Führerhauptquartier ‘Wolfsschlucht 2’. 'Flakstellung 7, Margival, Soissons, France.
FLAK · Führerhauptquartier ´Wolfsschlucht 2´ · Département Aisne (Wolfsschlucht 2) · France
Führerhauptquartier ‘Wolfsschlucht 2’ Flakstellung ‘7’
Nécropole Militaire Française - Vauxaillon, The national necropolis of Vauxaillon was erected in 1919 and contains nineteen hundred and nine corps of combatants essentially fallen during the battles of the Chemin des Dames. The area above in the woods was a Lazerette or field hospital in WW1. The battles for France went backwards and forwards over these lands several times.
Führerhauptquartier ‘Wolfsschlucht 2’ Flakstellung ‘7’
Führerhauptquartier had 14 small Flak batteries (numbered 1 - 14) and four heavy Flak batteries (numbered A - D). This is Flakstellung ‘7’.
Führerhauptquartier ‘Wolfsschlucht 2’ Flakstellung ‘7’
A small batterie of three 3.7cm Flak position. Two searchlight positions. We only managed to visit VX980,293b & 293. When the bunkers were sighted here there were very few trees around. On our visit it was a little bit like a jungle.
Vx 288 - L2 Flakstand 3.7cm Flak.
Vx289 - L2
Flakstand 3.7cm Flak.
Vx 290 - 126A Scheinwerferstand 60cm. 60cm Searchlight.
Vx 291 - 102A Munitionsstand.
Vx 292 - L2
Flakstand 3.7cm Flak.
Vx 293 - 102A Munitionsstand.
Vx 293b - 100A
Unterstand für Maschinesatz 60cm. 60cm Searchlight.
Vx 732 - R504 Pak-Unterstellraum mit Gruppe. Pak garage.
Vx
948 - Barracke.
Vx 980 -
feldmäßige Pakstellung. Pak field position.
Vx 988 -
feldmäßige Scheinwerferstellung mit Unterstand. Field position for 60cm searchlight.
02 November 2016
Führerhauptquartier ‘Wolfsschlucht 2’ Flakstellung ‘7’
The Vauxaillon road to Führerhauptquartier, the railway runs to the right, down the valley into the tunnel and out the other side to the Führerhauptquartier.
At the moment I am not sure if this batterie was a 2cm or 3.7cm batterie.
02 November 2016
Führerhauptquartier ‘Wolfsschlucht 2’ Flakstellung ‘7’
The search begins. Send in the Belgium's, some of the finest and intrepid bunker hunters.
02 November 2016
Führerhauptquartier ‘Wolfsschlucht 2’ Flakstellung ‘7’
Flakstellung ‘7’ VX 293b 100A.
The first bunker is found. We passed where the Pak gun position was and worked our way into the woods (jungle).
02 November 2016
Führerhauptquartier ‘Wolfsschlucht 2’ Flakstellung ‘7’
VX 293b 100A Unterstand für Maschinensatz 60cm. Shelter for a standby set engine.
The
Maschinensatz generated enough power to run the two 60cm searchlights.
02 November 2016
Führerhauptquartier ‘Wolfsschlucht 2’ Flakstellung ‘7’
Flakstellung ‘7’ VX 293b 100A.
Generator room.
02 November 2016
Führerhauptquartier ‘Wolfsschlucht 2’ Flakstellung ‘7’
Flakstellung ‘7’ VX 293b 100A.
Numbered 293b.
02 November 2016
Führerhauptquartier ‘Wolfsschlucht 2’ Flakstellung ‘7’
Flakstellung ‘7’ VX 293b 100A.
Electrical connection and water pipe.
02 November 2016
Führerhauptquartier ‘Wolfsschlucht 2’ Flakstellung ‘7’
Flakstellung ‘7’ VX 293b 100A.
Small store room I believe used as a fuel store.
02 November 2016
Führerhauptquartier ‘Wolfsschlucht 2’ Flakstellung ‘7’
Flakstellung ‘7’ VX 293b 100A.
19P7 door closes off the store room.
02 November 2016
Führerhauptquartier ‘Wolfsschlucht 2’ Flakstellung ‘7’
VX 293b 100A from the R504.
02 November 2016
Führerhauptquartier ‘Wolfsschlucht 2’ Flakstellung ‘7’
VX732 R504 garage. Note the reinforcement bars show that the entrance was never finished off.
02 November 2016
Führerhauptquartier ‘Wolfsschlucht 2’ Flakstellung ‘7’
VX732 R504.
Garage. The far wall are the concrete blocks for the steel runners and the hole in the wall for the muzzle of the gun. To the right are the crew quarters.
