A line of fortifications built before World War II to protect France's eastern border.

A line of concrete forts, anti-tank obstacles, guns, machine guns etc., which ran along the French border with Germany from the junction with Belgium to Switzerland. It did not run along the border with Belgium. The Maginot line was static and produced static thought; the Germans' invasion of Belgium outflanked it. Named after Andre Maginot (1877-1932), who, as Minister for War,was its prime mover. [Go to source

a fortification built before World War II to protect France's eastern border; initially considered to be impregnable it was easily overrun by the Germans in 1940

Series of sophisticated French fortifications positioned along France's eastern borders consisting of steel and concrete anti-tank emplacements and pillboxes

The Maginot Line (IPA: [maʒi'no], named after French minister of defence André Maginot) was a line of concrete fortifications, tank obstacles, machine gun posts and other defenses which France constructed along its borders with Germany and with Italy, in the light of experience from World War I, and in the run-up to World War II. Generally the term describes either the entire system or just the defences facing Germany while the Alpine Line is used for the Franco-Italian defences. The French believed the fortification would provide time for their army to mobilize in the event of attack and also compensate for numerical weakness.