Built in the aftermath of world war i, and stretching along the french eastern border from belgium to switzerland, it was designed to prevent german troops from ever setting foot on french soil again. Links and sources all the contributors of the content bibliography. Im reasonably sure that the maginot line was of little practical use to the germans. 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. The sector was part of a system of fortifications that included the maginot line. Maginot line, a series of forts along rances eastern border. 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. As a french author and military liaison with the british, andre maurois, wrote about his disillusionment with the defensive line he originally enthusiastically supported. Battles on the french frontier for osprey publishing is now available for sale. The story of the teeth of frances famous border fortresses, from the armored gun turrets invention in the late 19th century to the fierce world war ii battles on the maginot line. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. This book removes the mysteries that have long surrounded the maginot line and explains its true history. Battles on the french frontier campaign romanych, marc, rupp, martin, white, john on.
Built from 1930 to 1940 and at a cost of over 5 billion french francs, the maginot. The line was a response to frances experience in world war i and was constructed during the runup to world war ii. Today, the fortifications towards italy are commonly called alpin line. And french gun turret development 1880 1940 osprey new vanguard 250 2017 isbn. And french gun turret development 18801940 new vanguard book 250 kindle edition by donnell, clayton, spedaliere, donato. Isbn 9781841767673 in the summer of 1940, britain asked itself not will. Constructed during the 1930s, the maginot line was supposed to form the ultimate defence against a german invasion of france. That creates employments in the economic crisis context that touches france since 1932. The osprey campaign book series by multiple authors includes books normandy 1944. Although the facilities in maginot line installations could be rather more squalid than this, the line did present, potentially, a significant obstacle to any german attack on france. Rommel and the german 7th panzer division in france 1940 kkrva. And french gun turret development 1880 1940 clayton donnell, donato spedaliere isbn. The remains is affected to the creation of new works called new fronts works. The line failed in may 1940 when germany went around the line from the north, through belgium.
The sector was bordered to the west by the fortified sector of the sarre and to the east by the fortified sector of the vosges. Fast moving tank divisions supported by armoured, mobile infantry swept over opposition. However, different sections of the line were built at different times and the. The battle for the maginot line 1940 casemate publishers. I use the term maginot line throughout this page as this is the name popularly associated with the pre1940 french frontier defences. In the case of the lille sector, no large fortifications of the kind typified by the maginot line were built in the. The maginot line was a huge screen wall developed in the 1930s to protect france from future german invasion. French infantry in one of the maginot line s anchor fortresses, late1930s. After the war, the maginot line wrongly became the scapegoat for the greatest military and political disaster ever suffered by france. The 1940 campaign proved to be a spectacular success and was a key.
Open to the public since 1978, about 40,000 visitors come yearly to discover its settings. Nah, the french didnt give up with the maginot line. Battles on the french frontier campaign book 218 due to its large file size, this book may take longer to download kindle monthly deals. The sectors principal defence was the rhine itself, which could be crossed only by boat or by seizing a bridge crossing. Includes pictures explains the origins of the maginot line, its construction, and the world war. Largest jpg image create smallest pdf file create small pdf file. French abandon the maginot line the new york times. Some special units are created to form the crew of the maginot line works.
Home ebooks maginot line gun turrets osprey new vanguard 250. We know now that the maginot line complex was a dangerous disease of the mind. Yesterdays broad scattershot attacks have given way to organized attacks funded by deeppocketed threat actors who are laserfocused on breaching systems and stealing data. The 7th panzer division was initially a part of the 2nd army corps, but was on. Built in the aftermath of world war i, and stretching along the french eastern border from belgium to switzerland, it was designed to prevent german. Maginot line gun turrets osprey new vanguard 250 books. It consisted of an intricate system of strong points, fortifications, and military facilities such as border.
And french gun turret development 1880 1940 new vanguard by clayton donnell, donato spedaliere isbn. Campaign 217 the mongol invasions of japan 1274 and 1281. It had been made possible by the success of fall gelb case yellow, the invasion of the benelux countries and northern france in the battle of france and the encirclement of the allied armies in the north on the channel coast. And french gun turret development 18801940 osprey new vanguard 250. The spokesman of the french war ministry admitted tonight that the military situation is incontestably very grave. For me, the combat sections of the books are wanting, especially in maps. Constructed throughout the 1930s, the maginot line was supposed to form the ultimate defence against a german invasion of france. Oct 03, 2017 buy the battle for the maginot line 1940 by clayton donnell isbn. France, major european power and owner of the worlds largest armies had fallen in less than seven weeks to the might of the german wehrmacht. Jun 16, 2015 the german army was making a terrific drive today june 14 to encircle the french troops defending the maginot line. The maginot line was a line of concrete fortifications, tank obstacles, machine gun posts and other defences which france constructed along her borders with germany and with italy in the wake of world war i. The maginot line suffered the basic weakness of all fixed defences but it also offered benefits highly recommended. German 88mm flak 36 firing directly on the maginot line. Indeed, the line greatly hindered frances war effort because so much heavy equipment was cemented into the line and could not be used when it was bypassed.
