In May 1940 why wasn't the French Army deployed on the north end of the Maginot?

Question

ie deployed in strength - I don't get why the flank of the Maginot was left weak.

Answer 1

The Maginot Line was built to fortify the French border with Germany. However, it did not extend to the borders with Luxembourg and Belgium.

The French army expected the Germans to repeat the Schielfen Plan of the First World War and moved their army into western Belgium to stop the German Army Group A. But the new Manstein Plan anticipated this: after the French and the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) moved north, they were undercut by Army Group B moving through the Ardennes Forest (which the Allies thought was impenetrable by armour).

Answer 2

The Maginot line was built at the end of WWI as a deterent to another German invasion of France. The French believed that the line with its large guns and emplaced defenses would simply destroy any attempt by the Germans to move into France.

What they did not take into account however was the advances made in Mobile War (Armor, Self Propelled Artillery and Troop Carriers) that the Germans and other nations were starting to implement. General Heinz Guderian of the OberKommado De Wehrmacht (German High Command) had been perfecting the "Blitzkrieg" (Lightning War) attack doctrine. This style of combined arms warfare made fixed defenses like the Maginot Line obsolete.

Hope this Helps

Answer 3

The maginot line was one of the biggest blunders in french history. It wasn't that that they were not spread out enough, it was that the gun turrets only faced one way, east. When the Germans pushed passed the line, the French and other allies could not turn the guns around and fire on the invading Germans. Thus, sadly, the French were taken over in a matter of weeks.

Answer 4

The British were the North Flank, hence the ability to escape at Dunquerk after the Germans penetrated and cut them off and turned the French flank.

Remember the Allies played by rules and those rules left them feeling secure as Luxembourg and Holland were nuetral countries and by the rules should have been a safe border. Also the French considered the Ardennes Forrest impassable to armies???? Crazy?

Guess not.

Ret. USAF SNCO

Answer 5

The Ardene's Forrest is thick near Sedan, at the north end of the Maginot. The Allies did not think it possible for the Germans to move quickly through the Ardene's and so left Sedan relatively unguarded.

Answer 6

It actually didnt matter because the Germans went around the Maginot Line by invading through Belgium.

They didn't actually have to attack the line at all.

Answer 7

The French and British were too busy trying to grab up as much of Belgium as they could. The Germans lured them west and then broke through. Remember the false intel gthe Germans planted. They allies thought they had the German Plan. Then the Germans executed the first few attacks as that "plan" called for. The French and british were suckered.

Answer 8

The French were stupid. The defense line stopped at the French border.

Answer 9

Because the area of the Ardennse (thickly wooded steep hills) was thought to be impenetrable by enemy forces, especially armor.

Answer 10

I could be mistaken but I believe there was some bad intel on enemy movement. A costly mistake.