Top5 Secret Points Of Tunnel That Expose How It Was Importance During World War 2

Tunnels are made for transportation these days. But in the olden days, they were made for some other purpose. Many underground tunnels were made in World War 2. Some of which have been discovered and some are still missing. At that time, tunnels were very important. They were used for multi-purpose. In today’s article, we will know what was the importance of tunnels in World War 2. So let’s begin.

5) Discovery

It was 7th March 2018 when the excavation team was about to see something unique 30 meters below the ground near the city of Luban in South Poland. The excavation team saw a pipe going inside the ground in the middle of a dense forest. This was quite surprising. Because the place where they were standing was an old dead volcano. Which was completely covered by trees, plants and grass. It was decided to send a night vision camera in it to see inside the pipe. When the camera went inside, after going down about 30 meters, the scene of a very large tunnel was captured.

When the camera was turned inside this tunnel, surprisingly, they saw a track there. They was still in a confusion that what is the use of the track here, when a mine cart standing far away caught them attention. When the local authorities came to know about it, they brought a map of a lost tunnel during the World War 2 era, then it was found that this tunnel was built about 80 years ago during the World War 2 era and for the last several years, the local authorities were searching for this tunnel.

The entrance of this tunnel was closed by placing a heavy stone. After which the soil and grass of years had also erased the marks of its entrance. But from inside this tunnel was exactly matching the tunnel seen on the map. Seeing the track and mine cart inside it, it seems that it was used to store goods during the World War 2 era. Most of the iron items present in the tunnel had rusted. Tools like shovels, drill bits and spades were found here in the same condition as they were kept 80 years ago.

4) Importance

During World War 2, countries like Nazi Germany and Japan were competing with countries like America and Britain. During this time, Hitler’s army built thousands of underground tunnels. Of course, Hitler started building the tunnels. But later the Allied forces also started using underground tunnels. Tunnels had a lot of strategic importance during World War 2. Their purpose was for both defense and offense. That is, at some places their work was to avoid enemy attacks and at other places they were used to attack the enemy.

These tunnels protected from enemy air strikes and artillery shells and provided a secure base to the soldiers. Tunnels were designed on the front line in such a way that they could stop enemy attacks. Like Germany’s Atlantic Wall which was a strong barrier against the attacks of the Allied Forces. Along with this, some tunnels were used for planning. From where the commanders used to manage their operations secretly. So many underground tunnels were constructed in World War 2 that it is not possible to count them even today. Because thousands of them are still buried somewhere inside the ground.

It is said that in World War 2, the Allied Powers and Access Powers spent so much on underground tunnels that there was a shortage of iron and cement all over the world. According to an estimate, the cost of building all these tunnels was about 500 billion to one trillion dollars of today. Understand that America’s 20-year war in Afghanistan cost 300 million dollars daily. So in World War 2, the cost of building tunnels was 460 million dollars daily. This is the cost that was incurred only in the construction of tunnels. It is very difficult to estimate the other costs of World War 2.

3) Atlantic Wall

The Atlantic Wall was a huge coastal defense system built by Nazi Germany during World War 2. It was spread over 2400 miles or 3800 km on the coastline of Europe. Its purpose was to avoid attacks by Allied forces from the sea. This system, built between 1940 and 1944, included thousands of tunnels, ammunition depots and forts. At that time, Hitler also occupied many areas of France. A part of the Atlantic Wall was also spread in Norman, an area of ​​​​Northern France. Where an artillery battery was installed.

These tunnels were designed to face heavy bombs and provide defensive fire during attacks. If we talk about Norway, its lower part could be used to stop the Allied forces coming from the North Atlantic Ocean. That is why Hitler had built some parts of the Atlantic Wall here as well, that protected the naval routes. Apart from this, Netherlands was also under the control of Nazi Germany at that time and thousands of tunnels were built here on the coast of the North Atlantic.

