When it comes to war, the two most important forms are offense and defense. Although it is said that "one husband should be closed, no one can open it." "Defensive momentum is rare, but defense is always passive. After World War I, France painstakingly built the impregnable Maginot Line, which thought it could ensure a hundred years of tranquility in France, but who knew that it was cracked by the German army in less than a week. Why is France so defensive? What ability did the Germans have to break through such a defensive line and take France?
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="3" > the shadow of World War I, French defensive ideas are deeply rooted</h1>
When it comes to the shadow of the First World War, many people will be puzzled, but France was the most victorious country in the First World War! For Germany, too, of all kinds of sanctions, what is the shadow that makes the victorious Country, France, cower?
In World War I, the Allies led by Britain, France, and the United States defeated the Allies led by Germany and won the victory. Among them, France made great contributions and sacrifices to defeat the Second German Empire. The battlefield on the Western Front was in the French mainland, because of the countless losses of French property in the war. Not only that, but post-war France can be said to be struggling in all aspects.
The first is that the economy has been hit hard, the war will occur in the country, then the operation of related industries will inevitably be affected. Secondly, industry and infrastructure have been severely damaged and cannot be operated for a while. In order to fight the war, the national treasury was emptied, and there were countless debts to the outside world. The casualties were heavy, with more than 1.3 million soldiers killed in battle alone, and other casualties, totaling more than 5 million.
It is precisely because of the tragic war with Germany that france on the one hand is difficult to revive the economy and need time to revive the various industries, on the other hand, it is also crazy to vent its hatred against Germany. As the victorious power, France imposed various sanctions on Germany. The deprivation of part of Germany's territory and the use of the Treaty of Versailles limited the size of the German military, demarcated the demilitarized areas on the German border, and did not allow Germany to station troops there.
The multifaceted retaliation has also made France more vigilant. If Germany makes a comeback, it will surely kill us. France can't sit still in fear, what can it do now? The country's economy and industry have not yet been revived, and it is impossible to fight another war, so let's build a defensive project. So France decided to establish the Mamaginot Line.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="42" > two, exhaustion, the strength of the Maginot Line</h1>
Although France had no economy or manpower after World War I, it was not sloppy in establishing the Maginot Line. It took ten years and was built in 5 billion francs. The line was 390 km long and stretched from Longiyon to Belfort. The 5,800 fortifications on the defensive line are permanent fortifications that can be used for a long time, built with strong and durable building materials. The quantity is equivalent to more than 15 permanent fortifications per kilometer, which are of excellent quality and can be used for long-term use.
Not only that, but the tunnels of the defensive line are also accessible in all directions. There are fortresses, kitchens, hospitals, power stations and even artillery. In this way, it can be said that everything is available. Once the war breaks out here, as long as you send personnel here, you will have nothing to worry about, just supervise the defense.
The larger fortifications are also equipped with trams, and there are countless forts outside, bunkers and bunkers. And equipped with a cannon with a long range, once there is a situation, direct fire.
The façade is more than 3 meters thick of reinforced concrete, as well as anti-tank trenches and barbed wire mesh. Once energized, it can be said that the defense is complete, and not a single bird can fly in.
Such a meticulous and thoughtful design shows the good intentions of France. All kinds of economic, manpower and high equipment investment reflect the importance that France attaches to this project. In France's plan, the project, once completed, would give France peace of mind. It is also because of this that France has placed great expectations on the Maginot Line. Unexpectedly, the Germans broke the Maginot Line within a week.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="43" > third, the fall of France, with the times to win the war</h1>
As France feared, Germany did make a comeback. France, which had been full of confidence, was at a disadvantage from the beginning of this war.
Although the Maginot Line itself was impregnable, it did not seal off all franco-German borders. The borders of northern France and the Low Countries, as well as the Ardennes, a natural barrier between France and Germany. But France is not aware of the seriousness of this. In France's view, if Germany wants to attack France, there are only three ways to go.
The first was a frontal attack, and it was clear that the completion of the Maginot Line would not allow the Germans to take advantage of it. The second way was to bypass the Maginot Line and attack from the Swiss side. But Switzerland is small in size, in a gorge surrounded by the Alps. From this, it is conceivable that if the Germans wanted to attack from here, it would be difficult to cross the mountains. And the terrain is so small that the army cannot advance at all. The third way is from the plains of the Netherlands and Belgium. Although the terrain is more spacious, the battlefield will change. Once a fight breaks out in Belgium, Britain is bound to take a shot, and France will pick up a bargain.
France was well prepared in all respects, ignoring the weakness of the Ardennes. In the eyes of Britain and France, it was difficult for the Germans to fight from the Ardennes high. The real punch in the face was here, and the Germans unexpectedly came in from the Ardennes.
On May 10, 1940, after various careful plans, the weak points of the French defense were found, and the Germans launched an attack on France, the Netherlands, and Belgium. The 3 million German soldiers were divided into three routes, and the 7 most elite armored divisions broke through the Ardennes and entered the French hinterland. Some went to attack Belgium and attracted british and French artillery fire. In addition, there is a diversion and interference around the Maginot Line. The Maginot Line had a large number of troops stationed there, and it was difficult to dispatch to the French hinterland to fight the Germans for a while.
Guderian's powerful lightning tactics overwhelmed the Elite German Panzer Division. The Germans ran over the reserve compound of the British and French armies, crossed the English Channel, and attacked the French hinterland. Over the course of two weeks, the Germans captured 220,000 French troops. Three weeks later, the Germans broke through the Arc de Triomphe and rushed into Paris, where France fell.
In addition to the advanced armored armies, the Victory of the German Army was also in sophisticated combat methods with evolving combat capabilities. France, on the other hand, has been pinning its hopes on the defense of the Maginot Line. Naïve belief that with the strongest defense, the country's stability can be maintained. At the same time, France underestimated the speed and power of military development.
Had France been able to keep pace with the times and develop an armored army with the state of affairs restored, the outcome of the war might have been different.