Fortress France The Maginot Line and French Defenses in World War II

by Kaufmann, J. E.; Kaufmann, H. W.

• ISBN13: 9780811733953
• ISBN10: 0811733955
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2007-11-16
• Publisher: Stackpole Books

Summary

Shocked by the carnage of World War I-much of which was waged on its own soil-France constructed a vast network of forts in the years before World War II. Among these was the Maginot Line, the last of the great gun-bearing fortifications, but France also built defenses along its coasts and in North Africa. This fully illustrated volume describes the design and construction of these fortifications, reviews French defensive doctrine and strategy, and explains why these efforts proved unable to halt the German blitzkrieg in the spring of 1940. Book jacket.

Author Biography

J. E. Kaufmann is a freelance researcher. He has published several books on fortifications and is the founder of Site O, an international group devoted to the study of fortifications. He lives in Texas. H. W. Kaufmann is an instructor at San Antonio College. He lives in Texas.

Table of Contents

Tables and Figures	p. ix
Acknowledgments	p. xiii
Introduction	p. xv
Abbreviations	p. xvii
Marching to the Wrong Tune	p. 1
Sidebar: Charles de Gaulle and Mechanized Warfare	p. 7
Sidebar: Economic Considerations	p. 11
Sidebar: Building on Experience	p. 15
Sidebar: French Generals and Marshals and Ministers of War	p. 16
The Maginot Line	p. 19
Sidebar: Initial Funding of the Fortifications	p. 21
Sidebar: Optics for Fire Control and Surveillance	p. 44
Closing the Gaps from the North Sea to the Mediterranean	p. 69
Sidebar: Equipment Used for the Construction of the Fortifications	p. 79
Sidebar: Positioning the Forts of the Maginot Line	p. 81
Sidebar: Final Costs for the Maginot Line	p. 91
Sidebar: Maginot Fort Garrisons	p. 92
Sea and Air Defenses	p. 95
Sidebar: Georges Leygues, Minister of the Navy	p. 96
Sidebar: Airbases and Air Units	p. 111
The March to Defeat	p. 115
Sidebar: Public Expectations	p. 134
The French Army and the Maginot Line at War	p. 147
Sidebar: The French Air Force Unprepared?	p. 153
Sidebar: French Tank Doctrine	p. 154
Sidebar: Sumner Waite's Account of Tank Maneuvers	p. 155
Conclusion	p. 181
Notes	p. 183
Glossary	p. 187
Bibliography	p. 189
Index	p. 195
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