{"id":5863,"date":"2022-12-20T11:37:37","date_gmt":"2022-12-20T11:37:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fronterasdehormigon.com\/?page_id=5863"},"modified":"2022-12-20T12:19:06","modified_gmt":"2022-12-20T12:19:06","slug":"building-the-impassable-atlantic-frontier","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.fronterasdehormigon.com\/en\/building-the-impassable-atlantic-frontier\/","title":{"rendered":"Building the impassable Atlantic frontier"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Construction of the fortifications<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\n \n \n\n \n \"fondo-hormigon-webb-naranja\" \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n<\/section>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Building the impassable Atlantic frontier<\/h2><\/div>\n <\/section>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Bundesarchiv. Bild101I-223-0046-16A<\/figcaption><\/figure>

In March 1942, following the invasion of a large part of Europe by the German armies, Hitler ordered the construction of the largest defensive infrastructure in military history, aimed at securing control of the conquered territory: the Atlantic Wall.\u00a0 <\/span>This was a line of bunkers, anti-aircraft batteries, submarine bases, etc. stretching almost 3,000 kilometres between Hendaye and the North Cape in Norway, which was to \u201cshield” the Atlantic coast under German rule.<\/p>

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Blan Nez (Pas-de-Calais). 1942.
\u2028Inauguration of the Battery Lindemann.<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Hitler’s orders were to erect 15,000 fortifications by the summer of 1943.\u00a0 <\/span>These ambitious plans were to clash with reality.\u00a0 <\/span>By the planned date, just over 8,000 had been completed.\u00a0 <\/span>By the time of the Allied landings in Normandy, just over 11,000 fortifications had been built. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>

The construction effort was enormous and required the participation of 300,000 workers in France alone.\u00a0 <\/span>The “Regelbau” system was used, with books of drawings for each of 600+ types of bunkers and casemates approved, to standardise and speed up the construction process, a methodology that would later be applied in the second phase of the Pyrenean Fortification.<\/p>

A wide variety of structures were erected, from large artillery positions, anti-tank cannons and machine gun nests to an immense range of coastal defences, mined areas, etc.\u00a0 <\/span>The latter were developed under the orders of Marshal Rommel in the months leading up to the Allied landings.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Construction of the fortifications<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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