German Bunker Noarderleech

In 1940, the Noarderleech was used by the Germans as a training area for the Fliegerhorst in Leeuwarden. This bunker was built in 1941 as an observation post during practice bombing and shelling by the Luftwaffe. The walls are more than 50 cm thick and the raised floor ensured that the observation post remained dry during floods of the outer dike area. The Luftwaffe also built two large wooden ship models that served as practice targets.

Near the bunker, a Messerschmitt Bf 109 ‘Gelbe 3’ crashed on 16 July 1943 due to a pilot's control error Georg Wilhelm. Due to its speed, the plane penetrated deep into the soft soil of the outer dike area. In 2024, this plane and its pilot were recovered, with the pilot reburied at Ysselsteyn.

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Source

• Text: Gerrit Gerlofsma
• Photos: Gerrit Gerlofsma