The Dover bunkers that would have stood up to a German invasion of England

In 1940, after the occupation of France by Germany, the United Kingdom found itself fighting alone against nazi expansionism.

The small church in the United Kingdom that pays tribute to the Polish airmen of the WW2
RAF Fauld, an ammunition depot where a great tragedy occurred during World War II

In that dark hour, the British prepared for a German invasion of their country, encouraged by the famous words of Prime Minister Winston Churchill in the House of Commons on June 4, 1940: "We shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be. We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing-grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills. We shall never surrender!"

Dover is the English city closest to the French coast. Its famous white cliffs would have been the first defense against that German invasion. In 1940, Churchill gave orders to build a network of tunnels in the cliffs of Dover for a coastal artillery battery with BL 6 Mk VII 152 mm naval guns. This military position is known as Fan Bay Deep Shelter, it is located to the east of the city and was abandoned in 1956. In addition, in the city of Dover there was an old fortress from the 18th century, the Western Heights Fort, which served as a garrison. This fort has a large well 55 meters deep, surrounded by a staircase.

Last year, VacantHaven toured these positions in an interesting video:

You can see some screenshots of this video here. Here we see one of the entrances to the tunnels of the Fan Bay Deep Shelter.

One of the tunnels of the Fan Bay Deep Shelter. This position was made up of a network of tunnels to house the coastal artillery position, its garrison and ammunition.

The exterior of the great well at Western Heights Fort, Dover.

The interior of the great well, with the windows of the staircase that surrounds it.

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Main photo: Vilmantas Bekesius.