Can you still visit the Maginot Line?
The Schoenenbourg Fort is the most important Maginot Line fortification in Alsace, France. The fort has been open to the public since 1978. The barracks and kitchens, the command post, gun positions and other former locations can be visited.
Did the Maginot Line see combat?
The Maginot Line was impervious to most forms of attack. In consequence, the Germans invaded through the Low Countries in 1940, passing it to the north….
| Maginot Line | |
|---|---|
| Battles/wars | World War II Battle of France (1940) Operation Nordwind (1945) |
How expensive is Maginot Line?
The Maginot Line, an array of defenses that France built along its border with Germany in the 1930s, was designed to prevent an invasion. Built at a cost that possibly exceeded $9 billion in today’s dollars, the 280-mile-long line included dozens of fortresses, underground bunkers, minefields, and gun batteries.
What was the Maginot Line and why did it fail?
Several factors contribute to why the Maginot Line was a defensive failure against the German invasion: the belief that the Line would be the only invasion entryway into France for the Germans, the wrong assumption that the Ardennes Forest was impenetrable, the failure to see that the German army opposite the Line was …
Is the Maginot Line open to the public?
Open to the public since 1978, about 40,000 visitors come yearly to discover its settings.
What remains of the Maginot Line?
The French generals were certain it would stop any attacks from the east. But the enemy did not attack from the east. The Maginot Line did not extend across the northern border with Belgium. The Maginot Line still exists, but is not maintained and not used for military purposes anymore.
When did the Germans pass the Maginot Line?
Unfortunately, the line covered the French–German frontier, but not the French–Belgian. Thus the Germans in May 1940 outflanked the line. They invaded Belgium on May 10, continued their march through Belgium, crossed the Somme River, and on May 12 struck at Sedan at the northern end of the Maginot Line.
Was the Maginot Line a good idea?
The purpose of the Maginot Line was to secure France’s border with German so well that, even accounting for Germany’s much larger population and birth rate, no attack over the border could succeed. Because the French knew that Germany wasn’t limited to attacking over its shared border with France.
How much did France spend on Maginot Line?
So between 1930 and 1940, at a cost of 3 billion francs, France constructed the unfortunate Maginot Line.
Was Maginot Line Successful?
After the war, parts of the Maginot Line were repaired and modernised to provide post-war France with more defence. However, an argument was put forward that the Maginot Line was a success and that its failure was a failure of planning in that the Line ended at the Belgium border.
Where does the Maginot Line run?
Maginot Line, elaborate defensive barrier in northeast France constructed in the 1930s and named after its principal creator, André Maginot, who was France’s minister of war in 1929–31. Main entrance to the Schoenenbourg Fort on the Maginot Line, Bas-Rhin department, Alsace region, France.
Where to see the Maginot Line in Alsace?
The fort at Schoenenbourg, the most important Maginot Line fortification in Alsace, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It comprises 8 blocks for 650 men. You can tour the barracks, the kitchens, the command post, the generating plant, see gun positions, retractable gun turrets, magazines for the ammunition.
How long is the Maginot Line in France?
The Maginot Line Path, which is 71 kilometres long, is a great way to discover the fortresses as well as some typical villages. A French course with a difference! Learn by email with Victor Hugo on this fun personalised, daily course. Get 7 days free with no obligation to buy!
Why was the Maginot Line important to the military?
Built to counter foreign military invasions, it consists of many concrete blocks topped with domes or metal gun turrets. Its cloak of military secrecy, mysterious underground installations and complex organisation make the Maginot Line particularly appealing to visitors, and it fits in naturally with the other military remembrance sites.
When was Ouvrage Immerhof built on the Maginot Line?
We continue with our look at the classic Maginot Line locations with a visit to Ouvrage Immerhof. Sited in the Thionville sector, it was built in the early 1930s with an extensive system of infantry and combat bunkers.