The Maginot Line was a line of concrete fortifications, tank obstacles and machine gun posts, together with other defences which France constructed along her borders with Germany and with Italy in the wake of World War I. The French believed the fortification would provide time for their army to mobilise in the event of attack and also compensate for numerical weakness.
Construction
The defenses were first proposed by Marshal Joffre. It was Andre Maginot who convinced the government to invest in the scheme. The line was built from 1930 by the STG, overseen by CORF. The main construction was largely completed by 1935 at a cost of around 3 billion francs. There were 108 main forts (ouvrages) at 15 kilometer intervals, smaller ouvrages and casemates between, with over 100 kilometers of tunnels.
The German Bypass
The fortifications did not extend through the Ardennes Forest or along the border with Belgium. The German invasion plan of 1940 (Sichelschnitt) was designed to deal with the Line. A decoy force sat opposite the Line while a second Army Group cut through the Low Countries and the Ardennes. Attacking from May 10, the German forces were well into France within five days.
Specifications
The specification was very high: 45 main forts (grands ouvrages), 97 smaller forts (petits ouvrages), and 352 casemates, with over 100 km of tunnels. The largest guns were 135mm fortress guns. Artillery was coordinated so that one fort could support the next.
Purposes
- Avoid surprise attack and give alarm
- Cover mobilisation of the French Army (2–3 weeks)
- Save manpower (France: 39 million vs. Germany: 70 million)
- Protect Alsace and Lorraine and their industrial basin
- Serve as a basis for counter-offensive
- Force the enemy to circumvent via Switzerland and Belgium
Legacy
The term "Maginot Line" has become a metaphor for something confidently relied upon despite being ineffectual. In fact, it did exactly what it was intended to do — sealing off a section of France and forcing an aggressor around it. The failure was in not implementing the larger defense plan.