Crossing Fromelles (5)
Location: Crossing of the roads D141 and D22/Rue de Verdun
The group left the cars at a crossing in Fromelles.
Hitler and his men in Fromelles (picture: Heinrich Hoffmann, 1940)
FOURNES EN WEPPES (FRANCE)
OTHER BUNKERS (FRANCE)
This picture shows Hitler (in a white raincoat), looking at yet another bunker in the North of France. (picture: Heinrich Hoffmann, 1940)
Hitler visited the Champagne and Vlaanderen on June 25 and 26 together with Max Amann and Ernst Schmied, old friends from the First World War. The route that was followed is not entirely clear.
1. Lille Airport 1b. Noyelles-
3. Butchery, Fournes en Weppes 3b. Route between Fournes and Fromelles
4. Farm, Fromelles 5. Crossing, Fromelles
6. Hitlerbunker, Fromelles 6b. End of Rue de la Biethe, Fromelles 7. The ‘wrong’ Hitlerbunker, Fromelles 8. English WW1 cemetery, Aubers
8a. Herlies 8b. Illies 9. La Bassee 10. Béthune
11. Cassel 12. Dunkerque 13. Cappelle la Grande 14. Bergues 15. D916A 16. Rattekot 17. Rexpoëde 18. Roesbrugge 19. Poperinge 19a. Ieper
19b. Poperingseweg
19c. Gustave de Stuerstraat 19d. Lakenhal -
Lille Airport/ Aéroport de Lille (1) or Airport Lille Bondues (20c)
Location: D145
Today: Airport Lille-
In the morning of June 26 Hitler and his men went to Lille by plane for a trip through southwest Belgium and the northern parts of France. The most logical place where Hitler could have landed would be the Aéroport de Lille, because Hitler was going to Fournes en Weppes. That airport a military airport in Lille Lesquin than. But it is also said that Hitler was flown to an airport in the North of Lille, the airport Bondues (now known as Aérodrome de Lille-
LILLE (FRANCE)
NOYELLES-
Route through Noyelles-
Exact route: Unknown
On the way to Fournes en Weppes Hitler and his company might have drove through Noyelles-
FROMELLES (FRANCE)
ROUTE TO FROMELLES (FRANCE)
Route from Fournes en Weppes to Fromelles (3b)
Route: D141A
Today: Still there
On their way to Fromelles the cars took the D141A.
The road to Fromelles in 1940
(left picture: Heinrich Hoffmann, 1940)
and the same location years later
(right picture: After the Battle Magazine)
Location where the cars where parked (6b)
Location: End of the Rue de la Biette
Today: Still there
There’s a picture of Linge cleaning Hitler’s shoes when they return from the bunker in the fields behind the Rue de la Biette.
Hitler returns to his car and has his boots cleaned.
(picture: Heinrich Hoffmann, 1940)
English WW1 cemetery (8)
Location: Route d’Herlies (between the Rue de Valmonchy and the Chemin de la Croix Rouge)
Today: Still there
It could be that Hitler visited this cemetery when he came through Aubers. (source: After the Battle magazine)
Aubers was taken by the British army on October 17, 1914. The village was recaptured by the Germans within a few days. In early October 1918 Aubers fell into British hands again. This time for good. The cemetery was made after the Armistice.
(pictures: the Hitlerpages, 2009)
AUBERS (FRANCE)
LA BASSEE (FRANCE)
Channel bridge (9)
Location: Route de Lens-
Today: There is a new bridge.
The next location on the route that was on the Heinrich Hoffmann pictures was the channel in La Bassee. After The Battle Magazine found back this location and the ones that followed. Siegfried Debaeke found out other locations.
The channel on the southside of La Bassee was pictured from the bridge.
(picture: Heinrich Hoffmann, 1940)
On the D916A in Rattekot, between Bergues and Rexpoëde
(picture: Heinrich Hoffmann, 1940)
ROUTE THROUGH BERGUES (FRANCE) -
Route through Bergues (14), on the D916A (15) to Rattekot (16)
Exact route: Not sure. ‘Rattekot’ is probably on the crossing of Rue Rattekot,and the D916A
Today: Must have changed over the years
After the Battle Magazine located one of the Hoffmann pictures at Rattekot. The cars are driving back to Belgium.
Rexpoëde (western edge)
(picture: Heinrich Hoffmann, 1940)
REXPOËDE (FRANCE)
Location of a Hoffmann picture (17)
Exact location: Not sure. Somewhere on the western edge of the village.
Today: Unknown
After the Battle Magazine located one of the Hoffmann pictures at Rexpoëde, still in France. The magazine suggests that the picture was taken from one of the cars looking backwards.
