Smashing the Atlantic Wall: The destruction of Hitler's coastal fortresses

In September 1940, Adolf Hitler cancelled Operation Sealion - the proposed invasion of Britain - and instead ordered the Todt Organisation to build 1,500 miles of Atlantic wall defences along the French, Belgian and Dutch coastlines. They did so, using slave labour.

Every seaport was turned into a fortress. Hitler designed the layout and military defences of each one and specified the quality and quantity of cement and steel required. He personally appointed the commandants who swore an oath of allegiance and promised to fight to the finish.

Meanwhile, Winston Churchill and his generals were planning how to break into the Atlantic Wall fortresses. After the stunning success of D-Day and Operation Overlord, Allied forces had to seize key fortress-ports to get supplies landed. The Americans fought their way up the Cotentin Peninsula to try to capture Cherbourg, along with St Malo, Brest, Lorient and St Nazaire. At the same time, the Canadian and British forces were hammering their way up the other flank, capturing Le Havre, Dieppe, Boulogne, Calais and surrounding Dunkirk.

Allied success was vital to avoid stalemate on the Western Front. All the glamour and news headlines concentrated on the Allied armies' obvious successes; the Americans' struggles in Brittany, and the Canadian and British campaigns in appalling conditions to open the port of Antwerp were all too quickly forgotten. The forces fighting these horrible 'little battles' called it the Cinderella War. This book is the vivid record of their achievements, bravery and determination.

Praise for Smashing the Atlantic Wall:

'This book gives an interesting account of the 'Cinderella war' ... Well-written and with a clear explanation of the overall situation, I can recommend this book to anyone interested in the battle for Europe' - Goodreads review

Patrick Delaforce (1923-2018) fought with the 11th Armoured Division as a troop leader in Normandy and as a forward observation officer in The Netherlands and Germany during the Second World War. He published more than twenty books, including The Black Bull, Churchill's Desert Rats (in two volumes), The Fighting Wessex Wyverns, Monty's Iron Sides, The Polar Bears and Taming the Panzers.