I am so envious of your closeness to so much WWII history. What I would give to explore some of the sites you find. Here in Wisconsin, I am relegated to TH-cam exploration. And I always smile when I locate an Atlantic Wall site, which is familiar, only because you took me there previously in your searches. Anyway...thanks for your time and sharing!
The electrical box was mostly for wifi connection and to charge cell phones and laptops. It was very important for the troops to keep up with their Netflix shows
@NPC #303 its amazing the effort they had to go through to brainwash people with propaganda back then, now they just slip it into your daily news and entertainment.
NPC #303 I remember when the news stations reported unbiased news and not injecting opinions and pushing agendas. Those days are long gone. Unfortunately people just take on the opinion of the person they watch on tv. No more free thinkers.
@NPC #303 CNN, DAILY MAIL, GUARDIAN, DAILY MIRROR, DAILY TELEGRAPH, BBC, THE EU, GREAT BRITAIN, USA, CHINA, EVERYWHERE ....... This is George Orwell speaking, a repeat from 1984, but it was delayed due to the Cold War, Chechnya and the Gulf Wars.
Some locations are just so AMAZING. Hope you liked this little trip back in time. BTW : What is the incredible fast light going from right to left in 2.12 minutes ?
What a great place you found. Did you do any metal detecting while you were there? At 17:24 in your video, it shows some concrete that appears to go in the direction of the bunker. Could that be a ventilation shaft for a underground bunker or was it just rocks that looked like concrete? Just curious. Thank you again for the great videos you and your family put. Be safe out there. David
Clearly considered a VERY strategic defensive position. I am very impressed with your film making and editing, from the start you captured the location perfectly. Keep it going my friend.
Rocks piled on the side prevent a person from standing/hiding up against the building out of view where the could throw in a grenade or attack in some other fashion
I totally agree with your premise that relying on things such as the Atlantic Wall, the Maginot Line, the Siegfried line, to by themselves totally stop an enemy advance is foolishness. To quote General Patton " If mountains and oceans can be overcome, anything built by man can be overcome." However they do have merit in that they cause the enemy to expend resources and adjust their plans accordingly, and also as a delaying tactic. As an example, note the tremendous casualties suffered by the Allies towards the end of the war, attacking a much depleted and undermanned Siegfried line. Manned by an Army on its last legs. The Atlantic Wall certainly complicated the Allies Invasion plans. Unfortunately for the French, the Maginot Line brought about the successful implementation of the Von Schlieffen Plan. For which they were unprepared. Sometimes it doesn't work in your favor.
my take would be more nuanced, because both in the case of the Maginot line and the Atlantik wall, the defenses were breached in unfinished part of the fortifications infact, the Germans never went through the Maginot line as it only extended along the Franco-German border, the French were building a fortification line along the frontier with Belgium and Luxembourg, and only light blockhouses were in service by the time of the german attack
If the French had used the Maginot Line to protect their flank that would have been good use. At the time of the invasion of France the French not only had more tanks than the Germans but the French tanks were Superior. The problem was with the French military High command were prepared to fight World War 1 a second time. A mistake often repeated in history armies are always ready to fight the last war.
The Schlieffen Plan was WW1 not WW2. In WW2 the German plan was basically to let the Allies think that Germany was repeating the Schlieffen Plan of WW1 and attacking through Belgium (plus this time also the Netherlands), whilst the real main attack was further south through the Ardennes Forrest which the Allies considered to be impossible to cross with tanks. There were also various defensive lines and fortifications in Belgium and the Netherlands. The fortress of Eben-Emael a linchpin in the defenses of Belgium was knocked out by German airborne troops who landed with gliders on top of the fortress.
The Maginot and Siegfried line construction reflected defensive thinking still stuck in WW1 tactics - long lines of static defences The rapid development of modern mechanised troops and armour piercing weapons and air power soon made them obsolete. Patton also reportedly said "Fixed fortifications are monuments to man's stupidity." As the Belgians and French found with Fort Eben-Emael and the Maginot line, you can just go round them or fly over them, or drop paratroopers on top of them. And once you've bypassed them, they're ineffective. The Maginot was never defeated. By June the line was cut off from France and when Weygand signed the surrender the line fell. The German Army attacked and captured a few smaller ouvrages from the rear, but were unsuccessful in capturing any significant fortifications. The Westwall (Siegfried Line) was pretty much abandoned after the fall of France - bunkers used for storage and metal doors taken off for the Atlantic Wall (which would have been formidable had it actually been completed). It was only reactivated in 1944. But it wasn't without its issues. The Aachen-Saar 'Dragons Teeth' tank traps on the Siegfried Line looked formidable but when the US Armored units arrived they just bulldozed dirt over the top of them and drove on through. They did have merit from a general population moral perspective though. You can sell the idea of formidable impenetrable defenses to keep the happy.
What an amazing little grotto to hang out waiting for certain death. From my understanding from reading german soldier journels most on the beach didn't expect to live. They knew they would be over-run and the real defense would take place inland. At least that would be a nice view and relaxed days waiting for the end...
Love your videos! Not just for the things you find and film, but for your excitement and descriptions. You have a lot of knowledge on much of the material, but at other times you aren't afraid to say, 'why did they do THAT?' It's refreshing and fun to watch you discover as you share with us. Keep up the great work!
Great video and a truly amazing location I am thankful that I found your channel. I've always been interested in world war 2 sense I heard my great uncles story's from when he was in the war (United States Army). He was in from Normandy till he was wounded at the battle of the bulge. After that he became a guard watching over the captured german soldiers. And i will never forget when he said that the german soldiers were not as evil as they teach you in school (at the time i was in high school) and he always told me that the captured german soldiers were some of the nicest and most intelegent people he ever encountered during the war and that he never held a grudge or felt hatred towards any german soldier. He just always said that they were soldiers and they were just following their orders like I was. And he always ended it with don't blame the soldiers for their leaders decisions.
.... I think one exception would be what the American soldiers called "the SSers." These were the true believers who believed in what is known as "Endsieg," or Nazi victory at the last gasp in spite of everything that would oppose it. One fellow I knew who was an American unit said about how after they reached a part of Germany there was one guy who said "this is where my family came from this Village I'm going to go visit my cousins and uncles." He said "okay I'll stand outside here for a few minutes." His buddy stepped inside and not quite two minutes later he came running out while a couple of the women of the household were busy yelling hitting him with things and trying to claw his face and his hair and he was all bloody in the bargain. "SSers! SSers! They're all damned SSers! Let's get out of here!" So too heavily armed American soldiers full magazines of ammunition grenades all of it turned in hightailed it down the road to get two blocks away to their unit. A fella told me that they told them "let's take another way around here" and led them on a sort of detour to reach their objective. So I would say there were probably a few German soldiers like there were a few other soldiers here near who were... well, just assholes.
Absolutely fantastic collection of adventures. I've learned a lot. And now I have a group of young teenagers who get together at weekends to look for Pill boxes and WWII radar installations ... over here in the UK! Keep up the good work HH.
