Operation Overlord and German defensive positions - Fritz Todt - Erwin Rommel - Pt 1

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Raw "Atlantic Wall 1944" footage
https://filmhauer.net/atlantik-wall-1944-p-15529.html

This is the correct footage of a Hybrid Panzerwerfer of the 21st PzD being demonstrated to Fieldmarshal Erwin Rommel in the spring of 1944 in France which fits in well with todays video. The footage I showed a few videos back was actually a multiple mortar carriage. If you’re a patreon channel member you have access to more of this exclusive footage. If not, please consider becoming one.

This is the cover of the periodical Die Wehrmacht, Nr. 5 from March 1, 1944. The photograph shows a unit leader explaining to an engineer where where the mines he is carrying should be placed in no-mans-land.

This article shows an example of the defensive preparations of a probably non existent 5 KM of French Atlantic coastline.

Erwin Rommel Speech -
In relation to our defenses. In relation to the moral of our soldiers and the new weapons that we have been armed with. We can be completely at ease with the coming events…and… we don’t need to be worried for a moment about whether it goes well or badly. Things will go our way. And I don’t believe that the British will come back and try a second time.

n preparing the defenses of the Atlantic coast, Rommel stressed the importance of taking advantage of what was already present.

Built upon a platform of protruding rocks and starkly jetting out into the water this Vauben-fort would certainly receive much of the initial attacking strength of the enemy.

Sebastian Vauban was a French military engineer who revolutionized defensive structures in the 17th century. Even in the 20th century his fortifications were relevant. In addition, referring to his defensive bulwarks was useful politically as there were built to fend off intrusion by the British.

This text states that ever since the British became a world power. the European continent has been under constant danger of being invaded. Ludwig the 14th ordered the military engineer Vauban to build fortifications that would defend the coastline. Vauban developed the concept of the Festungsgürtel, or layered defense which revolutionized military doctrine.

Modern technologies which were championed by the German engineer Fritz Todt have been incorporated for example the use of concrete.

The article now switches to a macro view of the 5 KM of coastline providing a map and illustration which shows the layers of defense. As we go through the different layers I’ll add film footage which is related to the subject matter.

First we’ll look at the Vorpostensicherung, or Forward Security. This would generally be made up of relatively small surface vessels like the fast S-Boots. Although armed with torpedoes, in the event of an invasion their primary responsibility was to raise the alarm in order to prepare the defenses.

The next line of defense are the mine fields. The fuzes are set into place. The mines are armed. Based on locations plotted on nautical charts, the mines are dropped into the water in a carefully timed sequence.

Here situated high on a bluff is a heavily fortified command and control lookout bunker.

Building the Atlantic Wall was officially the responsibility of the Organisation Todt which was not under Rommel's command, but he enthusiastically joined the task, protesting the use of slave labour and suggesting that they should recruit French civilians and pay them good wages.

Behind and around the command and control bunker can be seen batteries of artillery of different calibers. Many of the guns from captured warships were removed and placed in fixed defensive positions like this. Because of their range and destructive capability these gun emplacements were targeted heavily by allied bombers.

One way that the slave laborers were able to sabotage the works was by adding too much sand to the concrete which made it quite brittle. To counter this the Germans increased the amount of concrete used in each structure.

To the east we get a look at some of the obstacles and massive concrete walls that were built on the beaches in order to hinder the enemy’s ability to advance inland after making a landing. Behind that we see the main bunkers of the garrison troops for the area.

This rare footage from the spring of 1944 has a runtime of 18 min. It was produced to document the readiness of the defenses of the Atlantic Wall.

Finally, in the deepest layer of defense we see an airfield and a massive rail gun.