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| WorldWar2.ro Forum > Romanian Army > Romanian fortifications |
| Posted by: daveh June 28, 2003 06:48 pm |
| Did the Romanians ever produce any form of fortifications such as lines of concrete pill boxes for MGs, AT guns and/or artillery pieces?
If so where were they built and were any specialised fortress troops employed to man them? Were any such fortifications lost when the soviets and the Hungarians took over areas of Romania? |
| Posted by: Victor June 29, 2003 10:25 am |
| The Adjud-Focsani-Namoloasa-Braila defensive line was about 150 km long. It had 1,600 concrete pillboxes, disposed in 2 or 3 lines, with a greater concentration in the more important areas. About 60km of AT ditches protected the positions which were more accessible to tanks. There were also another 1,800 observation posts, prepared firing positions etc. In August 1944 9 specially trained battalions manned the line. The plans were to put 10 divisions behind it, but because of the coup this was abandoned.
However, one should note the lack of appropriate mobile reserves, which could have actually made this fortified line actually work. In 1941 there was one fortification brigade (1st) created from the battalions of the AFNB line. They were later involved in manning the coastal defenses in Bessarabia and Trans-Dnestra. After Stalingrad, they used mostly to fill in the gaps in the ranks of the infantry divisions, which had suffered heavy losses. |
| Posted by: daveh June 30, 2003 03:35 am |
| ty for the information victor
As you might have guessed I am going to ask about the type of pillboxes built. Were they of native Romanian design? Were they literally all pillboxes ie free standing structures of concrete with firing slits and no living quarters in them ? Were any fitted with indirect fire weapons ie as artillery forts or bunkers? |
| Posted by: Victor June 30, 2003 01:49 pm |
Unfortunately corporal daveh (  ) I do not know who designed the fortifications. Some had firing positions for AT guns, some for MGs. I think some had living quarters, but probably not all.
On the seaside there are still many wartime pillboxes, of different sizes and shapes. Most were however small armored firing positions for MGs. |
| Posted by: daveh July 05, 2003 11:39 am |
| I have been told of a brief suggestion that some fortification equipment was bought from the Czechs in late 1938. This apparently included 47mm AT guns and MGs. numbering c 600 units.
A number of 150mm Skoda guns were also seemingly ordered for fitting in emplacements. Does any know of anything of these links with the Czechs in respect of Romanian fortifications.? I will try and get the source of this info and post it here. |
| Posted by: Victor July 05, 2003 02:51 pm |
| This is new to me. Please give more details. |
| Posted by: daveh July 06, 2003 08:00 pm |
| The information comes from Fortress Europe by J E Kaufmann and R M Jurga ISBN 1 85367 341 2
I will try and get a copy from our library and post the relevant parts if you wish. |
| Posted by: daveh July 11, 2003 06:24 pm | ||
p 313 Fortress Europe by J E Kaufmann and R M Jurga ISBN 1 85367 341 2
|
| Posted by: Dénes July 14, 2003 04:57 pm |
| There was another fortified line on Rumania's Western borders, facing Hungary, called Carol Line.
AFAIK, building started in 1937, with assistance of French engineers. Dénes |
| Posted by: C-2 July 26, 2003 08:05 pm |
| The only fortified line ever built and that "stood against the inveders" is the Great Wall of Chine.And thats before the use of gun powder in battle.... |
| Posted by: Victor July 26, 2003 08:51 pm | ||
Actually the Mongols managed to subdue all of China in the 13th century. |
| Posted by: C-2 July 27, 2003 07:06 pm | ||||
By that time the wall was no longer defended in large portions! |
| Posted by: Victor July 28, 2003 07:30 am |
| When Gengis-Khan attacked the Jin Empire in 1211 the Great Wall as we know it did not exist, though lesser walls did, but these were quickly breached and the Mongols entered northern China. But we are way off-topic. |
| Posted by: jirka vrba May 09, 2004 08:02 pm |
| Have you some informations about Carol Line (descriptions,history,maps...)
Mainly maps - I want to go there. |
| Posted by: Dénes May 09, 2004 08:22 pm |
| I have seen current photos of the remains of the Charles (Carol) Line and you won't be able to see much, even if you will find the remains in the bushes/forest:
http://members.lycos.co.uk/karolyvonal/karolyvonal40.html (see previous and following pages) |
| Posted by: Dr_V May 09, 2004 10:56 pm | ||
The seaside strongpoints, frquently refeared to as "casemates", are in their majority small concrete structures designed to host MGs covering the beaches. There are thaugh some (there were more numerous, but some were demolished since) deffensive costal positions of a larger design, probably hosting cannons (costal artilery, not field guns). I don't know the calibre of those guns, I've hared oppinions varying from 76mm to 203mm, but judjing the structures I've seen I don't think they were bigger than 102mm at most. There are also a few big mounds (like small isolated hills) around Constantza and near Cape Midia that some locals claim to have been bunkers for large costal batterys during WW2. The story goes that in the 60s the earth/concrete structures were starting to collapse and were burried because "they were a danger for the kids and people venturing inside". But I couldn't find any official record to verify those claims, so it might be only a local legend. |
| Posted by: dragos03 May 09, 2004 11:54 pm |
| Near Vama Veche there is a big mound that still has a door (but the interior collapsed). Also, in 2 Mai i stayed in a house built over a big bunker (now basement of the house) and the owners said there was a German coastal battery there.
My grandfather who was an Engineer Leutenent was involved in the last, desperate attempts to consolidate the Carol line (he was assigned to build an airfield in the area). According to him, this line was a joke. Bucharest also had a belt of defensive forts and fortified artillery positions, built before the first World War. Many of them still exist today (like the big "3/4 Fort" in Baneasa forest or the Jilava prison who was initially converted from such a fort). |
| Posted by: Carol I May 12, 2004 07:23 am | ||
Will it be possible to see photos from any of the surviving forts? I'm just curious since I have heard of these forts, but never saw any. |
| Posted by: Chandernagore May 12, 2004 08:05 am | ||
Were they still operational and/or of any use by the time of WWII ? |
| Posted by: Carol I May 12, 2004 03:22 pm | ||
I think that by the time of WWI they were already outdated from the point of view of combat usefulness. Not completely unexpected as they were in fact designed according to the concepts of late 19th century warfare. |
| Posted by: petru May 12, 2004 05:14 pm |
| None of the forts around Bucharest was in use in WWI. They were stripped of weapons, especially heavy artillery which was in shortage at the beginning of the war. The German didn’t know that, and in 1916 expecting a siege of Bucharest they brought in heavy artillery. |
| Posted by: dragos03 May 13, 2004 12:32 am |
| I am a journalist and i will try to write an article about the forts next month. I will post any pictures i make. |
| Posted by: dragos May 14, 2004 08:35 pm |
| At the beginning of August 1944, the FNB fortified alignment was organized the following manner:
- 115th Fortifications Detachment between Oituz Pass and Marasesti (50 km), with some 500 casemates - 106th Fortifications Detachment between Marasesti and Namoloasa (50 km), with some 550 casemates - 121st Fortifications Detachment between Namoloasa and Galati, on the southern bank of lower Siret (60 km), with some 550 casemates. |
| Posted by: daveh May 15, 2004 08:30 pm |
| dragos 3 any pics would be great and if possible a link to your article |
| Posted by: jirka vrba June 01, 2004 08:27 am |
| To denés - thank you for link
We was there. And result of our short "strike": http://www.valka.cz/galerie/displayimage.php?album=94&pos=3 Pictures will be later. Objects are destroyed. Does somebody know some details - number of objects, weapons history ... We saw on one side of object two main embrasures (?each for one machinegun?) and one auxiliary one. To daveh - 1) There was made only 268 weapons L1 in Czechoslovak republic. To Rumunia was sent 1 weapon with serial number 205. There was some negotiations of the contract - first in june 1939 of 100 psc. and then in october 1939 - ?1940 of 253 psc. but without results. If somebody want some data, drawings etc... I can send it. In Fortress Eupora there is schema of rumunian fortifications - on this schema is fortificetions between Oradea and Arad and west of Deva - Only fortification, we saw, was nearby Oradea. |
| Posted by: jirka vrba June 01, 2004 08:32 am |
 How can I instert a picture? - Where is album here?
- If you want to see my grawing you must registry on czech forum www.valka.cz and go to galleries... |
| Posted by: Andy June 01, 2004 10:59 am |
| I am from romania,and I live in Costantza.There is a zone in Romania called "Poarta I" or Gate I.Around there,there is a region called the "Port's Valley",where you can find German and Romanian bunkers.Near the train station,there is a huge bunker.A friend of mine entered one of this bunkers and found German guns,ammo etc.Near Navodari,there is a German coastal battery,huge,if I remember correctly,it has 280mm guns.I don't know how to pin-point it,but I know it was called "Tirpitz",like the ship. |
| Posted by: Dr_V June 01, 2004 01:41 pm |
| Andy can you make some photos of the bigger bunkers? And if you think it's safe enough maybe even get inside? ( :!: be very carefull, old ammo is extremely dangerous and unstable, even without detonation caps)
Is (or was) the area surveilled by the authoritys? Do you know about any study made by museums or the Army? I find it hard to believe that such sites are left to decay and even harder that any ammo is left unchecked. Can you tell us more? |
| Posted by: Victor June 01, 2004 02:16 pm |
| When I was much younger and used to go regularily to the seaside with the parents, we went to the beach in Mamaia near an umbrella and beach chairs run by a relative. It was IIRC vis-avis Hotel Dacia. There was a large pillbox on the beach near it. Last time I saw it, the fortification was half sunk, as the sea has advanced lately. Does anyone else know this pillbox? |
| Posted by: Andy June 01, 2004 02:51 pm |
| The authorities don't do much about this cazemates,bunkers or pillboxes.They cover the entrance ,and sometimes take out the ammo,Dr_V.But that is about it.There is a cazemate,near to the Traian street,and it was closed,but know it's open.As for that big bunker,called the Tirpitz,they took the ammo and the guns out,and at the "Muzeul Marinei Romane",they displayed a communication apparatus used in the Tirpitz.There is a simple way to recognize the Tirpitz...It's 280mm guns(a couple of them) have their muzzles sticking towards the sky.I don't know if they closed it or not,but I remember it like this:it was very big:),and it had 4-meter thick comcrete walls.I know that pillbox..The last time I was in Mamaia,I saw they were turning a cazemate into a restaurant...it's true!I haven't got evidence,but I've heard about to stupid kids playing with a grenade without it's pin on the Port's Valley,luckily,nothing happened to them,the grenade didn't explode,and I've seen a guy who was holding a 75mm shell in his hands.It was fired,it's detonator was removed and there was no explosive in it.Also,a couple of guys from... (what are does army guys who find bombs?)found a 500kg bomb on the port's valley.There a lot of bunkers:on the Trei Papuci beach(two of them blown up)one at the Modern Beach(I heard it has a tunnel which links to two more cazemates at the Casino)and another one under the Casino(!).I've seen it's windows.There is one at the entrance of Constantza port,one near Zorile Restaurant(You can barely see it but it's corner is sticking out of the ground,and another one(huge-the size of a house)in Constantza port.There are three more on the Port's Valley,and one of them was searched by experts:they found a couple of MG42s in it and ammo,and one is supposed to have an electric chair...They all have scopes.
I need some information!Have those scopes night vision,and what are those pool-like concrete constructions near the cazemates?  |
| Posted by: Carol I June 01, 2004 08:11 pm |
| Andy, some photos of these fortification works would be greatly appreciated. Thanks. |
| Posted by: Andy June 01, 2004 08:35 pm | ||
|
| Posted by: Carol I June 01, 2004 08:45 pm |
| I did not mean to say that your story was nothing else than a nice story. I am really interested to see some photos of the fortifications (and I guess that I am not the only one). |
| Posted by: Andy June 01, 2004 09:05 pm |
| I haven't got any photos,but if you ever went to Mamaia,I'm sure you've seen some of these cazemates I'm talking about.The Tirpitz is even mentioned in some books.If you ever go to the Casino,walk near the shore,to it's left.Wal close to the metal bars,and when those metal bars turn look down.There are two bunkers there.You know something about those scopes?I'm really interested in finding out more |
| Posted by: dragos June 18, 2004 06:39 pm |
| I'm planning to go in a short vacation on the Romanian seashore in a week or two, I hope I will return with some photos of the casemates. |
| Posted by: mabadesc June 18, 2004 07:02 pm |
| Perhaps someone already asked this question on the forum, but at the risk of repeating the question, are there still any visible remains from the (in)famous Focsani-Namoloasa-Galati?