The sector was part of a system of fortifications that, in other sectors, included the maginot line. 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. The maginot line was made of a number of fortifications and bunkers, close to the french border to germany, belgium, luxembourg and italy. Battles on the french frontier campaign series by marc romanych. The maginot line 19281945 by william allcorn, osprey fortress book 10.
Isbn 9781841766461 the maginot line, the massive series of fortifications built by. Ramirez introduction on may 10, 1940 the german army opened a massive offensive aimed at france. Allied landings and breakout osprey military campaign, austerlitz 1805. Clayton donnells expert, finely detailed and graphic account of. Its primary defensive weapons were the gun turrets. The maginot line was named after the man who argued for its construction, french minister of war. During the first world war, the german army had built the hindenburg line, which is. A very shortbarreled howitzer with the characteristics of a heavy mortar.
As with almost all of the osprey series of books this one is informative, well. However, different sections of the line were built at different times and the strength of various sections varied widely. In october 1939 he took command of the french 3rd army group which covered the section of the maginot line along the river rhine and the swizz frontier. Yet, in sum, the five volumes are the standard reference work about the maginot line. The world war ii german invasion plan of 1940 sichelschnitt was designed to deal with the line. The fortifications were built as part of frances maginot line defensive strategy, but the sector lacks the large interconnected fortifications found along frances land border with germany. The sectors principal defense was the rhine itself, which could be crossed only by boat or by. 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. This french line of defense was constructed along the countrys. Generally the maginot line refers to the either the entire system or just the defences facing germany while the alpine line is used for. The sectors defenses relied primarily on a system of inundations that could be created by fortified dikes and regulating weirs, backed by blockhouses. During world war ii, fall rot case red was the plan for the second phase of the conquest of france by the german army and began on 5 june 1940. The maginot line was one of the most advanced networks of. And french gun turret development 18801940 new vanguard by clayton donnell, donato spedaliere isbn.
During their blitzkrieg invasion, the germans were able to identify these weak points and focus their attacks against them. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading maginot line gun turrets. This is the most comprehensive account of the maginot line in 1940 and later in wwii. The maginot line was a very elaborate line of military built on the eastern border of france to defend against an attack from germany in 192839. The fortified sector of flanders secteur fortifie des flandres was the french military organization that in 1940 controlled the section of the french border with belgium between lille and the north sea. The maginot line, the massive series of fortifications built by france in the 1930s to defend its borders with. Hackenberg a fortress of the maginot line written by neil barber. Nonfiction reading test maginot line ereading worksheets forts, yet it proved to be almost useless.
The maginot line was one of the most advanced networks of fortifications in history. For combat, i must recommended my own book osprey s maginot line 1940. 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. After wwi, the french sought means to defend their territory against the rising menace 1930s nazi germany by constructing the maginot line, a series of interconnected strongpoints and fortifications running along much of frances eastern border. But the strength of the line varied widely, and during the assault on france in may 1940 the germans were able to identify its weak points and focus their attacks against them. 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. The secret of the wehrmachts success lay in its carefully thought out organization and the tactics of blitzkrieg. Home ebooks maginot line gun turrets osprey new vanguard 250 372450 files available. He and his command surrendered after the 25 june as german panzer units had reached the swiss border and cut off the maginot line from the rest of france sources. This book provides a refreshing study of the grossly misunderstood maginot line. With five petit ouvrages the sector was poorly equipped with fortress artillery, limiting the ouvrages ability to provide mutual support. Blitzkrieg in the west praeger illustrated military history, and several more.
Impressive line of military fortifications on the francogerman border built in the years prior to 1940, designed to force the germans to repeat the schlieffen plan of 1914 attack france through belgium, if at all. Cybersecuritys maginot line a realworld assessment of the defenseindepth model cybersecuritys maginot line cybersecurity faces a similar transformation. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. The title, however, was a figment of media imagination, coined in the 1930s to simplify complex military terminology. This item does not appear to have any files that can be experienced on. The fortress infantry divisions were the result of the reorganization of fortress troops during the spring of 1940. The fortifications were built as part of frances maginot line defensive strategy, but the sector lacks the large interconnected fortifications found. The sector was part of a system of fortifications that included the maginot line in other sectors. They were based on the infantry and artillery units already present, supplemented by engineer, signal and transport. Pdf this paper presents the results of a reconnaissance survey of. The maginot line named after the french minister of war andre maginot, is a line of concrete. In the case of the lille sector, no large fortifications of the. The latter are all original and the fort is on the complementary historical register in full.
I am happy to hear this because my coauthor and i wrote the text and created the maps and order of battle from primary archival documents and did not, as so often happens these. Contrary to legend, the maginot line functioned perfectly and did everything that was expected of it. And french gun turret development 18801940 new vanguard book 250. The schoenenbourg fort is the largest fort of the maginot line that can be visited. Battle of the three emperors campaign, france 1940.
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