WWII Roadtrip in europe

[McBeck]

Im going on a roadtrip with 2 friends next year and we are planning it now.

I could use some help in locating important stuff not to miss.

So far we have this on our map:

Submarine in Kiel
Omaha Beach
Caen
Saite-Mere-Eglise

What im looking for is a submarine pen in northen europe.
I cant see that theres anything left in Willhelmshaven and La Rochelle is too far south.

Im also looking for any other important things to see ;)

Please give precise reference, so I can find it in google maps

Little help please :)

[Thomen]

Im going on a roadtrip with 2 friends next year and we are planning it now.

I could use some help in locating important stuff not to miss.

So far we have this on our map:

Submarine in Kiel
Omaha Beach
Caen
Saite-Mere-Eglise

What im looking for is a submarine pen in northen europe.
I cant see that theres anything left in Willhelmshaven and La Rochelle is too far south.

Im also looking for any other important things to see ;)

Please give precise reference, so I can find it in google maps

Little help please :)

The Pen in Bergen, Norway is still there, but it is used by a private company now. So you may want to check before showing up there. The pens near Hamburg (Bunker Elbe 2, with a couple of XXI in side) are as far as I know still sealed.

EDIT: What about the U2540, Type XXI in Bremerhaven? Last I heard it was closed for some time.

[nikimcbee]

Sounds fun:salute:. How much do you think your trip will cost?

[Gargamel]

Presently, the former U-boat base of Keroman is open to the public, and it can be visited year-round. During the tours, the submarine pens of block K3 can be seen. Its roof (3.40 to 7.0 metres (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metre) (11.15 to 22.97 ft (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foot_%28length%29)) of steel-reinforced concrete (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concrete)) can be visited, as well as a former anti-aircraft tower on top of the U-boat base. The tower affords an excellent view of the harbor (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harbor) and of the former headquarters of the Grossadmiral (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grossadmiral) Karl Dönitz (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_D%C3%B6nitz) of the Kriegsmarine (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kriegsmarine) (Nazi German navy) across the bay at Larmor-Plage (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larmor-Plage)..From wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lorient

Don't know if that's too far out of the way, but If your visiting Normandy, I can't imagine Lorient being out of the way for you.

http://www.uboat.net/flotillas/photos/lorient_keroman_today.jpg
http://www.vanderweel.info/atlantikwall/pictures/lorient_ubb_2.jpg

[McBeck]

We are driving down from Denmark, through germany to france.

No uboat pens on the way?
The drive from Omaha beach to the uboat pens in La Rochelle etc takes app 5 hrs (And im the only guy in the group who is a BIG fan of subs, so its a strech to ask them for a full day to see that)

[TarJak]

I'd have to put Bastogne and Arnhem on my list. I believe there are several sites around these two towns which still show evidence of the battles in the surrounding areas.

Hurtgen Forest in Germany would be worth a look too.

[Tchocky]

Arnhem is well worth it, as is Bastogne although it's been 10 years or so since I visited.

[papa_smurf]

Another one would be Pegasus Bridge, and Arhnem would be one not to miss.

[Penguin]

Well, there's some stuff to see when you head through northern Germany.

Hamburg: doesn't look good. The bunker Elbe 2 which Thomen mentioned is still planned to be demolished - despite the wrecks of the XXI's inside :wah:.
I don't have much information on it, when I was in Hamburg, the Hamburgers said it's not possible to visit it. If you can read some german, here's some infos on it and other bunkers (from 2008): http://www.geschichtsspuren.de/artikel/42/168-u-boot-bunker-hamburg.html

Bremerhaven: U2540 is definitely worth a visit, as it is the only type XXI to visit. Afiak it is still open to the public. The Wilhelm Bauer is part of a marine exhibition of the technikmuseum, so if you and your friends are interested in marine history it is worth a visit. Here's a link in german - the english page has little content: http://www.dsm.museum/

Bremen: You want to see a sub pen? You're lucky! There is the bunker Valentin in which XXI's were being built. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valentin_submarine_pens
The bunker is used by the Bundeswehr at the moment, so public access is limited. However the good news is that they leaves the pen by the end of the year and it will be turned into a memorial site. Here are some pics of the exhibition: http://www.bunkervalentin.de/denkort/fotorundgang/
I can't tell you if the memorial site will be hosted by the city, but at the moment there is a society which cares about the pen and the labour camps. They also provide guided tours, so they will probably be the best guys to contact about the pen, here's the link: http://www.geschichtslehrpfad.de/kontakt.htm

Emden: Nothing to see here, all pens were demolished after the war. The Nordseewerke however have a good archive about the pens but are very anal about giving infos to the public or even historians - guess it has to do with the forced labourers they used...

