Chapter 205 Maginot Line

In Paris, within the Élysée Palace, a crucial military meeting was underway to discuss how to respond to Germany's invasion.

Within a single day, the German military effortlessly brought Denmark, Norway, and the Netherlands to submission, shocking not only Britain and France but also greatly unsettling Belgium.

Belgium, located in northwest Europe between Germany and France, served as a buffer zone between the two nations. Despite its small size, Belgium held considerable strength, ranking among the top twenty nations globally. Although Belgium maintained strict neutrality, declaring itself a "permanently neutral country", it was anything but docile.

Before World War I, Belgium had maintained close ties with Germany, but after the war, bearing the shadow of German occupation, it drew closer to France, becoming part of France's strategy to encircle Germany. In 1923, Belgium, following France, occupied the German Ruhr industrial region, creating the Ruhr Crisis and earning the resentment of the German people.

Despite being allies, Belgium and France did not have particularly close relations. To avoid provoking Germany, Belgium refused military cooperation with France and declined to strengthen its military forces. Consequently, while France constructed the impregnable Maginot Line along the Franco-German border, it had little control over Belgium and could only erect some temporary field fortifications along the border.

Recent interceptions of the German "Yellow Plan" had deeply unsettled Belgium. The information indicated that Germany intended to launch its main offensive against France and its allies through Belgium. Witnessing Denmark, Norway, and even its neighbor the Netherlands succumb to Germany, Belgium was terrified. It promptly agreed to allow British and French forces to deploy within its borders.

"These fools, if only they had agreed sooner." Muttered discontentedly the French Army Chief of Staff and Commander of the British Expeditionary Force, General Gamelin. "Hopefully, it's not too late." France had negotiated multiple times with the Belgian government. Originally, when constructing the Maginot Line, France planned to extend it all the way to the sea, but Belgium disagreed. As a result, this defensive line stopped at the northern border of Franco-Germany.

"At present, the German troop movements align with the Yellow Plan. It seems they haven't detected the intelligence leak." After a few complaints about Belgium, General Gamelin got to the point. "So, we must counterattack specifically against the Yellow Plan."

Just then, a staff member rushed in anxiously. "Report! The Germans are shelling the Maginot Line!"

"What?!" Everyone was momentarily stunned. Could it be that the Germans had discovered the leak of the "Yellow Plan" and were attempting to forcefully breach the Maginot Line?!

Those familiar with World War II history would recognize the story of the Maginot Line. After the First World War, France spent a considerable sum constructing what was touted as the "impregnable" Maginot Line along its eastern border in the Lorraine region (which was ceded to Prussian Germany after the Franco-Prussian War but reclaimed by France after World War I). The line stretched approximately 390 kilometers from Longuyon to Belfort, earning its title as the "world's first line of defense".

The entire line included the Metz Fortification Zone, Saar Inundation Zone, Lauter Fortification Zone, Lower Rhine Fortification Zone, and the Belfort Fortification Zone. It consisted of a security zone (depth of 4-14 kilometers) and a main defense zone (depth of 6-8 kilometers).

The strongest fortifications are in the Metz and Lauter fortification zones. The Saar Inundation Zone utilizes natural river barriers and swampy terrain and began construction after 1935, making it the most vulnerable. The Lower Rhine Fortification Zone uses the Rhine, Roer, and Meuse rivers as natural barriers, constructing support points along the Rhine riverbank with permanent firing positions. In the crucial sections of the Metz and Lauter fortification zones, a comprehensive system of integrated surface and underground fortifications suitable for circular defense has been constructed.

The surface part consists of machine gun and artillery positions made of armored or reinforced concrete, including 5,800 permanent positions at a density of 15 per kilometer on the front. This includes 142 fortresses, 68 small polygonal forts, and over 150 gun emplacements. In front of each bunker, there is a 3-meter deep and 2-meter wide trench for protection. The entire fortress is equipped with 344 various artillery pieces, with a minimum caliber of 75mm.

