The Atlantikwall was not a continuous system of defence works. Along the coast, defensive posts were built with great distances in between. The Atlantikwall formed a chain of coastal batteries, barricades, and bunkers. Line-ups and reinforcements were focused on strategic points such as ports, expected landing sites, and estuaries with access to the interior. As a result, the Scheldt gradually became one of the most heavily defended places in Europe. This highlighted the importance of the Antwerp port.

The Atlantikwall was never completed. After the invasion of Normandy on 6 June 1944, during which the Atlantikwall was breached, the construction was mostly halted. The defensive works played an important role in the Allied operations in Zeeland. Only taking out the Atlantikwall around the Scheldt Estuary would give the Allies access to the vital harbours of Antwerp.

Visit the Zeeuwse Ankers website (Zeeland Anchors) for comprehensive information, personal stories and videos about the Battle of the Scheldt.

Bunker Museum Zoutelande

The artillery was an important part of the Atlantikwall, as it could repel a possible future Allied invasion. Because some of this artillery did not require direct visual contact with the beach, the German occupiers built observation bunkers in the dunes and on the dykes. Two of those bunkers in the dunes of Zoutelande are now home to the ‘Bunkerbehoud’ Foundation and the Bunker Museum Zoutelande.

Of the 27 ships in the supporting fleet, coastal artillery sank nine and heavily damaged ten others, forcing them to withdraw. In this action, 172 British naval personnel were killed and 170 wounded. The Zoutelande Battery distinguished itself most during this engagement. Firing ceased at 10:15, and a British inquiry into Infatuate II concluded in 1945 that if the battery had not stopped, the landing at Westkapelle would have failed.

The reason for halting fire was a shortage of ammunition. While the magazines at the base of the dunes were still stocked, the guns themselves had run out of shells. Because the battery was under intense artillery fire from West-Zeeuws-Vlaanderen, it was no longer possible to bring the heavy shells to the guns. Fighting continued around the battery throughout the afternoon of 1 November.

After the war, all bunkers of the battery were demolished, except for the ammunition bunker type Fl 246, which still stands along the bike path at the foot of the dunes between Westkapelle and Zoutelande, about 100 metres from the monument to the fallen pilot Reginald William James. Damage from bombardments and combat is still visible on the bunker. The interior can be visited on occasion, with access arranged via Camping Janse.

On the dune, a prefabricated Tobruk-style machine-gun bunker component can be seen. To speed up construction, some elements of these structures were factory-produced.