The Atlantic Wall

History and Guide

A. Jankovic-Potocnik, J. E. Kaufmann, H. W. Kaufmann, Vladimir Tonic

• Publisher: Pen & Sword Military
• Year: 2012
• eBook ISBN:
  9781783378388
• Topic: Personal Development
• Subtopic: History Reference

This WWII history and visitor's guide explores the extensive network of Nazi fortifications built to defend Fortress Europe.
Hitler's Atlantic Wall, the complex system of coastal fortifications that stretched from Norway to the Spanish border during the Second World War, was built to defend occupied Europe from Allied invasion. Many of its principal structures survive and can be visited today. This authoritative guide provides both practical information for visitors and essential historical context.
The wall, which was constructed on a massive scale between 1942 and 1944 by German engineers, forced laborers and troops, consisted of strong points, artillery casemates, bunkers, troop shelters, minefields, anti-tank and anti-boat obstacles. It also included the concrete U-boat and E-boat pens in the key ports and, behind the Channel coast, the V-weapon sites. This huge scheme of fortifications was one of the longest series of defensive lines in military history.
This comprehensive volume takes readers and visitors through the entire story of the fortifications from the fall of France to the D-Day invasion on the beaches of Normandy that finally broke through. As a guide to some of the most impressive relics of the Second World War, this book is essential reading for travelers or anyone interested in the liberation of occupied Europe.

Table of contents

• Front Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Contents
• Dedication
• Acknowledgements
• Glossary of Terms
• Chapter 1: Prelude to Stagnation
• Chapter 2: Testing the German Defences, 1940-1942
• Chapter 3: Creating the Atlantic Wall
• Chapter 4: The Strategic Value of the Atlantic Wall
• Chapter 5: Guns and Bunkers
• Chapter 6: Bunkers and Beaches
• Chapter 7: Special Equipment and Weapons
• Chapter 8: The Allies Prepare, The Germans React
• Chapter 9: Invasion: D-Day, 6 June 1944
• Chapter 10: Consolidation
• Chapter 11: GuidE
• Appendix: Bombing Results of Operation Venerable
• Notes
• Bibliography