Mittelbau-Dora Concentration Camp

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24 May 2016

We went underground today in a very different location. Just north of Nordhausen is the remains of the Mittelbau-Dora Concentration Camp where in the latter years of the war the Germans used forced labour to enlarge a series of tunnels under a chalk mountain in order that V1 and V2 rocket production could be continued there after the original construction site at Peenemunde had been destroyed by allied bombing. To view the tunnels we had to join a German speaking guided tour which was a bit of an ordeal being fairly long winded in cold weather.

Afterwards we continued southwards to a lovely camper stop in the centre of the attractive small spa town of Bad Frankenhausen close to the Kyffhauser Hills. We went into town for our evening meal and struck up an entertaining conversation with two English speaking German couples. Topics covered included he U.K.’s relationship with the E.U. and the forthcoming referendum, the current German generation’s attitude to the Nazis and finally the British Royal family.

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