The maginot line tour mat mclachlan battlefield tours. A forgotten strategic lesson, the maginot line mathias foehr. Salmond to push sturgeon into dangerous catalan option with. Published a mere nineteen years after frances defeat by germany in 1940, this book confronts many of the myths which, to this day, surround the maginot line. May 07, 2017 the maginot line masked a somewhat underhanded strategy on the surface, the maginot line was engineered to blunt a direct german attack into france, while safeguarding vital industries situated in the contested alsace and lorraine regions. He used crutches and walking sticks for the remainder of his life. Although there have been a handful of other recent books on european fortifications, this volume by william allcorn is a useful technical summary that corrects many misconceptions about the line. This book shows that the maginot line is more than a metaphor for poor planning. In general they come to sedan,france specifically for my tour as part of their european tour. Constructed in the 1930s just before world war 2, it came under attack in 1940. That being said, do not expect a grand view of the campaign in france, or the push against the b. The kaufmanns and their coauthors created a book that is effective as both a. Why the massive maginot line failed to stop hitler.
The battle for the maginot line 1940 by clayton donnell. And while bill gates frets about eating cheeseburgers in his book for the. The tours last a complete day and are usually based on the german attack at sedan in may 1940 and the french maginot line defences in the area. The line wasnt maginots idea alone, but he helped push the ambitious, multimillionfranc project through parliament. Apr 20, 2015 the maginot line dominated french military thinking in the interwar years. The tour includes a private underground visit of a maginot line ouvrage fort. We have to push responsibility as far out in organization. The maginot line arose neither from french cowardice nor stupidity. Discover delightful childrens books with amazon book box, a subscription that delivers new books every 1, 2, or 3 months new amazon book box prime. Baskets for the resupply of rimplas fort via the aerial ropeway.
Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. The maginot line tour with the exception of the great wall of china, the maginot line was the greatest system of permanent fortifications ever built. Nov 28, 2018 as the french focused on building the maginot line, the germans developed exactly such a new model of warfare blitzkrieg and sent a million men and 1500 tanks through ardennes while deploying a small force to the maginot line as a decoy. However, different sections of the line were built at different times and the strength of various sections varied widely. The maginot line was a series of fortifications built by france between 192934 and subsequently enhanced until 1939. If youre going to read one book in january, make it this one outlawed by anna north the push by ashley audrain you have a match by. Besides the main fortifications between france and germany, it covers the minor fortifications between france and beligum that were ultimately exploited by the nazis and the fortifications between france and italy, that were successful in stopping the italion thrust into. Jan 01, 2011 the maginot line, the complex system of strongpoints constructed between the world wars by the french to protect against attack from germany, is one of the most famous, extensive and controversial. It isnt the line s fault that rest of the military failed. The maginot line 192845 by william allcorn librarything.
Maginot line tours tucker tours sedan 2021 all you need. The maginot line is extended to the english channel, securing the. Hitlers army sidestepped the maginot line with a lightningfast push through belgium that caught. While the germans were able to smash through the lightly defended section of the line along the meuse river, the line held at other key points. Andre maginot, minister of war in 1929, pushed hard for this law, and thus gave his name to what would later become the maginot line.
Unfortunately for the french, the germans did not attack headon. They positioned a decoy army in front of the line to distract the french. The maginot line 11 fascinating facts about frances ill. On completion it comprised more than 50 million cubic feet of concrete, 150,000 tons of steel and 280 miles of internal roads and railways. This book uses new maps and period photographs to tell the story of the five german operations launched against the maginot line during world war ii 19391945. Lang usefully explains the inception and construction of the maginot line, the maginot line during the second world war, and the maginot line after 1945.
Feb 17, 2021 media in category maginot line the following 9 files are in this category, out of 9 total. Dec 20, 2012 this book is a bit of a curiosity, dealing as it does with what was a sideshow to the main events of the battle for france. The maginot line had the intrinsic problems of all such fortifications. It was built between longwy near luxemburg to switzerland and it was instantly proclaimed impregnable by the french.
