Atlantic Wall

Atlantic Wall
Part of the Third Reich
Western coast of Continental Europe and Scandinavia

The Atlantic Wall shown in yellow
Type Defensive fortification
Site information
Controlled by  Nazi Germany
Open to
the public		 Yes
Condition Partially demolished; mostly intact
Site history
Built 1942–44
Built by Forced labourers
In use 1942–45
Materials
  • Concrete
  • Wood
  • Steel
Battles/wars World War II
Events D-Day
St Nazaire Raid
Dieppe Raid
Garrison information
Past
commanders		 Erwin Rommel (1943–44)
Occupants Wehrmacht

The Atlantic Wall (German: Atlantikwall) was an extensive system of coastal defence and fortifications built by Nazi Germany between 1942 and 1944 along the coast of continental Europe and Scandinavia as a defence against an anticipated Allied invasion of Nazi-occupied Europe from Great Britain during World War II.

Hitler ordered the construction of the fortifications in 1942. Almost a million French workers were drafted to build it. The wall was frequently mentioned in Nazi propaganda, where its size and strength were usually exaggerated. The fortifications included colossal coastal guns, batteries, mortars, and artillery, and thousands of German troops were stationed in its defences.[lower-alpha 1] When the Allies eventually invaded the Normandy beaches in 1944, most of the defences were stormed within hours. Today, ruins of the wall exist in all of the nations where the wall was built, although many structures have fallen into the ocean or have been demolished over the years.

Background

World War II in Europe began on 1 September 1939, with Nazi Germany's invasion of Poland. Two days later, Britain and France declared war on Germany.[2] Poland's geographical location, however, prevented the Allies from intervening directly. Four weeks into the attack, the Germans had successfully occupied Poland.[2]

Less than a month after this victory, Adolf Hitler issued a directive stating that Germany must be ready for an offensive through France and the Low Countries.[2] However, the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht (German high command; OKW) was convinced that preparations would take at least until the following year. After furious arguments, Hitler reluctantly agreed to wait.[2] In May 1940, three massive German army groups overran France and the Low Countries in little more than six weeks.[2]

History

Creation

On 23 March 1942, Hitler issued Führer Directive No. 40, which called for the creation of an "Atlantic Wall". He ordered naval and submarine bases to be heavily defended. Fortifications remained concentrated around ports until late in 1943, when defences were increased in other areas.[3] Nazi propaganda claimed that the wall stretched from the cape of Norway down to the Spanish border.[4][5]

Organisation Todt, which had designed the Siegfried Line during the prewar years along the Franco-German border, was the chief engineering group responsible for the design and construction of the wall's major gun emplacements and fortifications.[4][6] The Vichy regime imposed a compulsory labour system, drafting some 600,000 French workers to construct these permanent fortifications along the Dutch, Belgian, and French coasts facing the English Channel.[6]

British attacks

Throughout most of 1942–43, the Atlantic Wall remained a relaxed front for the Axis troops manning it, with only two British attacks. Operation Chariot, launched near St Nazaire in March 1942, was an attempt to destroy German pumping machinery and installations.[7] The second attack was the Dieppe Raid, launched near the French port of Dieppe in August 1942 to test the German defences and 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.[8] Following Dieppe, Hitler gave Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt, the overall German Commander-in-Chief in the West, 15 further divisions to shore up the German positions.[8]

Reorganisation

German soldiers placing landing craft obstructions, 1943

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.[5][8] Believing the existing coastal fortifications to be entirely inadequate, he immediately began strengthening them.[8] Rommel's main concern was Allied air power. He had seen it first-hand when fighting the British and Americans in North Africa, and it had left a profound impression on him.[8] He feared that any German counterattack would be broken up by Allied aircraft long before it could make a difference.[8] Under his direction, hundreds of reinforced concrete pillboxes were built on the beaches, or sometimes slightly inland, to house machine guns, antitank guns, and light and heavy artillery. Land mines and antitank obstacles were planted on the beaches, and underwater obstacles and naval mines were placed in waters just offshore.[9] The intent was to destroy the Allied landing craft before they could unload on the beaches.[9]

