Maginot Line

Maginot Line, defensive fortification built in north-east France during the 1930s, named after the French minister of War André Maginot. Maginot had pressed for a defensive barrier to be built against German attack throughout the 1920s, and his concept was finally realizad in the following decade. It was an immense fortification, complete with its own rail system, huge guns, air-conditioned living quarters of the troops, all made of concrete that was thicker and stronger than ever before.

This massive defence that extended right along the Franco-German frontier was largely responsible for the complacency with which France watched the German military growth in the following years. When Germany finally decided to invade France in 1940, all they had to do was march across Belgium: there was no Maginot Line on the Franco-Belgium border.