Blockhaus AOK7 (Historique'Mans)

The Blockhaus AOK7, now presented under the name “Historiqu'Mans,” is a museum of about 500 m² devoted to World War II and the military history of the Sarthe. It is located on the grounds of the Berthelot middle school, where the German bunker is preserved in nearly intact condition, having escaped the looting and damage that hit other fortifications. Guided tours, led by a team of volunteer enthusiasts, last about an hour and are offered in French, English, and German.

A rare memorial site for its state of preservation, it makes concrete the strategic role Le Mans played during the Occupation, far from the better-known sites of the Atlantic Wall.

A bit of history

The bunker, nicknamed the “Bunker Dollmann” after General Friedrich Dollmann, served as headquarters for the German 7th Army (AOK7), which commanded up to 161 000 soldiers from Le Mans across Brittany and Normandy, from 1942 until the liberation of Le Mans on August 8, 1944. Sealed and buried in 1946, it fell into oblivion until it was rediscovered in 2011.

In 2013, the nonprofit AOK7 Le Mans (since renamed Historiqu'Mans) was created to preserve and conserve the bunker, before opening a 500 m² museum on site, the “Mémorial de la Sarthe AOK7 Le Mans,” devoted to World War II and the military history of the Sarthe department.