A Czechoslovakian fortification was built between the years 1935 - 1938. It is one link in the chain of forts which had to protected the Czechoslovakian border against German and Hungarian attack. The line was still incomplete in the year 1938. Light forts and heavy blockhouses weren`t completly armed. Strong defence points - known as fortresses (equal to the French ouvrage) weren`t equipped with their main weapons - artillery casemates had no howitzers and forts had no artillery turrets. In fact the line was not ready to face enemy, but demonstrated that Czechoslovakia was resolved to defence its independence. This page is about one typical independent blockhouse which is now museum of Czechoslovak fortifications.
N-S-82"Brezinka" is an independent double sided infantry blockhouse, which has the right side
higher than the left one. The blockhouse has two floors and it is built in II. resistance
class. Thickness of reinforced concrete walls and thickness of steel bells (=cloches) can be found in the
table below.
front wall | ceiling | wall with main weapons | rear wall | bell | resists calibers up to |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
225 cm | 200 cm | 100 cm | 100 cm | 20 cm | 280 mm |
Construction of the blockhouse started on the 28th of June 1937. The process went on
continuously from the 4th to the 9th of October 1937. They used 1 365 m3 of the concrete.
The left bell with four embrasures for heavy MG vz.37 was installed on the 20th of July 1938.
The weight of the bell was 21 600 kg. The right bell had three embrasures for light MG vz.26.
It was emplaced on the 23rdof July 1938 and the weight of this one was 20 200 kg. The main
portion of the project was finished in September 1938, but for example the telephone cable wasn't
laid. The crew of "Brezinka" comprised 32 men.
After annexation of the borderland by the German army there remained only a few blockhouses on the
Czech territory. "Brezinka" was one of them. All equipment and weapons were stripped down.
After occupation of the remained of the Czech territory by the German army both bells and left
embrasures were ripped out. Until 1989 "Brezinka" was approaching a situation of disrepair and
dilapidation. In the year 1989 enthusiasts from KVH Nachod started with repairs of the
blockhouse. Today the main part of the blockhouse is reconstructed to the its condition at the end of
September 1938.