Hohlgangsanlage tunnels, Jersey

Last updated

Hohlgangsanlagen
German Tunnels
Part of Atlantic Wall
Jersey
Hohlgangsanlage 2.JPG
The northernmost entrance to Ho2 in St. Peter
Flag of Germany 1933.svg Reichsadler.svg
Flag of the German occupying forces
Site information
OwnerOwner of land above tunnel
Controlled byStates & private ownership
Open to
the public
One open to the public, others can be visited with land owners permission.
ConditionOne fully restored, others maintained, most abandoned
Site history
Built1941–1945
Built byFestungsbaubataillone, 4/Gesteinsbohr-Kompanie Btl. 77, Reichsarbeitsdienst, Organisation Todt, various contractors German and local
Materials Concrete, steel, and timber
DemolishedSome (by both Germans and British)
Events German occupation of the Channel Islands
Plan of Ho2, a ration store. Tunnels were built to similar designs depending on their intended use Ho2 Tunnel Plan.jpg
Plan of Ho2, a ration store. Tunnels were built to similar designs depending on their intended use
The entrance to Ho19 Tunnel under Pier Road, St Helier, Jersey.JPG
The entrance to Ho19
This rail tunnel formed the entrance to Ho5 Old Jersey Railway tunnel, St Aubin, 1967 - geograph.ci - 188.jpg
This rail tunnel formed the entrance to Ho5
The main entrance of Ho8 German Underground Hospital entrance Jersey.jpg
The main entrance of Ho8
Central section of Ho2 Ho2 interior as of 2011.jpg
Central section of Ho2
A tunnel in Ho8 Jersey War Tunnels passage.jpg
A tunnel in Ho8
One of the entrances to Ho1, a privately owned tunnel Hohlgangsanlage 1.JPG
One of the entrances to Ho1, a privately owned tunnel

Hohlgangsanlage are a number of tunnels constructed in Jersey by occupying German forces during the occupation of Jersey. The Germans intended these bunkers to protect troops and equipment from aerial bombing and to act as fortifications in their own right.

Contents

The word Hohlgangsanlage can be translated as "cave passage installations". [1] [2] The Channel Island tunnels are the only ones on the Atlantic wall to be referred to as Hohlgangsanlagen.

All the tunnels except for Ho5 are incomplete, and some never progressed beyond planning. The partly complete tunnels are, nonetheless, substantial in size. Completed sections were used for various purposes such as storage. [2]

In 1944, when construction stopped, 244,000 m3 of rock had been extracted for tunnel digging collectively from Guernsey, Jersey and Alderney (the majority from Jersey). At the same point in 1944, the entire Atlantic Wall from Norway to the Franco-Spanish border, excluding the Channel Islands, had extracted some 225,000 m3. [2]

History 1941–present day

Tunnel construction began in 1941, shortly before Hitler's October 1941 decree that the islands be defended. [2] The tunnels were constructed at strategic points around the island. Most of the tunnels were for shelter or storage, but some were used as part of and to link fortifications in strong points (such as at Corbière) and were part of casemates. [2] The tunnels were constructed by the Festungsbaubataillone (fortress construction battalions), 4/Gesteinsbohr-Kompanie Btl. 77 (specialist mining battalion), the RAD (state labour for 17- and 18-year-olds) and the Organisation Todt. [2] The Germans used a variety of labour sources, most being forced. [1] After Todt's death in February 1942, Albert Speer drastically reduced the resources available for the construction of tunnels on the island. [2] During 1944, there was a shortage of raw materials, so effort was diverted to finish only the most complete tunnels. On 9 May 1945, construction stopped with the liberation of Jersey.

Only a few tunnels were actually used by the Germans: Ho1, Ho4, Ho5, and Ho8; of these, only one was actually completed (Ho5) and the others were used while partially completed with unfinished galleries being walled off, or left with pit props in place. [2]

Immediately after the war, the British used the tunnels: soon after the Liberation of the Channel Islands, some military equipment was moved and stored in the tunnels. For example, Ho1 stored weapons, Ho2 stored small equipment such as helmets, gas masks, fuel, oxyacetylene, and field kitchens. Ho13 stored Panzer Abteilung 213's Char B1 bis tanks. [2] [3] [4]

During the 1950s scrap metal drive, the tunnels were mostly cleared and sealed. Under Jersey law, a landowner owns everything beneath his land, down to the centre of the earth, so all the tunnels are privately owned. [2] Hohlgangsanlage 8 is the only tunnel open to the public without special permission from the land owner; it was opened to the public in 1946 by the British army, then gifted to the States of Jersey by the War Department. After a lawsuit by the owners of the land above, it became privately owned but still operates as a museum today. [2] [5]

Post 1962, all the tunnels were thoroughly cleared of German equipment (apart from the museum, Ho1 due to roof collapse and Ho4 due to masses of barbed wire, roof collapses and unexploded ordnance) after a tragedy in which two souvenir hunters died of carbon monoxide poisoning in Ho2. [2]

