V-1 Flying Bomb Facilities - Storage Depots

Storage Depots

To supply the V-1 flying bombs launch sites in the Calais region, construction was begun on several storage depots in August 1943. Sites at Biennais, Oisemont Neuville-au-Bois, and Saint-Martin-l'Hortier were never completed.

The completed sites were:

  • Domléger near Abbeville - bombed June 14 & 16, July 4, 1944
  • Renescure near Saint-Omer - finished in November 1943, it was bombed by the USAAF on June 16, 1944 by 48 B-24s and on July 2 by 21
  • Sautricourt near Saint-Pol (bombed June 16, 1944)

For serving the ten launch sites planned for Normandy, a depot was constructed at Beauvais. It was bombed June 14, 15 & 16 1944

A depot to serve Cherbourg launches was near Valognes. By February/March 1944, a plan for three new underground V-1 storage sites was put into effect. The Nucourt limestone cave complex between Pontoise and Gisors was bombed on June 22, 1944 with 298 V-1s buried or severely damaged. One in the Rilly-la-Montagne railway tunnel was attacked by the British with the Tallboy earthquake bombs on July 31 collapsing both ends of the tunnel. The Saint-Leu-d'Esserent mushroom caves was the largest of the underground V-1 sites. It was attacked by No. 617 Squadron RAFwith Tallboys on 4 July.

A larger "Heavy Crossbow" bunker was built at Siracourt, between Calais and the river Somme, as a V-1 storage depot.

RAF records refer to flying-bomb stores at Bois de Cassan (bombed August 2–4, 1944), Forêt de Nieppe (bombed July 24,25, 31, August 3,4, 5,6, 1944] and Trossy St. Maximin (bombed August 3–4, 1944)


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