Fortress troops (Switzerland)

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The fortress troops were a branch of the Swiss Army , which were mainly grouped into the mountain troops of the 3rd Army Corps (1962–1992 Mountain Army Corps 3), were mainly deployed in the artillery fortresses in the Alpine region and were specially trained for combat in difficult terrain and under unfavorable climatic conditions and were equipped. The story of the fortress troops is largely the story of Fortress Brigade 23 , the so-called Gotthard Brigade .

Artillery Works Gütsch

As a result of the changed threat situation and after various reforms to reduce the army, the fortress troops were abolished in 2003 with Army XXI . In 2011 the last artillery positions were deactivated.

prehistory

The history of Swiss fortifications began in 1831 with the construction of the border fortifications Aarburg , Luziensteig , Saint-Maurice and Gondo , which did not have any artillery until the end of the 19th century . In 1853–54, the young federal state of Switzerland had a section of the fortification line designed by Sonderbund General Guillaume-Henri Dufour , the Fortini della Fame, built south of Bellinzona .

The opening of the strategically important Gotthard tunnel and the struggle for the emergence of the two national states Italy and Germany (1871) led to the fortification of the Gotthard area between 1885 and 1902 ( Fort Hospiz , Forte Airolo , Fort Motto Bartola , Fort Stöckli , Fort Bühl , Fort Bäzberg ).

  • Fort hospice

  • Forte Airolo

  • Fort Stöckli with tank turret of the AW Gütsch (foreground)

  • Motto Bartola

Purpose and meaning

March through plans of the German General Staff in 1940

The aim of the fortifications was to gain time in order to save forces in certain areas, to have a basis for mobile warfare and, if necessary, a refuge for the last resistance, as well as to provide protection for troops in topographically and climatically difficult conditions and to ensure fire support.

General Guisan mentioned the importance of the fortifications in his report on active service 1939–1945:

“ I am convinced that our fortifications played an important role in German plans from around 1943 onwards, and it is likely that they played a major role in preventing an attack on Switzerland. The expenses for the fortifications have therefore paid off well. "

- Henri Guisan

tasks

The members of the fortress troops should perform the following tasks in the event of an emergency:

Fortress artillery

  • Gunner operated the fortress guns . They also had factory security and combat training.
  • Surveyors helped the fire control officers (fire control center) and the firing commanders (observation posts).
  • Observers created artillery weather reports (artillery weather trains) so that it could be fired purely arithmetically (without shooting in).
  • Artillery transmitters created artillery connections in the position room and observation room. They also had plant security, combat and mountain training.
  • Weather soldiers provided the fire control officers with the necessary weather data such as wind strength and wind direction at different heights in order to hit the target without zeroing in.

Fortress infantry in artillery forts

  • Fusiliers monitored and secured and were used for counter-attacks.
  • Mitrailleurs / anti-tank gunners fought armored and infantry opponents and were used for counter attacks.
  • Mortar gunners fought enemy fire bases in the factory Conversely border and support the defense fight fortress infantry. They were also reserve troops for counter-attacks and blocking orders.

Plant security

  • Plant security soldiers were responsible for AC facilities, entry control, plant police, fire fighting and rescue services, and defense inside the plant.
  • Machinists operated the machines and ventilation systems and took measures in the event of nuclear and chemical attacks.
  • Factory transmission soldiers operated the factory connections in the factory.
  • Motor drivers took on transport tasks.

Anti-aircraft

  • Festungsflab protected the plant from air attacks and supported the external defense.

Work formations

The factory formations were used in infantry forts and bunkers at barriers and consisted of fortress infantry. In these formations in particular soldiers of the Landsturm from the mechanized units were assigned. Since they had the task of stopping the mechanized enemy at the barriers, the specialist knowledge from the division in the extract could be used further. The main difference now was that they were no longer mobile. Fighting the mechanized enemy was technically the same. With their bunkered weapons (machine guns, anti-tank cannons), they supported fixed combat troops.

