Valentin submarine pens
Encyclopedia
The Valentin submarine pens are a protective shelter built to construct German U-boat
s during World War II
at Farge
, a small port on the Weser River
in Bremen
. The pens were under construction from 1943 to March 1945 using forced labour, but were damaged by air-raids and unfinished by the end of the war. The Valentin U-boat pens were the largest fortified pens in Germany, and were second only to those built at Brest
in France.
s by German shipyards had been dramatically reduced by bombing by the Royal Air Force
and the United States Army Air Forces
. So a bomb-proof production site was planned, under the codename Valentin, to be built at the port of Farge. It was intended the facility would be used for the final assembly of Type XXI submarines
.
The bunker is around 426 metres (1,398 ft) long and 97 metres (318 ft) wide at the widest point; the walls are 4.5 metres (14.8 ft) thick. The height of the structure is between 22.5 and 27 m (73.8 and 88.6 ft). The roof was constructed using dozens of large, reinforced concrete arches, manufactured on-site and individually lifted into place. Most of the roof is around 4.5 metres (15 ft) thick but part of it is 7 metres (23 ft) thick as the Germans began adding to its thickness before the bunker was even completed. Construction required 650000 cubic yards (496,960.7 m³) of concrete.
After completion, the bunker would have a work–force of around 4,500 slave workers. Each U-boat would be assembled from eight, large, pre-fabricated sections that were manufactured elsewhere. The bunker was to house 13 assembly bays, each carrying out one part of the assembly process, two bays were underneath box-like structures on the roof that allowed the extra height needed for the installation of periscopes and Submarine snorkel
s. The final bay housed an 8 metres (26 ft) deep pool of water. It was fitted with large, water-tight doors like a water lock
; with the doors closed, the entire bay could be flooded to leak–test completed U-boats. A large door in the west wall opened onto the Weser river; through this, sections of submarine would be delivered by barge, and completed submarines would leave.
It was intended that Valentin would commence production in late 1944, but this was postponed to mid-1945. However, if Valentin had been commissioned it is likely production would have been limited unless severe quality control problems with the prefabricated sections could have been solved (Albert Speer
had directed the sections should be made by inland companies with little experience in shipbuilding). The Type XXI submarines assembled in other shipyards required lengthy re-working to fix flaws in the sections; out of the 118 boats completed, only four were rated fit for combat before the war ended in Europe.
The design, and oversight of the Valentin's construction, was carried out by Organisation Todt
. Marineoberbaurat Edo Meiners was in charge overall; the on-site supervising engineer was
Erich Lackner
. He had a lengthy post-war career, becoming one of Germany's most important civil engineers.
Most of the 10,000-12,000 who built Valentin were slave workers, some housed in the nearby Bremen-Farge concentration camp, a satellite camp of the Neuengamme concentration camp complex. The camp was sited at a large naval fuel oil storage facility; some prisoners were accommodated in an empty underground fuel tank.
The camp was initially run by the SS
, but the expansion of the camp network in the area led to a shortage of personnel. By the summer of 1944, the camp was commanded by an army captain, Ulrich Wahl, and the prisoners were guarded by a detachment of naval infantry. Only a handful of SS men remained involved in the running of the camp.
The prisoners included German criminals and political prisoners,These were befristete Vorbeugungshäftlinge ("temporary preventive custody prisoners"); some were prisoner functionaries. The "Camp Elder" was Erich Meissner, a German political prisoner (described by another ex–prisoner as a brutal alcoholic) who became mayor of Leipzig
post–war. See Neuengamme / Bremen-Farge,United States Holocaust Memorial Museum., non–German civilian workers (Fremdarbeiter) as well as Russian, Polish, French and Greek prisoners of war.
Work on the bunker took place around the clock, with workers forced to work 12-hour shifts. This resulted in a high death rate amongst prisoners. However, only the deaths of 553 French prisoners have been confirmed. The total number of deaths may be as high as 6000 as the names of the Polish and Russian dead were not recorded.
By March 1945, the facility was 90% completed and the some machine tools had been installed. Production of U-boats was due to begin within two months.
The pens were attacked by the RAF the 27 March 1945. The attacking force consisted of 20 Avro Lancaster
heavy bombers of 617 Squadron
which had after the "Dambusters" raid developed precision bombing methods. Simultaneously, a force of 115 Lancasters bombed the nearby fuel oil storage depot. The bombers were escorted by 90 RAF P-51 Mustang
fighters of 11 Group
The Lancasters attacking Valentin each carried a single, large earthquake bomb - seven carried a 6-ton Tallboy bomb, and thirteen carried a 10-ton Grand Slam bomb. Two Grand Slams hit the target and penetrated about half-way through the 15 feet (4.6 m) thick ferrous concrete roof before exploding. The explosions blew large holes in the remaining thickness of the roof and brought down around 1,000 tons of debris into the chamber below. Workers who were inside the bunker at the time survived, as the bombs did not penetrate the roof before exploding. Another bomb caused damage to a nearby electricity plant, workshops and concrete mixing plant.
