RobbHaas Family Pages
Foulke - Haas - Robbins - Worthen  Families

Siegfried Line
(West Wall)

Home WW 2 Timeline Links   Construction Dragon Teeth - Tank Traps Pillboxes Bunkers   Sources Images

 

 
The line stretched along the western border of Germany from about Kleve on the Dutch frontier to Lorrach near Basle on the Swiss border.  The line was known as the "Siegfried Line" by the Americans but the Germans referred to it as the "Western Wall".  [S5, p 30]
"The West Wall's value as a fortress had been vastly exaggerated by Hitler's propagandists, particularly as it stood in September 1944, after four years of neglect. In 1944 it was something of a Potemkin village. Dr. Todt and the German Army had never intended the line to halt an attack, merely to delay it until counterattacks by mobile reserves could eliminate any penetration. In early fall of 1944 no strong reserves existed."  [S5, p 31]  "The West Wall in September 1944 was formidable primarily on the basis of an old, unearned reputation."  [S5, p 34]
"Without question, these fortifications added to the defensive potentiality of the terrain along the German border; but their disrepair and the caliber of the defending troops had vitiated much of the line's formidability. It could in no sense be considered impregnable. Nevertheless, as American troops were to discover, steel and concrete can lend backbone to a defense, even if the fortifications are outmoded and even if the defenders are old men and cripples."    [S5, p 35]
Construction began 1936 - Nearly 400 miles long - Averaged 3 miles deep - S6 p 25,
Walter's description of the Siegfried line and the pill boxes - Doc0874.pdf

Top of  Page

Construction
The west wall construction first began in 1936 but the effort intensified in May 1938.  Dr Fritz Todt, an engineer, was in charge of the construction of this line.  It was a system of many small pillboxes.  By late September 1938 over 500,000 men were working on the project.  Almost 1/3 of Germany's total concrete production went into the project.  On this line over 3,000 concrete pillboxes, bunkers and observation posts were constructed.  Most construction work on the wall halted after Germany's victory in France and was not resumed again until September 1944 when Hitler made an effort to strengthen the line.  [S5, p 31]
 
 
 
 

Top of  Page

--

Dragon Teeth - Tank Traps
"In other places, the German engineers had constructed chains of "dragon's teeth," curious objects that looked like canted headstones in a strange cemetery. In some cases the dragon's teeth were no more than heavy posts or steel beams embedded in the ground, but usually they were pyramid-shaped reinforced concrete projections. There were five rows of projections, poured monolithic with a concrete foundation and increasing in height from two and a half feet in front to almost five feet in rear. The concrete foundation, which extended two and a half feet above the ground on the approach side, formed an additional obstacle."  [S5, p 34]
 
 
 
 

Top of  Page

Pillboxes
Photos of a typical pillbox and interior shots including the air ventilation system - [S5, p 33]
Engineering drawing of the construction of a pillbox -   [S5, p 32]
"Pillboxes in general were 20 to 30 feet in width, 40 to 50 feet in depth, and 20 to 25 feet in height. At least half of the pillbox was underground. The walls and roofs were 3 to 8 feet thick, of concrete reinforced by wire mesh and small steel rods and at times by heavy steel beams. Each pillbox had living quarters for its normal complement, usually about seven men per firing embrasure. Few had more than two firing embrasures, one specifically sited to cover the entrance. Although fields of fire were limited, generally not exceeding an arc of 50 degrees, pillboxes were mutually supporting."  [S5, p 35]
Most pillboxes and bunkers had several rooms, one or more for troop quarters and one or more either for ammunition storage or for firing.  [S5, p 35]
All were gas proof and equipped with hand-operated ventilation devices. Only a few installations had escape hatches. [S5, p 35]
Heat might come from a small fireplace equipped with a tin chimney, both of which might be closed off by a heavy steel door. [S5, p 35]
Each entrance usually had a double set of case-hardened steel doors separated by a gas proof vestibule. [S5, p 35]
Bunks were of the type found on troop ships, oblong metal frames covered with rope netting and suspended in tiers from the ceiling. [S5, p 35]
Sanitary facilities were rarely provided.  [S5, p 35]
Though both electric and telephone wires had been installed underground, it is doubtful that these were functioning well in September 1944. [S5, p 35]
Some installations were camouflaged to resemble houses and barns. [S5, p 35]
Except in the sparse sector north of Geilenkirchen, pillbox density averaged approximately ten per mile. [S5, p 35]
Most pillboxes were on forward slopes, usually 200 to 400 yards behind the antitank obstacles.  [S5, p 35]
 
 

Top of  Page
 

Bunkers
"Bunkers usually were designed to house local reserves and command posts and had no firing embrasures except small rifle ports to cover the entrance. Bunkers used as observation posts usually were topped by a steel cupola."  [S5, p 35]
 
 
 
 

Top of  Page

 
On September 13, 1944, the first allied troops crossed the border of Nazi-Germany. They found ahead of them a gigantic barrier; the Siegfried Line or Westwall, a continuous concrete defense system. It ran from Kleve, in the vicinity of Nijmegen, to the Swiss border. Between 1936 and 1940 thousand fold constructions were built which ranged from simple 'Dragon's teeth' to complete fortresses comparable with the French fortifications of the Maginot Line. At the end of August 1939, 16,455 constructions were ready. If one takes into account the constructions built between 1939/1940 and 1944/1945, one can imagine the problems which faced the US GI. The allied optimism disappeared in the bitter fighting of October 1944 because of the problems encountered while attempting to penetrate the Siegfried Line
Source: unknown
 
 
 
 
 

Top of  Page

Friendship washes over Siegfried Line
By:  Roger Boyes in Berlin  S1,
Germany has started to destroy the giant concrete Siegfried Line, Hitler's defensive wall against an Allied attack, in a gesture of friendship to the French.

