Willkommen

Bitte beachten Sie, dass die Einträge in umgekehrter Reihenfolge geschrieben sind, der erste Eintrag befindet sich unten auf der Seite. Um Dieters ersten Eintrag zu lesen, beginnen Sie bitte hier!

Please note that the entries on each page are in reverse order, first entry at the bottom of the page. To read Dieter´s first entry, please start from here!

Veuillez noter que les inscriptions au journal figurant à chaque page sont reprises dans l'ordre inverse, la plus ancienne étant en bas de page. Pour voir la toute première inscription de Dieter, commencez ici!

Si noti che le date di inserimento nel diario sono in ordine inverso, si parte da quella a fondo pagina. Per andare al primo giorno del diario di Dieter clicca qui!

Mein Bild
In Mori (Stockelsdorf) bei Lübeck aufgewachsen, habe ich bereits von 1916 bis 1918 am Ersten Weltkrieg im Füsilierregiment "Königin" Nr. 86 teilgenommen. Im August 1939 wurde ich als Veteran in die Wehrmacht eingezogen. In diesem Blog veröffentliche ich mein Kriegstagebuch.

Sonntag, 14. August 2011

Der Bunker in Staden

Der erste Beitrag über Flandern 2011 führt uns "auf Dieters Spuren" direkt nach Staden.

In seinen eindruckvollen Eintragungen über die "Hölle" an der Flandernfront am Houthulster Wald im Zeitraum 05. Oktober 1917 - 11. Oktober 1917 findet ein Störungsunterstand Erwähnung, den es zu finden galt:

The first contribution about Flanders 2011 directly leads us on "Dieter's traces" to Staden. In his impressive Entries about the "hell at the flanders front" in Houthoulst Forest dating from October 5th to 11th, 1917, Dieter mentions a defect clearing dugout that I was determined to find:

Il primo contributo delle Fiandre 2011 ci porta direttamente sulle tracce di Dieter a Staden. Nelle sue impressionanti note sull '"inferno del fronte delle Fiandre" nella Foresta di Houthoulst che datano dal 5 all'11 ottobre 1917, Dieter cita un rifugio senza ostacoli visivi che io voglio trovare:


Unser Trupp erhält den Befehl, einen Störungsunterstand im Houthulster -Wald zu besetzen, [...].
Der kleine Unterstand, ein aus Zement aufgebauter viereckiger Kasten, der bei jedem Einsschlag in seiner Umgebung wegen des sumpfigen Untergrundes erzittert, befindet sich bei Ondank in der Nähe vom Bahnhof West-Roosebeke.

"Our troop receives order to man a defect cearing dugout in the Houthoulst Forest [...]"
The small dugout, a square box made of concrete that shakes with every shell burst because of the swampy grounds, is
located at Ondank close to the West-Roosebeke station".

"i nostri soldati ricevono l'ordine di costruire un rifugio libero da ostacoli visivi nella Foresta di Houthoulst [...] "
Il piccolo ricovero, un blocco quadrato fatto di calcestruzzo che trema ad ogni scoppio di granata a causa del terreno paludoso, è situato a Ondank, vicino alla stazione di West-Roosebeke".


Staden ist eine schöne kleine flämische Stadt, die komplett wiedererbaut zu sein scheint. Im Zentrum der Stadt befindet sich ein Stadtplan auf dem ein "Ondank" verzeichnet ist.
Während ich noch die Karte studierte, und mich fragte, wie ich dort hinfahren kann, fragte mich ein älterer Herr auf niederländisch, ob ich denn gefunden hätte, wonach ich suchen würde...naja...

Bei "Ondank" handelt es sich, wie mir dieser nette Herr erklärte um keinen Ortsnamen oder gar einen Stadtteil, sondern vielmehr um den Namen eines Hofes, nach dem die "Region" benannt worden ist. Der Wegbeschreibung zu folgen erschien zunächst recht einfach, klappte dann jedoch leider nicht, sodass ich weitere Einblicke in das Umland von Staden gewinnen konnte. Letztlich wurde "Ondank" gefunden!

Staden is a beautiful small flemish city, that seems to be completely rebuilt. In the city center, there is a town map that depicts some "Ondank". While still studying the map reflecting how I could get there, a kind older gentleman asked me if I had found what I was searching for. Well... The kind gentleman explained to me that "Ondank" is no name for a place or even a town district, but the name of a farm the surrounding area was named after. Following the explanation how to get there seemed easy at first, but then did not work out, so I could gain further insight into the surrounding countryside of Staden. But finally, "Ondank" was found!

Staden è una bella cittadina fiamminga che sembra esser completamente ricostruita. In centro c'è una mappa che descrive qualcosa come "Ondank". Mentre studio la mappa pensando a come arrivare lì, un tipo di vecchio gentiluomo mi chiede se ho trovato ciò che cercavo. Bene... questo gentile signore mi spiega che "Ondank" non è il nome di un posto ne' di un quartiere della città, ma il nome di una fattoria da cui, in seguito, ha preso il nome la zona circostante. In un primo momento sembrava facile seguire le istruzioni, ma, poi, la cosa non ha funzionato. e così ho potuto dare un'occhiata aila campagna intorno a Staden.
Ma, finalmente, ho trovato "Ondank"!



