THE GREAT WALL OF HITLER

An extensive system of coastal fortifications built by Nazi Germany along the western coast of Europe.

The Atlantic Wall (Atlantikwall in German) was an extensive system of coastal fortifications built by Nazi Germany between 1942 and 1945 along the western coast of Europe and Scandinavia as a defence against an anticipated Allied invasion of the mainland continent from Great Britain. Danish photographer Guiie Sandgaard Ferrer’s haunting images of The what is left of the ambitious Atlantic Wall capture the isolation of the engineering project and highlight Hitler’s paranoia and determination. “Incredible technology for its time,” Ferrer says of the wall. “The complex but beautiful architecture called my attention to it when I was just a kid.”

On March 23rd 1942, Führer Directive Number 40 called for the official creation of the Atlantic Wall. After the St. Nazaire Raid, on April 13th of the same year, 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.

Today, the ruins of the wall exist in all of the nations where the wall was built, although many structures have fallen into the ocean or have been demolished over the years. While in the immediate years after the war there was little interest in preserving these structures, there have been recent movements to preserve the remaining structures in order to preserve the memory of what existed during the war. In France, immediately after the war, there was little interest in preserving the wall due to the negative memories associated with the Nazi occupation. Recently, there has been renewed interest in preserving the wall, following the example of organizations in Germany, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. In France, many of the beach fortifications have fallen onto the beach or are underwater, while the ones further inland are still mainly existent due to their location.