Defense Bunker VM20

This is bunker VM20 of the 1st defense line of defence fot the city of Liège, La Position Fortifiée de Liège, PFL 1.

It is the 21st of a total of 34 bunkers in this sector, Vesdre-Manaihant. Since bunker VM1 had a “side” bunker, it is the 21st bunker in this sector.

The bunker, unlike the others, looks rather angular. Not rounded like the others. Reason for this is that this bunker was camouflaged on the outside as a house. Around the bunker a brick wall was constructed, complete with roof. The photos clearly show that the walls were built against the bunker. In later years, the walls deteriorated and the bunker got increasingly demolished, revealing its angular shape again.

Only a few 100 meters to the south bunker VM 15 can be found, which was camouflaged in exactly the same way. Again, the angular shape of the bunker is immediately noticeable. Only this bunkers brickwall camouflage is completely removed. Probably the stones were reused when raw materials were scarce.

Once the bunkers lost their strategic value for the Belgian army, all the steel was sold. The plots of land on which they stood were also sold. For this reason, they now often lie in farmers' backyards or meadows and are privately owned.

The walls and ceilings of these bunkers are of 1.30 m reinforced concrete. They could withstand shells of 150 mm.

The reinforced position of the city of Liege (Belgium) was a part of an extensive network of fortresses as a protection against an invasion by an enemy. It forms an arc that reaches from Comblain-au-Pont to Visé.

The defence lines around Liege stretched over a length of 60 kilometres and comprised strong ‘modern’ blockhouses (Tancremont, Battice and Aubin-Neufchâteau) and smaller bunkers. The line formed a shield around the city of Liege and was constructed in the period 1934 – 1935.

The reinforced position of Liege was divided in defensive lines:
- The front positions with 65 shelters;
- Defence area Liege 1 included 178 bunkers and the three aforementioned strong blockhouses;
- Defence area Liege 2 consisting of 62 bunkers and 6 modernized old fortresses;
- Defence area Liege 3 with 41 bunkers;
- Defence area Liege 4 with 37 bunkers and 2 modernized old forts.

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Source

• Text: Ed Lewandowski en Eric vd Reek
• Photos: Joost Verheijden (1, 2, 3), Ed Lewandowski (4, 5)
• La Position Fortifiée de Liège, Coenen & Vernier.