[Schroeder]

The pens near Hamburg (Bunker Elbe 2, with a couple of XXI in side) are as far as I know still sealed.


I'm not sure, but I believe those bunkers have been removed a few years ago.

[TarJak]

Normandy has a number of sites worth a visit, Pegasus Bridge is a must do. St Lo, Carentan, Pointe du Hoc, Falaise, Merville, This tour might give a good overview if your time is short. http://www.ddayhistorian.com/

You should also check out some of the Bulge battlefields like StVith, Spa, Malmedy and Elsenborn. There is also a December 1944 Museum in La Glieze that has a King Tiger on display amongst other interesting exhibits. http://www.december44.com/anglais/index.html

[DarkFish]

I'd have to put Bastogne and Arnhem on my list.Aye Arnhem is worth a visit. There are not many sites around here that directly show evidence of the battle (then again, only few places do), but there's a great museum at the old British headquarters in Oosterbeek (just west of Arnhem).
There's also a small but good museum (coordinates 52.03'40N, 5.53'51E) at the east side of the old Deelen Airbase (used to be an important German airbase in WW2, especially for Night Fighters). Lots of info here about the airbase, Night Fighting techniques, the so-called Y-Peilungsgerät locating system, and the huge command bunker of 3. Jagddivision which is also close by, but unfortunately cannot be visited.

Also, not so much WW2, but if you're interested in general history, how the people used to live etc., the Nederlands Openluchtmuseum (Dutch Open Air Museum) in Arnhem is recommendable:
http://www.holland.com/uk/system/Images/tr_Arnhem_Nederlands_Openlucht_Museum_VHK_P_560X35 0_tcm503-138139.jpg
They've beautifully recreated the life of Dutchmen about a century ago. Including many original (relocated) farms, houses, bakeries, windmills etc. from all over the country (placed according to where they originate from). If you want to see the touristic highlights of several places all around the Netherlands, and don't want to travel too far, this is the place to go.

[Oberon]

Go to agree with Tarjak, Pegasus bridge is definitely worth a look, the original bridge might not be across the river anymore but it's preserved in a nice looking museum nearby:

http://battlefieldsww2.50megs.com/airborne_museum_pegasus_bridge.htm

There's also Dunkirk, and Verdun and the Somme, although they're not World War Two but as we approach the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of World War One, I'd say they'd be worth a look on the way, be sure to visit Messines as well and locate one of the water filled craters left behind by the detonation of the mines before the offensive.

Hope it all goes well, it's a trip I'd like to make myself one day.

[Dowly]

You could make a "slight" detour and visit the Type IIA "Vesikko" in Helsinki Finland. :O:
http://www.vesikko.fi/vesikkofi/

Then you could go south to Estonia, find Antikristuseke, get drunk, photoshop your faces into google image photos and tell all your friends you were touring Europe for few weeks when in reality you were drunk in Estonia the whole time.

[ajrimmer42]

The Pen in Bergen, Norway is still there, but it is used by a private company now. So you may want to check before showing up there. The pens near Hamburg (Bunker Elbe 2, with a couple of XXI in side) are as far as I know still sealed.


wow, never knew anything about that place, fascinating, right up my street lol, dereliction, abandonment and uboats!

[AVGWarhawk]

http://www.rudyfoto.com/hol/birkenauthennowcover.jpg

A visit to a concentration camp might be in order for you. My parents visited two and came out much different persons when they exited the camps. My folks were kids in WW2 but had older brothers in the war. The war was very real to them and visiting the camps made my mom understand why her brother fought and died over Kiel Germany.

