Flanders Tour Spring 2023 - Day Seven

The trip back to Dunkirk gave us an opportunity to examine the Nazi Vengeance weapon programme. Firstly we took a walk around the near intact V1 facility in the Bois des Huit Rues close to Hazebrouck. There are the Ski-shaped storage facilities, fuelling and arming buildings as well as the launching ramp. The site was bombed and destroyed by the USAAF before it could be used operationally. The Nazis switched to using temporary launch sites instead.

Ski-shaped storage & assembly building

Entrance/Exit to above building

Troop shelter/accommodation building

Arming building

Launch ramp protecting walls

Ruined non-magnetic building where V1 wings were fitted and navigational gyros set just before launching

Then it was on to La Coupole, near Wizernes. Here the gigantic concrete dome (built to protect the V2 assembly and launch facilities in just 10 months) was terminally damaged by RAF Grand Slam bombs. The museum is dedicated to the Nazi occupation of France, the V1 & V2 campaigns and the race for space. It takes around 3 hours to see everything and doesn’t spare the viewer from the atrocities carried out by the Nazi regime in pursuit of their V-weapon dream.

What the site was planned to look like

Entrance tunnel today (bottom left in model picture above), overlooked by the slightly tilted dome

Tunnels into the side of the mountain

V1 - Cruise Missile

V2 - Ballistic Missile

Manned V1 - trial aircraft

Finally it was time to head for Dunkirk. Another trip over….until next time.