| Tango01 | 13 Apr 2018 12:25 p.m. PST |
…. And Included 22,000 Bunkers And Pillboxes. "During the build-up to WWII, the German government commissioned a line of defenses all along its border with France. The enormous undertaking seemed a waste to some people but would eventually have a huge impact on the war. It was the West Wall, also known as the Siegfried Line…"
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Armand |
| Cerdic | 14 Apr 2018 8:31 a.m. PST |
But it was good for drying laundry, so I gather…. |
 Legion 4   | 14 Apr 2018 8:33 a.m. PST |
I've seen pics of some of the "dragon's teeth", etc. are still there in some areas. But you see that in a number of locations all thru Europe, etc. |
| 14th NJ Vol | 14 Apr 2018 9:34 a.m. PST |
The famous Dragon teeth were a tough obstacle until they put a dozer blade on a Sherman tank, piled up dirt and drove over them. Millions of Reich marks spent defeated by a bolt on dozer blade. Got to love enginuity. |
| spontoon | 14 Apr 2018 11:11 a.m. PST |
Some of the reading I've done indicated that by the time it was attacked it was a shadow of it's former self as the bunkers were made for 1930's A/T weapons, not guns that would tackle WWII tanks. |
| Tango01 | 14 Apr 2018 11:13 a.m. PST |
More enginuity was the Maginot Fortification Line… (smile) Amicalement
Armand |
| Tgunner | 14 Apr 2018 12:38 p.m. PST |
Actually it gave the allies quite the headache in 1944. It gave strength to a really weak German army, which combined with logistical problems, allowed them to stop the allied offensive for something like six months. Like one GI put it, if you can put some sorry idiot with one finger behind a foot of concrete and sight the MG for him then he will cause a lot of problems! Besides, bunker emplaced ATGs is a pretty crummy idea anyway. The Germans were better served using towed and SP guns and they used the few that they had to telling effect like during the 3rd AD's push south of Aachen. |
| Legion 4 | 14 Apr 2018 3:22 p.m. PST |
That is kind of how I understood it too Tgunner. |
| Lion in the Stars | 14 Apr 2018 3:49 p.m. PST |
Kinda like the big Flak Towers. Too massive to safely demolish. The infamous 'doom turtle' (T28 superheavy tank or T95 SPG) was actually built to punch the West Wall, but we'd bypassed it by the time the beast was built. |
ScottWashburn  | 15 Apr 2018 3:48 p.m. PST |
The Siegfried Line certainly bolstered the German's defenses in 1944, but probably it's biggest impact was in 1939. It had been so hyped up by Hitler and the Nazis, that the French and British made no attempt to attack Germany while their army was busy invading Poland. |
| Marc33594 | 16 Apr 2018 7:01 a.m. PST |
Actually not strictly true Scott. The French did launch their ill fated Saar offensive (7-16 September). German troops fell back to the Siegfried line where French troops discovered the artillery which has accompanied the offensive was unable to penetrate the bunkers and heavier artillery was far behind. The quick victory against Poland allowed the Germans to rush forces back to the Western Front which gave the French needed cover to withdraw. A German offensive from 16-17 October regained the lost territory. The French never really had their heart in the offensive and still felt the defensive to be the way to win. |
| ScottWashburn | 16 Apr 2018 11:37 a.m. PST |
True, Marc, but if there had been no defenses at all, the French and British might have been a tad more aggressive. Maybe not, but who knows? |
goes beyond the straight line.