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 dreadsword
 
Location: Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Gender: Male
 |  | Maginot Line > France > 100 Km of Tunnels
< on 2/5/2007 6:41 PM >
|  | | | Hey hey - I know there's been some discussion on here about WWI and II fortifications in France, but this Wikipedia article got me really interested:
http://en.wikipedi.../wiki/Maginot_line
Key quote:
"The specification of the defences was very high, with extensive and interconnected bunker complexes for thousands of men; there were 108 main forts (grands ouvrages) at 15 kilometres intervals, smaller forts (petits ouvrages) and casements between, with over 100 kilometres of tunnels."
100km of tunnels, forts of various age, shape and size, crazy history - sounds like a UE gold mine.
I think these are part of it:
http://www.uer.ca/...ow.asp?locid=23218
http://www.uer.ca/...ow.asp?locid=23231
I'm not sure if these are related - seem to be coastal defense? And/or built by Germans during the occupation?
http://www.uer.ca/...ow.asp?locid=22364
http://www.uer.ca/...ow.asp?locid=22365
http://www.uer.ca/...ow.asp?locid=22362
Anyway, there's no real point to this post other than to say that 100km of tunnels abandoned 60 years ago sounds cool as hell.
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Freak
    
Location: Usually Alaska, now MSP.
Gender: Male
Hypocrite
| |  | Re: Maginot Line > France > 100 Km of Tunnels
<Reply # 1 on 2/10/2007 2:34 AM >
| | | | The Maginot line is indeed cool, but it's not 100km of tunnel in a single system. That's the total length of many different separate forts combined.
A typical Gros Ouverage (large Fort) will have 5-10 miles of deep tunnel connecting hardened munitions stores, powerplant, barracks and control centers, and shafts up to the gun turrets. Many of the guns were designed to retract into the ground for protection and stealth.
Here's the layout of a typical Gros Ouverage:
http://www.bunkertours.co.uk/plan.jpg
And a smaller system:
http://www.bunkert....uk/galgenberg.jpg
The large main tunnels are all equipped with subway lines for moving men and ammunition. Dashed lines are utility tunnels and sewers.
I highly recommend visiting forts on the line if you're ever in the area. They're very impressive! Even the long-abandoned ones are well preserved, you can crank the turrets up out of the ground and rotate the guns (many still remaining in place!)
This website is an excellent place to find locations and history:
http://www.bunkertours.co.uk/
Here's some photos from a few sites I visited in 2005 with Slim Jim and Nivelo:
Turrets (up and down):
Subway:
Leftover turret guns:
Part of the massive powerplant area:
You should probably never do this:
More: http://freak.minimanga.com/europex/m/
Turn off the internet and go play outside.
http://spamusement...hp/comics/view/137 |
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Team Leader
This member has been banned. See the banlist for more information.
Location: Uptown,downtown,all around.
Gender: Male
| | Re: Maginot Line > France > 100 Km of Tunnels
<Reply # 2 on 2/10/2007 6:41 PM >
| | | | Ha, right on Freak I always wondered where that RPG/Mortar/explosive pic came from. Tre Bien!
Death Sentence- Live to die (good ole one)
http://theaumc.com/forums |
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greywolf45
Location: U.S.A.
Gender: Male
Resident UER pain in the ass
| |  | | Re: Maginot Line > France > 100 Km of Tunnels
<Reply # 3 on 2/10/2007 10:38 PM >
| | | |
No, sorry to say these are not part of the Maginot line, but part of Hitler's "Atlantic Wall", a series of coastal defense emplacements along the French coast.
[last edit 2/10/2007 10:39 PM by greywolf45 - edited 1 times]
"In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends"
Martin Luther King Jr. |
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dogtags
Location: Appleton, Wisconsin
Gender: Male
| |  | | Re: Maginot Line > France > 100 Km of Tunnels
<Reply # 4 on 2/10/2007 11:08 PM >
| | | | According to US Army regulations all Inert/Dummy/Practice Ordnance shall be painted blue. If the French followed this procedure that shell would be inert and totaly safe to handle. If they didn't.....
~Robert
The fear of being wrong is the prime inhibitor of the creative process.
-- Jean Bryant. |
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Freak
Location: Usually Alaska, now MSP.
Gender: Male
Hypocrite
| | | Re: Maginot Line > France > 100 Km of Tunnels
<Reply # 5 on 2/12/2007 3:59 PM >
| | | | We also found a modern flashbang grenade that was blue, so who knows.
