Fort island IJmuiden - Wn. 37HM - Regelbau 644

This Regelbau 644 is unique in the Netherlands. There were once four of these bunkers on the Fort Island. Three of the four were demolished during the widening of the North Sea Canal. The bunker, which was excavated in 1994, turned out to be in excellent condition. The bunker is now open to the public.

The armoured dome (type 20P7) is the only dome of this type in the Netherlands and is in excellent condition. The dome was manned by five men who were responsible for operating the two MG-34 machine guns, which could be placed in two of the six embrasures by means of a ring with two mounts. The six firing ports in the turret allowed for 360-degree fire coverage. Observation and fire control were carried out using a periscope that could be brought out through the roof of the turret and then rotated 360 degrees, providing a panoramic view.
The calibre of the MG-34 is 7.92 mm (8×57), the barrel had a service life of 6,000 rounds, the rate of fire was 600–800 rounds per minute and the range was 3,000 metres.

Do you have more information about this location? Inform us!

Source

• Text: Kaj Metz + TracesOfWar
• Photos: Arjo Eijgelsheim
• Kustfort.nl