The popular legend of the maginot line portrays the frontier defenses as a useless white elephant project that was prompted by a gross misapprehension of warfares new realities in the mid20th century and quickly overwhelmed by the forceful advance of the german blitzkrieg. Opinions expressed here are solely those of the posters. In 1940 the germans took advantage and actually came through the forest bypassing the maginot line. Maginot line definition, a zone of heavy defensive fortifications erected by france along its eastern border in the years preceding world war ii, but outflanked in 1940 when the german army attacked through belgium. Now that im no longer a volunteer i only check this site for messages. After the fall of france in june 1940, the maginot line was taken over by the. He used crutches and walking sticks for the remainder of his life. Looking at these facts the maginot line did play a good part of its role. The maginot line was one of the largest military structures ever built, second only to the great wall of china. The maginot line was named after andre maginot 18771932, a politician who served in world war i until wounded in november 1914. Includes pictures explains the origins of the maginot line, its construction, and the world war ii fighting around it includes online resources and a bibliography for further reading includes a table of contents we could hardly dream of building a kind of great wall of france, which would in any case be far too costly. Instead we have foreseen powerful but flexible means of organizing. The ones that were installed, fulfilled an important role of cle.
Aug 17, 2011 heading underground in france to explore the maginot line, wwii history. Bbc ww2 peoples war brits on the maginot line, france 1940. In itself, the maginot line may have symbolized french concern with defense, but it. The maginot line named after the french minister of war andre maginot, is a line of concrete. In eastern france there were a number of systems and the a2 ouvrage fermont was built from 1931. The maginot line was a vast fortification that spread along the frenchgerman border but became a military liability when the germans attacked france in the spring of 1940 using blitzkrieg a tactic that completely emasculated the maginot lines purpose. Maginot line synonyms, maginot line pronunciation, maginot line translation, english dictionary definition of maginot line. The line was named after andre maginot, the french minister of war and consisted of weapons and fortifications along frances eastern border. At that date, from the maginot line in the northeast some 45 defense works out of 53 and casematesblockhouses were still fighting and many defense works surrendered only on 7th july. The maginot line suffered the basic weakness of all fixed defences but it also offered benefits highly recommended. The 1982 edition of field manual 1005, operations, divides the concept. Sep 05, 2016 for an entrepreneur running an online business enterprise enhancing the visibility of hisher business websites search engine is a critical step that heshe must endeavour to achieve in order to succeed in the digital world.
The radio is a subject which annoys the french ego, each time one. The speed of the allied advance ment that they were only sporadic uses of the line by the germans. Maginot line main entrance to the schoenenbourg fort on the maginot line, basrhin department, alsace region, france. It consisted of an intricate system of strong points, fortifications, and military facilities such as border. Mar 18, 2017 the popular legend of the maginot line portrays the frontier defenses as a useless white elephant project that was prompted by a gross misapprehension of warfares new realities in the mid20th century and quickly overwhelmed by the forceful advance of the german blitzkrieg. Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow. Today we start our look at the maginot line at ouvrage fermont. It was designed to protect northeastern france against german invasion. At the outset of world war ii, france was still recovering from the first one. Inside the amazing abandoned bunkers of the maginot line. All members in good standing are free to post here. Constructed on the french side of its borders with italy, switzerland, germany, and luxembourg.
The first french army staff work on a design for what became the maginot line began in 1919, with world war i scarcely over. They did not protect france from hitlers forces as the germans found their way around them by attacking through belgium in may 1940. In 1940, france deployed about twice as many men, 36 divisions roughly one third of its force, for the defence of the. Get an answer for gene mentions of constructing maginot lines in the last paragraph, what does this mean in a separate peace. Maginot in 192934 and was continually improved upon until 1940. This is not a forum for general discussion of the articles subject. Mar 30, 2018 built between 1930 and 1940, frances maginot line was a massive system of defenses that became famous for failing to stop a german invasion.
Document carried out by raymond and christophe cima, starting from elements of various origins. Flanders in 1940 was smaller than either the dutch or belgian armies and hardly. This is the most comprehensive account of the maginot line in 1940 and later in wwii. The french maginot line in use from 1935 to 1940 from world war ii has come to stand as one of the great symbols of shortsightedness, myopic architecture, stupidity, ostrichlike response to threat, and just general fail.
The designs werein an advanced stage by 1926, but the. Wwii the maginot line france epik fails of history. Shat vincennes how our destiny was played deliversthesis of the general koeltz hachette 1957 papers paul reynaud files of the quay of orsay the ideology of the offensive in the schlieffen plan institute of compared. Hackenberg a fortress of the maginot line written by neil barber. Maginot line a system of fortifications constructed by the french along their eastern border between 1929 and 1934, widely considered impregnable, but outflanked by german forces in 1940. It included three fortified regions metz, lauter, and belfort, the rhine fortified front, and the saar obstacle region. Constructed throughout the 1930s, the maginot line was supposed to form the ultimate defence against a german invasion of france.
While an understanding of the lines creation is vital to any study of world war i, world war ii, and the period in between, this knowledge is also helpful when interpreting a number of modern references. Nov 24, 2017 the battle for the maginot line 1940 topic. The maginot line by greg moore built from 1930 to 1940 and at a cost of over 5 billion french francs, the maginot line was a fortified line in depth, usually 25 to 25 kilometers deep. Contrary to legend, the maginot line functioned perfectly and did everything that was expected of it. This was a major section of the maginot line and fermont consisted of two entrance. Following the experience of the 191418 war, the french government decided to look at ways of defending its borders to cover the possibility of germany ever attacking france again. Maginot line french fortification, europe britannica. This weapon was badly used by the french high command, that concentrated about thirty divisions behind it whereas sectors were completely empty as the ardenne sector.
