One of the trump cards of Nazi Germany to defeat Great Britain in World War II was to cut off the supply of raw materials, food and war material to the British Isles. During the early stages of the war, this had been attempted with submarines but also with the newly created German surface navy, which had been rebuilt almost from scratch after the Nazi regime's violation of the Treaty of Versailles.
Following the utter failure in sea warfare due to the manifest superiority of the British Navy, Nazi Germany took up the strategy of implementing submarine patrols to cut off Britain's commercial traffic. Until the end of the war, the U-boats were essential for Germany and also a priority target for the allies.
A large part of the German U-boats were assembled in Bremen. In 1944, two large bunkers were built for the manufacture of submarines, the Hornisse bunker and the Valentin bunker. The Valenctin bunker was built with the help of between 10,000 and 12,000 forced laborers, part prisoners of war, part concentration camp inmates.
The Valentin bunker was 426 meters long and 97 meters wide. Its deck was protected by a concrete slab of several meters that protected it from air attacks by the allies. In March 1945, shortly before it was put into operation, the bunker suffered an air raid by the British Air Force. The British used several Tallboy bombs, the largest of the war. Despite the harshness of the attack, the bunker suffered only superficial damage.
The bunker survived the war and for decades was used as a warehouse by the Bundeswehr, the armed forces of the German Federal Republic. Today the bunker is a memorial and can be visited by the public. To find out prices and visiting hours, you can visit the official website of the Valentin bunker memorial.
How to get to the Valentin bunker
The Valetin submarine bunker is located on the outskirts of the city of Bremen, in the town of Rekum. The best way to get there is by private vehicle.