5 ms·

No, they went around it. The forest next to it was considered to be impassable by tanks (it wasn't).

nickff 10y ago
Largely (wasn't impassible) because of the Belgians' reluctance to create and man a significant defensive barrier against German aggression.
cm2187 10y ago
They also went around. But the maginot line was designed without air warfare in mind, and the germans easily bombed the lines behind the maginot line.
- lostlogin 10y ago
  Planes existed and bombed things prior to the Maginot Line being built. It was also protected against aerial attack, which is kind of intuitive as the French were familiar with just how much explosives could home from the air after ww1 (though generally by by heavy artillery).
ptaipale 10y ago
The Germans went mostly through Low Countries, violating the neutrality of Netherlands and Belgium, not just Ardennes forest. The Maginot line did not extend to the Belgian border because when building it, the French did not want to offend Belgians. Trump does not seem to hesitate offending anyone, so from that point his walls should be more effective...
- shard972 10y ago
  > The Germans went mostly through Low Countries, violating the neutrality of Netherlands and Belgium, not just Ardennes forest. Would be pretty interesting to see Mexicans reroute to come through canada. I say it in joking, but if you fly to canada and cross over into the US, whats the difference?
  - Programmatic 10y ago
    It would require more financial resources from each individual, reducing the number of people that could make it across. From a pure threat/security perspective it's a win.
  - csours 10y ago
    Or simply fly directly into the US on an education or tourist visa[0]. 0: http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/02/03/homeland-security-produces-first-estimate-of-foreign-visitors-to-u-s-who-overstay-deadline-to-leave/ http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/02/03/homeland-sec...

Largely (wasn't impassible) because of the Belgians' reluctance to create and man a significant defensive barrier against German aggression.

cm2187 10y ago

They also went around. But the maginot line was designed without air warfare in mind, and the germans easily bombed the lines behind the maginot line.

lostlogin 10y ago
Planes existed and bombed things prior to the Maginot Line being built. It was also protected against aerial attack, which is kind of intuitive as the French were familiar with just how much explosives could home from the air after ww1 (though generally by by heavy artillery).

ptaipale 10y ago

The Germans went mostly through Low Countries, violating the neutrality of Netherlands and Belgium, not just Ardennes forest. The Maginot line did not extend to the Belgian border because when building it, the French did not want to offend Belgians. Trump does not seem to hesitate offending anyone, so from that point his walls should be more effective...

shard972 10y ago
> The Germans went mostly through Low Countries, violating the neutrality of Netherlands and Belgium, not just Ardennes forest. Would be pretty interesting to see Mexicans reroute to come through canada. I say it in joking, but if you fly to canada and cross over into the US, whats the difference?
- Programmatic 10y ago
  It would require more financial resources from each individual, reducing the number of people that could make it across. From a pure threat/security perspective it's a win.
- csours 10y ago
  Or simply fly directly into the US on an education or tourist visa[0]. 0: http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/02/03/homeland-security-produces-first-estimate-of-foreign-visitors-to-u-s-who-overstay-deadline-to-leave/ http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/02/03/homeland-sec...