Bunker O - Position Avancée Hombourg

This is bunker O of the Position Avancée at Hombourg.

These small bunkers are of 60 cm thick concrete. Only the rear side is of 40 cm thick concrete, because no attack was expected from that side. These bunkers could withstand 77 mm shells. These bunker were standardly equipped with steel hatch and door. When the bunkers lost their strategic importance after the war, they were sold. The iron door and hatch were sold as scrap metal.

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.

This bunker is therefore among the 14 forward bunkers of the Hombourg sector. The bunker was manned by the soldiers of the barracks from Hombourg. This was a so-called cyclist barracks. The so-called cyclistes frontières, frontier wheelers, who guarded the frontiers.

The wheelers had to man the forward positions when the alarm was raised.

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Source

• Text: Ed Lewandowski
• Photos: Ed Lewandowski