The photographs on this page are a small sample of Maginot Line at War's collection. As we expand
this site we will add photographs that document the Maginot Line's combat record.
Maubeuge Region. Overrun by mechanized forces of the German panzerkorps, most fortified
works bear the marks of bombardment by tanks, artillery, Stukas, and German sapper attacks. Because the battlefields
are not anywhere near major lines of communication, photos from this region are not very common.
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| DA Ardennes: blockhouse with the graves of four French soldier in the foreground |
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| Blockhouse Moranrieux Nord with dead French soldier in the foreground |
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| Block 2 of Fort Bersillies: subjected to heavy aerial and artillery bombardment |
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| Block 2 of La Salmagne: the crew surrendered after intense bombardment by artillery |
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| Block 3 of Fort Boussios: captured by the German 28th Infantry Division |
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| Fort Eth: cupola destroyed by German assault engineers |
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| Block 2 of Fort Eth in the Escaut Region |
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| Block 2 of Fort Les Sarts: turret with impacts from 88mm Flak |
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| Fortified Sector Escaut: blockhouse near Hergnies |
Sedan and Montmedy. Other than Fort La Ferté, which fell to an infantry attack supported
by heavy artillery, most of the fortified works (including two artillery fortresses) south of the Ardennes forest were abandoned
by the French Army in the wake of the German breakthrough at Sedan. Exploited by German propaganda, Fort La Ferté became
famous and a tourist attraction for German soldiers. The abandoned forts were seldom visited.
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| Destroyed fortified house near the Belgian border |
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| Block 2 of Fort La Ferté: the entire crew of 107 soldiers perished |
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| Blockhouse Paquis-des-Cailles: destroyed by the 2nd Panzer Division during the Sedan breakthrough |
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| Montmedy: cupolas for unfinished blockhouses |
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| Block 1 of Fortress Chenois: abandoned without a fight |
Metz Region. The Metz Fortified Region was the strongest part of the Maginot Line.
For this reason combat action focused on the flanks where the defensive zone was weaker and exposed to attack. Only one infantry
attack (Fort Fermont) and one artillery attack (Fort Michelsberg) occurred. Few photos were taken because
the lack of major combat was uninteresting to German soldiers. On the eastern flank, the sector of Faulquemont
was a well-documented scene of heavy fighting.
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| Soldiers of the 71st Infantry Division with a destroyed French antitank gun and crew |
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| Block 4 of Fortress Fermont: nearly destroyed by 88mm Flak |
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| Block 7 of Fortress Kobenbusch: most of the strongest fortifications were not attacked |
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| Block 2 of Fort Michelsberg: withstood attack by the German 95th Infantry Division |
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| Blcok 2 of Fort Bovenberg: occupied by soldiers of the 167th Infantry Division |
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| Block 2 of Fort Kerfent: graffiti from the capturing unit; 1st Battalion, 339th Infantry Regiment |
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| Block 3 of Fort Kerfent: cupola damaged by 88mm Flak |
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| Fort Bambesch: turned into ruins by artillery fire |
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| Casemate Quatre-Vents Sud: still under French flag after the battle |
Sarre Region. The scene of heavy fighting, combat in the Sarre and adjacent areas was more
reminiscent of the First World War than the Blitzkrieg that took place in Belgium and the rest of France. Without tank
support, German infantry attacked the fortified positions. Photos of the combat areas (sometimes even during the battle)
were taken by many German soldiers.
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| Prelude to Operation Tiger: German artillery support by the 258th Infantry Division |
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| Blockhouse R6B: scene of close infantry combat near the village of Hoste-Bas |
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| Village of Ernestviller: captured by the 60th Infantry Division |
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| Destroyed French artillery position (a 120mm cannon) in the Sarre region |
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| Casemate MC31 near Puttelange: damaged by direct artillery fire |
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| Town of Puttelange: destroyed during fighting in the Sarre region |
Rohrbach Region. Comprising the left flank of the Lauter Fortified Region, fortifications
of Rohrbach were attacked by the 262nd Infantry Division after the 1st Army's breakthrough in the Sarre.
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| Block 3 of Fort Haut-Poirier: damaged by direct artillery fire |
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| Block 1 of Fort Welschhof: destroyed by direct artillery fire |
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| Fort Welschhof: helmets of the crew after the surrender |
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| Casemate Bining: damage caused by a direct hit by a 150mm artillery round |
Lauter Region. The second strongest part of the Maginot Line. Photographs of the action
in the Vosges Mountains are relatively rare. Further east, the artillery and aerial bombardments of the fortresses
and casemate line in the Haguenau sector were often photographed.
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| Cupola of Blockhouse Clairiere: damaged by 20mm Flak and 37mm Pak fire |
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| Crewmembers of Blockhouse Verrerie captured by the 215th Infantry Division |
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| Block 6 of Fortress Hochwald: undamaged by heavy air and artillery bombardment |
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| Casemate Oberroedren Nord: damaged, but not destroyed, by Stuka attack |
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| Maginot Line officers and soldiers in the custody of the German 252nd Infantry Division |
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| Block 4 of Fortress Schoenenbourg: subjected to air and artillery bombardment |
Rhine Defenses. Defended by three consecutive lines of widely spaced casemates, the
Rhine defenses were overpowered by an infantry attack across the Rhine. Most of the casemates built along
the banks of the Rhine River are now gone; removed when the river was widened to improve navigation. Photographs from
the 1930's and 1940's are all that remain to visually document their existence.
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| Assault crossing at Rhinau |
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| Casemate Limbourg Nord: destroyed by 88mm Flak fire |
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| Dead soldiers of the 42nd Fortress Infantry Regiment |
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| Soldiers of the 42nd Fortress Infantry Regiment in German Captivity |
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| 88mm Flak firing near Breisach |
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| Casemate Pont-de-Bateaux-de-Neuf-Brisach |
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| 88mm Flak Crossing the Rhine River by Ferry |
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| Feste Mutzig: an ex-19th Century German fort bombed by Stukas |
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