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, but in 1940 the Germans invaded through the Ardennes, immediately to the north, just beyond the end of the main line of fortifications. The line was supposed to be extended along the French frontier with Belgium, but was not built in response to demands from Belgium. Belgium feared it would be sacrificed in the event of another German invasion. The French planned to advance heavily into Belgium in response to a German invasion of Belgium, meeting German forces on Belgian territory, but in the event, the Ardennes invasion allowed the Germans to outflank the French forces that advanced into Belgium. 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.