Wartime Wednesday: The Atlantic Wall
What comes to mind when you hear the phrase “The
Atlantic Wall?” I imagined some sort of brick or concrete block structure
similar to the Berlin Wall or Hadrian’s Wall. Perhaps even the Great Wall of
China. Nope. That’s not it.
Turns out, the Atlantic Wall was an extensive system
of fortifications and defenses created by the German Army along the coast of
continental Europe and Scandinavia. Early in the war, Hitler anticipated an
invasion by the Allies and set about to prevent their success. (The beaches of
Normandy were part of this 1,670 mile “wall.”)
Nearly one million French were forced to build this
collection of machine gun posts, emplacements, military installations, radar
stations, mines, fortresses, and bunkers. It is reported that 1.2 million tons
of steel (enough to make 20,000 tanks) and 17 cubic meters of concrete (the
equivalent of 1,100 Yankee Stadiums) were used during the project. It cost 3.7
million Reichsmarks, equal to $306 billion in today’s money.
The Wall continues to create controversy in France.
Some saw the Atlantic Wall as a sign of collaboration during the War. Many
French construction companies got very rich out of building the Wall. Because
these same companies were needed to help with reconstruction after the war,
nothing was said, but others saw the abandoned defenses as a reminder of the
occupation and couldn’t wait to tear them down. It wasn’t until decades later
that the public began to preserve sections of the Wall, and these
fortifications draw thousands of tourists.
Although never completed, bunkers still exist in Ostend,
Channel Islands, Den Haag, Scandinavia, and other locations.
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