Bunker C - Position Avancée Hockai

The defense lines of the city of Liege, known as "La Posistion Fortifiée de Liège" consisted of 4 defense lines built around Liege. It consisted of 16 forts with numerous line bunkers in between.

In addition to these line bunkers, there were also so-called 'Position Avancées', advanced positions. These were located in Beusdael, Bilstain, Dolhain, Goé, Grunhaut, Henri-Chapelle, Hèvremont, Hockai, Hombourg, Jalhay, Limbourg, Malmedy and Stavelot.

Hockai is a small village under the municipality of Stavelot. In this village you can still find two small bunkers from "La Posistion Fortifiée de Liège. There were a total of 2 bunkers in Hockai, A and C. Bunker B was ment to be a field shelter at the time of mobilization.

There were a total of 2 bunkers in Hockai, A and C. Bunker B was ment to be a field shelter at the time of mobilization.

Bunker C is located in a forest plot. The bunker is accessible and still has its original mount. From this mount the machine gun could be moved from left to right. The access door and hatches for the gun opening are gone. These were either sold as scrap metal after the war, when the bunker had lost its strategic value for the defense of Belgium, or the iron was removed by the Germans to be reused in the war.

The bunkers of the advanced position are small (2.5 x 2.5 m) and were used as observation and protection bunkers. They were equipped with a machine gun. The holes above and below the gun opening served for ventilation.

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Source

• Text: Ed Lewandowski
• Photos: Ed Lewandowski