Training and winter equipment

During the First World War, in addition to the mountain brigades, the crews of the fortresses Gotthard and St. Maurice were trained in the mountains. The equipment for the mountain troops was expanded during the occupation of the border, in addition to bandages, gloves and earmuffs, with 46 mountain kitchen fortons, 6,500 pairs of skis, 1,100 ice axes, 1,500 tent units, 1,500 snow goggles. The fortresses also received headlights, telephone equipment, 270 pairs of snow tires, 4,000 snow goggles, 850 tent units and 1,700 woolen blankets. For the first time, voluntary off-duty mountain training (ski courses, military patrol run by the Swiss Ski Association , preliminary gymnastics lessons from the Swiss Gymnastics Club , armed preliminary lessons from the Swiss Officers' Association ) was regulated.

During the Second World War, the units that had previously operated in the Central Plateau were trained to conduct warfare in the mountainous Reduit. There were major mountain maneuvers and numerous mountain courses and mountain competitions (division championships) of all kinds. The previous mandatory and voluntary mountain training was further promoted. In 1943 the Swiss Army organized the Patrouille des Glaciers for the first time . The training center in Magglingen in 1942 and the Federal Gymnastics and Sports School founded in 1944 .

The militia army could also rely on its own specialists for mountain training. For example, the fortress company on the Gotthard received summer and winter training from the troops' own trainers, such as mountain guides, tour guides and ski instructors. In the refresher course in 1968 , among other things, rappelling over rock faces was practiced under Private Max Eiselin , the former leader of the Dhaulagiri expedition in 1960.

  • Officer patrol at the Suretta glacier

  • Climbing on the ridge

  • Finish patrol run

  • Start of the Patrouille des Glaciers

Formation of the fortress troops

With the central position around Fort Andermatt , the Rhone, Rhine and Ticino valleys should be dominated. The blocking of the roads that crossed there enabled the fortress troops to proceed offensively over the Furkapass , Oberalppass or Gotthardpass , for which these passes had to be paved.

The fortifications at Airolo were supposed to protect the Flüelen-Bellinzona line of operations, both road and rail, against an interruption from the Bedretto valley and the San Giacomo pass .

With a Federal Council resolution of March 1, 1892, the troops for the security crew on the Gotthard were determined: staff, 2 infantry battalions extract, 7 infantry battalions Landwehr, 2 fortress companies and 1 artillery division as well as other units. In 1894 all facilities could be handed over to the troops and the Gotthard fortress was roughly formed.

With the Federal Council resolution of July 13, 1894, the fortress troops of St. Maurice were determined.

St. Gotthard fortification

The first large association in the area of ​​the later fortress brigade 23 (Troop Order 51) was the so-called St. Gotthard fortification, which was later renamed the St. Gotthard fortress crew and then the Gotthard crew.

With the troop order of 1911, the fortress garrison on the Gotthard received the following structure: staff, 1 fortress infantry battalion extract, 7 fortress infantry battalions Landwehr, 2 fortress mitrailleur detachments, 3 fortress artillery detachments and other units.

First World War

The existing facilities were continuously modernized and partially expanded up to the First World War, and infantry facilities, artillery positions and troop accommodation were built.

The task of the Gotthard crew and the Simplon border detachment was to protect the Gotthard and Simplon railway lines, to block the pass crossings Oberalp, Gotthard, Furka and Simplon and to guard the border from the Simplon Pass to San Bernardino with the border detachment of Southern Ticino, which was temporarily under their control.

For the Chief of the Army General Staff Theophil Sprecher von Bernegg , the course of the war had confirmed the importance of the fortresses.

  • Forte Airolo: Fahrpanzer

  • Gondo rock barracks

  • Gondo plant

  • Magadino flanking gallery

Interwar period

Due to the euphoria for peace after the First World War, the fortresses were only poorly maintained. Due to the worsening political situation in the 1930s, two small tank works and systems were built on the San Giacomo Pass in 1939.

