After Hitler conquered France, he knew the Allies would one day try and retake from him. Anticipating this attack, the Nazis ordered creating a series of fixed fortifications known as the Atlantic Wall to defend against an Allied assault. These fortifications and coastal defense systems consisted of bunkers, pillboxes, and beach obstacles that stretched from Norway to southern France. Bunker WN-62, located on Omaha Beach in Normandy, France, was one of these fortifications. Bunker WN-62 overlooked the Easy Red Sector of Omaha Beach, which the American First Infantry Division attacked on the morning of June 6, 1944. During D-Day, the German soldiers in the bunker pinned down the Allied soldiers storming the beach with machine gunfire. The bunker also contained anti-tank pieces. The German abandoned the bunker after running out of ammunition following several hours of fighting. Today, Bunker WN-62 is a popular touring location and represents a well-preserved section of Hitler’s Atlantic Wall.
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