Hearing the echo in your voice, I couldn't imagine the noise with all positions full with active machine gun fire like you mentioned!! Incredible, its wonderful to see this detail in a video : )
I feel the urge to complement you on your videos and knowledge: I recently discovered your channel and have been hooked ever since. WWII history is very interesting and you provide me/us with great details and accuracy with many of your postings! Vielen dank von Norwegen, mein freund.
As a formwork carpenter specialising in concrete structures this would have been extremely difficult to build. Look at the damn thickness of those walls! And they managed to pour all the concrete without the use of zbars to tie it all together. Very impressive.
As an engineer I don't agree. It's height that creates problems with placing concrete. The width is irrelevant. And it was all rough work. The extra storey shows just a bit of too much time on someones hands.. Concrete does not do well with cold joints and that whole extra top barrier would fly off sideways... with a good explosion nearby.
Another outstanding presentation. Your show is becoming more professional with each new video. I still chuckle at your profanity it goes to show you that you can be a common man and not a professional Anthropologist or archaeologist to enjoy this type of work. Thumbs up mate.
WW2HistoryHunter I have always enjoyed watching your videos. still wished I lived in Germany. I lived in schweinfurt for 5 years and never got to do much exploring while I was there.
The top is used for mortar crews usually mounted with a 8 cm GrW 34 type it could cover an area of 1300 yards that coupled with usually 3 mg34s or 42’s it could dominate an area. The top of the bunker would have been surrounded with sandbags and covered by a cam net and almost undetectable at range
Prepped Combat and survival i dont have proof but i doubt its for a mortar, mortars are support weapons and not meant for being directly in the frontline but rather behind it. But ofcourse that is just my interpetation and logic. That mg bunker would be allready a prime target for incoming fire and even when its a bit shielded on top i doubt they would jeopardize a mortar team unnecessary. Mg bunker pinning down the infantry and then use mortars from a protected invironment to be highly effective. Then again that is just my sense of logic speaking, you could be right as well.
PitbullTerror88 the effective range of an mg42 is around 2200 yards the range of the mortar is 1300 yards. With an elevated bunker like that unless you could get close enough to grenade it or attack it with mortar or artillery the guys will be quite cosy up on top with a ton or two of sandbag protection around them
Excellent stuff as usual. An upwardly curved "ceiling" will always be stronger and able to resist impact better than a flat one which would just collapse from the centre.
Another absolutely wonderful video. When your video started I took in the scenery (clear blue water and the beach) and in turn you showed and commented about the view on top of the bunker. Beautiful view yet set up for a deadly purpose. I thank you again for your helping us to understand better and to remember our bygone history. Please continue the fantastic work my friend.
I see there’s a lower entrance, in the last shot, and from overhead a secondary flak/pak 40 etc position underneath the mg range. Could be that the fixed position wasn’t good enough and it was rebuilt on top of the hex-bunker. Nice video HH
I think the position underneith the MG Hexagon bunker (as seen at the end of video), would either be their bunker headquarters or where they ate. Couldn't be a sleeping unit because they rarely been put together with these hexagon bunkers (mostly about 20 meters in-land for their own safety in case of bombardements). And I think, the gun nest made on top, has multiple purposes. Those little storage units are also built that way, because in case of pressure of explosions, it would have 'sticked' inside that nest when it was full of concrete. It's the same as with mines and grenades when they explode; there is logic behind it. Same way they built 2 exit units in the hexagon bunker; it's for safety like being told in the video, but also due to explosion dangers and how to deal with the pressure of the explosion. That's also the fact for the ceiling/roof not being flat. It's some sort of technique and chemistry. Looks like they were prepared. German Engineers were a long way ahead of us (Netherlands et cetera) back in World War 2 era.
They build those rocks like that to funnel (force) the enemy to get in to the line of sight of the gunner. And to prevent blind spots in the defense. Gotta think of bunkers as modern castles. They can't have machicolations, so they improvise. :)
Looks like it never saw action and it's nice that structures like these are left untouched as a reminder of what happened..... great video, I look forward to watching more ... did you ever find out what the bolts in the wall were for?
Any kind of curved ceiling acts as a force distributor of the forces above, pressing down on it, the walls. Think of it this way, your body is supported by your legs, spread your legs on ice and your legs will slip in to a (comical) split. IN this particular case, i think it has more to do with any potential drop the top structure rather than actual weight forcing it down. IE if something exploded up there, that's force that spreads in to the structure, IF insufficient means to distribute the force are not present in the design, it will collapse. The best way to think of a bunker, outside of tough materials able to suck up the explosion, is a structure that can hold double, triple, quintuple its own weight (depending on math based on what the designers think the enemy might use against them).
depend of locations... bunkers of the atlantik wall are preserved but same bunkers in the meditteranean shore (côte d'azur) are heavily abraded by the local Mistral wind... strong wind with sand destroy a bunker in 100 years.
Like the old forts that dot our eastern coastlines here in the States, the curved roofs were indeed made that way for strength. The seams above would press down and against one another thus holding the whole thing solid and in place....great vid as always
Another fine job my friend. Did you notice, at the beginning, as you were walking up the road ,on the left, there was some metal pieces sticking out of a tree? 0:55 What is that? That's weird.
MrMitchB, I did noticed that as well. Looked like a can/drinking cup, split by the growth of that tree. But I can be way off here. There are some pics online with a Russian helmet with a tree grown through it.
Those pegs in the wall could be the supports for a runner rail for a mg. to enable on or two mg’s to cover a bigger field of fire. Also more cost effective, you probably don’t need 8 machine guns in 1 pill box
Thanks to you this history will not just disappear ! Another generation or just a few more decades & all those structures will have collapsed & fallen in & washed away, it's not just the documentation of the structures it's the presentation of the videos your knowledge that makes it what it is, absolutely amazing! Love it, finally I get to see all those places, my father had a lot of pictures of Hitler's mountain get away, I forget the name of it, the famous one, thanks for the great videos, oh & thank eagle eye, cheers !
My friend if I can say that? I've seen all your videos, commented & your so nice to answer back. Thank you!! As always great video, production & great info!!!! Best on TH-cam!! I thank. This is a technical question, I just watched a documentary called Nazi Mega Weapons on PBS on the Atlantic Wall, the amount of rebar & concrete is just mindblowing!!! (My question is did they use a specific mix? I would thank w/the thickness, it would take yrs to completely cure??? But yet they did on a mega scale. The Hoover dam that was built same time was built in section they added a pipeline to run cooling solution for it to cure & on the tour I was told its still curing! How did they do it? Amazing German engineering!! Also are you planning a trip to the British channel islands? Only British territory held by the Nazi's & it's all one big fortress, sorry long question. Thanks.
I have read that the Germans were masters of this kind of work and they also took advantage oof local knowledge at different locations to get the work finished quickly. Channel Island will happen yes :) Thanks
Hi there, I watched a documentary years ago on the Todt organization regarding the construction of concrete structures and particularly along the beach coast line in Europe, one of the problems that was evident at the time was the shortage of raw materials, particularly sand which is a key ingredient of the binding method (process) of the cement to form concrete extra. The Nazi engineers, utilized local beach sand as a substitute but found within a short period of time (months) that the concrete structures were crumbling. After some experiments they found that the salt within the beach sand was effecting the mechanical binding of the materials which resulted in a poor strength concrete. They found if they washed the sand prior to mixing (batching) and removed the salt the cement would have similar mechanical interlocking property's to common cement using raw materials at that period.