The tunnels are very unstable as, contrary to popular belief, most were bored not into solid granite, but loose shale. This is evident from the large number of roof collapses in the incomplete, unlined tunnels. Most of the tunnels still survive today and are infrequently visited by organised parties (with permission). [2]

There were plans to use some of the tunnels during the Swine flu pandemic; fortunately the pandemic never materialised. [2]

Construction and design

The tunnels were dug into the sides of hills, into rock. This means that incomplete tunnels remain mostly intact, due to the strength of the unsupported rock. Completed sections are lined with concrete floors, walls, and ceilings. [2]

There was a basic design of storage and personnel tunnel. Storage tunnels incorporated a 600-millimetre (24 in) gauge railway in a loop running around the whole complex and a small platform for loading supplies; they usually had two entrances so that vehicles could continuously enter and exit the complex. Personnel tunnels were built like a grid; the railway was often removed after construction was complete. [2] Completed tunnels would have been lined in concrete, and have drainage, lighting, and air conditioning systems. [2]

In all, 19–25 storage tunnels were planned but, due to the almost wholesale destruction of primary source material before the surrender, the exact number is unknown (although the number where work began is known). [2]

Where possible, the tunnel routes avoided granite and instead they were routed through looser shale rock formations; this speeded up construction and was less labour-intensive, but it could also be dangerous due to an increased risk of rockfalls. The tunnels were dug by the traditional method of drilling and blasting. When the tunnels were bored out, they were lined with concrete. First, the floor was lined, followed by the walls, and, finally, the roof. The walls were concreted using wooden shuttering, the space between the shuttering and the rock face was filled with concrete, and the shuttering subsequently removed. The roof was made in the same way, but using curved shuttering balancing on the concrete walls. Concrete was poured down the escape shafts rather than through the tunnel entrances to avoid contamination with the rock leaving the tunnel; these chutes can still be seen in many of the tunnels. [2]

Contrary to popular belief, there were relatively few accidents and deaths in the building programme itself, but many slave labourers died of starvation. [2]

The tunnels

Storage Tunnels

Tunnels used only for storage [2]

Railway Tunnels

Tunnels designed only for use as railway tunnels [2]

Fortified Tunnels

Either stand alone or as part of emplacements [2]

Associated with tunnels

Infrastructure used to support tunnels [2]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transport in Jersey</span>

Transport in Jersey is primarily through the motor vehicle. The island, which is the largest of the Channel Islands has 124,737 registered vehicles (2016). The island is committed to combatting climate change, having declared a climate emergency, and policy is focused on reducing dependence on the car. The island has a cycle network and bus service. The primary modes of transport for leaving the island are by air or sea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bunker</span> Defensive military storage fortification

A bunker is a defensive military fortification designed to protect people and valued materials from falling bombs, artillery, or other attacks. Bunkers are almost always underground, in contrast to blockhouses which are mostly above ground. They were used extensively in World War I, World War II, and the Cold War for weapons facilities, command and control centers, and storage facilities. Bunkers can also be used as protection from tornadoes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Turkey Street railway station</span> London Overground station

Turkey Street is a London Overground station on the Southbury Loop section of the Lea Valley lines, located in the Bullsmoor area to the north of Enfield in north London. It is 12 miles 16 chains (19.6 km) down the line from London Liverpool Street and is situated between Southbury and Theobalds Grove.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Brelade</span> Parish

St Brelade is one of the twelve parishes of Jersey in the Channel Islands. It is around 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) west of St Helier. Its population was 11,012 as of 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Trust for Jersey</span> Charitable organisation in Jersey

The National Trust for Jersey is a charitable organisation which aims at preserving and safeguarding sites of historic, aesthetic and natural interest in Jersey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fort de Tournoux</span>

The Fort de Tournoux is a fortification complex in the Ubaye Valley in the French Alps. It was built between 1843 and the early 20th century to defend France against invasion from Italy and Savoy. It was described as the "Military Versailles of the 19th century," resembling a Tibetan monastery on the mountainside above the Ubaye. The fort is actually an ensemble of fortifications, including some "batteries" that rival the main fort in size and power.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jersey Railway</span> Former railway line in Jersey

The Jersey Railway was opened in 1870 and was originally a standard gauge railway, 3+34 miles (6.0 km) long, in Jersey in the Channel Islands. Converted to narrow gauge in 1884 and extended giving a length of 7+34 miles (12.5 km), the line closed in 1936.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geology of Jersey</span>

The geology of Jersey is characterised by the Late Proterozoic Brioverian volcanics, the Cadomian Orogeny, and only small signs of later deposits from the Cambrian and Quaternary periods. The kind of rocks go from conglomerate to shale, volcanic, intrusive and plutonic igneous rocks of many compositions, and metamorphic rocks as well, thus including most major types.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alderney, Dorset</span> Suburb of the town of Poole in Dorset, England

