A breathtaking look at the once-enormous effort that Nazi Germany, with all its industrial power, made to protect its newfound Atlantic coastline, with many of its wartime installations still there to be seen . . . Masters of the continent, the Nazis realised that they would have to defend their gains, and once the United States entered the war, redoubled their efforts. Using forced and slave labour they built a chain of defensive positions, coastal batteries, and beach defences from the top of Norway to the Franco-Spanish border. However, as was so typical of the Nazis, while the bunkers and batteries seem impressively constructed, and the Atlantic Wall has left a permanent reminder of the years of Nazi domination, it was crippled by lack of strategic planning, internal bickering, and a multitude of command structures that did not communicate with each other effectively. In June 1944 the Allies burst through the wall, and while it took many lives to break the crust of the German defences, the vaunted Atlantic Wall proved ineffective save for the fortresses the Allies bypassed and subdued later. Using the same formula as in their books on 'The Normandy Battlefields' and 'Race to the Rhine', Leo Marriott and Simon Forty combine bespoke aerial photography with old photographs, maps, and current illustrations to provide a pictorial analysis of the subject Around 500 illustrations ensure the subject is well covered. After opening sections on the construction of the wall, the defensive plan, and the different structures that were built, 'Hitler's Atlantic Wall: Yesterday and Today' provides a survey of the key locations and what can be seen today including many of the museums that interpret them. The bulk of the book is divided geographically by country, dealing with France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, and Norway. After 70 years, the Atlantic Wall is still a remarkable reminder of the war years, and one that continues to fascinate. SELLING POINTS: . One rarely recognizes the challenge the Western Allies faced in invading Europe until one sees anew the preparations the Germans made for our invasions . This book not only provides before-and-after photos, but new aerial photography to show just how formidable Hitler's Atlantic Wall was-and remains to this day . Expert text guides the reader through exact locations-not just for the military actions that ensued but where sites can still be visited 500 illustrations
Author Biography:
Collaborators on The Normandy Battlefields and Race to the Rhine, Leo Marriott and Simon Forty have long worked together as an expert team. Leo is a retired Air Traffic Controller who has had more than 30 books published on his specialist subjects: naval warfare and aviation. He is an experienced pilot and accomplished aerial photographer. Simon Forty has been working in publishing as an editor and author for 35 years. George Forty had three careers: as a serving officer for 30 years in the Royal Tank Regiment; as curator of the world-famous Bovington Tank Museum; and as a prolific author of military books. Together their expertise and resources on WWII history can hardly be surpassed. Leo Marriott is a retired Air Traffic Controller who has had more than thirty books published on his specialist subjects: naval warfare and aviation. He is an experienced pilot and accomplished aerial photographer, and his work is featured in this book. Simon Forty was educated in Dorset and the north of England before reading history at London University's School of Slavonic and East European Studies. He has been involved in publishing since the mid-1970s, first as editor and latterly as author. Son of author and RAC Tank Museum curator, George Forty, he has continued in the family tradition writing mainly on historical and military subjects. Amongst other books, he is the author of The German Infantryman on the Eastern Front (with Richard Charlton Taylor, 2023) and Red Army into the Reich (with Nik Cornish, 2021), both published by Casemate, and has co-authored a range of highly illustrated books on the Normandy battlefields, the Atlantic Wall and the liberation of the Low Countries.
