Wehrmacht Propaganda Photographers. Here are a few images of the German soldiers who
took the photographs on this page. These images include the original data sheet that identifies the time, place, and
activity captured by the photograph.
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| 11 May 1940, Belgium: Cameraman |
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| 16 May 1940, Belgium: Film Camera |
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| 16 May 1940, Belgium: Cameramen |
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| 17 May 1940, Belgium: Cameraman |
Unfinished Blockhouses. Despite years of construction, the French Army continued to build concrete
blockhouses along the German and Belgian borders right up until the German invasion; sometimes at the expense of unit training
and other preparations for combat. A significant number of these "campaign fortifications" were left unfinished.
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| 20 May 1940, Raucourt: cupolas wait in vain to be taken to their destination |
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| 18 June 1940, Aiglemont: unfinished blockhouse |
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| August 1940, Oberbronn (Strasbourg): blockhouse in construction |
Weapons Testing. After the conclusion of the campaign in the west, the German Army tested several weapons against
the Maginot Line. One of the tests was the firing of a 210mm field howitzer against Casemate Achen Nord-Ouest
located in the Sarre region. The test was conducted during a field exercise, filmed, and then included in the
propaganda film Sieg im Westen (Victory in the West). Here is are two photographs from the NARA
collection and a still from the propaganda film:
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| Achen Nord-Ouest: test firing on "Bunker 400" with a 210mm howitzer |
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| Achen Nord-Ouest: the 210mm rounds did not penetrate the cupola |
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| Achen Nord-Ouest: still photo from 'Victory in the West' |
Communications Equipment. The Maginot Line was a technological marvel. One of its marvels
was its sophisticated telephone and radio communication system. These photographs, documenting the various parts
of the communications system, were taken by the German Army inside Fortresses Simserhof and Schiesseck near Bitche, and
Fortress Four-a-Chaux near Lembach.
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| Telephone and field phone cables |
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| Antenna in an entrance block protective ditch |
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| The antenna system inside the entrance block |
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| Radio room with equipment cabinets open |
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| Radio room with equipment cabinets closed |
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| Radio antenna on outside of entrance block |
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| Internal telephone system with switch for the heating system |
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| Telephone communications inside a combat block |
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| Telephone switchboard |
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| Radio equipment |
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| Wall telephone |
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| Megaphone system with whistle |
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| Fire direction equipment |
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| Fire direction panel |
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| Radio tuner with gas alarm (mounted on wall) |
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| Soldier using wall telephone inside combat block |
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| Soldier using megaphone system |
Fortress Interior. As part of its captured German records collection, NARA has many photographs
of the French Army in 1939/40. These photogrpahs were captured by the German Army during the occupation of France
and then by the US Army at war's end. The following are photographs taken by the French Army inside Fortress
Hackenberg.
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| Telephone communications center |
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| Radio room |
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| Electrical switchboard |
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| Lathe in the workshop |
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| Power station |
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| Engine in the powerplant |
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| Closeup of an engine |
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| Transformer |
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| Power converters |
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| Power converter under repair |
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| Kitchen |
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| Bakery |
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| Command post of the fortress |
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| Artillery command post |
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| Loudspeaker duty in the command post |
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| Entrance to the Munitions Block |
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| Unloading munitions from the electric train |
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| Gunners practicing |
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| Preparing artillery shells for firing |
US Army Signal Corps photographs of the Maginot Line. NARA has photographs of the Maginot
Line taken by the US Signal Corps in 1944. Here are a few samples:
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| Simserhof: entrance block, 20 Dec 44 |
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| Hochwald: soldiers of the US 103 Infantry Divison, 15 Dec 44 |
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| Simserhof: artillery block bombarded by the 44th Infantry Divison, 19 Dec 44 |
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| Simserhof: interior of artillery block, 22 Dec 1944 |
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| Simserhof: damage to artillery block, 22 Dec 1944 |
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