I'm assuming the line must have been dismantled on order of the Soviets, shortly after the war. But some remains must still exist. Does anyone know exactly where one can see some of this line's remains? (it extended over a rather large area) |
| Posted by: Carol I June 18, 2004 07:49 pm | ||
Some remnants of the fortifications of the Focsani-Namoloasa-Galati line survived well into the 1980s. They could have been seen both from car and train in the fields between Marasesti and Focsani. However, even these last remains have been dismantled in the early 1990s. |
| Posted by: mabadesc June 18, 2004 09:32 pm |
| Thanks, Carol. Too bad I missed seeing them, even though I lived in Romania until '87. |
| Posted by: Carol I June 20, 2004 07:25 pm |
| [quote]Thanks, Carol.[/quote]
You are welcome, but I feel that my answer was not very helpful. [quote]Too bad I missed seeing them, even though I lived in Romania until '87.[/quote] If you have travelled in the 1980s on the road between Marasesti and Focsani, it was almost impossible to miss a dilapidated concrete box situated right at the foot of one of the bridges in the area. In the early 1990s it was covered in vegetation and then taken gradually apart. The other similar boxes were scattered in the fields of the area following a more or less regular pattern and were visible from the train. Unfortunately I cannot remember seeing them in the 1990s and I wonder if they are still there or not. |
| Posted by: jirka vrba June 24, 2004 04:44 pm |
| I repared my link to my photos of oradea fortif.
http://forum.valka.cz/sutra49255.html#49255 |
| Posted by: dragos June 24, 2004 05:57 pm | ||
Thanks! Very interesting photos. In the second and third photos, is that the muzzle of a gun? |
| Posted by: jirka vrba June 25, 2004 02:00 pm |
| I do not think so -
two gaps are outlet of cartriges of mach. guns, and middle one is for grenades |
| Posted by: dragos June 25, 2004 02:32 pm | ||
Then what is that barrel, which seems to me to be aligned with the middle outlet ? 
 |
| Posted by: jirka vrba June 27, 2004 05:34 pm |
| Through this tube you can put the grenad into the fosse. I do not the special world in english - in czech is it "grenade slide". |
| Posted by: C-2 June 27, 2004 08:01 pm |
| It is a similar device to one at the middle ages fortifications.
There were large tubes from where large stone balls were rolled over the attakers,and small tubes for poring tar over them... |
| Posted by: jirka vrba June 27, 2004 09:05 pm |
| some photos of czech L1 weapon (4cm AT)
http://www.bunkry.cz/foto.asp?id=6 |
| Posted by: jirka vrba June 27, 2004 09:09 pm |
| ... and "grenade slide" - czechoslovak fortif. - It is third photo from top
http://www.military.cz/opevneni/to.html |
| Posted by: Carol I July 01, 2004 09:01 am | ||
http://www.jurnalul.ro/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=8090&mode=thread&order=1&thold=0 has published today an article about the Focşani-Nămoloasa-Galaţi fortified line with a focus on Nămoloasa. The article is available in Romanian only.
|
| Posted by: dragos03 July 04, 2004 02:29 pm |
| I bought a book from 1933, "Fortificatia permanenta contemporana", written by Lt-col D. Vasiliu (who later died at Sevastopol). Inside there are maps and details about the forts of Bucharest, FNG line and the Cernavoda bridgehead. If you want details, ask. |
| Posted by: Victor August 17, 2005 10:20 am |
| Sunday I made a little trip to Constanta and went along the coast from the Casino to the Frontier Police Barracks, mostly searching for the fortifications mentioned by Andy in his posts. I photographed a lot of concrete. Not all of it are pillboxes though. I remembered some round concrete things in the ridge's slope from when I used to go to Constanta as a child in the early 90s. To my disappointment they turned out to be only the surface structure of underground water reservoirs. But I managed to find several genuine WW2 fortifications. I have attached the following maps from http://www.rolitoral.ro and marked the location of the bunkers on them.   |
| Posted by: Victor August 17, 2005 10:22 am |
| 1. Black Dot on the first map I am not so sure if it is a pillbox or not.   |
| Posted by: Victor August 17, 2005 10:25 am |
| 2. Red Dot on the first map This is definately a pillbox. It's just near a football field on the Modern Beach, on the right side of the showers.    |
| Posted by: Victor August 17, 2005 10:29 am |
| 3. Grey Dot on the first map These are the twin pillboxes near the Casino Andy mentioned. The left one:  (the entrance)   The right one:   |
| Posted by: Victor August 17, 2005 10:35 am |
| 4. Black Dot on the second map This pillbox is practically on the beach, some 10 m away from the sand.       |
| Posted by: dragos03 August 17, 2005 10:53 am |
| I also found some bunkers during my recent trip to the sea. 1. This one is a typical Black Sea bunker (near the "nudi" beach in 2 Mai) http://imageshack.us |
| Posted by: dragos03 August 17, 2005 10:58 am |
| 2. This is probably the weirdest type of Black Sea fort. (On a beach near the 23 August train station) http://imageshack.us |
| Posted by: dragos03 August 17, 2005 11:01 am |
| 3. The interior of a bunker (now the basement of the house of the mayor in 2 Mai). http://imageshack.us |
| Posted by: C-2 August 17, 2005 11:58 am |
| Administrators! Moderators! Dragos posted photos with naked dudes! Ban him!  |
| Posted by: Agarici August 17, 2005 01:05 pm | ||
I bet the nudists chicks were running like the wind seeing a dressed man, walking with a camera on their beach. Or was he naked too? |
| Posted by: C-2 August 17, 2005 06:19 pm |
| Dragos's hair is so long that he's dressed even if he's naked |
| Posted by: Jeff_S August 17, 2005 07:08 pm | ||
What is that structure coming out of the middle of the fort? All I can imagine is an observation post, to give a better view up and down the coast. But that could be crazy, too. |
| Posted by: dragos03 August 17, 2005 08:48 pm |
| The chicks on the nudi beach are not afraid of cameras. If they are brave enough not to fear naked men, they cannot be afraid of a dressed man with a camera. Jeff S, i don't know what that structure is. I wonder who designed such a strange-looking fort. |
| Posted by: dragos August 18, 2005 09:02 am |
| I have seen 2-3 bunkers between the blocks of flats above the "Trei papuci" beach. They have been turned into warehouses by the locals, and they are covered with graffiti. |
| Posted by: Agarici August 18, 2005 10:15 am |
| When in Sf. Gheorghe (Danube Delta), couple of weeks ago, I’ve seen some strange concrete constructions close to the seashore, facing the sea. I had many discussions with my friends about whether they are pillboxes or not, but we haven’t reach a final conclusion. Unfortunately I have no picture with them, since I didn’t take my camera… They looked like pillboxes (at least some of them), they were isolated but also built pretty far from the sea in my opinion (some hundred meters). Any details, anybody? |
| Posted by: cipiamon August 18, 2005 06:37 pm |
| I just came from the seaside and also i have somme material on this subject. Now i am at work and i can't post the pictures i've took. I was at Olimp. Heaving a walk whit my finance on the beach we went north of Olimp, and i've seen in the distance a concrete construction, just like in the picture Dragos took we passed somme familys of nudists and somme gays finaly we riched it, about 1 km from Olimp, maby even less. I took somme pictures, i will post them as soon as i can. And about that strange round shaped bunker, i've seen one too, from the train, at north of Costinesti, and also somme concrete tranches in that area, the train passed to fast, i took no picture and i did not had a good time to analyze any details. |
| Posted by: C-2 August 18, 2005 09:41 pm |
| Do you have photos with the nudes and gays too? |
| Posted by: Victor August 19, 2005 05:20 am |
| Can't we have a serious discussion here? |
| Posted by: cipiamon August 19, 2005 08:24 am |
LoL C-2  I can post the images now.   some wood, from a furniture, probably from inside the bunker  |
| Posted by: cipiamon August 19, 2005 08:27 am |
 and the entrance  |
| Posted by: cipiamon August 19, 2005 08:30 am |
other fortifications in that area |
| Posted by: sid guttridge August 26, 2005 04:32 pm |
| Hi Daveh, With regard to the Romania's purchase of Czech weaponry for its fortifications in late 1938: Do you know if these were weapons that the Czechs had stripped from the forifications they had had to surrender to the Germans in the Sudetenland in early October? Cheers, Sid. |
| Posted by: sid guttridge August 26, 2005 04:38 pm |
| Hi Guys, According to Volume II of the book "Anul 1940.....", the Romanians were given a time extension to dismantle the weapons from the Carol Line, because they were very difficult to remove from concrete emplacements. Does anyone know where these pieces were repositioned? How complete was the Carol Line when it had to be abandoned? Cheers, Sid. |
| Posted by: daveh August 29, 2005 01:56 pm |
| Sid: I'm sorry but I have posted all the information I have re the czech weapons |
| Posted by: petru September 13, 2005 07:21 pm | ||
The sedimentation rate is tremendeous for that area. Probably the pillobxes you saw used to be on the seashore during the war. An example of what is going there: Chilia used to be on seashore during the Stephen the Great (about 500 years ago), and now it is in the middle of the delta. I think things changed since the seventies becaouse of the Iron Gate dam (stops the transportation of sediments). |
| Posted by: U260diver September 19, 2005 09:46 pm |
| Hello list, For a while ago i went on a search for bunker remains around Constanta. Even near the luna parc i found one. I will post some photo's i made, is there somebody who can provide me with more info about these bunkers? I plan to put al this locations in the GPS and finaly bring them on map. If someone feel to work together with me, i will be more than happy to coorperate. On the moment i live in Holland but this will change in short time. My living place will be Constanta. Keep up the good work... |
| Posted by: U260diver September 19, 2005 09:58 pm |
| http://img352.imageshack.us/my.php?image=000000288wj.jpg |
| Posted by: U260diver September 19, 2005 10:08 pm |
| http://img352.imageshack.us/my.php?image=000000448ur.jpg http://img352.imageshack.us/my.php?image=000000206gs.jpg http://img352.imageshack.us/my.php?image=000000253qk.jpg http://img352.imageshack.us/my.php?image=000000722lp.jpg http://img352.imageshack.us/my.php?image=000000722lp.jpg http://img352.imageshack.us/my.php?image=000000949wn.jpg http://img352.imageshack.us/my.php?image=052200284wi.jpg http://img352.imageshack.us/my.php?image=000000878ez.jpg |
| Posted by: U260diver September 19, 2005 10:11 pm |
| http://img165.imageshack.us/my.php?image=00000004c4gh.jpg (photo is taken by the cazino) |
| Posted by: U260diver September 19, 2005 10:16 pm |
| http://img386.imageshack.us/my.php?image=000000928ev.jpg The last one! |
| Posted by: dragos03 September 19, 2005 10:38 pm |
| Actually the Bucharest forts are in another thread: http://www.worldwar2.ro/forum/index.php?showtopic=1988 |
| Posted by: U260diver September 19, 2005 10:54 pm |
| many thanks dragos03 for the link, i just checked and saw great info what will helps me more to bring all of them on map. The 3 guns of the Tirpitz battery at Constanza , can somebody tell me were i can find the location of this batterie? And do somebody know what the shooting range was for this guns? Its and interesting point, in my search for the excact sinking position of the soviet destroyer "Moskva" ... |
| Posted by: Victor September 20, 2005 03:20 pm |
| I have merged the topic in the Navy section with this older and larger one. U260diver, please use the ImageShack Upload option of the forum so that you can hotlink the images on the forum (display them directly). This php url of personal galleries doesn't work apparently. The round concrete things in these two images on the Trei Papuci Beach: http://img352.imageshack.us/my.php?image=000000878ez.jpg http://img386.imageshack.us/my.php?image=000000928ev.jpg aren't bunkers, but the surface exit holes of underground water reservoirs. I also thought they were bunkers, ever since my childhood when I was going to Constanta, but this year, during the photo tour of the Constanta beach area, I took a look inside one that didn't have the lid on and saw what they really are. They go straigth down some 20-30 m. The Tirpitz was between Viile Noi and Agigea. Were exactly, I don't know. Today its position is most likely included into the Constanta port area and off limits to most of us. The other 380 mm battery, situated north of Constanta was situated between the Tabacarie Lake and teh Siutghiol Lake. I suppose it is at the begining of present-day Mamaia resort, just south of the Parc Hotel. There is a small hill over there. |
| Posted by: U260diver September 28, 2005 06:23 am |
| http://img386.imageshack.us/my.php?image=000000928ev.jpg When you look at the concrete remains left - under, i think that it is a part of a bunker, the round tubes i was also not sure about it. But this is cleared now - thanks. I have no idea on what other way i must post some photo's, can you explain to me how to do? many thanks... |
| Posted by: cipiamon September 28, 2005 07:17 am | ||
