(UK) Long Range Rockets HELLENDOORN / ZWOLLE Areas
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PRO WO 219/4937 International V2 Research Group Document located by Mike Grube Transcribed by Tracy Dungan and Henk Koopman, with translations from Gerhard Helm. Investigation of Long Range Rocket and Flying Bomb Launching Areas (UK) (This is a summary of the document in part. We have omitted text and drawings that were not interesting or crucial. Portions that were unreadable because of the bad quality of the microfilm have also been omitted.) GENERAL 1. As soon as the military situation permitted, parties from various branches of the continental CROSSBOW organization were dispatched to inspect individual launching sites, and to gain as much information as possible regarding the German organization for this type of warfare. 2. The reports received from these inspection parties have been consolidated, and checked against information, which had previously been obtained through intelligence sources. The resulting information is attached to this letter. LONG RANGE SOURCES 3. The 11th Survey Regiment produced a report of rocket activity in the HELLENDOORN / ZWOLLE arena and this is reproduced in its entirety. See appendix 1. This report gives a clear picture of the rocket organization generally, so that no attempt has been made to provide the same wealth of detail in the appendix dealing with other rocket launching areas, in the letter only pertinent details of each was included. 4. A noteworthy feature of Appendix 1 is the mass of accumulated information painstakingly recorded by local residents. 5. Flying Bomb – (Omitted - Tracy) CONCLUSION 1. This consolidated report cannot be regarded as either complete or final. Fresh information is coming to light everyday. Long Range Rockets HELLENDOORN / ZWOLLE Areas CONTENTS A. Introduction B. Firing Sites 1. General 2. Visual Inspection (HELLENDOORN / HESSUM / MATARAM) 3. Information Obtained Through Interrogation (HELLENDOORN / HESSUM / MATARAM) C. Storage & Supply D. Radio Installations E. Conclusion Appendix A: Diaries of Firing Activity OMITTED Appendix B: Survey and Plans of Firing Sites HELLENDOORN (A) HESSUM (B) MATARAM (C) Appendix C: Facsimile Reproduction of Documents Found at HESSUM Report on the HELLENDOORN and ZWOLLE areas A. Introduction 1. During the later half of April, two parties from C.O.F.U. visited the HELLENDOORN and ZWOLLE rocket firing sites. The object of the first visit was purely to establish the exact location of the firing sites and to obtain has much information as possible from interrogation. That of the second visit, to make detailed plans of each firing site and a special inquiry into the storage and radio installations. These were the first visits to V2 sites in Allied territory, and, as was expected, an enormous mass of information was obtained from interrogation from Dutch civilians. The Dutch resistance movement proved particularly helpful, but knowledge of the activities of the V2 organization appears to have been widespread and - the majority of the people questioned, were fully aware of the importance of collecting and recording information on both flying bombs and rockets; in some cases for instance, people living near one site were able to give information about other sites as well. Of particular interest were the diaries kept by civilians near the firing sites, wherein times and dates of all rockets fired from a particular site were noted. The relevant extracts from three such diaries from HELLENDOORN and one from HESSUM together with an agents report, on firing activity at Dalfsen, have been compared with the incidents recorded there and comparative lists are attached. The unit using the (A) firing sites has been conclusively identified as 500 SS-Werfer-Battalion (500 SS Projector Battalion) and from the information obtained from a number of sources, it is possible to put together a detailed history of the unit between mid-November 1944 and the end of March 1945. This is included in the body of the report which is divided into sections dealing with the firing sites, the supply system and radio installations. Detailed plans of each firing site, together with a note on the survey aspect are found in Appendix B. B. Firing sites 1. General Three groups of firing sites were discovered, one near Hellendoorn (R)(V.1024), one at Hessum near Vilsteren (R)(V.0335) and one at Mataram near Dalfsen (Q)(Z.9634). All three places had been used by one unit only (500 SS Projector Battalion) and the order of occupation had been Hellendoorn (16 Nov – 30dec), Hessum (30 Dec – 31 Jan), Mataram (3 Feb – 6 mar) and Hellendoorn (6 – 27 mar). Acting on information received from one source the area round Tubbergen? (R)(V.3225) was also inspected for a possible firing site, but none was found in this area and local inhabitants had no knowledge of any activities connected with rockets. The information on the three firing sites inspected is divided into the results of visual inspections an information obtained from interrogation, and in each case an effort has been made to keep the information relating to each site distinct, though this has not always been possible in view of the mass information receives which was of a general nature. 