Atlantic Wall: Walk and Talk, August 2025
- David Young
- Aug 6
- 10 min read
Updated: Sep 4
Thursley History Society organised a walk and talk on Hankley Common in August 2025 in order to learn about the derivation, construction and use of the Atlantic Wall in World War 2.
The well-attended talk was given by Paul McCue, Executive Trustee of Secret WW2, who briefly explained the work of https://secret-ww2.net/, and invited those interested to join, before giving a wonderful presentation on the Atlantic Wall. Hearing his commentary while being in close proximity to the remains on the wall on Hankley Common felt very special. His talk was warmly applauded and was followed by a marvellous tea prepared by Sarah Grillo. History and cakes on a glorious August day cannot really be bettered!
Paul McCue's presentation:
SECRET WW2 LEARNING NETWORK is a registered educational charity specialising in raising awareness about the secret, clandestine and behind-the-lines aspects of the Second World War, as can be seen from the brochure:
Today I will talk about:
WHAT WAS THE ATLANTIKWALL (to use the German spelling)
WHO THOUGHT UP THE CONCEPT
HOW WAS IT ATTACKED
WHY IS IT HERE?
AND WHY IS IT WRONG TO CALL IT ROMMEL’S ATLANTIC WALL?
In 1941 Field Marshal Erwin von Witzleben was appointed Commander in Chief OB West, replacing Field Marshal von Rundstedt who was needed for the invasion of Russia. Von Witzleben realised western coast of German-occupied Europe had to be protected against attack by Britain and her Allies.
Field Marshal Erwin von Witzleben
The Germans’ concerns increased after the entry of USA into the war in December 1941 and so in February 1942, Von Witzleben undertook a tour of inspection which led to Hitler’s Directive no 40 on 23 March 1942. It was that coastal defences, backed by troops, should extend from Norway to Spain with the aim of smashing any attacks, landings or invasion on the beaches not allowing ingress into mainland Europe.
The Germans’ concerns were underlined only five days later by the British commando raid on the docks at Saint Nazaire on the French coast.
No sooner agreed then von Witzleben left his position, the official reason being illness, and had to be replaced. His successor was Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt who returned to again be Commander-in Chief OB-West
Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt
Now, for the first time, the term ATLANTIKWALL was used and it was to stretch from Antwerp in Belgium to the French/Spanish border. A far more realistic proposition than the directive which included the vast Norwegian coastline.
Revised scope of the Atlantic Wall
Construction of the wall and defences was to be the responsibility of the Todt Organisation, a national engineering organisation (which, for example, constructed the pre-war autobahns), largely using slave labour and founded by Fritz Todt, in 1933.
Dr Fritz Todt
Todt, however, was killed in an air crash in February 1942, but his place was taken by an equally efficient Nazi official, Albert Speer, Minister of Armaments and Munitions.
Slave workers
To counter the new German defences, additional intelligence was needed.
Types of intelligence:
Sigint (Bletchley Park, Enigma code etc); Aerial Recce; Humint (MI5’s London Reception Centre at the Royal Victoria Patriotic School on Wandsworth Common, south-west London and Britain’s Secret Intelligence Service (SIS- MI6 was its wartime ‘cover name’, but has since endured), intelligence agents of various governments in exile, and resistance organisations in the occupied countries).
There was a lack of intelligence on the Normandy area, but they had to be careful to also continue to pay attention to Pas de Calais as part of Operation FORTITUDE, which was a crucial Allied deception operation during World War II, designed to mislead the Germans about the location and timing of the D-Day landings in Normandy.
So what resources were available in Normandy?
SIS/MI6 – we know very little, the official files have not been released and it is pledged they never will be. But we do know an almost-incredible story of the crucial part played by a 40-year-old painter/decorator in Caen as part of the resistance reporting to the Free French intelligence service.
But first we need to go back a step.
One of the earliest French Resistance groups to be founded, in 1940 in Paris, was the Confrérie Notre-Dame, the CND (later CND-Castille), a Catholic, intelligence-gathering organisation, headed by this man, Gilbert Renault and known as Colonel Rémy.
The CND in Paris reported to General de Gaulle’s Free French intelligence service, the Bureau Central de Renseignements et d'Action (BCRA) in London which was headed by this man – André Dewavrin, codenamed Colonel Passy.
André Dewavrin, codenamed Colonel Passy
BCRA had operated out of 10 Duke Street, London since 1940 and, despite the innocent, boyish looks of Dewavrin, the address had a reputation for brutality on occasions as violence was allegedly used to extract information from those interrogated there.
