Free Standing Shelving

Anyone here really know how the Maginot Line was originally planned?

There is a lot of misconcpetion of the Maginot Line.This is an excerpt from tghe New York Times: Prophets of War" (The Week in Review, Jan. 13), on the Persian Gulf, gives the Maginot Line as an example of how the best-laid war plans go astray. You state that Andre Maginot's "plan for a French defensive line failed in World War II." It was less Maginot's plan that failed than the changes wrought by subsequent civilian and military leaders. Maginot, a 1920's French minister of defense, envisioned a network of defensive fortifications along France's eastern frontier to provide the covering force for an eventual offensive riposte against Germany. His successors shelved the counteroffensive strategy, and the line became purely defensive. Moreover, the decision to halt construction of the wall at the Belgian border was an oversight of neither Maginot nor later French military authorities. As Barry Posen, Judith Hughes and other historians point out, the French war planners sought to channel a German attack through Belgium. This was to permit a French advance into Belgium (protecting France's northern industrial regions); guarantee Britain's entry into the conflict (because of proximity of Belgian and Dutch seaports to its coasts), and export the war onto foreign soil. Unfortunately, these plans were undermined by Belgium's declaration of neutrality in 1936 and changes in strategy, most notably Gen. Maurice Gamelin's attempt to push the Allied front as far as the Netherlands, which overextended the French forces and depleted their operational reserves. This ill-considered thrust allowed the German Panzer divisions to slice through the Ardennes and sweep to the English Channel. If one is determined to find some relevance in the history of the Maginot Line, it is the need to maintain military, diplomatic and political objectives in the closest possible accord. ROBERT ZARETSKY Houston, Jan. 18, 1991 The writer is an assistant professor of history, University of Houston. Additionally,Andre Maginot,the man who the Maginot line is named after and the man who brought the concept of building a powerful defense system in France did not plan the Maginot Line to be one long fortification of bunkers and trenches designed only for defensive purpose.He actuaLLY ENVISIONED A DEFENSE SYSTEM THAT WAS POWERFUL in defense while being flexible at the same time to allow quick manuever and a powerful swift counterattack.This quote sums up his vision: "We could hardly dream of building a kind of Great Wall of France, which would in any case be far too costly. Instead we have foreseen powerful but flexible means of organizing defense, based on the dual principle of taking full advantage of the terrain and establishing a continuous line of fire everywhere."—10 December 1929 Unfortunately,Andre Maginot died before the defense project ever began.The Maginot Line was then designed by other generals and politicians who foolishlty decided to make the defense a long line of bunkers and trenches instead of the flexible defense Andre Maginot invisioned. How do yout think history would be like if Andre Maginot actually lived to create the defense system the way he envisioned it?I believe France wouldn't have fallen and that WW2 would have been longer nad more like a stalemate. @ Big D-Didn't you read the article?Andre Maginot planned the defense system to also be simultaneous offensive system.The way Andre envsioned it is that the the defense will be so flexible to allow manuevers that will both allow the Franch to flank the Germans and at the smame time allow the French to do a swift but decisive and powerful counterattack into mainland Germany.Please read the article before answering the question!

Public Comments

1. It's a nice theory. However, the success didn't just lie in the Ground war. It also relied on a Strong Air Force(Luftwaffe). They would of beaten them just the same. Look at what they did at Fort Eben-Emael. All they had to do was poke a hole in it in order to keep the Blitzkrieg going. Look at Iwo Jima the most fortified Japanese Island. The result were pretty much the same no matter what you do. Playing Defense has very rarely won wars. Someone has to go on the Offensive or quit fighting.
2. No one will read all that. I studied WW2 for a whole semester in college and agree with your final paragraph.
3. I'm sensing obsession here. I am also wondering if there is really a question or if this is just another pointless rant. The folly of permanent fixed fortifications in modern mobile 3-dimensinal warfare was proven over and over again during WWII - and not just on the French border. Give it up.