The commander of the German Army Group “B”, General Field Marshal of the Wehrmacht Erwin Rommel, inspects the strengthening of the Atlantic Wall near the French city of Sangatte at Cape Blanc Nez on the coast of the Pas de Calais Strait. The Western Front of the Second World War in Europe.
From May 20 to July 12, 1943, Rommel led the task force named after him and was responsible for preparing German countermeasures in the event of Italy’s withdrawal from the war. On the night of July 9–10, the Allies landed in Sicily and on July 15, Rommel was appointed commander of Army Group B in Northern Italy. In January 1944, he was appointed commander of Army Group B in Northern France. He tried to make the Atlantic Wall a serious obstacle to the enemy. However, due to strategic disagreements with the commander of the entire military group in France, Field Marshal Rundstedt, a unified plan for the defense of the western border of the Reich was not developed, which led to the ineffectiveness and inconsistency of the actions of German troops during the Allied landing in Normandy on June 6, 1944.
Location: Normandy, France
Time of photo taken: 1944