U-Bootbunkerwerft "Valentin"

"Valentin" along the river Weser in a place called Farge, about 25km downstream of the city of Bremen, Germany
 

In October 1943 the Organisation Todt stared to build the U-Bootbunkerwerft "Valentin" in a small place called Farge, 25km north of Bremen. A total of 14 type XXI U-Boots should be assembled in this bunker. The separate hulls were also produced in special bunkers by the Deutsche Schiffs- und Maschinenbau AG (Deschimag), Werk Weser AG (U-Bootbunkerwerft "Hornisse", Bremen) and the Blohm en Voss AG (U-Bootbunkerwerft "Wespe", Hamburg).

"Valentin" was build under the supervision of the Organisation Todt, Einsatzgruppe Hansa. For the building large amounts of forced laborers were used. They sat in camps in the area around the building site. The circumstances in these camps were very bad. Very notorious was the Arbeitserziehungslager Farge on the Rekumer Heide.
About 10000 forced laborers, POW's and concentrationcamp prisoners worked on the bunker building site. About 4000 people lost their lives

At the end of the war, about 90% of "Valentin" was completed. De building site was bombed several times. On March 27th, 1945 suffered it;s most heavy attack. A number of British Lancasters bombed the bunker with Tallboy en Grand Slam bombs.

After the was the bunker was used by the English and American to test bombs. In the summer 1965 the front part became a deport for the German navy

"Valentin" in figures:

• Dimensions 426,25m x 97,65m x 422,27m. Roof thickness 7,12m, wall thickness van 4,57m
• Surface van 50000m2.
• Capacity 560000m3
• 220000 ton cement used
• 27000 ton steel used
• Total costs 120 million Reichsmark
  

The building of "Valentin".

The front part of the bunker is still used as a storage deport for the German navy.

"Valentin" today (1994). The monument in front is for the victims who died building the bunker.

• Decknamenverzeichnis deutscher unterirdischer Bauten des Zweiten Weltkrieges, page 149
• Die deutschen Ubootbunker und Bunkerwerften, page 106
• Bunker Valentin in Bremen-Farge (German)
• Der Valentin Bunker in Bremen Farge (German)

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