Why the Maginot line didn't work against the Germans invasion in WW II?

Question

Why the Maginot line didn't work against the Germans invasion in WW II?

Answer 1

It was more a failure of the French government than any fortification that lead to defeat. The fortress was obsolete when planned, it was never finished, and the completed parts were undermanned. The French Generals were incompetent, but had political support.



The French Army moved too far into the northwest corner of France to link with the Belgium forts. When the German surprise attack through the Ardene's occurred, the French had no reserves to contain the breakthrough. BTW French tanks and artillery was superior to the Germans, but they had no fuel for their tanks. It was a rotted army and sclerotic govt.

Answer 2

Simply put it wasn't completed. It was planed to extend from the Swiss border to Belgium and to the Belgian coast, however, Belgium didn't see any threat from Germany. Germany merely flanked the Maginot Line. There was even a plan to build a similar line on the Italian border, but this never happened.



From the three columns that invaded France and Belgium, Army Group C, which was to advance through France directly in Alsace-Lorraine (where the Maginot Line was) showed no major progress. The other two, A and B, which flanked along the coast through Belgium and Holland had little trouble comparatively. A and B flanked through and captured Paris and would have hit the Maginot from behind.



The likelihood that the Maginot Line would have indefinitely held is unlikely, but it probably would have given the Germans a major bloody nose and possibly deterred them had it been finished.

Answer 3

Primarily for two reasons.



1. The line was not a complete shiled. It covered only the most direct approaches to France from germany, and it left the Belgian frontier completely uncovered. This gap allowed the German armored forces the ability to flank the Maginot Line and cut it off.



2. The protection, firepower and speed of modern armored forces and the ability to employ effective, powerful aircraft as mobile and accurate artillery meant that such static defensive position rather obsolete. One can see the evidence of this statement when considering the Allied success at breaking the German version of the Maginot Line in late 1944 and early 1945 (the Seigfried Line).

Answer 4

Like the other two said, the line really only defended the French/German border. The French realised too late that it needed to be extended.



The French also believed that the forest of the Ardennes was inpenatrable and did not defend it adaquately.



The Germans invaded through Holland and Beligum, triggering the Allies to advance into Belgium to meet them. Meanwhile, a second group of Germans was making its way through the forest of the Ardennes which proved not to be impenetrable. This group then raced towards the Channel. By the time Allied forces in Beligum realised what was going on it was too late. They retreated, but the second group of Nazis reached the Channel. The Allies were trapped with their backs to the sea. They were eventually trapped at Dunkirk. You know the rest.



The Germans had developed a new method of warfare called Blitzkrieg. This was partly the result of losing the war: the victorious allies were complacent and didn't develop new techniques. The Germans on the other hand lost and were driven by determination that this should not happen again. Also the Treaty of Versailles limited the size of the German army to 100k. This meant that every single individual in the German army mattered-they were not expendable. They were therfore highly trained. They were divided into small units with decentralised command and taught to fight in ways that were totally different to anything that had been used in earlier conflicts. when Hitler came to power and rearmed Germany the use of aeroplanes and tanks was added. The idea of Blitzkrieg is precise aerial bombardment to soften the enemy, the dropping of paratroopers to capture key targets and the mopping up on the ground my mechanised infantry. When each part of the system has done its job, it moves on. Using this method the Nazis advanced 30-80km a day. Blitzkrieg was about movement, not becoming entrenched

Answer 5

The losers in war can often be seen fighting the last war. As in wrong strategies and tactics. WW1 was a defencive war. WW2 was a mobile war with paratroopers, armoured aircraft and tanks. The Maginot Line was a big expensive defencive system of fortifications and tunnels. Very modern but based on trench warfare of WW1.



The Germans flanked it and all of a sudden it was useless. You couldn't move it. The Germans invaded Neutral countries thus bypassing the Maginot Line.

Answer 6

you have some good answers already, the fact that the Maginot line ended in thin air on the left flank.



and so the Germans attacked through Belgium



just as they had in 1914



just as they had in 1870



just as they had in 1814



just as they had........ all the way back to when Cesar was fighting them in Gaul

Answer 7

because it didn't extend to the ocean, so the germans could go through Belgium, the aircraft was invented so the Germans simply could fly over it, and the number 1 reason was they thought the ardennes forest was to thick for an army to move through it, and that was what the germans did they moved their panzer divisions through the ardennes forest.

Answer 8

Because once again Germany invaded neutral countries and went around it. That's the problem with fixed fortifications. The Chinese Great Wall had the same problem.