2. Visual inspection of firing sites a. Hellendoorn (R) V.1024 Six firing platforms were discovered within a few hundred meters of each other in a thickly wooded hill to the north of the Sanatorium. The woods, which are entirely coniferous, are crossed by a number of tracks and all of the firing platforms were found on or beside these tracks. All of the tracks appeared to be old ones and little or no attempt had been made to strengthen them or improve these; the soil is sandy and doubtless; this provided a satisfactory surface even during the worst winter weather. In three cases the actual platforms were built on pine logs cut to the same size, trimmed and bound together with wire. The other three platforms were of leveled sand, and it is understood that these were the platforms originally (first) used - the leg platforms being constructed at a later date. There was no concrete, nor any sign of permanent construction work at any of these platforms, but many fox holes were seen around each platform at a distance of fifty yards an open shelter with an inclined ramp, capable of accommodating a vehicle, presumably the Feuerleitpanzer and its crew; this shelter was dug to a depth of about 10 feet at it deepest and was approximately 20 ft by 10 ft and in some cases a rough camouflage of pine branches had been laid across the top. Survey marks consisted of the usual patches on tree trunks, at a height of about 5 ft., sometimes painted red and sometimes marked with a cross in a circle in pencil or red paint. Beside some of the platforms was a marker for setting up an instrument, this consisted of a triangular rail mounted on pegs around a central peg. Similar markings were also found at other places in the vicinity of the firing sites. The trees up to twenty feet distant around each site were scorched in a height of 15 – 20 ft on the site of the firing platform. Pine branches had in some cases been suspended from wires over the platform, but very little of this camouflage remained. A number of craters and parts of the rockets were found near the sites. This showed the dangerous nature of the V2 work. Vehicles were evidently parked near the sites: all the tracks through the wood are broad and provide facilities and room for turning even large vehicles and concealment from air observation is uniformly good. A certain number of hard standings with built up walls of earth for blast protection had been constructed. Coordinates of the actual firing platforms are as follows: 1. 510750 - 624720 2. 510710 - 624660 3. 510610 - 624610 concrete 510640 - 624400 4. 510500 - 624510 survey point 510690 - 624620 5. 510700 - 624520 6. 510760 - 624480 b. Hessum (R) V.0335 A group of four firing platforms were discovered close to each other in a coniferous wood on the right of the road from Vilsteren to Dalfsen. All four platforms were on or beside old established roads or paths. Firing Sites: These roads had a surface of loose sand and, other than leveling, this surface, no attempt had been made to build a solid firing platform. Although, one local report stated that the sand had been firmed to provide a hard base for the firing table. Around two of the platforms ran shallow trenches possibly for delivery of rocket fuel, as they showed signs of dampness and smelled strongly of alcohol. Two of the four platforms were identified only by the scorching on the trees and the shelters around the site, as the firing platforms themselves had been destroyed by V2 explosions which had left a large crater in each case. The pieces of V2 in the craters confirmed local evidence that premature detonation had taken place. Survey marks were similar to those found at Hellendoorn and the same features were to be seen around the firing platform – scorched trees, remains of camouflage, foxholes for the detachment and the characteristic shelter for the fire control vehicle. A number of small pronged sticks were found by one platform and a well informed local inhabitant described how these were used to keep the control cables suspended off the ground (from the fire control vehicle to the rocket). Vehicles again appeared to have been parked near the site during firing operations, but there was little on construction work on hard-standings or vehicle shelters. Coordinates of the actual firing sites are as follows: 1. 503680 - 635440 2. 503600 - 635330 3. 503560 - 635310 surveypoint 503580 - 635360 4.