Eperlecques
Outside Saint-Omer in northern France, in March 1943, the Germans began to build a missile base for V2 missiles. The base was called Kraftwerk Nord West. But the allies knew that the Germans were up to something. The Base was therefore a high-priority bombing target and at the end of August 1943 the base was bombed so intensive that it would never be operational. The bombing raids also killed a large number of slave workers working on the base during the raid. The Germans still made efforts, but in vain, to get the base completed but with no success. In July 1944 the plans were abandoned. From the German side, the ambition was that the base could store 100 missiles and fire 36 missiles daily against London and southern England. The base was occupied by the allies in early September 1944.
Current status: Partly preserved/demolished with museum (2017).
Location: 50°49'43"N 2°11'01"E
Get there: Car.
Follow up in books: Irons, Roy: Hitler´s Terror Weapons: The Price of Vengeance (2013).
The Base is a large and a maighty ruin that appears when you come out of the forest. You are immediately struck by how huge it is and the clear damages it bears from the Allied bombings. You can also go into the base and a movie shows how it was supposed to work. Outside the base there are several objects and information boards that give the visitor a good idea of its history. A museum that clearly exceeded expectations and fascinates.