On the eve of the German invasion of Belgium, an Iron Wall was erected during the 1939/1940 period. This line of resistance was reinforced with steel barriers, barbed wire, rails, etc... and ran in a zigzag pattern from the river Dender in the direction of Meerbeke. This bunker from 1939 was part of the K(oningshooikt)-W(aver) line, a branch of which ran from Wavre to here in Pamel. The line served as an obstacle for the German troops and this branch at Pamel was an obstacle in the direction of France. There were 4 of these bunkers in this region, 2 smaller and 2 large that were connected by trenches. They were also built in such a way that their firing ranges overlapped.
The foundations of the bunker are 2 meters deep and the walls have a thickness of 1.30 meters. They can therefore withstand individual impacts from grenades up to 220 mm. The outside was covered with cement studs, also called 'eggs' or 'Tiroler nipples'. The pattern forms a kind of canopy that served as camouflage. The top of the structure is smooth but 16 hooks were provided to attach camouflage nets. There were 4 special tubes that were provided for the air exchange but also ensured that thrown grenades rolled out again. At the top there is also an opening for a periscope, through this device the bunker could be connected to the other bunkers in the area thanks to a field telephone. The bunker had two doors where the inner door formed a lock together with the outer door and thus closed off the gun space. There are 3 gun rooms in the bunker, each with 3 false and 3 real embrasures.
The bunker was manned by 7 men, of which at least 3 always stayed in the bunker. The line was only able to stop the German violence for 5 days, by order from above it was surrendered and the troops had to withdraw to the Scheldt line on 16 May 1940.
At the end of 1941, the Iron Wall was demolished by order of the Germans and the steel of the barricades used here were given a new purpose, eg as an obstacle on the beach of Normandy.
Translated by Google •
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