Bunker D - Position Avancée Malmedy

The defense lines for the city of Liège, known as "La Posistion Fortifiée de Liège" consisted of 4 defense lines built around Liège. It consisted of 16 forts with numerous line bunkers in between.

In addition to these line bunkers, there were also so-called 'Position Avancées', advanced positions. These were located in Beusdael, Bilstain, Dolhain, Goé, Grunhaut, Henri-Chapelle, Hèvremont, Hockai, Hombourg, Jalhay, Limbourg, Malmedy and Stavelot.

In Malmedy there are a number of forward bunkers belong to 'La position
avancée'. A total of 6 bunkers, A through G. (Bunker E was never built). These bunkers were all located on the south side along the access roads to Malmedy. Bunkers C, F and G have been demolished after the war because of the construction of the highway A27. Therefore only 3 bunkers remain. It was the most northern bunker in this sector.

Bunker D is located in a meadow along a small river south of Malmedy and protected the northside of the city.

They are small bunkers (2.5 x 2.5 m) that were used as observation and protection bunkers. They were equipped with a machine gun. The holes around the gun opening served for ventilation.

One of the four posts used to mark the military plot is still present. The letters "DN" stand for Defense National, post 1.

Like most bunkers, the steel shutters and door were sold as scrap metal after the war, when the bunkers had lost their strategic value for the defense of Belgium. There were also instances during the war when the Germans removed the steel and melted it down for reuse elsewhere.

Presumably they served as observation and protection bunkers for the frontier cyclists stationed in nearby barracks of the of the 'Gardes Frontière'. These barracks were located in Hombourg Visé, Henri-Chapelle and Malmedy, among others.

The 'cyclistes frontières', frontier cyclists, who guarded the frontiers, moved by bicycle on patrol and to the surrounding bunkers in adjacent sectors

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Source

• Text: Ed Lewandowski
• Photos: Ed Lewandowski