Historical issues

Maginot line-maginot line

After World War I, the French military began to study how to defend against the invasion of Germany and Italy. 1930, French defense minister Machnow, who just came to power, submitted the national defense plan that his predecessors, French marshals Fauci, Petain and Shoffler, argued for many years to parliament for discussion, and it was passed by more than 90% of the votes. In the following ten years, he built a series of fortifications on the border between France, Germany and Italy, which is the world-famous "maginot line".

Maqnuo's defense project starts from the French-Italian border along the Mediterranean coast in the south and ends at the Fabian border in the North Sea in the north, with a total length of about 700 kilometers, and consists of groups of independent fortifications. Each group of fortifications includes a main fortification and some observation posts, which are connected with each other by telephone. The main fortifications are generally 30 meters above the ground, including headquarters, turrets, power generation equipment, repair equipment, hospitals, canteens, dormitories and other facilities. The fortifications are densely covered with metal columns and barbed wire, which is said to be impregnable. The grain and fuel stored in fortifications can generally last for three months. In order to reflect the defensive nature of this fortification, the range of artillery in the fortification is generally not more than 10 km, that is, to ensure that artillery shells do not fall into the territory of other countries outside the border. If there is a war, the observation post can observe the enemy's situation with periscope and report the situation to the headquarters by telephone at any time, while the artillery in the turret fires according to the command of the headquarters in a three-meter-thick cement fortification. 344 guns, 152 turrets and 1533 bunkers were deployed along the whole of maginot line. Total length of underground tunnel100km, and total length of highway and railway is 450km. The earthwork volume of the defense line reached 6.5438+0.2 million cubic meters, the consumption of concrete was about 6.5438+0.5 million cubic meters, the consumption of steel was 6.5438+0.5 million tons, and the total project cost was nearly 5 billion francs (6.5438+0.940), which was equivalent to the financial budget of France at that time. Because the defense system was very strong, few soldiers died in Maqnuo's fortifications during World War II. However, this peak fortification failed to stop the armored and motorized troops of German fascists in World War II. 1940 In May, the Germans crossed the Ardennes, bypassed maginot line via Belgium, and soon occupied the whole of France. Maginot line, who believed in the myth, eventually became a useless decoration and a satire on the defeated, and became a famous French tourist attraction in the future.

The first world war always caused nearly 5 million casualties in the French army. The bitter lessons after the war plunged the French people into an extreme mood, that is, the enemy must be prevented from invading again at all costs. In this context, a military defense line with a length of about 700 kilometers and a cost of nearly 5 billion francs was built. This is the world-famous maginot line named after then French War Minister Andre Machnow. However, it is such a steel defense line that was once called "impregnable", but it has become the biggest laughing stock in the world military history.

Maginot line was founded in 1929 and 1936. From north to south, it is more than 700 kilometers long, surrounded by mountains and waters. I'm afraid this idea can only be compared with the Great Wall in Wan Li, China. The scale of Maqnuo's national defense project is beyond imagination. There are 44 large fortifications, underground tunnels100km, and bunkers 1533. The total earthwork volume of this project is120,000 cubic meters. A large number of laborers from French colonies worked day and night. From 1929 to 1935, it took six years to basically complete the main part of the project. The total cost of the project was as high as 5 billion francs, equivalent to the total budget of France at that time.

