The Battle for the Maginot Line 1940

by Clayton Donnell

Overview

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? Clayton Donnell's expert, finely detailed and graphic account of the role of the Maginot Line in the defense of France gives the reader an inside view of life in the bunkers, casemates and forts the sights, the sounds and the terror of the German attacks. And it questions common assumptions about the effectiveness of the resistance offered by the defenders and the impact the line had on the German assault. The layout of the line from Dunkirk to Switzerland, along the Alpine passes to the Riviera, and on the island of Corsica is described in expert detail, as is its history, construction and development. But the narrative concentrates on its performance in combat and the experience of the soldiers who manned it as the German offensive broke over them.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781473877283
Publisher:	Pen and Sword
Publication date:	11/13/2017
Pages:	296
Product dimensions:	6.30(w) x 9.30(h) x 1.40(d)

About the Author

Clayton Donnell is retired from the US Air Force. He has a degree in history and has passionately studied military history and fortress engineering for thirty years. Clayton lived for many years in Europe and studied the architecture and archaeology of the most renowned fortress systems of Belgium, France and Germany. He created the first internet site in the world in English about the Maginot Line, and another on the fortress and Battle of Lige, Belgium.

Table of Contents

Preface and Acknowledgements vii

Abbreviations viii

Introduction 1

Part I Pre-War - Development and Initial Deployment, 1919 to May 1940 11

Chapter 1 Development of What Became Known as the Maginot Line 13

Chapter 2 The Maginot Line Sectors as They Were in 1940 33

Chapter 3 1936 to May 1940 42

Part II The Initial German Attacks, 10 May to 12 June 1940 49

Chapter 4 The Invasion of France 51

Chapter 5 Collapse of the Meuse and Sedan 62

Chapter 6 Breakthrough and the Battle of SF Maubeuge 68

Chapter 7 La Ferté - 16 to 19 May 83

Chapter 8 Operations in late May and early June 90

Part III Abandonment and Breakthrough, 12 to 16 June 1940 99

Chapter 9 The Maginot Line is Abandoned 101

Chapter 10 German Breakthrough on the Sarre 113

Chapter 11 The Remaining Sectors, 14 and 15 June 1940 - Notre univers, c'est le béton 122

Chapter 12 The Rhine Offensive - 15 June 141

Chapter 13 The End of the Armies of the East 152

Part IV The Alps - French Victory, 10-25 June 1940 157

Chapter 14 Mussolini's Attack on the Southern Maginot Line 159

Part V The Final Battles, 17 to 25 June 1940 189

Chapter 15 German Attacks on the Maginot Line - 17 and 18 June 191

Chapter 16 Breakthrough in the Vosges 198

Chapter 17 Attacks in the West - SF Faulquemont and SF Crusnes 208

Chapter 18 Attacks on Haut-Poirier and Welschoff, 19 to 23 June 222

Chapter 19 Michelsberg, Bitche, Haguenau, 21 to 23 June 230

Chapter 20 The Final Shots 238

Chapter 21 The Bitter End 245

Part VI Aftermath and Conclusions, July 1940 to the Present 251

Chapter 22 Aftermath 253

Chapter 23 Strengths and Weaknesses of the Maginot Line 259

Notes 265

Bibliography 276

Index 277