Schollberg Fortress
Map with all coordinates: 
The fortress Schollberg (army designation A 6100) is a former fortress of the defensive front "Schollberg-Sarganserau-Tschingel" of the Swiss army in the fortress area Sargans . It was built as part of the Sarganser Au barrier in the rock face of the same name near Trübbach .
The blocking points Schollberg (SG), Sarganser Au (SG), Ansstein (GR) and Ellhorn (GR) are considered to be military-historical monuments of national importance.
history
The Matug (Trübbach) and St. Luzisteig passes were strategically favorable constrictions and were fortified in prehistoric times. The "wild" Rhine grazed the foot of the Schollberg until around 1850 before the Rhine was corrected. In Roman times the road on the right bank of the Rhine was the main north-south connection. The Schollbergstrasse , opened in 1492, was the first road construction approved by the Federal Diet . It replaced the mule track over Matug, which was 200 m higher, and proved to be an important trade and military route until 1823, when it was replaced by the (old) state road laid out on a dam.
The engineer officer course of 1934 suggested the construction of works on Schollberg with a flank gallery in order to be able to block the Rhine valley north of Sargans together with the Ansstein artillery works. The fortresses Schollberg and Ansstein were originally built to secure the border. Based on the federal fortification concept of 1936/37, the construction of the border fortifications Schollberg and Ansstein began at the end of 1938.
In spring 1939 they were integrated into the overall concept of the Sargans fortress. The artillery plant Schollberg 1 had to act in front of the blocking points of the key front Schollberg-Sarganserau and the infantry plant Schollberg 2 directly in the key front. After the Second World War, the fortress “Schollberg 2” was enlarged with the annex “Schollberg 3”.
In the north, access to the Schollberg fortresses was protected by the Schollberg-Trübbach barrier and in the south by the four bunker lines of the Reduitfront section of the Sarganser Au barrier .
The defense system was supplemented in 1962 with systems for flooding the northern Sarganser plain. In 1993 two Centurion anti-tank bunkers and an anti-tank obstacle (GPH 66) were added at the Sarganserau barrier.
The command post of the defensive front “Schollberg - Sarganserau - Tschingel”, the “KP Vild”, was released from secrecy in 2010 as the last object in this reduit key front.
Schollberg artillery and infantry factory
In November 1938 the construction of the fortress (army designation A 6100) began with the Schollberg lock, the artillery works (Schollberg 1), the infantry works (Schollberg 2) and in 1946 with Schollberg 3 as an artillery annex for four mobile 7.5 cm cannons 03 / 22nd At the same time, the Ansstein artillery plant (A 6256) opposite in the canton of Graubünden was built in the Ansstein barrier. In 1960/61 Schollberg 3 was converted into an infantry annex and the four cannons were replaced by a 9 cm anti-tank gun. At the beginning of the 1980s, Schollberg 1 became an anti-tank infantry plant.
Schollberg was occupied by troops of the fortress artillery department 12, the fortress artillery company Art Kp 38 (Schollberg 2) and Fest Art Kp 40 (Schollberg 1). With the reorganization of the army in 1952, Fest Art Kp 40 was responsible for all three Scholl mines. With Army 61 it was renamed Fest Art Kp I / 13. It had a population of 370 men, 80 of whom belonged to the fortress infantry. With the conversion of the Scholl mines into infantry works, the crew became works company 50.
In 1990 the 9 cm anti-tank guns and the other weapons were removed and Schollberg served as accommodation until 1999. In 2003 the works were cleared except for the engine rooms. In 2012 the Schollbergwerke was sold to the municipality of Wartau. Schollberg 3 has been restored for viewing by the AFOM association.
- Artillery Works Schollberg 1 A 6100.01 ⊙
- Infantry factory Schollberg 2 A 6100.02 ⊙
- Infantry factory Schollberg 3 A 6100.03 ⊙
AW Schollberg 1
IW Schollberg 2nd
IW Schollberg 3
Schollberg 2 Pak Ost A 6103
Armament
The artillery plant was originally equipped with two 7.5 cm cannons and one 7.5 cm mountain cannon 06 and the two infantry plants with machine guns (Mg) and anti-tank guns (Pak). The guns were aimed at the Schollberg lock.
