MRU bunker PzW724 Poland - April 2015

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Newage

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Right.

Here we go, time to stop faffing about with small bananas.

This is what the Subbrit boys and girls had come to see, it`s called the MRU which translates in to polish as "Międzyrzecz Fortification Region", it was built by the German army and slave
labour between 1934-1938 and it`s big, let me just say that again.

It`s F****** Massive.

Each block house has artillary and machine gun positions set in massive steel cupolas, there are also mortar launchers and some had vertical high pressure flame throwers.
This was all built in to massive concrete emplacements, inside feature steel blast doors and blast over pressure valves, but that`s not the big bit, there are about 36 of these block house
bunkers and they are all linked via underground tunnels 29Km of underground tunnels, let me just say that again in case you think you misread it, 29Km of tunnels, the access shafts are
under the block houses and some go down as deep as 50M, the tunnels were all fitted with narrow gauge railways so troops and ammunition could be moved from one location to another.

Right enough waffle, on with some pictures.

First off the surface cupolas (Just one for now, picture that is not cupolas)

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Looking at the access blast doors in to the base of the main defence cupola

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This is the bottom of the access shaft from block house PzW724

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Looking up, yes that is a long way up I hear you cry (there are deeper ones, and explorers have fallen down them to there death)

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In the tunnels there were narrow gauge railway lines, there are small side passages the lead off right and left, but the "Main road" is a north south passage that goes the whole
lenght of the complex.

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Where the side passages meet the "Main road" there was a station so that narrow gauge trains could pass this station was called "MARTHA" if my notes are correct.

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Along one of the passages leading to the "MARTHA" station is this machine gun emplacement, the tunnel may curve away but the line of fire is straight and true.

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After a long walk back the way we came we came to the exit shaft to PzW722, the stairs are missing for this one.

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Then in a side passage it was time to play.

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Well there you go, so next time you go and look at a type28a AT block house/pill box in the UK think about the Greman built MRU in Poland and say to yourself "What ever".
Thanks for looking sorry about the number of pictures but I`v only scrached the surface so to speak.
There are a few more on my FlickR page and there will be more posted there in due course.

Bosh over to :-

https://www.flickr.com/photos/newage2/sets/72157649927242504/

All comments are most welcome

Cheers Newage

PS THIS PLACE IS VAST AND VERY VERY DANGEROUS PEOPLE DO DIE DOWN HERE
 
Nope, still love UK pillboxes. The whole lot with all were built in the space of 3 months by a ragtag bunch of whoever was left after conscription and D-day and with extremely limited resources. A vastly different situation to a 4 year project built with a vast army of slave labour.

They're both significant but for different reasons.
 
Hi Krela
I did a bit more research and the intended built time was to start in 1935 and finish in the 1950's, so the complex was going to stretch the whole length of Poland.

I know what you mean about the time frame and cost, also the work force used makes you think, and they ain't nice thoughts.

Cheers newage
 
Very interesting. Been in a lot of Atlantic wall bunkers but they are nothing like this. The steel turrets look similar to the ones at St Malo. Nice pics to.
 
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