[Sailor Steve]

I cant see that theres anything left in Willhelmshaven...
That's because there never were any pens at Wilhelmshaven. :D

[Penguin]

Oh, I forgot about Wilhemshaven, they have a Seehund there at the navy museum and also a type 205. http://www.marinemuseum.de/ However they hate foreigners, as the page is only in german :03: (You'll find the way description in the lower right corner, under "Anfahrt")

That's because there never were any pens at Wilhelmshaven. :D

True that! Actually the big sections for the Wilhelmshaven u-boats were bulit in the Hamburg pens.

[McBeck]

Thanks guys!

Lots of great information :)

[Betonov]

Yugoslav partisan resistance movement is a must if you're going anywhere near Slovenia, but as all guerilla's there's not much to see. A statue here a commemorative plaque there (about two per street).
Bolnica Franja (Franja hospital), a field hospital used by the partisans
http://shrani.si/files/poglednafr11ye6.png
Completely rebuilt after it was destroyed by severe flooding 3 years ago

and old german bunkers still scatered around the countryside

[PhantomLord]

First:
If you already are in germany there´s another bunker you should visit:

Bunker "Valentin" - Bremen / Farge (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valentin_submarine_pens)

A planned dockyard for the final assembly of type XXI sections. This is pure concreted megalomania...
Dont know if they do the tour in english too. And you´ve to hand out your passport for the time in there. This is still german army territory (material depot 2) :D They will leave within the next time.

Hope this bunker will survive. Funding of security and maintenance is not secured now...

Second:
Technikmuseum Sinsheim and Speyer - a huge and well preserved collection of (not only) WWII tanks, planes and much more.

Fint it Here - Speyer (http://sinsheim.technik-museum.de/node/1327) and Here - Sinsheim (http://sinsheim.technik-museum.de/en)

[momo55]

http://www.warmuseums.nl/gal/058gal.htm
(click " see map " to find other intresting locations in Belgium)

"Domein Raversijde" is located between Oostende and Middelkerke

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9vVN_AGZhw&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKhrPG3jwnw&NR=1

And in Zeebrugge you can visit a russian foxtrot submarine :
http://seafront.be/foxtrot.asp

:03:

[McBeck]

Lots of good stuff :D

[McBeck]

That's because there never were any pens at Wilhelmshaven. :DDOH!

[sharkbit]

Oradour sur Glane near Limoges, France.
Remains of a village where the inhabitants were massacred by units of the 2nd SS Panzer Division in June 1944.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oradour_sur_glane

As others have said, a visit to a concentration camp is worth it. They can be a sobering experience.

:)

[PhantomLord]

Peenemünde!

The biggest factory and research facility for special weapons like the V1 and V2.
The museum inside the old coal power plant is huge. The exhibiton guides you through the ages from WWII, first space craft´s like the russian "Sputnik" till now. Outside are some aircrafts, helo´s, rockets, a missile speedboat "Tarantul" and a soviet SSG Juliett-class....

You really need a whole day there :D

Peenemünde military test site (http://www.peenemuende.de/index.php?id=40&L=1)

[Red Heat]

Hello

I thing personaly that trip its a outstanding idea...but there is a lot to see in your voyage. And another place witch have a Historical interest and miltary interest ist Gibraltar!

I have ben there a few years a go...and i love it, and i hope one day be able to return there but with more more time avaiable...

The military history of Gibraltar during World War II:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_history_of_Gibraltar_during_World_War_II

The history of Gibraltar:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Gibraltar

And Gibraltar today:

http://www.gibnet.com/tourist/index.htm

http://www.gibraltar.gov.uk/main.php

Enjoy :up:

[Red Heat]

There is another place witch i visit some years a go witch is located in the British channel islands, Jersey Island and its about the Hohlgangsanlage 8. its about a German Undergound Hospital build by the German forces when they captured the channel islands.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hohlgangsanlage_8

And some pictures:

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Hohlgangsanlage_8

Enjoy! :DL

[Torvald Von Mansee]

Have you considered checking out WW1 sites?