Roesbrugge
(picture: Heinrich Hoffmann, 1940)
In the book Korrektur einer Biografie of Joachimsthaler I found this picture. It was possibly made in front of the same café, with the same sign advertising Bieres Motte-
ROESBRUGGE (BELGIUM)
Location of a Hoffmann picture (18)
Exact location: Not sure
Today: Unknown
After the Battle Magazine located one of the Hoffmann pictures at Roesbrugge. The magazine says the cars were still on the way to Dunkerque. But that seems a strange detour from Cassel, a route the magazine suggested. It’s more likely they were still driving back east towards Poperinge. A picture in the book “Korrektur einer Biografie’ of A. Joachimsthaler could show the same location, but I’m not sure. Note that the cars on the Joachimthaler picture are driving in the other direction. The direction where the cars seems to go on the other picture (the one on the left) should by the way not be considered too significant, because of the position from which the picture was taken. It was taken from a car, that obviously belongs to Hitler's group, that is clearly headed in the opposite direction of the car passing. In fact, it looks like the cars are turning here.
Crossing the bridge over the IJzer
(picture: Heinrich Hoffmann, 1940)
POPERINGE (BELGIUM)
Route through Poperinge (19)
Route: Gasthuisstraat -
On the way back the cars drove through Poperinge. The picture on the left shows the front of a car coming from the Gasthuisstraat, driving onto the Grote Markt in direction of city hall. This proofs that the cars were headed east and were driving towards Ieper. In front of city hall a band was playing in honour of Adolf Hitler.
The Grote Markt in Poperinge. The cars pass a band that plays in front of city hall.
(picture: Heinrich Hoffmann, 1940)
Lille Airport/ Aéroport de Lille (1) or Airport Lille Bondues (20c)
Location: D145
Today: Airport Lille-
At the end of the day Hitler and his men returned to an airport in Lille to fly back to Le Gros Caillou (France) (21), the airfield near FHQ Wolfsschlucht 1 (Belgium).
LILLE (FRANCE)
BETHUNE (FRANCE)
Route past Bethune (10)
Exact route: Probably the D941
The cars that were headed for Dunkerque probably took the road that is now called the D941 towards Bethune.
CASSEL (FRANCE)
Route through or past Cassel (11)
Exact route: Uknown
The cars went past Cassel to get to the D916, along the channel to Dunkerque.
Hitler’s motorcade in Cappelle la Grande, on the D916
(picture: Heinrich Hoffmann, 1940)
CAPPELLE LA GRANDE (FRANCE)
Route through Cappelle la Grande (13)
Exact route: D 916 along the channel, in front of a (former) butchery
Today: Still there
Having left Dunkerque the cars drove past through Cappelle la Grande on the D916. It’s possible they also came past this village on the way to Dunkerque, but the picture below shows the cars driving back to Belgium.
DUNKERQUE (FRANCE)
Dunkerque Town Hall (12)
Location: Quai des Hollandais, near the Place Charles Valentin
Looking at the history of the place during the German invasion it’s obvious that Hitler wanted to see Dunkerque. One of Heinrich Hoffmanns pictures shows the town hall (Belfort) of Dunkerque, probably shot from the Quai des Hollandais. Although the houses around it have been ruined, the tower of the town hall still stands. The harbour of Dunkerque is nearby: the other picture shows Hitler in the harbour of Dunkerque.
Hitler at the harbour of Dunkerque
(picture: Heinrich Hoffmann, 1940)
In a ruined Dunkerque the tower of the town hall still stands.
(picture: Heinrich Hoffmann, 1940)
Route through Herlies and Illies to La Bassee (8a/8b)
On the way to La Bassee Hitler came through Herlies and Illies, according to Siegfied Debaekes book ‘Hitler in Vlaanderen’. This route is probably the route Hitler followed.
HERLIES & ILLIES (FRANCE)
THE ROUTE TO DUNKERQUE (THROUGH BELGIUM OR FRANCE?)
After the Battle magazine found out a lot about the route Hitler and his men took on June 26, 1940. Years later, in 2012 or 2013 (the book doesn’t say), Siegfried Debaekes book ‘Hitler in Vlaanderen’ came out. It gives a good oversight of Hitler's trips through Vlaanderen, but comparing both sources, some contradictions stand out. Especially regarding Hitler's route from La Bassee to Dunkerque. After the Battle states that Hitler went through Bethune and Cassel, France to get to Dunkerque. Debaeke, who found some great pictures of the route that were never published, makes the route a litlle more complex. He thinks Hitler, after visiting La Bassee, went back to Belgium through Armentieres. After that he first went to Mesen, Wijtschate and Ieper on the road to Dunkerque. On the road back he visited Ieper again, in his version of the route. This version could also be (partly) true.
