Over the winter I am going to try and visit a few of our world war two sites in Norfolk. Rather than travelling too much around the country going to the same old well trodden places with the day's getting shorter. So these barns are not really British World War Two sites or are they abandoned, very much in use. But the story behind these is quite interesting. A lot off debate on this if it's real or not. Known as the nazi red barns the story goes after someone from English Heritage apparently came across an air ministry file in the archives. The story is that here barns were built in the late thirties by a Dutch company with German connections. The Dutch farmers were part of the East Anglian real Property Company, a consortium of farmers. The barns were built to house German paratroopers in the event of an invasion. Air crews doing searches for potential airfields spotted what looked like areas flattened and rolled, hedges ripped out and ditches filled. And each area had one of these red barns or sometimes two. It was reported back to the right people and the Dutch were arrested and questioned. They then had the barns painted and logs put on the land and humps off debris like soil or lime to prevent the landing off gliders. Well that's how the story goes. It was said the barns were meant to store the glider, but they are far too small for that. If true more likely to store provisions, arms and troops. Norfolk was apparently picked because it was far less defended than the southern counties and the eastern county of Suffolk. The company said the barns were built to store bet as a lot were near Cantley sugar factory. The rest around Norfolk were used for grain. The Dutch farmers were arrested as said but released a few weeks later putting doubt on the tale. The Dutch company continued well into the eighties. Military historians have pretty much said this tell is a fairy tale. But still the debate goes on amongst military enthusiasts. It prob was a case of paranoia in the early years of the war with the threat of invasion scarily real. Lots of stories went about during the war from marks on posts to German paratroopers dressed as nun. Wether it's real or an urban myth it's a great story.
I was out with man gone wrong a few months ago and we parked near a barn too look at a church. He started saying about the nazi barn. I had fleetingly heard about them but did not took much notice. So started reading more into them, and decided I wanted to see them, so ended driving around Norfolk to find them. Seven are all near the broads in a small cluster. The others are dotted about the county. There was thirteen barns, but the one at Southrepps could be demolished.
An interesting link here.
www.rafwatton.info
Were these about to do an invasion in Norfolk.
The barns with the bright red corrugated sheeting, although faded now.
Beighton
Reedham
Halvergate
Cantley South
Cantley North
Buckenham East
Buckenham West
Paston
Guestwick North
Guestwick South
Sporle North
Sporle South
I was out with man gone wrong a few months ago and we parked near a barn too look at a church. He started saying about the nazi barn. I had fleetingly heard about them but did not took much notice. So started reading more into them, and decided I wanted to see them, so ended driving around Norfolk to find them. Seven are all near the broads in a small cluster. The others are dotted about the county. There was thirteen barns, but the one at Southrepps could be demolished.
An interesting link here.
German Landing Grounds in Norfolk? By Peter Meston - RAFWatton.info
Wing Commander Peter Meston RAF Retd, served at Watton in 1939/40 with 21 Squadron and was involved in a very strange affair. In a letter to Colin Waugh who has…
www.rafwatton.info
Were these about to do an invasion in Norfolk.
The barns with the bright red corrugated sheeting, although faded now.
Beighton
Reedham
Halvergate
Cantley South
Cantley North
Buckenham East
Buckenham West
Paston
Guestwick North
Guestwick South
Sporle North
Sporle South
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