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What was the Maginot line and why did it fail ?



   
The Maginot line, named after the French Minister of War, André Maginot, was a chain of costly fortifications built along the Franco-German border. It was built by the French in the 1930's to prevent any German attack from the east such as the devastating German offensive during WWI.
The line consisted of about 5000 blockhouses, 78 shelters , around 350 casemates and approximately  142 ouvrages ( or defensive structures). The Maginot Line was designed to ensure that the French forces had enough time to mobilize, in case of a German attack. The French believed that the Maginot line was the 'work of genius' and was almost impenetrable.
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French troops along the line

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A plan for a fortification in the Maginot Line 
                                         
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The Question then arises why did such a strong chain of fortifications fail to stop the German advance into France in 1940?
The answer is actually quite simple. The Maginot line did not extended through the Belgian-German border and onto the English channel, this gave Hitler the opportunity to take advantage of the loophole and invade France through Belgium.
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Hitlers advance in France(1940)
                                       
But why did the Maginot Line not extend through the Belgian-German border ?
This is actually because the Belgians didn't want to anger Hitler's Reich by allowing France to construct the line through Belgian territory, also Belgium chose to become neutral when the second world war started in 1939.
However, inspite of their neutrality, Hitler invaded Belgium in 1940, killing 30,000 Allied troops in the process.

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So should Belgium not have become neutral?
Well, there is no direct answer to this, considering that the German army was much more powerful than the comparatively tiny Belgian military.
Also, it can be said that the Belgians mistrusted Britain and France considering that they previously allowed Germany to take Czechoslovakia and other territories under their policy of Appeasement.



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