Fortunately for the British, the two bombs struck and penetrated the 4.5 metres (15 ft) thick west section of the roof. Post–war, American analysis suggested the 7 metres (23 ft) thick, east section would have been able to resist even the Grand Slams, although not without significant damage, and it would likely not have resisted repeated hits.
Three days later, on the 30th of March, the US Eighth Air Force
attacked Valentin with Disney bomb
s. These were large (4500 lb (2,041.2 kg)) bombs with hard steel casings rocket-assisted to increase their penetrating power. Sixty were launched but only one hit the target, causing little damage. However considerable damage was done to installations surrounding the bunker.
The pens were abandoned. Four weeks after the bombing, the area was occupied by the British Army's XXX Corps, which captured Bremen after a five-day battle.
The prisoners held at the Neuengamme concentration camp and its subcamps were evacuated before the arrival of the British. Many were placed on board the SS Cap Arcona, this German ship was heavily-laden with around 5000 concentration–camp prisoners when she was attacked and sunk by the RAF on May 3, 1945; only 350 prisoners survived.
were selected as targets for the testing. Bombs were carried by Avro Lancaster
s from No. 15 Squadron RAF and US Boeing B-29 Superfortress and Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress aircraft operating from RAF Marham
. Around 140 sorties were flown, testing a range of different bombs.
In 1960, the bunker was taken over by the German Navy, for uses as a storage depot. However, high maintenance costs forced the German Defence Ministry to offer it for sale in 2008.
Military use finally came to an end on 31 December 2010. It is intended to develop the bunker as a memorial and a museum.
U-boat
U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word U-Boot , itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot , and refers to military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in World War I and World War II...
s during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
at Farge
Farge
Farge is a small port on the Weser River in the City of Bremen. The bombing of Bremen in World War II attacked Farge targets, including the oil storage and the Valentin submarine pens.-Bremen-Farge concentration camp:...
, a small port on the Weser River
Weser River
The Weser is a river in north-western Germany. Formed at Hann. Münden by the Fulda and Werra, it flows through Lower Saxony, then reaching the historic port city of Bremen before emptying into the North Sea 50 km further north at Bremerhaven, which is also a seaport...
in Bremen
Bremen
The City Municipality of Bremen is a Hanseatic city in northwestern Germany. A commercial and industrial city with a major port on the river Weser, Bremen is part of the Bremen-Oldenburg metropolitan area . Bremen is the second most populous city in North Germany and tenth in Germany.Bremen is...
. The pens were under construction from 1943 to March 1945 using forced labour, but were damaged by air-raids and unfinished by the end of the war. The Valentin U-boat pens were the largest fortified pens in Germany, and were second only to those built at Brest
Brest, France
Brest is a city in the Finistère department in Brittany in northwestern France. Located in a sheltered position not far from the western tip of the Breton peninsula, and the western extremity of metropolitan France, Brest is an important harbour and the second French military port after Toulon...
in France.
Construction
Production of U-boatU-boat
U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word U-Boot , itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot , and refers to military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in World War I and World War II...
s by German shipyards had been dramatically reduced by bombing by the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
and the United States Army Air Forces
United States Army Air Forces
The United States Army Air Forces was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II, and the direct predecessor of the United States Air Force....
. So a bomb-proof production site was planned, under the codename Valentin, to be built at the port of Farge. It was intended the facility would be used for the final assembly of Type XXI submarines
German Type XXI submarine
Type XXI U-boats, also known as "Elektroboote", were the first submarines designed to operate primarily submerged, rather than as surface ships that could submerge as a means to escape detection or launch an attack.-Description:...
.
The bunker is around 426 metres (1,398 ft) long and 97 metres (318 ft) wide at the widest point; the walls are 4.5 metres (14.8 ft) thick. The height of the structure is between 22.5 and 27 m (73.8 and 88.6 ft). The roof was constructed using dozens of large, reinforced concrete arches, manufactured on-site and individually lifted into place. Most of the roof is around 4.5 metres (15 ft) thick but part of it is 7 metres (23 ft) thick as the Germans began adding to its thickness before the bunker was even completed. Construction required 650000 cubic yards (496,960.7 m³) of concrete.
