France, Republic. Two Maginot Line Beret Badges
Ligne Maginot. One badge in silver, measuring 35.5 mm in diameter, the other badge in bronze, measuring 36.8 mm in diameter, both with horizontal pinbacks, extremely fine.
Footnote: The Maginot Line is named after the French Minister of War André Maginot and was a line of concrete fortifications, obstacles, and weapon installations built by France in the 1930s, to deter invasion by Germany and force them to move around the fortifications. Constructed on the French side of its borders with Italy, Switzerland, Germany, and Luxembourg, the line did not extend to the English Channel due to French strategy that envisioned a move into Belgium to counter a German assault. Based on France's experience with trench warfare during the First World War, the massive Maginot Line was built in the run-up to the Second World War, after the Locarno Conference gave rise to a fanciful and optimistic "Locarno spirit". French military experts extolled the Line as a work of genius that would deter German aggression, because it would slow an invasion force long enough for French forces to mobilize and counterattack. The Maginot Line was impervious to most forms of attack, including aerial bombings and tank fire, and had underground railways as a backup; it also had state-of-the-art living conditions for garrisoned troops, supplying air conditioning and eating areas for their comfort. Instead of attacking directly, the Germans invaded through the Low Countries, bypassing the Maginot Line to the north. French and British officers had anticipated this: when Germany invaded the Netherlands and Belgium, they carried out plans to form an aggressive front that cut across Belgium and connected to the Maginot Line. However, the French line was weak near the Ardennes forest. The French believed this region, with its rough terrain, would be an unlikely invasion route of German forces; if it was traversed, it would be done at a slow rate that would allow the French time to bring up reserves and counterattack. The German Army, having reformulated their plans from a repeat of the First World War-era plan, became aware of and exploited this weak point in the French defensive front. A rapid advance through the forest and across the River Meuse encircled much of the Allied forces, resulting in a sizable force being evacuated at Dunkirk leaving the forces to the south unable to mount an effective resistance to the German invasion of France. The Maginot Line has since become a metaphor for expensive efforts that offer a false sense of security.