Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The light launch base of Saussemesnil V1, located between the Château de Rochemont and the Hermitage, was built in 1944 by the Todt Organisation. Unlike the heavy installations quickly spotted and bombed by the Allies, this "light" site consists of discrete structures: a garage, storage niches, a concrete base (amagnetic building), pads for the launch ramp, a fire station, water tanks and concrete tracks. These infrastructures allowed the delivery and firing of the V1 "flying bombs", weapons used by Nazi Germany during the Second World War.

This site is remarkable because it retains all of its original 8 elements, including an exemplary magnetic platform. The concrete tracks follow in part an ancient route, reused for military purposes. In the Luftwaffe organisation, this base was numbered 140. It illustrates the German strategy of dispersing launch sites to escape allied strikes, while maintaining operational capability.

Classified as a Historical Monument by order of 22 October 2024, the base includes the entire works, as well as the associated land plates and archaeological remains, spread over several cadastral plots (Le Clos de Beauvac, Beauvac, Ferme de Rochemont). Some elements, such as storage shelters, are in the public domain. The property is shared between the department and private owners, without information available on its accessibility to the public.

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