Five Brothers and a War

Atlantikwall

The view in Scheveningen then and now on the Terschellingsestraat. This street was turned into a ghost town as it was part of the Sperrgebiet—the evacuated area.

nazi germany

Following liberation, the material damage to the city was found to be enormous: 32,000 homes had been demolished, 2,650 houses were uninhabitable, and roads and sewers had been ripped up. Half of all the war damage suffered by The Hague was due to the construction of the fortifications. After the war, most remaining parts of the Atlantikwall in Holland disappeared without trace. They were demolished, buried under sand, built over, or hidden from view by being designated for military use. Because it was built by the Nazis, the Atlantikwall wasn’t regarded as part of the country’s heritage.

Five Brothers and a War

Page 378