Hi Res V Weapons Sites (Noball)

[blythsco]

I have started a new set for V Weapons sites aerial photos. They were taken by pilots of the 7th PRG stationed at Mt Farm, UK flying Spitfire MK XIs and F-5s (P-38 variant).

http://www.flickr.com/photos/2455401...7610565917649/

[edwest]

Do you know the significance of the letters Q and P ? Otherwise, these images are quite remarkable. Were the Germans aware of the overflights? It seems that some type of camouflage netting would have been used when the sites were not in operation.


Thank you,
Ed

[blythsco]

Hello Ed

The letters P and Q definitely had significance. One was for the launch ramp I am pretty sure. There are books out there which cover this topic of which I am unfortunately not very much in the know. The Germans were aware of the overflights however the targets were very well hidden by trees and innocent looking buildings that they were very hard to find. My Father states that they were among the hardest to find of any photo recce targets.

Regards
Scott

PS: Try googling "Spitfire 944"

[edwest]

Thank you Scott.



Ed

[Kutscha]

Ed, there was a TV program on just recently, King and Country iirc, that showed the original hard shelters that the V-1 used. The item mark 'Q' looks like the curved assembly building (camouflaged). One end of 'Q' is at one end of 'P', so would hazzard a guess and say 'P' is the launch ramp.

http://www.bunkerpictures.nl/datashe...on-cappel.html

The pic on the left is the launch ramp.

http://atlanticwallbelgiumboulogne.1...siracourt.html

[jvmasset]

Hello Scott!

For your information, the picture "near Frévent" shows the Bonnières-Beauvoir "Versorgungstelle nr 1003" (advanced V1 depot).
Not visible just over the top of the picture is located the V1 launching site ("Bois Carré" type, Nr 654) of Beauvoir. The rather "clean" taxiway one can see (when not bomb-obliterated) in the lower half of the photo is the NW part of the peripheral taxiway of the Beauvoir airfield (origin BEF, closely followed by lengthy German tenure). The airfield had a concrete runway located just below the photo frame...
Needless to say the airfield was one of the most damaged ever, considering its close proximity to no less than two heavy Noball targets!
The very visible runway often served as a good clue to the US and RAF crew coming to bomb Beauvoir Bonnières (and this happened many times!)...
Today most of the two Noball sites installations are still visible; next to nothing is left of the airfield.
The intensity of the successive bombings is still noticeable on aerial photos as well as on the ground, 60 years later...

I am trying to identify the unknown Noball target, but short of testing the 96 possibilities one by one, it will be hard...

Amically,

JV

[blythsco]

Thanks JV

I changed the photo description accordingly to reflect Beauvoir Airfield and V-1 site. I have several other photos like this where there is significant bomb damage. I will scan a few of them and add them to this set.

Thanks Again
Scott

[jvmasset]

Hello Scott!

I still was not able to identify the unknown Noball site (photo N° 7)...any info you could get would help...

The photo N° 10 shows the Noball site "Mimoyecques" a.k.a. V3 Vergelstung Waffen (projekt "Hochdruckpumpe"). The pen mark delineates the enormous concrete slab with the 3 openings across which for each one a multiple propelling charges cannon would have been firing.
The concrete slab is still there to this day...and there is a museum in the main subterranean gallery of this enormous installation.

The photo N° 12 shows a V1 launching heavy base, but the english photointerpreter mistook the name of the wood: this is indeed the Bois de Radinghem. The Bois de Coupelle has disappeared long ago...Some concrete left, this base was almost obliterated and very much hidden by dense vegetation.

In the ETO set, The photo N° 18 shows the Noball site "Wizernes", actually the area just West of the V2 site (it just beyond the right edge of the photo!). Some "Tallboy" bomb craters are visible (also on "Mimoyecques"photo: the central slab is damaged by one such bomb, and another just missed it by few meters).

Cordially,

JV

[blythsco]

Thanks Again JV!

I will change the descriptions accordingly as time permits. I have also posted a few more V Weapons site photos including two which are unidentified.

Regards
Scott

[jvmasset]

Hello Scott!

Photo Nr 15 also shows Wizernes area, but this time the northern part. The small marshalling yard (fully visible on the photo Nr 13) is here visible for a small part in the top left corner. The V2 base is invisible, just to the left center of the photo frame .
Finally the photo Nr 14 still shows Wizernes area but this time the southern part, with Helfaut village at the bottom of the picture. The V2 base is invisible, just to the right top of the photo frame...

I am sure one of your photos must show the V2 base...

Cordially,

JV