- Artilleriewerk Schollberg 1: three 7.5 cm attachment cannons, 4.7 cm anti-tank guns (later 9 cm), two MG, searchlights
- Infantry plant Schollberg 2 as the strongest infantry plant of the Sargans Fortress: one 24 mm anti-tank gun and three 4.7 cm anti-tank guns (later 9 cm), eight MG, headlights
- Infantry factory Schollberg 3: 9 cm anti-tank gun, three MG, headlights
During Army 61 , all armament consisted of five 9 cm anti-tank guns, three 7.5 cm cannons, eight Mg, four light machine guns (Lmg), seven observers and three infrared searchlights. In 1994 this was reduced to two 9 cm anti-tank guns and nine Fortress MG 51s.
Lock point Schollberg
The Schollberg barrier (Army designation no. 1306) served to protect the Sargans basin from the north and east. In the center of the lock is the Schollberg fortress, which belongs to the Sarganser Au lock. Recognition for the tank obstacle GPH began in February 1939. The GPH with the flanking chain of bunkers was completed in 1944.
The blocking point consists of three artillery observers, two gun positions, 19 infantry bunkers, 14 bunkers with Lmg light machine guns, five machine gun bunkers and two ammunition magazines and 28 shelters in rock or concrete, two all-terrain tank obstacles GPH with 22 road barricades and a stream barrier. It was the most important blocking point for the defense of the north-eastern entrance to the Sargans fortress.
On the northern edge of the barrier, the anti-tank obstacle GPH Trübbach, accompanied by a chain of bunkers, leads from the bank of the Rhine near Trübbach with a northwest extension to the Kurhaus am Alvier.
The Trübbach was rehabilitated in the mid-1970s and turned into a tank trench. The Schollberg and Ellhorn (GR) blocking points belonged together in terms of operations.
Plant section Alvier
The extension of the GPH Trübbach was built until 1942 on the mountain pastures of the Alviers with a group of bunkers and shelters to prevent a bypass in the north.
- Artillery command post and observer Guggstein A 6050 ⊙
- Infantry bunker Buchboden A 6051 2 Mg ⊙
- Kalberboden infantry bunker A 6052 ⊙
- Infantry bunker Alvier VA 6053 Lmg ⊙
- Shelter Alvier II A 6054 ⊙
- Infantry bunker Alvier IV A 6055 Lmg ⊙
- Artillery command post and observer Guggstein A 6050 Lmg ⊙
- Infantry bunker Alvier II A 6058 Lmg ⊙
- Infantry bunker Alvier IA 6059 Lmg ⊙
- Infantry bunker Kaufboden A 6060 Mg ⊙
- Infantry bunker A 6061 Lmg ⊙
- Malanserholz infantry bunker IA 6062 ⊙
- Lavadarschberg A 6063 ⊙ shelter
- Infantry bunker Lafadarsch-Loch A 6064 Lmg ⊙
- Infantry bunker Lafadarsch A 6065 Mg ⊙
- Eichendohlenweg infantry bunker A 6066 Lmg ⊙
- Infantry bunker Flied A 6067 Lmg ⊙
Artillery KP, observer Guggstein A 6050
Lmg bunker Alvier III A 6057
Lmg bunker Alvier IA 6059
Mg bunker Kaufboden A 6060
Plant section Trübbach
The anti-tank heavyweight was on the section between Schollberg and the Rhine, which was only 250 meters wide.
