What happened to the Maginot Line after ww2?
What happened to the Maginot Line after ww2?
The Maginot Line, an array of defenses that France built along its border with Germany in the 1930s, was designed to prevent an invasion. Nevertheless, after World War II erupted, the fortified border that was supposed to serve as France’s salvation instead became a symbol of a failed strategy.
What was wrong with the Maginot Line?
The problem was that Maginot Line, a great line of fortifications that spanned France’s borders with several neighbors, was essentially a glorified trench. And like any trench, it belonged to the age of the First World War, not the mechanized warfare known as blitzkrieg that Hitler brought to the Second.
Can you visit the Maginot Line today?
If You Go… VISITING THE MAGINOT LINE: Between April and October, the forts are open in the afternoon on weekdays and all day on Sundays. But it is best to check in advance, as the tours are run by volunteers and opening hours can be irregular.
Is there a wall between France and Germany?
The Maginot Line (French: Ligne Maginot, IPA: [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 to deter invasion by Germany and force them to move around the fortifications.
Why did the Maginot fail?
Several factors contribute to why the Maginot Line was a defensive failure against the German invasion: the belief that the Line would be the only invasion entryway into France for the Germans, the wrong assumption that the Ardennes Forest was impenetrable, the failure to see that the German army opposite the Line was …
What was the Maginot Line?
The Maginot Line was composed of gun posts, obstructions like tanks, and forts. The weakest point of the line was the border between France and Belgium. Belgium and France were allied prior to WWII, but Belgium declared neutrality in 1936. This resulted in a flurry of activity to extend the line across Belgium.
What happened to the Maginot Line on the Belgian border?
After Belgium declared its neutrality in 1936, French defense minister Edouard Daladier sought additional funding to extend the Maginot line along France’s border with Belgium, but those fortifications were never completed.
Who was André Maginot and what did he do?
In 1922, the recently promoted Minister for War began to develop a compromise, based largely on the Pétain model; this new voice was André Maginot. Fortification was a matter of grave urgency for a man called André Maginot: he believed the French government to be weak, and the ‘safety’ provided by the Treaty of Versailles to be a delusion.
