German Bunker Flandern I Stellung Zonnebeke

During the First World War it was of great importance for the Germans to get troops and logistics from Roeselare to the front. That is why several bunkers were placed to defend the station and railway line 64 from Roeselare to Ypres.
There were a total of 4 bunkers along this railway line. The fourth, which was part of the Flandern I Stellung, was located at Groenestraat 18 in Zonnebeke.
The German bunker, founded in 1917 as an aid post for the German troops, consisted of 3 rooms with an adjacent machine gun post.

Breaking through the 'Flandern I Stellung', reinforced with numerous concrete posts, became the goal for the Allies on October 4, 1917. Then two Australian divisions, among others, advanced along the former Ypres-Roeselare railway line towards 'Flandern I Stellung', capturing current military posts.
The fourth bunker was occupied by the 42nd Battalion of the 3rd Australian Division.
On October 11, 1917 it was converted into a Regimental Aid Post of the 9th Australian Field Ambulance. The railway was used to transport victims to Zonnebeke. At the end of October 1917, this bunker was used by the Canadians.

The remains along the Old Ypres-Roeselare Railway Bed are those of the machine gun post. It is a protected monument because of its historical and socio-cultural importance.

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