Enjoyed seeing this location again. The structure on top is a mystery as to why it’s there. You may be right that it was an after thought of the commander of this location. They probably had a wooden ladder to get on top with which has probably disappeared over the years. A location like this would be deadly for anyone to try and take.
I was a little frustrated until you finally said "Do you want to see what they saw?" That's exactly what I wanted! Would have liked even more and then info about the location and if they were ever attacked here. Still love the video! Curious minds for a curious world!
Very interesting location that HH. I'm most curious to know whether there is another structure underground on that site. At 17.20 minutes I spy a partially concealed opening.
Nice video. My guess on the stone walls built up on the exterior corners is that they were simply to break up the vertical contours of the bunker, making it blend into it's position when viewed from the sea. If this was the case, they've probably been damaged over time but may have originally been even higher up the sides.
Back in the early 70's I worked with a retried mailman ,he was replacing me as a tool and cutter grinder,one day I never forget he started talking about his experiences first wave D day Normandy he saw a buddy get machine gunned he was caught in barbed wire,with his back pack still on,so Marty told me he ripped his backpack off as fast as he could the hell with that ,wasn't going to happen to me.but he got wounded mortar shell on his shoulder I forget if it the same day?But after being wounded he was shipped back to England where they were going to amputate his arm scared shit,he went A.Wall, hospital,the mps found him hiding in latrine after cleaning he didn't want his arm amputated the doctor said okay we have a new medicine will try out on you it's called morphine and saved him from losing his arm
Interesting story. Morphine is not new though, it was used since the 1880s at least. Also it just dulls pain and doesn't help the healing. I guess he was just strong or lucky enough.
Top video again HH u never fail wit top quality footage & ur passion 4 the world war 2 time frame. No kids on this little adventure there the future & there passion for history that bug hunger has rubbed off on them i look forward to seeing if they follow ur footsteps & make there own videos in the future take care & happy hunting 👍☘🇮🇪
Are you sure there where steel doors? I don't see any structure to hold them in place or hinge......just a frame.....could just as easily hang something there in its place.... if the enemy got to your rear door your goose was cooked anyway.....i have seen in other bunkers another gun mount on that splinter wall going into the bunker entrance......any thoughts???
I'm astounded that on the closeup inside shots of the bunker walls there are no airpockets you see many times in poured concrete.....this structure was exceptionally done.......with great care also being so old and at close proximity to the sea there is very little deterioration.....on both the inside and outside......
the stone structures set out next to the holes for the machine guns were anti-tank barriers. this prevented tanks to shoot at the slit holes where the machineguns were firing from. it also prevented fire from lighted weapons such as rifles and enemy machineguns to fire through the slit holes from the side where the gunner in the bunker could not see or shoot them.
Excellent video, many thnaks for sharing. This looks more like a pillbox than a bunker. It certainly does not seem to conform to any Regelbau that I have seen. I really liked the arial shots as well.
My grandfather was RAF and on D-Day attacked the gun battery bunkers at Mont Fleury (armed with four 122mm guns captured from the Russians). They got direct hits but didn't do much damage with 500lb bombs. Later on in the day the bunkers were captured by one British army guy with a sten gun! The bunkers were superbly engineered but the soldiers in them weren't stupid. They knew they had no chance and putting up any kind of fight against infantry was a death sentence.
@6:48 Architecturally speaking, ceilings were often curved because it is a more efficient loadbearing shape, as it tends to spread the roof load outwards toward the exterior supporting walls instead simply pressing it's entire load straight down (as would be the case with a flat ceiling).
A domed roof or an arched ceiling like this is much stronger. It transfers the weight of the roof to the outter walls. A truss on your home does the same thing but through triangles. Trusses transfer the roof weight to the exterior walls and by the bottom chord ties the two outside walls together keeping them from spreading or tilting inward. The arched ceiling is like a "flying buttress" in cathedral architecture. That's why the big cathedrals have that type of ceiling. The Romans used the arched extensively. Ancient water viaducts and bridges were supported by columns connected by arches was two other uses for arches. Arches are still common in architecture today, including many bridges. Many mines use the same shape of roof. A hollow pipe is the strongest shape and the arch is 1/2 of a pipe. It appears there was some type of door in the outside walls. The bottom concrete you were wondering about would keep water out as well as reinforce the bottom of the door. With the gun ports open, they couldn't seal out any chemical weapons gasses. There's no indication of "shutters" on the gun ports. Basically, if this was your duty station, you stayed there until you won, ran out of ammo or was overrun by your foe. Two doors might have given them a chance, though very small, that they could escape if necessary. Hope this helps! Your videos are so interesting and informative!
Very informative video. Amazing that these buildings are still left standing. In the U.S., we would tear the buildings down because they might offend someone.
That's an amazing view I guess this is one of them that I had missed boy am I slacking well thank you very much for sharing that with me I missed eagle eyes in this episode I wish you would have been there be safe take care proud to be German
I think the position underneith the MG Hexagon bunker (as seen at the end of video), would either be their bunker headquarters or where they ate. Couldn't be a sleeping unit because they rarely been put together with these hexagon bunkers (mostly about 20 meters in-land for their own safety in case of bombardements). And I think, the gun nest made on top, has multiple purposes. Those little storage units are also built that way, because in case of pressure of explosions, it would have 'sticked' inside that nest when it was full of concrete. It's the same as with mines and grenades when they explode; there is logic behind it. Same way they built 2 exit units in the hexagon bunker; it's for safety like being told in the video, but also due to explosion dangers and how to deal with the pressure of the explosion. That's also the fact for the ceiling/roof not being flat. It's some sort of technique and chemistry. Looks like they were prepared. German Engineers were a long way ahead of us (Netherlands et cetera) back in World War 2 era. -------------------- Great job to you, WW2HistoryHunter. Your excitement makes it even more interesting to watch!
Curved roof is for construction. Curved formwork will support more weight. Raised door sill is because bunker is dug into ground to lower it's profile. It may also be used to defend the doorway. Attacks would be mounted from the rear if possible. Roof position. ?primary role observation? Rangefinder would be used to observe for artillery?
The curved ceiling is an arch. An arch is stronger than a flat ceiling when being bombed from above. My guess is the bolts on the wall under the machine gun slits were for platforms for the gunners and loaders to lie on.
The raised door sills are simply to make the door easier to clear of snow in the winter and to keep out water run off in the spring. The curve in the inside of the ceiling increases the load bearing strength without the need of pillars that would get in the way.
Very good presentation,informative,those guys defending that position must have had to change their underpants when they saw that beautiful horizon suddenly fill up with allied ships
i'm thinking a heavy gun on top. you can see how flat the tops of the walls are up there and the personnel opening in the rear, away from forward incoming. the rectangle pockets on top would be for ammo. all the machine gun openings have overlapping field of fire at a given distance. the rocks kept out any incoming rounds from the sides. enjoy all your videos
7:35 I have seen a picture somewhere on the walls of these bunkers they had small 'ammo pockets' small metal cupboards to store the MG rounds in case of an explosion or grenade thrown it. Also they could reload FAST with th Mags sotred there ready loaded or the ammo belts. 16:31 The height of the ammo pockets is right for a 20mm . Incidentally the British also called FLAK, 'ack ack fire' this came from the name of the feared 'ACHT ACHT' 88mm! Although this bunker is too small to have had an 88. Great explore!
