Panzerwerk 719
Panzerwerk 719 together with Panzerwerk 720 formed Werkgruppe Gneisenau. Werkgruppe Gneisenau lies north of Werkgruppe Scharnhorst and south of Werkgruppe York. Panzerwerk 719 was built in 1938/1939, and is a two storey bunker. The bunker was built partly underground and the top level was covered with soil, only the so-called Panzerturms, the armored turrets, protruded above ground level.
There weaponry in Panzerwerk 719 was placed in two Sechsschartenturms 20P7 (both were removed after the war), one Panzer fur FN 420P9, one Panzerturm 424P01 and one Panzerturm 438P01. There are one or two smaller metal cupolas on top, these were the bunker’s air vents.
These Panzerturms had their own specific purposes;
– Sechsschartenturm 20P7, a metal machine gun post with six openings, used with specialized optics.
– Panzer für Flammenwerfer FN 420P9, a steel armored construction for a flamethrower with a traverse of 360 degrees and a reach of 48 meters. Only a metal ring could be seen outside
– Panzerturm 424P01, a steel cupola for a M19 Automatic Mortar.
– Panzerturm für Infanterie beobachtung 438P01, a steel cupola for infantry observation.
– Stahlschartenplatte für Maschinengewehr 7P7 – a thick metal plate to protect a machine gun and its gunner.
Panzerturm für Infanterie beobachtung 438P01
The Armored turret 438P01 was an infanterie beobachtungs Panzerturm, an armored infantry observation turret. It was a smaller version of the 444P01 Artillery turret. The armored turret 438P01 had an inner diameter of 130 cm and an armor thickness of 30 cm and weighed 39 tons with its base ring.. It had three observation openings on the side and one on top which used the Panzer Rundblick Fernrohr 5 (Eng. Armor panoramic telescope no. 5), it is the same optics that is used in the Sechsschartenturm.
B1-Stahlschartenplatte für MG – 7P7, German Heavy Armor Plate for Machine guns
It is the most commonly used armored plate for a machine gun in fighting rooms. It is a 10 cm thick steel plate with a sliding opening with a machine gun position and view slot. Bullet proof glass was installed inside the slit shutter The 7P7 steel notch plate was used in all German defensive lines, Atlantic Wall, Westwall and Oder-Warthe-Bogen.
It was also used in pairs to get a bigger thickness 20 cm or a ceiling plate for anti-tank shelters and artillery observers (like the bunker on South HIll Oben Widerstandsnest in Jersey – Channel Islands). The total weight of the 7P7 plate is 7,5 tons.
Werkgruppe Gneisenau
Werke Gneisenau consisted of a multiple Panzerwerk, Panzerwerk 719 and Panzerwerk 720. These Panzerwerke (Eng. Armored structures) were bunkers covered in a thick layer of soil. Only a few metal turrets could be seen when approaching them. The guns in the bunkers covered the bunker next to them or covered a mutual stretch of land with an adjacent bunker.
A Werke (Eng. Works) is a set of bunkers connected with an underground tunnel system called Holgangsysteme. These tunnels connected to the main tunnel complete with train stations running for some 33 kilometers long from the north to the west along the Oder-Warte-Bogen. The tunnels have multiple entrances and a railway system for quick transport of troops and ammunition.
Werke or Werkgruppe Scharnhorst consisted of Panzerwerk 719 and Panzerwerk 720. A Höckerline combined with an anti tank ditch were nearby The armored bunkers were connected with tunnels to the “Bahnhof Friedriech”, the “Bahnhof Ludwig”and the main entrance A64, all connecting to the main tunnel.
Visit
The bunkers and tunnels are not open to roam freely. There is a serious hazard when you want to visit them without guides because the tunnels are 30 meter below the bunkers, a fall would cause serious injuries and worse. The bunkers and tunnels are a bat heaven, about 36.000 bats of different types live here.
