The term Friesenwall denotes a projected, but only partially completed weir on the German North Sea coast, which was to be created towards the end of the Second World War. The plan of the plant sprang from the fear of the German leadership from an invasion of the North Sea coast. The construction involved some 25,000 workers, several hundred of whom died.
The name of the fortification was meant to evoke associations with the Westwall, which was considered "invincible", as well as referring to Nazi myths of the especially "natural" and strong-fighting Frisians.
Adolf Hitler issued on 28 August 1944 the order to secure the German North Sea coast from the Dutch border to Denmark. For the Friesenwall created tank ditches of five meters wide and four meters deep, and partly bunkered positions.
The Friesenwall should consist of trenches and shelters directly at the sea dike and be supplemented by two antitank ditches further inland as well as by so-called locking positions parallel to the German-Danish border.
The halfheartedly planned and executed works soon fell into the maelstrom of the inevitable collapse, and were partly abandoned at the end of 1944, but at the latest in February 1945. The Friesenwall was only completed between Husum and Bredstedt more or less and remained a patchwork in the north of North Frisia. In total, the workers on the North Frisian coast built 237 kilometers of ditches, 250 kilometers of trenches and 4633 ring stands. The plant was militarily meaningless and was never needed. For the most part, it was filled up after the war. Some bunker ruins and tank barriers of Friesenwall are still preserved on the coast today. [Excerpt from Wikipedia on 19.04.2019]