Another amazing show and many thanks again,as far as i know the bolts held a wooden piece of wood like the full length of the top bolts and 2 downward pieces to make like a wooded goal frame...what this was used for i think was to help hold the weapon when changing barrels others had stone shaped similar shape with solid shelves?thats all i know about the bolts in the walls under the firing holes.
The angled walls between the holes in the exterior made very difficult for someone who reached the walls of the bunker to stay with his back to the wall between two holes and drop grenades from the side. Even if they managed to evade fire and reach the front external walls of the bunker, they couldn't put themselves close in a blind point and they had to stand inside the angles covered by the MGs. You could not either crouch or crawl out of the reach of fire, because of the sloped terrain.
The drone shot shows a circle area with a square shape in the center, on the waterside of pillbox @12:20-12:35. Could this have been an antiaircraft gun emplacement and was that an underground bunker (seen briefly @ 4:25 and barely seen at 17:17 at the bottom of the frame to the end of the video, but never? mentioned, why? ) Where is the apparent bunker in relation to circle and square? Could it Be for the ammo store for A/A GUN? Also, has the entrance been blocked with boulders? OR is this stated bunker just a figment of my imagination? Where is this pillbox so I can look @ on Google Earth?
Hi again, really great video again! Regarding your comment about the raised doorsill, wouldnt the germans manufacture standard sized steel doors for their bunkers? Therefore the door openings would have to be built to a standard size. Not sure mind you just theorizing along with you. Early 1999 I was visiting Bronnoysund for work and was shown around a pretty big construction there, the guy showing me around said there had been a huge searchlight, bright enough to set the trees on fire. Best regards, Mitchell and Cees
The steel studs under the firing ports were undoubtably for mounting places for the gunners to lay prone. Otherwise it would be extreamly uncomfortable to lean over the edge and try and aim and fire the weapons.
I am so envious of your closeness to so much WWII history. What I would give to explore some of the sites you find. Here in Wisconsin, I am relegated to TH-cam exploration. And I always smile when I locate an Atlantic Wall site, which is familiar, only because you took me there previously in your searches. Anyway...thanks for your time and sharing!
Thanks for taking time to comment and watch Jerry.
100% ENJOYED WATCHING , YOUR NARRATION IS WHAT MOST CHANNELS NEED , THANK YOU . FROM NORTHERN CALIFORNIA. USA.
wow and thanks for that :)
Amazing video again my friend!!
Really really cool to see.. stunning location!
Thanks for sharing!! :-D
Gr Nick
Great spot and keep digging my friend . Thanks
History Secrets
The electrical box was mostly for wifi connection and to charge cell phones and laptops. It was very important for the troops to keep up with their Netflix shows
Thanks for watching.
@NPC #303 its amazing the effort they had to go through to brainwash people with propaganda back then, now they just slip it into your daily news and entertainment.
NPC #303 I remember when the news stations reported unbiased news and not injecting opinions and pushing agendas. Those days are long gone. Unfortunately people just take on the opinion of the person they watch on tv. No more free thinkers.
Yeah, you're right
@NPC #303 CNN, DAILY MAIL, GUARDIAN, DAILY MIRROR, DAILY TELEGRAPH, BBC, THE EU, GREAT BRITAIN, USA, CHINA, EVERYWHERE .......
This is George Orwell speaking, a repeat from 1984, but it was delayed due to the Cold War, Chechnya and the Gulf Wars.
Some locations are just so AMAZING. Hope you liked this little trip back in time. BTW : What is the incredible fast light going from right to left in 2.12 minutes ?
WW2HistoryHunter thanks a lot for these videos that takes in the past while you are at home 🇮🇶
Awesome vid as always mate!! Thank you.
What a great place you found. Did you do any metal detecting while you were there? At 17:24 in your video, it shows some concrete that appears to go in the direction of the bunker. Could that be a ventilation shaft for a underground bunker or was it just rocks that looked like concrete? Just curious. Thank you again for the great videos you and your family put. Be safe out there. David
WW2HistoryHunter hi
You must see 'MRU' in Poland :)
Clearly considered a VERY strategic defensive position. I am very impressed with your film making and editing, from the start you captured the location perfectly. Keep it going my friend.
Rocks piled on the side prevent a person from standing/hiding up against the building out of view where the could throw in a grenade or attack in some other fashion
ok and thanks for watching.
Vaulted ceilings add strength to the structure, the same as can be seen in cathedrals etc...
Good to know and thanks :)
I totally agree with your premise that relying on things such as the Atlantic Wall, the Maginot Line, the Siegfried line, to by themselves totally stop an enemy advance is foolishness. To quote General Patton " If mountains and oceans can be overcome, anything built by man can be overcome." However they do have merit in that they cause the enemy to expend resources and adjust their plans accordingly, and also as a delaying tactic. As an example, note the tremendous casualties suffered by the Allies towards the end of the war, attacking a much depleted and undermanned Siegfried line. Manned by an Army on its last legs. The Atlantic Wall certainly complicated the Allies Invasion plans. Unfortunately for the French, the Maginot Line brought about the successful implementation of the Von Schlieffen Plan. For which they were unprepared. Sometimes it doesn't work in your favor.
Thanks for feedback and thanks for watching Bob.
my take would be more nuanced, because both in the case of the Maginot line and the Atlantik wall, the defenses were breached in unfinished part of the fortifications infact, the Germans never went through the Maginot line as it only extended along the Franco-German border, the French were building a fortification line along the frontier with Belgium and Luxembourg, and only light blockhouses were in service by the time of the german attack
If the French had used the Maginot Line to protect their flank that would have been good use. At the time of the invasion of France the French not only had more tanks than the Germans but the French tanks were Superior. The problem was with the French military High command were prepared to fight World War 1 a second time. A mistake often repeated in history armies are always ready to fight the last war.
The Schlieffen Plan was WW1 not WW2.
In WW2 the German plan was basically to let the Allies think that Germany was repeating the Schlieffen Plan of WW1 and attacking through Belgium (plus this time also the Netherlands), whilst the real main attack was further south through the Ardennes Forrest which the Allies considered to be impossible to cross with tanks.
There were also various defensive lines and fortifications in Belgium and the Netherlands.
The fortress of Eben-Emael a linchpin in the defenses of Belgium was knocked out by German airborne troops who landed with gliders on top of the fortress.
The Maginot and Siegfried line construction reflected defensive thinking still stuck in WW1 tactics - long lines of static defences The rapid development of modern mechanised troops and armour piercing weapons and air power soon made them obsolete. Patton also reportedly said "Fixed fortifications are monuments to man's stupidity."