Alderney is a suburb of the town of Poole in Dorset, England with a population of 11,196, increasing to 11,423 at the 2011 Census. Alderney is south of Wallisdown and west of Alder Hills.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Central Ordnance Munitions Depot</span>

The Central Ordnance Munitions Depot was constructed in the late 1930s by British for the World War II to combat the Japanese Invasion as well as to store arms and ammunition for the defence of Hong Kong. The British used "Little Hong Kong", name for the fishing village town of Aberdeen, as a "code name" to refer to the military site and therefore confuse Japanese spies in the local community before the Japanese invasion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Batterie de Bouviers</span>

The Batterie de Bouviers is located in the commune of Guyancourt, Yvelines, France. It is a former fortification built beginning in 1879 and occupied by the army until 1932. From 1933 it was leased by the Hispano Suiza company as a factory, surrounded by other industrial structures. The site was abandoned by Hispano Suiza in 1990, and was sold by the Ministry of Defense in 1999. In 2006 the battery became the "Cafe Musiques", surrounded by office buildings and a music school.

Aircraft cavern, a calque of the German word Flugzeugkaverne, is an underground hangar amongst others used by the Swiss Air Force.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Militia of the Island of Jersey</span> Military unit

Formed in 1337, the Royal Militia of the Island of Jersey can claim to be the oldest sub-unit of the British Army, although, because it is not a regiment, and was disbanded for decades in the late 20th century, it is not the most senior.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battery Lothringen</span>

Battery Lothringen was a World War II coastal artillery battery in Saint Brélade, Jersey, named after the SMS Lothringen, and constructed by Organisation Todt for the Wehrmacht during the Occupation of the Channel Islands. The first installations were completed in 1941, around the same time as the completion of the nearby Battery Moltke, in St. Ouen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Channel Islands Occupation Society</span>

The Channel Islands Occupation Society (CIOS) is a voluntary organisation that seeks to study all aspects of the German occupation of the Channel Islands and to raise awareness and educate the public about the occupation during the Second World War. There are two branches, one in Jersey and the other in Guernsey, that take turns in publishing the Channel Islands Occupation Review. The CIOS manages many German fortifications and archives on both islands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battery Moltke</span>

Battery Moltke is an uncompleted World War II former coastal artillery battery in St Ouen in north-west Jersey. It was constructed by Organisation Todt for the Wehrmacht during the occupation of the Channel Islands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sechsschartenturm, Heavy MG bunker, La Mare Mill</span>

Sechsschartenturm, heavy MG bunker, La Mare Mill, or 4-S WaKoFest, Wn La Mare Mill, consists of a sechsschartenturm and a personnel bunker. The Organisation Todt built it to an Atlantic Wall standard on a commanding position near the demolished La Mare Mill during the Occupation of Jersey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">German fortification of Guernsey</span> Aspect of the German occupation of Guernsey

After the Wehrmacht occupied the Channel Islands on 30 June 1940, they assessed the existing defences to determine if they would be of use. The Germans found the Islands' fortifications antiquated and woefully inadequate for modern warfare.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fortifications of Alderney</span>

Apart from a Roman Fort, there were very few fortifications in Alderney until the mid 19th century. These were then modified and updated in the mid 20th Century by Germans during the occupation period. Alderney at 8 km2 is now one of the most fortified places in the world.

The Batterie Mirus is located in Saint Peter and Saint Saviour, Guernsey. Originally called Batterie Nina, it comprised four 30.5 cm guns. The battery was constructed from November 1941 and through the first half of 1942, and was the largest battery in the Channel Islands, the guns having a maximum range of 51 km. Although the guns were removed in the early 1950s, the reinforced concrete structures and associated positions remain intact.

References

  1. 1 2 Stephenson, Charles (28 February 2006). The Channel Islands 1941–45: Hitler's Impregnable Fortress. ISBN   9781841769219 . Retrieved 1 October 2012.[ permanent dead link ]
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 Jersey's German Tunnels by Michael Ginns MBE, CIOS Jersey
  3. German Armour in the Channel Islands 1941–1945, Channel Islands Occupation Society (Jersey Branch), Panzer Abteuilung 213 in Text and Pictures, Archives Book 4, By Micheal Ginns
  4. "German Equipment stored in Ho2". Jersey Evening Post.
  5. "Jersey War Tunnels". Jersey War Tunnels. Retrieved 1 October 2012.
  6. .Hohlganganlage 1 Munitions Storage Tunnel
  7. "Hohlganganlage 2". Explorationcentral.co.uk. Retrieved 1 October 2012.
  8. "Hohlganganlage 4". Explorationcentral.co.uk. Retrieved 1 October 2012.
  9. "Hohlganganlage 5". Explorationcentral.co.uk. Retrieved 1 October 2012.
  10. 1 2 "The Occupation Trail" (PDF). Jersey Tourism. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 November 2011.
  11. "Jersey War Tunnels Museum".