Coastal erosion has left many bunkers stranded on the beach, like this H120 artillery observation bunker on Platier d’Oye east of Calais. It is an interesting example since it is still fitted with its 27P01 armored cupola, a feature that was removed from most bunkers after the war due to its scrap value. (Author’s collection)
PRINCIPLES OF DEFENSE
Like many of Hitler’s personal passions, the Atlantic Wall was a half-baked scheme. The gnat bites by British Commandos along the French and Norwegian coast provoked Hitler into a massive construction completely out of proportion to its tactical value. Hitler had a visceral enthusiasm for monumental fortification after his experiences as a young infantryman in the trenches in World War I. Ironically, it was the Wehrmacht that had demonstrated the futility of linear defenses against the combined power of mechanized firepower and air attack. Furthermore, the Atlantic coast was so long that it was impossible to create any defense-in-depth with the Atlantic Wall, inevitably resulting in a weak and vulnerable configuration. As Frederick the Great had remarked: “who defends everything, defends nothing.”