The De Beer project 27/10/12
25/12/12
02/01/14
02/10/16
13okt24

After I started the Hanstholm project in 2008 and on the hunt for bunker information, I found a very good Dutch forum: http://www.fortificatieforum.nl/.
wandering around in the huge "library" as that is I found another interesting WW2 relict: the German fortification of the nature reserve De Beer just under the city of Rotterdam at the mouth of the "Nieuwe Waterweg".
A new 3D project was born.

Some short history:
During the second world war the German occupation in Holland started to fortify a triangular piece of the nature and bird reserve at the sea coast with an unic set of bunkers.
The location was at the opposite side of "Hoek van Holland" and directly against the "Nieuwe Waterweg". The main entrance to the port of Rotterdam. An unic set of bunkers because they partly where integrated in the sea wall defense. It was "one pearls" in the chain of the atlantikwall. The only problem I faced was that the whole area around 1957 was transformed into the "Maasvlakte". A huge complex of factories, chemical installations and sea ports.

So all the WW2 relict's where demolished which in fact made the whole site more tantalizing. But there is a Dutch bunker archive. After WW2 the Dutch government set up an archive of all the bunkers build and most important, made drawings of them. So all the bunkers where measured and have their own drawing.

So now the hunt for drawings was started !
Lucky for me, some guys on the fortification forum liked my 3D models and helped with the drawings they already had found in the archive. That was good news and a big THANK YOU is in place. The only problem is that the archive was moved several times as well as that the register wasn't kept up to date. So searching and finding information is hard.

The logo:
As a bird nature reserve the area was well documented on the internet when you like birds. But nobody was interested in the legacy of the second world war. In 1936, far before the war, Simon de Waard wrote some articles about the birds in the reserve. One of them was called "Een novemberdag op De Beer", A November day on De Beer and was illustrated by Anton van den Oord. I liked the header and changed this drawing a little to match my passion: "Een bunker op De Beer", a bunker on the Beer.

De Beer - Een bunker op De Beer

So no more information ?
No, in 2012, by shear accident I came across the digital archive of RWS (part of Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure): beeldbank.rws.nl. Looking around, I was amazed to find out that they had some aerial pictures from the coast which included Kernwerk - De Beer as it was around 1954.

This first picture shows, in the bottom, very nice the location at the border of the waterway. At the top Hoek van Holland.
Arial picture Rijkswaterstaat
Copyright beeldbank.RWS.nl Rijkswaterstaat.

The second one shows the other side of the complex. Clearly visual is the anti tank wall in the front.
Arial picture Rijkswaterstaat
Copyright beeldbank.RWS.nl Rijkswaterstaat.

A 1957 dated topographical map of the coast on which I marked "De Beer".

Top overzicht De Beer

In fact "De Beer" is the name of a whole corner of the island.

But for the local Germans it was the Reinhardwerk or "XI HM" from the army point of view and MKB Kernwerk Hoek van Holland from the marine view. But for most: Part of the Atlantikwall.
De Beer - Reinhardwerk

Ben Muller made a drawing of the bunker locations.
It is used in the book : Festung Hoek van Holland from Hans Sakkers (Fortress Books - ISBN 90-76396-02-7), where I found it.
De Beer - Overzicht
Copyright Ben Muller.

The sides where anti tank walls which also functioned as a barrier for high water. At the tips and in the sides you see the SK bunkers.


So far the intro now the 3D models.
I will use the BRV coding, Dutch description as well as the German regelbau types.

A62 Ingang / tankmuren, entry is a simple steel double door, anti tank walls and a "Walzkörperspere" with a Tobruk at each side and a lot of barb wire.

De Beer - Reinhardwerk

De Beer - Reinhardwerk

De Beer - Reinhardwerk - AT walls


A01 Gevechtsschuilplaats met mitrailleurkoepel 644.

De Beer - 644

De Beer - 644

Not completed yet. The armor part is a mystery (for me).


A06 Munitiedepot 246

De Beer - 246


A07 Waterbergplaats 659.

De Beer - 659


A08 5cm Mortierbunker.

De Beer - 5cm Mortierbunker

De Beer - 5cm Mortierbunker


A09 Flakbunker.

De Beer - Flakbunker


A10 Woonschuilplaats.

De Beer - schuilplaats

De Beer - schuilplaats


A11 - A30 Toiletgebouw.

De Beer - Toilet

De Beer - Toilet


A12 Paardenstal

De Beer - Paardenstal

De Beer - Paardenstal

Interesting with the entrance to a covered trench.


A14 Bergplaats.
De Beer - Bergplaats De Beer - Bergplaats doorsnede


A16 Kanonkazemat met gevechtsschuilplaats
De Beer - Kazemat


A17 Onderkomen voor twee keukens
De Beer - Keuken


A18 Gevechtsschuilplaats 610
De Beer - Gevechtsschuilplaats

De Beer - Gevechtsschuilplaats


A22 -A23 Gevechtsschuilplaats 501
De Beer - Gevechtsschuilplaats

De Beer - Gevechtsschuilplaats

With the entrance to a covered trench (A23) and A12 in the back.


A24 Gevechtsschuilplaats 501, met aanbouw tegen de AT muur
De Beer - Gevechtsschuilplaats

De Beer - Gevechtsschuilplaats


A25 MG kazemat 630B
De Beer - MG Kazemat

De Beer - MG Kazemat

A SK build into the AT wall.


A29 Waterbergplaats 658
De Beer - Waterstorage


A31 Houten woonschuilplaats
De Beer - Houten woonschuilplaats

De Beer - Houten woonschuilplaats

De Beer - Houten woonschuilplaats

Interesting building made from wood against the anti tank wall.


A32 - A42 Kanonkazemat / gevechtsschuilplaats M176 + 622
De Beer - Kanonkazemat

De Beer - Kanonkazemat

De Beer - Kanonkazemat


A33 Woonschuilplaats
De Beer - Woonschuilplaats

A38 Grote verbandplaats
De Beer - Verbandplaats groot

De Beer - Verbandplaats groot

A49 Kleine verbandplaats
De Beer - Verbandplaats klein

De Beer - Verbandplaats klein

24cm geschut van hms Hertog Hendrik, voor batterij Brandenburg (in uitvoering)
Brandenburg 24cm geschut

Wordt vervolgd ...

Updates:
02/10/16