Zonnebeke just down the road from Paschendale A couple of years ago they uncovered a deep bunker under the church which was flooded. They pumped it out and then you could book a ticket to go down at the end of the year they closed it and let it flood again. It has been recreated in the Museum along with trenches. Another good place to visit is Vimy Ridge and the tunnels . The land there has been given to Canada so technically you are in Canada when visiting
I lived about a mile up-line of RAF Hendon for a few years. Interesting to see the V1 and the V2, though despite ol' Werner continuing his work and evolving the Saturn V, I found the Doodlebug more astonishing of the two. (I was born in Chiswick. Thankfully Winston's misinformation ploy worked. The rocket landed short by about 15 years!) If there was an 'apologies' emoji I'd use it for that one.
Just got back from a trip of WW1 sites Adam, memorable and thought provoking, I am sure the Ww2 sites will be the same. The enormity of the action is quite hard to get your head around, well worth doing.we did Vimy ridge,there are still areas fences off due to unexploded munitions. We based ourselves at Peronne in the heart of the Somme action.
Thiepval is also a must visit. Also Omaha beach memorial is just mind blowing. All those graves from just a few days fighting. Bastogne is another I have been too. Very impressive structure..
I think its impossible to understand how bad WW1 must have been until you ride through the battlefield areas in Belgium and France .. To see so many immaculately kept graves every mile or so just brings home the amount of death and destruction that happened in that time.
I take it you know the first ever V2 rocket strike landed in Chiswick. The V2 was the world's first ballistic missile, the government covered it up by saying it was a gas leak. The 13 tonne rocket impacted at over 3000 miles per hour. No warning; the missile descended faster than the speed of sound and survivors only heard the approach and sonic booms after the blast. Over 1400 of them were launched at Britain. Boom!
A WW1 site, but Verdun is also an interesting place to visit. A group of members of this forum went there during the Ardennes trip in early 2019. Huge cemetery and memorial. The battlefield has been left to nature but trenches and craters can be plainly seen. The main Fort is impressive for it size and resistance, in the main, to the destruction rained down on it by artillery fire.
You mention unexploded munitions. There are about 5 tunnelled mines that failed to go up. And no one knows exactly where they are. Bear in mind these could be heard going up as far away as London. Much to the consternation of local farmers, one went up in 1958 during a thunderstorm
I remember doing a tour of Belgium and seeing all the munitions lined up at the side of the road by the farmers that they’ve dug up accidentally. amazing isn’t it haha
The Belgian army have a team that just tour the farms collecting munitions. The farmers plough the fields and rake up stuff which they pile up until the army calls and collects
I had heard that when we were there,also understand the farmers have a larger than normal connection between tractor and plough…….just in case ,
