The Todt Organisation It was the Todt Organisation that was put in charge of building the various Atlantic Wall structures. This Organisation was the major contractor responsible for co-ordinating all the builders working on this vast site. Over 20000 concrete emplacements were to be built in Normandy out of the total 12000 bunkers in the wall. According to Directive #40 this concreting phase should have been over by 1st May 1943. This was simply not feasible owing to the impossibility of standardising bunkers that were to house artillery pieces of all shapes and sizes taken from the weaponry of defeated armies. Only half of the structures had been completed by 1st May 1943. In Lower Normandy the Todt Organisation had a workforce of around 20,000 men out of a total 291,000 employed in building the Atlantic Wall fortifications along the coast of France. German Todt Organisation Supervisor These men can be divided in to three groups. In the 1st group were German Members of the Organisation personnel including engineers, draughtsmen, and foremen. This group consisted of 15,000 men. The 2nd group comprised 85,000 men that included French workmen who had been drafted in or worked for contractors of the Organisation. The final group 191,000 men was largely made up of POW's. These sites were protected and guarded by armed protection units. Assembling the steel reinforcement for an Atlantic Wall Bunker at Longues sur-Mer, 600m' of concrete were poured into each casemate, with 4 tons of reinforcement This is an Extract taken from the small ads column of the L'Ouest-Eclair Newspaper French Company is seeking to hire 800 building and public works professionals, builders, carpenters, constructional ironworkers, painters, joiners, glaziers, electricians, plumbers, metalworkers, and cement workers. Board and lodging provided. Canteen, Apply 7 rue de Vaucelles, Caen, from 8am to 12pm and from 2pm to 6pm and until 12pm on Sunday. Travel expences paid. L'Ouest-Eclair, August 24th 1942. Vacancies for builders, cement workers, carpenters, labourers; lodging provided and meals in canteen. Indemnity payment, travel allowance, bombardment premium. Entr, RAFF, Marsalines par quettehou Manche. L'Ouest-Eclair, April 27th 1943. LEVAUX and Sons, St Pierre Quilbignon require CEMENT WORKERS,CARPENTARS, and LABOURERS. Todt Org, wages and bonuses, board and lodging provided. L'Ouest-Eclair, April 27th 1943.
