Schaarsbergen, Diogenes-bunker
In Schaarsbergen at the Koningsweg between the trees there is the huge bunker called Diogenes, former Headquarters from the 3. Jagd Division of the Luftwaffe.
The Germans started building Diogenes in august 1942 and finished it around July 1943. The sizes of the building are 60m long, 40m width and 16m high and it took about 33.000cbm of concrete.
At the long side of the building, offices are situated, with entrances to the main bunker with 3m thick walls.
The building consists of 3 floors, one of them is underground. At a distance, near the road, stands a telephone bunker of a untill now unknown type. During the war there was around the bunker a much larger complex in use by the Germans for personnel, maintenance and other use. Nearby was also the airfield Deelen that was used by the German Luftwaffe.
The central hall of the bunker, used to direct and control their own planes and to locate enemy planes, is destroyed in September 17th 1944, with the start of Operation Market Garden. The Germans thought that the Allies where trying to capture the bunker Diogenes and after their retreat to Duisburg, they blew up the central hall and its equipment with 2 airplane bombs. Within 24 hours they found out that the Allies where only on their way to the Rijn-bridge in Arnhem.
After de war the bunker was first used as a storage for ammunition and explosives. Unfortunately an accident by unknown causes occurred on June 8 1948, and the explosion killed 8 Dutch workers.
Later on the bunker was mainly used and still is in use as a big archive centre with more than 25km of archives inside.
Sources:
The following sources I have used and I would like to ask you to read them too, because they tell must more about the bunker Diogenes and the function, techniques and organisation of the German airdefencesystem.
Specially about Diogenes (English)
www.gyges.dk/Gefechtsstand%20bunker%203%20JD.htmGerman Airdefence system (English)
www.gyges.dkSpecially about Diogenes (Dutch)
http://home.kpn.nl/witie/Diogenes.htmTypes:
1x Diogenes bunker.
1x telephone bunker.
