Infantry blockhouse R-S 85 - Orlicke mountains, Czech Republic - Military Installations on Waymarking.com

The extended system of fortifications was built to defend the former Czechoslovakia during the second half of the 30s. The heavy fortified installations with infantry blocks were built in the border sections with high defence priority. They were solid, mostly two-storey constructions which were armed with machine guns as well as with anti-tank guns, if necessary with mortars, too. The typical characteristics of these blocks were the armoured cloches (bells) and cupolas which served for the observation of the battlefield. Other tasks were the fire control and the command of the machine guns. In case of war each infantry block was able to operate independently. Besides other facilities each infantry block had its own well, filter room and engine room, in which the electric power was generated. The infantry blocks were individually shaped to the corresponding terrain and constructed in accordance with their combat tasks. They differed in their dimensions, outlines, wall and ceiling dimensions, armament and garrison. Nevertheless they consisted of standardized construction and design elements. For a usual infantry block about 1300 to 1500 m3 of concrete and up to 120 tons of steel reinforcement were needed. They could stand artillery shelling up to calibre 305 mm. Until September 1938 228 heavy independent blocks were structurally finished.

The plan of upper floor of the infantry blockhouse R-S 85

Isolated infantry casemate R-S 85 (code name "Anna") at the Anensky vrch was built in the first degree of resistance (ceiling 150 cm, threatened wall 175 cm, other walls 100 cm) as a part of a building subsection 4/X Ricky by Ing. Josef Hons Company from Prague. It was concreted from 14 to 19 October 1937 consuming 867 m3 of concrete. The crew consisted of 23 men. It was not advantageous to build a two-sided object on the top of the hill; therefore, the planned casemate was divided into two one-sided casemates, each firing to one hillside - R-S 84 to the right side, and R-S 85 to the left side. The main weapon of the object was a twin of heavy machine guns Model 37 mounted to the embrasure in the firing room. The defence of surroundings of the casemate was provided by four light machine guns Model 26. Three of them were placed in embrasures and one in armoured cupola (installed on June 27, 1938). Since the casemate stood in the place with a good view towards the enemy, it was equipped with an observation cupola (installed on June 25, 1938). The firing of the artillery turret at Hanicka fortress should be controlled based on the facts established by the observers. The upper floor also contained zigzag entrance corridor with grated and two thick-walled gas-tight doors, commander post, telephone exchange, office and quarters for observers, and machine-gun ammunition depot. Filter room, engine room, a well with a pump, crew quarters, washroom, toilets, station of the earth telegraph, and food storage were located in the lower floor. Both floors were connected with staircase. Object was not subjected to any firing tests. In 1956, two armoured cupolas were blasted and taken out by Kovosrot National Corporation.

Current status: slightly damaged, the object is closed and its interior is not accessible

Era: WW II Related web site: [Web Link] General Comments: Not listed

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Date Logged Log User Rating   04/10/2020 Riki007 visited it