A British soldier poses next to one of the German coastal guns captured by the Canadians at Cap Gris Nez, 1 October 1944. (Imperial War Museum photo B 10467) The Atlantic Wall (German: Atlantikwall) was an extensive system of coastal defenses and fortifications built by Nazi Germany between 1942 and 1944 along the coast of continental Europe and Scandinavia as a defense against an anticipated Allied invasion of Nazi-occupied Europe from the United Kingdom, during World War II. The manning and operation of the Atlantic Wall was administratively overseen by the German Army, with some support from Luftwaffe ground forces. The Kriegsmarine (German Navy) maintained a separate coastal defense network, organized into a number of sea defense zones. Hitler ordered the construction of the fortifications in 1942 through his Führer Directive No. 40. More than half a million French workers were drafted to build it. The wall was frequently mentioned in Nazi propaganda, where its size and strengt...