Do you know the Maginot Line, which France established on the German border and proved to be dysfunctional in World War II? We will tell the story of the German army passing by without looking at this line.
When we look at the recent war history, we come across 2 world wars. World War 1; Although it was a very bloody war for its time, World War II took the event to a whole new level, It has witnessed mass extinctions with the development of technology and the influence of commanders out of control. France, which was on the winning side in both wars, was one of the countries that suffered the most in World War II. France was almost dispersed in the face of Germany, and its capital was occupied without any defense. So why did France suffer such a simple loss against Germany?
Do you know that France actually prepared very well for World War II and drew a huge line on the German border? What we can consider as one of the biggest fiascos of France and World War II. Maginot Line’we’re talking about. Come on, why was this 450 km line, which even had bars in it so that the French soldiers could feel comfortable during the war, a fiasco? Let’s examine together how the Germans passed this line.
Creation phase of Maginot Line
After the end of the 1st World War, France, which was on the winning side, thought that Germany would not be content with this war. Actually, they were right. French statesman who participated in World War I as a private André Maginot, with great insistence, wanted to start the construction of a line to be drawn to the German border. Maginot, who was Minister of War in the 1920s, succeeded in getting this insistence accepted by the parliament. Since it is known that he made great efforts for this line, the line began to be called the Maginot Line.
This line, which was built between 1929 and 1938, was equipped with the most up-to-date ammunition of its time. 75, 81 and 135 mm artillery batteriesAn extremely strong protection system such as special tank ditches and artificial water channels was built on the line equipped with I. The construction, in which 55 million tons of steel was used in total, directly exploited a large part of France’s war budget.
The line was intended to comfort the French soldiers.
The French have allocated a huge amount of resources. The Maginot Line was 450 kilometers long. Fortresses were placed on the line and all were connected by underground tunnels. The necessary ammunition could also be transported very easily from one end to the other through these tunnels. There were even bars in the line for the French soldiers to relax when the Germans attacked. German soldiers attacking the Maginot Line face the realities of war outside The French would be able to lie in their warm beds in the line and sip their drinks.
Why didn’t the Maginot Line work?
The Maginot Line was, in theory, a perfectly logical construct. It could have prevented the Germans from entering France. However, it was a completely dysfunctional building, both because the building was not completed and because they underestimated the Germans. The French, who thought that Germany would not be able to cross this line, and therefore would launch an attack through the Netherlands and Belgium, had in mind to send them to Belgium and the Netherlands and establish a partnership with the local military force there.
In this way A buffer zone would be created on the French border. It was the only open border forested area included in this plan. It was thought that it would be impossible for tanks and artillery units to pass through this region, where dense trees and rivers were located. It was by no means expected that the Germans would launch a major offensive from this forest area. However, there was something they couldn’t count on.
At the height of his power at the beginning of the war Hitler managed to pass his army by tearing down the wooded area. As a result, since Hitler’s army did not come across the line, he was able to easily enter France. France, which made all its defense construction on the line, realized that it had made a huge mistake. Of course, it was already too late. Shortly after, via Belgium and the Netherlands. Attacking France, Germany managed to occupy two-thirds of the country, including Paris.
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After all, the French made a huge mistake by developing the Maginot Line. line that cannot be used as intended, It was one of the biggest fiascos in French history.
What about the Maginot Line today?
Although the Maginot Line, which was one of the most dysfunctional areas of World War II, had been used militarily for a while, it was dismissed due to the peace policies in Europe and the economic depression period of France. This huge line used for touristic purposes.