Czechoslovak border fortifications
Encyclopedia
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
that later materialized in the German offensive plan called Fall Grün
Fall Grün
Fall Grün was a pre-World War II German plan for an aggressive war against Czechoslovakia. The plan was first drafted late in 1937, then revised as the military situation and requirements changed...
. The objective of the fortification
Fortification
Fortifications are military constructions and buildings designed for defence in warfare and military bases. Humans have constructed defensive works for many thousands of years, in a variety of increasingly complex designs...
s was to prevent the taking of key areas by an enemy (not only Germany but also Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
) by means of a sudden attack before the mobilization of the Czechoslovak
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
army could be completed, and to enable effective defense until allies (Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and possibly the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
) could help.
History
With the rise of Hitler and his demands for unification of German minorities (the Sudeten GermansSudeten Germans
- Importance of Sudeten Germans :Czechoslovakia was inhabited by over 3 million ethnic Germans, comprising about 23 percent of the population of the republic and about 29.5% of Bohemia and Moravia....
) and return of other claimed territories (the Sudetenland
Sudetenland
Sudetenland is the German name used in English in the first half of the 20th century for the northern, southwest and western regions of Czechoslovakia inhabited mostly by ethnic Germans, specifically the border areas of Bohemia, Moravia, and those parts of Silesia being within Czechoslovakia.The...
), the alarmed Czechoslovak leadership began defensive plans. While some basic defensive structures were built early on, it was not until after conferences with French military on their designs that a full scale effort began.
A change in the design philosophy was noticeable in the "pillboxes" and larger Blockhouses similar to the French Maginot line when the massive construction program began in 1936. Construction was very rapid, and by the time of the Munich Agreement
Munich Agreement
The Munich Pact was an agreement permitting the Nazi German annexation of Czechoslovakia's Sudetenland. The Sudetenland were areas along Czech borders, mainly inhabited by ethnic Germans. The agreement was negotiated at a conference held in Munich, Germany, among the major powers of Europe without...
in September 1938 about 20% of the heavy objects and 70% of the light objects were completed, however most of the remainder were near completion and would have been functional despite missing certain heavy armaments in some structures. The total planned (and nearly all mostly completed) was 10,014 light pillboxes and 264 heavy bunkhouses (small forts).
The original plan was to have the first stage of construction finished in 1941-42, whilst the full system should have been completed by early 1950s.
After the German occupation of Czechoslovakia
German occupation of Czechoslovakia
German occupation of Czechoslovakia began with the Nazi annexation of Czechoslovakia's northern and western border regions, known collectively as the Sudetenland, under terms outlined by the Munich Agreement. Nazi leader Adolf Hitler's pretext for this effort was the alleged privations suffered by...
border regions as a result of the "Sudeten crisis", the Germans used these objects to test and develop new weapons and tactics, plan, and practise the attacks eventually used against the Maginot Line
Maginot Line
The Maginot Line , named after the French Minister of War André Maginot, was a line of concrete fortifications, tank obstacles, artillery casemates, machine gun posts, and other defences, which France constructed along its borders with Germany and Italy, in light of its experience in World War I,...
and Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
's forts (the most notable is Fort Eben-Emael
Fort Eben-Emael
Fort Eben-Emael is an inactive Belgian fortress located between Liège and Maastricht, on the Belgian-Dutch border, near the Albert Canal, and designed to defend Belgium from a German attack across the narrow belt of Dutch territory in the region. Constructed in 1931–1935, it was reputed to be...
), resulting in astounding success. After the fall of Belgium, France and the low countries, the Germans began to dismantle the "Beneš Wall", blowing up the cupolas, or removing them and the cannon/MG embrasures, some of which were eventually installed in the Atlantic Wall
Atlantic Wall
The Atlantic Wall was an extensive system of coastal fortifications built by Nazi Germany between 1942 and 1944 along the western coast of Europe as a defense against an anticipated Allied invasion of the mainland continent from Great Britain.-History:On March 23, 1942 Führer Directive Number 40...
against the Allies.
Later in the war, with the collapsing German front by the Soviet forces to the east, the Germans hurriedly repaired what they could of the fortifications, often just bricking up the holes where the cannon/MG embrasures once were, leaving a small hole for a machine gun. The east-west portion of the line that ran from Ostrava
Ostrava
Ostrava is the third largest city in the Czech Republic and the second largest urban agglomeration after Prague. Located close to the Polish border, it is also the administrative center of the Moravian-Silesian Region and of the Municipality with Extended Competence. Ostrava was candidate for the...
to Opava
Opava
Opava is a city in the northern Czech Republic on the river Opava, located to the north-west of Ostrava. The historical capital of Czech Silesia, Opava is now in the Moravian-Silesian Region and has a population of 59,843 as of January 1, 2005....
is a river valley with a steep rise to the south and became the scene of intense fighting. It is unknown how much those fortifications were vital to German defense, but it is known they caused some pause to the Soviet advance.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
Germans had removed many armored parts like domes, cupolas and embrasures from the majority of objects. Some objects became subjects of German penetration shells or explosives testing and are heavily damaged. In the post-war period, many of the remaining armoured parts were scrapped as a result of a loss of their strategic value and general drive for steel.
