The battle for the maginot line 1940 casemate publishers. Maginot line gun turrets osprey new vanguard 250 books. And french gun turret development 18801940 osprey new vanguard 250. Opinions expressed here are solely those of the posters, and have not been cleared with nor are they endorsed by the miniatures page. The sector was part of a system of fortifications that included the maginot line. Mar 30, 2018 built between 1930 and 1940, frances maginot line was a massive system of defenses that became famous for failing to stop a german invasion. Unfortunately when the second world war began in the west on may 10th, 1940, belgium had become a neutral nation in an effort along with the netherlands, to appease adolf hitler and his ever more aggressive third reich. And french gun turret development 1880 1940 osprey new vanguard 250 2017 isbn. The maginot line monument and museum at hatten is a 20 minute drive from strasbourg and 30 minutes from badenbaden in germanys black forest region across the river. Pdf maginot line gun turrets download full pdf book. That creates employments in the economic crisis context that touches france since 1932. Published february 23rd 2010 by osprey publishing first published february 10th.
Largest jpg image create smallest pdf file create small pdf file. The spokesman of the french war ministry admitted tonight that the military situation is incontestably very grave. They were based on the infantry and artillery units already present, supplemented by engineer, signal and transport. Germanys attack west was now to begin on 17 january 1940.
Further construction on the belgium border section of the maginot line had only just begun when. Further information on the layout and workings of the various types of weapons stations emplaced in the maginot line is also given in the 2 osprey titles the maginot line 192845 fortress and maginot line gun turrets. Battles on the french frontier campaign book 218 ebook. German tanks outflanked the maginot line and pushed deep into france, occupying paris unopposed on 14 june. From there, in early june 1940, as the germans closed in from the west, the orders were given to abandon and sabotage the forts of the maginot line.
The remains is affected to the creation of new works called new fronts works. Elite 001 paras british airborne forces 1940 1984 on the night of 7 february 1941 the first british parachute unit was sent into action. In the introductory chapters, the brief history of the maginot fortifications is discussed. Formed on 3 july 1940, the long range desert group was the brilliant. Fast moving tank divisions supported by armoured, mobile infantry swept over opposition. The fortress infantry divisions were the result of the reorganization of fortress troops during the spring of 1940.
The story of the teeth of frances famous border fortresses, from the armored gun turrets invention in the late 19th century to the fierce world war ii battles on the maginot line. The maginot line was a defensive structure built along the french border in the 1930s named after the minister of war, andre maginot. The maginot line by greg moore built from 1930 to 1940 and at a cost of over 5 billion french francs, the maginot line was a fortified line in depth, usually 25 to 25 kilometers deep. The latter are all original and the fort is on the complementary historical register in full. 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. After the war, the maginot line wrongly became the scapegoat for the greatest military and political disaster ever suffered by france. This is the most comprehensive account of the maginot line in 1940 and later in wwii. Series was designed to cover groups of books generally understood as such see wikipedia. It had been made possible by the success of fall gelb case yellow, the invasion of the benelux countries and northern france in the battle of france and the encirclement of the allied armies in the north on the channel coast. The limekiln was built between 1930 and 1935 by about 800 people. Its primary defensive weapons were the gun turrets. Oct 03, 2017 buy the battle for the maginot line 1940 by clayton donnell isbn. During world war ii, fall rot case red was the plan for the second phase of the conquest of france by the german army and began on 5 june 1940. German armour outflanked the maginot line and pushed deep into france.
This book removes the mysteries that have long surrounded the maginot line and explains its true history. For a start it faced the wrong way,and even were it not so,the allies were sure to pull the same trick as the germans in 1940. Constructed throughout the 1930s, the maginot line was supposed to. However, different sections of the line were built at different times and the. Instead, the germans aimed their first blow at the. Includes pictures explains the origins of the maginot line, its construction, and the world war.
A good rule of thumb is that series have a conventional name and are intentional creations, on the part of the author or publisher. This weapon was badly used by the french high command, that concentrated about thirty divisions behind it whereas sectors were completely empty as the ardenne sector. Archaic in todays weaponry terms, the line of maginot facilities along the northeast and southeast french borders marked cuttingedge technology in their time. The mechelen incident of january 1940, however, saw a copy of the. This slim paperback uses excellent color and blackandwhite illustrations to show how a maginot ouvrage was designedand used in the 1940 invasions of france by germany and then italy. Constructed throughout the 1930s, the maginot line was supposed to form the ultimate defence against a german invasion of france. Maginot line gun turrets and french gun turret development 18801940. Constructed throughout the 1930s, the maginot line was supposed to form the ultimate defense against a. Its name comes from a limekiln which was used until 1939 near the fortress. Osprey fortress 078 the german fortress of metz 1870. The maginot line was one of the most advanced networks of fortifications in history. While many believe it was military technology that failed and the germans simply went round it, few realise that in several locations the german army attempted to breach it during the blitzkrieg in may 1940 and. In 1940, france deployed about twice as many men, 36 divisions roughly one third of.
The maginot line, the massive series of fortifications built by france in the 1930s to defend its borders with. And french gun turret development 1880 1940 clayton donnell, donato spedaliere isbn. Military experts extolled the maginot line as a work of genius, believing it would prevent any further invasions from the east. Clayton donnells expert, finely detailed and graphic account of. It is one of the 108 fortresses of the maginot line, a defense line which is about 750 km 500 miles long.