Marcel Girard and Les Touristes
By 1942, the BCRA were committed to helping provide intelligence on the Atlantic coast and the CND were ordered to expand their activities and, in particular, to fill an intelligence gap in the Caen area of Normandy – the very area that was to be used for the D-Day invasion. The local CND organiser was Marcel Girard, a former French Army artillery captain. His group in Caen used to meet at the café ‘Les Touristes’ (still there to this day) and kept an eye on the Todt HQ in the nearby Rue de Geôle.
Enter René Duchex, 40-year-old painter/decorator, member of CND’s group in Caen
He was a ‘Marmite’ character: a calvados imbiber, a heavy smoker, garrulous and lax about security. Many though him an engaging character, some thought him a fool. He was not helped by his favourite saying, “C’est le sang-froid, mon ami, toujours le sang-froid”. Which could be translated as"That's coolness, my friend, always coolness" .
The local OT head, Col Schnedder was replaced by Col Keller. He put out a contract for the redecoration of the building and although Duchez submitted a late bid, he won the day and started painting in May 1942. He discovered the detailed plans for the Atlantikwall that had beeb delivered to Keller and hid them behind a mirror until, while working over a weekend, he was able to spirit them out of the building and give them to Girard who in turn delivered them to Renault in Paris. The Renault family left France by the small boat ‘Les Deux Anges’ from Pont Aven on 17 June 1942. They were taken out to see to RV with the fishing trawler N51, operated covertly by the Royal Navy on behalf of Britain’s intelligence services. The plans were hidden in a biscuit tin among luggage of the Renault family and the tin can just be seen in a photograph taken during the voyage
Duchez’s map, an extraordinary intelligence achievement, arrived in Britain at a critical period - planning was already in hand in 1942 for an invasion of France.Just two months later, the Dieppe Raid, code name Operation JUBILEE, on 19th August 1942 saw 6,000 infantry, largely Canadian, and a regiment of tanks put ashore in what was clearly a rehearsal for an eventual invasion. The Dieppe Raid was regarded a disaster by the Allies as over 10 hours, 3600 of the 6000 put ashore were killed, wounded or taken prisoner. Of the many lessons learned, one was that even more intelligence would be needed, especially as it was realised Germans would now stiffen defences and build more fortifications.
Duchez’s stolen map was incredibly important as they showed not only existing defences and
those under construction, but those planned for the future. As a result aerial reconnaissance stepped up with both Spitfires and Mustangs being used for low-level flying. As can be seen from the photos below, the USAAF and the RAF both used the other nation’s aircraft.
Mustang and Spitfire
In February, 1943 worked started on the construction of Atlantic Wall on Hankley Common. 174 Workshop and Park Company, Royal Engineers, helped by elements of the Royal Canadian Engineers, worked in continuous shifts, 24 hours a day. A fleets of 20 lorries, for sand, gravel and cement, were used and fine weather enabled the completion of the tasks in seven weeks.
The wall was 300 feet long, 10 feet high, 11 feet deep and there were also dragon’s teeth, bunkers, concrete blocks, rail track…..and a minefield.
There are five (some say seven) similar structures around Britain, including Sherriffmuir, near Dunblane in Perthshire, Castlemartin, Pembrokeshire; Sudbourne, Suffolk; and Shoeburyness, Essex.
The wall, and the other obstacles on Hankley Common were used not just to test their own durability and effectiveness, but to develop specially adapted armoured vehicles (using a tank chassis and hull) to assault and overcome them. These, developed by the Royal Engineers and formally known as Assault Vehicle Royal Engineers (AVRE), were nick-named Hobart’s Funnies, after Major General Percy Hobart of the British Army’s 79th Division. Variants included the Onion and (with a double charge) the Double Onion and an improved version called the Goat [see pics below]. While these versions ultimately didn’t see use for the invasion, the AVRE fitted with a Petard 29mm spigot mortar was successfully used on D-Day. This, too, was tested at Hankley Common.
AVRE (Assault Vehicle Royal Engineers) with Petard spigot mortar and (far right) its projectile – ‘the flying dustbin’
Developed in light of Dieppe, the main gun was replaced by a petard mortar that fired a forty-pound HE-filled projectile (nicknamed the "flying dustbin") 150 yards (137 m); capable of destroying concrete obstacles such as roadblocks and bunkers.
