De Haan
During
the war, the centre of the village of De Haan was a strongpoint Stp Blücher comprising command- and
personal bunkers. Today a few remain safely hidden behind the bushes and
mansions. The first is a command bunker
for a battalion or a regiment, a Regelbau 117b. Originally called : Bataillons- oder
Regimentsgefechtsstand. It
stands next to the Carpe Diem
hotel and is in a good state apart from the close-combat room that has been
removed to obtain more parking place.
On the walls at th e entrance the bunker number is still visible and
inside all the armoured doors remain together with the inscriptions of the
rooms' function. It served as command post for HKAR 940 or I/216.IR /
171.ID (1943). HKAR 940 was renamed HKAR 1240 from the 12th of December 1943 onwards.
On
the other side of the village is a second bunker, a Regelbau 622
designed for two groups of soldiers; originally called a Doppelgruppenunterstand. This one belonged to the 2nd Cie of
Bn I/216 of ID 171. This 622 has two peculiarities. The Tobruk entrance is also the entrance to
a tunnel that lead to the country house
behind the bunker stands. The length of
the tunnel is the same as the length of the bunker. Nowadays the end of the tunnel is closed.
The
second peculiarity is the fresco's
painted on the walls, one in each room.
Finally
the bunker numbers are still on the walls at the entrances.
Between the country house and the bunker is a swimming pool that for sure dates from the war years.
A second bunker that belonged to this group was also a command bunker, Regelbau 608, but a large country house has been built on it completely obliterating any traces.
Outside De Haan, next to the Zeepreventorium, is a former radar site, Stp Westlich den Haan. There actually remain two small Vf FlaK bunkers for a 2 cm FlaK. On the ground there is only one room without a separate entrance and on top of it is the FlaK.
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