Two French Oil Terminals in the WWII

Often, literature suggests that the Atlantic Wall was a set of support points (Stützpunkte) and fortresses (Festungen) extended from Norway up to Spain. This concept is not completely wrong but it masks the logistics involved in its defence activity. In this article the parallel destiny of the Talards and Bouchemaine oil terminals active in France during the German occupation and both having failed a complete destruction is considered. Original air recognition images, archive documents, information from experts and visits on the terrain helped a lot in clarifying their history, organization and preservation states. From previous publications and the present article, it appears now clear that the Atlantic Wall study must be addressed as an interdisciplinary matter with the contributions of experts in different fields.


Introduction
Previous publications provided some hint about the Atlantic Wall logistics by presenting two structures involved in its construction (Tomezzoli, 2015;Tomezzoli & Marzin, 2015) and a logistic base (Tomezzoli, 2016).Now sufficient material has accumulated concerning two other structures involved, this time, in its fuel supply.United by the common destiny to be active in France during the German occupation and both having failed a complete destruction, the Talards and the Bouchemaine oil terminals respectively in Saint-Malo and near Angers had parallel stories which are here considered.

The Talards Oil Terminal (Saint-Malo)
The Talards oil terminal was built on a side of an internal basin of the French guards all around the hippodrome prevented the group to bring these vehicles toward a beach and in the water.The group had no baggage and slept where it was possible, often on pavements.Figure 3) set on fire by the Howard-Johnson's demolition group.However, the terminal was not completely destroyed and it was rapidly put back in operation (Brichet & Peyle, 2005) for the supply of kerosene to the Luftwaffe fighters and bombers stationed at the nearby airfield of Dinard-Pleutuit (Lippmann, 2012;Tomezzoli et al., 2013;Tomezzoli, 2014;Dahiot et al., 2009), participating to the battle of Britain (10 th July -31 st October 1940).A daily supply of kerosene to the airfield was possible by road, crossing the Saint-Hubertus bridge 15 km south of Saint-Malo or by using the ferry Saint-Malo-Dinard.In both the cases this would have caused unacceptable delivery delays.To overcome this problem, the German Luftwaffe decided the requisition of the self-propelled barges in the harbour.Each barge filled its bunkers at the Talards terminal, leaved Saint-Malo harbour, reached the mouth of the Rance river and docked at a mooring peer near La Richardais.There a pumping station extracted the kerosene from the barges and sent it to the airfield by means of a pipeline.The barges were a dozen comprising Esso, Naphta I, Naphta II, Marie-Therese, Chantilly, Galem and Molan (Brichet & Peyle, 2005).
The oil terminal (48˚38'38.34''N,2˚00'41.61''W)(Figure 4) was definitively dismantled at the beginning of the years two thousands.Several visits in the harbour in looking for possible terminal surviving components provided no result.

The Bouchemaine Oil Terminal (Angers)
The Bouchemaine oil terminal construction began on 1939, following a French law which obliged the edification of oil terminals outside sea harbours.The platforms construction and the tanks mounting were completed at the beginning  An assurance policy was negotiated on 29 th Mai 1940 for the risk of burning.
The administration council of 6 th September 1940 confirmed the normal functioning of the oil terminal notwithstanding the war.From 12 th June 1941 to 8th August 1944 the oil terminal was under requisition of the German Kriegsmarine.
A 1943 administrative report made apparent that the incomes from the fuel sale was practically nothing and that the only benefits came from the rent of the fuel tanks, the fees payed by the Kriegsmarine for the terminal requisition and from other minor activities.On 1944 a sum of 49,726 Frs was affected to a provision chapter for the war risks (Oil Terminal Archive, 2018).
During the requisition were built: an octagonal concrete wall 10.5 m height with a variable thick of 1 m at the base to 0.80 m at the top around each tank A-E, a six side wall around the tanks 1 to 10, a bunker at the terminal entrance, a further bunker and a building.The Kriegsmarine proceeded to new installations comprising some groups of motor-cycle pumps Renault-Guinard of 180 m 3 and tubes larger in diameter (8", 10").
The damages to the oil terminal came from the Kriegsmarine requisition and