You do it fine, but you have to do one more thing if you whant your image to apear in your post and not just the link. When "imageshak" give you the link of your image, you copy it in the clipboard (i meen ctrl+c) and in the forum you press the "IMG" button, and then you paste the link of the photo in that box, you press ok, and your picture is gonna apear in your post. One more thing, "imageshack" is gonna give you more then one link to your image, use the one that it said "direct link to your image", that shold be evrything, good luck. |
| Posted by: dragos September 28, 2005 08:28 am |
| There is an image attachment guide here: http://www.worldwar2.ro/forum/index.php?showtopic=2093 |
| Posted by: Victor September 28, 2005 01:56 pm | ||
See the photos I posted on the 4th page on Aug 17 2005, 12:35 PM. That's the bunker seen in the lower part of thr photo you posted. |
| Posted by: Claudiu1988 February 09, 2006 05:04 pm |
| I didn't know about the bunkers in Constanta until I read your post. Today I went in search of the bunkers and I found a lot of them. First i sow the one under the "Vraja Marii" restaurant, the one under the Casino and the two bunkers on Modern beach (I will put pictures tomorrow). I was walking on a street near the harbour when I sow two massiv bunkers, I was stund to see them is such nice condition, but because it was near dark I made some photos and went home, tomorrow I will make an expedition me and a friend and try to go in and see what is inside. I will put some photos with the bunker that I will explore tomorrow. http://imageshack.us |
| Posted by: Claudiu1988 February 09, 2006 05:08 pm |
| The windows of the bunker.(I don't know how they are called in english) http://imageshack.us |
| Posted by: Claudiu1988 February 09, 2006 05:09 pm |
| http://imageshack.us |
| Posted by: Claudiu1988 February 09, 2006 05:11 pm |
| Here is the entrence of the bunker. http://imageshack.us |
| Posted by: Wings_of_wrath February 09, 2006 10:56 pm |
| Kudos on spotting the bunker under Vraja Marii, that is a hard one to see, since it's almost burried. Where exactly is the bunker you photographed located? If you go up the street behind the Orthodox cathedral (Strada Revolutiei), coming from Vraja Marii, look to your right. There will be two empty spots, each with a miniature pillbox. There is also a fragment of an artillery bunker in the Archeological Park, near the ice skating rink/ outdoors cinema, currently being used as a prop warehouse by Fantasio Theatre. Also, try to go along the Traian Street from the City Hall towards the Train Station, and you will see a lot more casemates littered along the slope to the Harbour, all the way to Poarta 6. A few more bunkers are in the harbour itself, near "Cuibul Reginei", on the outside part of the seawall that starts from Poarta 1 and leads to the Military Harbour. A few more lie on the beaches north of Modern (3 Papuci, etc) and some can even be seen at Mamaia, serving as foundations for restaurnts, terraces and bars. By far the most complete complex is near the Bulgarian Border. A few years ago, I managed to slip into the "No man's land" adjoining the border, and there I discovered an intact Kreigsmarine observations bunker and an L-409 Flack casemate. Acces was gained trough a vertical shaft with metal rungs, and, although this was half-obstructed with mud and other debris, the interior of the bunkers were in very good condition, including the original paint, some scribblings on a wall where a radio set used to be (probably frequencies) as well as ww2 grafitti. The only sign of contemporary human activity was an used condom.  If you try to explore this set of fortifications, be forewarned that the borderguards will try to chase you out if they spot you, and also keep clear of the actual border, unless you want to get arrested or shot. |
| Posted by: Wings_of_wrath February 09, 2006 11:12 pm | ||
It's an observation/comunication bunker similar to the one I found near the Bulgarian Border at Vama Veche, only the earth has slid away from underneath. Normally, only the top of the turret and the sighting holes would have been visible. |
| Posted by: Victor February 10, 2006 07:40 am |
| I believe the bunkers by Vraja Marii were part of the emplacement of the German 280 mm battery. |
| Posted by: Wings_of_wrath February 10, 2006 10:25 am |
| Well, that would have been the most logical place for heavy artillery. However, one of the bunkers is completely burried beneath the enbankment, and the other one is half obstructed, so It's really hard to tell how they would have looked in their heyday. If I'll go to Constanta later this week (it's starting to look like I won't be able to leave Bucharest until the 14th of the month), I will try to get a hold of some contemporary pictures, as well as ask some people about it. |
| Posted by: Claudiu1988 February 10, 2006 11:27 am |
| Hello this morning I started my expedition in finding and exploring the ww2 bunkers in Constanta. I tried to go in the bunker posted earlier but because it was full of street people (boschetari) I left it alone. Then I started walking along the harbour and I found numerous bunkers all fild with dirt. At the Casino someone broaked the mortar that the autorites put to fill the holes for machine guns and they look very great, I also tried to get in but I didn't found the entrence, I sow something coverd with a sheet of metal, I took it off but it was filed with water.Later tjis day I will go and explore the bunker at trei papuci. If you want me to explore other bunkers please tell me where they are and I will help you with pleasure. |
| Posted by: Claudiu1988 February 10, 2006 11:29 am |
| Tomorrow I will go and make photos of all the fortifications and I will post them. |
| Posted by: Wings_of_wrath February 23, 2006 02:36 pm |
| I intended to do the same while in Constanta, but I got so wraped up in the matter of the Mamaia Airport I forgot. However, while talking with an elderly architect on the subject of fortifications, besides naming all the WW2 bunkers still visible today, he recalled seeing another line of fortifications, near Cumpana, some 3km inland! At the time he assumed them to be post-war, since the casemates had slogans on the lines of "Traiasca Republica Populara Romania si Partidul Muncitoresc Roman" (Long Live the Popular Republic Romania and the Romanian Worker's Party) painted on them, but I think they are certainly worth investigating. Even more puzzling, the same person told me of a trip he took in the 80's while working on the urbanistic designs for the Atomic Plant there, in which he was shown a WW1 vintage fort being used as a warehouse by a local farm. He described it as being made of brick with vaulted chambers, so I wonder if the fort could in fact be of the same vintage as the Bucharest fortifications. Anyway, here are a map and a satellite picture detailing the position of the fort, marked "N" on both. On the map, there is also a caption which reads: "N- Fort. Depozit de furaje ferma 3." (Fort. Animal feed warehouse, Farm 3) Please note the difference in shape between the plan and the photograph, making this even more mysterious.   Also, I was able to find this fort on the list of preserved monuments, so hopefully it will be there, but in Romania this is no guarantee. In any case, I intend to make a trip there this summer, and afterwards I wil post some pictures on the forum. |
| Posted by: SiG February 23, 2006 10:05 pm | ||
Maybe the fort is partially buried underground, so that the satelite photo shows only what is visible today at the surface, while the map shows it's true shape |
| Posted by: Wings_of_wrath February 23, 2006 10:26 pm | ||
This is indeed possible. Forts of the era were generally burried, and made extensive use of retractible turrets and such - however, I think there can be an easier explaination in the fact that the plan I have is pretty basic and makes ample use of symbols rather than shapes to express various points of interest. I belive the sketch was used originally in the plotting of powerlines from the Atomic Plant to the rest of Dobrogea, and the fort is only given as a reference because it happened to be a prominent feature in the vicinity of one of the main lines. Thus, the symbol marked "N" on the map might not have anything to do with the actual shape of the fort. |
| Posted by: Carol I February 24, 2006 08:08 am | ||||
It may be one of the forts from the defence of the bridge at Cernavodă. Here is a fragment I have found in The Times History of the War.
|
| Posted by: Wings_of_wrath February 24, 2006 09:08 am |
| It's likely this is one of these forts- it's not apparent from the map and photograph, but the distance between the bridge itself and the fort is rougly 3 miles. Anyway, I think the questions to ask now would be a) How many forts were there originally, and b ) What happened to the others? |
| Posted by: Carol I February 24, 2006 09:34 am | ||
Sorry, that is all the information given by the mentioned source. It does not say either how many forts were or what was their spacing. On the other hand, once "in the field" around the known fort you may know what to look for or ask the locals. |
| Posted by: dragos03 February 24, 2006 05:11 pm |
| The Cernavoda bridgehead had three sectors: - Sector Movilele - 6 fortified batteries and a small fort - Sector Bogdaproste (Cismelele) - 2 fortified batteries and a small fort - Sector Dermenegiu - 6 forttified batteries and a small fort The batteries were usually armed with a 53mm turret and 2 MGs. The forts had one 120mm turret, four 53mm turrets and 4 MGs. There were other defensive works protecting the bridge itself and some emplacements for artillery. |
| Posted by: Wings_of_wrath February 25, 2006 02:22 pm |
| Thanks Dragos for your accurate info. Does that come from Vasiliu's book? The fortifications of the bridge still exist, on the top of a hill on the eastern bank, just south of the bridgehead (they are marked "E" on the map). There are at least two visible fortified batteries, but unfortunately, that area still operates as a military unit, so getting permission to visit them seems unlikely. |
| Posted by: Carol I March 10, 2006 10:13 pm |
Two WWII photos from eBay with the description "Cernavoda bunker":  |
| Posted by: Dénes March 21, 2006 04:30 am |
| Here is a little known war episode involving the Carol line, in Sept. 1944 (excerpt from a manuscript under work): "A notable local Hungarian victory – with German assistance from the air – against Soviet armour took place on September 20. The commander of the 19th Field Infantry Replacement Division, based nearby Miniş (Ménes), recalled that the so-called Carol line – built pre-war by the Rumanians against the excepted Hungarian attack – lies nearby, including a large anti-tank ditch. Assuming that the Soviets are not aware of this defensive structure, he ordered his men to lure the enemy armour towards the ditch. His assumption proved to be correct, the advancing Soviet tanks were halted by the unexpected, unsurpassable obstacle. At this point, the Hungarian tanks and anti-tank cannon of the 1st Armoured Division ambushed the stranded Soviet tanks northwest of Zimandu Nou (Zimándújfalu). Soon German ground attack airplanes join in the killing frenzy. Within hours, the entire Soviet armoured force, consisting of 25 T-34s of the 18th Tank Corps, was annihilated. The Hungarians accounted for seven tanks, the rest being knocked out by the Luftwaffe Schlachtfliegern. By the end of the day, the German flyers reported 30 enemy tanks ‘killed’ in the area, along with 120 trucks and vehicles. The Axis allies did not suffer any losses. However, this local Hungarian victory – known to them as ‘the tank battle at Pénzespuszta’ – did not halt the overall Soviet offensive, only slowed it down. It allowed, however, the Hungarian 3rd Army units to seamlessly regroup to new defensive positions." Gen. Dénes |
| Posted by: SiG March 21, 2006 09:34 am |
| Interesting episode. Did the Soviets blame the Romanians for not telling them about the Carol line? After the armistice, Soviets would often accuse Romania that it wasn't committed enough to the antifascist cause, and use this as a pretext to interfere with the royal army, purge officers, loot and demand higher war reparations. I wonder wether this incident was ever used as "evidence" of Romanian "sabotage" of the common war effort. |
| Posted by: Carol I March 21, 2006 03:57 pm | ||
I presume it has been a typo and it is in fact "expected" instead of "excepted".  |
| Posted by: Dénes March 21, 2006 04:36 pm |
| Yes, Carol, it's a typo. SiG, I don't know if the Rumanians were put at fault by the Soviet 'brothers-in-arms' or not. Probably not, though, as the Soviets used their own map, where this pre-war fortification line was not shown. Gen. Dénes |
| Posted by: Dan Po March 21, 2006 05:18 pm |
| Anyway, this episode looks more like a Romanian - Hungarian "brothers-in-arms" against the Soviets. |
| Posted by: Wings_of_wrath April 28, 2006 11:57 pm |
