The sector formed part of Hitler's Atlantic Wall, designed to resist an Allied invasion. More than a dozen major strongpoints, known as Widerstandsnester (WN), overlooked the beach. Many bunkers were reinforced with steel and thick reinforced concrete walls up to two metres thick. They housed MG 34 and MG 42 machine guns, anti-tank guns and artillery pieces. Despite these formidable fortifications, Allied forces captured the beach on 6 June 1944 after intense fighting.