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Base V3 at Mimoyecques

Détail

  • Nom
    Base V3 at Mimoyecques
  • Lieu
    LANDRETHUN-LE-NORD
  • +33 3 21 87 10 34
  • Contribution
    ORION
  • ID
    280.216

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Base V3 at Mimoyecques
Base V3 at Mimoyecques
The Mimoyecques base is located in the north, on the commune of Landrethun-le-Nord and was built between 1943 and 1944 to receive a new weapon in the "Special Weapons" category (Code name Wiese - Prairie). After the V1 flying bomb and the V2 rocket, here comes the V3 gun, a diabolical contraption designed to bomb London.
The V3 is a new smooth-bore artillery piece coded Hochdruckpumpe (high pressure pump or HDP) with a length approaching 100 meters for a caliber of 150 mm. Along this barrel are 32 inclined side chambers designed to increase the shell's acceleration before it leaves the tube, giving it supersonic speed.
Although the project was still in its trial period, Hitlerordered the construction of a base capable of launching projectiles at high speed and over a great distance, with the English city of London as the target. As the weapon is by definition of imposing length, it is impossible to move it. So a site had to be found as close as possible to the target, while ensuring its safety against air bombardment. Northern France was chosen for its proximity to the English coast.
A labyrinth of tunnels was therefore dug under a 158m-high limestone hill, at a distance of 165 km from the English capital, sufficient to reach the city while maintaining a safety margin. This labyrinth was to link 5 oblique shafts to accommodate 5 guns per shaft, i.e. 25 guns, enabling a rate of fire of 10 rounds per minute, 600 shells per hour. The judiciously chosen site took advantage of the presence of a 280 mm K5 gun at Hydrequent just 5 km away, and the nearby Calais/Boulogne railroad line. Work began in September 1943. 5,000 people worked in this hive of activity, including prisoners and workers from the STO, as well as 450 German miners. Today, the structure is a museum.
   
Base V3 at Mimoyecques
Crédit photo Bodoklecksel.
Musees
Base V3 at Mimoyecques
Crédit photo Bodoklecksel.
Musees
Base V3 at Mimoyecques
Crédit photo Bodoklecksel.
Musees

Base V3 at Mimoyecques

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