Links to Related Sites
The Maginot Line has a significant presence on the Internet.
The following websites are ones we find most informative:
A multi-language site describing the history of Fort (Petit Ouvrage) Kerfent and the other fortifications
of Fortified Sector Faulquemont attacked by the German 167th Infantry Division.
A web site with recent photographs of a renovated interval
casemate fully equipped with the weapons and equipment used by French fortress troops in 1940.
An extensive
site multi-language website that details Fortress (Gros Ouvrage) Schoenenbourg and the other Maginot Line fortifications in
northern Alsace. The site includes a large database of recent
photos of the Maginot Line plus many historical first-hand accounts by French combatants.
A multi-language
site describing the history of Fortress (Gros Ouvrage) Fermont which was unsuccessfully attacked by the German 183rd
Infantry Division.
A French language
site describing the design and history of Fortress Michelsberg which was unsuccessfully attacked by the German 95th Infantry
Division.
A French and English language site that describes several fortified works in the Thionville area; including nice videos
of the workings and machinery of a typical Maginot Line fortress.
An English language site describing the development, design, and
function of the Maginot Line.
A multi-language
webpage of the Maginot Line. The site includes a description of the Alpes
Maritimes Fortified Sector and Fortress (Gros Ouvrage) Sainte-Agnes located near
France's border with Italy.
The battle
history of the U.S. 44th Infantry Division in World War II. The
site includes a description of the division’s attack on Fortress (Gros Ouvrage)Simserhof
in December 1944.
Interesting essay about US Army battles against the German forces occupying the Maginot Line in 1944.
When
viewing foreign language sites, consider using Altavista's translation website http://world.altavista.com. Although use of Babel Fish or other similar sites can result in confusing, or perhaps even amusing,
translations, much can be still be gained if you do not read too much into the translated text.
Books about the Maginot Line
Most histories of the Line are written in French. That situation not withstanding, here are some recommended
works that are currently in print:
Blitzkrieg
in the West: Then and Now by Jean Paul Pallud (London: After the Battle, 1991). Although not exclusively devoted
to the Maginot Line, this book has extensive "then and now" photographs about the Line's various fortified
works and the German attacks to take them.
Blitzkrieg in the West: Then and Now by Jean
Paul Pallud (London: After the Battle, 1991). Although not exclusively devoted to the Maginot Line, this book
has extensive "then and now" photographs about the Line's various fortified works and the German attacks to take them.
Fortress France: The Maginot Line and French Defenses in World War II by J.E Kaufmann and H.W. Kaufmann (Connecticut: Praeger Security International, 2006). This book primarily describes the engineering and construction of the
Maginot Line.
Hommes et Ouvrages de la ligne Maginot, Tomes 1-4 by Jean-Yves Mary and Alain Hohnadel (Paris: Histoire & Collections, 2000-2009).
Although these books are written in French, the lavish
illustrations and photographs stand on their own. Tome (Volume) 3, contains an informative chapter about battles involving
the Maginot Line.
The Maginot Line 1928-45 by William Alcorn (United
Kingdom: Osprey Publishing, 2003).
For the price, this is the best description of the Maginot Line in English.
Videos about the Maginot Line
After the fighting in the West ended, the Germans produced a propaganda film called Sieg im Westen (Victory
in the West). As propaganda, the film should be viewed with the understanding that its sole purpose was to
extol the might of the German Army. Despite numerous technical and factual errors, the film does include
interesting footage of the Maginot Line. To see the Maginot Line footage, try the following link:
Allied Movie news of the Phoney War:
Allied Movie news of the French Army:
Maginot Line documentary in five parts. Dispite a few glaring errors and
the pejorative name calling of Germans as "Boche," it is one of the few videos in English discusses German attacks against
the Maginot Line. It does though, leave out notable German victories in the Maubeuge, Faulquemont,
and Rohrbach sectors.
Extract from a British documentary with period footage of the Maginot Line:
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