Synopsis

The Maginot Line, a network of substantial and lesser forts constructed in the years separating the World Wars, was designed to deter another invasion from an assertive Germany. Even with the Treaty of Versailles in place, France recognized that it was only a matter of time before Germany reasserted itself as a threat. The declaration of Belgium’s neutrality left France vulnerable on one side, a weakness that would prove decisive: German forces were able to circumvent the Line almost entirely, r