V1s assembled at Saint-Leu-d'Esserent

It is Saint-Leu-d'Esserent that we find a a career with a rich history !

A career consolidated by the French

In 1939 and 1940, faced with the threat of German bombardmentBrissoneau & Lotz, a metalworking company, is relocating part of its aircraft fuselage production to a new site. is carrying out major concreting work in the galleriesand the installation of heating and ventilation.

The installation of canteens and dormitories enable almost 1,100 workers to work within these galleries...

Until the arrival of the occupying troops in June 1940which interrupt this underground production.

A career requisitioned by the Germans

It was then that the quarry of the town of Saint-Leu d'Esserent was requisitioned by the Germans with the aim of setting up a "military base". V1 mounting base : a flying bomb and the first cruise missile in aviation history.

The assembly plants on the ground were destroyed, the use of quarries proved a powerful asset in evading Allied bombing raids. In order to protect the site, the Germans had positioned a DCA gun chain (air defence) extending into the Chantilly forest.

The V1 pieces arrived at the Petit Thérain marshalling yard. The launch pads were located near Dieppe and in the Pas-de-Calais.

Remains

You can still see concrete cubes that supported the access ramps to the quarryThe quarry is located in a private meadow on the outskirts of Thiverny in the direction of Saint-Leu-d'Esserent. The quarry is no longer accessible for safety reasons.