| Maginot Line |
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| maginot line | |
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The Maginot Line (IPA: {Link without Title} , named after French minister of defence André Maginot ) was a line of concrete Fortification s, tank obstacles, machine gun posts and other defences which France constructed along its borders with Germany and with Italy , in the light of experience from World War I , and in the run-up to World War II . Generally the term describes either the entire system or just the defenses facing Germany, while '''Alpine Line''' is used for the Franco-Italian defenses. The French believed the fortification would provide time for their army to mobilize in the event of attack, and/or entice Germany to attack neutral Belgium to avoid a direct assault on the line. The success of static, defensive combat in World War I was a key influence on French thinking. The fortification system successfully dissuaded a direct attack, but as it had been drummed up as making France invincible, the following defeat made it look like a failure. The term is sometimes used today to describe any comically ineffective protection. PLANNING AND CONSTRUCTION The defenses were first proposed by Marshal Joffre . He was opposed by modernists such as Paul Reynaud and Charles De Gaulle who favoured investment in armour and aircraft. Joffre had support from Henri Philippe Pétain , and there were a number of reports and commissions organised by the government. It was André Maginot who finally convinced the government to invest in the scheme. Maginot was another veteran of WW I , who became France's Minister of Veteran Affairs and then Minister of War (1928–1931). The line was built in a number of phases from 1930 by the STG (''Service '''T'''echnique du '''G'''énie'') overseen by CORF ('''''C'''ommission d''''O'''rganisation des '''R'''égions '''F'''ortifiées''). The main construction was largely completed by 1939 , at a cost of around 3 billion French Francs . The line stretched from Switzerland to Luxembourg, although a much lighter extension was extended to the channel after 1934. The original line construction did not cover the area chosen by the Germans for their first challenge, which was through the Ardennes in 1940, a plan known as Fall Gelb . The location of this attack, probably because of the Maginot line, was through the Belgian Ardennes forest (sector 4) which is off the map to the left of Maginot line sector 6 (as marked). PURPOSES OF THE LINE The Maginot Line was built to fulfill several purposes:
ORGANIZATION OF THE MAGINOT LINE Although the name "Maginot Line" suggests a rather thin linear fortification, the Line was quite deep, varying in depth from between 20 to 25 kilometers deep. It was composed of an intricate system of strongpoints, fortifications, and military facilities such as border guardposts, communications centers, infantry shelters, barricades, artillery, machine gun, and anti-tank gun emplacements, supply depots, infrastructure facilities, observation posts, etc. These various structures reinforced a ''principal line of resistance,'' made up of the most heavily armed and fortified "ouvrages", which can be roughly translated as forts or major defensive works. From the front and proceeding to the rear, the Line was composed of:
:The anti-tank obstacle system was immediately followed by an ''anti-personnel obstacle'' system made primarily of very dense barbed wire. ''Anti-tank road barriers'' also made it possible to block roads at necessary points of passage through the tank obstacles. |
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