Splinter protection cell
Splinter protection cells (SSZ), also called one-man bunker , individual protection room , fire guard or air raid shelter , are cylindrical (rarely angular) constructions, usually made of reinforced concrete , which are intended to protect one or two people from splinters.
target
The splinter protection cells were developed and partially built before the Second World War . The bunkers should provide protection against fragments from bomb explosions or fire with light firearms ; a gas protection was not provided. The SSZ were not designed to survive a direct hit. Historical reports indicate that inmates were killed or seriously injured when hit.
construction
The first one-man bunkers were made of metal . However, the material did not meet the requirements and was soon required elsewhere, so that soon only concrete was used for production. Well-known manufacturers of SSZ were, for example, DYWIDAG (Dyckerhoff & Widmann) and Leonhard Moll Betonwerke . Following the specifications of the Reichsanstalt der Luftwaffe for Air Protection , the medium-sized concrete industry manufactured them in many variants. The roof was built as a dome , cone or flat roof . The body was equipped with one or two small lockable access hatches and three to six viewing slots for a 360 degree view. To prevent the cell from being knocked over by blast waves , it was built on a foundation . Wherever possible, it was additionally secured by backfilling, partial burying or additional walls and walls. The roof was often provided with a hook on which the bunker was placed in its destination. Or the bunker body, hatches and cover (roof) were individual parts that were screwed together on site or even built individually on site.
Dimensions
For the specified degree of protection, the following conditions had to be met for the wall thickness:
- with masonry: 51 cm
- for stamped concrete: 40 cm
- with reinforced concrete: 25 cm
- for steel: 4 cm
The typical dimensions of a DYWIDAG cell were:
| Area | Dimensions |
|---|---|
| Height above foundation | 236 cm |
| Clear height | 181 cm |
| outer diameter | 140 cm |
| Inside diameter | 109 cm |
| Wall thickness | 15 cm |
| Manholes | 59 cm × 78 cm |
| Height of the viewing slits above the interior floor | 169 cm |
| Weight | approx. 5 t |
Place of use
Tens of thousands of splinter protection cells were installed in the German Reich during the Second World War , the exact number is unknown. They were used wherever individuals could not reach a suitable shelter, for example at workplaces such as railway systems , agricultural facilities, open spaces , near important public facilities, but also in supply facilities of the Wehrmacht and in facilities of the Todt Organization . In 1943 alone, around 2000 pieces were installed along the main railway lines. In factories, they served as protected observation stands to observe important devices and, if necessary, to rescue or delete them. For this purpose, they were also equipped with a telephone and electric light. It was hoped that the observations would also provide information on the location of duds and objects that have not yet exploded, such as time-fuse bombs. In the civilian sector, SSZs were built in stone quarries with blasting operations.
Towards the end of the war, they were also used as a firing position (e.g. for machine guns ). They were also used in paved front areas. For example, in 1944 Joseph Goebbels noted that around 250,000 one-man bunkers were planned and approved for the trench system of the front in East Prussia.
It was also possible for private individuals to purchase splinter protection cells and set them up on their own property.
Location: Former level crossing in Gelsenkirchen-Erle
Location: Oder-Spree-Canal in Braunsdorf
Location: Braunschweig harbor
Location: Lower Austria South Industrial Center , the former Ostmarkwerke
Location: Český Těšín , Teschen-West train station
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Dismantling
Most of the cells in Germany that had been built during the war were cleared. After the surrender in 1945 calling for allies within the demilitarization of Germany, the destruction of all Luftschutzbauten, and the splinter guard cells in central Germany. Their destruction turned out to be a technical challenge, which is why the buildings were sometimes only transported away and taken to collection points. The massive construction, the large number of pieces and the extensive distribution prevented the complete removal. Occasionally they can still be found as curiosities or technical monuments .
In France you can still find small shelters that were designed as a fighting facility. Some of these buildings have also been preserved in former German areas, for example in Königsberg , Pölitz and Stettin .
literature
- Michael Foedrowitz : One-man bunker: splinter protection structures and fire stations . Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart 2007, ISBN 978-3-613-02748-0 .
Web links
- Information on SSZ in general and in the Stuttgart region in particular, with photo material. Research Group Underground e. V., accessed on November 4, 2017 .
- Photographs of splinter protection cells. Retrieved November 4, 2017 .
- Dywidag cells at luftschutz-bunker.de. Archived from the original on March 1, 2012 ; accessed on June 23, 2014 .
- Article of the LWL dated August 31, 2004
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j Monumente magazine for monument culture in Germany, publisher Deutsche Stiftung Denkmalschutz, issue 2/2017, pp. 21–23
- ↑ a b c d e f Research Group Underground e. V. - “One-man bunker” , accessed on April 6, 2017.
- ↑ a b c d e Michael Foedrowitz: one-man bunker: splinter protection structures and fire watch stands ; Motorbuch Verlag Stuttgart; 2007; ISBN = 978-3-613-02748-0.
- ↑ Deadly danger in the one-man bunker - WIM exhibition shows 'Treasures of Work' for the anniversary. August 31, 2004, accessed May 11, 2020 .