As the Belgians and French found with Fort Eben-Emael and the Maginot line, you can just go round them or fly over them, or drop paratroopers on top of them. And once you've bypassed them, they're ineffective. The Maginot was never defeated. By June the line was cut off from France and when Weygand signed the surrender the line fell. The German Army attacked and captured a few smaller ouvrages from the rear, but were unsuccessful in capturing any significant fortifications.
The Westwall (Siegfried Line) was pretty much abandoned after the fall of France - bunkers used for storage and metal doors taken off for the Atlantic Wall (which would have been formidable had it actually been completed). It was only reactivated in 1944. But it wasn't without its issues. The Aachen-Saar 'Dragons Teeth' tank traps on the Siegfried Line looked formidable but when the US Armored units arrived they just bulldozed dirt over the top of them and drove on through.
They did have merit from a general population moral perspective though. You can sell the idea of formidable impenetrable defenses to keep the happy.
This really is amazing. My father was a pilot during WWII and this has always fascinated me. Thanks so much for what you are doing.
Appreciate you watching Susie
What an amazing little grotto to hang out waiting for certain death. From my understanding from reading german soldier journels most on the beach didn't expect to live. They knew they would be over-run and the real defense would take place inland. At least that would be a nice view and relaxed days waiting for the end...
Thanks for comment and for watching my friend :)
Which journals Craig?
Love your videos! Not just for the things you find and film, but for your excitement and descriptions. You have a lot of knowledge on much of the material, but at other times you aren't afraid to say, 'why did they do THAT?' It's refreshing and fun to watch you discover as you share with us. Keep up the great work!
cool to read and thanks for taking time to watch and comment.
Great video and a truly amazing location I am thankful that I found your channel. I've always been interested in world war 2 sense I heard my great uncles story's from when he was in the war (United States Army). He was in from Normandy till he was wounded at the battle of the bulge. After that he became a guard watching over the captured german soldiers. And i will never forget when he said that the german soldiers were not as evil as they teach you in school (at the time i was in high school) and he always told me that the captured german soldiers were some of the nicest and most intelegent people he ever encountered during the war and that he never held a grudge or felt hatred towards any german soldier. He just always said that they were soldiers and they were just following their orders like I was. And he always ended it with don't blame the soldiers for their leaders decisions.
Thanks for sharing and Greetings from us.
I knew a UK WW2 veteran who said the very same he liked the German Soldiers
.... I think one exception would be what the American soldiers called "the SSers." These were the true believers who believed in what is known as "Endsieg," or Nazi victory at the last gasp in spite of everything that would oppose it.
One fellow I knew who was an American unit said about how after they reached a part of Germany there was one guy who said "this is where my family came from this Village I'm going to go visit my cousins and uncles."
He said "okay I'll stand outside here for a few minutes."
His buddy stepped inside and not quite two minutes later he came running out while a couple of the women of the household were busy yelling hitting him with things and trying to claw his face and his hair and he was all bloody in the bargain.
"SSers! SSers! They're all damned SSers! Let's get out of here!"
So too heavily armed American soldiers full magazines of ammunition grenades all of it turned in hightailed it down the road to get two blocks away to their unit.
A fella told me that they told them "let's take another way around here" and led them on a sort of detour to reach their objective.
So I would say there were probably a few German soldiers like there were a few other soldiers here near who were... well, just assholes.
Absolutely fantastic collection of adventures. I've learned a lot. And now I have a group of young teenagers who get together at weekends to look for Pill boxes and WWII radar installations ... over here in the UK! Keep up the good work HH.
how great to read. Thanks for watching and best of Luck finding history :)
Great location and presentation. Drone shots really show the orientation of the bunker to the shoreline.
Thanks D
Another awesome location. Addition on top was so cool. Please be careful climbing on those things! Keep them coming, thanks so much!!
yes i liked that a lot , such a great location. Thanks Rosemary
The arched ceiling helped to transfer energy and keep the top from collapsing in the event of a bomb hit on the roof.
Thanks for watching.
it's a (nearly) indestructible structure, hence why we see so many old intact bridges for example.
Youre quite right like an aquaduct the arch spreads the weight or force of a blast from shells or grenades
like an egg shell
I was also wondering if it helped stop the gunfire from reverberating from roof to floor, and becoming more deafening?
Hearing the echo in your voice, I couldn't imagine the noise with all positions full with active machine gun fire like you mentioned!! Incredible, its wonderful to see this detail in a video : )
Thanks for watching.
That is the top of a larger installation. There are MG nests around the perimeter and trenches stopping at the lower walls
ok and thanks :)
I feel the urge to complement you on your videos and knowledge: I recently discovered your channel and have been hooked ever since. WWII history is very interesting and you provide me/us with great details and accuracy with many of your postings! Vielen dank von Norwegen, mein freund.
Happy to read that and thanks for the kind support and for watching and commenting.
As a formwork carpenter specialising in concrete structures this would have been extremely difficult to build.
Look at the damn thickness of those walls!
And they managed to pour all the concrete without the use of zbars to tie it all together.
Very impressive.
U GOT THAT RIGHT
As an engineer I don't agree. It's height that creates problems with placing concrete. The width is irrelevant. And it was all rough work.
The extra storey shows just a bit of too much time on someones hands.. Concrete does not do well with cold joints and that whole extra top barrier would fly off sideways... with a good explosion nearby.
Piece of piss mate, wooden inner& outer shell filled with rebar and poured concrete.... On to the next.
@@suzyqualcast6269 imagine the bracing....
Like i said it has no zbars to hold it together.
Thanks for watching.
Simply AMAZING. I NEVER get bored watching your videos, the HISTORY IS so....so.....GREAT!!
Glad you like them!
Curved roofs are strong and deflect blast around to dampen it. Saw it a Russian ww1 fort in poland
indeed they are. Thanks William.
William Daniels n
THanks
Another outstanding presentation. Your show is becoming more professional with each new video. I still chuckle at your profanity it goes to show you that you can be a common man and not a professional Anthropologist or archaeologist to enjoy this type of work. Thumbs up mate.
Thank you for watching
Those piles of rocks on the corners are so attacking enemy can't use the dead space between the guns dead spots
Kermit Daddyqb what if they came from the side of the rocks
What ?
Ajax Transport 11:58 I think he talking about those
Ajax Transport p
Qq
Makes sense. Cannot run up between fire zones and throw grenades in with those rocks there.
Beautiful area. I actually saw other bunkers,machine gun nest when you were panning around the other. AWESOME
yes lots of structures there. Thanks Colleen :)
Those rock walls outside the bunker windows are and were used for fields of fire per each opening window. the top was probably used for a mortar crew.
Thanks for taking time to watch and Greetings from us :)
WW2HistoryHunter I have always enjoyed watching your videos. still wished I lived in Germany. I lived in schweinfurt for 5 years and never got to do much exploring while I was there.
The top is used for mortar crews usually mounted with a 8 cm GrW 34 type it could cover an area of 1300 yards that coupled with usually 3 mg34s or 42’s it could dominate an area. The top of the bunker would have been surrounded with sandbags and covered by a cam net and almost undetectable at range
Prepped Combat and survival i dont have proof but i doubt its for a mortar, mortars are support weapons and not meant for being directly in the frontline but rather behind it. But ofcourse that is just my interpetation and logic. That mg bunker would be allready a prime target for incoming fire and even when its a bit shielded on top i doubt they would jeopardize a mortar team unnecessary. Mg bunker pinning down the infantry and then use mortars from a protected invironment to be highly effective. Then again that is just my sense of logic speaking, you could be right as well.
