Towards an archaeology and geography of Second World War German munitions storage sites in north-west Europe

Abstract

This paper reviews the signature characteristics of extant Second World War German army munitions storage landscapes in forested areas of north-west Europe with particular reference to sites in north-west France and the Netherlands. Archaeological survey, aerial photographs and documentary archives show the geography of munitions sites exhibit a regulated pattern of bunker disposition and spacing that is adapted to local road configurations and terrain. Non-hardened bunkers form the predominant feature in munitions depots and conform to a five-/six-fold typology defined by non-invasive survey and excavated examples from the Netherlands. The typology reflects an evolution of storage protocols towards all-round protection from the effects of weather and blast, but also reveals variation in size, structural characteristics and function that poses questions for further study. It is anticipated that these results will be of diagnostic value in future Second World War conflict archaeological survey of German military support structures in formerly occupied territories.

Keywords:

• WW2
• conflict archaeology
• munitions storage
• bunker
• typology

Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful for the assistance of Cécile Dardignac (Chef de Projet et Patrimoine Culturel, Office National des Forêts, Agence Etudes, Fontainebleau, France), Stéphane Robine (Archives Départementales de la Manche) and Christian Clement (Office National des Forêts).