There are no pictures of Hitler on the French route through Bethune and Cassel, but there are also no pictures of Hitler traveling to Dunkerque after Ieper, the route through Belgium. Because Hitler first drove into France where he crossed the channel in La Bassee, I thought it seemed unlogicaly for him to return along the same route to Ieper, which Debaeke states. After crossing the channel the route through France is a lot quicker than turning back to Ieper. In both sources the route was reconstructed by looking at pictures. After the Battle doesn’t show all the pictures that it had in possetion and Debaeke is unsure about the chronology of some of the negatives he found.
The pictures of Cappelle-
LUNCH AT A MOBILE KITCHEN
Lunch
Location: Unknown
Somewhere after having left Fromelles Hitler had lunch. Along the route, near another bunker, a mobile army kitchen was parked, where the group had lunch. Maybe one of the pictures of Hitler inspecting a bunker that is shown above was made here. Looking at the size and form of it, it could be. To compare them, I have placed the picture of Hitler and the bunker here for the second time on the same page. It’s still hard to see if they are the same, though.
Hitler has lunch somewhere along the route in a mobile kitchen. The picture on the right shows that the kitchen car was parked next to a bunker. (pictures: Heinrich Hoffmann, 1940)
Could this be the same bunker? (picture: Heinrich Hoffmann, 1940)
MESEN -
Route through Messines (20)
Route: Bethlehem Farm and Mesen church
Today: Still there.
Hitler might have visited the Bethlehem Farm and the church in Mesen on his trip through Belgium and France on Junbe 26, 1940. The pictures below show Hitler in front of a barn. It might be the barn of the Bethlehem farm where Hitler was stationed in WW1. He also might have visited the church of Mesen, but there are no pictures of that.
Hitler at the Bethlehem Farm?
(pictures: Heinrich Hoffmann, 1940)
IEPER (BELGIUM)
Ieper (19a)
Route: Poperingseweg (19b) -
Today: Most locations are still there.
The pictures of Ieper make Debaekes thoughts about Hitler coming through Ieper twice possible, because there are two pictures of Hitler’s motorcade driving towards the Lakenhal, from different directions. One fromthe direction of Poperinge, taken in the Gustave de Stuerstraat and one from the direction of Wijtschate, taken in the Rijselstraat. It seems strange that Hitler came to Ieper twice on one day, but Debaeke has a point here. It could be that the pictures were taken on different days, maybe some of them wer even taken on June 1, when Hitler took the Rijselstraat route for sure. From that date no pictures of the Rijselpoort and Rijselstraat route seem to have been made. It’s hard for me to say, because I haven’t seen the negatives of the pictures. Who can help out?
This picture shows the cars entering Ieper from another side: through the Rijselpoort.
(picture: Heinrich Hoffmann, 1940)
Gustave de Stuersstraat
(picture: Heinrich Hoffmann, 1940)
Driving towards the Grote Markt, coming from the De Stuerstraat
(picture: Heinrich Hoffmann, 1940)
The Rijselpoort
(picture: Heinrich Hoffmann, 1940)
The cars in the Rijselstraat. They’re heading for the Grote Markt: the same route as the one on June 1...
(picture: Heinrich Hoffmann, 1940)
At the end of the Rijselstraat the cars passed the Lakenhal.
(picture: Heinrich Hoffmann, 1940)
WIJTSCHATE (BELGIUM)
Kerkplein (19g)
Exact route: Maybe Hiter also visited the Croonaertbos, but there are no pictures to proof it.
Today: The church is still there.
The one picture of Wijtschate, the church of St. Medardus, is part of the confusion about the route that was taken to Dunkerque and because it’s on a negative before a picture of Ieper it backs up Debaekes idea that Hitler visited Ieper twice.
Hitler’s motorcade came through the village of Wijtschate
(picture: Heinrich Hoffmann, 1940)
WW1 Monument for the missing soldiers of the Commonwealth (20a)
Location: Berks Cemetery Extension, N365 to Mesen
Today: Still there.
Hitler must have passed this war monument. Hoffmann of one of his helpers, took this picture of the monument.
PLOEGSTEERT (BELGIUM)
The Hoffmann picture of the monument
(picture: Heinrich Hoffmann, 1940)
The monument is still there.
(picture: wikipedia)
Le Beffroi -
Location: Grand Place
Today: Still there.
Somewhere on the route Hitler must have passed the Beffroi in Armentières. There’s one picture of it. The negative of the picture is on the same strip as the pictures of Hitler in Fournes. That means that Hitler or Hoffmann must have been in Armentières before going to Fournes and all the other places. If the airport he used was Lille Bondues, that makes sense. This picture makes the route even more complicated.
ARMENTIèRES (FRANCE)
The Beffroi in Armentières
(picture: Heinrich Hoffmann, 1940)