PitbullTerror88 the effective range of an mg42 is around 2200 yards the range of the mortar is 1300 yards. With an elevated bunker like that unless you could get close enough to grenade it or attack it with mortar or artillery the guys will be quite cosy up on top with a ton or two of sandbag protection around them
Excellent stuff as usual. An upwardly curved "ceiling" will always be stronger and able to resist impact better than a flat one which would just collapse from the centre.
good feedback and thanks Hazel for that.
Another absolutely wonderful video. When your video started I took in the scenery (clear blue water and the beach) and in turn you showed and commented about the view on top of the bunker. Beautiful view yet set up for a deadly purpose. I thank you again for your helping us to understand better and to remember our bygone history. Please continue the fantastic work my friend.
How great to read and thanks for watching and commenting Ted
GREAT VIDEO ! GREAT DRONE FLYING ! GREAT VIDEO Mr. WW2HistoryHunter ! INCREDIBLE VIEWS ! THANK YOU FOR YOUR HISTORY LESSON ! ! Chevy
Thanks Chevy !!!!
I see there’s a lower entrance, in the last shot, and from overhead a secondary flak/pak 40 etc position underneath the mg range. Could be that the fixed position wasn’t good enough and it was rebuilt on top of the hex-bunker. Nice video HH
interesting indeed. Thanks Daire and Greetings from us.
Daire Moffat (
I think the position underneith the MG Hexagon bunker (as seen at the end of video), would either be their bunker headquarters or where they ate. Couldn't be a sleeping unit because they rarely been put together with these hexagon bunkers (mostly about 20 meters in-land for their own safety in case of bombardements).
And I think, the gun nest made on top, has multiple purposes. Those little storage units are also built that way, because in case of pressure of explosions, it would have 'sticked' inside that nest when it was full of concrete. It's the same as with mines and grenades when they explode; there is logic behind it.
Same way they built 2 exit units in the hexagon bunker; it's for safety like being told in the video, but also due to explosion dangers and how to deal with the pressure of the explosion. That's also the fact for the ceiling/roof not being flat. It's some sort of technique and chemistry. Looks like they were prepared.
German Engineers were a long way ahead of us (Netherlands et cetera) back in World War 2 era.
I think that the ceiling of the bunker is curved like it is is to support the weight better than it would if it were flat. Awesome video!
Thanks for watching and for commenting.
They build those rocks like that to funnel (force) the enemy to get in to the line of sight of the gunner. And to prevent blind spots in the defense. Gotta think of bunkers as modern castles. They can't have machicolations, so they improvise. :)
cool info my friend and thanks for taking time to do so :)
The rock were part of a camouflage with foliage to make bunker appear as part of the seafront
Looks like it never saw action and it's nice that structures like these are left untouched as a reminder of what happened..... great video, I look forward to watching more ... did you ever find out what the bolts in the wall were for?
Thanks for watching :)
Any kind of curved ceiling acts as a force distributor of the forces above, pressing down on it, the walls.
Think of it this way, your body is supported by your legs, spread your legs on ice and your legs will slip in to a (comical) split.
IN this particular case, i think it has more to do with any potential drop the top structure rather than actual weight forcing it down. IE if something exploded up there, that's force that spreads in to the structure, IF insufficient means to distribute the force are not present in the design, it will collapse.
The best way to think of a bunker, outside of tough materials able to suck up the explosion, is a structure that can hold double, triple, quintuple its own weight (depending on math based on what the designers think the enemy might use against them).
cool my friend , you are very wise and thanks for Your kind feedbacks :)
The paint inside is mostly intact. The concrete work was highly refined. Thanks. Amazing.
yes a great location to visit. Thanks
German architecture is build for eternity.
unlike their leadership . . .
To Ga oooooooooohhhh roasted
1000 years!
to @@bjek343 ...and i care what a loser types....
depend of locations... bunkers of the atlantik wall are preserved but same bunkers in the meditteranean shore (côte d'azur) are heavily abraded by the local Mistral wind... strong wind with sand destroy a bunker in 100 years.
It's been my life long goal to go to Europe and search these historical sites but time and money seems sparse. Thank you for making these videos.
Thanks for taking time to comment and watch.
8:02 I wonder if they had some kind of sound absorbent material connected to those bolts protruding from the wall?
hm , never thought of that. Thanks my friend.
The bolts are the secret ! I wonder if there are any old photos taken inside that might reveal their purpose ?
Nope.
I wonder they were used to hold ammunition racks for the machine guns . The MG42 had a very high rate of fire .
Like the old forts that dot our eastern coastlines here in the States, the curved roofs were indeed made that way for strength. The seams above would press down and against one another thus holding the whole thing solid and in place....great vid as always
Thanks for watching.
Another fine job my friend. Did you notice, at the beginning, as you were walking up the road ,on the left, there was some metal pieces sticking out of a tree? 0:55 What is that? That's weird.
MrMitchB,
I did noticed that as well. Looked like a can/drinking cup, split by the growth of that tree. But I can be way off here. There are some pics online with a Russian helmet with a tree grown through it.
Bla Bla WRONG that's WW1 when they used it! (BTW I am a WW1 fanatic)
Very beautiful location ❤️
Well preserved Mg bunker...
And no graffiti clowns 😁
Keep up the excellent work!
Thank you so much 😁
Would all 5 have MGs, or would there be one or two that could move to various ports?
Good question
I really enjoyed this. Great presentation. The drone footage and music was spot on.
Thanks Page
Those pegs in the wall could be the supports for a runner rail for a mg. to enable on or two mg’s to cover a bigger field of fire. Also more cost effective, you probably don’t need 8 machine guns in 1 pill box
William Daniels the pegs are for a rail that guided the machine gun belt.found some pictures where there are wooden studs for the rail
Thanks to you this history will not just disappear ! Another generation or just a few more decades & all those structures will have collapsed & fallen in & washed away, it's not just the documentation of the structures it's the presentation of the videos your knowledge that makes it what it is, absolutely amazing! Love it, finally I get to see all those places, my father had a lot of pictures of Hitler's mountain get away, I forget the name of it, the famous one, thanks for the great videos, oh & thank eagle eye, cheers !
Appreciate you comment and watching Kirk
My friend if I can say that? I've seen all your videos, commented & your so nice to answer back. Thank you!! As always great video, production & great info!!!! Best on TH-cam!! I thank. This is a technical question, I just watched a documentary called Nazi Mega Weapons on PBS on the Atlantic Wall, the amount of rebar & concrete is just mindblowing!!! (My question is did they use a specific mix? I would thank w/the thickness, it would take yrs to completely cure??? But yet they did on a mega scale. The Hoover dam that was built same time was built in section they added a pipeline to run cooling solution for it to cure & on the tour I was told its still curing! How did they do it? Amazing German engineering!! Also are you planning a trip to the British channel islands? Only British territory held by the Nazi's & it's all one big fortress, sorry long question. Thanks.