The Oil Dock
The oil dock visit took place on 4th January 2018.The identified components were the following.The dock platform (Figure 6), about 126 × 27 m, completely covered by grass, about 450 m far from the oil terminal.Nine well preserved minor columnar bollards, each formed by a concrete prismatic column about 0.5 m large and 1.5 m height with a small metallic bollard at the top, were aligned on its river side.Five main columnar bollards a, b, d, e, f, each having a concrete square base about 5 m large with a superimposed concrete octagonal column of about 3 m in long diagonal and 3 m height with a metallic railing and a metallic bollard at the top, were aligned in its middle.Some well preserved concrete supports of an original metallic barrier and two prismatic, concrete, white columns marking a dock entrance were aligned in its land side (Figure 7   Bollard d (47˚24'59.03''N,0˚36'46.24''W,16.49 m) (Figure 7(e), Figure 7(f)) was in good preservation state with possible traces of a white painting.Probably deprived of a square base (Figure 7(f)), it presented a metallic stair on four opposed column sides, a railing and a grey bollard on its top.Minor mooring rings were present on the column sides and two small square holes at a stair lower side let suspect that its interior was empty.
Bollard e (47˚24'58.75''N,0˚36'46.81''W,16.44 m) (Figure 7(g), Figure 7(h)) was in good preservation state without traces of painting.Its square base was covered by grass.It presented two steps on four opposed column sides, a metallic stair on four opposed column sides, a railing and a white painted bollard on its top.One small mooring ring, about 5 cm in diameter was present on four opposed column sides.no metallic stair on the column sides, a railing and a white painted bollard on its top.Two tubes of a possible ground system were fixed on two column sides.

The Oil Pipeline
The oil pipeline connected the oil dock d to the oil terminal t (Figure 8).The pipeline began at the pumping station initially located between the bollards c, d.A well preserved oval concrete platform (47˚25'9.44''N,0˚37'3.63''W)(Figure 12) about 7 × 3 m, 30 cm high with two bases for vertical structures on its surface.

The Oil Terminal
Octagonal wall A (47˚25'8.45''N,0˚37'3.82''W)(Figure 13) about 20 m in long diagonal, still protecting the original tank refurbished several times after the war.
It presented a three steps external structure with some large concrete superficial failures that left uncovered rods of the internal armour.On one side was a slightly eroded white board with the label A G8 1897 M 3 indicating a tank capacity inferior to the above mentioned capacity of 2140 m 3 .On another side a circular, yellow metallic cover marked with a black label A closed the access to the tank protected by the wall.Octagonal wall B (47˚25'8.84''N,0˚37'4.81''W)(Figure 12) about 20 m in long diagonal, still protecting the original tank refurbished several times after the war.It presented a three steps external structure with some local concrete superficial failures leaving uncovered rods of the internal armour.On one side was an eroded white board with the label B G8 1897 M 3 .On another side a circular, yellow metallic cover marked with a black label B closed the access to the tank protected by the wall.
It presented a three steps external structure with some local concrete superficial failures, leaving uncovered rods of the internal armour, and projectile impact cavities due to air attack.On one side was a white board whose label B G8 1897 M 3 was abraded and covered by a blue, square board with a white label Er.On another side a circular, yellow metallic cover marked with a black label D closed the access to the tank protected by the wall.
Octagonal wall E (47˚25'7.85''N,0˚37'5.7''W)(Figure 15) about 20 m in long diagonal, still protecting the original tank refurbished several times after the war.failures leaving uncovered rods of the internal armour and projectile impact cavities due to air attack.On one side was a white board whose label B G8 1897 M3 was abraded and covered by a blue, square board with a square, white label.On another side was a circular, yellow metallic cover marked with a black label E closed the access to the tank protected by the wall.The access was a circular, metallic passage in the wall, about 1 m in diameter.The wall internal structure was vertical with no steps and in perfect preservation stage showing the traces of  The entrance/exit o (Figure 18) already presents during the period of the German occupation and now main entrance of the oil terminal.Its concrete structure presented no damages.
No trace on the terrain has been found of the building e, about 60 × 12 m, the protected passage to the building or anti-tanks trench f and the excavation m (Figure 10).