Well, there is probably something to see from just about every era for where you're traveling,

[saltysplash]

Theres also the Atlantic Wall museum in Oostende Belgium and i think again at Cap Gris Nez

[DarkFish]

Theres also the Atlantic Wall museum in Oostende Belgium and i think again at Cap Gris NezAye, the museum in Oostende is the one momo55 mentioned:
"Domein Raversijde" is located between Oostende and Middelkerke

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9vVN_AGZhw&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKhrPG3jwnw&NR=1It's one of few places where the Atlantikwall is still largely intact. See these dunes?
http://cultuur.oostende.be/file_uploads/Cache/size_907_450_29030.jpg
They're largely concrete.
There are also coastal defences from WW1 left here.

The museum near Cap Gris Nez is the old Batterie Todt. I visited it when I was about 8 years old, so I can't remember a lot of it, but I do still know I liked it:DL
http://chrishowells.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/bundesarchiv_bild_146-1973-036-05_cap_gris_nez_batterie_todt.thumbnail.jpg

[McBeck]

The Museum Peenemünde is a very good idea!

I could not see if one would be able to see the actual test site for the rocket development - only the powerplan seems to be there.

[PhantomLord]

The Museum Peenemünde is a very good idea!

I could not see if one would be able to see the actual test site for the rocket development - only the powerplan seems to be there.

AFAIK you can have a guided tour to some old test sites and rocket ramps. They are mostly destroyed or in a ruinous condition. The ramps are all sprayed over the place. You can find some by just walking around (and check GoogleMaps before :D ).
A "secret" hint from me: take the tour by bicycle from Karlshagen to Peenemünde. Along the old railway track are some interesting reads (ramps for building material, coal, stuff). The places are well hidden :nope: There´s not much promotion for our history... i stumbled over some of these places by pure luck.

Link to the Peenemünde area: via GoogleMaps (http://maps.google.de/maps?q=54.151105,13.788671&num=1&t=h&sll=52.31432,13.78391&sspn=0.006295,0.006295&ie=UTF8&ll=54.142529,13.808613&spn=0.071896,0.174923&z=13)

You can see some of the old round test sites in the woods.
Good hunting out there :DL

[Leandros]

We are driving down from Denmark, through germany to france.
Then you won't pass too far away from Eben Emael at the Belgian/Dutch/German border by the Albert Canal. The fortress is still there hidden on a tree-grown hill 40 meters above the Albert Canal. The entrance is from the West through the small village of Eben Emael. This fortress was the scene of one of the most spectacular operations of WW2 on May10th 1940.

Going south from there you can go through Bastogne (heard about it?) in southern Belgium (you could take a western detour to Waterloo). There is a large US star-shaped memorial there with a small museum close by and in the city of Bastogne itself there is also a museum. The main plaza is called McAuliffe after the "Nuts" general. In the center - a Sherman tank!

Having entered France you are not far from the northern part of the Maginot Line. From there, Paris (Disneyland, of course....:haha:...) and Normandy.

Furthermore, if you go from Copenhagen you might want to take the ferry from Rødbyhavn in Denmark to Puttgarten in Germany. Kiel, the main base of the Kriegsmarine, is just west of Puttgarten. I'd be surprised if you don't find something of interest there.




http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o129/Leandros10/Forums/84309b6d.jpg



http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o129/Leandros10/Forums/b365b366.jpg

[PhantomLord]

Dont forget Bletchley Park Museum (http://www.bletchleypark.org.uk/)
I think it´s a must-have for every u-boat fan.

Imperial War Museum Duxford, UK (http://duxford.iwm.org.uk/server/show/nav.00d)

Kent, Battle of Britain museum (http://www.kbobm.org/), former RAF airbase Hawkinge (south england, near Folkestone)
Maybe a nice detour if you want to travel through the channel via train. Oh... wait... STAY OUT OF THE CHANNEL! :D


wow... this thread is an impressive tourist guide through europe. One will need a lot of time and money to visit all the places :hmmm:

[Jimbuna]

I don't know if your planning on crossing the channel but seeing as how you have a whole raft of suggestions I'll recommend two (in case you are crossing the channel).

Bovington Tank Museum

http://www.tankmuseum.org/

Gosport Naval Museum (it is submarine related though)

http://www.submarine-museum.co.uk/