02 November 2016
Führerhauptquartier ‘Wolfsschlucht 2’ Flakstellung ‘7’
VX732 R504.
Bunker number 292.
02 November 2016
Führerhauptquartier ‘Wolfsschlucht 2’ Flakstellung ‘7’
VX732 R504.
The floor of the garage, the floor was also the ammunition storage area.
02 November 2016
Führerhauptquartier ‘Wolfsschlucht 2’ Flakstellung ‘7’
VX732 R504.
Gas lock and passage.
02 November 2016
Führerhauptquartier ‘Wolfsschlucht 2’ Flakstellung ‘7’
VX732 R504.
Crew room.
02 November 2016
Führerhauptquartier ‘Wolfsschlucht 2’ Flakstellung ‘7’
VX732 R504.
Periscope blanking plug. When a periscope is not fitted a blanking plug filled the empty tube.
the hook is for bunker beds.
02 November 2016
Führerhauptquartier ‘Wolfsschlucht 2’ Flakstellung ‘7’
VX732 R504.
Crew room.
02 November 2016
Führerhauptquartier ‘Wolfsschlucht 2’ Flakstellung ‘7’
VX732 R504.
Written above the embrasure "Close when lamp is on."
422PO1 close combat defence embrasure, this an early type much larger and with a second viewing slot. They were for small machine gun type bunkers. Here only the embrasure is used and the slot is blanked off.
02 November 2016
Führerhauptquartier ‘Wolfsschlucht 2’ Flakstellung ‘7’
VX732 R504.
Door to store room, gas pump, close combat embrasure.
Writing on the wall "Remove the gasket from the wiring harness and insert the room filter."
02 November 2016
Führerhauptquartier ‘Wolfsschlucht 2’ Flakstellung ‘7’
VX732 R504.
Anti gas pump fitting and filter store. The looped steel ring is to store spare filters.
02 November 2016
Führerhauptquartier ‘Wolfsschlucht 2’ Flakstellung ‘7’
VX732 R504.
Store room.
02 November 2016
Führerhauptquartier ‘Wolfsschlucht 2’ Flakstellung ‘7’
VX732 R504.
Crew room floor showing the drain.
02 November 2016
Führerhauptquartier ‘Wolfsschlucht 2’ Flakstellung ‘7’
VX732 R504.
Electrical/telephone connection. The walls were always painted after fitting out, that’s why there is no paint behind the fittings.
02 November 2016
Führerhauptquartier ‘Wolfsschlucht 2’ Flakstellung ‘7’
VX732 R504.
Gas lock passage. The main door here is a 434PO1 double heavy steel type.
02 November 2016
Führerhauptquartier ‘Wolfsschlucht 2’ Flakstellung ‘7’
VX732 R504.
"In case of gas danger gas alarm
As well as in the airing and shooting
Are the doors with a red ring
close".
02 November 2016
Führerhauptquartier ‘Wolfsschlucht 2’ Flakstellung ‘7’
VX732 R504.
Close combat embrasure still with its wooden shuttering in place as an added protection. The steel embrasure behind it.
02 November 2016
Führerhauptquartier ‘Wolfsschlucht 2’ Flakstellung ‘7’
VX732 R504.
Bunker number 732.
02 November 2016
Führerhauptquartier ‘Wolfsschlucht 2’ Flakstellung ‘7’
VX732 R504.
Way out.
02 November 2016
Führerhauptquartier ‘Wolfsschlucht 2’ Flakstellung ‘7’
VX732 R504.
Relay box telephone.
02 November 2016
Führerhauptquartier ‘Wolfsschlucht 2’ Flakstellung ‘7’
Flakstellung ‘7’
02 November 2016
Führerhauptquartier ‘Wolfsschlucht 2’ Flakstellung ‘7’
VX732 R504.
Periscope fitting.
02 November 2016
Führerhauptquartier ‘Wolfsschlucht 2’ Flakstellung ‘7’
VX293 102A.
102A ammunition bunker although small 3m x 5m it could hold around 3000 rounds.
02 November 2016
Führerhauptquartier ‘Wolfsschlucht 2’ Flakstellung ‘7’
VX293 102A ammunition bunker inside showing the bunker number.
Kurt Waelbroeck
Führerhauptquartier ‘Wolfsschlucht 2’ Flakstellung ‘7’
VX293 102A ammunition bunker inside the piers to hold a shelf for the ammunition to sit on.
Kurt Waelbroeck
Führerhauptquartier ‘Wolfsschlucht 2’ Flakstellung ‘7’
The Jungle.
02 November 2016
Führerhauptquartier ‘Wolfsschlucht 2’ Flakstellung ‘7’
Woodland with what look like trenches but it may be WW1 shell craters.
