Maginot Line 1940

Author : J. E. Kaufmann
Publisher : Casemate Publishers
ISBN 13 : 1848840683
Total Pages : 321 pages
Book Rating : 4.83/5 ( download)

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Download or read book The Maginot Line written by J. E. Kaufmann and published by Casemate Publishers. This book was released on 2011-01-01 with total page 321 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "The Maginot Line, the complex system of strongpoints constructed between the world wars by the French to protect against attack from Germany, is one of the most famous, extensive and controversial defensive schemes in all military history. It stretched from Belgium to Switzerland, and from Switzerland to the Mediterranean, and it represented the most advanced and ambitious system of static defenses of its time. Much of this historic line -- with its fortresses, artillery positions, barbed-wire networks, casemates, concrete bunkers -- has survived and can be visited today ... The strategic thinking that gave rise to this enormous feat of military engineering is described, as is the planning, design, and construction of the line -- and its operational history. Each of the key sites is described in detail, and visitor information and plans are provided"--Jacket.

Author : Marc Romanych
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN 13 : 1782008748
Total Pages : 241 pages
Book Rating : 4.43/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Maginot Line 1940 written by Marc Romanych and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2012-12-20 with total page 241 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The failure of the Maginot Line shocked the world and lead to the sudden collapse of organized French resistance against Germany. Constructed throughout the 1930s, the Maginot Line was supposed to form the ultimate defence against a German invasion of France. However, different sections of the line were built at different times and the strength of various sections varied widely. During their Blitzkrieg invasion, the Germans were able to identify these weak points and focus their attacks against them. This book uses maps and period photographs to tell the story of the five German operations launched against the Maginot Line. While the Germans were able to smash through the lightly defended section of the line along the Meuse River, at other points the line held. 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.

Author : Judith M. Hughes
Publisher : Harvard University Press
ISBN 13 : 9780674023864
Total Pages : 316 pages
Book Rating : 4.62/5 ( download)

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Download or read book To the Maginot Line written by Judith M. Hughes and published by Harvard University Press. This book was released on 2006-09-30 with total page 316 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “[A] stimulating and excellently documented book...Individual personalities are particularly well handled. Foch and Pétain, Poincaré and Blum—all emerge with veritable life in them. The trends of French interwar history are deftly carried through onto these pages with an unobtrusive lucidity and persuasiveness.”—Michael Hurst, American Historical Review “Admirable...Instead of working backward from 1940, seeking causes and culprits of collapse in the 1930s, Ms. Hughes has wisely chosen to begin in 1918 and to focus upon the 1920s. This chronology has given her a fresher perspective and a wider scope for sympathy than other commentators of the period. It is the great merit of this book that it passes judgments with compassion and restraint. Indeed, Professor Hughes insists upon viewing French military policy in the broadest possible context of international developments, domestic politics, economic problems, and intellectual moods; from these elements, she weaves a dilemma of tragic dimensions in which the confusions and mistakes of individuals are reviewed with kindness and realism.”—Charles C. Bright, Political Science Quarterly The decision to fortify northeastern France has usually been considered a tragic mistake, an example of bad planning and missed opportunities. Not so, says Judith M. Hughes, who provides a convincing view of how France’s military and political leaders tried to safeguard their nation—and why they failed.

Author : Clayton Donnell
Publisher : Pen and Sword
ISBN 13 : 147387730X
Total Pages : 268 pages
Book Rating : 4.06/5 ( download)

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Download or read book The Battle for the Maginot Line, 1940 written by Clayton Donnell and published by Pen and Sword. This book was released on 2017-10-30 with total page 268 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This vividly detailed WWII history offers an in-depth look at the French military fortifications designed to deter German invasion. Before the outbreak of the Second World War, the French military constructed an extensive network of bunkers, forts, and weapons installations along the country’s eastern border. In this detailed and graphic historical account, Clayton Donnell examines what it was like for French soldiers to defend the Maginot Line when the Germans invaded in 1940. He also interrogates the popular opinion that it was a strategic and tactical disaster. Donnell gives readers an inside view of life in the bunkers, capturing the camaraderie of soldiers and the terror of the German attacks. He examines the construction and development of the Maginot Line, describing its layout from Dunkirk to Switzerland, and across the island of Corsica, in expert detail. But the narrative concentrates on its performance in combat and the experience of the soldiers who manned it as the German offensive broke over them.