After the war they were further stripped of useful materials, and then sealed. A couple of the large underground structures continued to be used long after as military hardware storage, to this day, by the now once again independent Czech military, 60 years later.
Current State
Many of the open museums are located between Ostrava
Ostrava
Ostrava is the third largest city in the Czech Republic and the second largest urban agglomeration after Prague. Located close to the Polish border, it is also the administrative center of the Moravian-Silesian Region and of the Municipality with Extended Competence. Ostrava was candidate for the...
and Opava
Opava
Opava is a city in the northern Czech Republic on the river Opava, located to the north-west of Ostrava. The historical capital of Czech Silesia, Opava is now in the Moravian-Silesian Region and has a population of 59,843 as of January 1, 2005....
, close to the present Polish border which had been the German border before World War II.
Design
The basic philosophy of the design was a mutual defensive line, that is, most of the firepower was directed laterally from the approaching enemy. The facing wall of all the fortifications, large and small, was the thickest (reinforced concrete), covered with boulders and debris, and covered again with soil so even the largest caliber shells would have lost most of their energy before reaching the concrete. The only frontal armament was machine gun ports in cupolas designed for observation and anti-infantry purposes. Any enemy units that tried to go between the Blockhouses would have been stopped by anti-tank, anti-infantry barricades, MG and cannon fire. A few of the larger Blockhouse, or Artillery Forts, had indirect fire mortars and heavy cannon mounts. Behind the major structures were 2 rows of smaller 4 - 7 man pillboxes that mirrored its larger relatives, with a well protected front and lateral cross fire to stop any enemy that managed to get on top of the fort, or come up from behind. Most of the lines consisted of just the smaller pillboxes.The fortifications consisted of "Heavy Objects", which means either isolated Infantry Blockhouses (Casemates) or Artillery Forts (connected infantry and artillery casemates, artillery and mortar turrets, etc.) similar to the French Maginot Line
Maginot Line
The Maginot Line , named after the French Minister of War André Maginot, was a line of concrete fortifications, tank obstacles, artillery casemates, machine gun posts, and other defences, which France constructed along its borders with Germany and Italy, in light of its experience in World War I,...
, and "Light Objects" (pillboxes), designated vz. 36 (model 36, the so-called French type) and a more modern vz. 37 (model 37), besides a system of obstacles (e.g. barbed wire
Barbed wire
Barbed wire, also known as barb wire , is a type of fencing wire constructed with sharp edges or points arranged at intervals along the strand. It is used to construct inexpensive fences and is used atop walls surrounding secured property...
, Czech hedgehog
Czech hedgehog
The Czech hedgehog or ježek, was a static anti-tank obstacle defence made of angled iron deployed during World War II by various combatants....
s, anti-tank ditches and walls, and also natural obstacles).
The "Light Objects" (pillboxes) were simple hollow boxes with 1 or (typically) 2 machine gun positions, a retractable observation periscope, grenade tubes (small tube that leads outside), hand operated air blower, and a solid inner door at 90* to a steel bar outer door. The machine gun was mounted near the end of the barrel, so that the port hole was only large enough for the bullets and a scope to see through, unlike most other designs where a large opening is used. A heavy steel plate could be slid down to quickly close the tiny hole for added protection.
The "Heavy Objects", infantry blockhouses (casemates) are very similar to the southern part of the Maginot line, but with substantial improvements (probably reflecting the 6 years since construction of the French line began). Just like the pillboxes, the cannons and machine guns where pivoted at the tip, and this time fully enclosed, protecting the occupants from all but the heaviest of cannons. The fortresses had a full ventilation system with filtration so even chemical attacks would not affect the defenders. Besides grid power, a 2 cylinder diesel engine provided internal power. These fortifications also had full toilet and wash basin amenities, a luxury compared to its French counterpart casemate (however, these facilities were designed to be used only during the combat). While largely hollow with a few concrete walls as part of the structure, the chamber was further divided into smaller rooms by simple brick and mortar walls, with a last gap at the ceiling filled with tarred cork (construction of a few of the casemates stopped before the internal walls were finished).
See also
- Czechoslovak border fortifications during the Cold War
- Museum of the fortifications HlučínMuseum of the fortifications HlucínMuseum of the fortifications Hlučín is museum of 1930's military fortifications near the city of Hlučín, Czech Republic. The forts MO S-18 "Obora", MO S-19 "Alej" and MO S-20 "Orel" are parts of the museum.-See also:*Hlučínsko...
- Fall Grün
Further reading
- Fura, Z. and Katzl, M. The 40 Most Interesting Czech WWII Bunkers: A Brief Guide, PragueHouse, 2010. ISBN 1456403729
- Halter, Marc; History of the Maginot Line, Strasbourg, Moselle River, 2011. ISBN 978-2952309257
- Kauffmann, J.E. and Jurga, Robert M. Fortress Europe: European Fortifications of World War II, Da Capo Press, 2002. ISBN 0-306-81174-X
External links
- Major site on Czech military, Fortification section.
- Military History of East Bohemia
- History of Czechoslovakia
- Czechoslovak border fortifications
- General military - Amateur historical groups site
- Czechoslovak border fortifications - large database of bunkers
- Czechoslovak defenses - specialized website
- Czechoslovak light fortifications - with an extensive summary in English
- English page on several of the museums