The prototype Hochdruckpumpe gun in 1942 at Laatziger Ablage ( Misdroy), today Zalesie ( Międzyzdroje), Poland. It continues to be open to the public as a vast underground museum complex. A nature conservation organisation acquired the Fortress of Mimoyecques in 2010, and La Coupole (a museum near Saint-Omer housing a former V-2 rocket base) took over its management. It was later reopened by private owners, first in 1969 to serve as a mushroom farm and subsequently as a museum in 1984. The complex was partly demolished just after the war on Churchill's direct orders (and to the great annoyance of the French, who were not consulted), as it was still seen as a threat to the United Kingdom. It fell to the Canadian 3rd Infantry Division on 5 September 1944 without resistance, a few days after the Germans withdrew from the area. The Germans halted construction work at Mimoyecques as the Allies advanced up the coast following the Normandy landings. 617 Squadron RAF, who used ground-penetrating 5,400-kilogram (12,000 lb) " Tallboy" earthquake bombs to collapse tunnels and shafts, entombing hundreds of slave workers underground. The rest was partly destroyed on 6 July 1944 by No. Construction work was seriously disrupted, forcing the Germans to abandon work on part of the complex. Mimoyecques was targeted for intensive bombardment by the Allied air forces from late 1943 onwards. The Allies knew nothing about the V-3 but identified the site as a possible launching base for V-2 ballistic missiles, based on reconnaissance photographs and fragmentary intelligence from French sources. The guns would have been able to fire ten dart-like explosive projectiles a minute – 600 rounds every hour – into the British capital, which Winston Churchill later commented would have constituted "the most devastating attack of all". The complex consists of a network of tunnels dug under a chalk hill, linked to five inclined shafts in which 25 V-3 guns would have been installed, all targeted on London. It was constructed by a mostly German workforce recruited from major engineering and mining concerns, augmented by prisoner-of-war slave labour. Originally codenamed Wiese ("Meadow") or Bauvorhaben 711 ("Construction Project 711"), it is located in the commune of Landrethun-le-Nord in the Pas-de-Calais region of northern France, near the hamlet of Mimoyecques about 20 kilometres (12 mi) from Boulogne-sur-Mer. It was intended to house a battery of V-3 cannons aimed at London, 165 kilometres (103 mi) away. The Fortress of Mimoyecques ( French pronunciation: ) is the modern name for a Second World War underground military complex built by the forces of Nazi Germany between 19. Opened as museum 1984, reopened 1 July 2010Ībteilung 705 (English: firing detachment 705) Sadly it was raining when we left so my only exterior shot are from my phone.50★1′14″N 1☄5′32″E / 50.854°N 1.759☎ / 50.854 1.759Ĭonservatoire d'espaces naturels du Nord et du Pas-de-Calais The staircase which had been painted a bright red to match the exterior post abandonment was probably one of the better features aside from the externals. Sad to see it in such a state compared to photos in this old report: Château Rouge. External observations revealed lots of airsoft pellets and hay bales piled up for cover so I would imagine this place may still function as an airsoft venue. Most of the contents were gone or destroyed, floorboards ripped up in some rooms, doors removed, graffiti. Once inside it was clear that the place had taken a turn for the worst. Visited with Matt Kriegaffe Hampshire, Scott Darby of Darbians Photography and Andy K of Behind Closed Doors, this place was rather impressive when we first pulled up, we had seen some photographs from an old report back in 2010 but had no idea what to expect now. Now, it would appear, the Château is being used as an airsoft venue… Our visit Abandoned since 2006 the impressive Château Rouge was once as a rehabilitation centre for children before becoming a hotel / Seminar venue. From what I could find, it would seem that there was a Château in this location for almost 1000 year, however the one that stands today is a much more recent rebuild on the same land at some point in the late 19th century. There is not a huge amount of history about this place on the web.
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