The troop order 38 led to a strong increase in the mountain troops . Three complete mountain army units (mountain divisions 3 Bern Alps, 8 Central Switzerland, 9 Upper Valais (Geb Br 12) and Gotthard (Geb Br 9)) as well as three independent mountain brigades (10 Lower Valais, 11 Simplon Brigade, 12 Graubünden) were created.

Gotthard crew

The troop order in 1924 divided the St. Gotthard garrison as follows: Staff and 3 front staff, 1 mountain infantry battalion excerpt, 5 mountain infantry battalions Landwehr, 2 mountain mitrailleur divisions, 7 artillery divisions, 3 fortress artillery divisions and other units.

The 1936 troop order brought the Gotthard fortress troops into the 9th Division as mountain brigade 9 : Staff, 3 front staff, 3 mountain fusilier battalions, 2 mountain fusilier battalions Landwehr, 3 mountain border fusilier battalions, 2 artillery battalions, 5 mountain battalions and 2 mountain divisions further units. The former garrison of St. Maurice became Mountain Brigade 10.

Second World War

Shortly before the Second World War, new fortresses were built in the Swiss border area. Until the capitulation of France, the fortifications concentrated on the border zones ( artillery works Rüdlingen , fortress Ebersberg , Heldsberg ), Sargans , northern Jura with fortification Hauenstein as well as Saint-Maurice and the Limmat position .

After the outbreak of the Second World War, the bulk of the army moved on 4 October 1939, the Limmat position and began to fix this ( Fortress Dietikon , Fortress Uetliberg ).

The Rütli report with the plan to move into the new army position in the Reduit triggered a feverish fortress building and logistics activity there (supplies for the troops and the local population for six months, etc.). Larger fortifications were built in the rooms of the later fortress brigades 10 (St. Maurice: Dailly , Cindey ), 13 (Sargans: Furkels , Kastels , Magletsch , Tschingel ), 23 (Gotthard), the later Reduit Brigades 21 (Thunersee: Aeschiried , Burg , Faulensee , Heustrich , Hondrich , Krattigen , Mülenen , Schmockenfluh , Legi ), 24 (Stans: Mueterschwanderberg , Kilchlidossen , Wissiflue , Klein-Durren , Mühlefluh , Fürigen ).

For General Guisan, the three large fortresses (Gotthard, Sargans, St. Maurice) within the central space position became the most important pillars of the overall Reduit plan, between which others could be built. The Gotthard formed the core (citadel) of the strongest and last resistance and the central command post for the Alpine crossings, over which control had to be maintained.

Mountain Brigade 9

With the mobilization at the beginning of September 1939, the 9th Mountain Brigade (later fortress brigade 23) moved into the old, partially modernized forts. Due to the Reduit order, two large armored turrets ( Gütsch , San Carlo ) and two large casemates ( Sasso fortress da Pigna , Grimsel ) and smaller plants ( Foppa Grande , Isleten , Fuchsegg Fortress ) were rebuilt by the end of 1943.

The order of the 9th Mountain Brigade and the 9th Division was to hold the Gotthard with its heavyweight in the Bedretto-Airolo section by securing Val Bedretto, Airolo, upper Leventina, Val Piora and the Lukmanier Pass with forward forces, the Galenstock-Muttenhörner line. Passo di Lucendro -Fort Airolo-Piz Borel-Scopi holds as the main line of defense .

Fortress Guard Corps

The Fortress Guard Corps (FWK) was created in 1942 to support the militia fortress troops. It took over the facilities and the tasks of the old fort administration (1890) and the border guards. As a professional corps, it is responsible for guarding and maintaining the permanent fortifications as well as operating the built-in technical systems, stored ammunition, food and supplies of all kinds.

