We stayed in a National Park in Lithuania. We didn't have any local currency to pay the fee and no-one wanted Euros. In the end they let us stay for free - once the stilted german on both sides - explained not Austria - kangaroo Australia! They couldn't believe we had come all this way.
The next day we drive to the Cold War Museum outside Platelai. Having driven almost all the way around the lake and found out the actual location, we realised it had just been a few km through the forest from our overnight stay.
The missile site is hidden in the forest. Each silo is 25m deep and with a final width of 5m. Each shaft was lined with a thick concrete collar then a 1 m gap then a 3m steel lining. The final shaft had to be exactly perpendicular to ensure that the missile did not touch the sides if fired.
There were 4 missiles at this site. The underground area consisted of 6 levels (reached by a network of elevators and tunnels) for communications, equipment, fuelling and personnel rest areas. Some areas were supposedly protected against accidentally missile explosion. In the event of a nuclear attack the troops would only have been able to survive for about 3 days.
The original design intended that the shafts would be able to be reused after repairs if a missile was launched and so reserve missiles were stored in the neighbouring area. Eventually they realised this was impractical and four missiles were installed. To ensure they were fit for use, they were replaced every 6 months.
There were 5 other sites of this type in Lithuania alone.
The next day we drive to the Cold War Museum outside Platelai. Having driven almost all the way around the lake and found out the actual location, we realised it had just been a few km through the forest from our overnight stay.
The missile site is hidden in the forest. Each silo is 25m deep and with a final width of 5m. Each shaft was lined with a thick concrete collar then a 1 m gap then a 3m steel lining. The final shaft had to be exactly perpendicular to ensure that the missile did not touch the sides if fired.
There were 4 missiles at this site. The underground area consisted of 6 levels (reached by a network of elevators and tunnels) for communications, equipment, fuelling and personnel rest areas. Some areas were supposedly protected against accidentally missile explosion. In the event of a nuclear attack the troops would only have been able to survive for about 3 days.
The original design intended that the shafts would be able to be reused after repairs if a missile was launched and so reserve missiles were stored in the neighbouring area. Eventually they realised this was impractical and four missiles were installed. To ensure they were fit for use, they were replaced every 6 months.
There were 5 other sites of this type in Lithuania alone.