'Operation Ramrod 934'
(all pictures on this page ©2006 Tristan
Cools except for the pictures which show the displacement of the bunker:
these are ©2006 Mathieu De Meyer)
Updated June 13 2006, September 6, 7, 8 2006, October 11 2006
Final update:
The bunker has been inaugurated by Mayor Moenaert on 29 September 2006. A bomb which was found earlier on December 19 2005 has been put in front of the bunker and is pointing(well, not exactly as I found out) at the previous location of Castle 'Ter Linden'.
Ter Linden was during World War II a German
radio measuring station at Sint Michiels Bruges. It was one of the most
important radio signal decoding stations in Western Europe used by the
Germans. This German base was located only 3km from the centre of
Bruges and was totaly destroyed during two bombing raids of A20's B26's
and Typhoon airplanes by the Allies on May 28 1944.
The codename of this bombing raid was 'Operation
Ramrod 934'.
During the two bombing raids 19 German Soldiers
and 39 Civilians were killed. 1 Civilian was missing and is never
found.
Rumours that hundreds of German soldiers
and a German General were killed are not true.
Nothing much is left nowadays, the Castle was mostly destroyed and the large bunkers are gone. I only found two 'ringstands' and a small open defence bunker. The ground in this area is still filled with unexploded bombs. Many houses have been build above them but they are protected by a concrete plate. Still, during ground works, in December 2005, a bomb was found and had to be dismantled.
The two 'Adcock' basements are probably still there but filled with sand.
NGI plan with waypoints referring to the pictures on this site.
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Location of the 'ringstand(1)',at the 'Witte
Molenstraat'.
The 'ringstand' will be moved shortly to
a new location somewhere between the trees on the right picture.
The 'ringstand' was probably meant for
a search light but almost surely not for a machine gun.
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Close view.
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The other bunker(2) which is not far away but totally covered by plants. The right picture proofs that this has been used for a machine gun.
Karl Dönitz visiting the site in 1943.
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The castle before and after the bombing raid. It stood near location number 4 on plan. Number 5 was the entrance of the MPA.
The large bunker which suffered some exterial damage but successfully served as a shelter. No damage was made inside the bunker.
Number 4: The 'Wittemolenstraat' looking in the direction of the N31 which didn't exist at the time. The N31 is the main reason why many buildings have disappeared in the seventies. The location of the castle is just where the house at the left(partially hidden behind trees) is standing now.
The old City House(Castle Bloemenoord) of
Sint Michiels with the monument of WWI and WWII in front of it.
During World War II it was used as a diningplace
for the 'Marinehelferinnen' of the MPA.
24 names of the 40 Belgian victims of May 28 1944.
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Another 'ringstand(3)' close to a warehouse center. It is exactly the same as the first one but filled with sand.
First ringstand(1) moved on September 7 2006 to become a monument of the victims of 'Ter Linden'.
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Pictures above: approximately taken at 6h45m
in the morning just before going to work.
Still not moved but the final place has
already been prepared. Just a matter of time.
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4 pictures above show the movement of the
bunker on September 7, 2006. Pictures kindly allowed for publication
on this site thanks to
Mathieu Demeyer.(©2006 Mathieu De
Meyer)
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The ringstand resting in its final place to become a monument.
Since September 29 2006, officialy a monument.
Information
panel in front of the bunker.
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A bomb which has been recovered on December
19 2006. I don't know much about bombs but I believe that the rotor
was a timing and hight measuring device to let the bomb explode at the
right moment. So this type of bomb didn't explode on impact but on
a preset number of rotations.
(correct me if I'm wrong but the V1 flying
bombs had a similar device to measure distance)
Just behind on the empty field, the original location of the bunker.
My congratulations go to the Bruges city
councel for preserving the bunker and protecting it as a monumument for
the victims of the bombardment.
I hope the other left over WW1 and WW2
artifacts, especially at the Belgian coast can be preserved in the same
was as they did with this one.