Behind many battles of WWII, stood the silent giants of defense — bunkers, pillboxes, coastal artillery and battlements. These concrete fortifications shaped the way armies fought, from the beaches of Normandy to the fields of the Eastern Front.
Hitler’s “Fortress Europe” stretched along the coasts of France, Belgium, and the Netherlands. The Atlantic Wall was made up of thousands of bunkers, pillboxes, and gun emplacements designed to repel an Allied invasion. Of course, on D-Day, the Allies broke through — but not without heavy cost.
I’ve been recreating some of these in Lego, focusing on both historical accuracy and playability. Here’s a look at a few of the most iconic types of fortifications from WWII:
Sandbag Gun Post
This is your basic, level 1 type of fortification – just a few bags of sand, a make shift shelter and there you go. I’ve even added a small howitzer and the scene is done! I used 1×2 round plates in dark tan to get the right angle on the ‘sand bags’.
Pillboxes
Small, tough, and easy to build, pillboxes dotted battlefields across Europe and Asia. With narrow firing slits, they were ideal for machine guns and anti-tank guns.
While not invincible, they slowed enemy advances and gave defenders a strong advantage. These little pillboxes that I made can fit a couple of nano figures inside as a play feature.
Coastal Gun Emplacements
From Norway to the Pacific Islands, large artillery bunkers guarded key coastlines. These coastal guns could blast enemy ships from miles away.
My Lego model focuses on the main gun barrel protruding from thick, sloped concrete walls. This was a quite a challenge due to the both angled and curved parts of the battlement.
Bunkers
Along the Atlantic Wall, there were many types of bunkers. I’ve built two types here, the first one, more of a command center type of bunker, with a watch tower attached.
Of course, both parts can be opened to place figures in it. I bet this would look great in a table top war game.
The second one, perhaps the most famous bunkers of World War II are the ones that lined the beaches of Normandy. Along with the incessant gunfire, you also had hedgehogs, barbed wire , and other obstacles to deal with.
I’ve recreated that little scene, very much inspired from Saving Private Ryan, in Lego form here, and I made it with interconnecting sections so I could expand on it in the future. The bunker is a modular build and can fit a few nano-figs as well.
Flak Towers
In cities like Berlin and Vienna, the Germans built massive flak towers — enormous concrete fortresses bristling with anti-aircraft guns. These structures not only defended against Allied bombers but also served as shelters for civilians. In LEGO, they’re challenging builds due to their sheer scale, but fun to attempt in microscale. Here I’ve only made a small section of the tower as the entire thing would be massive.