| Finally, I got the time to go to Cernavoda and see for myself the situation of the fortifications there. There is no trace of the center "Bogdaproste" (Cismelele) sector, since it used to lie where the Danube- Black Sea canal is now, but I had high hopes for the other two sectors and the two blockhouses near the bridge itself. As previously mentioned on this thread, I was told that at least one of the forts was being used as an animal feed warehouse by a local farm, and since I could find it on the "Protected Monuments" list, I was sure I will find it in a pretty good condition, so I was optimistic when I stepped down from the train in Cernavoda. I wasn't sure on where exactly the fort was located, but I hired a local cabby and showed him the place I wanted to go, using the rough map I had and a pretty bad satellite photo from Goole Earth. After a bit of meandering around the fields, trying to find a road that led in the right direction, we reached the area, and, soon enough, we could make out some kind of building on the top of a nearby hill. But upon reaching the spot, stupor! The building turned out to be a crude concrete water tank for watering herds, clearly of modern construction, and besides that, there was nothing that looked like a fort on the whole hilltop, only a few holes and pieces of concrete. http://imageshack.us Incredulous, I pulled out my binoculars and scanned the sorriundings, but It it was paintfully obvious that this was the best spot for a large military installation, since it held a commanding view on the nearby hills, and even on the site of the nuclear powerplant and the town of cernavoda itself. So where was the fort? I started looking around, and soon enough, I noticed a rusted pipe sticking up from the ground. A few meters away, there was another, and then another, in a line that embraced the top of the hill. They were obviously quite old, and upon examining one close up, I noticed it had a concrete ring around its base. Since you don't usually stick pipes in hillsides unless you have a solid purpose, I looked closer at the various debris that littered the hilltop, until I found this: http://imageshack.us The hole in the ring is about 1.5 meters across and the piece is made of plain concrete, so I'm pretty sure it's the base for one of the four transportable 53mm turrets on top of the fort. But since the forward batteries also had 53mm turrets of the same design, I searched for more evidence, and upon finding huge slabs of concrete everywhere as well as signs of digging, I had to conclude that the fort was no more. http://imageshack.us http://imageshack.us And indeed, a sheperd came to water his flock, and when I asked him wherever there were any old ruins around the hills, he said this was the only one, and the place was known as "La forturi" ("The Forts")... As the story goes, it apears that in 1987, while the Nuclear Powerplant was being built, the communist government decided to tear down the fort, for some unknown reason, so they filled the underground vaults and tore open the concrete, leaving the hilltop as we see it today. However, I also learned that the fort on the other side of the canal, in the "Movilele" sector, is still in good shape, but it's part of a military unit, so visiting it is impossible. Higly dissapointed, we went down back to the town, to search for the last two objectives, the two blockhouses near the bridge. While heading to the eastern end of the bridge, we came upon some railway offices, and asked the people inside about the two bunkers. They promtly told us that any military installation on the eastern side of the bridge was destroyed when the canal was built, but the blokhouse on the other side was still there, albeit damaged by the construction of the new bridge. So we headed over Saligny's old railway bridge, and, soon enough, we saw this: http://imageshack.us An intact retractible 53 mm turret! http://imageshack.us http://imageshack.us A quick read out of col. Vasiliu's book on fortifications later, we also identified the probable locations for one of the open 150mm emplacements, a little further back from the turet, smothered in vegetation, but it was paintfully obvious that about half the bunker had been demolished to make way for the new bridge: http://imageshack.us After a while I also decided to venture inside the bunker, and found it to be mostly free of debris, although some of the rooms were blocked with mud, as well as some odd looking cubes of concrete, that I realised were samples taken for testing from each batch of concrete while the new bridge was being built. A wall carefully built out of these blocks plugs the passage that would have lead to the other half of the cassemate. I also clambered into the turret, and, although my camera doesn't have an inbuilt flash, I managed to grab a couple of shots of the interior mechanism (that is still there after all these years) one of witch came out pretty good: http://imageshack.us As you can see, the cannon would have been slipped on rails out the ambrasure on the left, and the whole turret would have rotated around a central shaft set in the middle of the cuppola, just below what I assume is a ventilation hole. There is also trace of the lifting mechanism, and the interior walls of the turret space are lined with iron plates, to act as a mold for pouring the concrete around it. The rest of the bunker is made up of a central chamber and a few vaulted corridors, as well as an impressing number of flanking cassemates. The walls are built of plain (unreinforced) concrete, and the roof seems to be made out of railroad tracks stacked together and with concrete poured on top and in between, a type of construction that fared badly against the german onslaught in the forts of Belgium and France during WW1. Just in front of the entrance there is also a ladder leading up to the 150mm emplacement, that was probably used for sending ammunition to the gun from the bunker. Although I tried, I could not open the hatch. Although I didn't have enough time to make proper measurments of the bunker, and I plan to return there in the near future to draw up some accurate plans as well as to photograph the interior, here is a rough sketch of the internal layout (al distances given in mm): http://imageshack.us Later edit: With all the excitement about this find, It completely slipped my mind that the southern sector had not one but two small forts, so on my next trip to Cernavoda I fully intend to explore that part of the defensive sector, as well as take detailed measurments of the casemate near the bridge. If you want to join in on this expedition, as well as the one to the forts around Bucharest, feel free to PM me on the forum. |
| Posted by: Victor April 29, 2006 06:56 am |
| Well, what can I say? Great job! No, super great job! I wish more of the members would contribute in such a manner |
| Posted by: mihnea April 29, 2006 07:04 am |
| Oau!! Extraordinary discovery, but I have a few questions: 1. Any other pictures with the interior? 2. On your sketch I see no doors, did it had any doors to the rooms or at the entrance? 3. Can you estimate the thickness of the outer walls? 4. Did you see any traces of the bunker being inundated? 5. Is there a drawing of this fort in Vasiliu's book as the shape is very odd. |
| Posted by: Kepi April 29, 2006 08:23 am |
| Congratulations, Wings-of-Wreath! It’s really a great job to search and reveal such unknown aspects of Romanian military history. It’s again astonishing that it wasn’t any military historian to study modern military fortifications. A possible explanation could be that they were still considered “Secret” until recent years and some military installations were located there. I know that an Italian researcher was interested to study the forts round Bucharest at the middle of 1990s and he very difficult obtained the permission to go there, only accompanied by an officer of the MoD, because they plans were still classified. Colonel Ceraceanu, the commander of the signals military unit of Otopeni, near the road bridge, who is an open minded (atypical) officer and a history enthusiast, studied these fortifications and he will be interested to publish a book on the subject (maybe it would be a new volume of MMN “Dorobantul” series). Colonel Ceraceanu will help MMN during the project of the Arges River Battle reconstruction, of 2nd September, that will be held at Fort Mogosoaia (Batteries 1-2). The terrain is on his military unit property. Then it will be a good opportunity to visit this location and to highlight the importance and also the poor condition of these forts among the public. Wings-of-Wreath could have a major contribution on this project. |
| Posted by: C-2 April 29, 2006 10:20 am |
| Amazing work!!!!! |
| Posted by: Claudiu1988 April 29, 2006 10:31 am |
| A job well done. Keep on the good work |
| Posted by: Wings_of_wrath April 29, 2006 11:44 am |
| Thank you. Mihnea: 1) Yes, but like I said, my camera didn't have a flash so they turned out black. There are only two other views of the cuppola, but are very blurry, because I had to keep a long exposure time (in excess of 30 seconds) so I had a hard time keeping the camera still in the confined space 2)There were no doors, and I saw no signs of ever having been any, like door hinges or such. The acess from one room to another is made va simple openings. 3)Outer walls are about 1.5meters at the entrance. Inner walls about 40cm. 4)There was a shallow blanket of mud on the inside (about 1cm thick), and small puddles of rainwater, but other than that the bunker was clear, except for those portions filled in during the construction of the new bridge. 5) No there is no drawing in Vasiliu's book, just a mention of it's armamaments and rough location. On the plan, I'm not that sure this is the exact shape, because I was groping around in near darkness and drew hte sketch outside (on the cuppola ring), so I will have to revisit for accurate measurments. Kepi: That is great news! I figured there must be other people with intrest in these forts, but I wasn't sure on where to get a hold of them. Can you please put me in contact with mister Ceraceanu? If he can provide us with acess and plans (I have been previously denied just that at both the Bucharest and National Archives), we can offer to help out in exploring them (they're large, and there's lots of them, so I figure we shall need at least a day for exploring each one, meaning about a month for the whole lot) as well as recording the overall state and other details of this nature. And if you care to see the thread on Bucharest fortifications, we had a break in the case of the forts by some very accurate sattelite imagery, allowing us to inspect even the state of the turrets in some cases! (thread is located http://www.worldwar2.ro/forum/index.php?act=ST&f=15&t=1988&st=30#entry49499 and I will be posting an in depth analysys of each fort in the following week) |
| Posted by: dragos03 April 29, 2006 02:00 pm |
| Great job, Wings of Wrath! |
| Posted by: Dénes July 04, 2006 03:34 am |
| At the link below, at the beginning, there are a few interesting period photos, taken by Hungarian propaganda reporters in September 1940, on the fortifications located at the former Rumanian-Hungarian border in Western Transylvania (disregard the propaganda text, and some of the likewise photos). http://www.liktor.hu/keletfele/kezdolap.html Gen. Dénes |
| Posted by: Claudiu1988 October 23, 2006 12:54 pm | ||
A week ago this bunker was opened with the help of a buldozer, they want to make a disco inside. I went in and the bunker is fill with mud and wather. The interior looks ok, except you have to enter the bunker through a small hole because the door is full with mud, until you reach the interior of the bunker you have to crowl some 4 m, then when you reach the inside of the bunker the mud and wather is 1m deep but you can walk through it. You can see the on the wall a lot of rusted iron suports I think they were for the beds but I am not sure. I will go again inside on Friday or Saturday and I will make pictures. If someone is interested in coming with me let me know I will also go and see the other fortifications. We will enter 2 more bunkers. |
| Posted by: Messerschmitt October 25, 2006 06:48 am |
| great job Wings of wrath!!! By the way, if we`re still talking about pillboxes the only ones i know are: 1) The one from Eforie Sud Location: Actually is between Eforie Nord and Eforie sud, right near the blocks from the kids camp; the only way you can get to it is to walk to it from the beach, because access to camp is restricted to people 2)The one(s) near Carei Location: actually i don`t know where they are because i never searched them and the guy from the museum doesn`t want to show me the map where they are( probbably because there`s sometning important and they keep it for them ) Anyway this week i`m gonna go at the useum again and again and again until he-ll show me that whicked map |
| Posted by: 21 inf January 06, 2007 03:49 pm |
| Hello 2 all. I was reading this subject about fortifications, because i'm particularly interested about the fortified line Carol II from the western border of Romania. Denes posted some interesting links on this subject, but unfortunatelly they offer poor info about subject. So, if anyone can post blueprints of these pillboxes, them history, armament etc, will help me much. In exchange, i can post photo's with pillboxes and antitanc ditch from Carol II fortified line. http://imageshack.us For the begining, the location of one of the pillboxes. Legend: red line: Oradea-Arad road blue line: acces from village Nojorid to the line of pillboxes yellow line: antitanc ditch |
| Posted by: Ferdinand July 16, 2007 09:10 am |
