Hitler's 'Atlantic Wall' Coastal Defences Get 2nd Life, Living Under War, Occupation WWII

Last edited Wed Mar 23, 2022, 06:00 PM - Edit history (3)

- Legacy of Hitler's Atlantic Wall defenses built by forced Labor. 'WW2 Era Bunkers in Brittany Get A 2nd Life.' It began as one of Hitler's craziest ideas: to construct 4,000 kilometres of defences along the entire coastline of mainland Europe. Some 76 years later, local governments, private individuals & companies are trying to give a 2nd life to sections of the infamous Atlantic Wall. In the Finistère department of Brittany in western France, a half-buried bunker now houses a museum featuring the voices of those who lived under German occupation. Meanwhile, an abandoned bunker on Brittany's Cap Fréhel peninsula is now home to a group of bats. (6 mins). France24, Dec. 13, 2021.
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- The Atlantic Wall was an extensive system of coastal defences & fortifications built by Nazi Germany 1942 -1944 along the coast of continental Europe & Scandinavia in anticipation of an Allied invasion of Nazi-occupied Europe from the UK. The manning & operation of the Atlantic Wall was administratively overseen by the German Army, with some support from Luftwaffe ground forces. The Kriegsmarine (German Navy) maintained a separate coastal defence network. Hitler ordered the construction of the fortifications in 1942 through his Führer Directive No. 40. More than a half million French workers were drafted to build it. The wall was frequently mentioned in Nazi propaganda, where its size & strength were usually exaggerated. The fortifications included colossal coastal guns, batteries, mortars, & artillery, & thousands of German troops were stationed in its defences.

Today, ruins of the wall exist in all of the nations where it was built, although many structures have fallen into the ocean or have been demolished over the years.

World War II in Europe began on 1 September 1939, with Nazi Germany's invasion of Poland. Two days later, the UK & France declared war on Germany. Poland's geographical location, however, prevented the Allies from intervening directly. Four weeks into the attack, the Germans had successfully occupied Poland. Less than a month after this victory, Hitler issued a directive stating that Germany must be ready for an offensive through France & the Low Countries. However, the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht (German high command) was convinced that preparations would take at least until the following year. After furious arguments, Hitler reluctantly agreed to wait. In May 1940, 3 massive German army groups overran France & the Low Countries in little more than 6 weeks.
- British attacks: Throughout most of 1942–43, the Atlantic Wall remained a relaxed front for the Axis troops manning it, with only 2 large-scale British attacks. Operation Chariot, near St Nazaire in March 1942, successfully destroyed German pumping machinery for, & severely damaged, the Normandie dry dock & installations. The 2nd attack was the Dieppe Raid, launched near the French port of Dieppe in Aug. 1942 to test the German defences & provide combat experience for Canadian troops. The Germans were defeated at St. Nazaire but had little difficulty in repulsing the attack at Dieppe, where they inflicted heavy casualties. Although the Dieppe raid was a disaster for the Allies, it alarmed Hitler, who was sure an Allied invasion in the West would shortly follow. After Dieppe, he gave Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt, the overall German Commander-in-Chief in the West, 15 further divisions to shore up the German positions.

- Reorganisation: Early in 1944, with an Allied invasion of Nazi-occupied Europe becoming ever more likely, Field Marshal Erwin Rommel was assigned to improve the wall's defences. Believing the existing coastal fortifications to be entirely inadequate, he immediately began strengthening them. Rommel's main concern was Allied air power. He had seen it 1st-hand when fighting the British & Americans in North Africa & it left a profound impression. He feared that any German counterattack would be broken up by Allied aircraft long before it could make a difference. Hundreds of reinforced concrete pillboxes were built on the beaches, or sometimes slightly inland, to house machine guns, antitank guns, & light & heavy artillery. Land mines & antitank obstacles were planted on the beaches, & underwater obstacles & naval mines were placed in waters just offshore. Little known was that touch sensitive mines were placed atop the beach obstacles. The intent was to destroy the Allied landing craft before they could unload on the beaches...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlantic_Wall#:~:text=The%20Atlantic%20Wall%20



- Camouflaged German torpedo battery in northern Norway.




- Personal story of wartime tragedy, recovery. Excavating the Atlantic Wall Near Bordeaux, France, (4 mins), DW, 2016. To fortify the Atlantic coast against an anticipated Allied invasion, the Nazis forced slave laborers to build huge bunkers along it. The son of one of those workers is now excavating them, awakening horrifying memories for many.



- Pathe, original film, The Atlantic Wall, 1944. Field Marshal Rommel's inspection, Hitler's 'defensive' state of mind...