This article first appeared in
My Travelogue by Bhushavali
It all started with museumPASSmusées, adding Atlantikwall Raversyde to its list. As a holder of museumPASSmusées,
I was looking at its website to see what they're all about to plan my visit
there, and the more I learned about it, the more it shocked me!!!
WHAT IS THE ATLANTIC WALL (ATLANTIKWALL)?
To begin with, why that strange spelling? Well, Atlantikwall is the German
spelling of Atlantic Wall. The Atlantikwall was an ambitious project of the
Axis parties (led by Germany) during WWII. The idea was to build an extensive
wall from the north of Norway to the south of France along the seashore. This
wall would be guarded to observe the movement of ships & submarines in the
sea! It was an ambitious project and was never fully completed.
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AZAD HIND FAUJ
CONNECTION BETWEEN ATLANTIC WALL AND INDIANS
India was colonized by the British. WWII happened between 1939-44 which was
when the Indian Independence struggle was at its peak, just before India
gained its independence in 1947. Indians were fighting against the British
everywhere in India to overthrow the British Raj. The atrocities committed by the British in India were too much and people had had enough.
However, at the same time,
about 83000 Indian soldiers of the British Indian Army were deployed in
various places across North Africa and Europe to fight in WWII. (Keep in mind that the functioning government at this time, was the British
Raj, so anyone employed by the government was technically employed by the
British and had to do what they were told to, unless they quit and became a
revolutionary which was not possible for everyone, especially with larger
families to feed).
CONTEXT
The situation in India was quite at its boiling point at this time, thanks to the British loot & atrocities, and suppression of India for 200 years. The behavior of the British during WWII was the last straw. The induced famine the Bengal cost the lives of 3 million people (that's half the number of jews who died in concentration camps at the same time in Germany). A full-on non-cooperation on the civil side, led by Gandhi, and a full-on non-cooperation on the military side, led by Subhas Chandra Bose, finally brought the British atrocities in India to an end in 1947. Subhas Chandra Bose motivated the Indian soldiers in the British Army to not cooperate, and that's what happened at the Atlantic Wall!
SUBHAS CHANDRA BOSE & INDIAN NATIONAL ARMY
Subhas Chandra Bose was one of the Indian Revolutionaries, fighting for
India's freedom from the British Raj. He was the founder of the Indian
National Army (not to be confused with the British Indian Army or the current
Indian Armed Forces)! This Indian National Army was the unified armed forces
that were brought together by Subhas Chandra Bose to fight against the British
(while on the other side, under the leadership of Gandhiji, the
Non-Cooperation Movement was also happening). In some way or the other,
Indians were working towards overthrowing the British Raj in several
ways.
INA movement was scary enough for the British that they arrested Subhas
Chandra Bose in 1939 as soon as the war started. He escaped & traveled to
Germany to meet Adolf Hilter (because the enemy's enemy is a friend - Indian
revolutionaries were fighting against the British in India and Hilter was
fighting against the British in Europe).
FREE INDIA LEGION (AZAD HIND FAUJ)
Back again to the Indian soldiers fighting on behalf of Britain - During the
battles in North Africa, the Germans were victorious and took all the Allied
soldiers as Prisoners of War (PoW) which included a few thousand Indians!
These Indian Prisoners of war were met by Subhas Chandra Bose in the German
cells. Inspired by Subhas Chandra Bose and his efforts to overthrow
British-Raj, thousands volunteered to be enrolled in INA! This wing of INA was
called the 'Azad Hind Fauj', which means, 'Free India Legion'.
INDIAN SOLDIERS OF WWII IN BELGIUM
Soon the Indian Legion soldiers were brought to Belgium and were stationed in
Beverlo Camp (close to Hasselt. The camp was in today's Leopoldsburg and today
it is a museum). They were split into 3 battalions. The first battalion was
moved to Zandvoort (NL) and then to Bordeaux (FR). The 2nd battalion was moved
to Texel Islands, the northernmost point of NL. The 3rd Battalion was moved to
Oldebroek (NL). I'm hoping to visit Beverlo soon; if I do, I'll update it
here. One of the major tasks entrusted to Indians was to guard the
Atlantikwall!