Blitzkrieg in the west praeger illustrated military history, and several more. I thought these were interesting diagrams and i wanted to share them. All members in good standing are free to post here. The maginot line named after the french minister of war andre maginot, is a line of concrete. The title, however, was a figment of media imagination, coined in the 1930s to simplify complex military terminology. The radio is a subject which annoys the french ego, each time one evokes it in connection with the french army of 1940. These forts actually remained in use up until the 1960s, though with not much action. Maginot line alsace post wwi military defense blunder. During their blitzkrieg invasion, the germans were able to identify these weak points and focus their attacks against them. The maginot line was a very elaborate line of military built on the eastern border of france to defend against an attack from germany in 192839. French abandon the maginot line the new york times. Built in the aftermath of world war i, and stretching along the french eastern border from belgium to switzerland, it was designed to prevent german troops from ever setting foot on french soil again. And french gun turret development 18801940 new vanguard by clayton donnell, donato spedaliere isbn.
Allied landings and breakout osprey military campaign, austerlitz 1805. Osprey military history books updated set 2 of 6 14 days free access to usenet free 300 gb with full dslbroadband speed. The sector was part of a system of fortifications that included the maginot line in other sectors. Some special units are created to form the crew of the maginot line works. In eastern france there were a number of systems and the a2 ouvrage fermont was built from 1931. Hackenberg a fortress of the maginot line written by neil barber. Battle of the three emperors campaign, france 1940. The schoenenbourg fort is the largest fort of the maginot line that can be visited. And french gun turret development 1880 1940 new vanguard by clayton donnell, donato spedaliere isbn. The maginot line was an excellent instrument of fight allying fire strength and protection, while mobilizing a minimum of troops. The coverage, in typical osprey format, was concise, informative and logical.
Links and sources all the contributors of the content bibliography. However, different sections of the line were built at different times and the strength of various sections varied widely. Most french soldiers that joining the line, only knew of german success by hearsay. The osprey campaign book series by multiple authors includes books normandy 1944.
Im reasonably sure that the maginot line was of little practical use to the germans. It was named for andre maginot, who was french minister of war 192932 and who directed its construction. The secret of the wehrmachts success lay in its carefully thought out organization and the tactics of blitzkrieg. Osprey inventory reduction sale alternate lookup qty available active price sale price. It consisted of an intricate system of strong points, fortifications, and military facilities such as border. In the case of the lille sector, no large fortifications of the kind typified by the maginot line were built in the area. During the first world war, the german army had built the hindenburg line, which is. Like many concepts in the book world, series is a somewhat fluid and contested notion. Although ultimately the maginot line was to prove a failure, the stiff resistance put up by some of the fortresses confirms the fighting ability of the french army during the invasion. France, major european power and owner of the worlds largest armies had fallen in less than seven weeks to the might of the german wehrmacht. While an understanding of the line s creation is vital to any study of world war i, world war ii, and the period in between, this knowledge is also helpful when interpreting a number of modern references.
Battles on the french frontier campaign romanych, marc, rupp, martin, white, john on. The former feste kaiserin, renamed groupe fortifie jeanne darc by the french, served as headquarters for the french third army. The maginot line was impervious to most forms of attack, and had stateoftheart living conditions for garrisoned troops. Contrary to legend, the maginot line functioned perfectly and did everything that was expected of it. And french gun turret development 18801940 new vanguard donnell, clayton, spedaliere, donato on. Since 1979, when the first leopard 2 rolled off the production line, the leopard 2 has. Home ebooks maginot line gun turrets osprey new vanguard 250 372450 files available. As we know, the germans never seriously attacked the maginot line in their 10 may 1940 invasion, capturing one small, vulnerable fort late in the campaign just to show that such a task could be done under ideal conditions. Indeed, the line greatly hindered frances war effort because so much heavy equipment was cemented into the line and could not be used when it was bypassed. In six weeks from 10 may 1940, german forces defeated allied forces by mobile operations and. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders.
Prior to joining the heritage foundation, he worked at the center for. The sector was bordered to the west by the fortified sector of the sarre and to the east by the fortified sector of the vosges. Jun 16, 2015 the german army was making a terrific drive today june 14 to encircle the french troops defending the maginot line. With five petit ouvrages the sector was poorly equipped with fortress artillery, limiting the ouvrages ability to provide mutual support. During world war ii the german army used the metz forts for storage. This was a major section of the maginot line and fermont consisted of two entrance.
The maginot line was a huge screen wall developed in the 1930s to protect france from future german invasion. The south china sea and the maginot line war on the rocks. Home ebooks maginot line gun turrets osprey new vanguard 250. The maginot line suffered the basic weakness of all fixed defences but it also offered benefits highly recommended. Following the experience of the 191418 war, the french government decided to look at ways of defending its borders to cover the possibility of germany ever attacking france again. Generally the maginot line refers to the either the entire system or just the defences facing germany while the alpine line is used for. The maginot line was a line of concrete fortifications, obstacles, and weapons. Open to the public since 1978, about 40,000 visitors come yearly to discover its settings. The line failed in may 1940 when germany went around the line from the north, through belgium. I use the term maginot line throughout this page as this is the name popularly associated with the pre1940 french frontier defences.
The maginot line became a ubiquitous symbol of failure in defense planning. The maginot line was a line of concrete fortifications, tank obstacles, machine gun posts and other defences which france constructed along her borders with germany and with italy in the wake of world war i. The success of static, defensive combat in world war i was a key influence on french thinking. Constructed throughout the 1930s, the maginot line was supposed to form the ultimate defense against a german invasion of france. The first attack by the germans against the maginot line itself occurred on may 16, 1940, and was directed against the isolated fortifications at. He specializes in fortification and artillery topics and has coauthored books about the battles for the maginot line in 1940 and world war i german siege artillery for osprey publishing.
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