StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.
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Dépöt souterrain de Neufchatel, Sperrwaffen Kommando.
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Built to store sea mines and torpedoes for use on ships in the channel ports of Boulogne, Calais & Dunkerque.
E Boats out of Ostende
E Boat (Schnellboot) Cherbourg.
Sea mines.
StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.
Google
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StP Hasso.
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Situated to the east of Dannes near the Holcim cement plant which uses the limestone to produce cement. 'The announcement of Holcim France to stop the oven, so the manufacture of clinker to cement at Dannes will end.' looks like there are problems with the cement plant.
Holcim France, Dannes.
Cement bags from Dannes.
StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.
23 October 2013
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StP Hasso.
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View from across the valley.
StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.
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StP Hasso.
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This is how it was to look with the finished tunnels showing and the proposed site beyond.
From the road to the chalk quarries you first pass a well with the sign "Puits Allemande" (more later) and park at the end of the road on the left by a gate. The depot was to consist of about 38 galleries and two railway tunnels to hide the train engines at times of allied bombing. As far as I can see 15 galleries were built or remain and the others were under construction or planned.
Two areas of excessive damage.
StP Hasso.
18 October 1943 (NA) --------------------------------------------03 September 2014(Geoportail)
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StP Hasso
A 1943 bombing target air photo.
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1 - Tunnel entrances.
2 - Standard gauge railway.
3 - Covered storage.
4 - Stores
.
Spitfire cameras.
Photo reconnaissance Spitfire.
StP Hasso.
20 March 1944 (NA)
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StP Hasso
The bombing.
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A day time raid probably by Lancaster bombers.
SAV 323/403-16 Photo number. Neg. No.36933.
Into 1944 any targets that related to the future of D-day and also V weapons sites were attacked by allied bombers.
Bomber stream.
Lancaster.
Lancaster bombay.
StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.
23 February 2014
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StP Hasso.
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The railway coming in off the main line, then the depot and then the depot that was either destroyed or not built or in the process of being constructed.
StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.
23 February 2014
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StP Hasso.
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The route in.
The route in.
StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.
23 February 2014
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StP Hasso.
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The start of the depot.
Plan.
Rommel's visit.
Rommel's visit.
StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.
23 February 2014
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StP Hasso.
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The first storage tunnel on the right with a blown up tunnel to its right.
Torpedo.
Torpedo on its trolley made ready to load on a bomber.
StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.
23 February 2014
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StP Hasso.
Store No.15.
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Through the entrance which would have had a hinged double door. Along a short passage and turn right into the main tunnel
This one and one other we could see had an aerial railway to carry heavy items in and out.
Aerial runway to convey torpedoes into the tunnel..
Aerial runway system for shells.
StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.
23 February 2014
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StP Hasso.
Store No.15.
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Now turning into the main tunnel, the walls are finished in a very well made concrete surface.
You can see the fittings for the aerial runway on the apex of the tunnels roof.
Aerial runway fittings in the roof.
Fort de Roule, Cherbourg torpedo storage.
StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.
23 February 2014
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StP Hasso.
Store No.15.
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Then it turns into a very well made brick.
PERFORAPERFORA printed onto the bricks.
StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.
23 February 2014
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StP Hasso.
Store No.15.
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Continuing on. There seems to be no fittings or fixtures, no light sockets or oil lamp niches. Almost as though it was built but never used???
Bunker lamp.
Bunker light switch.
Lamp bunker niche. None of these were her??
StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.
23 February 2014
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StP Hasso.
Store No.15
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Getting closer. The trailer is an old farm trailer and why it needed to be manhandled up the platform and then dragged to the rear of this tunnel I have no idea. I suppose i makes a change from old freezers.
Aerial track way fittings.
StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.
23 February 2014
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StP Hasso.
Store No.15
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The end.
Air ventilation.
They also stored sea mines here.
StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.
23 February 2014
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Back to the S bend entrance.
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The dog leg is to stop or slow down blast if an accident were to happen.
The dog leg.
StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.
23 February 2014
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StP Hasso.
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Here was a sliding door.
A large sliding door closed off the tunnel from the dog leg.
A plan of how I see the inner entrance. The brown sliding door and the arch is filled in with brickwork, (there are signs of where brickwork went around the arch) and there would have had to have been a slot to allow the aerial runway to be used and then there would been been two smaller shutters to close off the slot at the top. All this has now gone
StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.
23 February 2014
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StP Hasso.
Looking out of the entrance.
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A large double door would have closed the entrance off. There are remains of hinges that have been cut off but when Rommel visited the doors were open.