- Infantry bunker Wiesenrank A 6068 Lmg ⊙
- Infantry bunker Mumpertjörs A 6069 Mg ⊙
- Infantry bunker Kracher II A 6070 Lmg ⊙
- Infantry bunker Kracher IA 6071 Lmg ⊙
- Infantry bunker mountain range A 6072 Mg ⊙
- GPH mountain range T 3315 ⊙
- Artillery bunker Lauterbach A 6073 ⊙
- Infantry bunker Lusbüchel A 6074 Lmg ⊙
- Infantry bunker Wolfsloch A 6075 Mg ⊙
- Shelter Walsergasse II A 6076 ⊙
- Shelter Walsergasse IA 6077 ⊙
- Infantry bunker Scherm A 6078 Lmg ⊙
- Infantry bunker Mazifer II A 6079 Mg ⊙
- Mazifer IA 6080 infantry bunker ⊙
- Infantry bunker “Am Weg zum Pflanzgarten” A 6083 Mg ⊙
- Shelter cavern Richtbühl A 6085 ⊙
- Infantry factory IW Richtbühl A 6086 Mg, Ob, Pak ⊙
- BG bunker Richtbühl A 6087 not connected with IW ⊙
- Infantry plant IW Bühl A 6088 ⊙
- IK Stand Bühl A 6089 mobile infantry gun IK ⊙
- IR observer station Richtbühl A 6090 ⊙
- GPH T3315, section Richtbühl / Bühl ⊙
- Infantry bunker Cavern Fluhwand A 6120 Mg ⊙
- Infantry bunker Matug canteen A 6121 Lmg ⊙
- Infantry bunker Matug Hang A 6122 Mg ⊙
- Ammunition cavern and shelter A 6123 ⊙
- Shelter cavern A 6124 ⊙
- Shelter cavern A 6125 ⊙
- Infantry bunker Cavern Schollbergkopf A 6126 Mg ⊙
- Shelter cavern A 6127 ⊙
- Shelter cavern A 6128 ⊙
- Shelter cavern A 6129 ⊙
- Ammunition cavern and shelter A 6130 ⊙
- Artillery command post and observer Schollberg, Stand North A 6131 ⊙
- Infantry bunker Rheinau 2 A 6134 Mg ⊙
- Infantry bunker Rheinau 1 A 6135 Mg ⊙
- GPH path barricade in footbridge T 3313 ⊙
- GPH Schollberg T 3314 ⊙
- GPH Trübbach as tank trench T 3315 ⊙
- Weir flooding Sarganser Au ⊙
- GPH BBB humps and rails T 3315 ⊙
- GPH BBB humps and rails T 3315 ⊙
- GPH Schollberg Süd T 3317, Sarganserau flooding dismantled ⊙
- GPH and Bachsperre T 3317, between Schollberg 2 and Saarkanal ⊙
Mg bunker Mumpertjörs A 6069
Richtbühl infantry factory A 6086
GPH mountain range T 3315
Infantry bunker Rheinau A 6134
Lock point Sarganser Au
The Sarganser Au barrier (Army designation no. 1307) consists of the Schollberg artillery plant and four bunker lines with over 20 bunkers. The Sarganser Au formed the key front of the Sargans Fortress to the south behind the 1.5 km wide narrow gap between Schollberg and Ellhorn. It was the direct entry gate into the Sargans basin and allowed an enemy who had broken through to advance south to the eastern gate of the Gotthard fortress and west via Walensee into central Switzerland.
Such a breakthrough was to be prevented by means of a deeply staggered defense system on a front length of around 3 km. The first barrier chain is formed by six Schindler bunkers (“Zuckerstock”) with Lmg on the Rhine dam to secure the Rhine. The second line of defense runs along the Saar from Baschärgiessen to Schollberg with a long tank barrier (GPH T 3320/3322), which has been supplemented with numerous bunkers and shelters. These were connected to a telephone network and by blinkers. The third bunker line lies west and south of the Saar line in the plain. The fourth line of defense is on the slope above St. Gallerstrasse and was reinforced in 1993 with the two Centi bunkers . The systems could give each other fire protection.
At the end of the 1980s, the GPH was supplemented with an angular wall (GPH T 3321) from Vild to the Rhine and in 1990 two Centi bunkers were added as anti-tank defense, which were retired in 2003.
