Beach Obstacles
In order to protect France from an expected Allied invasion, the Germans created a variety of beach obstacles to act as the first line of defense in the Atlantic Wall.
| Obstacle | Construction | Mined? |
|---|---|---|
| hedgehog | metal | no |
| wooden ramp | wood | yes |
| Element C (Belgian gate) | metal | no |
| stake | wood | yes |
| tetrahedron | metal | no |
Of the obstacles that were mined, most were outfitted with standard land mines that were rendered ineffective by the corrosive saltwater of the English Channel.
Obstacles such as tetrahedrons, stakes and Element C are not seen in Saving Private Ryan, although tetrahedrons would have been rare on Omaha Beach.