Regelbau 701. Anti-tank gun emplacement

On the eastern slope of the hill where the Church of St Idzi in Inowłódz stands, a concrete Regelbau 701 shelter has survived. This was a position for an anti-tank gun, one element of the German defensive line along the Pilica River, built in the final months of the war.

A gun garage, not a living shelter

The Regelbau 701 was not designed to protect a permanent crew, only to shield the gun itself. The interior functioned like a garage: wooden beams embedded in the walls formed a platform at the level of the second storey, where the gun was positioned, while ammunition was stored lower, in the lower part of the structure. This layout allowed the barrel to be quickly moved out and fire to be opened.

Objective: road junction

The position was chosen to cover a nearby junction through which an important artery ran connecting Tomaszów Mazowiecki, Radom and Opoczno. Control of this road hub was meant to slow the advance of Soviet troops moving into central Poland.

Forced labour construction

Work on the shelters in Inowłódz took place from August 1944 to January 1945, and the local civilian population was compelled to participate. This is evident in the concrete itself: the walls contain numerous air pockets, a trace of hasty construction and insufficiently skilled hands. The Pilica Line (Piliza Stellung) was built on Hitler's personal order as one of the last barriers before the Soviet offensive.

Place in the defensive line

Field surveys on the church hill in Inowłódz counted eleven structures of this line, including Regelbau 701, several Ringstand 58c positions and two passive shelters Regelbau 668 – the whole is described in the entry German combat shelter complex, and one of the passive shelters separately in Regelbau 668 passive infantry shelter. On the other side of the river, in the hamlet of Zakościele, stands an analogous fire position described as Ringstand 58c combat shelter. In January 1945, the Soviets broke through the Pilica Line, encircled the town and closed the ring of encirclement near Ujazd, destroying the garrison defending Inowłódz.

Practical information

• Address: Juliana Tuwima 34, 97-215 Inowłódz, eastern part of the hill with the Church of St Idzi.
• Access on foot from the centre of Inowłódz towards the church; open ground with no marked tourist route.
• The site is sometimes visited by geocachers, but there is no lighting or safety barriers, so entry to the interior requires caution.
• Expect a massive concrete block set into the slope, with a visible opening for the gun barrel and traces of hasty wartime construction in the concrete surface.