After completion, the bunker would have a work–force of around 4,500 slave workers. Each U-boat would be assembled from eight, large, pre-fabricated sections that were manufactured elsewhere. The bunker was to house 13 assembly bays, each carrying out one part of the assembly process, two bays were underneath box-like structures on the roof that allowed the extra height needed for the installation of periscopes and Submarine snorkel
Submarine snorkel
A submarine snorkel is a device which allows a submarine to operate submerged while still taking in air from above the surface. Navy personnel often refer to it as the snort.-History:...
s. The final bay housed an 8 metres (26 ft) deep pool of water. It was fitted with large, water-tight doors like a water lock
Lock (water transport)
A lock is a device for raising and lowering boats between stretches of water of different levels on river and canal waterways. The distinguishing feature of a lock is a fixed chamber in which the water level can be varied; whereas in a caisson lock, a boat lift, or on a canal inclined plane, it is...
; with the doors closed, the entire bay could be flooded to leak–test completed U-boats. A large door in the west wall opened onto the Weser river; through this, sections of submarine would be delivered by barge, and completed submarines would leave.
It was intended that Valentin would commence production in late 1944, but this was postponed to mid-1945. However, if Valentin had been commissioned it is likely production would have been limited unless severe quality control problems with the prefabricated sections could have been solved (Albert Speer
Albert Speer
Albert Speer, born Berthold Konrad Hermann Albert Speer, was a German architect who was, for a part of World War II, Minister of Armaments and War Production for the Third Reich. Speer was Adolf Hitler's chief architect before assuming ministerial office...
had directed the sections should be made by inland companies with little experience in shipbuilding). The Type XXI submarines assembled in other shipyards required lengthy re-working to fix flaws in the sections; out of the 118 boats completed, only four were rated fit for combat before the war ended in Europe.
The design, and oversight of the Valentin's construction, was carried out by Organisation Todt
Organisation Todt
The Todt Organisation, was a Third Reich civil and military engineering group in Germany named after its founder, Fritz Todt, an engineer and senior Nazi figure...
. Marineoberbaurat Edo Meiners was in charge overall; the on-site supervising engineer was
Erich Lackner
Erich Lackner
Erich Friedrich Michael Lackner is a German civil engineer. He is considered to be one of the most important German engineers of the 20th century.-Professional career:...
. He had a lengthy post-war career, becoming one of Germany's most important civil engineers.
Most of the 10,000-12,000 who built Valentin were slave workers, some housed in the nearby Bremen-Farge concentration camp, a satellite camp of the Neuengamme concentration camp complex. The camp was sited at a large naval fuel oil storage facility; some prisoners were accommodated in an empty underground fuel tank.
The camp was initially run by the SS
Schutzstaffel
The Schutzstaffel |Sig runes]]) was a major paramilitary organization under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party. Built upon the Nazi ideology, the SS under Heinrich Himmler's command was responsible for many of the crimes against humanity during World War II...
, but the expansion of the camp network in the area led to a shortage of personnel. By the summer of 1944, the camp was commanded by an army captain, Ulrich Wahl, and the prisoners were guarded by a detachment of naval infantry. Only a handful of SS men remained involved in the running of the camp.
The prisoners included German criminals and political prisoners,These were befristete Vorbeugungshäftlinge ("temporary preventive custody prisoners"); some were prisoner functionaries. The "Camp Elder" was Erich Meissner, a German political prisoner (described by another ex–prisoner as a brutal alcoholic) who became mayor of Leipzig
Leipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
post–war. See Neuengamme / Bremen-Farge,United States Holocaust Memorial Museum., non–German civilian workers (Fremdarbeiter) as well as Russian, Polish, French and Greek prisoners of war.
Work on the bunker took place around the clock, with workers forced to work 12-hour shifts. This resulted in a high death rate amongst prisoners. However, only the deaths of 553 French prisoners have been confirmed. The total number of deaths may be as high as 6000 as the names of the Polish and Russian dead were not recorded.
By March 1945, the facility was 90% completed and the some machine tools had been installed. Production of U-boats was due to begin within two months.
Bombing
Avro Lancaster
The Avro Lancaster is a British four-engined Second World War heavy bomber made initially by Avro for the Royal Air Force . It first saw active service in 1942, and together with the Handley Page Halifax it was one of the main heavy bombers of the RAF, the RCAF, and squadrons from other...
heavy bombers of 617 Squadron
No. 617 Squadron RAF
No. 617 Squadron is a Royal Air Force aircraft squadron based at RAF Lossiemouth in Scotland. It currently operates the Tornado GR4 in the ground attack and reconnaissance role...
which had after the "Dambusters" raid developed precision bombing methods. Simultaneously, a force of 115 Lancasters bombed the nearby fuel oil storage depot. The bombers were escorted by 90 RAF P-51 Mustang
P-51 Mustang
The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang was an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II, the Korean War and in several other conflicts...
fighters of 11 Group
No. 11 Group RAF
No. 11 Group was a group in the Royal Air Force for various periods in the 20th century, finally disbanding in 1996. Its most famous service was during 1940 when it defended London and the south-east against the attacks of the Luftwaffe during the Battle of Britain.-First World War:No. 11 Group was...