| hi everyone ! so here are some pics with what i've found http://img292.imageshack.us/my.php?image=s7003114gw4.jpg http://imageshack.us By http://profile.imageshack.us/user/rennsport, shot with http://profile.imageshack.us/camerabuy.php?model=%3CDigimax+S700+%2F+Kenox+S700+%2F+Digimax+Cyber+730%3E&make=Samsung+Techwin at 2007-07-16 http://imageshack.us By http://profile.imageshack.us/user/rennsport, shot with http://profile.imageshack.us/camerabuy.php?model=%3CDigimax+S700+%2F+Kenox+S700+%2F+Digimax+Cyber+730%3E&make=Samsung+Techwin at 2007-07-16 http://img150.imageshack.us/my.php?image=s7003141wn0.jpg http://img257.imageshack.us/my.php?image=s7003152bq6.jpg http://img221.imageshack.us/my.php?image=s7003160yc4.jpg this location is vatra dornei mountains..... i'll wait for opinions |
| Posted by: ANDI July 16, 2007 09:24 am |
| It is a known fact that Vatra Dornei mountains were the ground of some heavy fightings in ww1. The first photo seem to show a line of trenches. The photo with the aparent entrance into a pillbox can also be an entrance for a somekind of pit (I think there was a small plate in front of it and resembles with a mining pit, but I am not sure) though I have also heard stories of german and austrian concrete pillboxes in the area. The concrete foundation might be an old foresters or border guards hut. I have encountered many examples like that in the mountains. |
| Posted by: Ferdinand July 16, 2007 09:57 am |
| hi andi.. the concrete that you saw in the pics....the one that is almost al groundlevel...it's not a foundation........i know that for sure becouse: it has no connection with uprising walls(if there were any), the structure has an angle corners ....and there are 2 structures like that in the woods..... my father(who was an army unteroffizer) ...said that is possible to be an undergruond structure present in the areai'll attache pics with some foundation that i found... i'm sure that is not a mine entrance... thanks 4 reply keep up the good(seraching) work inner structue of bunker http://imageshack.us By http://profile.imageshack.us/user/rennsport, shot with http://profile.imageshack.us/camerabuy.php?model=%3CDigimax+S700+%2F+Kenox+S700+%2F+Digimax+Cyber+730%3E&make=Samsung+Techwin at 2007-07-16 our history is a perfect place 4 garbage  http://imageshack.us By http://profile.imageshack.us/user/rennsport, shot with http://profile.imageshack.us/camerabuy.php?model=%3CDigimax+S700+%2F+Kenox+S700+%2F+Digimax+Cyber+730%3E&make=Samsung+Techwin at 2007-07-16 antitank??? obstacle?? http://imageshack.us By http://profile.imageshack.us/user/rennsport, shot with http://profile.imageshack.us/camerabuy.php?model=%3CDigimax+S700+%2F+Kenox+S700+%2F+Digimax+Cyber+730%3E&make=Samsung+Techwin at 2007-07-16 this are the barracks??? foundation(notice the difference ).. http://imageshack.us By http://profile.imageshack.us/user/rennsport, shot with http://profile.imageshack.us/camerabuy.php?model=%3CDigimax+S700+%2F+Kenox+S700+%2F+Digimax+Cyber+730%3E&make=Samsung+Techwin at 2007-07-16 another structure (poss underground)....from woods http://imageshack.us By http://profile.imageshack.us/user/rennsport, shot with http://profile.imageshack.us/camerabuy.php?model=%3CDigimax+S700+%2F+Kenox+S700+%2F+Digimax+Cyber+730%3E&make=Samsung+Techwin at 2007-07-16 that's all folks....i'll keep seeking  |
| Posted by: ANDI July 16, 2007 10:09 am |
| The uprising wall at a concrete structure is not a "rule" for a foundation. The entire perimeter of a building concrete foundation can be covered with a concrete slab. As for the angled corners, you might be right. But if there were pillboxes or similar, there must be a logic and a strategical disposition of them in the field as well as trench lines. |
| Posted by: 21 inf July 16, 2007 01:00 pm | ||
I believe that here was an antitank defensive position, made by "dragon's tooth". Dragon teeth is a 3D triangular shape concrete made obstacle, which was imposible for tanks to overpass it. If a tank hit this kind of AT obstacle, the only result was that the obstacle remained on the same position and eficacy, due to its triangular 3D shape. The pic you posted shows what remained from this obstacles, in this case only the base. In a pic above you posted some dragon tooth still intact. Where you said is the location of this fortified line? |
| Posted by: New Connaught Ranger July 16, 2007 01:12 pm | ||
Hallo Gentlemen These pictures remind me of a French Ww1 Turret I saw at Verdun in 1998. http://imageshack.us Kevin in Deva. |
| Posted by: Ferdinand July 16, 2007 09:19 pm | ||||
yes...you're right......why?!...look.. http://imageshack.us By http://profile.imageshack.us/user/rennsport, shot with http://profile.imageshack.us/camerabuy.php?model=%3CDigimax+S700+%2F+Kenox+S700+%2F+Digimax+Cyber+730%3E&make=Samsung+Techwin at 2007-07-16 |
| Posted by: Ferdinand July 16, 2007 09:25 pm | ||
hi andi i can't tell you how "smart" were this structure build....you already know that the entire structure "watches" over 2 valleys and nothing can move without been seen... i'll try to find also the pics from focsani...with ww1 bunkers....interesting too.. anyway thaks 4 reply.... wait to see whAT you guys have visited.... |
| Posted by: 21 inf July 17, 2007 04:52 am | ||
For the begining, you can start with http://www.worldwar2.ro/forum/index.php?showtopic=3926 |
| Posted by: Ferdinand July 17, 2007 08:52 pm |
| i already saw those pics....amazing places... i'll try to find more places and post.. |
| Posted by: chisi August 23, 2007 05:29 pm |
| On my vacation at the Black sea Coast I found some ww2 fortifications between Venus and Mangalia. http://img77.imageshack.us/my.php?image=venusiz8.jpg http://img442.imageshack.us/my.php?image=mangalia1zz7.jpg http://img442.imageshack.us/my.php?image=mangalia2un3.jpg http://img441.imageshack.us/my.php?image=mangalia3gn1.jpg http://img523.imageshack.us/my.php?image=saturn1dv3.jpg http://img523.imageshack.us/my.php?image=saturn2bn8.jpg http://img127.imageshack.us/my.php?image=saturn3jq8.jpg |
| Posted by: chisi August 23, 2007 05:31 pm |
| The white one is not from ww2, it is from the time when the touristic harbor from Mangalia was military... |
| Posted by: Messerschmitt July 24, 2008 06:52 pm |
| Ok guys, this summer i did some field research of fortifications around the romanian seaside. I managed to find a few cassemates however access was hardly possible(crawling and stuff) and i was a bit afraid to enter, plus the embarassment from the people thinking i`m nuts photoing and examining those forts. Also, even if i could have entered, i didn`t have a flashlight at me. The first one i`ve spotted is somewhere between Mangalia and Saturn, on the pathway on the seaside. Nowadays, only a few of it is visible, due to the construction of the "t" , wich is a barrier of stabilopods. While the other tourists were photoing some swans, i had nothing to bother me, so i took some pictures.  Sorry for the hi-res photos. I don`t know how to resize it, hope an admin can do it for me. I have seen a painted marking, but being yellow i tought it`s somethimg regarding the depth of gas pipes. Also, i think it may only be a "licheni" but i`ve also seen another cassemate marked.  I also noticed the square concrete peiece, i don`t know what exactly it is, it didn`t had anything at its end, it may have been hosting a 1) airing tube 2) periscope 3) grenade slide . I`ve also seen simmilar square concrete pieces like this on other cassemates, only that they are bigger and have a metal piece inside( soon to follow)  This one is the enterance, it`s on the back of the cassemate, i`ve looked inside but i couldn`t see anything, there wasn`t too much space, about 30 cm so i couldn`t see or get inside.   I have also noticed on the top some long, paralellipipedic concrete pieces, reinforced with iron bars, anyone have any idea what those served for? Strange thing, this cassemate has once been on the beach/seaside befor the building of the "t" barrage, judging by the missing layer of tar, wich used to protect the wall by sea errosion(waves and stuff like this) . Because the waves splash onto it, in time it melts down. Farther on the seaside, i saw this restaurant, i`m not sure but i think it`s being built on a pillbox, i didn`t manage to see any firing slots but i guess they`re covered by the concrete sustaining the terrace above.  |
| Posted by: Messerschmitt July 24, 2008 07:29 pm |
The second one i found is in Saturn, it has two masked firing slots , and has a small motel`s terrace on the top . It isn`t fully visible, about half is " into" the hill and a few of it is covered with "iedera". I tried to ask at the motel (actually it`s a shack) if they know where the entrance is, there was no one there and i wasn`t able to find it in the suroundings.     As you can see, this one is marked nr. 9 with yellow, i don`t know what that stands for, but being yellow gives me the link to semething regarding to gas   These are the firing slots , interesting thing, they are not reinforced with iron, just bare concrete. The firing holes are protected from the inside by a metal sheet and there is written "NU ARUNCATI" on both of the firing holes .     That`s all for today, stay tuned for some more, wich i`m gonna post tomorrow. |
| Posted by: C-2 July 24, 2008 08:33 pm |
| Cammon'Make the photos smaller ! It takes a life time to download. |
| Posted by: bansaraba July 24, 2008 08:44 pm |
| There are 2-3 cassemates at Costinesti, in the sea, on the way to Evanghelia boat (Epava). Because of beach erosion, they are half covered with water. In Brasov I know an antiaerian cassemate, I shall post some photos soon. |
| Posted by: Messerschmitt July 25, 2008 08:29 am |
| Today i managed to upload the photos via postimage, hope it`s better now. My objective was a cassemate behind the school camp in Eforie Sud, but i also knew the presence of a very accessible cassemate on the beach at the end of Eforie Nord. So, i got in the maxi-taxi and told him to stop at the entrance in Eforie Nord. Soon, i found the casemate. It`s HUGE. Unfortunately, i didn`t manage to take more pictures, the area was a nude beach so i didn`t spent a lot of time in there http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=gxUBw29 Access was possible, but i wasn`t properly "equipped" ( beach slippers and white t-shirt) and having that nude guys around.... Anyway, i can tell you what`s inside: garbage. Lots of it. http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=Pq1ovmo0 Regarding the dimensions: it is about 4,5-5 meters tall and 5-6 meters long. It really is huge, when i was there i asked myself if this isn`t Tirpitz? http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=Pq1ovDR0 Seems like it was a MG fitted cassemate, or a small calibre gun. http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=aVQ9jY0 Also, i`we seen traces of other constructions linked to this, but that have been demolished( probably to make space for the tourists). I wonder if those constructions were part of the cassemate or were they post war? I decided to walk down the beach to the cassemate behind the camp(wich was visible from this one) and saw this: http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=Pq1owqJS http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=gxUH3f9 I don`t get it. It`s a cassemate half sunk in the sand and being "inprisoned" in a new house-like construction. I walked around the building trying to find the entrance, but no trace of it. Probably it has sunk, too. http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=gxUHxaS As you can see, i wasn`t able to find out if it was MG or artillery fitted. http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=Pq1ox68i This one was also marked, this time with a red 3, but being too "graffitti-like" i don`t think it has any importance. I walked down the beach untill i reached it. It was the way i remember it, the way i saw it back in 2004. http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=aVQci1J http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=gxUIQuA Notice the missing protective layer of tar where waves splashed . |
| Posted by: Messerschmitt July 25, 2008 09:00 am |
| Continuing: http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=gxUJFSA http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=Pq1oyrX9 Notice the round angled "hole". It is present on both of the sides. I guess they are grenade slides. http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=aVQfsA9 http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=Pq1oy_S9 (Sorry for having mom and dad in the picture  ) The bunker was about 3-3,5 meters tall and 5 meters long. http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=gxUNgRA As you can see, the angled hole is present on this side, too. I took a photo of it wich is below, it was aprox. at 45º angle. http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=gxUObdS http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=gxUPTu0 Also, on this side there is another hole, wich i was`t able to photo too good, it was at about 2 meters high, i have no idea what it served for but i think it may be a flamethrower slot? http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=gxUQDSJ http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=aVQj3z9 This is the firing slot, i think the bunker has been MG fitted, The hole wasn`t too big. I managed to see a little bit in the inside, but not too much, my only "help" to light the inside was the flash. http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=gxUS3FS This is the top part of the bunker, there are two simmilar square concrete pieces, having a round metal piece, i have no idea what was fitted in them. |