Discussion
The re-evocations of Rear Admiral Howard-Johnson refers to the days of the operation Aerial in which British and allied forces were evacuated from 15 th to train was discharged somewhere there, although Figure 4 does not show a railway depot as in the railway station of Bouchemaine (Figure 10). Figure 4 shows that the Germans did not constructed walls for protecting the terminal tanks surviving the burning and that the allied bombardments of Saint-Malo failed to touch the terminal.
The questions about: the possible German oil terminal requisition, the volumes and oil kinds actually dealt with at the terminal during the war, the reason for which the oil terminal was not dynamited by the Germans during the battle of Saint-Malo, and many other possible questions concerning the Talards oil terminal remain to be answered.A French air recognition image of 17 th September 1944 (Figure 10), exactly one month after the conclusion of the Saint-Malo battle, reveals many details of the Bouchemaine oil terminal.As the Talards oil terminal, it was composed by a 1st area a comprising, in this case, a first group of 4 main tanks each protected by an octagonal wall and a second group of 10 smaller tanks located close one to the other and all protected by a six sides wall.The fuel supply was ensured by trains, which parked in the railway depot s and by barges and tankers coming from the refinery of Donge, which moored at the oil dock d.The main columnar bollards were so big and high for a sure mooring of barges and tankers in the Maine stream also during the Maine floodings, in which the dock platform was covered by water.The pumping station on the top of columnar bollard c permitted oil pumping also during the floodings.Because no sign of German masonry was remarked, the dock platform and its bollards were of French construction.The small bunker h at the terminal entrance was probably a guardhouse and the bunker i a refuge for the personnel lodged in the building e or an ammunition and material depot bunker.The excavation m inclined with respect to the SNCF railway (Figure 10) reveals the German intention to expand the railway depot s by constructing a second, protected railway depot opposed with respect to the SNCF railway to the depot s.The adaptation of the oil terminal to the Kriegsmarine needs and the excavation m were probably directed by the Organization Todt supervising the work of French requisitioned firms, workers and vehicles.The oil terminal t and the tank wagons parked in the depot s have not been object of attacks by the French resistance.The nearby suspended bridge on the Maine (Figure 7(a)), considered of strategical importance, was dynamited by the Germans in retreat with the loss of one of its two ways (Figure 5).
The questions about: why the oil terminal was requisitioned by the Kriegsmarine and not by the Heer or the Luftwaffe, why the requisition was made in June 1941 and not before, which were the volumes and the oils actually dealt with at the terminal during the war, if the oil terminal supplied in kerosene the Luftwaffe fighters and bombers Stuka and Dornier of the 10 km far away, today disappeared, airfield of Avrillé (Angers), the reasons for which the oil terminal and the oil dock were not dynamited by the Germans in retreat, and many other possible questions concerning the Bouchemaine oil terminal remain to be answered.

Conclusion
In previous articles, fundamental emerged the role of witnesses and experts for identifying and explaining surviving or disappeared structures of the Atlantic Wall.In this article, further emerged fundamental the roles of original air recognition images for identifying surviving and disappeared oil terminal components, of visits on the sites for ascertaining their morphology and preservation states, of archive researches for reconstructing the oil terminal histories and of discussions with experts for understanding aspects of the involved technologies.
All this shows that the study of the Atlantic Wall should be conducted in an interdisciplinary way with the support of experts in different technical fields.
Figure 1.Talards oil terminal-pre-war image, on the left oil tanks, on the right entrance gate, on the foreground left the still existing square tower of the Civic Centre of the Louis Martin Avenue in front of the Commerce Chamber (Pottier, 2013; Archive Saint-Malo, 1940).

