September 1944: Captured by Allies May 1997: Reopened as a museum
Garrison information
Garrison
Abteilungen (English: firing detachment) comprising one technical and two operational batteries
La Coupole (English: The Dome), also known as the Coupole d'Helfaut-Wizernes and originally codenamed Bauvorhaben 21 ('Building Project 21') or Schotterwerk Nordwest (Northwest Gravel Works),[3] is a Second World War bunker complex in the Pas-de-Calais department of northern France, about 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) from Saint-Omer, and some 14.4 kilometers (8.9 miles) south-southeast from the less developed Blockhaus d'Éperlecques V-2 launch installation in the same area. It was built by the forces of Nazi Germany between 1943 and 1944 to serve as a launch base for V-2 rockets directed against London and southern England and is the earliest known precursor to modern underground missile silos still in existence.
Constructed in the side of a disused chalk quarry, the most prominent feature of the complex is an immense concrete dome, to which its modern name refers. It was built above a network of tunnels housing storage areas, launch facilities and crew quarters. The facility was designed to store a large stockpile of V-2s, warheads and fuel and was intended to launch V-2s on an industrial scale. Dozens of missiles a day were to be fuelled, prepared and launched in rapid sequence against London and southern England.[4]
Following repeated heavy bombing by Allied forces during Operation Crossbow, the Germans were unable to complete the construction works and the complex never entered service. It was captured by the Allies in September 1944, partially demolished on the orders of Winston Churchill to prevent its reuse as a military base, and then abandoned. It remained derelict until the mid-1990s. In 1997 it opened to the public for the first time, as a museum. Exhibits in the tunnels and under the dome tell the story of the German occupation of France during World War II, the V-weapons and the history of space exploration.
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^"History and Remembrance Centre, La Coupole". Retrieved 24 May 2007.
LaCoupole (English: The Dome), also known as the Coupole d'Helfaut-Wizernes and originally codenamed Bauvorhaben 21 ('Building Project 21') or Schotterwerk...
Henri Palacci, son of Menahem, son of Aaron (Henri) Palacci, founded "LaCoupole" store in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo (then Leopoldville...
minimum civilian casualties. It was used to disable the V2 launch sites at LaCoupole and Blockhaus d'Éperlecques, put out of action the V-3 cannon sites at...
erector launchers, railcars, ballistic missile submarines or airplanes. The LaCoupole facility is the earliest known precursor to modern underground missile...
de tourisme Paris". Archived from the original on 15 December 2016. "Lacoupole des Galeries Lafayette fête ses 100 ans". 14 October 2012. "How to Attend...
the Seine. Because of its location in the triangle of "literary" cafés (LaCoupole, Rotonda and the Cafe du Dome) in Montparnasse, was popular with literary...
conservation organisation acquired the Fortress of Mimoyecques in 2010, and LaCoupole, a museum near Saint-Omer housing a former V-2 rocket base, took over...
of Seine. Because of its location in the triangle of "literary" cafés (LaCoupole, Rotonda and the Cafe du Dome in Montparnasse, it was popular with literary...
Lacoupole du Mihrab". islamickairouan.net. January 27, 2022. Archived from the original on July 30, 2013. Georges Marçais, Coupole et plafonds de la...
Bunker, the V-weapon installations in Germany (Mittelwerk) & France (LaCoupole, and the Blockhaus d'Éperlecques) and the Cold War installations in the...
Paris (Montmartre – Square Louise-Michel) Paris (Port de la Tournelle or LaCoupole) Paris (Pont Alexandre III) Paris (Place Charles de Gaulle) Episode summary...
took place in October 1990 in Algiers, Algeria. The competition, held at LaCoupole, concluded on October 26, 1990, and marked the establishment of the African...
Arab Observer. 15 March 2023. "Jeux sportifs arabes-2023: Installation de la commission d'organisation des épreuves d'Oran". Horizons (in French). 4 April...
just before the drone crashed in a wood at Sudbourne and was killed. LaCoupole, Wizernes Blockhaus d'Éperlecques, Watten 4 August 1944 2 B-17s Mission...
Jean-François (2013). Sur les traces de Filippo Brunelleschi, l'invention de lacoupole de Santa Maria del Fiore à Florence. Suresnes: Les Editions du Net....
At the 2023 Arab Games, the wrestling events were held at LaCoupole Arena in Algiers, Algeria from 9 to 11 July. A total of 20 events were contested....
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