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France
V1 and V2 bases
Your move!
Location
Click on towns on map to visit other locations.Calais ¦Dunkerque¦ Cassel¦ St Omer¦ Le Touquet¦ Lille¦ Arras¦ Boulogne¦ Abbeville ¦ Douai ¦ Montreuil ¦ Ieper¦ Lens¦ Cambrai
"The Blockhouse was originally planned to be a complete fuel production, V2 rocket assembly and launching facility capable of launching 100 V2's a day"
La Coupole
Looking much like a concrete flying saucer, La Coupole was also built to launch the German V2 vengeance weapon. Built in an old chalk quarry the shape and solid design enabled it to withstand Allied bombing virtually unscathed. It was connected to miles of passages running into the hillside. It was overun by the Allies advance in 1944 before La Coupole was used by the Germans to launch V2's at London and Southern England.
The site is exhibits the history of La Coupole as well as the life under German Occupation in Northern France. Finally it illustrates the development of the history of rockets from wartime onto their peaceful application in the conquest of space.
Arques
Closer to St-Omer a visit can take in the Victorian Boat Lift which operated until the late 1960's and the crystal and glass factory shops at Arques.
Saint-Omer Excursions
Blockhouse at EperlecquesLocated in the Eperlecques Forest, this was the largest concrete bunker engineered by the Germans in World War 2. Constructed by mainly slave labour, many of whom died in the process. The Blockhouse was originally planned to be a complete fuel production, V2 rocket assembly and launching facility capable of launching 100 V2's a day. The locals thought the structure was to be a power station, but when its true purpose became clear the Allied Airforce bombed it putting paid to the V2 assembly facility. This did not stop work at Eperlecques as a 6 metre thick slab was built and hydraulically jacked up while the walls were constructed. The slab acting like a protective shell during construction.
It eventually reached a height of 22 metres and a liquid oxygen manufacturing facilty installed. Production was short lived as further bombing using the Barnes Wallis "Tallboy" bombs caused dangerous ground vibrations and although the integrity of the bunker was not compromised it made the manufacturing of liquid oxygen too risky.
A multi-lingual audiovisual presentation at locations in and around the blockhouse guide visitors through the site explaining the background and history at each stage. The site is now a memorial to peace.
Where to stay
Food and
fuel
Details of Where to stay,
stock up with provisions, refuel etc. can be found at Eurapart's
main Saint-Omer page
Tourist Information
Syndicat d'initiative Eperleques
4, rue de la Marie
62910 EPERLEQUES
Tel: +33(0)3 21 95 66 25
Fax: +33(0)3 21 12 77 72
Email: eperleques@tourisme.norsys.fr
Syndicat d'initiative Arques
Place Roger Salengro
63510 ARQUES
Tel: +33(0)3 21 88 59 00
Fax: +33(0)3 21 98 07 69
Email: varques@nordnet.fr
Web: http://www.ville-arques.fr
Blockhaus d'Eperlecques
62910 EPERLECQUES
Tel +33(0)3 21 88 44 22
Fax +33(0)3 21 88 44 84
We
endeavour to provide accurate information on this web-site. However, due
to the time sensitive nature of travel information, we cannot accept
liability for the content of this site, nor for any transactions that
occur based on that data. John Williams, Webmaster, Eurapart
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