Word: maginot
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Dates: during 1930-1939
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...France's No. 1 Soldier, Gamelin has continued the Maginot Line to the sea, mechanized the Army to a point below Germany's but at which he thinks it can be most effective, extended the conscript period from a year, to 18 months, to two years-this over the bitter opposition of most French politicians. He has confidence in the Army he has built. During the Munich crisis he believed the French Army was ready to fight, and General Gamelin quietly went to London to tell the statesmen so. He got about the same attention that...
...knows what the French Army intends to do if & when it comes in conflict with the Axis. Best semiprofessional guess suggests it would try to knock the spots off Italy's northern industrial area by air, call up all its 5,000,000 reserves, sit tight behind its Maginot Line and see what happened. A hint in favor of the last course comes from a remark General Gamelin made when asked if the French had considered making an early drive on the German Limes: "What! I do not propose to start the war by a battle of Verdun...
...Germany an unprecedented peace time mobilization of 2,000,000 men was under way. Division after division moved into the Limes Line, there to face the French poilus long ago shoved into the Maginot Line. Into East Prussia, already an armed camp, went more antiaircraft regiments, and a narrow strip along the border of Poland's vital southern indus trial area was closed to civilians. Reports persisted that a few Italian soldiers had also been brought up there, perhaps as a moral stimulant to their Nazi brothers...
...military part, for they may be invaded. Britain and France count on three neutrals in particular to hold off the Germans for a time. The Swiss have besides a strong mountainous position a small but tough civilian army, probably strong enough to keep Nazis from trying to outflank the Maginot Line to the south. The Belgians are armed to teeth, and their country is well fortified. The Dutch can flood part of their country to keep Germans out of Rotterdam, Amsterdam, The Hague. Each of these three is apparently strong enough to fight a delaying action that would enable...
Germany would then be on the Channel and nearer to England. The Belgian Maginot Line might be outflanked. If, however, Herr Hitler is thinking of the disadvantages of a Netherlands coup, they would overshadow the advantages. There would be 230 more miles of western frontier to defend. The Belgians have heavily fortified their frontier with The Netherlands, and invasion through The Netherlands to the ultimate goal of France and Paris is a circuitous route to take...