In 1993, two Centurion anti-tank bunkers (10.5 cm cannon) and a contemporary all-terrain tank barrier (GPH 66) were added to the Sarganserau's defense system.
Flooding system
A large-scale flooding system was set up in the Sarganser Au in 1962. A weir was built at the Vilterser-Wangser Canal in Trübbach and a water inlet at the Rheinschwelle Ellhorn, with which the meadow landscape could be flooded with river water in an emergency. This would have created a lake around 1.60 meters deep within a few days, which would have spread to the Sargans train station, but would not have flooded the higher-lying bunkers in the Au. When the water level was low, the Rhine would have been temporarily swollen by precisely calculated quantities of water to be drained from reservoirs.
- Infantry bunker Rheindamm 6 A 6136 (Schindler) Lmg ⊙
- Infantry bunker Rheindamm 5 A 6137 ⊙
- Infantry bunker Rheindamm 4 A 6138 ⊙
- Infantry bunker Rheindamm 3 A 6139 ⊙
- Infantry bunker Rheindamm 2 A 6140 ⊙
- Infantry bunker Rheindamm 1 A 6141 ⊙
- Shelter Ellhorn A 6142 ⊙
- Shelter Ellhorn A 6143 ⊙
- Shelter Ellhorn A 6144 ⊙
- Shelter Ellhorn A 6146 ⊙
- Battalion command post KP Naus A 6149, built in 1962, Füs Bat 183 ⊙
- Switchboard Egg A 6152 ⊙
- Cavern and battalion command post «KP Vild» A 6153 two MG, observer ⊙
- Mg cavern Römerstrasse A 6154 ⊙
- Rheinknie infantry bunker A 6156 Lmg ⊙
- Infantry bunker Saarspitz A 6159 Mg at GPH T 3321 ⊙
- Infantry bunker A 6160 Mg ⊙
- Shelter Äuli 2 A 6161, for the external defense of the bunker ⊙
- Sarganserau 2 A 6162 Mg ⊙
- Shelter Äuli 1 A 6163 ⊙
- Sarganserau 3 A 6164 Mg ⊙
- Shelter Hüttenau A 6165 ⊙
- Saar Rheinbrugg Landi A 6166 ⊙
- Infantry bunker A 6167 Mg ⊙
- Infantry bunker Baschäräuli A 6168 Mg ⊙
- Baschär A 6169 ⊙ shelter
- Infantry bunker Melserau 2 A 6170 Mg ⊙
- Baschärgiessen shelter 2 A 6171 ⊙
- Baschärgiessen shelter 1 A 6172 ⊙
- Melserau 3 A 6173 Mg ⊙
- Melchi shelter A 6174 ⊙
- Melserau 1 A 6175 Mg ⊙
- Schwettnen shelter A 6178 ⊙
- Shelter cavern A 6179, built during the Cold War ⊙
- Shelter cavern A 6180 ⊙
- GPH with rails T 3320 (section broken off) ⊙
- GPH Saar Canal T 3320 ⊙
- Infantry bunker Schollberg Süd Centibunker A 6181 ⊙
- Infantry bunker Schollberg Nord Centibunker A 6182 ⊙
- GPH with rails T 3320 West, section broken off ⊙
- GPH with rails T 3320 Ost, section broken off ⊙
- GPH 66 T 3321 ⊙
- GPH Vilderweg Saarhof T 3321 ⊙
- GPH Saar T 3322 ⊙
Infantry bunker Rheindamm 3 A 6139
KP Vild A 6153
Mg cavern Römerstrasse A 6154
Sarganser Au A 6161 6162
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Ansstein artillery plant
The Ansstein artillery plant (army designation A 6256) with the Ansstein barrier is located in the municipality of Fläsch in the canton of Graubünden near the border with Liechtenstein . Schollberg and Ansstein were built as artillery works that flanked each other. During the mobilization on September 2, 1939, only the two mountain cannons 06 and the MG were ready to fire. Ansstein was placed under the Sargan Fortress Command in September 1940. The associated anti-tank obstacle was built in 1939 with several shelters, caverns and bunkers for local defense until mid-1940.
