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Maginot Line
Maginot Line A series of defensive fortifications in France built 1929–32 at the instigation of the then Minister of War, André Maginot (b. 1877, d. 1932), to secure the eastern border of France against a potential attack from Germany. Partly as a result of Belgian protests, it was not extended northwards to secure France's border with Belgium. Henceforth, French strategic planning was based on the assumption of its impenetrability, and on the assumed impossibility of being attacked through the wooded Ardennes mountains in southern Belgium. Following the German Blitzkrieg through the Netherlands and Belgium, therefore, Gamelin threw France's military might to the plains of northern Belgium, where he expected the thrust of the German offensive. In fact, they attacked through the Ardennes mountains, outflanking both the French army and the Maginot Line, which was virtually intact when France surrendered on 22 June 1940.
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JAN PALMOWSKI. "Maginot Line." A Dictionary of Contemporary World History. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JAN PALMOWSKI. "Maginot Line." A Dictionary of Contemporary World History. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O46-MaginotLine.html JAN PALMOWSKI. "Maginot Line." A Dictionary of Contemporary World History. 2004. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O46-MaginotLine.html |
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Maginot Line
Maginot Line, series of highly sophisticated French fortifications (ouvrages) constructed between the wars to deter a German offensive into France. Named after André Maginot, the French minister of war who initiated the construction, it ran from Switzerland to the Luxemburg and Belgian borders, and into southern France, where the Italians failed to breach it in June 1940. There were fortifications, too, on Corsica and in Tunisia, but its two most heavily fortified areas were the Metz region between Longuyon and Teting and the Lauter region between the Saar and Rhine rivers. It was a symbol of French defensive thinking, and when the Germans launched their offensive in May 1940 (see FALL GELB) its 400,000 troops performed well and refused to surrender. However, the main German thrust outflanked the line and it was later breached near Saarbrücken and Colmar.
Bibliography Kemp, A. , The Maginot Line (London, 1981). |
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Cite this article
I. C. B. DEAR and M. R. D. FOOT. "Maginot Line." The Oxford Companion to World War II. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. I. C. B. DEAR and M. R. D. FOOT. "Maginot Line." The Oxford Companion to World War II. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O129-MaginotLine.html I. C. B. DEAR and M. R. D. FOOT. "Maginot Line." The Oxford Companion to World War II. 2001. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O129-MaginotLine.html |
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Maginot Line
Maginot Line , system of fortifications along the eastern frontier of France, extending from the Swiss border to the Belgian. It was named for André Maginot, who was French minister of war (1929–32) and who directed its construction. Although considered impregnable, the line was still not complete at the outbreak (1939) of World War II. Its actual strength was never tested, for the line was flanked by the Germans in their French campaign of 1940. Like fortified lines since the Great Wall of China , the chief effect it had was to create a false sense of security; it could not eliminate the necessity for mobile warfare, and that particular lesson was thoroughly learned after the French collapse of 1940.
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"Maginot Line." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Maginot Line." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-MaginotL.html "Maginot Line." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-MaginotL.html |
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Maginot Line
Maginot Line The line of defensive fortifications built along France's north-eastern frontier from Switzerland to Luxembourg, completed in 1936, in which the French placed excessive confidence. Partly because of objections from the Belgians, who were afraid they would be left in an exposed position, the line was not extended along the Franco-Belgian frontier to the coast. Consequently, although the defences proved impregnable to frontal assault, the line was easily outflanked when the Germans invaded France in the spring of 1940. It is named after the French Minister of War André Maginot (1877–1932).
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Cite this article
"Maginot Line." A Dictionary of World History. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Maginot Line." A Dictionary of World History. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O48-MaginotLine.html "Maginot Line." A Dictionary of World History. 2000. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O48-MaginotLine.html |
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Maginot Line
Maginot Line French fortifications on the border with Germany. Designed to prevent a German invasion, it was built between the World Wars and named after André Maginot, French minister of war (1929–32). It contained its own underground railway, hospitals and barracks, and was considered impregnable. When the Germans invaded France in 1940, they advanced through Belgium and outflanked the Maginot Line.
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"Maginot Line." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Maginot Line." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-MaginotLine.html "Maginot Line." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-MaginotLine.html |
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Maginot Line
Maginot Line a system of fortifications constructed by the French along their eastern border between 1929 and 1934, widely considered impregnable, but outflanked by German forces in 1940. It was named after André Maginot (1877–1932), a French minister of war. The Maginot Line may now be referred to allusively to indicate a preoccupation with what is an illusory means of defence.
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ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Maginot Line." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Maginot Line." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-MaginotLine.html ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Maginot Line." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-MaginotLine.html |
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Maginot Line
Maginot Line ˈmæʒəˌnō; ˈmæj- a system of fortifications constructed by the French along their eastern border between 1929 and 1934, outflanked by German forces in 1940.
named after André Maginot (1877–1932), a French minister of war. |
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Cite this article
"Maginot Line." The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Maginot Line." The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O63-MaginotLine.html "Maginot Line." The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military. 2001. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O63-MaginotLine.html |
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