As early as the summer of 1940, the Germans began building coastal batteries along the western European coast. They also built field fortifications such as trenches and machine gun nests. There was no mention of an Atlantic Wall, or Neue Westwall as the line was first called, at the time. The batteries were mainly meant to defend access to important ports. In the Netherlands, these were IJmuiden, Rotterdam, Vlissingen and Den Helder. At the time, the Germans still thought that coastal defences could also play an important role in a possible invasion of England. Indeed, the coastal batteries could then protect the German invasion fleet. But the invasion ultimately failed because Germany lost the air war over England. From 1941, the German army placed open artillery positions between the coastal batteries to protect the coast. In this way, the idea of a line already somewhat emerged.
Hitler shifted his attention to the east and on 22 June 1941 he invaded the Soviet Union. When the attack stalled in mud, snow and ice just before Moscow in late 1941, Hitler faced a possible war on two fronts if the British attacked anywhere in the west. But for coastal defence, he did not have enough soldiers. Hitler therefore decided on 14 December 1941 to build the Neue Westwall. In this concept, the existing defences would be expanded into a closed defence line, which would run from the Arctic Ocean to the Bay of Biscay. By thus sealing off the western European coast, Hitler’s idea was, he could free up the soldiers he so desperately needed on the Russian front. Coastal protection now became coastal defence.
The defence of strategically important locations such as ports, industrial areas and cities was a priority, so work was concentrated there. Besides field fortifications, thousands of Ständiger Ausbau bunkers were to be built to house artillery, men and ammunition. These so-called St-bunkers had walls and roofs of reinforced concrete more than two metres thick. But construction of the Neue Westwall did not progress much at first due to a shortage of materials, lack of sufficient personnel and transport and organisational problems. Instead of St-bunkers, mainly brick structures and verstärkt feldmässige bunkers of only one metre thick concrete were built.
Consequently, Hitler was not satisfied with the progress and, moreover, felt that the remaining open positions were too vulnerable to air attacks. In the summer of 1942, he therefore decided that from then on only St.-bunkers should be built and the defence line should be able to repel attacks from both sea and land. On 25 August 1942, General Field Marshal Gerd Von Rundstedt, then commander-in-chief of all German forces on the Western Front, orders that the Western European coast be made into an impregnable fortress. This order Number 14 actually marked the birth of the Atlantic Wall. Batteries and artillery bunkers were to form the sea front, while the land front, the defence against air landings and trench movements, was to consist of artillery bunkers, tank trenches, tank walls and other obstacles.
By 1 May 1943, 15,000 St-bunkers should have been built along the western European coast. Indeed, Hitler assumed that each St-bunker could safely house 20 troops, and that 300,000 soldiers were needed to man the Atlantic Wall. But due to lack of labour, building materials and fuel, only 6,000 St-bunkers were completed by the deadline. Of these, 510 were in the Netherlands instead of the planned 2,000.
In late 1943, Hitler appointed Field Marshal Erwin Rommel as inspector of the Atlantic Wall. Rommel noted that the Atlantic Wall was not yet the impregnable fortress Hitler had in mind. His main objection was that the enemy, if they managed to get ashore, could easily break through the defences. According to him, in the event of an invasion, attackers would have to be destroyed already at sea. In the extreme case, the decisive battle would then take place on the beach. In early 1944, Rommel had all kinds of barricades placed in the tide line and large numbers of so-called Rommel-asperges, diagonally buried poles connected with steel wires and equipped with mines. He also reinforced the landward defences by flooding low-lying areas and constructing minefields, earthen walls, trenches, tank trenches and other obstacles.
Hitler shifted his attention eastward and on June 22, 1941, he invaded the Soviet Union. When the attack got bogged down in mud, snow, and ice just outside Moscow in late 1941, Hitler found himself faced with the potential of a two-front war if the British attacked somewhere in the west. But he did not have enough soldiers to defend the coast. So on December 14, 1941, Hitler decided to build the Neue Westwall. In this concept, the existing defenses would be expanded into a closed defense line, running from the Arctic Ocean to the Bay of Biscay. By sealing off the Western European coast in this way, Hitler thought, he could free up the soldiers he so desperately needed on the Russian front. Coastal protection now became coastal defense.
In the Netherlands, the construction of the Atlantic Wall had far-reaching consequences for the inhabitants of the coastal region. Large parts were declared a restricted area (closed area) and 300,000 people were forcibly evacuated. In The Hague alone, 150,000 people had to leave their homes and find shelter elsewhere, often far outside their own city or province. Many of them did not return to their homes after the war. Early in 1944, the Germans flooded large parts of Zeeland, which led to the evacuation of 60,000 Zeelanders. In addition, almost 15,000 homes and buildings in the coastal region were demolished to build defenses, such as anti-tank ditches, and to create a clear field of fire.
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