  • Fürigen: dining room

  • Furggels: kitchen

  • Furggels: crew accommodation

  • Mühlefluh Vitznau: doctor's room

Cold War

Information board : Soviet general staff map from 1988 with object characteristics (in the red rectangle) for the Rüdlingen bridge (building material: ЖБ [= Железобетон / reinforced concrete], bridge length: 110 m, lane width: 5 m, load-bearing capacity: 30 t) at the fortress Ebersberg

After the Second World War, the old forts were shut down and smaller facilities were re-armored. The Cold War meant that the army was modernized and its deployment was primarily intended for the Swiss Plateau.

With Troop Order 47 (TO 47) the Reduit Brigades 21 (Bernese Oberland), 22 (Ob- and Nidwalden, Oberhasli), and 24 (Central Switzerland) were created, the previous Mountain Brigade 9 became Reduit Brigade 23. They each had a fortress artillery regiment.

Troop order 51 (TO 51) created Fortress Brigades 10 (St-Maurice), 13 (Sargans) and the previous Reduit Brigade 23 was renamed Fortress Brigade 23 (Gotthard). The fortress troops of the border brigades were responsible for the fortifications near the border.

Army 61

With Army Reform 61 (TO 61) , the three fortress brigades and three reduit brigades were subordinated to the newly created Mountain Army Corps 3.

The structure and strength of the fortress troops in TO 61 (status 1994) were as follows:

Fortress Brigade 23

After renaming the fortress garrison St. Gotthard and later Gotthard garrison, the association with the TO 47 (1948–1951) became the Reduit Brigade 23. In addition to the Reduit Brigade 23, the most important associations were the Fortress Artillery Regiment 23, the Infantry Regiment 65 and Territorial Regiment 81.

With TO 51, Reduit Brigade 23 was renamed Fortress Brigade 23. In addition to Fortress Regiment 23, it comprised infantry regiments 81 and 87 and fusilier battalions 87 and 108. With Army 61, infantry regiment 69 and anti-aircraft defense (Flab) were added.

The Army 61 divided the fortress brigade 23 as follows: Staff, 2 mountain fusilier battalions, 7 fusilier battalions Landwehr, 4 fortress departments, 2 anti-aircraft detachments; 1 genius department and other units. With the gradual introduction of 8.1 cm and 12 cm fortress mine launchers, it brought an increase in firepower again. Their task was to block the access to the alpine passes, to hold the narrow brigade room and to protect its facilities.

Reorganization of the fortress troops in 1978

The lack of unity of responsibility (infantry, genius and fortresses, artillery) as well as the different service rhythm of the army classes (exodus, Landwehr, Landsturm) led to the subordination of the training and equipment of the fortress troops to the genius and fortress troops as well as a uniform 2-year cycle for the military services.

The fortress formations in the artillery towns included the fortress artillery (gunners, surveyors, observers), the artillery transmission, the fortress infantry (fusiliers, mitrailleurs / anti-tank gunners, mine throwers gunners), the works security (works security soldiers, machinists, works transmission), the motorized gunmen and the fortress gunmen ). The main task of the fortress formations was to support the combat units with artillery fire.

The works formations in the infantry forts and bunkers included the fortress infantry, works security and motorists. With their bunkered weapons they formed a reinforcement of the fixed combat troops.

  • Furggels: diesel generators

  • Fürigen: radio room

  • Furggels: ascent to the tank turret

  • Furggels: fortress corridor

Army 95

The collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 brought the end of the Cold War. The ensuing relaxation was the reason for the army reform 95 , which brought about a reduction in army stocks and the closure of fortresses. On the Gotthard, the four tank tower plants were shut down in 1994 and the two casemate plants in 1999. In their place, the 12 cm fortress mine launcher and the 15.5 cm fortress cannon 93 L52 BISON in monoblocks were supposed to ensure the support fire. The fortress artillery was combined in the fortress artillery department 6, the infantry was reduced. Instead of the area-covering defense, the brigades now had to lead a dynamic area defense.