| Posted by: Messerschmitt July 25, 2008 09:39 am |
| Continuing: http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=gxUSWy0 This is the round thing i was talking about. http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=aVQkYi0 Also, you can see some paralellipipedic concrete piece, reinforced with iron bars. They seem to be post-war. http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=gxUUNMJ http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=gxUVjcA I have noticed this on top of the cassemate, i don`t know what it served for, do you have any idea? http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=gxUVPDr This i guess is the entrance. http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=gxUXTkS http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=gxUXcWr http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=Pq1oDre9 http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=Pq1oDBcJ Those are debris, i guess there was another construction around but that have been demolished or covered with earth( judjing by the iron bars sticking out of the ground) You may think" man, this guy came to the seaside and no fun" . There was a lot of fun examining those cassemates and alo, other stuff (i didn`t manage to photo the girls ) http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=gxV0hR9 Contest with dad. With the m4a1 , he shot one 7, one 8, and one 9 (3 shots) and i shot two 9`s and a 8 |
| Posted by: C-2 July 25, 2008 09:54 am |
| Good job! |
| Posted by: Corbu July 26, 2008 12:47 pm |
| Back in 1980, I was serving as a private in an infantry unit near Navodari. Under our responsability were the fortifications of the beach of Vadu (some 8 km nord of Cap Midia - Navodari). These consisted in some bunkers very similar to those of Eforie. What can I tell about: The construction was steel reinforced concrete, abt 1 m thick. Roof was made of rails embedded in concrete. The pillboxes are 5x5m approx square, semi-underground, having each a small entrance hall, a small ammonition room and a combat room fitted with a MG port and 2 grenade slides. The port is protected by a mobile steel shield leaving room for the MG and pointing device (optical). So, no flame thrower! The photo represents actually the MG steel shield. The MGs for those pillboxes were under Army custody, so i managed to take a look on one of these. It was a Skoda air-cooled machine-gun on a special "half-circle" tripode mount, cal 7.92, built in 1934. Firing 2 types of ammonitions ("heavy" and "normal" ball) up to 2,2 / 2.6 km, at two firing speeds ("quick" abt 600 rpm; "slow" - abt 120 rpm). The MG with the tripode had approx. 55 kg. The cannon coud be changed, if too hot. For maintenance, taking apart of the MG was done using a small bronze hammer... In the combat room, there is place for the MG and his 2 servants, and for the commander, that has a periscopic sight, retractable. The periscope is mounted in a steel tube that passes through the ceiling of the pillbox (that is the strange cylinder on the roof that you have photographied). There is also a manual ventilation fan, that has a reinforced concrete air intake on the roof (also in your photos). Overpressure was needed for operation, if not, toxic gas resulting from the ammonition used (cordite) could kill the crew. Note that all crew members had special gas masks, with additionnal cardridge agains carbon monoxide (sodium hydroxide crystals cardridges, a dangerous item). The permanent fortification (pillbox) placed effectively on the beach was integrated in a semi-permanent fortification line, consisting of open, but concrete reinforced trenches and firing emplacements for mortars (system Brandt) and automatic rifles (czech type, identical to the british BREN). There were no anti-tank defences or weapons: at that time, 1936 - 1938, landing tanks on a beach was SF. And no anti-aircraft defences too... There was also a second line of defences, 2 km distance from the beach, "L" shaped pillboxes for machine guns and small caliber AT cannons, but those cannons were no more on army's inventory. At that time, those pillboxes were assigned to territorial troups ( "garzi patriotice"), one company per pillbox. Every 3 - 4 years, the entrances of the pillboxes (normally covered by earth) were excavated, the combat room was cleaned and the MG shield oiled with "cannon grease". No works were done to the semi-permanent system of fortifications. As Navodari was a training ground for artilery and aviation, I had the occasion to see such a pillbox hit by an air to ground missile. Missed by about 10 meters, but even so, completely destroyed. So the actual military value of those defences was near zero. Built to contain a possible Soviet attack, used during the Cold War against NATO threat (Turkish forces were expected in case of a new world war), those fortifications have now only historical value. |
| Posted by: 21 inf July 26, 2008 02:07 pm |
| Very good article, Corbu! Congratulations! And thanks for sharing! |
| Posted by: bansaraba July 26, 2008 02:40 pm |
| Here are some photos of an antiaerian cassemate (or that's what I think it is) in Brasov: General view: http://img230.imageshack.us/my.php?image=sn850954mq2.jpg Ventilation shaft, going inside at an angle of about 45 degrees. I don't know what's that pipe for: http://img70.imageshack.us/my.php?image=sn850955qm6.jpg The other ventilation shaft, around the corner: http://img205.imageshack.us/my.php?image=sn850956id2.jpg Going to the entrance: http://img205.imageshack.us/my.php?image=sn850958du8.jpg The entrance is low and small: http://img74.imageshack.us/my.php?image=sn850959ky0.jpg This is the most interesting. You can see the ventilation shafts end, and the narrow path for getting down on some metal stairs, which cannot be seen, because they are on my side of the descent shaft. You can see a rusted metal handle though (near the leaf). I don't know what's down there, but it's a long way, judging by the sound of rocks I throwed in, and I think down there is a wood floor: http://img145.imageshack.us/my.php?image=sn850960tt4.jpg Here you can see that the large concrete structure is ending just 2 meters below the earth, being continued only by the descending shaft: http://img144.imageshack.us/my.php?image=sn850957yi9.jpg Could it be just the end of a longer tunnel going below the earth somewhere else? |
| Posted by: Ferdinand July 26, 2008 04:00 pm |
 hello bansaraba! if i'm not mistakeing...is this structure behind memorandului, up on the hill? cause i saw there some old structures, masive type. if not where is this? memo or warthe? thanks! |
| Posted by: bansaraba July 26, 2008 08:28 pm |
| Yes, that's it, on the hill. Are there any other structures? I was very lucky to find the entrance opened. For 20 years I've known it blocked. However, I believe it's dangerous to explore it: the stairs could be very rusty and break, and besides who knows what's down there? Although unfocussed, here is another image, where you can see the entire descending shaft: http://img144.imageshack.us/my.php?image=sn850961li6.jpg |
| Posted by: mihnea July 26, 2008 08:46 pm |
| Very very nice, I would take the risk as I doubt it's that deep remember it's not a anti atomic bunker. But I would take another person with me if something happens he can call for help. The only thing that scares me is water. |
| Posted by: Ferdinand July 26, 2008 08:49 pm |
| i think i can go someday with him and i have the guts to enter. i have all the equipment that i need. i'll post pictures |
| Posted by: mihnea July 26, 2008 09:01 pm |
| Just remembered a very dangerous thing about going into deep poorly ventilated areas such as wells or hermetically closed bunkers: carbon monoxide as it's odorless and when you realized that you are poisoned it's generally too late. |
| Posted by: bansaraba July 26, 2008 09:24 pm |
| Take some photos from upstairs first and make a good plan! Beter use a pipe to breathe down there. The structure was not hermetically closed (remember the ventilation shafts) but it could be badly oxigened down there. And don't forget to be tied with good ropes! If there is a tunnel, or generaly a room without concrete walls and roof, you'd better not go further, because the structure could colapse and bury you alive. I really hope you're at the age to have the guts but also be cautious enough |
| Posted by: bansaraba August 02, 2008 11:28 am |
| As I said, I took more pictures of the bunker in Brasov: This shows the ceiling, which is at the same level as the small door. There can be seen a hole in the far right side, maybe in conection with the metal pipe outside (seen in the secod picture of my first post about this bunker): http://img227.imageshack.us/my.php?image=sn850996xt8.jpg This picture shows a third ventilation shaft, but outside it is below earth: http://img216.imageshack.us/my.php?image=sn850998zi9.jpg Now, the most interesting part: the descending shaft. There's a long way down there, as the end of the ladder cannot be seen in those 2 photos: http://img227.imageshack.us/my.php?image=sn851002bk1.jpg http://img227.imageshack.us/my.php?image=sn851003mm2.jpg |
| Posted by: Corbu August 07, 2008 04:19 pm |
| Hey old man, you are exploring one of the "Opera" bunkers, here in Brasov! "Opera" was a radar network established by Luftwaffe in Romania in the winter 1942 - 1943, to protect some key military assets: Ploiesti oil raffineries, Brasov aircraft factory IAR. The network was integrated with Freya and Wurtzburg radars, and data was centralised by phone line to the zonal operation rooms (as the bunker in Brasov or the "tunnel" in Ploiesti Vest) and served to activate fighters squadrons, fog generators, civil protection and, of corse, AA artillery ("Flack"). Flack had his own radars for fire control, but those were activated only after scrambled by Opera recon radars (VHF type, Freya, 150 miles detection radius). The bunker of Brasov was part of that network. You will find inside the remnants of a phone operating room, a radio transmitter (in-flight guidance of fighters) a big electric generator and a situation room. By design, this type of AA bunker is made to withstand the direct hit of a single 1t bomb or the blast of 5t bomb at 20m. That was a lot. For example, Romanian fortifications of the seaside were designed to withstand multiple 75mm hits or one direct 105mm hit (aprox. 7kg C4). Have a good day and watch your steps! |
| Posted by: bansaraba August 07, 2008 09:27 pm |
| Very interesting indeed and there might be some people in Brasov interested about that; however, I wouldn't go down there, it's pretty dangerous. For ones who would, please read the posts above and take extreme caution! Don't forget to take some good pictures. |
| Posted by: Sturmpionier August 31, 2008 03:38 pm |
| No one mentions the Romanian fortifications of the Independence war.... Since a year I've been studying the military engineering of the 1877-1878 and according to my information more than 50% of the Rom. fortifications round Plevna are still remaning. Here is a Google Earth screenshot, showing probably the most impressive one: the redoubt "Marele duce Nicolae". located some 4 km. North-East of Grivita village. http://imageshack.us http://g.imageshack.us/img93/redoubtum6.jpg/1/ |
| Posted by: 21 inf August 31, 2008 06:53 pm |
| Good job, Sturmpionier! Thanks for sharing the image! |
| Posted by: mihnea August 31, 2008 10:02 pm |
| Same thing, different angle. And some ghosts from 1877. http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=aVEoN0A I have seen the fortification and in my opinion it's in to good condition to be the original one it looks like it was abandoned yesterday not 130 years ago. Trenches from WWI don't look that good. |
| Posted by: Sturmpionier September 01, 2008 06:32 am |
What about these two ghosts.....  Indeed this was the fortification we visited before the reenactment at Plevna. It's 100% original. The only redoubts, that were restorated were "Issa aga" ( in 1907)and "Kovanlak", placed near the Panorama (in 1973). |
| Posted by: Itza June 16, 2009 08:55 pm |
| Waiting for those pics from the Brasov bunker,did someone get in eventually? |
| Posted by: Ferdinand June 28, 2009 08:01 pm | ||
i took a look inside this escape tunnel and : 1. this is an ww2 AA bunker 2. the ladder goes low as 10-15 m in the ground. what do you think that we found down there? the bunker is used as cellars and there's no way to enter inside. main entry is in a court in Str. Lunga and we went to talk to the owner. we found a woman that thought about me and my friend that we are sent by the former owner who claimed the house(112 law). you don't wanna know what circus was |
| Posted by: bansaraba June 28, 2009 08:47 pm | ||
How did you figured it out, did you saw or took photos of something interesting? |
| Posted by: Victor August 18, 2009 11:29 am |
| This newly published book is relevant to the topic: http://www.worldwar2.ro/forum/index.php?showtopic=5394 |
| Posted by: Dj Storm August 24, 2011 02:55 pm |
