Bichel into full preparations before the reception with visitors

Shelters: general information

Theoretical means implemented on the Maginot Line

- a Line of Outposts seldom concreted, with more close to the border and been used by small detachments as infantry. The mission of the Outpost is primarily retarding (active by the fire of the weapons, passive by the play of destruction of points of passage).

- a Positon-of-Resistance (PR) powerful, with less than 10 kilometers of the border, consisted of rough works (artillery and/or infantry) whose crossing of fires, between the works, is sufficiently effective to block any attack out of arrow.

- a line of stop bordering PR, contrary to the border. This line of stop, that the enemy should not cross whatever are the circumstances, is occupied by infantry whose mission is to be opposed to the groups having succeeded in crossing the heavy fire of the PR. Its men are confined in thelocal ones concreted marking out their place of intervention.

Example of localization of the shelters in the Maginot Line.

Deferred shelters

Fault of financial means, PR was equipped with artillery only on weak sections of Maginot Line; whereas to say with regard to the concreted shelters, "icing on the cake!" : their construction was deferred in the majority of the Strengthened Sectors!

Diagram of localization of the shelters. One notes that they are on Position-of-Résiatance, very close to the zone of face.

Shelters: general characteristics

Although slightly in withdrawal compared to the principal line of fire of the works of PR, the shelter is located in the zone of the engagements. Also its concreted structure is it the bombardment proof which it would inevitably undergo in the event of frontal attack.

With this short distance of the enemy the shelter thus needs clean means of observation and defense. With this intention it has of bells GFM (FM observation and shooting) on its tops, and of FM on its backs (crenels and armor-plated doors) and a ditch diamond isolating its visible parts. Moreover it is surrounded by a thick network of barbed wires.

Finally the shelter is designed to be permanently occupied, also it is equipped to make it possible to the men to live several weeks, in complete autonomy. One thus finds rooms with shelves there to take the meals, of the wash-hand basins, of the WC, a kitchen, a room of ventilation and neutralization in the event of attack by poison gas, a well for the water supply, of many reserves and a generating power station (factory). To some extent, it is a complete work but in small-scale model.

Filters neutralizing possible poison gases in the Bichel-South.

Machine (central generating) Bichel-South with its 2 Supdi.

Types of shelters

Various types of shelters

Shelter of surface

The shelter of surface is cast solid. It is a more or less important concrete block according to the number of occupants for whom it is planned. As its name indicates it is built on the surface of the ground and is thus visible outside. It however is protected from the enemy sights by a slope or a contrepente.

Only visible part, its frontage is bored of two (which make it possible not to be blocked inside in the event of bombardment blocking one of the two exits) and traditional crenel access doors of FM and various openings (exit of smoke, exhaust fumes of the generators, foul air, etc and air intake).

The unit is overcome bells GFM.

Shelter cave

The shelter cave is very well protected from the bombardments. On the level of the ground, two small concrete blocks (one by main door) surmount a well. Each block has its bell GFM, its crenel of FM and its openings similar to those of the shelter of surface. Under ground, in-depth, the whole of quartering is comparable with that of the shelter of surface.

The visible parts, on the surface, reduced and are hidden unfavourable sights by a slope or a contrepente.

The shelter cave, much less expensive out of concrete than the shelter of surface (with equal equipment), is more difficult to maintain than this last because of the problems moisture, sealing and flow of the sewers.

Active shelter

There is no difference essential between a traditional shelter and an active shelter with share the fact that, according to the topography of the ground, certain shelters are being so close to the line of fire of PR that they take part by a twinning of machine-guns or an anti-tank gun and become in it thus "active". In the nomenclature of the works the active shelter is to be located between the shelter and the casemate of interval.

Localization of the Bichel-South

X-19. Data sheet

• Strengthened sector of Thionville,
• S/S Elzange, between the rough works of Metrich and Billig
• Shelter of surface on two levels: a ground floor and a basement
• Arranged for 48 men
• Parallelepiped of 25/16m leaned with a contrepente
• Surmounted superstructures of 2 bells GFM
• A ditch diamond of protection, insulates the frontage. One can span it by 2 removable footbridges
• In frontage, in addition to the traditional openings for the air and the various evacuations, one finds 2 doors, 2 FM crenels under concrete to beat the entries, 2 FM crenel under concrete to beat the bottom of the ditch, 1 FM crenel under concrete vis-a-vis the esplanade of the shelter
• A thick network of barbed wires surrounds the shelter on 360°.

Frontage, only visible concreted part of outside.

Post on the door of the machine shop.

X-19 in 1939-1940

In 1939-1940 the shelter is occupied by the 167e RIF (Regiment of Infantry of Fortress) whose PC is established in the GF of Koenigsmacker (fortifications ex-allemandes of Thionville).

The shelter is abandoned on June 13, 1940, on order of the general-in-chief Weygand, who makes evacuate the whole of the intervals of the fortification.

In the center of most powerful of the Strengthened Sectors the men did not have to enter in action.

Photo catch by Mr. Dromard (168e RIF), certainly before the mobilization.

Post announcing the sale, inter alia, of the Bichel-South (Document Michel Truttmann)

Currently the shelter is the property of MISTERS Michel Truttmann and Raymond Cima which undertook to make it restore. It is rented with Mr. Olivier Terver who, with a formidable team of voluntary, carries out since 2002 of restoration and maintenance the successive work campaigns, for the greatest pleasure of the visitors.

In front of one of the two Supdi generators of the factory.

Remarks

- For obvious reasons of safety, all the mobile accessories seen on the photographs hereafter are installed only at the time of the programmed visits.

Reconstitutions in X-19

Preparation of a meal in front of the cooker with coal.

Seek of a correspondent starting from the telephone centre.

Review of detail in a barrack room.

We invite you to take note of the immense work completed by the team of Olivier Terver by traversing his Internet site (access starting from our page: bonds towards other sites of fortif and history).

Mitrailleuse de 13,2mm modèle 1930

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