Author : J. E. Kaufmann
Publisher : Stackpole Books
ISBN 13 : 1461751047
Total Pages : 270 pages
Book Rating : 4.45/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Fortress France written by J. E. Kaufmann and published by Stackpole Books. This book was released on 2007-11-16 with total page 270 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Guide to the French defenses encountered by the German blitzkrieg in 1940 Includes finely detailed plans, diagrams, and schematics of forts, blockhouses, turrets, artillery pieces, tanks, and more Between the world wars, France constructed a vast and complex array of defenses designed to prevent German forces from penetrating the French heartland as they had during World War I. Among these was the famous Maginot Line, the last of the great gun-bearing fortifications, but France also built defenses along its coasts and in its territories in North Africa. Fully illustrated with photos, maps, and drawings, Fortress France describes the design and construction of these fortifications, discusses French defensive doctrine and strategy, and explains why these efforts proved unable to stop the German attack in the spring of 1940.

Author : William Allcorn
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN 13 : 1782001425
Total Pages : 189 pages
Book Rating : 4.23/5 ( download)

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Download or read book The Maginot Line 1928–45 written by William Allcorn and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2012-07-20 with total page 189 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Maginot Line, the massive series of fortifications built by France in the 1930s to defend its borders with Germany and Italy, is perhaps the most maligned collection of fortifications ever built. Despite being a technological marvel, and the most sophisticated and complex set of fortifications built up to that time, it failed to save France from crushing defeat in 1940. Yet there are those who argue that it accomplished exactly what it was designed to do. This book provides a concise and informative treatment of the Maginot Line, from North-East France to the Mediterranean. Packed with plans, contemporary and modern images, plus digital artwork, it presents a detailed visual exploration of this famous fortification system.

Author : Anthony Kemp
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 148 pages
Book Rating : 4.86/5 ( download)

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Download or read book The Maginot Line written by Anthony Kemp and published by . This book was released on 1988 with total page 148 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Author : Vivian Rowe
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 0 pages
Book Rating : 4.83/5 ( download)

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Download or read book The Great Wall of France written by Vivian Rowe and published by . This book was released on 1961 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Author : J.E Kaufmann
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing USA
ISBN 13 : 031302474X
Total Pages : 220 pages
Book Rating : 4.40/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Fortress France written by J.E Kaufmann and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 2005-11-30 with total page 220 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Maginot Line was the last great gun-bearing line of subterranean forts built before World War II. Although it acquired an unjustified reputation as a white elephant, the Maginot Line fulfilled the role for which it was built, allowing the French High Command the opportunity to mass its forces and counter the German invasion. Unfortunately, the French leadership failed to make the most of its assets, with the resulting disastrous outcome. During the 1920s, the French High Command formulated a number of offensive plans to strike at Germany, but by the end of the decade, it switched to defensive plans because of a lack of manpower. Work thus began on the Maginot Line and on other fortifications such as the French Mareth Line in North Africa and the heavy naval coastal defense batteries in Bizerte (Tunisia) and Toulon (France). The authors conclude that the Maginot Line offered the French High Command many opportunities from September 1939 until May 1940. They blame a failed French military doctrine for taking the initiative away from subordinates, laying the groundwork for the disastrous events of 1940 that left the French High Command paralyzed while German forces broke through the weakly held Ardennes.

Author : Clayton Donnell
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN 13 : 1472820274
Total Pages : 49 pages
Book Rating : 4.73/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Maginot Line Gun Turrets written by Clayton Donnell and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2017-09-19 with total page 49 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The story of the "teeth" of France's famous border fortresses, from the armored gun turret's invention in the late 19th century to the fierce World War II battles on the Maginot Line.