Bunker Belt Bruggenhoofd Gent - Rear Line Bunker B41

Belgian bunker, part of the Ghent Bridge Head. This defensive position was constructed between 1934 and 1938 eight kilometers south of Ghent. Its construction was part of the fortification policy that Belgium pursued after the First World War.
The actual bridgehead was made up of two resistance nests – Betsberg and Muntekouter – and three support points – Semmerzake, Eke and Astene.
The resistance nests and support points were connected to each other via a curtain, consisting of three lines of defense.

There are a total of 11 bunkers on the Melle territory.
The B41 is a solitary rear-line bunker between Betsberg and the Ostend-Brussels railway line. The nearest rear line bunkers are B40 (330 m) and B42 (910 m).
The bunker, consisting of a machine gun room and a lock, was equipped as standard for the installation of a Maxim machine gun. In addition, it was also equipped to mount a Hotchkiss or Colt machine gun.

The bunker used to look like an outbuilding at a farm next to a field road. It was partly hidden behind bushes and greenery.
Now it stands completely free to the right of the entrance to a villa and is almost completely hidden under the vegetation.

Detailed information about this bunker belt can be found on the Bunker Belt Bruggenhoofd Ghent site.

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Source

• Text: TracesOfWar
• Photos: Marie-Christine Vinck