Green plaque № 51578

THE ATLANTIC WALL The Atlantic Wall was built in 1943 during the Second World War by Canadian troops as a replica of the German Atlantic anti-tank defences on the northern French coast. It is constructed of concrete, steel rods and wire. Prior to the D-Day landings the wall was used as a major training aid to develop and practise techniques to breach it with explosives. The Wall was in two sections connected by heavy steel gates and there were sections of 'Dragons Teeth" and upended steel rails on each side. Over the years the wall has become colonised by alkaline-loving lichens, mosses, ferns and other plants because the concrete provides the lime-based substrate that these species require and which are found nowhere else in the locality. They present an unusual range of plants to be found in an expanse of acid heathland. The preservation of the Wall is managed by Army Training Estates with the assistance of the MOD Hankley Conservation Group. 2003

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