03 March 2017
Führerhauptquartier ‘Wolfsschlucht 2’ Flakstellung ‘7’
Vx 298 anti-tank field position.
A hollow in the ground facing north covering the road way from Vauxaillon.
03 March 2017
Führerhauptquartier ‘Wolfsschlucht 2’ Flakstellung ‘7’
Vx 298 anti-tank gun field position.
The hollow where an anti-tank gun sat. The hollow has two small trench/ammunition trenches each side.
03 March 2017
Führerhauptquartier ‘Wolfsschlucht 2’ Flakstellung ‘7’
Vx 298 anti-tank gun field position.
Plan showing where the gun position was set now in woodland but then in open ground. It covered the road from Vauxaillon and the railway tunnel entrance behind.
Plan
Führerhauptquartier ‘Wolfsschlucht 2’ Flakstellung ‘7’
Vx 298 anti-tank gun field position.
From here you would be looking down its barrel.
03 March 2017
Führerhauptquartier ‘Wolfsschlucht 2’ Flakstellung ‘7’
Flakstellung ‘7’
The road is a 70cm concrete road built by a penal unit of soldiers that did not want to fight at Stalingrad. They were guarded by Battle weary soldiers. A good combination.
03 March 2017
Führerhauptquartier ‘Wolfsschlucht 2’ Flakstellung ‘7’
Vx 288 L2 Flak stand 'a' sits behind a large hedge and very hard to see into it..
03 March 2017
Führerhauptquartier ‘Wolfsschlucht 2’ Flakstellung ‘7’
Vx 288 L2 Flak stand 'b'.
This is the second L2 easy to find on the right of a small track to a field.
03 March 2017
Führerhauptquartier ‘Wolfsschlucht 2’ Flakstellung ‘7’
Vx 288 L2 Flak stand 'b'.
This is the second L2 showing the ammunition niches on the left hand side and the guns ringstand in the centre.
03 March 2017
Führerhauptquartier ‘Wolfsschlucht 2’ Flakstellung ‘7’
Vx 288 L2 Flak stand 'b'.
The gun sat on the centre round plinth.
03 March 2017
Führerhauptquartier ‘Wolfsschlucht 2’ Flakstellung ‘7’
Vx 288 L2 Flak stand 'b'.
Crew niche.
03 March 2017
Führerhauptquartier ‘Wolfsschlucht 2’ Flakstellung ‘7’
Vx 288 L2 Flak stand 'c'.
The third L2 slightly to the left of the last one.
03 March 2017
Führerhauptquartier ‘Wolfsschlucht 2’ Flakstellung ‘7’
Vx 288 L2 Flak stand 'c'.
This is the crew entrance once the gun had been set up and the large entrance closed off with wooden bulks of timber.
Now the camouflage, wow wonderful. No its not original and may have been added by the French army that trained in this area.
03 March 2017
Führerhauptquartier ‘Wolfsschlucht 2’ Flakstellung ‘7’
Vx 288 L2 Flak stand 'c'.
Note the camouflage inside the ammunition niches, well these would not have been painted but wooden boards fitted in to carry ready ammunition..
03 March 2017
Führerhauptquartier ‘Wolfsschlucht 2’ Flakstellung ‘7’
Vx 288 L2 Flak stand 'c'.
The entrance where the gun would have entered and the crew entrances either side to allow the crew to get in when the entrance is closed off.
03 March 2017
Führerhauptquartier ‘Wolfsschlucht 2’ Flakstellung ‘7’
Vx 288 L2 Flak stand 'c'.
The entrance with slots for bulks of wood to be slid into place.
03 March 2017
Führerhauptquartier ‘Wolfsschlucht 2’ Flakstellung ‘7’
Vx 291 102A ammunition bunker entrance.
03 March 2017
Führerhauptquartier ‘Wolfsschlucht 2’ Flakstellung ‘7’
Vx 291 102A ammunition bunker with the bunker number. The door hinged outwards against the wall allowing easy access
03 March 2017
Führerhauptquartier ‘Wolfsschlucht 2’ Flakstellung ‘7’
Vx 291 102A ammunition bunker and the block piers for the shelf’s.
03 March 2017
Führerhauptquartier ‘Wolfsschlucht 2’ Flakstellung ‘7’
Vx 291 102A ammunition bunker and the block piers for the shelf.
03 March 2017
Führerhauptquartier ‘Wolfsschlucht 2’ Flakstellung ‘7’
Vx 291 102A ammunition, original camouflage paint is still on the entrance walls.
03 March 2017
Führerhauptquartier ‘Wolfsschlucht 2’ Flakstellung ‘7’
02 November 2016