The Lancasters attacking Valentin each carried a single, large earthquake bomb - seven carried a 6-ton Tallboy bomb, and thirteen carried a 10-ton Grand Slam bomb. Two Grand Slams hit the target and penetrated about half-way through the 15 feet (4.6 m) thick ferrous concrete roof before exploding. The explosions blew large holes in the remaining thickness of the roof and brought down around 1,000 tons of debris into the chamber below. Workers who were inside the bunker at the time survived, as the bombs did not penetrate the roof before exploding. Another bomb caused damage to a nearby electricity plant, workshops and concrete mixing plant.
Fortunately for the British, the two bombs struck and penetrated the 4.5 metres (15 ft) thick west section of the roof. Post–war, American analysis suggested the 7 metres (23 ft) thick, east section would have been able to resist even the Grand Slams, although not without significant damage, and it would likely not have resisted repeated hits.
Three days later, on the 30th of March, the US Eighth Air Force
Eighth Air Force
The Eighth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Global Strike Command . It is headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana....
attacked Valentin with Disney bomb
Disney bomb
The Disney Bomb, also known as the Disney Swish, was a rocket-assisted bunker buster bomb developed during the Second World War by the British Royal Navy to penetrate hardened concrete targets, such as submarine pens, that could resist conventional free-fall bombs...
s. These were large (4500 lb (2,041.2 kg)) bombs with hard steel casings rocket-assisted to increase their penetrating power. Sixty were launched but only one hit the target, causing little damage. However considerable damage was done to installations surrounding the bunker.
The pens were abandoned. Four weeks after the bombing, the area was occupied by the British Army's XXX Corps, which captured Bremen after a five-day battle.
The prisoners held at the Neuengamme concentration camp and its subcamps were evacuated before the arrival of the British. Many were placed on board the SS Cap Arcona, this German ship was heavily-laden with around 5000 concentration–camp prisoners when she was attacked and sunk by the RAF on May 3, 1945; only 350 prisoners survived.
Post war
Further bombing of Valentin occurred post-war. Beginning in March 1946, Project Ruby was a joint, Anglo-American project to investigate the use of penetration bombs against heavily protected, concrete targets; the Valentin pens and bunkers on the German island of HeligolandHeligoland
Heligoland is a small German archipelago in the North Sea.Formerly Danish and British possessions, the islands are located in the Heligoland Bight in the south-eastern corner of the North Sea...
were selected as targets for the testing. Bombs were carried by Avro Lancaster
Avro Lancaster
The Avro Lancaster is a British four-engined Second World War heavy bomber made initially by Avro for the Royal Air Force . It first saw active service in 1942, and together with the Handley Page Halifax it was one of the main heavy bombers of the RAF, the RCAF, and squadrons from other...
s from No. 15 Squadron RAF and US Boeing B-29 Superfortress and Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress aircraft operating from RAF Marham
RAF Marham
Royal Air Force Station Marham, more commonly known as RAF Marham, is a Royal Air Force station; a military airbase, near the village of Marham in the English county of Norfolk, East Anglia....
. Around 140 sorties were flown, testing a range of different bombs.
In 1960, the bunker was taken over by the German Navy, for uses as a storage depot. However, high maintenance costs forced the German Defence Ministry to offer it for sale in 2008.
Military use finally came to an end on 31 December 2010. It is intended to develop the bunker as a memorial and a museum.
See also
- Bombing of Bremen in World War IIBombing of Bremen in World War IIThe Bombing of Bremen in World War II by the Royal Air Force and the Eighth Air Force targeted strategic targets in the state of Bremen, which had heavy anti-aircraft artillery but only 35 fighter aircraft in the area. In addition to Wesermünde/Bremerhaven, targets were also in Farge and...
- Forced labour under German rule during World War II
Further reading
- Christel Grube Uboot-Bunker Valentin, Bremen-Farge (German) 28 February 2006
External links
- Denkort Bunker Valentin exhibition
- Valentin pens at www.relikte.com
- Panoramas of WWII Landmarks, QuickTime VRQuickTime VRQuickTime VR is a type of image file format developed by Apple Inc. for QuickTime. It allows the creation and viewing of photographically-captured panoramas and the exploration of objects through images taken at multiple viewing angles...
, panorama view of the interior of Valentin