France had occupied this region following world war i, and had heavily fortified it in an attempt to keep the germans from retaking it these prepared defenses were called the maginot line after the french minister of war who had authorized their. Click to read more about the maginot line 192845 by william allcorn. Looking towards the future, the french ligne maginot experience should push us to question socalled evidences and, especially for leaders, to appreciate the quality of the decisions made. It was really quite interesting despite the occasional mindnumbing technical details which didnt interest me that much however, all in all, i found it highly interesting. The maginot line was named after andre maginot 18771932, a politician who served in world war i until wounded in november 1914. Their obvious route was the way they had come before, through belgium.
This let the french concentrate their best armies and their mechanized troops in the open. Maginot line did its part it deterred germans from their obvious route. The maginot line was not a defensive line just at the german frontier, as the first bunkers were built in nice at the italian frontier in southeast france. Inside the amazing abandoned bunkers of the maginot line.
The maginot line masked a somewhat underhanded strategy on the surface, the maginot line was engineered to blunt a direct german attack into france, while safeguarding vital industries situated in the contested alsace and lorraine regions. Jul 20, 2012 this book provides a concise and informative treatment of the maginot line, from northeast france to the mediterranean. Like the maginot line, it was insufficient for tackling a new generation of threats. Apart from the ouvrages large underground forts, the maginot line also consists of concrete reinforced pillboxes covering gaps between the forts, as well as protective shelters for the soldiers. Maginot line article about maginot line by the free dictionary. Maginot line the maginot line was one of the largest military structures ever built, second only to the great wall of china. Jan 19, 2021 the line wasnt maginots idea alone, but he helped push the ambitious, multimillionfranc project through parliament. While the french waited, the germans snuck a larger force through belgium. It remains a physical series of structures that can still be. The line, designed to very effectively fight the last war, had delivered a false sense of security. The maginot takes its name from french minister for war andre maginot 1877 1932. The book recently came to my attention, and once i got hold of it i had.
The line was a response to frances experience in world war i, was constructed during the runup to world war ii, and was named after the then french minister of war. Constructed throughout the 1930s, the maginot line was supposed to form the ultimate defence against a german invasion of france. Feb 10, 2010 maginot line 1940 covers the almost unexplored topic of the fighting taking place along the eastern flank of the battle of france in 1940. The maginot line contributed in large part to french complacency in the face of resurgent german military might after adolf hitlers rise to power in 1933. Walter sandersthe life picture collection via getty images. The maginot line would give the french a supreme edge in the case of a headon invasion by the germans. This exterior view of the maginot line shows a triple casemate with 75 mm guns. The germans did have to break through the maginot line around sedan but at this point it was conveniently at its weakest. This was an excellent, easytoread and wellillustrated book about the infamous maginot line. Librarything is a cataloging and social networking site for booklovers.
During their blitzkrieg invasion, the germans were able to identify these weak points and focus their attacks against them. It was a series of bunkers, forts, turrets, and obstacles that spanned more than 450 miles of frances border with germany. The line was named after andre maginot, the french minister of war, who was a resolute advocate of the project. Opinion maginot line wasnt originally defensive the new. Packed with plans, contemporary and modern images, plus digital artwork, it. The line, which eventually added an extension dubbed the little maginot line along the mountainous frenchitalian border, was mobilized in 1936 and considered fully operational two years later. Aug 06, 2020 the maginot line allowed france to defend its border with germany with secondrate fortress troops. The essential truth that vivian rowe tells is that the maginot line was never intended as a prototype or component of the defence of the entire french border. Battles on the french frontier campaign book 218 kindle edition by romanych, marc, rupp, martin, white, john.
Storming the maginot line is an interesting find for anyone interested in the nuts and bolts side of german artillery in the second world war. Comedians in london sang a jingoistic song in the music halls called were going to hang out the washing on the siegfried line. Jan 31, 2020 the book is an excellant modern study to the complete maginot line. Named after andre maginot, the french minister of war, it ran along the eastern border with germany and luxemburg and stretched across 450km 300mi.
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