Three heavy hinges were fitted to a steel frame around the entrance.
Rommel's visit showing an inwardly opening door with an air vent in it.
StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.
23 February 2014
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StP Hasso.
This is to the left of all the doors.
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We have no idea what this was, it may have been something to do with ventilation. Ventilation is very important when you store ammunition.
Rear air vent.
Air vent in door by Rommel's leg.
A tin shuttered air vent inside in the outer wall.
StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.
23 February 2014
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StP Hasso.
Camouflage.
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There are three types of front walls.
An oblong block camouflage.
A very odd type of camouflage.
No camouflage at all.
StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.
23 February 2014
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StP Hasso.
Platform.
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A very narrow platform with a steel runner protecting the concrete edge.
The platform was cantilevered out from the wall, I did not see any struts underneath it (I did not look too hard) there was also odd niches and air vent slots. Most of this area is now covered by earth pushed in.
StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.
23 February 2014
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StP Hasso.
The next one we entered.
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This one has the door bricked up and may have been contemporary to the depot or could be post war.
StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.
23 February 2014
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StP Hasso.
The dog leg entrance.
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Notice the exceptional Finnish to the concrete. Also the brickwork filling in marks on the left arch with the fittings for a sliding door.
StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.
23 February 2014
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StP Hasso.
Looking into the tunnel.
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Again a very good finish to the walls.
StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.
23 February 2014
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StP Hasso.
Two styles of mortar & brick.
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It looks like a breeze block meticulously cut and fitted in.
Breeze block.
StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.
23 February 2014
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StP Hasso.
The end.
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The end wall with its air ventilation tube. There seems to be no damp at all and the air is very fresh..
StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.
23 February 2014
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StP Hasso.
Another form of camouflage.
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A different style of camouflage probably the old empty sacks of cement screwed up and placed into the concrete to create this shape.
Concrete sacks.
StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.
23 February 2014
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StP Hasso.
Another tunnel.
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And it seems there was a fire inside as the walls are all blackened. Also this tunnel seems to have fittings for an aerial runway as well.
StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.
23 February 2014
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StP Hasso.
Looking back.
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With the two different types of camouflage and the base of the railway lines.
StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.
23 February 2014
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StP Hasso.
The join between two different styles of camouflage.
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What looks like a channel between the two tunnel face I think is a gutter space where a rain water down pipe should have fitted. Nothing remains so its all supposition.
StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.
23 February 2014
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StP Hasso.
This is a damaged one between the camouflaged and the earlier none camouflaged tunnels.
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Boming damage where ammunition is placed in one tunnel and detonated.
StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.
23 February 2014
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StP Hasso.
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The damaged concrete.
StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.
23 February 2014
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StP Hasso.
About six without camouflage.
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These six must have been the first to be built and cannot be accessed.
StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.
23 February 2014
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StP Hasso.
The details.
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From the notice board.
During the second world war, the Germans have built here even an important part of the Atlantic wall to a counter an eventual landing in the Pas-de-Calais. It was an ammunition depot giant composed of 44 galleries and tunnels for the convoy of trains of armament. More than 300 Jews sentenced to the work forces and imprisoned a Dannes fulfilled this military complex.
StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.
23 February 2014
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StP Hasso.
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The first six.
All these six are sealed off for bats to live in.
StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.
23 February 2014
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StP Hasso.
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Entrance of No.6.
Funnily enough its the only graffiti we saw in a sealed off tunnel.
StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.
23 February 2014
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StP Hasso.
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Five & six.
StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.
23 February 2014
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StP Hasso.
Number 16.
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This one the last on the right was also blown up for some reason.
StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.
23 February 2014
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StP Hasso.
No. 16.
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Looking down into the damaged section of this sealed tunnel.
StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.
23 February 2014
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StP Hasso.
Eisenpfahel.
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German barbed wire entanglement post possibly still in place after all this time.
StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.
23 February 2014
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StP Hasso.
The view from above.
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Looking down at the gutter running the length of the depot.
The railway ran from left to tight and linked up with the main line.
StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.
23 February 2014
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StP Hasso.
Above.
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The tunnels would have continued to the left and some the other side where the settlement tanks now sit.
Red the damaged tunnels.
Where we are.
StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.
23 February 2014
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StP Hasso.
The German Well.
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Water would have been needed for the steam trains in large quantities.
StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.
23 February 2014
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StP Hasso.
Puits Allemande.
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The well head.
The End
A French railways/military water tower.
France
Great Britain
