The most ambitious military fortification program of WWII was without a doubt the building of what was known as the Atlantic Wall. Germany literally poured millions of dollars into millions of pounds of concrete and steel to try to build up an impenetrable barrier against Allied invasion. This fortress was to extend from Norway to the Mediterranean and would have been a Herculean feat to complete in anything short of several decades.

This book looks at those defenses built in France, defenses that were not complete by the time of the Normandy invasion. The truth is that there was quite a considerable amount of debate as the best way to do things. The German Navy was basically in charge of defending the shores, but put their efforts into dealing with shipping and warships, while the Army was more intent on destroying invading troops on the beaches. Each method required very different structures with the Navy's plan needing large guns aimed to the sea, while the Army needed many smaller ones protecting the beaches and being able to fire to the side and even behind. While both were given some sort of treatment in the build-up, the truth is that there were huge gaps in the defense and those gaps were sought by the Allies in their planning. The end result was a series of structures that took months to build and a few days (at most) to overcome.

Author Steven J. Zaloga takes us through the planning, design and implementation of these defenses while giving us a look at what it was like to live with these structures. The illustrations of H. Johnson, L. Ray and C. Taylor allow us to have a look inside many of the different defenses and see how they were designed to work and complement each other.

Thankfully, many of the massive and even smaller defense positions are still extant and the book has a considerable number of period and current photos of these sites. There is even a section on visiting these places, many of which are easily accessible and part of museums and memorials.

In all a fascinating look at some of the more interesting defensive structures of WWII. A book that you are sure to enjoy.

July 2007

For more on the complete line of Osprey books, visit www.ospreypublishing.com. In the US, it is Osprey Direct at 44-02 23rd St, Suite 219, Long Island City, NY 11101., where you can get a catalogue of available books.

If you would like your product reviewed fairly and quickly by a site that has over 350,000 visitors a month, please contact me or see other details in the Note to Contributors.