Visiting the Maginot | GROS ouvrage Schiesseck | LIFT,TURRET and ENTRYPOINT! скачать в хорошем качестве

Visiting the Maginot | GROS ouvrage Schiesseck | LIFT,TURRET and ENTRYPOINT!

The Schiesseck structure is a significant fortification of the Maginot Line, situated near Bitche in the Moselle department of France. It is adjacent to the Simserhof fortification and the Otterbiel small fort, all of which are components of the Fortified Sector of Rohrbach, facing the German border. Schiesseck experienced relatively minimal engagement during the Battle of France, capitulating along with other positions in its area on June 30, 1940. In the 1944 Lorraine Campaign, it was occupied by German troops and served as a resistance point against American forces, necessitating extensive bombardment and infantry assaults by engineering units for its capture. The site was vacated during the Battle of the Bulge but was retaken in March 1945. In the 1950s, Schiesseck underwent repairs as part of a rearmament initiative for the Maginot Line in anticipation of a possible advance by Warsaw Pact forces. It was ultimately abandoned in the early 1970s. Currently, Schiesseck is located on military property and is not accessible to the public. Schiesseck consists of two distinct access points for munitions and personnel, four infantry blocks, four artillery blocks, and a single observation block. The entrances for munitions and personnel are positioned significantly behind the combat blocks. The underground barracks are situated at the intersection of the two entry tunnels, from which a lengthy corridor extends at an average depth of 30 meters (98 feet) towards the combat blocks. A narrow-gauge railway, measuring 60 cm in gauge, services Schiesseck, entering through the munitions access and traversing the galleries to reach the combat blocks. On the surface, this railway links to supply depots located to the rear and to other fortifications. Notably, Schiesseck does not feature a large 'M1' magazine. The various blocks include: Block 1, an artillery block equipped with a retractable twin machine gun turret, an automatic rifle cloche (GFM), and a retractable 81mm mortar turret; Block 2, an infantry block with an observation cloche (VDP), a GFM cloche, two twin machine gun cloches, a twin machine gun embrasure, and a machine gun (JM)/47mm anti-tank gun embrasure (JM/AC47); Block 3, another infantry block containing two GFM cloches and one VDP cloche; Block 4, an artillery block featuring a GFM cloche, a JM cloche, and two 81mm mortar embrasures; Block 5, an infantry block with two GFM cloches and one JM cloche; Block 6, an infantry block that includes one GFM cloche and a retractable twin machine gun turret; Block 7, an artillery block with a GFM cloche, an LG cloche, and a retractable twin 75mm gun turret; Block 8, another artillery block equipped with a VDP cloche, a GFM cloche, and a retractable twin 135mm gun turret; Block 9, an observation block featuring one VDP cloche and one VDP/observation cloche; the personnel entry, which is a shaft-style entry block with one GFM cloche and one JM/AC47 embrasure; and the munitions entry, a direct entry block with two GFM cloches and two JM/AC47 embrasures. Additionally, there are several detached casemates and infantry shelters located near Simserhof, including the Abri du Freudenberg, a subsurface abri-caverne.