Saint-Leu-d'Esserent

Saint-Leu-d'Esserent
Commune
Saint-Leu-d'Esserent
Location within Hauts-de-France region
Saint-Leu-d'Esserent
Coordinates: 49°13′05″N 2°25′22″E / 49.2181°N 2.4228°E / 49.2181; 2.4228Coordinates: 49°13′05″N 2°25′22″E / 49.2181°N 2.4228°E / 49.2181; 2.4228
Country France
Region Hauts-de-France
Department Oise
Arrondissement Senlis
Canton Montataire
Intercommunality Pierre-Sud-Oise
Government
 • Mayor (2001–2008) Alain Blanchard
Area1 13.08 km2 (5.05 sq mi)
Population (2012)2 4,667
 • Density 360/km2 (920/sq mi)
Time zone UTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST) UTC+2 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code 60584 /60340
Elevation 25–137 m (82–449 ft)
(avg. 29 m or 95 ft)

1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

2 Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.

Saint-Leu-d'Esserent is a commune in the Oise department in northern France.

Saint Leu is notable for 3,000 square metres (32,000 sq ft) of mushroom caves under the Thiverny plateau.[1]

History

During World War II, the caves were one of three major underground V-1 flying bomb storage depots. In addition to the caves, the facility included blockhouses, bunkers, flak emplacements and railway links. Allied intelligence firmly identified late in June 1944 that Saint-Leu-d'Esserent and Nucourt were V-1 storage depots.[2] On 27 June 1944, Saint-Leu-d'Esserent was initially bombed by the US Army Air Force,[3][4] then on July 4/5 1944 by two RAF forces (the first unsuccessfully used Tallboy bombs in an attempt to collapse the limestone roof of the caves).[2][5] Finally on 7 July 1944, an evening RAF raid successfully blocked the tunnels.[6]

The storage dump at Thiverny[7] was bombed in 1944 on May 5,[8] July 11,[9] July 12,[10][11] and July 19.[12][13][14][15]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Couderchon, Philippe. "The quarries of Saint Leu Esserent".
  2. 1 2 Collier, Basil (1976) [1964]. The Battle of the V-Weapons, 1944-1945. Yorkshire: The Emfield Press. pp. 68, 82, 84. ISBN 0-7057-0070-4.
  3. ↑ "8th Air Force 1944 Chronicles". Retrieved 2007-05-25.
  4. ↑ Taylor, Graham. "Leopold". Leopold. Retrieved 2007-05-16.
  5. ↑ Irving, David (1964). The Mare's Nest. London: William Kimber and Co. pp. 168, 220, 245, 246.
  6. ↑ Richards, Denis (1994) [1964]. The Hardest Victory - RAF Bomber Command in the Second World War. p. 241.
  7. ↑ "tbd". tbd. Archived from the original on 2007-06-11.
  8. ↑ "tbd". tbd.
  9. ↑ "tbd". tbd.
  10. ↑ "July 1944". Bomber Command 60th Anniversary. RAF. Archived from the original on 2007-06-11.
  11. ↑ "tbd". tbd.
  12. ↑ "tbd". tbd.
  13. ↑ "tbd". tbd.
  14. ↑ "tbd". tbd.
  15. ↑ "tbd". tbd.


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