La Coupole

About

The cupola of Helfaut-Wizernes, or cupola of Helfaut, is a bunker of the Second World War, now a centre of history and memory, located in the commune of Helfaut, near Saint-Omer (département of Pas-de-Calais). By code names Bauvorhaben 21 and Schotterwerk Nordwest, it was built by Nazi Germany between 1943 and 1944 to serve as a launch base for V2 rockets targeting London and southern England. The most important structure of this complex, built in an old chalk quarry, is a huge concrete dome from which came its modern name.

This dome was built over a network of tunnels, warehouses, launch facilities and barracks. The complex was designed to house a large arsenal of rockets, fuel and ammunition and was designed to launch V2s at an industrial rate. It was expected that dozens of missiles would be fired daily against southern England.

Nevertheless, the intense allied bombardment under Operation Crossbow prevented the Germans from completing the work and the complex never entered service. He was seized by the Allies in September 1944, partially...