The Maginot Line worked exactly as (ultimately, but not initially[*] --- the plan changed mid-construction) intended. The intent was to force Germany through Be

The Maginot Line worked exactly as (ultimately, but not initially[*] --- the plan changed mid-construction) intended. The intent was to force Germany through Belgium. Note that the role of a fortification is not only to help defend against an attack, but also to try to discourage an attack against it in the first place (instead forcing the enemy to attack through a different point; makes the attacks more predictable, which translates to higher concentrations of defensive forces --- bonus points if there are natural choke points or such). Ultimately, Germany was left with two options for an advance, so France had to guess which one. What happened was that France guessed wrong (IIRC, they didn't at all expect a German armored assault through the rough terrain & forests near Ardennes), and the rest, as they say, is history. [*] The initial plan was to fortify the Belgian border, too, but this was adapted to a "France helping Belgium defend against Germany" plan, after Belgium's protests that it would simply get "sacrificed" if the Maginot line was fully reinforced in the north. I've a sneaking suspicion that France wasn't quite ready to honor this quasi-defensive-plan, but that's a different topic.