I have read that the Germans were masters of this kind of work and they also took advantage oof local knowledge at different locations to get the work finished quickly. Channel Island will happen yes :) Thanks
Hi there, I watched a documentary years ago on the Todt organization regarding the construction of concrete structures and particularly along the beach coast line in Europe, one of the problems that was evident at the time was the shortage of raw materials, particularly sand which is a key ingredient of the binding method (process) of the cement to form concrete extra. The Nazi engineers, utilized local beach sand as a substitute but found within a short period of time (months) that the concrete structures were crumbling. After some experiments they found that the salt within the beach sand was effecting the mechanical binding of the materials which resulted in a poor strength concrete. They found if they washed the sand prior to mixing (batching) and removed the salt the cement would have similar mechanical interlocking property's to common cement using raw materials at that period.
My friend i live in the uk and there are plenty of bunkers all over the uk a lots with ree bar
Enjoyed seeing this location again. The structure on top is a mystery as to why it’s there. You may be right that it was an after thought of the commander of this location. They probably had a wooden ladder to get on top with which has probably disappeared over the years. A location like this would be deadly for anyone to try and take.
Thanks Anthony :)
Everyone give him a “LIKE”
how cool to read. Thanks my friend.
Marqwon Aka Big Lurch D ?
I was a little frustrated until you finally said "Do you want to see what they saw?" That's exactly what I wanted! Would have liked even more and then info about the location and if they were ever attacked here. Still love the video! Curious minds for a curious world!
Appreciate you watching and Greetings from us
Very interesting location that HH. I'm most curious to know whether there is another structure underground on that site. At 17.20 minutes I spy a partially concealed opening.
Andrew Knight Yes I saw that as well and was going to mention it would be nice to try and find out what it was
i see that and will check it out next time. Thanks
Yes, yes indeed.
Nice video.
My guess on the stone walls built up on the exterior corners is that they were simply to break up the vertical contours of the bunker, making it blend into it's position when viewed from the sea. If this was the case, they've probably been damaged over time but may have originally been even higher up the sides.
Thank you for watching.
Back in the early 70's I worked with a retried mailman ,he was replacing me as a tool and cutter grinder,one day I never forget he started talking about his experiences first wave D day Normandy he saw a buddy get machine gunned he was caught in barbed wire,with his back pack still on,so Marty told me he ripped his backpack off as fast as he could the hell with that ,wasn't going to happen to me.but he got wounded mortar shell on his shoulder I forget if it the same day?But after being wounded he was shipped back to England where they were going to amputate his arm scared shit,he went A.Wall, hospital,the mps found him hiding in latrine after cleaning he didn't want his arm amputated the doctor said okay we have a new medicine will try out on you it's called morphine and saved him from losing his arm
Thanks for taking time to comment and watch.
Interesting story. Morphine is not new though, it was used since the 1880s at least. Also it just dulls pain and doesn't help the healing. I guess he was just strong or lucky enough.
Bs
More likely an improved antibiotic.
Albert Velasquez morphine was not a new product in WW2 or WW1 come to that
Beautiful construction, looks like a lovely quiet spot to spend the war! Thanks for sharing.
GLad you watched.
I was waiting for the secret. But i never saw a secret.
the Secret was what was up on the top. Thanks
@@WW2HistoryHunter clickbait that is ;)
Top video again HH u never fail wit top quality footage & ur passion 4 the world war 2 time frame. No kids on this little adventure there the future & there passion for history that bug hunger has rubbed off on them i look forward to seeing if they follow ur footsteps & make there own videos in the future take care & happy hunting 👍☘🇮🇪
Glad you watch Paul and Greetings from us.
4:15 To me it looks like an AA position on top of the bunker..
could be. Thanks.
Very informative and enjoyable video.......keep them comming.....you take me to a place I cannot physically visit....
Thanks Adrian
No Panzerfaust, or you gonna fry rest of the crew, and yourself in such a small place!
ok and thanks.
Good to see its not vandalized. It should be preserved as a gentle reminder for future
I agree and thanks :)
5:30 Steel doors got taken down and melted down for scrap :) great value in them
Thanks for watching.
Are you sure there where steel doors? I don't see any structure to hold them in place or hinge......just a frame.....could just as easily hang something there in its place.... if the enemy got to your rear door your goose was cooked anyway.....i have seen in other bunkers another gun mount on that splinter wall going into the bunker entrance......any thoughts???
I'm astounded that on the closeup inside shots of the bunker walls there are no airpockets you see many times in poured concrete.....this structure was exceptionally done.......with great care also being so old and at close proximity to the sea there is very little deterioration.....on both the inside and outside......
Hi from Australia. I find your channel very interesting and I have also spoken about to friends how interesting it is. Thank you.
Thanks and Greetings to Australia :)
OMG his locations are the😍 love your vids💚
Thanks for watching.
the stone structures set out next to the holes for the machine guns were anti-tank barriers. this prevented tanks to shoot at the slit holes where the machineguns were firing from. it also prevented fire from lighted weapons such as rifles and enemy machineguns to fire through the slit holes from the side where the gunner in the bunker could not see or shoot them.
cool to know and thanks for watching.
The musik during the drone shots is beautiful what song is this
ww2history hunter makes his own music, all the music he uses is his.
Excellent video, many thnaks for sharing. This looks more like a pillbox than a bunker. It certainly does not seem to conform to any Regelbau that I have seen. I really liked the arial shots as well.
Great little thing it is. Thanks for watching.
Awesome video buddy guess what I now do magnet fishing
cool to read and thanks.
Your welcome
I really enjoyed this video. Beautiful location and nice site. The sunset must be amazing here.
yes the sunset there is true Magic. Thanks Lisa and gretings from us.
At the time, I'm sure the Allies didn't think of these bunkers as "AMAZING"
Well i think that a lot of history is AMAZING today but it probably was not at the time it happened. Thanks for watching.
My grandfather was RAF and on D-Day attacked the gun battery bunkers at Mont Fleury (armed with four 122mm guns captured from the Russians). They got direct hits but didn't do much damage with 500lb bombs. Later on in the day the bunkers were captured by one British army guy with a sten gun! The bunkers were superbly engineered but the soldiers in them weren't stupid. They knew they had no chance and putting up any kind of fight against infantry was a death sentence.
My American father waded ashore on Utah beach so I find this very interesting. Thank you for sharing.
Be poud and thanks for watching.
mal wieder so richtig gut :) Like !
Danke :)
You are correct ; curved ceilings strengthen the roof against bombs or whatever may be used. Excellent video
Thanks for taking time to watch and coment.
Nice
Thanks for watching.
Wow a really spectacular machine gun bunker the arched upper walls are amazing thank you history.
It is and thanks William for being here :)
You would not fire a Panzerfaust inside a building
i Guess not :) Thanks.
@6:48 Architecturally speaking, ceilings were often curved because it is a more efficient loadbearing shape, as it tends to spread the roof load outwards toward the exterior supporting walls instead simply pressing it's entire load straight down (as would be the case with a flat ceiling).
Thanks for feedback and for watching.
