Standard construction
Regelbau describes a standardized bunker structure of the West Wall and the Atlantic Wall . The aim of standardizing the structures was to achieve several things:
- Tried and tested designs in bunker construction should be adhered to
- Simplified production of large numbers of z. B. Armouring and ventilation parts and simplified ordering from the manufacturing industry
- Simplified exploration of construction sites in terms of strategic location
- Facilitation of construction work
- Easier material supply to the construction site
Scope of standardization
The army command began as early as 1933 with the publication of the "Regulations for the construction of permanent fortifications" (B. st. B.). In addition to general regulations, very specific regulations on the armor parts (P-parts) and ventilation parts (ML-parts) to be used were issued. The most important aspect of the standardization was the degree of expansion. Extension thickness describes the wall and ceiling thickness of the structure. In the four years that the west wall was built, changes were made to the lists of parts to be used. The reason was a constantly developing weapon technology as well as the availability of armor parts and raw materials (steel) in general.
Extension thicknesses (wall and ceiling thickness):
- A = 3.5 meters
- A1 = 2.5 meters
- B new = 2.0 meters
- B old = 1.5 meters
- B 1 = 1.0 meter
- C = 0.6 meters
- D = 0.3 meters
Development of standard buildings from 1936 to 1940
After the occupation of the areas on the left bank of the Rhine, the fortress pioneers were able to fall back on some experience in building bunkers when construction began on the West Wall in 1936. In compliance with the Versailles treaties , the Wetterau-Main-Tauber position and the Neckar-Enz position were established before 1936 . When the construction of the west wall began in 1936, the building types that had been implemented in the two previous positions were first used. From the plans already in place, the fortress pioneers quickly developed improved structures, which were implemented from 1937. This construction program was then also called the Pioneer Construction Program and was characterized by buildings in the B1 level. Since the expansion strength of the completed structures was soon considered to be too weak and there was a large and therefore confusing number of standard structures, new standard structures were developed and implemented from 1938 onwards. These buildings were characterized above all by a simplification and reduction of the standard building types. The construction program was named Limes program . Another new feature was that the fortress pioneers were no longer entrusted with the construction work, but the Todt Organization (OT), which assured Hitler the number of structures he wanted. The plans for the Limes program did not yet include the cities of Aachen and Saarbrücken. So they were in front of the fortification line. That was to change in 1939 with the Aachen-Saar program. For the building program from 1939, new standard building types were designed and the expansion strengths increased. Now only structures in B and A should be built. With the outbreak of World War II on September 1, 1939, the priorities for the construction of the Siegfried Line also changed. A renewed shortage of raw materials led to a new development of standard buildings, the so-called standard war buildings . After the "lush" standard buildings of the Aachen-Saar program, standard buildings dominated in the last building program, which suffered from massive austerity constraints. There were no longer any observation bells or flanking systems and the rooms became smaller.
literature
- Dieter Bettinger, Martin Büren: The West Wall. The history of the German western fortifications in the Third Reich . Volume 2: The technical execution of the west wall . Biblio Verlag, Osnabrück 1990, ISBN 3-7648-1458-6 .
- Harry Lippmann (Ed.): The standard buildings of the Army in the Atlantic Wall , Cologne 1986, ( IBA information special issue 10, ZDB -ID 57998-1 ).
- Rudi Rolf: The Atlantic Wall. String of pearls made of reinforced concrete . AMA-Verlag, Beetsterzwaag 1983, ISBN 90-6474-025-9 .
