Secret Luftwaffe village-like bunkers in France

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WEISWEILER
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#16

Post by WEISWEILER » 03 Oct 2007, 22:44

This picture was taken by the same officer pres. on the same trip... If this isn't a decor too, it should be Dunkerque area, don't you think?
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#17

Post by WEISWEILER » 03 Oct 2007, 22:46

Like a puzzle. Maybe someone rec. this ship.
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#18

Post by Xavier » 04 Oct 2007, 00:17

I think is the french destroyer bourrasque, hit a mine and then was dive bombed during operation dynamo off dunkirk
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#19

Post by WEISWEILER » 04 Oct 2007, 00:27

Thanks, Xavier!

Another question: what is a Luftwaffe secret airfield with only ONE hangar and bomber? Where there more (could be), or is this house some kind of prototype?

:roll:

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#20

Post by WEISWEILER » 04 Oct 2007, 00:32

Well done! This is a Bourrasque. But it's the name of a class:

The Bourrasque class was a group of twelve French navy destroyers (contre-torpilleur) laid down in 1923 and commissioned from 1926 to 1936. Along with the heavier Chacal class, they were part of a plan to modernise the French fleet after World War I. The Bourrasques were smaller and slower than the Chacals, but were nonetheless comparable with the British 'W' class. The class saw varied service in the Second World War, in five different navies, on both sides. Thes ships were named after types of wind.


Ships
Bourrasque (Snow storm) - built by At & Ch de France, Dunkirk, completed 23 September 1926 - Lost 30 May 1940
Cyclone - built by f & Ch de la Mediterranee, Le Havre, completed 1 June 1928 - damaged by E-boat S-24 30 May 1940, scuttled at Brest 18 June 1940
Mistral (Mistral (wind))- built by f & Ch de la Mediterranee, Le Havre, completed 1 June 1927 - decommissioned 17 February 1950
Orage (Storm) - built by Ch Nav Francais, Caen, completed 1 December 1926 - Lost 23 May 1940
Ouragan (Hurricane) - built by Ch Nav Francais, Caen, completed 19 January 1927 - decommissioned 1949
Simoun (Simoom)- built by At & Ch de St Nazaire Panhoet, completed 29 April 1926 - decommissioned 17 February 1950
Sirocco (Sirocco)- built by At & Ch de St Nazaire Panhoet, completed 1 July 1927 - lost 31 May 1940
Tempête (Tempest) - built by Anciens Ch Dubigeon, completed 28 September 1926 - decommissioned 1950
Tornade (Tornado) - built by Ch Dyle & Bacalan (Bordeaux) completed 10 May 1928 -sunk 8 November 1942
Tramontane - built by F & Ch Girodins Bordeaux , completed 15 October 1927 - lost 8 November 1942
Trombe (Waterspout) - built by F & Ch Girodins Bordeaux , completed 27 October 1927- decommissioned 17 February 1950
Typhon (Typhoon) - built by F & Ch Girodins Bordeaux , completed 27 June 1928 - scuttled 9 November 1942
Four ships of the class - Bourrasque, Cyclone, Orage and Sirocco - were lost in 1940; Orage on 23 May, sunk by German bombers; Bourasque by German mines and artillery fire on 30 May while evacuating troops from Dunkirk; Sirocco on 31 May, to German torpedo boats while engaged in the same operation; and Cyclone, having been badly damaged on 30 May by torpedo boats was scuttled at Brest on 18 June to prevent her capture.
Mistral and Ouragan were captured by the British in Plymouth harbour on 3 July 1940 during Operation Catapult. Both were eventually transferred to the Free French. Somewhat circuitously, Ouragan was first transferred to the Free Polish navy. Both survived the war.

Tornade and Tramontaine were lost in the same engagement off Oran on 8 November 1942, against allied units protecting Operation Torch. Typhon was scuttled in Oran harbour to stop her being acquired by the Allies.

