The Maginot Line: History and Guide

by J. E. Kaufmann, H. W. Kaufmann, Aleksander Potocnik, Patrice Lange

Overview

The Maginot Line, the complex system of strongpoints constructed between the world wars by the French to protect against attack from Germany, is one of the most famous, extensive and controversial defensive schemes in all military history. It stretched from Belgium to Switzerland, and from Switzerland to the Mediterranean, and it represented the most advanced and ambitious system of static defenses of its time. Yet it failed to deter German aggression or to halt the invasion of France in May 1940.Much of this historic line - with its fortresses, artillery positions, tank traps, blockhouses, concrete bunkers - has survived and can be visited today. This invaluable handbook, which has been written and compiled by the foremost experts in the field, is a guide to the history of the line and all the major sites concerned.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781783461103
Publisher:	Pen & Sword Military
Publication date:	03/23/2011
Sold by:	OPEN ROAD INTEGRATED - EBKS
Format:	eBook
Pages:	320
File size:	9 MB

About the Author

J.E. Kaufmann is a retired teacher and presently an adjunct professor at Palo Alto Jr. College and H.W. Kaufmann, PhD, is a retired professor, and they live in the United States. Their most recent books on fortifications are The Maginot Line, The Atlantic Wall, The Forts and Fortifications of Europe 1815-1945: The Central States, The Forts and Fortifications of Europe 1815-1945: The Neutral States and Verdun 1916: The Renaissance of the Fortress.
J.E. Kaufmann is the author of six books on fortifications. He and his wife, H.W. Kaufmann, live in San Antonio, Texas.
H.W. Kaufmann is the wife of J.E. Kaufmann, the author of six books on fortifications. They live in San Antonio, Texas.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements viii

Glossary of Terms ix

Part I The Maginot Line

Chapter 1 A New Fortification for the Twentieth Century 3

The Creation of the Maginot Line 3

New French and German Forts of 1880-1914 6

The Gros Ouvrages and Petits Ouvrages 14

Weapons and Equipment 26

Concrete, Steel and Earth Protection 33

Non-Conformity: The Little Maginot Line 42

The Underground Facilities 42

Chapter 2 From the North Sea to the Mediterranean 46

Constructing the Fortifications 46

The Northeast Front 52

The Southeast Front 74

The Maginot Line: An Overview 83

Chapter 3 Rising Walls of Defence and the War 88

Grand Strategy and Protecting the Flanks 88

Across the Frontier 94

War on the Western Front, 1939 to May 1940 97

A Divided Command 100

The Army: Training, Reserves and Mobilisation 104

Chapter 4 The Maginot Line Engaged 116

The German Offensive in the Northeast 116

The German Offensive against the Maginot Line: Operations Tiger and Bear 129

The Maginot Line Ouvrages Attacked 138

Fight or Retreat? 144

Call to Glory: The Southeastern Front, 1940 153

Chapter 5 The 1944/1945 Campaign and the Post-war Era 166

The American 3rd Army in Lorraine 166

The Battle for Fort Driant and Metz 168

The American 7th Army Assaults the Ouvrages of RF Lauter 169

After the War: Saving the Maginot Line 178

Post-war Events Relating to the Maginot Line 181

Part II The Maginot Line and Other Sites Today

Chapter 6 Ancestors of the Maginot Line 187

Chapter 7 The Maginot Ouvrages Today 204

The Maginot Line: Northeast Front 205

Maginot Extension 210

Rhine Defences 254

Chapter 8 The Alpine Ouvrages Today 256

Sites Outside France 281

Appendices:

I Construction Phase Problems, 1930-1935 283

II Pre-war Occupation and Arming of the Ouvrages 285

III Weapons and Equipment 286

IV Units Assigned to the Ouvrages and Interval Positions, 1939-1940 295

V Additional Details on the Ouvrages and Hackenberg 297

VI Revisionism on the Maginot Line 300

Bibliography 301

Index 303