ATLANTIKWALL RAVERSYDE
Indians stood guard at the Atlantikwall in Texel (NL) and Bordeaux (FR), but
I'm not sure if they did in Belgium, even though they reported first at
Beverlo (BE).
I don't know if I'll manage to visit the other places where Atlantikwall was
intact. When I was on
Texel Island, I didn't know about this part of history. I went across the bunkers
without knowing that Indian soldiers stood guard there! I wish I could visit
again. Let's see. For now, I'm in Atlantikwall Raversyde, the Belgian
portion of Atlantikwall with no clue if Indians stood guard here!
Now, imagine the situation - Axis and Allies were fighting each other;
British & Germans were fighting each other; Indians didn't have to come
into the scene at all, but thanks to Colonization, they were made to and we
lost about a million lives, just in the war (in addition to the many millions lost in India due to the British
atrocities)!
EFFECT OF COLONIZATION
Without colonization, without the Indian (& other colonial) troops,
both WWI & WWII would have just remained a European war & wouldn't
have become a World War! It is painful to think about this past, so
painful.
THE AFTERMATH - RED FORT TRIALS (INA TRIALS)
Much later, when the Germans lost the war, these soldiers of the Azad Hind Fauj were arrested by the British and were charged with treason!!! More than 7000 soldiers of INA were charged. The soldiers of officer rank & above were tried in the infamous INA Trials (aka Red Fort Trials) in 1946. Quite as you can expect, this triggered a major outrage in India, because, well, they were 'Indian' soldiers whose loyalty remains with India, and treason against our colonizer Britain was, kind of, a given! The trials' end never saw the light of the day and soon in 1947, India was free from British colonization. The officers of INA were given prominent roles in public life or politics or defense in the new, independent India!
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P.S: Here's the trailer of the movie Raag Desh on YouTube that's
based on the INA Trials (aka Red Fort Trials). However, I couldn't find the
full movie anywhere. If you find it somewhere let me know, I'd love to watch
it too. This movie is about Colonel Prem Sahgal, Colonel Gurbaksh Singh
Dhillon, and Major-General Shah Nawaz Khan who were arrested in the east
(Burma, Malaya, etc) on whom the first trials happened.
GERMAN WAR GRAVES COMMISSION (VOLKSBUND DEUTSCHE
KRIEGSGRÄBERFÜRSORGE):
I'm unsure of how many (or, if any) Indians died while fighting on behalf of
the Germans in Azad Hind Fauj (though most were in non-combat duties).
Here's the website of the German War Graves Commission: Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge. I tried to go through their website to find out if there's any Indian
name, but I couldn't, so I emailed them and got no reply.
ATLANKTIKWALL RAVERSYDE
ATLANTIKWALL RAVERSYDE MUSEUM TODAY
Today, Atlantikwall Raversyde is a museum that encompasses the surviving parts
of the wall and two surviving batteries. Quite amusingly, one of the 2
batteries was built during WWI. The Germans included it in their wall!
To begin with, as soon as you enter the museum, at the car-park itself, you'll
see the map of the domain. Keep in mind that the domain and the museum itself
are 2 different things. The domain is free of cost to visit and the museum
(which has the remnants of the wall & batteries) is ticketed. First, we
headed to the museum.
The first room of the museum has some artefacts and that's where you get the
audio guide. From there the route first leads to the 'House of Prince Charles, Count of Flanders'. He served as the regent of Belgium from 1944-50 soon after WWII (when his
brother Leopold III was held up in controversies related to the war &
more). His house is as it was including the furniture, fixtures, his uniform,
books, paintings, etc. Next, we crossed 2 bunkers where some
war-related short films were being projected on the wall. Soon, we were at the
'Checkered Green House' which had been a lighthouse and was later converted to their own
beach-house by Prince Karel and Baron Goffinet. Today it houses the museum of
the 2 batteries. Right here, the route splits into 2, each leading to the 2
different and we headed to the Aachen Battery of WWI first (blue route).
First of all, what is a battery in war? A battery means, a series of canons
(or soldiers with guns or grenades or other artillery).
