On all fronts similar defensive walls were being built, and the civilian population was being called up to build them. By mid August it was the turn of the Western Front. There, at the of July, the western Allies had been in a position to launch their offensive from their now well established and enlarged bridgehead in Normandy, and by 20th August German resistance west of the Seine River had been broken. On 25th August Paris fell. One day before this, Hitler issued his Orders for building a new West Wall for the defence of the Reich. On 29th August, Orders followed for the defence of the North Sea coast (No. 62). Further orders for the West Wall followed on 1st September. All these Orders were sent, primarily, to Martin Bormann and to the District Leaders in the west. Hitler was relying on both the heroic National Socialist German Workers' Party as well as the proud Army to make the last stand.