Above-ground structures mainly include fortresses. The outer walls of the fortresses are generally 3.5 meters thick, and the armor thickness of armored turret fortresses reaches 300 millimeters, capable of withstanding a direct hit from two 420mm mortar shells. The main weapons of the fortresses are 75mm cannons with a range of 9,000 meters and 135mm howitzers. Surrounding the main fortress are numerous smaller fortresses, typically consisting of three connected bunkers, equipped with 7.5mm twin machine guns and 81mm mortars.

Anti-tank obstacles within the defensive line mainly consist of anti-tank ditches, cliffs, precipices, and metal and concrete stake fortifications, reinforced with minefields. Infantry obstacles generally include metal or wooden stakes and barbed wire fences, with some areas featuring electrified barbed wire.

Even in the underground section, the space is extensive, with multiple layers, including command posts, rest areas, food storage, ammunition depots, medical stations, power stations, and filtering and ventilation chambers. Tunnels connect the fortifications, and electric vehicles are used. The weapons inside firing positions are specially designed and installed.

With such an extensive defensive line, it goes without saying that the cost is undoubtedly high. In terms of time, the construction of the Maginot Line began in 1929 and was essentially completed by the outbreak of the Second World War in 1940. The total cost was approximately 5 billion francs, equivalent to several years of France's budget.

Having built such a massive defensive line, the French were naturally confident. Marshal Pétain once boasted that neither planes nor tanks could change the course of war, and the nation's security could only rely on defensive fortifications. Even the Marshal believed that the era of rapid invasion of France was a thing of the past!

If it weren't for Germany's unexpected risk in crossing the Ardennes Mountains, the Maginot Line might have made Germany lose a few teeth, and whether Germany could win would be another matter. Speaking of which, the Maginot's obstruction forced Germany to cross the Ardennes Mountains, seemingly playing a strategic role for the Maginot.

In reality, the French constructed the Maginot Line not with the intention of relying on it to block Germany but rather to use it to delay Germany. Due to France's small land area, flat terrain, lack of strategic depth, and the need for time to mobilize and receive support from Britain, France required a robust defensive line like the Maginot to increase its strategic depth. Moreover, after suffering heavy losses in World War I, losing an entire generation and depleting the national treasury, the French were genuinely war-weary. Post-war France not only lacked personnel and labor but also faced a severe economic crisis, with its finances on the brink of collapse until the eve of World War II. Constructing the Maginot Line not only effectively reduced French military casualties, compensated for the shortage of French personnel, but also saved a significant amount of funds. The French construction of the defensive line considered the national circumstances, and it wasn't a case of foolishness with excess money.

Furthermore, since the French won against Germany using trench warfare during World War I, they stubbornly believed that defense was more effective than offense. They thought that sturdy fortifications and powerful firepower were the keys to victory. Thus, the Maginot Line was a direct manifestation of this rigid strategic thinking. However, the French forgot one thing: the best defense is a good offense. Even the most robust defensive line cannot stop a competent general. In the French campaign, the Germans bypassed the Maginot Line, crossed the Ardennes Forest, and caught the Anglo-French Allies off guard, easily winning the war. If the French had heeded Charles de Gaulle's advice and formed large armored mobile units, France might not have lost the war.

Now, upon hearing that the Germans are shelling the Maginot Line, the crowd is somewhat perplexed. Marshal Pétain was the first to react, "Are they shelling the entire line? Is it heavy artillery?"

The staff member shook his head. "They are shelling the segment of the defensive line from Broumat to Strasbourg. It's mostly around 150mm heavy artillery."

The crowd showed a suddenly enlightened expression, then mocked, "It seems the Germans want to play the trick of 'openly repairing the plank road while secretly crossing Chencang', but their play isn't very clever. If they want to fool us, they should at least use 200mm caliber cannons."

Little did the scoffing crowd, with their poorly conceived ideas of German deception, realize that they guessed right. The German artillery bombardment was indeed an "openly repairing the plank road" strategy. Unfortunately, they guessed wrong about "crossing Chencang", as it wasn't Belgium but the underestimated difficulty of crossing the Ardennes Forest.