Looks like the ones next to it weren't inert, I think they were either doing training or disposing of them by chucking them into a turret, the whole floor under the slot was littered with blown ones and this one that looked like the pin was rusted in place.
Nivelo wouldn't let me throw it down the elevator shaft 
Turn off the internet and go play outside.
http://spamusement...hp/comics/view/137 |
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dogtags
Location: Appleton, Wisconsin
Gender: Male
| | | | Re: Maginot Line > France > 100 Km of Tunnels
<Reply # 6 on 3/13/2007 3:26 AM >
| | | | Yeah, I would say the one in the middle is an un-exploded training grenade. If they were real grenades you would not find them in a big piece like that. The outer shell of the body is usually a bit thicker also. Nowadays they use powder mixed with aluminum shavings instead of relying on the body to splinter and provide the killing blows.
The fear of being wrong is the prime inhibitor of the creative process.
-- Jean Bryant. |
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nivelo
Location: International
| | | Re: Maginot Line > France > 100 Km of Tunnels
<Reply # 7 on 3/26/2007 9:24 PM >
| | | | All l can say is that you haven't done a bunker system until you 've done the maginot line...
word of warning don't take freak, he is likely to kill you via a grenade or rocket or sledge hammer!!
-niv
international explorer...
Badger badger badger badger badger MUSHROOM mushroom! |
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Aggressive
Location: Toronto
| | Re: Maginot Line > France > 100 Km of Tunnels
<Reply # 8 on 3/28/2007 10:22 PM >
| | | | How far is this place from
Wimille-Wimereux train station? Could one access these tunnels without a car or guide?
[last edit 3/28/2007 10:24 PM by Aggressive - edited 1 times]
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Freak
Location: Usually Alaska, now MSP.
Gender: Male
Hypocrite
| | | Re: Maginot Line > France > 100 Km of Tunnels
<Reply # 9 on 3/29/2007 12:07 AM >
| | | | It's not a single system, there are Gros and Petit Ouverages (small and large forts) all over the countryside, usually a mile or so from the German border. In addition there are barracks and gun emplacements with their own small tunnels, deep shelters, and fortified surface positions.
Recently (or at least within the last few years), the French Military has been sealing and demolishing surface entrances into the larger, deeper forts. It's difficult to find accessible forts without local knowledge, or a degree of luck. Most of them are out in the country and require biking or driving to reach.
Start with some of the maps available online, such as at this website: http://www.geociti...um/1491/index.html
The section "finding the line" is quite useful.
Turn off the internet and go play outside.
http://spamusement...hp/comics/view/137 |
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blitz
Location: Cumberland, ME
Good news!
| | | Re: Maginot Line > France > 100 Km of Tunnels
<Reply # 10 on 3/30/2007 6:58 PM >
| | | | i know a good section of it is used for tourist stuff and shit, but it would be pretty cool if anyone got inside a realatievly untouched area
I may not believe in marriage, but I do believe in best men. |
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Freak
Location: Usually Alaska, now MSP.
Gender: Male
Hypocrite
| | | Re: Maginot Line > France > 100 Km of Tunnels
<Reply # 11 on 4/4/2007 11:56 PM >
| | | | Posted by blitz
i know a good section of it is used for tourist stuff and shit, but it would be pretty cool if anyone got inside a realatievly untouched area
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The ones I saw still had tools, spare parts, rail cars, generators and engines, and what I assume were working antitank cannons and machineguns (no ammo though). We also found some abandoned ordinance, old maps and documents, even some antique food and alcohol! The lubrication on the machinery was so good that we could hand-crank the gun turrets around and operate the loading and targeting systems.
http://freak.minimanga.com/europex/m/ (scroll to the middle, first half is pre-WWII forts)
Not all of them are that good, we got into a couple that are probably considered "secure" by the local authorities.
[last edit 4/4/2007 11:58 PM by Freak - edited 1 times]
Turn off the internet and go play outside.
http://spamusement...hp/comics/view/137 |
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greywolf45
Location: U.S.A.
Gender: Male
Resident UER pain in the ass
| | | | Re: Maginot Line > France > 100 Km of Tunnels
<Reply # 13 on 4/22/2007 7:05 AM >
| | | | Hey Dreadsword, the bunkers in the links you provided (the first two anyway) were of what was known as Hitler's "Atlantic Wall" coastal defense system.
"In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends"
Martin Luther King Jr. |
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