Article about: Hello guys On this 80th anniversary of the begeaning of the war on Eastern Front let me take you to the places where very first shots of this war were fired and first men were killed. After
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Never heard about such bunkers in Poland, they were really short with time what had effects on June 22nd and in following days. Never heard about such bunkers built on Polish territory, perhaps sand of plains of central and eastern Poland wasn’t good enough to build deep constructions. Heaviest ones I’ve seen were armed with 2 76,2mm guns-only ones I’ve seen were in Szulborze but they are absolutely devastated by explosions.
But Im going to show what’s left as there is much more material to be shown, Im just totally short with time but surely Im going to continue topic within 1,5-2 weeks.
So, stay tuned
Thanks for posting your investigations Marinecollector42, accounts are not easily accessible if written in Polish/Russian but its always interesting when major assaults can be examined, and the fate of individuals can add a human element for the reader to relate to.
Sorry guys for looooong brake in topic but summer didn't really encouraged me to spend days sitting at computer but there is still so much material to be posted!
So, thread is coming back to live and we're coming back to June 22nd 1941 in current Poland east of Warsaw. Topic of fortified point Szulborze is over (I'll try to get to one bunker armed with two 76,2mm guns which I wasn't able to reach in spring and summer due to thick vegetation and one armed with 45mm guns which I didn't knew then).
Now we're abour 20km north-west from FP Szulborze at fortified point Prosienica guarding main road from Warsaw to Białystok.
Actually not much is know about combat of FP Prosienica, it didn't lasted as long as defense of Szulborze, DOT's weren't finished as much as in Szulborze, some were finished in only 20%, some were fully finished and armed.
In forests west of Prosienica has it's camp 2nd battalion 169th rifle regiment which at early hours of June 22nd was pushed back along road from Ostrów Mazowiecka by forces of pioneer bataillon 221. Batallion retook defense positions between bunkers of Prosienica manned by 12th separate machine gun and artillery batallion.
One of FP Prosienica bunkers destined to be armed with Maxim heavy machine gun, however unfinished- lacks front armor plate, ground embankment- black thing on bunker walls is preserving tar in places where ground embankment was meant to be.
It was far from being finished however on the front side we can see combat damage- bullets or shrapnels traces (barely visible back then, when I was there before they weren't covered in moss that much) and in entrance area traces of explosion, whatever it was for sure was a small charge, rather grenade than explosive meant to eliminate bunker out of use.
About 200m south-east from previous bunker on a small hill in a forest. Hard to say now was it finished but right to the entrance there is a wooden slab from constructing period, which allows to think that this bunker wasn't finished by June 22nd.
This bunker was meant to be armed with DOT-4 (45mm gun with 7,62 DS-39 machine gun in armor mount)- last photo shows DOT-4 opening, blasted, Maxim machine gun and DP-28 in entrance guarding point-2nd photo showing entrance guard and DP mount from inside and 3rd. showing the same spot from outside the bunker.
Bunker was blown up by pioneers from pioneer bataillon 221 or engineer units following right behind.
Not really a fortification but also a silent witness of the first day of operation "Barbarossa", laying on the surface just next to shown bunker probably appeared here at early morning of June 22nd from the other side of border. At least 105mm or more, perhaps left by some digger.
We stay on the same hill as before. One heavy machine gun (Maxim or DS-39) DOT, just the same as two posts before. Here crew chamber was blown up. This one has bigger chance to be preparred by June 22nd- ground embankments here were ready. and running trench to the bunker too. If armor shield was placed it went flying after the blast.
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