Customer Reviews

The Maginot Line: None Shall Pass

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This book provides an excellent description of the Maginot Line. Unlike other books on the topic, this book does not bog the reader down in political and other matters leaving the actually Maginot Line as a secondary subject which is done in many other works. The authors describe how and why this system of fortifications was built and how it was used. They provide a good amount of detail on what the actual ouvrages (forts) and other positions of the Maginot Line were like. In some cases the material might be redundant and the text is written in an academic style, but a complete picture in English is presented of the Maginot Line from associated works near the English Channel to the Little Maginot Line in the Alps. In addition, an unusual section on media reporting and German intelligence in the 1930s is included which may be some of the first evidence of how detailed German knowledge actually was on these fortifications long before the war. The book covers the short battle history of the Maginot Line including the German use of super-heavy 420-mm weapons to bombard the ouvrages and the assault by Italian troops on part of the Little Maginot Line overlooking the Mediterranean. The greatest weakness is the lack of illustrations, only about 25, which makes the price for this small book seem overpriced. The book is not a tour guide, but it is an excellent history and description of the Maginot Line. This book should be of interest to anyone interested in the Maginot Line and/or the German blitzkrieg campaign of 1940.

This book provides the best English language description of the organization and technical details of the Maginot Line currently available. This is not a guidebook to the Maginot Line, but if you are lucky enough to visit, it will help you to understand alot of the things you will see. It is not a detailed account of the battles, there are other books in French that do that. If you are interested in Strategy and Tactics, it will help you to better understand the strengths and weaknesses of the Maginot Line and their influence on what actually happened.

The book description is misleading in two respects: it gives an impression that the book devotes significant attention to strategic and policy issues, and provides a lively account of battles fought in and around the Maginot fortifications in 1940. In fact, this small volume is overloaded with repetitive organizational and technical detail, presented in a rigidly academic and uninteresting manner. The authors make a significant point about strategy; that the Maginot Line in itself was never intended to be an impenetrable barrier. Rather, it would provide strongpoints, between which French field armies would operate. The reasons for their failure to realize this strategy are briefly discussed, but needed further analysis. The account of actual battles and conditions is far too brief, doing little to increase the reader's understanding of tactics and performance during the fighting of 1940. The book is not designed to encourage visits by persons who have never visited a Maginot ouvrage. It is essentially an historical work, not intended to address the current condition of, or access to the various fortifications.

I strongly agree with T.R. Phillips from Netherlands - although well researched, this book reads like a term paper. No depth or passion. Even the technical details, something an engineer like myself savors, are presented in a dry, dull manner.