Footsteps of WWII · Dunkirk & the Channel coast
Blockhaus d'Éperlecques
Bunker · Mar 1943–Jul 1944
The story
Under the cover name Kraftwerk Nord West, the Organisation Todt began this bunker in the forest near Watten in March 1943 as a launch facility for V-2 rockets, planned for over 100 missiles and up to 36 launches a day. It was built largely by prisoners of war and conscripted workers held in nearby camps. On 27 August 1943, 187 US B-17s bombed it while the freshly poured concrete was still setting. Part was later finished as a liquid oxygen plant. Tallboy raids in June and July 1944, including on 6 July, caused severe damage, and construction stopped that month.
What to look for
A colossal concrete block in the woods, its roof and walls scarred by bomb craters and the twisted reinforcing of the August 1943 raid. A woodland trail leads past V-weapons and a V-2 replica to the bunker, which you walk into and around.
Plan your visit
March–October: March weekends only 14:00–17:00; April–June and September 11:00–17:30; July–August 10:00–18:30; October 13:00–17:00. Adult €11.50, child €6.50. No booking for individuals. Allow 1h45.
Things change, so check opening times before you travel.
Nearby sites
- La Coupole V-2 site, Helfaut · 14 km
- La Plaine au Bois massacre memorial, Esquelbecq (Wormhout) · 19 km
- Dunkirk Memorial and Town Cemetery (CWGC) · 27 km
- East Mole (Jetée de l'Est), Dunkirk · 28 km
- Dunkirk 1940 Museum (Bastion 32) · 28 km
- Malo-les-Bains evacuation beach, Dunkirk · 28 km
All 160 sites in Footsteps of WWII →
Footsteps of WWII: Europe 1939–1945
A free field guide for your phone: the route, the maps and the stories built in, even with no signal. The whole Second World War in Europe, from the first shots at Westerplatte on 1 September 1939 to the German surrender in May 1945: Dunkirk, the Battle of Britain, Normandy, Arnhem, Bastogne, Stalingrad, Berlin and the camps, in 15 areas from Britain to Russia.
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