The largest defenses where built around harbours because if an Allied Invasion was to take place the worst thing the German Army could do was surrender a port to them. So sea-side towns or cities with ports where immediatly given defenses to defend them from the Sea, the Land and the Air. These defenses where very light, but they led the way for things to come.
In 1943 the build-up of men and equipment in England signaled the German high command think that an invasion was indeed coming in early 1944. The last defense plans for the defense of Western Europe where released and the name was changed from 'Neue Westwall' to the 'Atlantikwall'. Erwin Rommel was placed in charge of the defenses along the French and Belgium coasts, and he immediatly though of them in-adequate. He began to get to work and try and strenghthen them, replacing light defenses with heavy "Standige" bunkers and heavy Anti-tank and Anti-Aircraft guns where placed. Re-enforced concrete pillboxes where constucted along the beaches to hold machine-guns. Minefields where planted, both inland and on the beaches themselves. Anti-tank obstacles where also planted.
Rommel was under the impression that the Allies would invade at high-tide, in the early morning. On the beaches mined obstacles where placed so that at high-tide that would be completely sub-merged. They where designed so as a Landing Craft goes over them they hit the obstacles (Which where tipped with mines) and the mines would go off, thus creating a catastrophy. There where many types of these beach obstacles but the Czechs-Hedgehog would have to be the most famouse of them all (They where large metal criss-cross objects).
In predicted Allied paratrooper drop points Rommel orderd them emplacement of slanted poles which where given the name "Rommelspargel" (Rommel's asparagus). Low lying areas where permanently flooded. Then plan was that paratroopers, upon landing, would fall and get impaled on the slanted poles and that upon landing in the flooded areas their heavy equipment would weigh them down in the water and they would drown.
With the defenses in place, all they had to do was wait for the invasion to come...