  • Furggels: 15 cm fortress cannon

  • Notches for 15.5 cm fortress cannon 93 L52 BISON

Fortress Brigades

The three fortress brigades were retained as space-bound associations. They should keep the strategically important Alpine transversals open, in good condition and protect them.

The brigade comprised: headquarters, 1 fortress brigade staff battalion, 1 mountain infantry battalion, 5 mountain fusilier battalions, 1 howitzer division, 1 light anti-aircraft division, 1 fortress engineer battalion and 1 fortress artillery division.

During his visit to Switzerland, the then American Chief of Staff Colin Powell underlined the importance of a credibly defensible Switzerland, especially so that there would be no security vacuum over the strategically important Alpine transversal routes.

Army XXI

Memorial Stone Mountain Army Corps 3 on Gotthardsaumweg

The reorganization of Army XXI led to a significant reduction in stocks in 2003. The Mountain Army Corps and the large units in the Gotthard area, Mountain Division 9 and Fortress Brigade 23, were canceled. The task of defending the Gotthard axis was assigned to the newly formed Mountain Infantry Brigade 9 (Br fant mont 9).

The fortress artillery was abandoned as a combat weapon in 2011 after its combat value had significantly decreased due to increasingly powerful distance weapons, the increasingly difficult secrecy of positions and the civil overbuilding of effective areas. The remaining artillery fortresses were shut down, but the 12 cm mortar and BISON positions were in a state that would allow for subsequent reactivation.

literature

  • Matthias Halter u. a .: On a high bastion. History and stories of the Gotthard Brigade . Aktiv Verlag, Stans, 2003
  • Fabrizio Viscontini: Fort Airolo as part of the Gotthard fortress . Vogt AG printing company, Siebnen.
  • Hans Rapold: The hospice facility on the St. Gotthard . Meier + Cie AG, Schaffhausen, 1994.
  • Hansjakob Burkhardt: San Carlo artillery plant . Fischerdörfli Verlag, Meggen, 2003.
  • Hansjakob Burkhardt: Gotthard Fortress - Fortificazione del San Gottardo. Foppa Grande . DDPS armasuisse. Koller prints and copies, May 2004.
  • Hans Rodolf Fuhrer: Military history to touch booklet 9 Suworow and booklet 21 Réduit I
  • Peter Ziegler: 100 years of the Gotthard fortress 1885-1985 . Fortress Brigade 23, Andermatt, 1986
  • Werner Rutschmann: Gotthard fortification. Planning and construction 1885-1914 . Publishing house NZZ, Zurich 1994
  • Werner Rutschmann: Fortified Ticino. Castles, jumps, works, stands . Publishing house NZZ, Zurich 1994
  • Werner Rutschmann: The fortification of Andermatt and its initiator Colonel Professor Dr. Ferdinand Affolter . Fortress Brigade 23, Andermatt, 2000
  • A. Grossert, H. Gut, P. Ziegler: Above the fog. From the history of the fortress regiment 23 1948-1994 . Neue Kirschgarten AG, Basel, 1995

Web links

Commons : Fortresses Switzerland  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Heinrich Wirz: 100 Years of Mountain Army Corps 3 (1892-1992) . In: Schweizer Soldat , No. 6, 1992
  2. ^ Ordinance on voluntary military pre-instruction for young people from 1909
  3. ↑ Message from the Federal Council to the Federal Assembly on the replacement of guns for the mobile fortress artillery dated February 6, 1912
  4. ↑ Fortress Oberland: Fortress Brigade 23 ( Memento of the original from August 20, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.festung-oberland.ch
  5. ↑ General Guisan 1946 in his report to the Federal Assembly
  6. ^ Fortress Oberland: Festungswachtkorps ( Memento from October 31, 2014 in the Internet Archive )
  7. ↑ Gebirgsinfanteriebrigade 9 ( Memento of the original from February 26, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.he.admin.ch