Burgfluh fortress

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Artillery works Burg in the rock face of the Burgfluh (north-east summit)
Route of the former funicular to the artillery plant

The Burgfluh fortress (army name: Artillery Works "Burg" A 2050) was a defensive position of the Swiss Army . It is located at 829  m above sea level. M. in the rock of the north-east summit ( 979  m above sea level ) the Burgfluh above Wimmis at the entrance to the Simmental . The plant belonged to the operational area of ​​the 3rd Division and from 1947 to the Reduit Brigade 21 .

Artillery factory Burg

Construction of the fortress began in 1942. The tunnel and concrete work were finished at the end of 1943. Originally, the artillery was manned with mobile guns, the field artillery withdrawn from the border into the Reduit . Large cross-sections of tunnels were excavated for the mobile guns and horse stables were built in the entrance area.

After the Second World War , the mobile artillery was withdrawn and the factory was armed with solid weapons. The initial armament was replaced around 1985 with four 10.5 cm howitzers 46 on lever mounts.

The access was made from 1943 by a 205 meter long military winch funicular (10 places, valley station 696  m above sea level , mountain station 829  m above sea level , difference in altitude 133 m) as well as a forest path that can be walked on horses. This begins next to the valley station, leads along the rock through several short tunnels and ends at the mountain station (fortress entrance) of the cable car (risk of falling rocks!).

The crew consisted of the field battery 24 (F Bttr 24 for 7.5 cm cannons), the heavy field howitzer department 47 (F Hb Abt 47 location for 15 cm howitzers) and later of the fortress artillery company 75 and II / 15. The fortress was last used in 1999 for a military training course.

Armament

The plant had the following guns:

The fire sector was oriented from the lock point Einigen to Sigriswil .

Infrastructure

The twelve artillery slots are well camouflaged in a tree-covered rock wall. The external defense by the infantry was outside the factory. Anti-aircraft guns (Flab) were stored in the tunnel.

The plant was provided with accommodation for a crew of 450 (artillery, fire control, air defense) and 220 beds. There was a groundwater pumping station for the water supply as well as four water reservoirs with a total of 710,000 liters of water. Electricity and water were supplied to the plant via the rear emergency exit. There were large diesel tanks for the emergency power groups. Air filter systems and food supplies for 30 days made the plant largely autonomous.

The antenna location above the entrance provided the connection with the Heinrich command post , who coordinated the fire of the artillery works around Lake Thun, as well as with the other works and units.

After the Dailly and Mitholz explosions , ammunition and cargo were stored separately. With the reduction to four howitzers, one grenade magazine and one charge magazine each were required. 1956-58 the technical installations of the fortress were improved. A C protection was installed for the accommodations.

The modern Fargo fire control computer installed during Army 61 was rarely used.

today

The Burgfluh fortress was declassified and shut down with the Army 95 in 1999. In 2010, the entire system including the funicular was dismantled.

Lock point Wimmis

Terrain tank obstacle Burgmatte

The blocking point consisted of the partial barriers Wimmiswehr (west of Burgfluh) and Burgmatte (east of Burgfluh) to prevent enemy attacks to and from the Simmental. The Wimmiswehr barrier had several road and rail barricades, which were protected by four infantry bunkers : Infantry bunker A 2051 (labeled “Wasserversorgung Reutigen”), A 2052, A 2053 and A 2054.

The Burgmatte barrier comprised the protected terrain tank obstacle (GPH with «Toblerone» hump ), which was flanked by the infantry bunker A 2056 (monobloc) and the infantry work Burgfluh A 2057.

The Wimmis-Simmenfluh barrier remained unfinished. The material ropeway for the construction work was dismantled in 1947. The foundation of the mountain station (coordinate 613 850/169 625) and the valley station at the foot of the Burgfluh are still there.

Web links

Commons : Sperrstelle Wimmis  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Funicular railways Switzerland: 3752.01 Wimmis Burgholzstrasse - Artilleriewerk Burgfluh
  2. ^ Wimmis military cable car ( Memento from January 7, 2017 in the Internet Archive )
  3. ↑ Fortress Oberland: Artillery Works Burg A2050 ( Memento from July 4, 2015 in the Internet Archive )
  4. ^ Underground Switzerland: Artilleriewerk Burgfluh ( Memento from September 17, 2016 in the Internet Archive )
  5. ↑ General Swiss Military Journal (ASMZ) Volume 152, 1986: Fargo fire control computer

Coordinates: 46 ° 40 '11.1 "  N , 7 ° 37' 55.3"  E ; CH1903:  six hundred and fourteen thousand seven hundred ninety-eight  /  168,742