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France 3rd April - Blockhaus de l'Éperlecques - monochrome set

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Here is the set of monochrome renditions of some of the pictures taken at Éperlecques, as threatened! Followed by 4 infrared pictures

France 3rd April - Blockhaus de l'Éperlecques

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We had determined to see the Hitler WW2 bunker at Éperlecques on this trip. This lies in a forest near St Omer, not far from Calais. Accordingly we stayed at a campsite nearby overnight. It had a British red telephone box as a feature, no doubt to make us all feel at home. The next morning I got up early as the dawn was peeking through the trees. We drove to the visitor centre as it was opening and there were few other people about. From there we walked through the woods, past ponds which may have marked shell holes, until the enormous hulk of the bunker came into view. It was designed by the Nazis and building commenced early in 1943 using thousands of prisoners of war and conscripted locals, living in conditions of slavery and working round the clock in 12 hour shifts. The construction was for the assembly and deployment of the V2 missile, Hitler's Wunderwaffe or wonder weapon which he thought would change the course of the war. The V2 had been designed in Peenemunde i