The artillery plant was armed with two 7.5 cm bunker cannons and initially with two 7.5 cm mountain cannons 06 in the entrance area. The latter were replaced in 1942 by two machine guns and two 4.7 cm anti-tank guns (later 9 cm anti-tank guns). In 1962/63 an infrared spotlight was installed. With the removal of the 9 cm tank cannons, the plant only served as accommodation from 1990 onwards. In 2000 it was completely cleared out.
During the Second World War, the factory was occupied by Fest Art Kp 39, with Army 61 by Fest Art Kp II / 13 and, from the 1980s, by Werk Kp 52.
- Artillery works Ansstein A 6256: four 7.5 cm bunker cannons, two anti-tank guns and MG ⊙
Lock point Ansstein
The Ansstein barrier (Army designation No. 1316) runs along the national border with Liechtenstein from the summit of the Ellhorn through the Elltal over the Fläscherberg down to the Fläscher Riet, from there up the mountain ridge, past the Guschner Gir to the Mittlerspitz and past the Rotspitz to the Guschasattel. The construction of the lock point began in 1939 with the anti-tank obstacle. By mid-1940, several shelters, caverns and bunkers were built for close defense of the plant. The five-row rail obstacle T 3326, built in 1939, was reinforced in 1941 with a row of BBB humps behind it. Some of the shelters were built after the World War until 1955. In 1960 the fortress guard company 13 with the sapper battalion 13 built in 24 spherical bunkers (U4) and 9 shelters (U12) between the state border and St. Luzisteig as reinforcement.
During the Second World War the blocking point was defended by the mountain border fusilier battalion 282 and during the Cold War the fusilier battalion 158 (later Füs Bat 159). The Ansstein and Fläscherloch plants as well as the bunkers were successively occupied by the fortress artillery company 39 (later Fest Kp 39), the festival Kp II / 13 and by the works company 38 and 52.
- Shelter cavern Guschaspitz A 6220 ⊙
- Bat KP and Art Observer Guschaspitz A 6221 Füs Bat 158 ⊙
- Type KP and observer Ochsenberg A 6222 Mg ⊙
- Felswerk Elleli A 6226 Mg ⊙
- Infantry bunker Wisli Süd A 6231 Feld-Mg ⊙
- Infantry bunker Obere Mattheide A 6235 2 Mg ⊙
- Infantry bunker Hölzli Süd A 6236 2 Lmg ⊙
- Infantry bunker Hölzli A 6237 2 Mg ⊙
- Infantry bunker Hölzli Nord A 6238 2 Lmg ⊙
- Infantry bunker Untere Mattheide A 6239 2 Mg ⊙
- Infantry bunker Wisli A 6240 2 Mg ⊙
- Felsenwerk Ankaschnallkopf A 6241 Lmg ⊙
- Infantry bunker Riegel A 6242 2 Lmg ⊙
- Felsenwerk Fläscherloch A 6243 Ik / Pak, 2 Mg, bunker cannon ⊙
- Felsenwerk and KMV depot Guscha A 6250, 2 Mg, Lmg ⊙
- Infantry bunker St. Luziensteig-Balzers A 6251 2 Lmg (broken off)
- Infantry bunker A 6252 ⊙
- Observation bunker A 6254 ⊙
- Cavern A 6255 ⊙
- Anssteinwald infantry bunker A 6257 2 Lmg ⊙ (dismantled due to border adjustment in 1949 with Liechtenstein)
- Anssteinwald infantry bunker A 6258 2 Lmg ⊙
- Anssteinwald infantry bunker A 6260 Mg ⊙
- Felswerk Anssteinhöhe A 6263 Mg, Lmg ⊙
- Shelter Brunigrat A 6264 Lmg
- Felsenwerk Rotspitz A 6265 Lmg ⊙
- Shelter cavern A 6280 ⊙
- GPH Ansstein T 3326 ⊙
Lock point Ellhorn
The Ellhorn locking point (Army designation No. 1307) was fortified as new Swiss territory in 1948 immediately after the land exchange with Liechtenstein . With an infantry bunker and a battle cavern, it belonged to the Sargans Fortress and had to protect the previous weak point in the Sargans front. The infantry plant was decommissioned in 1982.