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AACHEN BATTERY OF WWI - ATLANTIKWALL RAVERSYDE MUSEUM
The first stop was the Eastern Observation Bunker which is submerged in the ground and there was a staircase that led into it. The first room inside the bunker has a display of radio, telescope, radar, etc. The next room gives a very good idea of the purpose of the Atlantikwall & Aachen Battery. The semi-submerged bunker room has a legend, visual signage depicting the outline of various submarines, on the wall. There are telescopes mounted here. There's a transparent, glass window on all sides with a panoramic view of the horizon. This would help the soldiers standing guard here to observe the sea, to look for enemy submarines (with the help of the visual guide), and alert authorities who would b0mb those!
Back outside, along the walking path, along the sea, overseeing the beach, we
spotted many of these canons still intact and some whose base
and fixtures alone are present. There was also a telemeter here.
Further ahead was the Western Observation Bunker and
Air Raid Shelter. The last stop of the Blue Route was the
Crew accommodation which is currently used to showcase
movies/shows etc. Don't miss the historic water tap just opposite it!
At this point, the circular Blue Route is back at the common point and we
headed to the Saltzwedel-Neu Battery of WWII (Red Route).
SALTZWEDEL-NEU BATTERY OF WWII - ATLANTIKWALL RAVERSYDE MUSEUM
A long underground tunnel connects to the Saltzwedel-Neu Battery. I took the
above video in this tunnel. Soon, we were at the Saltzwedel-Neu Battery of
WWII. Unlike the Aachen Battery, this was built during the construction of the
Atlantikwall.
The first stop here was a bunker as well, followed by a few more
rooms that served as watch posts. Further ahead was the Commander's House, then were even more bunkers & even more canons. Towards the end of the
Red Route were the soldiers' barracks and medical station. Luckily for us, we
also got to see what the doctors & nurses would have looked like and
worked like during WWII.
Here's a thing to note: Normally, there's no one dressed up like in
these photos. Such re-enactments happen during certain events. We went there
during the Tasty Raversyde event when there were people dressed
not only as soldiers, doctors, nurses, etc., but also, we got to taste what
war-time food was like, and what the soldiers ate.
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Pic Credit: Dennis Jarvis from Halifax, Canada, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
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BAT CELLARS IN ATLANTIKWALL RAVERSYDE
As you walk along either Blue Route or Red Route you'll spot many tunnels with a bat symbol on them. Just like the safeguarded bunkers & other places on Halle Batbike Route, here too, many of the tunnels that connect the bunkers are all, sealed off, to provide a safe, undisturbed home for the bats, as well as dormouse!
PROVINCIAL DOMAIN ATLANTIKWALL RAVERSYDE
While the fortified part of the Atlantikwall & its bunkers & tunnels
are preserved as a museum and has an entry ticket, the entire greenery around
it, the woodlands, and the provincial domain part are free to enter. The map
of the provincial domain is available at the car park.
It is also possible to see portions of the Atlantikwall, some canons &
some bunkers from the street along the sea (or tram).
ATLANTIKWALL RAVERSYDE WITH KIDS
Of course, I went to Atlantikwall Raversyde with Atyudarini. There are quite a
few interesting activities, especially for kids at Atlantikwall Raversyde,
segregated by age. We tried 2 of those which were suitable for Atyudarini:
'Treasures to Fly' and 'Time Travel Quest'. In both cases, at the end of the
treasure hunt, there's a little gift for the little ones.
'Treasures to Fly' is a 'senses' based treasure hunt where the kids have to find clues along
with the way and smell/feel it to find the right sticker to put on the right
spot. This route includes both the Red Route & Blue Route.
'Time Travel Quest' on the other hand, is a free-for-all, because it is outside, in the
Provincial Domain of Atlantikwall Raversyde. You can find the map (activity
booklet) at the car-park. As you walk along the route, through the wooded
areas of the provincial domain, the kids have to find art installations with
hidden alphabets and jot them down.
Check out the other events on the
official website of Atlantikwall Raversyde
to see which quest or treasure hunt is more suitable for the age of your kids.
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ATLANTIKWALL RAVERSYDE PRACTICAL INFORMATION
Atlantikwall Raversyde Museum Tickets: €10 (included in museumPASSmusées)
It is possible to
buy Atlantikwall Raversyde tickets
online on their official website.
Atlantikwall Raversyde Provincial Domain Tickets: Free
Atlantikwall Raversyde Opening Season: Open only from March to November.
Closed in Winter.
Atlantikwall Raversyde Opening Hours / Timings: 10:30AM to 06:00PM (till
05:00PM on weekdays).
