JUST 30 minutes' drive from Calais lies the secret centre that Hitler believed would win the war with Britain.
At Helfaut-Wizernes, a couple of miles from St Omer, he ordered the construction of a massive underground launching base for his ultimate weapon, the deadly V2 rocket, which he was certain would smash London into submission.
Now, almost 60 years later, British and French tourists
can visit this extraordinary subterranean complex which
so nearly gave the Nazis the victory they craved.
La Coupole (The Dome) was reopened in May 1997 as
a centre illustrating the history of war and rockets, and more than 100,000 visitors have already walked with awe through its underground tunnels and cavernous rocket preparation room.
They have also been able to see examples of the original V1 and V2 rockets which brought death and destruction to Britain and to visit an exhibition on the harsh realities of life in Northern France during the German Occupation.
But La Coupole is not simply a testament to the horrors of war; it also provides a fascinating description of the way Hitler's rockets eventually led to man's conquest of space, for the centre contains a guide to space exploration from 1945 to 1969.
La Coupole is easily reached along the A26 motorway from Calais to Arras, leaving from exits 3 or 4 and heading for the villages of Wizernes and Helfaut. It is open from 9.30am to 6.30pm, October 1-March 31 and 10am to 7pm, April 1 to September 30, weekends and public holidays. Admission is €8.50 for adults and €6 for children aged 5 to 16.
