Infantry blockhouse K-S 17 - Cerveny Potok, 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 K-S 17

The infantry block K-S 17 (code name "U továrny") represents because of its constructional design and used armament a typical Czechoslovakian infantry block. Is a double-sided installation with two armored cupolas and two protection wings, construction strength II, which was built within the framework of the construction subdivision 3. ŽSV III Králíky (Grulich) as one of the first infantry blocks in this area. Concreting took place from november 13 to 17, 1936. 1355 m3 of concrete were used. 35 soldiers were considered as the crew. The block had an identical , armament in the two combat compartments - in each room was a casemate anti-tank gun model 36 with a heavy machine gun model 37 on top of it and a heavy twin-machine gun model 37. Four light machine guns, model 26, provided the defense on the rear side, the two armored cupolas receivedkhe same weapons.
During the German occupation (1938-1945) the block became seriously damaged; the two armored cupolas and all embrasures of the main weapons were removed violently. This installation also served as target of shelling tests. Here also some tests of prototypes of the Röchling subcaliber concrete-piercing shells took place - one of the developed secret weapons which was never used in World War II. The block was severely damaged by the blastings and the shelling. It served as a source of raw material and building materials as well as a rubbish dump. Its destruction continues until today.

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

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