Maginot Line

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The Maginot Line (English: ; French: ligne Maginot [liɲ maʒino]) is a line of concrete fortifications, obstacles and weapon installations built by France in the 1930s. Named after the French Minister of War André Maginot, it was constructed on the French side of its borders with Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Luxembourg and Belgium. 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 Belgian Ardennes, immediately to the north, just beyond the end of the main line of fortifications. 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...

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