Heiligenschwendi closure point

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Heiligenschwendi barrier: Multenegg barrier group

The Heiligenschwendi barrier was a border fortification of the Swiss army at the former entrance to the Reduite . It is located in the municipality of Heiligenschwendi and was part of the northern barricade of the Swiss Army in the central area of ​​the Bernese Oberland . It belonged to the operational area of ​​the 3rd Division and from 1947 of the Reduit Brigade 21 . The definitive blocking point was completed in March 1942.

The blocking point was decommissioned in 1994 with the dissolution of the Reduit Brigade 21. It is considered a military historical monument of national importance and was opened to the public in 2014.

history

The impetus for the construction of the lock point was given by the new army position in the Reduit ordered by General Guisan (Operation Orders No. 11, 12, 13). The 3rd Division (Bern Division) was withdrawn from the Limmat position and deployed from the Fricktal to the new operational area as "Gruppe Thunersee" on both sides of the Thunersee. The Mountain Infantry Regiment 16 (Inf Rgt 16, "Gruppe Zulggraben") and its battalions (Geb Füs Bat 37, 38, 39 ) had to defend the area behind the Zulggraben (central area front border), which encompassed the large area of ​​ten communities.

In March 1941, the commander of the 3rd Division divided the Thunersee group into the Grünenberg, Sigriswilgrat, Kander, Gantrisch and Seegruppe groups. With the operation order No. 12, the northern locking bar of the Reduit was moved back from the Zulggraben to the Sigriswilgrat by January 1941 and Inf Rgt 16 was renamed "Gruppe Sigriswilgrat".

The Heiligenschwendi barriers were recognized in August 1940 by the command of the 3rd Division with the command of the Mountain Infantry Regiment 16 (Zulggraben Group) and the Mountain Sappar Battalion 3. The provisional roadblocks and field positions were created by the troops. In January 1941, the barriers were finally established and the ten infantry bunkers (fire stands) and the tank obstacles were built in concrete by private construction companies. The completed barrier was handed over to the Heiligenschwendi local defense in March 1942 .

The extensive Heiligenschwendi barrier includes the following groups of works:

Aspiwald, Buchholz, Monument Passage, Halt, In der Gasse, Kohleren, Mehlbaumen, Multenegg, Pressern, Stalden, Trachtwege . Its continuation was the Eichbühl locking point ( Eichbühl boat harbor, Hünibach) down on the right bank of Lake Thun.

  • Infantry bunker A 1914 Multenegg II ⊙
  • Infantry bunker A 1915 Multenegg III ⊙
  • Infantry bunker A 1916 Multenegg IV ⊙
  • Infantry bunker A 1917 Multenegg V ⊙

Reinforced areas where the terrain offered too few obstacles. The groups each consisted of an anti-tank obstacle (GPH) with associated tank barricades on streets and paths as well as anti-tank posts (bunkers) and signs.

While the first armored terrain obstacles still consisted of rammed wooden stakes, the next generation (for example, the Einigen barrier ) was mainly made of concrete structures.

Blocking group "In der Gasse"

Blocking group in the alley

This restricted group consisted of the hump obstacle (GPH T 1151), a tank wall and the two infantry bunkers (army designation A 1918, A 1919) as well as three small infantry cannon (Ik) signs (A 1911-13) for mobile weapons. Construction was finished in December 1941. In March 1942 the barrier was handed over to the Heiligenschwendi local defense. Their tasks included operating and maintaining the tank barriers so that the plug-in barricade stands could be inserted into the prepared shafts of the road barriers at any time and immediately.

The infantry bunker A 1919, camouflaged as a small stable, was a heavyweight with a wall thickness of around two meters. The fighting compartment had three slots for machine gun, observer and tank cannon (anti-tank gun). The armament in the Cold War consisted of a fortress machine gun (Mg 51/80) with a saddle carriage and a 9 cm anti-tank gun (Pak 50) with a pivot carriage.

The notch covers were camouflaged as stable windows. The factory defense consisted of the notch of the entrance defense and a hand grenade ejection for close defense. The crew quarters were located in the basement and could be reached through the climbing hole with an iron ladder. There were eight bunks for the crew of twelve men. Telephone connections and, during the Cold War, a radio connection were set up for transmission. The telephone connection center (pioneer center, army telephone, line construction equipment) for the Heiligenschwendi barrier was in bunker A 1919. There was a 100 liter water tank but no toilet. There was a collective room protection system (KRS) in the accommodation room, which could be operated by hand with a fan. The combat stand was equipped with connection points for collective mask protection (MKS).

In Army 61 , various troops were deployed in the area of ​​the restricted group "In der Gassen": In the 1950s the Fusilier Battalion 137, in the 1960s Battalion 151. From 1951, Werkkompanie 9 (Wk Kp 9, up to 250 men) provided the crews the infantry bunkers and caverns on the right bank of Lake Thun and were placed under the command of the relevant section troops.

  • Infantry cannon shield A 1911 In Gasse III ⊙
  • Infantry cannon shield A 1912 In Gasse Iia ⊙
  • Infantry cannon shield A 1913 In Gasse Ia ⊙
  • Infantry bunker A 1918 in Gasse I ⊙
  • Infantry bunker A 1919 In Gasse II ⊙

today

The municipality of Heiligenschwendi is one of the first municipalities in Switzerland to put the historic buildings from the Second World War under protection and thus save them from demolition. The Infantry Fortress Bernese Oberland Association, founded in 2009, wants to preserve as many blocked points as possible as historical cultural assets for posterity and open them for guided tours. The bunkers are largely in their original condition, as they were equipped at the end of the Cold War.

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Hans-Rudolf Schoch: The lock point Heiligenschwendi. The extensive restricted area - especially the restricted group «In der Gassen». Association of Infantry Fortress Bernese Oberland, 2012/2014
  2. ↑ Thunerseebote from November 2012: The Heiligenschwendi barrier
  3. ^ HS publications: publishing house for publications on Swiss fortifications, bunkers and fortresses, Frutigen

Coordinates: 46 ° 45 '10.2 "  N , 7 ° 41' 20"  E ; CH1903:  619,120  /  177990