Saint-Leu-d'Esserent

Commune in Hauts-de-France, France

Coat of arms

Location of Saint-Leu-d'Esserent

(2020–2026) Frédéric Besset^[1]Area

13.08 km² (5.05 sq mi)Population

(2021)^[2]

4,606 • Density350/km² (910/sq mi)Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET) • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)INSEE/Postal code

60584 /60340

Elevation25–137 m (82–449 ft)
(avg. 29 m or 95 ft)¹ French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Saint-Leu-d'Esserent (French pronunciation: [sɛ̃ lø dɛsʁɑ̃]) is a commune in the Oise department in northern France.^[3]

Saint Leu is notable for 3,000 square metres (32,000 sq ft) of mushroom caves under the Thiverny plateau.^[4]

History

During World War II, the caves were one of three major underground V-1 flying bomb storage depots. In addition to the caves, the facility included blockhouses, bunkers, flak emplacements and railway links. Allied intelligence firmly identified late in June 1944 that Saint-Leu-d'Esserent and Nucourt were V-1 storage depots.^[5] On 27 June 1944, Saint-Leu-d'Esserent was initially bombed by the US Army Air Force,^[6]^[7] then on 4/5 July 1944 by two RAF forces (the first unsuccessfully used Tallboy bombs in an attempt to collapse the limestone roof of the caves).^[5]^[8] Finally on 7 July 1944, an evening RAF raid successfully blocked the tunnels.^[9]

The storage dump at Thiverny was bombed in 1944 on 5 May,^[10] 11 July,^[11] 12 July^[12]^[13] and 19 July.^[14]^[15]^[16]^[17]

Population

Historical population
Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1968	3,587	—
1975	4,462	+3.17%
1982	4,459	−0.01%
1990	4,288	−0.49%
1999	4,867	+1.42%
2007	4,724	−0.37%
2012	4,667	−0.24%
2017	4,688	+0.09%
Source: INSEE^[18]

References

^ "Répertoire national des élus: les maires" (in French). data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises. 13 September 2022. Archived from the original on 18 July 2021. Retrieved 8 March 2021.
^ "Populations légales 2021". The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 28 December 2023.
^ "INSEE commune file". Archived from the original on 14 April 2022. Retrieved 14 April 2022.
^ Couderchon, Philippe. "The quarries of Saint Leu Esserent". Archived from the original on 3 February 2010. Retrieved 6 March 2009.
^ ^a ^b Collier, Basil (1976) [1964]. The Battle of the V-Weapons, 1944-1945. Yorkshire: The Emfield Press. pp. 68, 82, 84. ISBN 0-7057-0070-4.
^ "8th Air Force 1944 Chronicles". Archived from the original on 10 June 2016. Retrieved 25 May 2007.
^ Taylor, Graham. "Leopold". Archived from the original on 19 January 2010. Retrieved 16 May 2007.
^ Irving, David (1964). The Mare's Nest. London: William Kimber and Co. pp. 168, 220, 245, 246.
^ Richards, Denis (1994) [1964]. The Hardest Victory - RAF Bomber Command in the Second World War. p. 241. Archived from the original on 11 October 2007. Retrieved 10 May 2007.
^ "tbd". tbd. Archived from the original on 30 September 2007. Retrieved 28 October 2008.
^ "tbd". tbd. Archived from the original on 10 October 2006. Retrieved 28 October 2008.
^ "July 1944". Bomber Command 60th Anniversary. RAF. Archived from the original on 11 June 2007.
^ "tbd". tbd. Archived from the original on 10 October 2006. Retrieved 28 October 2008.
^ "tbd". tbd. Archived from the original on 14 April 2008. Retrieved 28 October 2008.
^ "tbd". tbd. Archived from the original on 18 December 2007. Retrieved 28 October 2008.
^ "tbd". tbd. Archived from the original on 2 March 2009. Retrieved 28 October 2008.
^ "tbd". tbd. Archived from the original on 30 May 2009. Retrieved 28 October 2008.
^ Population en historique depuis 1968, INSEE