HOW TO REACH ATLANTIKWALL RAVERSYDE?
Where is Atlantikwall Raversyde (on Google Maps)?
Atlantikwall Raversyde
How to reach Atlantikwall Raversyde: It is very easy to reach Atlantikwall
Raversyde by public transport. The nearest tram stop is Raversijde
Provinciedomein served by KT (Kust Tram (Coastal Tram)) of DeLijn.
WALKING MAP IN ATLANTIKWALL RAVERSYDE
Downloads/opens as a pdf: via
Atlantikwall Raversyde official website
Below is the map of the provincial domain of Atlantikwall Raversyde:
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What an interesting place and one I had never heard of before. The fact that the personnel were dressed up in military uniform and were all around the site must have added a new dimension to what otherwise would have been an empty site. The sound of the wall going up from France to Norway is unbelievable, imagine if it had been completed, how awful. It is great that your daughter seemed to be enjoying herself while learning about such an important time in history and the part that India played in WW2.
ReplyDeleteHi Bhushavali, I enjoyed reading your article about the Atlantikwall Raversyde in Belgium. I was fascinated by the history and the architecture of the bunkers and the trenches. You have captured the details and the atmosphere very well with your photos and descriptions. It must have been a surreal experience to visit such a place.
ReplyDeleteHi Bhushavali, I enjoyed reading your article about the Atlantikwall Raversyde in Belgium. I was fascinated by the history and the architecture of the bunkers and the trenches. You have captured the details and the atmosphere very well with your photos and descriptions.
ReplyDeleteWow, I had no idea about this place nor the deep history. It's so nice that you went there during the period that had re-enactment and even got to eat some of the food! I think that really makes it come alive especially for the kids. The bat cellar instantly reminded me of batman, haha!
ReplyDeleteWhat a fascinating project to build a wall from Norway through France. I can certainly see why the Atlantikwall Raversyde was never completed. Interesting for you to learn more about the history of Indian soldiers as it relates to Atlantikwall Raversyde. But sad to hear about the soldiers tried in the INA Trials. A museum and the remaining sections of the wall are a good way to learn more. I might stay away from the tunnels - especially ones with a bat symbol. Good to know there were some things to keep your daughter engaged.
ReplyDeleteI never heard of this wall before but the history behind it is fascinating. It's sad to hear and think about the Indian soldiers that died here and it wasn't even their war. The museum looks so interesting and it's great that you visited when people were dressed in costumes. I'm sure it made the visit more interesting! Your daughter clearly enjoyed it too.
ReplyDeleteWhilst we are thought about the World Wars during the history lessons in school, we are never told the extent of the things that happened and all the nations involved. We were never told about the Indian troops fighting in the WWII or how they got to Europe. I think that places like Atlantikwall are very important to share a light of truth to history. I had no idea that there was this idea of constructing a defense wall to connect Norway with the South of France. If I ever find myself in this part of Belgium, I will definitely visit Atlantikwall .
ReplyDeleteI really learned a lot from your blogpost about the Atlantikwall Raversyde. Years ago I saw an exhibition by Annet van der Voort. She captured the Atlantikwall in her photos and created a dark, strange atmosphere. Afterwards I researched a few places to see remains of the Atlantikwall, but forgot about it. So, your blogpost brought this idea back into the travel plans. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteThat is an amazing piece of history that you have narrated. I for one, did not know of Atlantik wall. To learn why it was being built itself was an epic tale. Then comes the connection with the Azad Hind fauj and how the revolution took place here. Boils my blood to know about how they were punished in the INA trials. All said and done, definitely a place that I would like to see for myself.
ReplyDeleteThe tour of the Atlantikwall Raversyde and the preserved World War II bunkers was not only intriguing but also deeply moving. Learning about the major contributions of Indian soldiers during WWII in Belgium was both humbling and inspiring. I appreciate you sharing this important and sometimes forgotten chapter of history. It was also great to see your daughter's interest and participation throughout the tour.
ReplyDeleteI definitely learned something new after your article. I had no idea about this place nor the history of the Indian soldiers in Europe. I am sorry for all the soldiers lost in the INA Trials. :(
ReplyDeleteI am glad they established the museum as this is a great way learn more about history. Not to mention the activities that they have for the kids.