Maginot Line

Cook

Banned
Only in retrospect...Clearly what they couldn't rely on their perceptions of the world at the time, only yours and in retrospect...
No, not in retrospect; there were numerous critics of the French decision to build the Maginot Line and even more for their passive foreign policy once it was built. J.F.C. Fuller and de Gaulle were both vocal critics at the time and wrote extensively on their ideas on the use of tanks. The most vocal proponent of armour was of course Guderian, unfortunately no-one even bothered to translate his book into either English or French before the war.

As to critics of France’s pacifism, apart from those at home there were their allies in Europe; Poland, France’s ally since 1920, dropped their alliance with France in 1934 and signed a non-aggression pact with Germany because the building of the Maginot Line made it obvious that the French would not go to their assistance. The Belgians, allied from 1920 as well, clung on longer; they only dropped out in 1936 when the French refused to do anything when Hitler occupied the Rhineland.

And of course the pacifist foreign policy had a very harsh critic on the other side of the Channel.
Brocard also clearly promoted above his capacity. You'd think a general officer would show some initiative.
Unfortunately the French command system did not support initiative from below.
Link please. I simply must read this
It starts here:
https://www.alternatehistory.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=219910&highlight=Maginot
It’s really not that funny. The level of required insanity needed to follow his reasoning(?) is just a bit too high.
 
No, not in retrospect; there were numerous critics of the French decision to build the Maginot Line and even more for their passive foreign policy once it was built. J.F.C. Fuller and de Gaulle were both vocal critics at the time and wrote extensively on their ideas on the use of tanks. The most vocal proponent of armour was of course Guderian, unfortunately no-one even bothered to translate his book into either English or French before the war.

I think we're going in circles here, I agree with you on the tactical value of the line and we both agreed that the line channeled the invasion into the Lower countries. I'm not arguing that you don't have good points for the criticism, I'm arguing that WWI could've been interpreted in different ways by the French and clearly they went with a defensive strategy (among the multiple likely responses) and that it was an understandable error given their situation. You seem to think that it was obvious that there was only one right interpretation of French WWI experience and it should've led to mobile warfare (which clearly didn't happen, even among other participants of WWI), and that the only thing stopping it was the dissenting opinions of a few people. That somehow it is the French command's fault for failing to foresee the future.
 

abc123

Banned
There is nothing at all wrong in constructing fortifications along the border with a hostile power. The logic there was sound. The Maginot Line was not extended to the sea for economic and political reasons. The assumption was that if the Germans decided to attack them again they would either A) attack through Belgium again which would mean the French would have the British and Belgians as allies or B) they would have to slug through the strongest defensive line in Europe and bleed themselves white.

The above assumptions were perfectly fine and as it happened when the Germans did attack it was through Belgium and the French were able to fight with the UK and Belgium on their side. The Maginot Line actually DID what it was designed to.

The problem was the psychological effect it had on the French mindset. Both the French public and the French general staff started to see the Maginot Line as a Chinese Wall that was supposed to shut the enemy out completely. They put their faith in their fortifications and their ability to absorb an enemy attack and failed to fully modernize their army.

I agree.
Maginot line actually worked, sickle-cut after all was trough Ardennes, not trough Maginot line.
 
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