Due to its central location with a good overview of the Sargans fortress area, the Tschingel artillery factory housed the fire control center of the artillery department of four Sargans fortresses.
Pak Cavern IW Ellhorn A 6224
Tschingel Artillery Works A 6225
Infantry bunker Ellstein A 6229
Infantry bunker Ellstein A 6229
Fortress Associations
The association Artillerie-Fort-Verein-Magletsch AFOM offers guided tours and visits to the facilities of the fortresses Schollberg, Magletsch and the command post KP Vild. The KP Vild command post was acquired by the local community of Sargans and repaired and serviced by AFOM. This rock cavern had been a command post and combat facility with two MG since the Second World War.
The association Pro Festungswerke Seeztal-Alvier owns the infantry factory Heiligkreuz A 6379 and infantry factory Lavadarsch A 6065 at the Schollberg 1306 lock-off point.
literature
- Walter Gabathuler: Sargans Fortress 1944: Combat group northern front, troops and defensive works in the Reduit front sections Sarganserau, Schollberg, Palfries, Magletsch and pre-position base in Buchs . AFOM publishing house, Artillerie-Fort-Magletsch-Verein, Oberschan.
- Walter Gabathuler et al .: Werdenberger Yearbook 2014. Focus on fortifications on the Alpine Rhine. Verlag BuchsMedien, Buchs 2013. Buchs 2013. ISBN 978-3-9524224-0-3 .
- Walter Gieringer (Ed.): Remembrance of the Fortress Brigade 13 . Bündner Buchvertrieb, Chur 2004.
- Peter Baumgartner, Hans Stäbler: Fortified Graubünden. Wolves in sheep's clothing. Military History Foundation Graubünden, Chur 2006 ISBN 978-3-85637-321-4 . Extended edition Verlag Desertina, Chur 2016, ISBN 978-3-85637-485-3 .
Web links
- Official website of the Artillerie-Fort-Verein-Magletsch AFOM
- Eastern Switzerland on Sunday December 22nd, 2013: Wandering Fortress Lexicon
- Video Schollberg Fortress
- Association of Swiss Army Friends on April 19, 2014: Visit to the Schollberg Fortress 1-3
Individual evidence
- ^ Silvio Keller, Maurice Lovisa, Thomas Bitterli: Military monuments in the cantons of Glarus, Appenzell Inner- and Ausserrhoden and St. Gallen. VBS, Bern 2006
- ^ Silvio Keller, Maurice Lovisa, Thomas Bitterli: Military monuments in the canton of Graubünden. Federal Department of Defense, Civil Protection and Sport (Ed.), Bern 2003
- ^ Sarganserland-Walensee: The old Schollbergstrasse
- ↑ Oberland Fortress: Artillery and Infantry Works Schollberg A 6100
- ^ Fortress Oberland: Schollberg lock point
- ↑ Oberland Fortress: Sarganser Au lock point
- ↑ bunker friends Switzerland: Region Ellhorn and Sarganser Au
- ↑ St. Galler Tagblatt, May 19, 2008: Shooting and Flooding. After Magletsch, former fortifications in Schollberg are now also accessible ( memento from March 6, 2018 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ Fortress Oberland: A6256 Artillery Works Ansstein
- ↑ Oberland Fortress: Ansstein Lock Point
- ↑ bunker friends Switzerland: Equipment Region Ansstein
- ↑ Oberland Fortress: Lock point Ellhorn GR
- ↑ Fortified Graubünden 1941
Coordinates: 47 ° 4 '7.6 " N , 9 ° 28' 18.9" E ; CH1903: seven hundred fifty-four thousand four hundred and twenty-nine / 215,086