Discover the story of Lieutenant Esch and the residents of Noordwijk.
Along the coast of Noordwijk, the remains of Batterie Noordwijk recall a period in which the village became part of a global conflict. After the occupation of the Netherlands in May 1940, the Marine Abteilung 201 was transferred from IJmuiden to Noordwijk under the command of Marine Artillery Lieutenant Esch. The 180 men were housed in an old Dutch battery, where they renovated existing buildings and constructed new quarters and splinter-proof bunkers. The inhabitants of IJmuiden had come to know and appreciate them, but in the winter of 1940 the Abteilung had to start over in Noordwijk, using the golf clubhouse as a sleeping barracks and Villa Casa Mare as the officers’ mess.
“It was difficult for all of us to say goodbye to IJmuiden,” Esch recalled. “How would we manage in our new position was everyone’s anxious question. Moreover, it was particularly difficult because we had to completely rebuild Batterie Noordwijk. In the beginning, we didn’t even have proper accommodation.” With this uncertainty, the soldiers began the hard work. Together with engineers, they rolled up their sleeves, and slowly the landscape filled with bunkers and other structures. The battery in Noordwijk grew into a complex of four large gun bunkers, one fire control bunker, two ammunition bunkers, and numerous smaller bunkers connected by tunnel systems.
For the residents of Noordwijk, life had clearly changed. An older inhabitant recalled: “He had to provide the families of fishermen who had fled to England with income and food; this was arranged through the church.” Others described how Rijnsburg and Noordwijk were in contact with the resistance, while the soldiers mainly focused on keeping their battery secure: “Their only interest was that everything remained calm in Noordwijk.” For children as well, daily life changed drastically. “Our play area became smaller and smaller. We were no longer allowed to go to the beach or the dunes, so we played more inland. There was an anti-tank ditch where we built small rafts.” The bunkers, tunnels, and fortifications have, for many residents, become part of their childhood memories to this day.
By early 1941, the guns were combat-ready and positioned in open emplacements. Between 1943 and 1944, the guns of Batterie Noordwijk were fully installed in concrete bunkers. Today, visitors to the Atlantikwall Museum Noordwijk can touch the concrete walls and imagine what life and work were like for the soldiers stationed there.
Disclaimer & source attribution: These stories were provided by participating locations and volunteers of Bunkerdag and are based on personal memories of those involved. They are subjective and may differ from historical facts or be experienced differently by others. No rights can be derived from this content.