During the winter of 1939-40 France and Britain marshalled their forces along France's northern and eastern frontiers and considered the possibility of attacking Germany, hampered by the neutrality of Belgium, Holland and Luxembourg. French strategy depended heavily on the Maginot Line which had been constructed at enormous expense by André Maginot, France's minister of war 1929-31, who was encouraged to believe that such a fixed fortification would be successful by the way in which major fortresses such as those north of Verdun had withstood three years of German assault and saved France from invasion in 1914-18. The Maginot Line was a state-of-the-art system comprising forts with air conditioning (to defend against gas attack), underground bunkers, emplacements and railway lines…

757 words

Citation: Clark, Robert. "Blitzkrieg, Dunkirk evacuation, Fall of France". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 22 February 2004 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=1398, accessed 23 November 2024.]