Lock point Sihlsee
Map with all coordinates: 
The Sihlsee barrier was a defensive position for the Swiss Army . It consists of the three partial barriers Einsiedeln- Horgenberg (Army designation no. 2406), Schlagberg ( Egg SZ ) and Ruestel / Steinach Euthal (no. 2430). They are located along the Sihlsee at the Reduite entrance to the Schwyz basin in the canton of Schwyz .
The blocking point was built in 1943, belonged to the operational area of the 7th Division , from 1947 to the Reduit Brigade 24 and was closed in 1994.
history
During the Second World War , the new army position in the Reduit ordered by General Guisan (Operation Orders No. 11, 12, 13) gave the impetus for the construction of the lock point.
At the beginning of 1940 the Swiss Army was partially restructured and a 4th Army Corps was created. The 7th Division, subordinate to the 4th Army Corps, moved into Linth position in September 1939 with infantry regiments 31, 33, 34, and 85. The Lin plain was the target of mechanized units and / or airborne troops in most of the German operational plans .
With the new operational order of the 4th Army Corps of January 1941, the 7th Division's dispositiv was adapted from a linear defensive battle to a deeply staggered defensive battle (from the Linth level), in which the front was regrouped and moved back to the Rinderweidhorn-Stliköckreuz-Etzel ridge: the primary ones were To block access to the Wägital and Sihlsee area and to fortify the heights east of the Etzel up to the Wägitaler Aa. The new combat groups "Bataillon Linth" (blocked position behind the Linth, Linthstauanlagen), "Pfiffegg" (access to Wägital), "Oberegg" (access to the Sihlsee area), "Etzel" (Etzel crossing) were formed, and the 34th Infantry Regiment was designated as a division reserve. The artillery (field artillery departments 19 and 21) was in the Sihlsee area.
The 7th Division deployed in the Etzel and Sihlsee area established the Etzelpass and Ragenau-Büel barriers as a priority in 1941/42 . The Schlagberg, Dam and Einsiedeln-Horgenberg barriers were built in second priority in 1942/43 , and finally the Sihlsee barrier (Euthal) and the Alpthal-Schnüerlimatt barrier as third priority .
Within the 7th Division's disposition, the three blocking points on the Sihlsee behind the Schindellegi blocking point and the Schwantenau base (Einsiedeln) had the task of using mechanized means and infantry to prevent the enemy from breaking through from the Lake Zurich area across the Sihl in the direction of Central Switzerland.
Partial closure Einsiedeln-Horgenberg
The Horgenberg barrier near Einsiedeln (No. 2406) had to stop an attacker who had broken through at the Etzel barrier and / or the Schindellegi barrier near Biberbrugg and to prevent an attack in the direction of Ibergeregg and Alptal.
A two-row anti-tank obstacle made of BBB humps ( office for fortifications ) was protected by three bunkers with machine guns (Mg) and anti-tank cannons (Pak). The barrier was built in 1943 and was in the area of activity of the field artillery of the 6th and 7th Divisions and was held by troops of the Füs Bat 84 (7th Division).
- Shelter KP Infantry Regiment Klosterwald (later Füs Bat 184) A 7030 ⊙
- Rappennest infantry bunker A 7031 (dismantled)
- Infantry bunker Horgenberg A 7032, Pak and Mg ⊙
- Infantry bunker Hüendermattdamm A 7033, Pak and Mg ⊙
- GPH Horgenberg-Einsiedeln T 3618, double-row tank obstacle ⊙
- Barricades T 3618.01 – T 3618.04
- Barricade Horgenberg T 3618.05
- Barricade Hühnermattdamm T 3618.06
- Barricade Rappennest Strasse T 3619
- Barricade Rappennest-SOB T 3620
Infantry bunker Hüendermattdamm A 7033
GPH T 3618 with Horgenberg A 7032 infantry bunker in the background
Infantry bunker Horgenberg A 7032
GPH Horgenberg-Einsiedeln T 3618
Partial closure Schlagberg (Schlapprig)
The Schlagberg lock had the task of preventing an advance from Etzel towards Sihlsee-Ibergeregg and Rothenturm. The two bunkers built in 1941 were originally equipped with a 24 mm anti-tank attachment cannon (later Mg) and an ob / lmg each. They were two-story, with the fighting room at the top and the accommodation below.