In Ondank angekommen war kein Bunker zu sehen! War der Bunker eventuell nicht mehr erhalten? Was für eine ondankbare Sache!
Dann
half ein freundlicher älterer Herr, den ich auf "broken niederländisch" fragte, den Bunker zu finden.
Die Frage nach einem solchen Bauwerk in Ondank nahe des Bahndamms konnte der Herr sogleich beantworten.
Der Bunker befindet sich auf einem Hof, dessen Gelände direkt an den "alten Bahndamm" angrenzt. Die von Dieter auf der Karte eingezeichnete Bahnverbindung nach Staden gibt es heute nicht mehr. Der Bahndamm wird heute als Radweg genutzt.

Having arrived at Ondank no bunker could be seen. Maybe it did not exist any more? What a pity! Then an older gentleman helped me to find the bunker, who I asked in broken dutch. He could immediately answer the question for such a building close to the railway embankment. The bunker is to be found at a farm, located directly next to the "old embankment". The railway tracks Dieter has drawn into his map do not exist any more. The embankment is nowadays used as a bicyle track.

Arrivato a Ondank non ho visto nessun bunker. Forse non esisteva più? Che peccato! Poco dopo un anziano signore, cui mi sono rivolto in un fiammingo traballante, mi ha aiutato a trovare il bunker. Mi ha dato subito una risposta sulla presenza di un tale manufatto così vicino alla massicciata della ferrovia. Il bunker bisogna andarlo a cercare presso una fattoria, proprio adiacente alla "vecchia massicciata". I binari della ferrovia che Dieter disegnò nella sua mappa non esistono più. Il terrapieno è oggi usato come una pista ciclabile.


Auf den ersten Blick war der ehemalige Störungsunterstand nicht leicht zu erkennen, zumal dieser mit einem kleinen Anbau ergänzt ist. Vermutlich wird auch dieser Bunker, wie einige andere Bunker, die ich in Flandern gesehen habe, zu Lagerzwecken genutzt.

Leider wurde niemand auf dem Hof angetroffen, sodass es bei Aussenaufnahmen bleiben mußte.

On first view the former defect clearing dugout was not easy to be identified, espescially since it has been extended with a small annexe. Probably this bunker, like others that I have seen in Flanders, is used for storage purposes. Unfortunately no one was present at the farm, so that I could only take pictures from the outside.

A prima vista non è stato facile identificare il ricovero, anche perché esso è stato ampliato con costruzioni annesse. Probabilmente questo bunker, così come altri che ho visto nelle Fiandre, è oggi usato come deposito. Purtroppo non c'era nessuno nella fattoria, cosicché ho potuto fare solo qualche fotografia dall'esterno.


Das Bauwerk scheint noch recht gut erhalten, lediglich das Dach ist mit Grass bewachsen. Interessant ist auch der an der Seite gebaute "Betonzaun"- hier könnte es sich um den noch erhaltenen Splitterschutz handeln, wie er an den Eingängen installiert war. Insgesamt scheint der Bunker keinen größeren Treffer erhalten zu haben, was es möglich erscheinen läßt, dass auch der Splitterschutz noch erhalten ist.

Bei der Stadt Stade ist die Hofanage unter der
ID: 51084 als "Hoeve met losse bestanddelen" erfasst. Auch hier ist der Betonbunker aus dem 1. Weltkrieg aufgelistet.

The building seems to be in good shape, only the roof is covered with grass. An interesting detail is the "concrete fence" that exists next to the bunker, it could be the former shell splinter protection wall, as those were installed at entrances. Generally, the bunker does not seem to have received a direct hit, hence it might be possible that the splinter protection wall is still intact. The city of Stade lists the farm with ID: 51084 as "Hoeve met losse bestanddelen". It also lists the concrete bunker from the first world war.

L'edificio appare in buono stato, solo il tetto è coperto di erba. Un interessante dettaglio è la "staccionata di calcestruzzo" vicino al bunker che potrebbe essere il vecchio muro di protezione dalle schegge di granata, come quelli posti all'entrata. A prima vista, il bunker non sembra esser stato colpito direttamente dai colpi, quindi è plausibile che il muro di protezione sia ancora intatto. La municipalità di Staden definisce la fattoria con il codice ID: 51084 come"Hoeve met losse bestanddelen". Cita anche il muro in calcestruzzo come derivante dalla prima guerra mondiale.


Auf dem Luftbild bei Google-Maps kann man in etwa 100 m Entfernung einen kleinen Teich erkennen, bei dem es sich mit größer Sicherheit um ein Einschlagloch eines der "dicken Brocken" vom 38cm handeln wird, die Dieter in seinem Tagebuch beschreibt. Der Bunker selber ist aus der Luft dagegen kaum zu erkennen.