Last Sunday I looked for the fortifications at Namoloasa, part of the Focsani-Namoloasa-Galati line. Spent hours looking for clues about where these fortifications are located, the articles are ambiguous. In the end, found something on http://maps.google.com/?ll=45.509114,27.525902&spn=0.023579,0.043731&t=h&z=15&vpsrc=6, southwest from Namoloasa: I investigated most of the places circled in red. Many of them had nothing to see, being just a thicket of bushes like this:  Others had a few concrete blocks, or part of the foundation:   the "best" one was this:  I have read about an intact bunker, picture http://www.adevarul.ro/bbtcontent/clipping/ADVIMA20100911_0035/8.jpg, slideshow http://www.adevarul.ro/locale/braila/Reteaua_de_cazemate_a_linie_fortificate_Focsani-Namoloasa-Braila_5_333616637.html#, asked locals where it is located, but they don't seem to know anything about it. [continued] |
| Posted by: Dj Storm August 24, 2011 02:56 pm |
| [continued] However, http://maps.google.com/?ll=45.566768,27.602806&spn=0.023555,0.043731&t=h&z=15&vpsrc=6, south of Hanu ConachiI found these:  The six fortifications lined up (plus one, degraded, near DN25 road) are placed about 600 meters apart. They consist of a structure about 9.5 meters per 4 meters, with walls 1 meter thick, flanked by two concrete fortifications. Pictures here: Back side of main fortification:  Front side:  Top:  Inside view:  Fortifications on the flanks of the main bunker:  The main bunker has two entrances and no openings for firing, looking more like bomb shelters. It has two "rooms" about 2 by 2 meters, connected by a tunnel 2 meters wide by 3 meters long. Each room has a vertical ventilation shaft, about 15 cm in diameter. Above the tunnel there is a space where probably a machine gun might have been placed. Part of the bunker's walls are made of red bricks, while most of the top and front walls are concrete. The side fortifications are just concrete blocks, about 3 by 3 meters, with an opening where a machine gun might have been mounted. More interesting were the two fortifications that are not lined up with the others. One of them has been blown up and lies in pieces, the other is more or less intact. It has a semicircular shape, built around a circular room with a 3 meter diameter. The structure is about 11.5 meters long by 7 meters wide, with an extra 4 by 3 meters addition. Couldn't get a photo of it, made a sketch:  There were no ventilation shafts in the outer room. Three corridors connected the outer room with the inner one. Don't know where the entrance was, the back walls have been broken down, if there was an entrance it must have been there. A few pictures:    I have a few questions for those in the know: South of Siret, near Namoloasa, is there an intact bunker (as shown in the Adevarul slideshow)? If yes, do you have any idea where it is located? North of Siret, the fortifications were part of Focsani - Namoloasa - Galati/Braila line? I found no mentions of fortifications here. Any idea when they were built? The small bunkers, what was their use? The large bunker probably housed an artillery turret. Any details about the gun size/firepower? |
| Posted by: mihnea August 25, 2011 06:11 am |
| Very nice finds the bunkers you visited are from the FNG line. From what I see the first fortification is a embrasure for a transportable 53mm turret. The fortification is missing the front mound of earth that camouflaged the bunker in a small hill. Because they are pre WWI bunker made from non reinforced concrete. The chambers are probably for ammunition storage and cover for the crew. The bigger bunker is probably for a fix turret probably for a bigger gun. Below are a few images of the bunkers from the area, and as you can see around Fundeni there are many bunkers. But they are smaller than the ones around Bucharest. Anyway I recommend you to visit them, who knows what you'll find. http://img694.imageshack.us/i/buncarefundeni.jpg/ http://img836.imageshack.us/i/buncarnamoloasa1.jpg/ http://img11.imageshack.us/i/buncarnamoloasa2.jpg/ http://img31.imageshack.us/i/buncarnamoloasa3.jpg/ http://img148.imageshack.us/i/buncarnamoloasa4.jpg/ |
| Posted by: dragos January 30, 2012 07:39 am |
| Very detailed album with sketches of German fortifications on the Eastern Front. Among them there are a couple of Romanian built fortifications (search for Romanian) http://www.allworldwars.com/German%20Field%20Fortifications%20on%20the%20Eastern%20Front.html |
| Posted by: raevski February 06, 2012 11:08 pm |
| Which of these where the ones that fired on the Soviet Destroyer in the Raid on Constanta 41.? |
| Posted by: Petre February 07, 2012 06:07 pm |
| None of these (field fortifications). That day only the german coastal battery "Tirpitz" (3 x 283) has opened fire... It seems it was something like this : http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:28_cm_SKL_45_Naval_guns |
| Posted by: raevski February 13, 2012 03:05 am |
| Were there any Fortications on Serpant Island? |
| Posted by: Florin February 14, 2012 08:41 pm |
| I read through the topic, from 2003 to present. I see no mentioning of fortifications in Bessarabia. Did Romania build before 1940 permanent fortifications between Prut and Nistru / Dniester? I know that in 1944, while the Axis was retreating, the Romanian soldiers used for defense fortifications from the times of Stephen the Great, built almost 500 years before. |
| Posted by: Harry June 13, 2012 11:07 am | ||
| In primul rand buna ziua Impreuna cu echipa mea de la ziarul online pe care il detin am intreprins in ultimele luni o serie de "expeditii" in tunelurile si cazematele din Constanta. Pot spune ca ce am gasit la cazino m-a surprins. Acolo sub promenada e o retea de buncare/cazemate legate prin tunele. Separat de mine colegul Reverse de pe forumul Skyscrapercity a facut si el o serie de "investigatii" Iata ce relateaza el
Astazi am sa intru intr-un buncar/cazemata aflata sub nivelul marii in dreptul Amiralitatii. Insa o poza face cat o mie de cuvinte (pozele sunt facute ata de echipa mea cat si de colegul reverse):       Azi cum ziceam incerc sa intru in buncarul asta:  |
| Posted by: dragos June 13, 2012 11:13 am |
| Please use English when posting, and with this ocasion read the forum rules. |
| Posted by: adicontakt September 08, 2012 02:28 pm |
| from Sf Gheorghe , In Danube Delta close to the Black Sea ,unfortunately it is flooded and the only way to get near there is by a smalll boat http://postimage.org/image/gic67w19f/full/ http://postimage.org/image/579ijiueb/full/ http://postimage.org/image/psoabfbz7/full/ http://postimage.org/image/so1diafz7/full/ http://postimage.org/image/pigrs2xcz/full/ |
| Posted by: C-2 September 08, 2012 07:49 pm |
| Great photos! |
| Posted by: muggs September 08, 2012 09:20 pm |
| Some 3 years ago i think they could be reached on foot just that there was a lot of vegetation and i gave up, the bunker looks great though. |
| Posted by: adicontakt September 08, 2012 10:41 pm |
| can I post some photos with some individual holes (I think is call fox holes) form Topolog area in Dobrogea , they are from ww2 and they are orienteded to nord (I think against russians )? |
| Posted by: C-2 September 09, 2012 04:27 am |
| Yes please |
| Posted by: adicontakt September 09, 2012 02:56 pm |
| http://postimage.org/image/ab5dlguw3/full/ http://postimage.org/image/hfn6ui25f/full/ http://postimage.org/image/8lwadef6r/full/ http://postimage.org/image/i7putp6cj/full/ http://postimage.org/image/5hlmglyeb/full/ http://postimage.org/image/g5pdfg8df/full/ http://postimage.org/image/v2xuggllv/full/ http://postimage.org/image/no8io2zqb/full/ http://postimage.org/image/qwd014m03/full/ http://postimage.org/image/y0uta5t9f/full/ some old people from Topolog told me that was some fight in the past , there, and you couldn"t breathe , you could smell the burning flesh , but i don"t now if is true , the peopel look to me a litlle drunk |
| Posted by: reverse September 29, 2012 08:45 pm |
| Hi guys, It's my first post on RMHF, so I hope I won't violate any forums rules. I managed to "get inside" of ALL the Constanta Casino area bunkers. I used quotes because It's almost impossible to get inside there, but I managed to get pictures from the interior of every bunker and pillbox there. I am interested in history, but I have to admit I am not a WW2 bunkers technical specialist (my domain are the German U-boats). I explored those bunkers especially for their social importance - these are not just any pillbox on the field, but some kind of a romantic bunkers. Their location, on the Casino promenade, a place of beauty, peace and relaxation, just reveals the dual character of the human being. And how thin is the border between heaven and hell... These bunkers, especially the two pillboxes on Eminescu statue area are worldwide stars - seen by millions of tourists. And everyone knows how they looks on outside... it's time to get inside for the first time in decades! I'll just post screenshots of the site where I've published my work. I am not allowed to post many images on RMHF, and I don't want to violate the rules and just post a plain link. Constanta Casino WW2 pillboxes map  |
| Posted by: reverse September 29, 2012 08:46 pm |
| Constanta Casino German WW2 Pillbox (A) http://aedificium.rockhall.ro/constanta-casino-german-ww2-pillbox-a/?lang=en |
| Posted by: reverse September 29, 2012 08:51 pm |
Constanta Casino WW2 pillbox bunker ( http://aedificium.rockhall.ro/cazemata-faleza-cazino-b/?lang=en |
| Posted by: reverse September 29, 2012 08:54 pm |
| Constanta Casino WW2 pillbox bunker © http://aedificium.rockhall.ro/cazemata-faleza-cazino-c/?lang=en |
| Posted by: reverse September 29, 2012 08:55 pm |
| Constanta Casino promenade WW2 pillbox (D) http://aedificium.rockhall.ro/528/?lang=en |
| Posted by: reverse September 29, 2012 08:57 pm |
| Constanta Casino promenade WW2 pillbox (E) http://aedificium.rockhall.ro/constanta-casino-promenade-ww2-pillbox-e/?lang=en |
| Posted by: dragos September 30, 2012 05:08 am |
| reverse, excellent research. Thanks for posting! |
| Posted by: reverse September 30, 2012 07:07 am |
| Glad my post was of some interest, dragos. I also have rare pictures from Cazino's underground and from inside Angel Saligny's decommissioned tunnel of Constanta harbor. Cazino played a role in WW2 as there are remains of bunkers (now filled with gravel), I will post an article in the near future. Cheers. |
| Posted by: muggs September 30, 2012 07:17 am |
| Great pics and very interesting info, thanks for sharing ! |
| Posted by: Ferdinand October 01, 2012 12:17 pm | ||
Congrats reverse for the profi presentation and becouse you decide to share with us!!! I recommend for you a water pump, generator type. As the firefighters have. |
| Posted by: reverse October 01, 2012 04:02 pm | ||||
Thank you for your positive quotes guys. Regarding the pillboxes, I guess the main problem is are the authorities. You need their accept to go deep there, and although B and C are fairly easy to explore (only need a rope/ladder), D and E are dangerous places to be, due to the presence of water, and the access shaft is a world of mysteries itself. Which I will try to partially "decode" in a future article. |
| Posted by: reverse October 01, 2012 09:58 pm |
| As I've promised, access shafts and tunnels to hell. http://aedificium.rockhall.ro/697/?lang=en |
| Posted by: C-2 October 02, 2012 05:44 pm |
| Great job! Amazing photos! |
| Posted by: reverse October 05, 2012 07:45 am |
| WW2 machine gun turret-type nest at Navy Headquarters, Constanta http://aedificium.rockhall.ro/ww2-machine-gun-turret-type-nest-at-navy-headquarters-areaf/?lang=en |
| Posted by: reverse October 28, 2012 12:29 pm |
| The Tirpitz 280 mm cannon battery near Constanta http://aedificium.rockhall.ro/the-tirpitz-battery/?lang=en |
| Posted by: dragos October 28, 2012 01:41 pm |
| Reverse, please try to post this excellent information in plain text rather than with pictures with text, because someone who uses the forum search function for this topic would not find this. |
| Posted by: Ferdinand October 28, 2012 05:11 pm |
| The hexagonal shape concrete construction is the base for Kriegsmarine radar type FuMO15 Scheer . |
| Posted by: reverse October 28, 2012 05:31 pm |
| Thank you seeker for the helpful identification indeed! It looks like we had some big boys there, FuMO15 was a fairly large radar system. With big guns aside! I guess it could have been a foundation for FuMO 214 too... |
| Posted by: Ferdinand October 28, 2012 06:17 pm |
| I thank you for the way you do this work and present it. Also...keep it comming! |
| Posted by: reverse October 28, 2012 06:54 pm |
| Next in line is the WW2 Flak battery of "Poarta 5 - Constanta", have to translate it first. |
| Posted by: Ferdinand October 28, 2012 07:45 pm | ||
i think i speak in the name of many members when i say i owe you a... http://minus.com/lgjdkMtTfJclk |
| Posted by: reverse October 28, 2012 09:00 pm |
| Whao, Ci-Co, good ol' classics. Thanks seeker ! |
| Posted by: reverse October 29, 2012 04:28 pm |
