Alex Clarke recalls the Surrey Hills landscape in which he grew up, including older fortifications and Second World War pillboxes. He describes defenses being reactivated, resupplied and reconditioned during the war. Modern motorways and major A-roads must be removed from that mental map to imagine an invasion moving through the narrow, winding roads of the period. British supply relied heavily on railways and sea transport, while truck logistics remained relatively limited. A road network more familiar with individual slow-moving trucks would be difficult ground for large invading columns.
Chapter · 41:07-42:54
The roads and reused fortifications of the Surrey Hills
Older defenses and narrow roads in the Surrey Hills illustrate the ground an invasion would face before modern motorways and major A-roads.