Timeline

Heritage classified

Origin and history

The launch base of Brix V1, located at the edge of the driveway leading to Pannelier Castle, was an integral part of the Atlantic Wall, a German defensive system built during the Second World War. It was equipped with a launch ramp of the ski-site type, oriented towards the English port of Bristol, as well as additional infrastructure: an amagnetic building, shelters for reagents, fuel and explosives, assembly workshops, water tanks and storage galleries for V1. Concrete tracks linked all the works, illustrating the logistical scope of this military site.

The remains of this base, including land plates and archaeological remains, were fully protected by a registration order in October 2024. The site extends over several cadastral parcels near the so-called Château du Panellier, and its property is shared between the department and private owners. The elements preserved testify to German construction techniques and military strategies during the occupation, while providing an overview of the infrastructure dedicated to V1 weapons, these flying bombs used to bomb the United Kingdom.

The location of the base in Brix in the Channel, Normandy, reflects its strategic role in Nazi coastal defence. The site, now classified as a Historical Monument, allows us to study the impact of the war on French territory, as well as the physical traces left by military occupations. The photographs available, such as those of the American Army under Creative Commons license, document the state of the art and their integration into the local landscape.

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