Bombing Targets in Belgium

MikeW · 16 June 2005, 09:00 AM

I have two bombing targets in Belgium:

Le Brugoise Works

Solway Works

I would be very interested to know what was manufactured at these factories.

Mike

Regulus · 16 June 2005, 09:14 AM

Mike,

That is La Brugeoise and Solvay, both companies still exist today. La Brugeoise is today part of Bombardier. Just before the war they constructed trains, trams, steel bridges, parts for breweries (is that why they were bombed ?

).

Solvay was a chemical plant and you can find more on the company over here :

http://www.solvay.com/about/history/...501-2-0,00.htm

Hope this helps a little...

Best from Johan

MikeW · 16 June 2005, 09:51 AM

That was fast Johan - thanks very much.

jempie · 25 June 2005, 06:47 AM

Hi!

Just found the answer :

At the La Brugeoise factories the Germans had installed "an artillery depot"!
There they repaired the artillery guns and also manufactured the obusses for these! But surely also other materials which were of use during war.
There was a ammuntion depot which once exploded as result of British bombing. (Period 1916 and until May 1918!)
The factory was subject of many, many air raid attacks!

About Solvay works : were chemical factories but also as f.e. at Zeebrugge the cokes plant...produced gas, ammoniaque and other products from coal...the cokes were for more used into melting fours for producing iron and steel!
But the Solvay concern had such factories allover the world spread.
Several of these into Belgium and Germany for more!
Maybe they produced also the gas for the gasattacks?

But many reasons I see for targetting these in fact...

vbr

Jempie.