Extremely high casualty rates among engineers was one of the primary reasons for the failure of the Dieppe Raid of August 1942. Sappers were tasked to get the tanks off the beach, destroy obstacles and build ramps over the concrete sea wall. At Dieppe, the sappers drew fire and became a priority target for the German defenders. As well, they lost significant amounts of their supplies on sunken landing craft. With the tanks unable to leave the beaches, the raid stalled and failed.
Following the failure of Dieppe, an RCE officer, Lt J.J. Denovan who was attached to the Department of Tank Design, proposed a vehicle to protect engineers during assault operations. While the idea received praise, their were higher priorities and development could not be supported. Determined to do it on his own, Denovan 'procured' a Churchill tank and with the assistance of friends at 1st Canadian Mechanical Equipment Company, and the connivance of the upper levels of the Royal Canadian Engineers in Britain, set out to build a prototype. The Churchill proved to be the ideal chassis. It had lots of space inside for demolition stores and side exit doors to allow sappers to get in and out as necessary. The tank gun turret basket and ammunition storage racks were removed and replaced with stowage for demolition supplies and tools. The turret was retained and a large calibre petard mortar replaced the main gun. The petard could fire a 44-pound demolition charge up to 110 yards. There was a crew and five sappers and an armoured corps driver. In January 1943, the prototype was demonstrated successfully and orders swere placed for what would become a fleet of nearly 600 vehicles. Deliveries to frontline units started in early 1944 to British Forces in Italy.
Vital intelligence was procured by COMBINED OPERATIONS PILOTAGE PARTIES – COPP – Hayling Island
COPP Memorial on Hayling Island
There were also commando raids conducted along the Atlantic coast, to test the enemy’s defences and to again cover the Pas de Calais area and as far north as Dunkirk, in order to maintain Operation FORTITUDE.
AND AT LAST….
Field Marshal Erwin Rommel took responsibility for Wall in the latter half of 1943. On a first tour of inspection in December 1943 he was unimpressed by the insufficient number of troops, the weakness of the defences and the lack of a uniform plan for the erection of these defences. Von Rundstedt had strayed to a concept of a defensive-offensive type of defence wherein success was to be achieved by rapid operations with concentrated reserves after the invasion forces had landed. Rommel, believing strongly in a cordon defence, felt that every effort should be made to oppose the actual landing.
Field Marshal Erwin Rommel
Come D-Day…..
Were the Funnies used in action?
The Double Onion – no
AVRE Petard – yes (already mentioned above and see pic – on D-Day beach - below
So Hankley Common and its Atlantic Wall contributed directly to the success of D-Day – and other armoured assault operations in NW Europe
What became of the players in this story?
Duchez carried on his spying duties in Caen, he became a wanted man, and only narrowly escaped arrest. He joined the Maquis Saint Clair, and he was decorated by the award of the Croix de Guerre after the liberation of France.
He died in 1948. His wife, Odette, also an active member of the Resistance, never remarried and died in 2005. She was at last reunited with René by being buried at his side, 57 years after his death.
The Germans:
Von Witzleben, was tried and hanged August 1944, aged 62. He was to have been head of German Army after July 20th 1944 if the plot to assassinate Hitler had worked. These were his words before his hideous execution:
You may hand us over to the executioner, but in a few months' time the disgusted and furious four major world powers will destroy you forever, and bring you to book for all the hideous crimes we just tried to put an end to in advance.
Von Rundstedt, was captured in 1945, charged with war crimes but did not stand trial due to poor health, he was released in 1949 and died in 1953, aged 77.
Rommel, committed suicide October 1944 rather than face trial, disgrace and execution, aged 52.
For further investigation/reading I recommend:
‘Ten Thousand Eyes’ 1958 book by Richard Collier
and ‘Vanguard’ 2019 book by David Abrutat
The following attended and apologies for any omissions:
Adam Adler; Sandra and Michael Arnold; Amy Brown; Sally Catchpole; Carolyn Crookall; Sabry Dragoni-Long; Lesley Eyre-Walker; Sarah and Tom Grillo; Else Grygelis; John Gunner; Sandy Hanauer; Jane Howard; Peter Hunter; Jo and Tony Kelly; Sukey Langdale; Alina and Sophie Ling; Jackie Malton; James Mendelssohn; Marion O’Brien; Alan and Sally Perrier; Sue Ranson; Jackie and Peter Rickenberg; Sally Scheffers; Mike Spencer; Jilly and Andrew Storey; Maggi Tompkins; Sarah Traill; Anne and Simon Treadwell; Tim and Anne Wakeley; Margaret and Tim Walsh, Wendy Williams; Lizzie and David Young