D-Day

By the time of the Allied invasion, the Germans had laid almost six million mines in Northern France.[5] More gun emplacements and minefields extended inland along roads leading away from the beaches.[5] In likely landing spots for gliders and parachutists, the Germans emplanted slanted poles with sharpened tops, which the troops called Rommelspargel ("Rommel's Asparagus").[10] Low-lying river and estuarine areas were intentionally flooded.[8] Rommel believed that Germany would inevitably be defeated unless the invasion could be stopped on the beach, declaring, "It is absolutely necessary that we push the British and Americans back from the beaches. Afterwards it will be too late; the first 24 hours of the invasion will be decisive."[9]

The Channel Islands were heavily fortified, particularly the island of Alderney, which is closest to Britain. Hitler had decreed that one-twelfth of the steel and concrete used in the Atlantic Wall should go to the Channel Islands, because of the propaganda value of controlling British territory.[11] The islands were some of the most densely fortified areas in Europe, with a host of Hohlgangsanlage tunnels, casemates, and coastal artillery positions.[12] Walcheren Island is considered to be the "strongest concentration of defences the Nazis had ever constructed."[13]

However, as the Channel Islands lacked strategic significance, the Allies bypassed them when they invaded Normandy. As a result, the German garrisons stationed on the islands did not surrender until 9 May 1945—one day after Victory in Europe Day. The garrison on Alderney did not surrender until 16 May. Because most of their garrisons surrendered peacefully, the Channel Islands are host to some of the best-preserved Atlantic Wall sites.[14]

Fortresses

Many major ports and positions were incorporated into the Atlantic Wall, receiving heavy fortifications. Hitler ordered all positions to fight to the end, and some of them remained in German hands until Germany's unconditional surrender. Several of the port fortresses were resupplied by submarines after being surrounded by Allied Forces. The defenders of these positions included foreign volunteers and SS troops.[15]

Location Commander Garrison strength Notes Surrender Ref.
Scheldt Gustav-Adolf von Zangen 90,000 Battle of the Scheldt 8 November 1944 [16]
Zeebrugge Knut Eberding 14,000
—
 1 November 1944 [17]
Ostend
—
 60,000
—
—
 [18]
Dunkirk Friedrich Frisius 12,000 Allied siege of Dunkirk 8 May 1945 [19]
Calais/Cap Gris-Nez Ludwig Schroeder 7,500 Operation Undergo 30 September 1944 [8]
Boulogne Ferdinand Heim 10,000 Operation Wellhit 22 September 1944 [8]
Le Havre Hermann-Eberhard Wildermuth 14,000 Operation Astonia 12 September 1944 [8]
Cherbourg Karl-Wilhelm von Schlieben 47,000 Battle of Cherbourg 27 June 1944 [8]
Saint-Malo/Dinard Andreas von Aulock 12,000
—
 17 August 1944 [20]
Alderney Maximilian List
—
 Alderney concentration camps 16 May 1945 [21]
Jersey
—
 11,500
—
 9 May 1945 [22]
Brest Hermann-Bernhard Ramcke 38,000 Battle for Brest 19 September 1944 [23]
Lorient Wilhelm Fahrmbacher 25,000
—
 10 May 1945 [24]
St. Nazaire Hans Junck 35,000
—
 11 May 1945 [24]
La Rochelle/La Pallice Ernst Schirlitz 11,500 Allied siege of La Rochelle 9 May 1945 [25]
Royan Hans Michahelles 5,000
—
 17 April 1945 [24]
Le Verdon-sur-Mer Otto Prahl 3,500
—
 20 April 1945 [26]
Channel Islands Rudolf Graf von Schmettow/Friedrich Hüffmeier 28,500 Occupation of the Channel Islands 9 May 1945 [8]

Preservation

France

Immediately after the war, there was little interest in preserving the wall due to the negative memories associated with the Nazi occupation. One of the best preserved parts is the Todt Battery. In 2011, renewed efforts to preserve the wall were spearheaded by organisations in Germany, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. Many of the beach fortifications have toppled or are underwater, while the ones further inland are still mainly extant due to their location.[27]

Elsewhere

Although the defensive wall was never fully completed, many bunkers still exist near Ostend, Scheveningen, Den Haag, Katwijk, and in Scandinavia.[28]

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Atlantic Wall.

Notes

  1. ↑ The coast defence along the North Cape down to the Spanish border, included artillery pieces and naval guns from 105mm to 406mm and were organized into over 600 batteries. In addition, they were over 250 batteries of guns ranging from 75mm to 90mm, including anti-aircraft artillery.[1]

References

Sources

Printed

Online

Media

External links

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