The Atlantikwall in France Trivia Quiz

Answer: The Organisation Todt

The Organisation Todt (or O.T.) was the primary Nazi paramilitary construction organisation. It was commanded by Dr Fritz Todt until his death in a plane crash in February 1942, whereupon Albert Speer, Hitler's architect, took over. The lasting legacy of the O.T. is Germany's Autobahn network, which they built in the 1930s.

Answer: A small emplacement for a machine gun or mortar

Various types of the Tobruk were built. They were small, rectangular, concrete structures with a round hole on top, from which a machine gun or mortar could fire.

Answer: A shelter for a rail gun

The Dom bunkers were built in the Pas de Calais to shelter the 21cm K12 and 28cm K5 rail guns from air attack. The K12 and K5 guns could easily hit Kent in England. Their main targets were the ports of Dover and Folkestone, giving this quiet part of England the nickname "Hellfire Corner".

Answer: The captain of the battleship Bismarck

Captain Lindemann was killed in May 1941 when the Bismarck was sunk in the Atlantic by the Royal Navy. The battery was armed with four massive 40.6cm guns in armoured turrets, set in huge concrete casemates. The battery site was largely buried by spoil from the Channel Tunnel in the late 1980s.

Answer: 5

These were located at Brest, Lorient, Saint Nazaire, La Rochelle and Bordeaux. The bases were heavily defended against amphibious and landward attack, so much so that Brest was the only one captured by the Allies before the end of the war in May 1945.

Answer: A type of radar

The "Wuerzburg Riese" (or Giant Wuerzburg) radar came in two versions, the FuSE 65, used to locate aircraft, and the FuMO 214 used to locate ships. It had a 7.5m diameter circular dish that had a range of approximately 60km.

Answer: A re-used tank gun

The 5cm KwK guns were previously used as the main armament of the German PzKpfw III tank. However, this calibre of gun had proved ineffective against the heavier Soviet T34 and KV1 tanks after the invasion of Russia in June 1941. It was decided that the gun would be more effective against lightly armoured landing craft during an amphibious invasion.

Answer: The Crisbecq/St. Marcouf battery

The Crisbecq battery, behind "Utah" beach in Normandy, was in action against American shipping from the first day of the invasion on 6 June 1944. It's four 21cm guns sank a destroyer and numerous landing craft. The battery held out for 3 days and was surrounded for another 3 days before the crews finally withdrew.

They had held up the American advance on Cherbourg for 6 days. For this reason Oberleutnant zur See Ohmsen was awarded the Knight's cross.

Answer: False

The Atlantikwall was only designed to slow the invaders at the coast, to allow time for the powerful Panzer divisions in the rear to move up and drive the invaders back into the sea.

Answer: Rotating concrete turrets for the guns

These turrets rotated on rollers, so that their 15cm guns could also be used to defend Calais from land attack. Unfortunately for the Germans, the rollers proved vulnerable to enemy fire when Calais was captured in September 1944. The rollers jammed and the whole bunker was then useless.