| La Vii / Poarta 5 WW2 Flak Battery World War 2 , early '40s. Romania, Axis Powers. Starting from the extremity of Constanta Port, Cuibul Reginei (The Queen's Nest), continuing to La Vii (The Vineyard), to Southern Constanta, where it was placed the famous 280 mm Tirpitz battery, the Romanian Army, along with the German allies has developed a strong coastal and anti-aircraft system. In the area of La Vii (now named Poarta 5) , the remains of four AA batteries are still standing. The AA foundations stretch over 50 meters along the cliff, North to South. There are placed in pairs, the distance between twin foundations is 10 m, and the distance between 2 pairs is approx. 25 m. The AA batteries substructures are made of reinforced concrete and have the shape of a decagon, where one side is open. Each side is about 2 m, and the distance between equidistant sides is 3.25 m, so we can approximate area to 35 m². Four sides form massive bulges, creating spaces whose use apparently was to provide ammo storage or shelter for the flak operators. There are poor information regarding Romania's Axis campaigns in World War II, in those 50 years of communism, logs were destroyed and the history was monstrously distorted. We're now gathering together bits and pieces to create an image of the pre-August 1944 Romanian WW2 contribution. It's hard to say what kind of AA gun was mounted on these sites. Personally, I think a 20 mm caliber weapon, as this was the case with many similar design AA foundations, part of the Atlantic Wall. We can not exclude bigger caliber artillery, as these constructions were very solid, but it's unlikely. From what has stood the test of time, we see that these AA emplacements a featured a 8 bolts gun carriage retention system and a central axis. Carriage's base diameter was about 1 m, which makes me think that 20 mm AA artillery was fit there. Generally speaking, AA guns do not cause so much recoil compared with the big cannons and an extremely reinforced location is not necessarily, but these 4 "nests" are very solid. They've poured massive concrete blocks, and although these 4 soldiers have turned 70, it seems they can easily reach 100. All 4 AA emplacements are identical and at the floor level there are rectangular openings, positioned in opposite pairs. All are now filled with debris. Two of these "holes" are quite large, estimated length 1 m / width 75 cm. These openings seem pretty deep because I could not probe deeper due to debris probe deeper, but at 1 meter I did not reached the base. I can not say for sure, but these could be simple "pits" with technical role, or we may have to deal with vertical shafts to a room / tunnel under the flak line. There are actually other two pairs of 2 smaller pits, and probably had a role in anchoring the AA gun. These releases are still available (and 100% full of trash and vegetation) on AA1 and AA2 only. As for AA3 and AA4,"the holes" have been filled with concrete. And because we're talking about shafts and secret tunnels, these AA batteries have their share of mystery. Between AA1 and AA2 sites there is an opening (currently without cover), that communicates with a subterranean chamber. The enclosure is completely flooded and is one of the most fetid places that you'll find in town. I have been exploring basements, shafts, pillboxes, bunkers and plenty of tunnels, but I have never been around of such disgusting matter. This does not mean I did not photographed inside of it, and thankfully I've did that, because in the rooms wall I've noticed a piece of OSB, which initially I thought it was used in concrete shuttering (that would have dated the abominableness to the '90s), but no... That piece of OSB was nailed to the wall and sustained a larger, horizontal OSB board, which happened to be the ceiling! A 1.5 cm OSB board sustaining all that ground above. And the photographer! It's time to leave these old ladies AA batteries. That area is littered with traps, fetid beyond imaginations under that black-outed plywood roof, also, the area has a dozen pretty deep shafts (15 m), also without caps. All hidden among the weeds and trash. 70 years after the war and "La Vii" AA batteries are still "dangerous area". There are no writings on the walls to date the foundations. The only are 5 characters scratched on the walls, barely visible, of whom I could identify only three: _273_. There is no guarantee that is a genuine WW2 writing, however, is definitely an old "engraving". http://aedificium.rockhall.ro/la-vii-poarta-5-ww2-flak-battery/?lang=en |
| Posted by: Petre November 04, 2012 10:22 am | ||
To search and research the remains of the Tirpitz Battery, a text of A.V.Platonov “Borba za gospodstvo na Chernom More” (The struggle for supremacy on the Black Sea) can help. The Soviets were interested too to investigate this battery, when they were here…
|
| Posted by: Ferdinand November 04, 2012 02:33 pm |
| thanks reverse for the pictures of this emplacement. I was there this august and talked to an old man that was walking in a park nearby. He said that are a lot of casemates also behind Shipyard fence, also tunnels...etc. Maybe you can find out more. Can you also made an "expedition" to emplacement near Fishermens village in Tuzla area? My brother told me that there are lot of trenches and concrete buildings. I'm not talking about the ones on the sea side. He said they are on the shore, at some distance of beach. Keep exploring! |
| Posted by: Ferdinand November 04, 2012 02:41 pm |
| South of Eforie Sud (not between Eforie N and S)beach full with concrete pillboxes. Someone said they are built in the 50's by the Russians. http://minus.com/lBHOYnGvNXtHQ |
| Posted by: reverse November 10, 2012 07:14 am |
| Very interesting info Petre, thank you. It will help me painting the whole picture, at the end of the investigations. There is an update on the Tirpitz article, because further investigations and Romanian bunker aficionados brought up a new vision of the site. There is , also, a Tirpitz battery, part 2, but I still have to translate it. |
| Posted by: reverse November 10, 2012 07:19 am |
| Seeker, no machine-guned bunkers were build by Russians on Constanta. Those are WW2 Axis pillboxes. There was a misleading campaign initiatiated by the communist of the 50's, spreading words that some pillboxes were build by Soviets. That's hilarious, why they would build bunkers there? To protect against who, against the USSR?  I plan an expedition on the South seaside for the early next week. Hope for more informations./ |
| Posted by: Ferdinand August 28, 2013 08:11 am |
| This year i finnaly managed to have some time so i went to some location that i didn't saw discussion about. Location is between Eforie Sud and Tuzla. Fortifications are arround water tower of ES(build by the germans as the guards say) and Lighthouse fields from Tuzla. I find the area very interesting becouse it has lots of bunkers, battery positions, concrete pillboxes, depots. For begining Fumo 15 concrete base. 2 of them in 1-200 meters. http://minus.com/lbq3aRLnECKPJV http://minus.com/ldk3zStg0Bped http://minus.com/lBWDNck0tgR8W http://minus.com/lqq2tOmvgZj9n one had a direct hit of cannon round, made i think in august 44. http://minus.com/lbyGPqO8Geo8mr |
| Posted by: Ferdinand August 28, 2013 08:14 am |
| The Fumo radars were guarded by at least 3 concrete pillboxes, model seen bellow. http://minus.com/lFRIthZdFlnVy http://minus.com/l7ZUbChVCoYi4 http://minus.com/lbxsfddE5SIxxx http://minus.com/lIye6gEjkxgti |
| Posted by: Ferdinand August 28, 2013 08:22 am |
| Right next to the water tower is the command buker, nowdays burried. An old man said to me that the bunker has a deep structure, 2 tunnels and 2-3 rooms. To acces them he said you have to go down a latter 6 meters deep in the ground. He said that as child he saw even water system inside the bunker. Then the army covered everything. Location as seen from seaside. http://minus.com/lbiOMcJMt9eHAm This concrete part was taken out by the man i told you about, some 80-90 meters away from the bunker, while he was setting the foundation for his house. He said that workers found it in ground and had to took it out with crane. http://minus.com/lbsGm8nPrD63LF http://minus.com/lbgEvdLxkM8hkn On top of bunker there was also a firing position. Maybe a turret?! http://minus.com/lJPRsdROfH1IL |
| Posted by: Ferdinand August 28, 2013 08:32 am |
| from google http://minus.com/likCswWL6LNUo |
| Posted by: Ferdinand August 28, 2013 08:49 am |
| Next day i went to the area next to Tuzla Lighhouse. Full of stuctures! I don't have an offroad vehycle so was a lots of efort for my car(passat) and also lot's of dirt(praf). One from tens of pillboxes, this had an interesting structure. See drawing bellow. http://minus.com/lCwUTKF5j90XO http://minus.com/lbh9REj9PEUf6S http://minus.com/lIhovbI4sP4MX http://minus.com/lblGzFw2iRTQKn pro made schetch of bunker http://minus.com/lHEh4v6J3kY4x |
| Posted by: Ferdinand August 28, 2013 08:59 am |
| Some 200 meters away, in the middle of a field was this Bunker, very good shape, unfortunatelly flooded. http://minus.com/lb0vv7nyTN8iZU http://minus.com/lky1DuLU3ydIo http://minus.com/l9n5EEqUIqE1D Inside paint: http://minus.com/lbtngMqIeFRcjp http://minus.com/lHC9sNZGHcLIp http://minus.com/lMDI2ov5zAZl4 Me holding my shovel( not scared!) as inside was very scary. Aaaa....watch for birds when entering deserted, ghost like structures. I almoust had a heart attack entering ....3 sparrows flew by my head, inside the bunker, making wird noise!!! )http://minus.com/l9LC2xlBitwQZ The water inside(30 cm deep)+ mud. |
| Posted by: Ferdinand August 28, 2013 09:02 am |
| Outside escape tunnel http://minus.com/lf7g1A8FxbgMM http://minus.com/lMNNhallNd6ts http://minus.com/lymwR1XJH2d3h Air vents. Engine or fans unomunted(cut off) http://minus.com/lbxBQID2eXOPxy As seen on top http://minus.com/lQnTWw7PH2tYK |
| Posted by: Ferdinand August 28, 2013 09:07 am |
| Other structures foun on the field: http://minus.com/lSDHxfKb5Uobj http://minus.com/l9ZyLjNqgV4QP interesting info offered by this location: http://minus.com/lbbs2OHIBbZrfm http://minus.com/llJhLDlhhPPwL Wall marked 665! Most probably the code of this position. http://minus.com/lcOPolG3CqeGj http://minus.com/lbgI8BbX15QcPt |
| Posted by: Ferdinand August 28, 2013 09:07 am |
| MG pillbox(there are many of this type covering angles) http://minus.com/lbnB1MImbRX6UV http://minus.com/lDMzh3f254kja Ammo compartment: http://minus.com/lLgB2TAcjqHk1 http://minus.com/lbeZ7cjHbsel4r http://minus.com/lbu2sFsallPcVt |
| Posted by: Ferdinand August 28, 2013 09:16 am |
| For anyone who has intention to go an a trip i strongly advise: 1.Do not go alone! I almost fell into a shaft on those fields. So if something happens someone should call 112. 2. go equiped! Flashlight,binoculars, boots, shovel(ro military type is perfect) as you can cut grass and bushes, and it's also good weapon since there are lot's of dogs. At least 5 location i could not enter becouse of dogs. Even if it's hot i sugest to go with boots, i had sandals so i had to cross to a field wich was worked by tractors. Terrible. 3. good vechycle, 4x4 prefered. 4.Camera with memory empty! i went with my small camera saying that i will make 5-10 pictures. And when i reched a position i search with binoculars and found other 2-3 positions...and so on.Anyway, i hope you enjoy my pics! |
| Posted by: C-2 August 28, 2013 11:00 am |
| Great Job! |
| Posted by: Vici February 27, 2014 09:36 am |
| From the road Dej to Baia Mare (E58) at Galgau as you turn right towards Targu Lapus on DJ 109F road; going from Poiana Blenchii to Baba on the left hand side of the road there's a small pillbox, just before the entrance to Chelie Babei gorge. Any idea when it was built and why there? Was this part of a coherent plan to protect the Lapus depression? Google Earth coordinates: 47.316290 23.748022 Google maps screen captures: http://postimage.org/ http://postimage.org/ |
| Posted by: Dénes February 27, 2014 03:13 pm |
| Which direction is it facing? That may give a clue of who built it. Gen. Dénes |
| Posted by: Vici February 28, 2014 07:58 am |
| It is positioned south of the Cheile Babei gorge (which marks the entrance into the Lapus depression) and the gun opening is facing south |
| Posted by: cnflyboy2000 April 08, 2014 03:28 pm |
| this is brilliant work! Have you guys considered posting on Site O, a great international fortifications/bunker research group!? The have no Romanian page yet! https://sites.google.com/site/siteointernational/Home Also; this is a good read on bunkers (mostly the Atlantic Wall, but the designs were amazingly standardized!) http://www.amazon.com/dp/1568980159/ref=rdr_ext_tmb and what seems to be the "Bible" of axix bunkers http://www.amazon.com/Fortress-Third-Reich-Fortifications-Defense-ebook/dp/B001RGEH5A/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1396970557&sr=1-1&keywords=fortress+third+reich my winter reading (can bring these books with me on next trip, if any interest, and can't find them easily) cheers |
| Posted by: cnflyboy2000 April 08, 2014 04:25 pm |
| Is the memeber REVERSE still active here? and is he identical to "DE-U-BOOT", blogger on the very extensive http://aedificium.rockhall.ro/?lang=en ? I'm just wondering. there's a TON of bunker stuff on that blog, very impressive! (mostly in and around Constanta) |
| Posted by: reverse April 23, 2014 06:29 pm | ||
Yep, that's my blog. Hope I'll manage to publish the 4th (and the final) article dedicated to Tirpitz battery, including the virtual reconstruction of the unit. The English version lacks a few articles that I considered "local interest only". Cheers! |