A domed roof or an arched ceiling like this is much stronger. It transfers the weight of the roof to the outter walls. A truss on your home does the same thing but through triangles. Trusses transfer the roof weight to the exterior walls and by the bottom chord ties the two outside walls together keeping them from spreading or tilting inward.
The arched ceiling is like a "flying buttress" in cathedral architecture. That's why the big cathedrals have that type of ceiling. The Romans used the arched extensively. Ancient water viaducts and bridges were supported by columns connected by arches was two other uses for arches.
Arches are still common in architecture today, including many bridges. Many mines use the same shape of roof. A hollow pipe is the strongest shape and the arch is 1/2 of a pipe.
It appears there was some type of door in the outside walls. The bottom concrete you were wondering about would keep water out as well as reinforce the bottom of the door. With the gun ports open, they couldn't seal out any chemical weapons gasses. There's no indication of "shutters" on the gun ports. Basically, if this was your duty station, you stayed there until you won, ran out of ammo or was overrun by your foe. Two doors might have given them a chance, though very small, that they could escape if necessary.
Hope this helps! Your videos are so interesting and informative!
Appreciate your great feedback and thanks for watching.
Very informative video. Amazing that these buildings are still left standing. In the U.S., we would tear the buildings down because they might offend someone.
They are the true history and no one has the right to erase that i think. Thanks for watching.
That's an amazing view I guess this is one of them that I had missed boy am I slacking well thank you very much for sharing that with me I missed eagle eyes in this episode I wish you would have been there be safe take care proud to be German
No worries and thanks Kenneth.
I think the position underneith the MG Hexagon bunker (as seen at the end of video), would either be their bunker headquarters or where they ate. Couldn't be a sleeping unit because they rarely been put together with these hexagon bunkers (mostly about 20 meters in-land for their own safety in case of bombardements).
And I think, the gun nest made on top, has multiple purposes. Those little storage units are also built that way, because in case of pressure of explosions, it would have 'sticked' inside that nest when it was full of concrete. It's the same as with mines and grenades when they explode; there is logic behind it.
Same way they built 2 exit units in the hexagon bunker; it's for safety like being told in the video, but also due to explosion dangers and how to deal with the pressure of the explosion. That's also the fact for the ceiling/roof not being flat. It's some sort of technique and chemistry. Looks like they were prepared.
German Engineers were a long way ahead of us (Netherlands et cetera) back in World War 2 era.
--------------------
Great job to you, WW2HistoryHunter. Your excitement makes it even more interesting to watch!
Thanks for comment and for watching.
Curved roof is for construction. Curved formwork will support more weight.
Raised door sill is because bunker is dug into ground to lower it's profile. It may also be used to defend the doorway. Attacks would be mounted from the rear if possible.
Roof position. ?primary role observation? Rangefinder would be used to observe for artillery?
could be a rangefinder position yes. Thanks my friend.
The curved ceiling is an arch. An arch is stronger than a flat ceiling when being bombed from above. My guess is the bolts on the wall under the machine gun slits were for platforms for the gunners and loaders to lie on.
Great to know and thanks for comment and for watching.
Just another awsome video! Drone shots were stunning.
Thanks Hamm
Great location dont think ive ever seen a bunker with added extras great find again 👍👍
i think it is great to see this unique piece of history. Thanks
The raised door sills are simply to make the door easier to clear of snow in the winter and to keep out water run off in the spring. The curve in the inside of the ceiling increases the load bearing strength without the need of pillars that would get in the way.
ok and thanks.
Very nice bunker! Thank you for sharing this!
Thanks for watching my friend :)
beautiful landscape and sky . loved your voice explaining everything you see .thank you...
wow , thanks for that Holly. Greetings from us.
Very good presentation,informative,those guys defending that position must have had to change their underpants when they saw that beautiful horizon suddenly fill up with allied ships
So true and thanks for watching.
i'm thinking a heavy gun on top. you can see how flat the tops of the walls are up there and the personnel opening in the rear, away from forward incoming. the rectangle pockets on top would be for ammo. all the machine gun openings have overlapping field of fire at a given distance. the rocks kept out any incoming rounds from the sides. enjoy all your videos
Thanks for watching.
Nearly 200k subscribe. Gratulations!
Thanks Mikos
7:35 I have seen a picture somewhere on the walls of these bunkers they had small 'ammo pockets' small metal cupboards to store the MG rounds in case of an explosion or grenade thrown it. Also they could reload FAST with th Mags sotred there ready loaded or the ammo belts. 16:31 The height of the ammo pockets is right for a 20mm . Incidentally the British also called FLAK, 'ack ack fire' this came from the name of the feared 'ACHT ACHT' 88mm! Although this bunker is too small to have had an 88. Great explore!
Cool to know and thanks Scopex for being here. :)
Another amazing show and many thanks again,as far as i know the bolts held a wooden piece of wood like the full length of the top bolts and 2 downward pieces to make like a wooded goal frame...what this was used for i think was to help hold the weapon when changing barrels others had stone shaped similar shape with solid shelves?thats all i know about the bolts in the walls under the firing holes.
Thanks for feedback and for watching.
What a GREAT bunker! Very nice video
Thank you Rick.
You do an amazing job showing us history from WWII. 🙂
Thanks Ray
Fantastic my friend, there can't be many places that you have not discovered!! Thank you!
Thanks for watching.
The angled walls between the holes in the exterior made very difficult for someone who reached the walls of the bunker to stay with his back to the wall between two holes and drop grenades from the side. Even if they managed to evade fire and reach the front external walls of the bunker, they couldn't put themselves close in a blind point and they had to stand inside the angles covered by the MGs. You could not either crouch or crawl out of the reach of fire, because of the sloped terrain.
Learning more and more every day. Appreciated Victor
The drone shot shows a circle area with a square shape in the center, on the waterside of pillbox @12:20-12:35. Could this have been an antiaircraft gun emplacement and was that an underground bunker (seen briefly @ 4:25 and barely seen at 17:17 at the bottom of the frame to the end of the video, but never? mentioned, why? ) Where is the apparent bunker in relation to circle and square? Could it Be for the ammo store for A/A GUN? Also, has the entrance been blocked with boulders? OR is this stated bunker just a figment of my imagination? Where is this pillbox so I can look @ on Google Earth?
It could have been that i really dont know. Thanks for watching.
Hi again, really great video again!
Regarding your comment about the raised doorsill, wouldnt the germans manufacture standard sized steel doors for their bunkers? Therefore the door openings would have to be built to a standard size. Not sure mind you just theorizing along with you.
Early 1999 I was visiting Bronnoysund for work and was shown around a pretty big construction there, the guy showing me around said there had been a huge searchlight, bright enough to set the trees on fire.
Best regards, Mitchell and Cees
could be, i couldnt tell. Thanks for watching and Greetings from us.
wonderful as always. Still very jealous of these historic locations near you.
Well you do prove that history is everywhere With Your videos my friend. Keep sharing and Greetings from us.
The steel studs under the firing ports were undoubtably for mounting places for the gunners to lay prone. Otherwise it would be extreamly uncomfortable to lean over the edge and try and aim and fire the weapons.
Most probably so and thanks for watching.