World War II broke out in 1939 with Britain declaring war on Germany to defend the balance of power in Europe. In 1940, Hitler’s forces invaded France resulting in Operation Dynamo, the British evacuation of 380,000 British and French soldiers from Dunkirk.

In the months that followed, there were fears of a German invasion and so a series of Stop Lines were constructed across the country. These stop lines were designed to slow or halt an advancing army. Small fortifications, known as “Pillboxes”, were constructed to be occupied by the Home Guard during an invasion.

In the Trent Valley, Stop Line 5 is a network of defensive emplacements that uses the rivers Trent, Tame and Dove to provide a natural barrier to invading forces. Pillboxes are built at strategic locations, such as bridges and shallows, where the Nazis could have crossed the river. The majority of the pillboxes of Stop Line 5 are built of reinforced concrete and are of a similar construction, known as Type 24. These pillboxes are designed for a garrison of seven with five light machine guns and two riflemen. During the Dunkirk evacuation most of the British supplies were left behind and so it is questionable whether there would have been sufficient weapons, ammunition and soldiers to be effective.

The video shows a 360° artistic interpretation of the landscape near Tucklesholme (images taken courtesy of Staffordshire Wildlife Trust). View the pillbox, still currently standing, shown as it would have been garrisoned in the 1940s during a time Britain feared invasion by land and water. Overhead the spitfires fly and you can hear the roar of the V12 Merlin engines.