Simoun and Tempête, based at Casablanca, joined the Allies in November 1942. They may have joined the battleship Jean Bart in engaging the Allied 'Covering Group', a taskforce based on the battleship Massachusetts.

Trombe was the only ship of the class to be scuttled at Toulon in November 1942 alongside much of the French navy. She was later raised, commissioned into the Italian navy as FR31, and then re-transferred to the Free French on 28 October 1943.

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bourrasque ... destroyers)
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#21

Post by WEISWEILER » 04 Oct 2007, 10:49

WEISWEILER wrote:Thanks, Xavier!

Another question: what is a Luftwaffe secret airfield with only ONE hangar and bomber? Where there more (could be), or is this house some kind of prototype?

:roll:
Maybe this photo, from the same series, shows the rest of the hangars... Does anyone knows about this kind of installations? I'm very curious to here more about'm!

/W
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#22

Post by WEISWEILER » 04 Oct 2007, 10:51

This looks like another hangar-building...
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#23

Post by MountainMan » 04 Oct 2007, 17:01

Well, if you're into popular fiction, the aircraft would be part of KG200. 8-)

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#24

Post by WEISWEILER » 05 Oct 2007, 08:48

About the destroyer we use to locate the site: I don't think it's the Bourrasque though L'Adroit (Adroit Class), who sunk off Dunkerque. The B. sunk off Nieuwpoort, Belgium and was hit at the rear. Another similar ship (Bourrasque) went down by Brest - the Cyclone.
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#25

Post by WEISWEILER » 05 Oct 2007, 08:57

Uboat.net says: L'Adroit (Lt.Cdr. H.M.A. Dupin de Saint-Cyr) was bombed and sunk in shallow water off Dunkirk at 1200 PM on 21 May 1940 by German Heinkel-111 aircraft. The ship didn't explode and lay on the beach of Malo-les-Bains. Only one man was injured, the rest of the crew was safe and served on shore batteries until the French capitulation.

The wreck lies in 17 meters of water in position 51º03'42"N, 02º23'20"E.

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#26

Post by WEISWEILER » 05 Oct 2007, 10:00

Concerning Luftwaffe in this area: 15 KVA B (18 LW Feld Div) / Dunkerque.

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#27

Post by WEISWEILER » 09 Oct 2007, 19:00

Yeh.
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#28

Post by WEISWEILER » 10 Oct 2007, 17:43

Is there no other material on these peculiar hangars?

I would be most glad to hear about your opinion.

Thanks in advance.

/W

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Michael Emrys
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#29

Post by Michael Emrys » 10 Oct 2007, 20:15

No information about fake buildings on airfields, but some of the gun emplacements along the Channel coast were either built into existing houses or were disguised as such. I think there was a thread on this a couple of years ago, but I don't recall which sub-forum it was in. You might try a search using keywords like 'camouflage', 'gun emplacements', 'Festung Europa', 'Atlantic Wall', etc.

Michael

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#30

Post by WEISWEILER » 10 Oct 2007, 20:55

Interesting. Well, I've done quiet some (internet) research using this kind of thesaurus, but no new information yet. And more than 750 views of the post in short time seem to prove it’s an intriguing subject. :idea: :roll:

It seems that these buildings weren’t existing ‘normal’ houses, though special designed - deceiving hangars. The represented hangar can be scrutinized from different angles and these show all painted construction. (Not only the gate front) In that case one could ask how these hangars could be constructed without locals (and resistance) noticing it. One also clearly recognises the airstrips on the ground leading to the hangars.

Deduction of the photographical material learns that the area might be Dunkirke surroundings (possibly Malo-les-Bains). Until 10/44 this was 18. Luftwaffe Feld Division (15. Armee) territory, so I think that more evidence should be searched for in that direction. Unfortunately the internet doesn’t provide much information on the 18th. The fact that more data on this kind of designs seems scarce could mean that it concerns some kind of experiment or prototype.

/W

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