An Engineer's Account of the Attack on Bitche

[Charlie Flick]

Guys:

 

I ran across this account on the another forum and thought it was so interesting that it should be posted here as well. Samuel Pinnell was a 1943 graduate of West Point. He served in the ETO as a member of the 325th Engineer Battalion. He died in 2001 but before he left this earth he wrote down his recollections of one of his most memorable experiences of WW2, the attack at Bitche, France. It follows in 3 parts.

 

Regards,

Charlie

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Charlie Flick]

 

[Charlie Flick]

[woodsman]

Wow. Thanks for sharing, very interesting.

 

I do live about 40 miles north of Bitche and visited the area several times and also the Maginot Bunkers that are mentioned. I have lots of pictrures of what the places are looking like today.

 

Bunker Reyersviller: (Abri de Reyersviller / abandoned)

https://www.facebook.com/tawny.porto/media_set?set=a.656385204387192.1073741837.100000471546104&type=3

 

Bunker Freudenberg: (Abri de Freudenberg / abandoned)

https://www.facebook.com/tawny.porto/media_set?set=a.424405464251835.116967.100000471546104&type=3

 

Bunker Siersthal: (Ouvrage Simserhof / open to public as a museum)

https://www.facebook.com/tawny.porto/media_set?set=a.656392054386507.1073741838.100000471546104&type=3

[woodsman]

here are two pictures of the turret at block 6 mentioned, where he stands upon the top of it and has the view all over the town of Bitche

 

Source:

http://www.fortiff.be/maginot/index.php?page=s50

[Charlie Flick]

Hello Woodsman:

 

Thanks for your posts. The links to the photos on Facebook are not working. Could you please post the photos here on our site directly as outside links seem to be a problem?

 

The link to the other site with the photos of Bloc 6 worked fine and the pics were very good. I would like to get those pics posted here as well in order to give some context to the account by Mr. Pinnell.

 

Regards,

Charlie

[woodsman]

Hi, I just tested the links with a second browser and computer, to me they work fine. But you are right, they do not work to someone, who has no Facebook account (or is not logged into it). The pictures are in seperate albums set to "Public". I try to upload some of them here, but there are just too many to upload them all to this site.

 

Fort Simserhof, Siersthal, preserved as a museum:

 

 

 

 

[woodsman]

Outside one of entrance blocks

[woodsman]

70 years later

[woodsman]

Weapons inside combat block

 

first pic: 81mm,

second pic: 47mm

third pic: machine gun for pillbox montage

[woodsman]

One of 4 engines, SGCM 265 HP 600 Volt DC

Actually two of them where used at a time to power up the whole fort, 2 were spare.

[woodsman]

underground galleries

[woodsman]

kitchen and medical area

[woodsman]

And even if the Fort is open to the public as a museum, its only possible to visit the entrance blocks for vehicels and personell, also the underground "casernement" area. Its not possible to visit any of the combat blocks, still restricted access under millitary authority until today.

[Charlie Flick]

Woodsman:

 

Excellent pics! Thank you for posting them. It is amazing that some of these structures are still in military use 70 years later. I can see that it would be great fun to explore this entire area. Lots of history there.

 

Regards,

Charlie