The Google-Maps satellite image shows a small pond approximately 100 metres away from the bunker, which is most likely to be a shell hole resulting from one of the "big hunks" Dieter describes in this diary. The bunker itself is hardly to be recognized from the air.

Le mappe satellitari di Google mostrano una piccola pozza d'acqua a circa 100 metri dal bunker, che con tutta probabilità è il cratere di un'esplosione causata da "uno dei grossi pezzi" che Dieter descrive nel suo diario, Il bunker stesso è difficilmente identificabile dall'alto.



Größere Kartenansicht




FRA IT

2 Kommentare:

  1. The first contribution about Flanders 2011 directly leads us on "Dieter's traces" to Staden.
    In his impressive Entries about the "hell at the flanders front" in Houthoulst Forest dating from October 5th to 11th, 1917, Dieter mentions a defect clearing dugout that I was determined to find:

    "Our troop receives order to man a defect cearing dugout in the Houthoulst Forest [...]"
    The small dugout, a square box made of concrete that shakes with every shell burst because of the swampy grounds, is located at Ondank close to the West-Roosebeke station".

    Staden is a beautiful small flemish city, that seems to be completely rebuilt. In the city center, there is a town map that depicts some "Ondank". While still studying the map reflecting how I could get there, a kind older gentleman asked me if I had found what I was searching for. Well... The kind gentleman explained to me that "Ondank" is no name for a place or even a town district, but the name of a farm the surrounding area was named after. Following the explanation how to get there seemed easy at first, but then did not work out, so I could gain further insight into the surrounding countryside of Staden. But finally, "Ondank" was found!

    Having arrived at Ondank no bunker could be seen. Maybe it did not exist any more? What a pity! Then an older gentleman helped me to find the bunker, who I asked in broken dutch. He could immediately answer the question for such a building close to the railway embankment. The bunker is to be found at a farm, located directly next to the "old embankment". The railway tracks Dieter has drawn into his map do not exist any more. The embankment is nowadays used as a bicyle track.

    On first view the former defect clearing dugout was not easy to be identified, espescially since it has been extended with a small annexe. Probably this bunker, like others that I have seen in Flanders, is used for storage purposes.
    Unfortunately no one was present at the farm, so that I could only take pictures from the outside.

    The building seems to be in good shape, only the roof is covered with grass. An interesting detail is the "concrete fence" that exists next to the bunker, it could be the former shell splinter protection wall, as those were installed at entrances. Generally, the bunker does not seem to have received a direct hit, hence it might be possible that the splinter protection wall is still intact.

    The city of Stade lists the farm with ID:51084 as "Hoeve met losse bestanddelen". It also lists the concrete bunker from the first world war.

    The Google-Maps satellite image shows a small pond approximately 100 metres away from the bunker, which is most likely to be a shell hole resulting from one of the "big hunks" Dieter describes in this diary. The bunker itself is hardly to be recognized from the air.

    AntwortenLöschen
  2. Hi, Sven,

    I have only been checking in to the blog irregularly in recent times. It's a pity I didn't know you were in Flanders over the summer, as I might just about have managed to rendezvous with you in the middle of preparing for my final departure from Belgium.

    Your comment about the shell crater south of the bunker led me to do a bit of "aerial reconnaissance" of the surrounding area, including Houthulst wood to see what had become of it. It has all the appearance of a military site, with the curve of the access routes suggesting that they were once railway lines. A bit more snooping around led me to locate this bit of local history: http://www.natuurenbos.be/nl-BE/Domeinen/West-Vlaanderen/Vrijbos_Houthulst/Geschiedenis.aspx

    As I suspected from what looked like blast-protection embankments, this was an ammunition depot built by the Belgian army some time after the first world war, including facilities for an explosive ordnance demolition (EOD) detachment.

    The Belgian army's EOD service is still kept quite busy dealing with the legacy of the first world war: they were featured in TV reporting of the Belgian national holiday last month, and a spokesman said that they still handle about thirty thousand items a year (presumably this includes smaller items like grenades and bullets, but who knows...).

    In a corner of Houthulst wood there is also a Belgian military cemetery, intriguingly laid out in the shape of a star of david, clearly visible from the Bing maps photographs. The soldiers buried their were mainly killed in the final allied offensive of 28-29 September 1918. See http://inventaris.vioe.be/woi/relict/462 . I have some doubts about the Dutch-language Wikipedia article about the cemetery http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belgisch_militaire_begraafplaats_van_Houthulst . It claims that they were deliberately sent out to die in impossible conditions to atone for the Flemish Belgians who had defected to the German side earlier during the war. I suspect that this may be a bit of post-factum mythologising of history, since the article also contains an unsubstantiated claim about the Italians buried in the cemetery being used as human shields. The other article cited above says that they were prisoners of war pressed into labour service by the German army elsewhere, and moved from German military cemeteries to an allied one after the war.

    AntwortenLöschen