WWII Heritage- The Atlantic Wall Bunkers

OVERVIEW

View concrete bunkers that were part of Germany’s coastal defense system known as the Atlantic Wall and come away with a deeper understanding of World War II, especially its effects on the Bordeaux region. Your guide may be Jean Paul Lescorce, who has spent decades cleaning up the bunkers at Soulac-Sur-Mer in memory of his father, one of the forced laborers that built them. The supposedly impenetrable Atlantic Wall was a 2,000-mile chain of fortresses and other defensive measures – including five million mines – that ran from the northern tip of Norway to the border that separates France from Spain. The wall was breached repeatedly and shortly after the war ended, many of the abandoned bunkers were removed as they were considered unpleasant symbols of occupation. Your guide will describe in fascinating detail how the bunkers were built, their various weaponry and the efforts to protect the remaining bunkers from being dismantled.

HIGHLIGHTS

• See concrete bunkers that were part of Germany’s defensive Atlantic Wall in World War II.
• Gain insight into how the bunkers were built and why they failed to stop the Allied troops.
• Tour the bunkers possibly with a guide whose father helped built them as a forced laborer.
• Hear about the efforts to maintain the bunkers instead of tearing them down.

HELPFUL HINTS

• Dress in weather-appropriate clothing.
• Wear flat comfortable walking shoes.