Lock point Mülenen

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Suldschlucht A 1975 infantry plant

Mülenen barrier: yellow = infantry, pink = artillery

The Mülenen barrier was a defensive position for the Swiss Army . It is located in the village of Mülenen on the Lötschberg line in the Kandertal in the Bernese Oberland . The barrier was built in 1941/42 and belonged to the operational area of the 3rd Division and, from 1947, of the Reduit Brigade 21 . It is considered a military historical monument of regional importance.

history

medieval letzi

Suldbach as a lined tank ditch

In the 13th century, the access to the Kandertal was fortified with a castle and a Letzimauer . The impetus for the construction of the plant 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 The 3rd Division (Bern Division) was withdrawn from the Limmat position and moved from the Fricktal to the new operational area on both sides of Lake Thun.

The Mülenen blocking point served as the third line to block the Kandertal and the Lötschberg line. Behind the barrier were important supply facilities for the Swiss Army such as the army pharmacy in Kandersteg, ammunition and food stores, the war command post of the 3rd Division in Kien, the command post of the 1st Army Corps and, from 1947, the Reduit Brigade 21 in Frutigen.

The terrain armor obstacle (GPH) consisted of a six-row hump barrier , street barricades, walls and prepared blasting or flooding. The Suldbach , which was straightened in 1867 , was expanded as a tank barrier to a concrete tub 14.5 meters wide and 3.5 meters deep. On the enemy side there were infantry obstacles, mines and booby traps. A six-row hump barrier (Tobleron pyramids) and barbed wire barriers were built on the bank into the valley, the passages of which could be barricaded for local traffic with pieces of railroad tracks (plug-in barricades) in concrete brackets. Blasting chambers were prepared to interrupt the Lötschbergbahn by immediately destroying the tracks and were loaded by a mine detachment of the blocking troops. The passage under the railway line would have been blocked with a local flood.

The terrain armored obstacle was created by the Suldschlucht infantry plant (army designation A 1975), the Niesen / Kander infantry bunker as a counter-work (A 1978), the Bergfuss infantry bunker (A 1976) and the central ruined infantry bunker (A 1977) on the former castle hill (today in Chalet- Integrated new building). The infantry work was a rock work armed with a 7.5 cm bunker cannon, 2 machine guns and an infantry cannon and had space for a train of occupiers. The Kander / Niesen infantry bunker was armed with infantry and anti-tank guns and had half-platoon accommodation behind the fighting post. His weapons were aimed at the hump lock and the notch front of the Suldschlucht infantry factory.

Suldschlucht Infantry Plant A 1975 ⊙46.638419 7.69886
Bergfuss A 1976 infantry bunker ⊙46.637753 7.695004
Infantry bunker ruin A 1977 ⊙46.637755 7.693959
Infantry bunker Kander / Niesen A 1978 ⊙46.639115 7.689133

Bergfuss A Infantry Bunker 1976
Infantry bunker ruin A 1977
Infantry bunker Kander / Niesen A 1978

Artillery position in Mülenen

The Mülenen artillery position (army designation “Mühle” A 1970–1972 / “Mühle AG” A 1973) is located on the edge of the forest in the Schützenweid, directly at the Mülenen barrier. The position belonged to the operational area of the 3rd Division and from 1947 to the Reduit Brigade 21. The position was handed over to the troops in 1942 and was no longer used from 1947.

By order of March 1941, the 3rd Division formed the division artillery groups (Div Art Gr) I on the right and II on the left bank of Lake Thun. The firing positions of Division Artillery Group II were in the Faulensee-Krattigen-Reichenbach-Aeschi-Hondrich area. The command post Heinrich (KP Heinrich) was the central fire coordination / fire control center with command and observation posts for the artillery works around Lake Thun.

In 1941 the loan application for the artillery position "Mühle" was approved by the 3rd Division. Concrete positions for a mobile 10.5 cm battery as extensive artillery support were built at the Mülenen barrier. Immediately on the edge of the forest behind the Suldbach, which was concreted out as a tank barrier, three light shelters were used as artillery shields (A 1970–1972) and in front of the barrier a bunker disguised as a barn for the directional / command / work gun (A 1973, now privately used and converted). The guns could be retracted from behind through the wooden gates. For this purpose, a shelter cavern (A 1974) for crew and ammunition was built on the slope behind the signs.

The armouring consisted of four mobile 10.5 cm cannons 35 on field mounts , one of them as a lead gun.

The observation post belonging to the battery was on the Niesen slope (Huttenweid, point 1156). The system was operated from 1941 by the heavy motor cannon battery (Sch Mot Kan Bttr) 105 of the heavy motor cannon department 3. From 1947 the artillery position was no longer used.

Splinter protection shield Artillery A 1970 ⊙46.638202 7.695228
Splinter protection shield Artillery A 1971 ⊙46.638237 7.695803
Splinter protection shield Artillery A 1972 ⊙46.638236 7.696182
Artillery bunker «Milchpintli» A 1973, work gun ⊙46.640349 7.692404
Ammunition shelter / cavern A 1974 ⊙46.638066 7.69592
Battery observation post, not implemented or only implemented in the field ⊙46.65446 7.663991

Artillery shield A 1970
Artillery shield A 1971
Artillery shield A 1972
Artillery shield "Milchpintli" A 1973
Plug-in barricade at the train station

Ammunition magazine B 0844 ⊙46.640316 7.706914
Ammunition magazine B 0847 ⊙46.638732 7.703445
Ammunition magazine B 0846 ⊙46.639511 7.704873
Ammunition magazine B 0848 ⊙46.63985 7.706429
Nomad house B 8585 ⊙46.638251 7.697644
Underground ammunition magazine AXXXX ⊙46.637567 7.701598

The Swiss Army (armasuisse) wants to demolish the three artillery shields (A 1970, 1971, 1972), four ammunition storage buildings in the Suldgraben and the barricade depot "Nomadenhaus" (November 2015), which means that another piece of Reduit will disappear.

Artillery position Heustrich

With the four artillery shields Heustrich (army designation "Strick" A 1960–1963), permanent bunkered positions were created for the mobile artillery. The system was operated by the heavy motor cannon battery (Sch Mot Kan Bttr) 106 of Artillery Department 3 of the 3rd Division, which had its command post in KP Heinrich .

The four gun bunkers with two shelters (A 1964, A 1965) are located at the foot of the Niesen in front of the Heustrich-Emdtal train station, which has now been demolished . Construction began in July 1942. To do this, the road from Heustrich to Mülenen had to be lengthened 200 meters and the bridge reinforced. In June 1944 the bunkered position was handed over to the troops. The armament consisted of four 10.5 cm cannons on field mounts, which could only be used artillery in these positions.