In addition, Maqnuo's advanced defense technology is amazing. There are headquarters, dormitories, canteens, turrets, ammunition depots, repair shops, hospitals and even specialized dental clinics inside the fortifications. The artillery command system probably best reflects the technical level of the Maginot line. The movable turret, which weighs several tons and protrudes from the ground, can rise and fall freely and rotate 360 degrees. And these, with the help of a huge mechanical equipment, can be easily done by a lady with her hands. In wartime, the turret is higher than the ground and can shoot at the enemy from any direction. Usually, the turret can be lowered to be flush with the ground. If you don't pay attention, you won't find a cannon hidden here. When the enemy attacks, the soldiers at the important observation posts in the fortifications can observe the enemy with periscope and report to the artillery headquarters in the fortifications. The headquarters will analyze the enemy's position, then transmit the data to the turret command post through the mechanical transmission system, and then the command post will adjust the artillery angle according to the command of the headquarters to accurately attack the enemy. This series of actions only takes a few minutes to complete. Small narrow-gauge trains are built inside the fortress fortifications, which can transport ammunition supplies to various combat points in time. The ammunition, grain and fuel for power generation stored in the fortress can ensure that soldiers will not leave the hole for three months. In order to prevent soldiers from losing their physical strength due to long-term living in dark and humid underground, the builder also installed a heating system inside the fortress to ensure the dryness and constant temperature of the cave. Every fortress has a hall, which is usually used for movies and plays. In the event of war, soldiers can come here to receive the simulated "sunshine" of high-power light bulbs if they can't go out for a long time.

It is ridiculous that such a huge, advanced and unprecedented fortification should be easily breached by the Germans without wasting a shot. 1940 In May, German mechanized troops raided Belgium, crossed the Ardennes, invaded France, went straight behind maginot line and arrived at the gates. At this time, the French soldiers who held fast to maginot line did not deploy a single soldier in the direction of the capital, but were still stubbornly waiting for the enemy's frontal attack. The result is naturally imaginable.

Later, with the relaxation of the international situation, it was demolished.

The other side of maginot line.

It is an indisputable fact that maginot line failed to stop the German invasion, and within six weeks, the French military forces collapsed. But maginot line itself was as steady as Mount Tai, and the German attack failed. Maginot line is impregnable: not a cannon in the battle was suppressed by the enemy's gunfire. When the defense line was finally delivered to the enemy, it was as good as ever.

With the surrender of the French government, the armistice agreement was signed in June. Conventional fighting stopped. However, the troops stationed on maginot line don't want to believe this. They are still eager to fight and can still fight. The large-scale underground fortifications of the defense line persisted until July of 1 year, and the command of the French commander-in-chief reached the Maginot defense line. Maginot line's guards came out of the fortifications and went to the prison. Now, German soldiers can enter the legendary fortress. They can look around the rural market with surprised eyes like country bumpkins and watch all the tricks prepared by the enemy for them.

In the later period of the war, the Germans occasionally used the defense lines as warehouses, training bases and field hospitals. In the Battle of Ardennes, this line of defense was used against American troops. After the war, the French army withdrew its defense line, but this defense line has no use value in modern wars. The French soldier slammed the iron gate and walked away disdainfully.

Today, in French political and military circles, when it comes to maginot line, there is still pride and embarrassment in his words. No one knows what to do with this line of defense. It won't disappear by itself. However, it is too big and heavy to be dismantled. Of course, it is worth mentioning that the whole world is obsessed with it. Today, besides the Eiffel Tower, maginot line is associated with the French word.

Maqnuo National Defense Association obtained the right to use a large underground fortification from the government through several years of negotiations. He repaired this dilapidated large underground fortification and prepared to develop tourism. His reason is that the defense line has become the heritage of the French nation and must be opened to the outside world. The organization also has branches in Alsace and Lorraine. Today, at least six large underground works are open to tourists.

Over the years, the French government has sold many small fortifications and blockhouses, or directly sold blockhouses to farmers whose land cultivation has been hindered. And those large underground projects are too big for civilian use. Although these buildings are developed together in an unorganized commercial way-a disco is built here and a mushroom farm is built there-such an enterprise will not last for several months, because the original intention of military design is difficult to turn into business. It is said that some private houses were built on bunkers, and 30 soldiers could have been stationed at the beginning. If there is no other intention, at least the owners of these manors can enjoy the best wine cellar with the strongest anti-theft ability in the world. In addition, it is worth mentioning that nowadays, some cheerful owners of Maqnuo's national defense buildings are Germans.