Saint-Leu-d'Esserent

Saint-Leu-d'Esserent is a commune in the Oise department in northern France.

Saint-Leu-d'Esserent
Commune
The town hall and abbey in Saint-Leu-d'Esserent
Coat of arms
Location of Saint-Leu-d'Esserent
Saint-Leu-d'Esserent
Saint-Leu-d'Esserent
Coordinates: 49°13′05″N 2°25′22″E
CountryFrance
RegionHauts-de-France
DepartmentOise
ArrondissementSenlis
CantonMontataire
IntercommunalityCA Creil Sud Oise
Government
 • Mayor (2001–2008) Alain Blanchard
Area
1
13.08 km2 (5.05 sq mi)
Population
 (2017-01-01)[1]
4,688
 • Density360/km2 (930/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code
60584 /60340
Elevation25–137 m (82–449 ft)
(avg. 29 m or 95 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Saint Leu is notable for 3,000 square metres (32,000 sq ft) of mushroom caves under the Thiverny plateau.[2]

History

During World War II, the caves were one of three major underground V-1 flying bomb storage depots. In addition to the caves, the facility included blockhouses, bunkers, flak emplacements and railway links. Allied intelligence firmly identified late in June 1944 that Saint-Leu-d'Esserent and Nucourt were V-1 storage depots.[3] On 27 June 1944, Saint-Leu-d'Esserent was initially bombed by the US Army Air Force,[4][5] then on July 4/5 1944 by two RAF forces (the first unsuccessfully used Tallboy bombs in an attempt to collapse the limestone roof of the caves).[3][6] Finally on 7 July 1944, an evening RAF raid successfully blocked the tunnels.[7]

The storage dump at Thiverny[8] was bombed in 1944 on May 5,[9] July 11,[10] July 12,[11][12] and July 19.[13][14][15][16]

See also

References
  1. "Populations légales 2017". INSEE. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
  2. Couderchon, Philippe. "The quarries of Saint Leu Esserent".
  3. Collier, Basil (1976) [1964]. The Battle of the V-Weapons, 1944-1945. Yorkshire: The Emfield Press. pp. 68, 82, 84. ISBN 0-7057-0070-4.
  4. "8th Air Force 1944 Chronicles". Retrieved 2007-05-25.
  5. Taylor, Graham. "Leopold". Retrieved 2007-05-16.
  6. Irving, David (1964). The Mare's Nest. London: William Kimber and Co. pp. 168, 220, 245, 246.
  7. Richards, Denis (1994) [1964]. The Hardest Victory - RAF Bomber Command in the Second World War. p. 241.
  8. "tbd". tbd. Archived from the original on 2007-06-11.
  9. "tbd". tbd.
  10. "tbd". tbd.
  11. "July 1944". Bomber Command 60th Anniversary. RAF. Archived from the original on 2007-06-11.
  12. "tbd". tbd.
  13. "tbd". tbd.
  14. "tbd". tbd.
  15. "tbd". tbd.
  16. "tbd". tbd.


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