Figure 2 .Figure 3 .
Figure 2. Talards oil terminal-(a) tanks on fire (Imperial War Museum, RAF Coastal Command); (b) smoke column above the tanks (Imperial War Museum, RAF Coastal Command) on the right a tanker at the mooring peer.
from allied bombardments on July 1944 in which about 24 -29 bombs hit the terminal site.Three damages reports of 7 th November 1944, 2 nd April 1945 and 12 th March 1946 estimated the damages as follows: tank A damaged at 60%, tank B at 30%, footbridge between the two tanks and accessing stair completely destroyed, tank E about 40 holes on the cap, tank D about 20 holes on the cap, footbridge between the two tanks and accessing stairs slightly distorted by projectile impacts, 1 to 10 tanks 66 perforations on nine tanks, three houses (offices, concierge, WC) damaged, the pipeline metal bridge partially destroyed, 209 m of pipes on the site partially destroyed, 1 hangar damaged at 80%, entrance portal and barriers destroyed at 100%.At its retreat the Kriegsmarine brought away a charging post for trucks, three electro-pumps Mouvex of 28 m 3 , two of the three counters Thémis of 2500 litres of capacity, pipes either in place or in stock for a length of 1221 m, a basin of 5 × 3 m, an oil remover, bronze valves, soldering material and other materials.On 24 th November 1944 a sum of 3,540,000 Frs was authorized for the terminal reconstruction, which started on March 1945 and terminated on November 1946 (Oil Terminal Archive, 2018).Les Petrole de l'Ouest was definitively acquired by the group Elf on 1989.G. T. Tomezzoli DOI: 10.4236/ad.2018.63011203 Archaeological Discovery (b), Figure 7(c), Figure 7(e)).Bollard a (47˚25'0.72''N,0˚36'44.98''W,16.53 m) (Figure 7(b)) was in good preservation state with possible traces of white painting.Its square base was covered by grass.It presented two steps on four opposed column sides, a metallic stair on two opposed column sides, a railing and a blue painted bollard on its top.Two tubes of a possible ground system were fixed on two column sides.Bollard b (47˚24'59.91''N,0˚36'45.57''W,16.45 m) (Figure 7(c), Figure 7(d)) was in good preservation state with possible traces of white painting.Its square base was covered by grass.It presented two steps on four opposed column sides, a metallic stair on four opposed column sides, a railing and a grey painted bollard on its top.One mooring ring, about 30 cm in diameter was attached on four opposed column sides.Bollard c and the superimposed pumping station have disappeared (Figure 7(e)).

Figure 7 .
Figure 7. Bouchemaine oil dock-(a) suspended bridge; (b) platform and columnar bollard a, on the foreground the columnar bollard (b), (d), (e) and the supports of an original metallic barrier; (c) platform and columnar bollard b on the foreground the columnar bollard (d), (e) and supports of the barrier; (d) columnar bollard (b), details; (e) platform, location of the disappeared columnar bollard (c) with superimposed pumping station, on the left and on the foreground left the minor columnar bollards, on the foreground right entrance, concrete white columns and columnar bollard (d); (f) columnar bollard d with two small square holes at a stair lower side; (g) columnar bollard (e); (h) columnar bollard (e), on the fore-ground the columnar bollard (d); (i) columnar bollard (f); (j) unpaved pipeline road.
Bollard f (47˚24'58.08''N,0˚36'47.71''W,16.40  m) (Figure 7(i)) was in good preservation state, with possible traces of white painting.Its square base G. T. Tomezzoli DOI: 10.4236/ad.2018.63011206 Archaeological Discovery emerged from the grass.It presented two steps on four opposed column sides, Subsequently, the pumping station was elevated on the top surface of bollard c and, in recent years a metallic platform was added for facilitating oil barges and tankers discharging(Figures 9(a), Figures9(b)).From the pumping station, the pipeline, partly buried, continued on one side of an unpaved road and then it turned west along the actual rue Chevrière, before to bend at a right angle to cross cultivated fields up to a metal bridge on the SNCF railway and enter the oil terminal.The bollard c, the pumping station and the metallic platform were demolished in 2012 (Figures9(a)-(d)).The pipeline was probably dismantled or remains buried in the terrain and no longer visible.

Figure 10 Figure 9 .
Figure 10 shows the oil terminal organization and is particularly touching because its high quality permits, by enlargement, to distinguish a train formed by a puffing steam locomotive towing 35 wagons crossing the Bouchemaine stations and transiting under the pipeline metal bridge on the faraway day of 17 th September 1948.The oil terminal visit took place on 4 th January 2018.The terminal identified components were the following.The main terminal entrance g, comprising a well preserved white painted German small rectangular bunker (47˚25'9.32''N,0˚37'1.24''W)(Figure11(a))

Figure 12 .Figure 13 .
Figure 12.Bouchemaine oil terminal 1 st area-on the left the six sides wall, in the middle octagonal wall A, on the right octagonal wall B, near the octagonal wall B, on the ground, the oval platform.

Figure 15 .
Figure 15.Octagonal wall E-(a) abraded white board covered by a square blue board; (b) garage leaning against the wall; (c) projectile impact cavities; (d) projectile impact cavity; (e) circular, yellow metallic cover; (f) wall internal structure; (g) metallic pin in the wall; (h) hydraulic valve; (i) riveted tank access; (j) riveted tank access; (k) connection pipes; (l) wall internal structure and tank riveted structure.