Nazi bunkers in Normandy

Several hidden bunkers have been found near the beaches where the Allied landing of Operation Overlord took place in 1944. They were part of a German defensive system used to repel possible attacks from the enemy. The abandoned structures were not known about for decades.

The defensive complex itself was found in 2006. Since then, exploration has been underway and has already yielded a number of other surprising discoveries. "We have explored the huge Nazi bunkers, where the light of day has not reached for 75 years. We found a way inside where there were artifacts. But it wasn't easy, because time had its mark on the door," noted Josh Gates, who is developing a documentary series for the Discovery Channel called Expedition Unknown.

The bunkers are located just about three miles from the Omaha and Utah beaches where the Allied landing into German-occupied France took place on June 6, 1944, as part of Operation Overlord. One of the Nazi's largest defense systems had fourteen huge guns. After the Allied victory, the complex of trenches and bunkers remained abandoned. It lay untouched for decades until it was discovered in 2006 by history expert Gary Sterne while he was searching through European archives and maps related to World War II.

He found a dozen buildings, including a radio room and kitchen. He and other experts explored the tunnels using modern laser technology that can measure distances deep underground. Specifically, LiDAR technology, which can scan objects. In total, two large bunkers were discovered, each containing three or four rooms connected by corridors and staircases.

From the looks of the ceilings, there was probably a firefight in the complex. "It's a stunning place to visit when you consider that it was part of one of the darkest chapters of modern history. Inside the bunkers we found things like gas masks, ammunition and Nazi helmets. Places like this allow us to vividly imagine what D-Day was like," Gates thinks.

The complex was part of the famous Atlantic Wall, which Hitler had built on the coast of northern France and Normandy between 1942 and 1944 as a defence against the Allied invasion of the continent from England. When completed, the Atlantic Wall would stretch from Norway to the border with Spain. It consisted of wide minefields, roadblocks and strongpoints, and artillery nests housed in massive concrete bunkers. The Nazis managed to keep many of the defensive positions secret from the local population. They feared exposing them to the French Resistance or Allied troops.

Source: www.dailymail.co.uk, www.thesun.co.uk