This entire Atlantic Wall of Nazi Germany, which included underground tunnels, depot tunnels, artillery batteries and forts, was built by the company of a German engineer named Fritz Todt. 260000 workers, most of whom were prisoners all these structures were forcibly built by them in just two to four years. Even today, some parts of the Atlantic Wall exist as historical monuments. Which gives a sense of the engineering of World War 2 and the expenses incurred on it.

2) Dieppe Raid

When Hitler built the Atlantic Wall, at that time the Allied Powers had no idea or pride of how many difficulties they would have to face in the future. Then an incident happened in 1942. Which opened the eyes of America and Britain. Canadian forces which were part of the Allied powers planned an attack on the region of Dieppe in France. Which is remembered today as the Dieppe Raid. The purpose of this attack was to understand the Atlantic Wall built by Hitler and how it works.

These strong concrete tunnels made the Allied attack a failure. The Allied troops who were trying to land on the coastline became victims of Nazi Germany’s powerful cross fire. This was a big blow for the Allied forces. Because they did not expect the strength of the Atlantic Wall. 6000 Allied soldiers had come in this mission. Out of which 3600 were either killed or became prisoners of Nazi Germany. After the Dieppe Raid, the Allied forces understood that if they have to successfully attack Hitler’s regime, then they will also have to invest a lot in the planning of tunnels and defenses system.

1) Other Tunnels

Now a lot of money was spent on the construction of tunnels in Canada as well as the United Kingdom, France and the Soviet Union. Churchill War Rooms was an underground complex built in London. It was the headquarters of British Prime Minister Winston Churchill during World War 2. This complex was designed to remain safe from Nazi Germany’s air strikes. New underground tunnels were also built in France’s Maginot Line which was built after World War 1.

France was confident that this system would protect them. But in World War 2, Germany sidelined the Maginot Line and occupied France via Belgium. In the other corner of the world, Japan, which was supporting Hitler in World War 2, also had hundreds of underground tunnels dug there. An underground network was built in Hiroshima. Which included hidden artillery positions, storage rooms and living quarters. These tunnels were used for surprise attacks during the attack of the Allied forces.

The tunnels of Okinawa were on a larger scale and more complicated. Where thousands of Japanese soldiers were in position for defense and resistance. This defensive system was designed to delay the Allied invasions and kill as many people as possible. The engineering of the tunnels built by many countries during World War 2 is no less than a miracle. On one hand there was the war, on the other hand there was a shortage of everything and along with all these challenges, there was a threat of air strike every passing moment. Apart from all this, workers also died of suffocation during the construction of underground tunnels. But despite all these challenges, thousands of tunnels were built.

Many of these tunnels are still hidden in the same condition under the ground. Especially those built in access power countries. Because after World War 2, when their rule ended, the soldiers either closed the entrances of the tunnels and ran away or died inside them. Hence, nobody came to know which tunnel was built at which location. There was a way to find out the location of all these tunnels and that was the secret documents that Hitler’s government had. But they were either burnt or hidden in a place which was known only to the person who had hidden them.

These tunnels were specially built in a camouflaged manner. That is, they were built in the natural terrain in such a way that nobody could know that there was a military tunnel there. That is why these tunnels remained hidden after the war. Special ventilation systems were made for the underground tunnels. Which would take fresh air inside the tunnel and carbon dioxide out. Nazi Germany leader Adolf Hitler used many tunnels during his rule. He was use various famous tunnels that time.

The Allied powers, USA, UK, Canada and other forces, planned for years to break Nazi Germany’s strong defensive tunnels and Atlantic Wall. More than 156000 troops, 5000 ships and 11000 aircraft were used to counter Hitler’s Atlantic Wall. It was 6th June 1944, which is remembered as D-Day.

On this day, Germany confronted the Allied forces with the tunnels and artillery of the Atlantic Wall. But their planning and resources were not that effective. Allied air strikes and paratroopers fought hard against German communications and defense. The Allied forces suffered heavy losses initially. But eventually they succeeded in breaking Nazi Germany’s control over Europe.