Bulldozers and power hammers were at work yesterday smashing a military bunker overlooking the French city of Strasbourg in the first move to destroy the 400-mile frontier fortifications.

The Siegfried Line, known as the Westwall in German, was a warren of 20,000 bunkers, hundreds of underground shelters, trenches and tank barricades. Built between 1936 and 1940 by about 400,000 workers, it was supposed to be Nazi Germany's answer to the French Maginot Line. It starts at Kleve on the Dutch border, runs along the Belgian, Luxembourg and French frontiers and ends just before Basle in Switzerland. There could be no more powerful symbol of French and German partnership than the demolition of the wall. The countries celebrate the fortieth anniversary of the Franco-German Elysee Treaty on Wednesday and the occasion has spurred closer co-operation between the capitals. It will be marked by sending more than 600 German deputies on a day trip to Versailles. A new European initiative is to be announced from Berlin and Paris next week.

Yet the old historical hostility is colouring even next week's extravagantly cheerful commemorations. For example, the German guests will be entertained against the backdrop of paintings depicting Charlemagne's defeat of the Saxon leader Widukind and Napoleon crushing the Saxons and Prussians at the Battle of Jena.

Ripping down bits of the Westwall, which was mocked by British soldiers in the marching song We're Going to Hang Out the Washing on the Siegfried Line, goes some way towards correcting the emotional balance.

There are also practical reasons for the demolition work. The fortifications are deteriorating, walls are crumbling and sudden gaping holes pose a danger to children.

An eight-mile stretch of the wall on the Belgian border has been placed under a preservation order, and some other stretches are being ransacked by museums. The gun pits and underground tunnels are mostly wildlife sanctuaries occupied by bats or rare birds.

Over eight million tons of concrete and one million tonnes of steel were used to construct the Siegfried Line. It was a huge effort, compared by some historians with the building of an Egyptian pyramid.

When Germany moved quickly into France in 1940, the line was disarmed -that is, heavy artillery was taken forward to the Atlantic coast. But when the Allies landed in Normandy in 1944, it was activated again. Hitler believed that it would hold off the enemy for at least three years.

To some extent the Allies, believed the Nazi propaganda about the strength of the line. The plan to amass forces and munitions in Arnhem was an attempt to avoid the line, which ended just south of the Dutch town. Nonetheless, in September 1944 the Americans succeeded in crossing the German border and broke through the line bit by bit.

Tens of thousands of soldiers died in the trenches and bunkers, among them many teenagers and old men drafted into Germany's last line of defence.

Yesterday the Siegfried Line was holed for the last time.
 
 
 

Top of  Page
 

Links
WikiPedia Article
Google Image Search
Google Web Search
Book:  The Seigfried Line Campaign by Charles B MacDonald - Online -  Bk3342
The Siegfried Line - Story - Page 1  -  Page 2

Top of  Page

Sources
 

Source Citation

Image
(Click for larger View)
(To Magnify larger image - use CTRL + )

S1 "Friendship washes over Siegfried Line ".  The Times (London) Online - 18 Jan 2003, Roger Boyes in Berlin.  
S2 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siegfried_Line  
S3 http://gallery.dralzheimer.stylesyndication.de/westwall/ 
German - several photos
 
S4 http://www.web-toolbox.net/gk-en/fotos/diverse/westwall.jpg  (Link not working 24 Apr 2011)  
S5 Book:  MacDonald, Charles Brown. Siegfried Line Campaign, The. Center of Military History, United States Army, 1993. Bk3342.  
S6 Book:  Yeide, Harry. The Longest Battle: September 1944 to February 1945, from Aachen to the Roer and Across. Zenith Imprint, 2005. Bk3341  
S7    
S8    
S9    
S10    
S11    
S12    
S13    
S14    
S15    
S16    
S17    
S18    
S19    
S20    
S21    
S22    
S23    
S24    
S25    

 

 

Images    Click Thumbnails for larger Images
I1 I2 I3 I4 I5 I6
    Bunker Tank Traps    
Ph7858-001.jpg Ph7858-002.jpg Ph7859-002.jpg  S2 Ph7859-001.jpg  S2 Ph7860.jpg  S2 Ph7861.jpg  S2


 

I7 I8 I9 I10 I11 I12
Bunker on Siegfried Line Heating Stove
Link
Entrance Door
Link
Entrance
Link
Outside View
Link
Entrance
Link
Ph7862.jpg  S2 Ph7863.jpg  S3 Ph7864.jpg  S3 Ph7865.jpg   S3 Ph7866.jpg  S3 Ph7867.jpg  S3

 

I13 I14 I15 I16 I17 I18
Exterior
Link
Tank Trap
Near Aachen
 
Tank Trap Size
Link
Tank going Through the Teeth
Link
Plan of typical Pillbox
Link
Bunkers
Link
Ph7868.jpg  S3 Ph7869.jpg  S4 Ph7870.jpg Ph7871.jpg Ph7872.jpg Ph7873.jpg

 

I19 I20 I21 I22 I23 I24
         
Tank Traps
Link
         
Ph7874.jpg          
 
Top of  Page  

Email Me for More Information  -  Page updated:  26 March, 2023  -