyOfficer]

nor the Germans who succesfully got rid of almost all fortifications of Westwall (which was quite an undertaking!)

Egbert: I only know of one small (approx. 300m) stretch of the 'wall just northwest of Duren that remains. Do you know of any more?

I remember doing staff rides of the Huertgen in '88 and '89 and there used to be much more...

[domsim]

Let's pretend Nazi Germany invaded UK succesfully in 1940. To strengthen their position against a US liberation operation, Organisation Todt had built thousands of solid bunkers which now litter the beautiful Brit landscape. Would you like to see them preserved for eternity? The answer is most likely NO "we would have gotten rid of them..."

So don't blame the Flemish, the French, the Dutch, the Norwegian, the Danes....if they demolish these remnants, nor the Germans who succesfully got rid of almost all fortifications of Westwall (which was quite an undertaking!)

Actually the Britiish have preserved German bunkers and strongpoints-on the channel Islands.

[egbert]

nor the Germans who succesfully got rid of almost all fortifications of Westwall (which was quite an undertaking!)

Egbert: I only know of one small (approx. 300m) stretch of the 'wall just northwest of Duren that remains. Do you know of any more?

I remember doing staff rides of the Huertgen in '88 and '89 and there used to be much more...

There a few left in remote locations and they become less and less; some hidden treasures are on my private map ; for Westwall infos see also:

http://www.jinxed.de/westwall/update.php3

[Robert Missinne]

I don't know the situation in Herent (150 km from the Ypres Salient)...

In the Ypres Salient, vandalism on cemeteries and memorials is rather exceptional, as far as I know. Let's hope this will stay so in the future.

An official workgroup (governmentworkers) is making an inventory of all the bunkers, etc. in order to preserve this. I hope this will not take tó much time... Things can 'disappear' in a short time.

[Aurel Sercu]

Mr Pratt speaks about "April this year".

Does he mean April 2004 or April 1954 ?

And does he use "increase" with the same meaning the dictionaries give ?

Aurel

[abn311]

WW I bunkers in Herent ?

I never knew that there were any 1914-1918 bunkers in that part of Belgium.

There will be (pre) WW II bunkers, as a quick look on the map shows that Herent lies in the KW line (named after the end and start villages Koningshooikt and Waver), built in the 1930s against a German invasion.

bert.

[healdav]

There is a lot of the West Wall still in place. I take groups around one part where there are a lot of bunkers, there is one fort still in existence in a complete state (and open to the public) and throughout the Eifel you can find long, long stretches of tank traps (dragon's teeth) and so on.

Most of the demolition was done by the Americans.

[Frank_East]

Usually the European fortifications and coastal defences survive until now because of their design specification making it so uneconomical to destroy them after the war.Additionally as all war surplus, new roles were found for these tools of war.There is evidence throughout Western Europe where the likes of farmers have quickly utilised bunkers etc as animal shelter and as storage facilities.

The WW11 radar towers on the Channel Islands are a case in point and would be difficult to destroy,although some such as the tower at La Corbiere,Jersey were utilised after the war for the Channel Islands radio traffic.

I have seen evidence of the attempts to destroy beach bunkers on the northern end of the Bay of Biscay which have came to naught.There is evidence that nature's effect by soil erosion on the stabilty of the foundations is having more bearing on deterioration than man's efforts to destroy them.

Regards

Frank East