Maginot Line

The Maginot Line (/ˈmæʒɪnoʊ/; French: Ligne Maginot [liɲ maʒino]), named after the French Minister of War André Maginot, is a line of concrete fortifications, obstacles and weapon installations built by France in the 1930s. The line was to deter invasion by Nazi Germany and force them to move around the fortifications through Belgium. It was impervious to most forms of attack and in 1940 the Germans invaded through the Low Countries, passing it to the north. The line, which was supposed to be extended further towards the west to avoid such an occurrence, was not built in response to demands from Belgium. Belgium feared it would be sacrificed in the event of another German invasion. The line has since become a metaphor for expensive efforts that offer a false sense of security.

Constructed on the French side of its borders with Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Luxembourg and Belgium, the line did not extend to the English Channel. French strategy was to move into Belgium to counter a German assault. Based on France's experience with trench warfare during World War I, the massive Maginot Line was built before the Second World War, after the Locarno Conference in 1925 gave rise to a fanciful and optimistic "Locarno spirit". French military experts believed the line would deter German aggression because it would slow an invasion force long enough for French forces to mobilise and counter-attack.

The Maginot Line was invulnerable to aerial bombings and tank fire and used underground railways for movement. It had modern living conditions for the garrison, with air conditioning and eating areas for their comfort. French and British officers had anticipated the geographical limits of the Maginot Line; when Germany invaded the Netherlands and Belgium, they carried out the Dyle Plan to form a front along the Dyle in Belgium to connect with the Maginot Line.

The French line was weak near the Ardennes. General Maurice Gamelin, when drafting the Dyle Plan, believed this region, with its rough terrain, would be an unlikely invasion route by German forces; if it were traversed, it would be done at a slow rate that would allow the French time to bring up reserves and counter-attack. The German Army, having altered their plans when it became known to the Allies in the Mechelen incident on 10 January 1940 redirected the effort against this weak point in the French defensive front. The Manstein plan replaced the original plan with a gamble that the main German armoured force could cross the Ardennes and cross the Meuse before the Allies could react. The Germans crossed the Meuse and raced down the Somme river valley, encircled much of the Allied forces in the north, leading to the Dunkirk evacuation and leaving the troops to the south unable to mount an effective resistance to the Germans.