Atlantic Wall
The Atlantic Wall was an extensive system of
coastal fortifications built by the
German Third Reich during
World War II along the
western coast of Europe in order to defend against an anticipated Anglo-American invasion of the continent from
Great Britain.
Fritz Todt, who had designed the
Siegfried Line along the
Franco-German border, was the chief engineer employed in the design and construction of the wall's major fortifications. Thousands of forced laborers were impressed to construct these permanent fortifications along the
Dutch,
Belgian and French coasts facing the
English Channel.
Encyclopedia
The
Atlantic Wall was an extensive system of
coastal fortifications built by the
German Third Reich during
World War II along the
western coast of Europe in order to defend against an anticipated Anglo-American invasion of the continent from
Great Britain.
Fritz Todt, who had designed the
Siegfried Line along the
Franco-German border, was the chief engineer employed in the design and construction of the wall's major fortifications. Thousands of forced laborers were impressed to construct these permanent fortifications along the
Dutch,
Belgian and French coasts facing the
English Channel.
Early in 1944, Field Marshal
Erwin Rommel was assigned to improve the defenses of the Wall. Rommel believed the existing coastal
fortifications were entirely inadequate, and he immediately began strengthening them. Under his direction, a string of
reinforced concrete pillboxes were built along the beaches, or sometimes slightly inland, to house
machine guns,
antitank guns, and light artillery.
Minefields and antitank obstacles were planted on the beaches themselves, and underwater obstacles and
mines were planted in the waters just off shore. The intent was to destroy the Allied
landing craft before they could even unload.
By the time of the invasion, the Germans had laid almost 6 million mines in northern France. More gun emplacements and minefields extended inland, along the roads leading out from the beaches. In likely landing spots for
gliders and
parachutists, the Germans emplaced slanted poles, which the troops called
Rommelspargel , and low-lying river and estuarine areas were permanently flooded.
One of Germany's most clear-sighted Field Marshals, Rommel firmly believed that the invasion would have to be stopped at the beach itself, or the situation would otherwise inevitably lead to the defeat of Germany.
The
defensive wall was never completed; consisting primarily of batteries,
bunkers, and
minefields, which during 1942-1944 stretched from the
French-
Spanish border into
Norway. A number of the
bunkers are still present, for example near
Scheveningen,
The Hague, and in
Normandy. After WWII some bunkers sank into the sand and there were noneffective efforts by governments to blow up these bunkers.
The
Channel Islands were heavily fortified, particularly the island of
Alderney which is the closest to France. Hitler had decreed that 10% of the steel and concrete used in the Atlantic Wall go to the Channel Islands, because of the propaganda value of controlling British territory. Despite the mooting of Operation Constellation
et al, the Allies bypassed the islands for this reason and did not try to liberate them when they liberated Normandy. The islands' German garrisons did not surrender until 9 May 1945 - one day after the rest of the German armed forces. The German garrison on Alderney did not surrender until the 16 May.
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