Hi Julie: I am in the process of planning a trip in November to see all of the U-Boat bunkers in France and Germany and have been in contact with the Office of Tourism in La Rochelle.

The bunkers (U-Boat and Bunkered Lock) are actually in La Pallice just north and a little west of La Rochelle. Do you have Google Earth on your computer? If not, it is a free and safe download. Once downloaded, type "La Rochelle+uboat" into the search line and Google Earth will take you right to it and give you an excellent top down view of both towns and the bunkers. Or, you can write to me at kmpearson@wf.net, and I will forward you some maps from Google Earth.

The inside of the bunker has not been well maintained and is off limits to visitors according to the Office of Tourism as big hunks of concrete fall off from time to time. But you can walk around the bunker along the quais outside and get excellent views inside of the bunker from outside, or so I have heard. Another source tells me two of the pens are rented out to private companies, and if this is true, you may be able to ask them for access when you are there.

You probably know this, but the final scenes of Das Boat were filmed there.

You can find maps of La Rochelle at the Office de Tourisme de la Rochelle at www.larochelle-tourisme.com. Their phone number is +33.5.46.41.14.68. I have been working with a lady named Sophie. Here is a link to a map that shows where the bunker is:

[www.holidays-la-rochelle.co.uk]


Find "Bassin à Flot" and this is where the bunkers are. The bunkered lock is on the western end and the submarine bunkers is at the eastern end. There are several other good maps on the tourism website.

You will also be very close to Bordeaux to the south (114 miles or one hour fifty four minutes by car) and to Saint Nazaire to the north (124 miles, two hours and twenty minutes by car). Both of these bunkers are open to the public and have been well maintained according to my sources. The Office of Tourism in Saint Nazaire is actually house in the former bunker. The Bordeaux bunker is open from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. If you want more information on Bordeaux and Saint Nazaire, write me.

I also recommend the book Hitler's U-Boat Bunkers and you can order it from Amazon.com. This book will tell you more about how the bunkers were built, Allied efforts to destroy them, and what is left today. If you end up planning to visit the bunkers at Bordeaux and Saint Nazaire, the book would be well worth the cost.

Please let me know what you find when you are in La Rochelle. All of my information is second hand from other sources or websites and I would appreciate any first-hand info you could provide me before my trip in November.

Bon chance!
Kevin M. Pearson
Wichita Falls, Texas