The Schlagberg barrier included two infantry bunkers and three shelters:
- Infantry bunker Schlagberg West A 7080 ⊙
- Infantry bunker Schlagberg Ost A 7081 ⊙
- Shelter (switchboard Kniewegbach) A 7082
- Shelter (telephone switchboard Brandegg) A 7083
- Shelter (Halti switchboard) A 7084
- Two-row armored terrain obstacle T 3616 (dismantled)
Partial closure of the dam and Sulzthal
- Infantry bunker Dam keeper's house A 7078 ⊙
- Infantry bunker at Dam Lake A 7079 ⊙
- Shelter Sulzthal-Süd A 7064 ⊙
- Shelter Sulzthal-Süd A 7065 ⊙
- Shelter Sulzthal-Nord A 7070 ⊙
- Shelter Sulzthal-Nord A 7071 ⊙
Infantry bunker Dam keeper's house A 7078
Infantry bunker Dam-See A 7079
Bunkers A 7078 and A 7079 from the dam
Partial barrier Sihlsee (Euthal)
The three blocking points at the Sihlsee were supposed to stop an opponent who broke through at Einsiedeln-Horgenberg and / or at Schlagberg (Egg) at Rüstel / Steinach (Euthal) and prevent an advance in the direction of Ibergeregg and Schwyz. The arms of the infantry works had to fire on the road and the lake on the opposite side of the lake. It was completed in 1943 as the third barrier and served the defense system of the Reduit Brigade 24 until 1994.
The Sihlsee barrier (army designation No. 2430) included two infantry units, two infantry bunkers and two shelters:
Steinbach infantry factory
- Infantry factory Steinbach A 7010 ⊙ : The rock consisted of two caverns with a kitchen and sanitary facilities. It served as accommodation for the heavy motor battery 113 and as a department fire control center and command post for the heavy cannon department 7.
- External bunker Steinbach A 7009 with 24 mm tank bunker cannon, later Mg 51 (dismantled in 2015 due to road widening?) ⊙
- Shelter A 7005 ⊙
- Shelter A 7006 ⊙
- Road block T 3622 (canceled) ⊙
- Road block T 3623 (canceled) ⊙
IW Steinbach, entrance
IW Steinbach
IW Steinbach on the Einsiedeln – Euthal road
IW Steinbach: Scharten Pak-Ob-Mg
Infantry factory Ruestel / Rüstel
- Infantry plant Ruestel A 7008 ⊙ : The rock works has accommodation, telephone switchboard, kitchen, radio room, ammunition magazine, mg stand, observer stand, anti-tank stand, toilet and entrance area. Concrete trenches are located above the plant as a permanent weapon position with shelter and observer. The armament consisted of a 4.7 cm anti-tank gun 41 and Mg 11, Lmg 25 (1943–1955), later 9 cm anti-tank gun 50/57 , Mg 51 and Sturmgewehr 57 (1955–1994).
- External bunker Ruestel See A 7007 (dismantled in 2011) ⊙ : The external bunker Ruestel See A 7007, together with the infantry systems on the cover (concreted trenches and rifle stations), had the task of securing the Ruestel plant outside and the Willerzell – Euthal road in the bridge area. The armament consisted of a 24 mm tank bunker cannon 38/41 and Lmg 25 (1943–1960), later with Mg 51 and Sturmgewehr 57 (1960–1994).
- Roadblocks T 3624 (canceled) ⊙
IW Ruestel, entrance
IW Ruestel: Scharten Mg-Ob-Pak
IW Ruestel: Trench with shelter
IW Ruestel
Military historical associations
The Schwyzer Festungswerke foundation owns military-historical installations in the former operations room of the 7th Division, which they make accessible to the public with open days and guided tours. It acquired the Ruestel and Ruestel See facilities in 2001, whereby the Ruestel See infantry bunker had to give way to the new Steinbach Viaduct in 2011.
Web links
- Fortress Switzerland: Reduitbrigade 24, Sperrstelle Sihlsee, infantry works A 7008 Ruestel and A 7010 Steinbach
- Fortress Switzerland: Steinbach blocking point
- Bunker friends: Ruestel and Steinbach facilities
- Schwyz Fortifications: Fortifications Sihlsee Flyer
Individual evidence
- ^ Limmat position of the 4th Army Corps ( Memento from December 5, 2015 in the Internet Archive )
- ^ Valentin Kessler: The fortifications in the canton of Schwyz . Reprint from the communications of the Historical Association of the Canton Schwyz , issue 95, 2003
- ↑ Oberland Fortress: Lock point Einsiedeln-Horgenberg ( Memento from March 16, 2016 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ Fortress Oberland: Lock point Sihlsee SZ ( Memento from March 16, 2016 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ Schwyz fortifications: Sihlsee barrier
Coordinates: 47 ° 9 '17.3 " N , 8 ° 46' 52.6" E ; CH1903: 701818 / 223517