Monument record TQ 55 SW 492 - Second World War V2 missile impact site, Chevening Wood

On 27 February 1945, a German V-2 rocket struck Greenlane Wood, Chevening, Kent, at 04:33 am. Archival records show the missile caused damage to several cottages but resulted in no casualties. The impact crater was originally measured at 8.2 metres wide and 2.7 metres deep, though later surveys found it much shallower, likely due to infill and natural processes. Evidence suggests the rocket may have hit a tree before exploding, resulting in a smaller crater and widespread debris.

The fieldwork methodology at Greenlane Wood combined archival research with systematic on-site investigation. The team began by reviewing wartime records, bomb census forms, aerial photographs, and Lidar data to confirm the V-2 impact location. On-site, they conducted a visual assessment of the crater and used metal detectors to systematically search for artefacts, logging each find’s GPS coordinates to map the blast field. A magnetometer survey was performed to detect deeper metallic remains. The team recorded environmental and geological conditions, assessed site integrity, and ensured minimal disturbance. All finds were documented, conserved, and interpreted in relation to the site’s wartime context.

The fieldwork identified a shallow, ill-defined crater at the documented V-2 rocket impact site, now measuring about 5 metres wide and 0.5 metres deep—smaller than wartime records due to infill and natural changes. Using metal detectors, they recovered sixteen artefacts positively identified as V-2 rocket debris, mostly aluminium fuel tank fragments and one possible turbo-pump component, many found close to the surface. GPS mapping of these finds revealed the blast field’s extent. Magnetometer readings in the crater’s eastern quadrant suggested larger metallic remains at depth, indicating further buried rocket components. The site’s integrity was well-preserved, with minimal modern disturbance, making it a valuable location for future excavation and research into V-2 impacts and wartime manufacturing. (1)

<1> Research Resource Archaeology, 2023, V2 Greenlane Wood, Chevening, Kent (Unpublished document). SKE57425.