Atlantic Wall The Atlantic Wall ( German : " Atlantikwall " ) was an extensive system of coastal fortification s built by Nazi Germany between 1942 and 1945 along the western coast of Europe and Scandinavia as a defense against an anticipated Allied invasion of the mainland continent from Great Britain . History . On March 23 , 1942 Führer Directive Number 40 called for the official creation of the Atlantic Wall . After the St . Nazaire Raid , on April 13 , 1942 Adolf Hitler ordered naval and submarine bases to be heavily defended . Fortifications remained concentrated around ports until late in 1943 when defences were increased in other areas . Organisation Todt , which had designed the Siegfried Line ( " Westwall " ) along the Franco - German border , was the chief engineering group responsible for the design and construction of the wall ' s major fortifications . Thousands of forced laborers were impressed to construct these permanent fortifications along the Dutch , Belgian and French coasts facing the English Channel . Early in 1944 , Field Marshal Erwin Rommel was assigned to improve the Wall ' s defences . Rommel believed the existing coastal fortification s were entirely inadequate and he immediately began strengthening them . Under his direction , a string of reinforced concrete pillbox es was built along the beaches , or sometimes slightly inland , to house machine gun s , antitank guns and light artillery . Mines and antitank obstacles were planted on the beaches themselves and underwater obstacles and mine s were placed in waters just off shore . The intent was to destroy the Allied landing craft before they could unload . By the time of the invasion , the Germans had laid almost six million mines in northern France . More gun emplacements and minefields extended inland , along roads leading away from the beaches . In likely landing spots for glider s and parachutists , the Germans emplaced slanted poles with sharpened tops , which the troops called " Rommelspargel " ( " Rommel ' s asparagus " ) . Low - lying river and estuarine areas were permanently flooded , as well . Rommel firmly believed that Germany would inevitably be defeated unless the invasion could be stopped at the beach . Although the defensive wall was never completed , the Wall ' s existence has served to explain away concerns of the Soviet Union as to why the Second Front was not opened until June 6 , 1944 ( less than a year before the end of the war in Europe ) . The Wall primarily consisted of batteries , bunker s , and minefields , which during 1942 – 1944 , stretched from the French - Spanish border to Norway ( Festung Norwegen ) . Many bunkers still exist , for example near Scheveningen , Den Haag , Katwijk and in Normandy . In Oostende , Belgium the public may visit a well - preserved part of the defences . That section consists of emplacements of the " Saltzwedel neu battery " and the " Stützpunkt Bensberg " , consisting of several men ’ s quarters and the necessary facilities . These constructions were used by a unit of German military engineers ( " Pionierstab " ) who were in charge of bunker construction . The Channel Islands were heavily fortified , particularly the island of Alderney which is closest to Britain . Hitler had decreed that 1 / 12th of the steel and concrete used in the Atlantic Wall go to the Channel Islands , because of the propaganda value of controlling British territory . The Channel Islands were some of the most densely fortified areas in Europe with a host of Hohlgangsanlage tunnels , Casemates and Coastal artillery positions . Mountbatten commented : " Each island is a veritable fortress , the assault against which cannot be contemplated unless the defences are neutralised , or reduced to a very considerable extent by prior action . " Despite the mooting of Operation Constellation " et al . " , the Allies bypassed the islands and did not try to liberate them when they invaded Normandy . The islands ' German garrisons did not surrender until 9 May 1945 – one day after the German armed forces on the mainland . The German garrison on Alderney did not surrender until 16 May . Because the German garrison surrendered peacefully the Channel Islands are host to some of the best preserved Atlantic Wall sites . Walcheren Island was considered to be the " strongest concentration of defences the Nazis had ever constructed . " Commands . The Atlantic Wall was not a single organisation except in the administration of its building . Militarily it was divided into eight commands : Fortresses . Many major ports and positions were made part of the Atlantic Wall and received heavy fortifications . Hitler ordered them all to fight to the end and some of them remained in German hands until the unconditional surrender of Axis Forces on May 8 , 1945 . Several of the port fortresses were resupplied by submarine after being surrounded by Allied forces . The defenders of these positions included Slavic soldiers and SS troops . References . German Publication ( PhD ) in military history