Built between 1930 and 1940, frances maginot line was a massive system of defenses that became famous for failing to stop a german invasion. The maginot line was one of the largest military structures ever built, second only to the great wall. In 1922 a committee was formed to consider the options. Purpose frances defeat by germany in 1940 is one of the most. Gene mentions of constructing maginot lines in the last. A line of fortification constructed in the 1930s along frances border with germany. Maginot line article about maginot line by the free dictionary.
Around 1600 mortars were delivered in 1940, but not all of them were installed. The cezf line was a second line of defence behind the northern part of the maginot line. This book removes the mysteries that have long surrounded the maginot line and explains its true history. Maginot line simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The foreign policy of france between 1919 and 1939. This is a useful piece of work, combining a detailed history and a guide to the line. Assault across the rhine near kunheim, 15 june 1940. Attack the maginot iine5 he might launch attacks to feel oub the maginot line. During the first world war, the german army had built the hindenburg line, which is similar.
For a start it faced the wrong way,and even were it not so,the allies were sure to pull the same trick as the germans in 1940. This is the talk page for discussing improvements to the maginot line article. A disadvantage of the weapon was that when mounted in a cupola, the barrel was vulnerable since it stuck out quite some cms. Heading underground in france to explore the maginot line, wwii history. The maginot line tour leger holidays battlefield tours. During their blitzkrieg invasion, the germans were able to identify these weak points and focus their attacks against them. The c type cupola was installed in blockhouses hardened field fortifications of the cezf line, with protection level 2. The maginot line was a world war ii era line of defenses in france, intended to protect the country from a potential german attack. In books and also in simulation games the maginot line is often described as a continuous, massive and impassable fortification. The maps were well populated with key towns and rivers and showed troop dispositions, axes of advance and clear points of penetration on the front line. The maginot line was an excellent instrument of fight allying fire strength and protection, while mobilizing a minimum of troops.
This massive system of bunkers and tunnels came under attack in may 1940 and proved how strong the maginot line could be. While an understanding of the line s creation is vital to any study of world war i, world war ii, and the period in between, this knowledge is also helpful when interpreting a number of modern references. The maps were well populated with key towns and rivers and showed troop dispositions, axes. The maginot line was a huge screen wall developed in the 1930s to protect france from future german invasion. Probably because of its heroic resistance of 19401941, which was made. Maginot line issued a provisional instruction on civil defence against bombing. Refer to the text to check your answers when appropriate. The battle for the maginot line 1940 casemate publishers. The cupola type c was made from the same steel and mould as the type b cupola small model or pm but was simpler. The maginot line fortifications were strong and elaborately designed.
The maginot line dominated french military thinking in the interwar years. The great war, commonly referred to as wwi, was primarily conducted with trench warfare, a completely inefficient method of conquering territory, but an ideal form of slaughtering one anothers army across lines drawn in the sand with tons of casualties. The cost ot halt a million lives did not yield verdun to the kaiser in the first world war. Includes pictures explains the origins of the maginot line, its construction, and the world war. The maginot line was a defensive structure built along the french border in the 1930s named after the minister of war, andre maginot. Maginot line definition, a zone of heavy defensive fortifications erected by france along its eastern border in the years preceding world war ii, but outflanked in 1940 when the.
Im reasonably sure that the maginot line was of little practical use to the germans. Toward combined arms warfare army university press. Heading underground in france to explore the maginot line. What was it like as a french soldier to defend the maginot line when the germans invaded in 1940, and was the line really a strategic and tactical disaster a massive waste of resources. While many believe it was military technology that failed and the germans simply went round it, few realise that in several locations the german army attempted to breach it during the blitzkrieg in may 1940 and. Clayton donnells expert, finely detailed and graphic account of.
For an entrepreneur running an online business enterprise enhancing the visibility of hisher business websites search engine is a critical step that heshe must endeavour to achieve in order to succeed in the digital world. We descend in the original lifts, travel on an old ammunition train and see the fighting bunkers during our mornings guided tour of the site. While few of the underground fortresses of the line were actually. Battles on the french frontier campaign book 218 marc romanych.
Maginot line definition of maginot line by the free dictionary. However, different sections of the line were built at different times and the strength of various sections varied widely. For example, only around 1009 were installed in gfm cloches. French rapidly gave up any idea of combining artillery fire with. Maginot line, elaborate defensive barrier in northeast france constructed in the 1930s and named after its principal creator, andre maginot, who was frances minister of war in 192931. Although expensive, the fortifications proved ultimately to be redundant. The maginot line was built at the suggestion of minister of war a. While many believe it was military technology that failed and the germans simply went round it, few realise that in several locations the german army attempted to breach it. Contingency plans for war in western europe, 19201940. Apr 20, 2015 the maginot line dominated french military thinking in the interwar years. After the war, the maginot line wrongly became the scapegoat for the greatest military and political disaster ever suffered by france. Maginot line history crunch history articles, summaries. The alliesmainly the americansused the certain forts to fire into germany, but again the swiftness of the advance only ment they were used for a short while and that allied airpower was a lot more effective.
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