Bunker SB 2 Hautregard

Bunker SB 2 is located at a junction of two field roads on a small forest plot, and belongs to sector Sougné-Becco (SB) of the 1st line of defense for the city of Liège, la Posistion Fortifiée de Liège 1, (PFL 1).

The bunker is located in small untouched forest plot and is partially overgrown. It a smaller bunker with one gun opening for a machine gun. The bunker is accessible. Inside, part of the inner plate is preserved. The inner plate protected the soldiers when the outer plate was opened. Furthermore, it had a supporting function for the Maxim machine gun. This kind of steel plate is a rarity! The walls of the bunker are of reinforced concrete, 1,3 meters thick on all sides.

The two round holes above the gun opening are ventilation holes. On the one hand for fresh air, but on the other hand for exhaust of fumes due to machine gun salvo's. In no time, the room would be full of smoke gasses, which was intoxicating for the soldiers present.

The hooks on the wall were for hanging equipment. The shelf supports were meant to put away materials so one could not trip over them. It should be remembered that these (and most bunkers) were not connected to the electrical grid. A storm lamp could be hung from the ceiling, on a hook provided for that purpose. This was the only lighting in the bunker.

As with most bunkers, after the war when the bunkers had lost their strategic value, the metal hatches and doors were removed and sold as scrap metal. There were also instances during the war when the bunkers were stripped of iron by the Germans and melted down for other purposes. If cast-iron observation turrets were present, they were reused at the atlantikwal, among others.

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Source

• Text: Ed Lewandowski
• Photos: Ed Lewandowski