Mannerheim Line and Magino Line, Molotov Line and Oriental Val, Stalin Line and Siegfried Line, Soviet and Japanese Strongs in the Far East, etc., etc. - in this book you will find exhaustive information about all "Chinese XX century walls "And professional analysis of their effectiveness.
Why in 1939-1945 did not repeat the "positioning deadlock" of the First World War? Is it possible in principle to create a "insurmountable" line of defense? Are tremendous costs for the construction of rejection? And how exactly the assault groups managed to break through the most powerful defensive systems?
After an unsuccessful war with Germany, 1870-1871 in front of France acutely arose about the cover of his new borders. The fortresses built during Voban, by that time were outdated, as a result of which their opponent was measured by few days, and only the city-fortress Belfort lasted about three and a half months.
French engineers did not have to look for new forms for the construction of border fortifications: they were offered during the Napoleonic Wars in the French general role role. In his opinion, the fortress followed the annular system of individual fortified forts removed from 2 to 5 kilometers and interconnected by various field barriers.
For the final decision of this issue in 1874, a special commission was formed, which within two years a plan for strengthening the eastern border of France by the fortress system was compiled. But since the border was not a new plan for the deployment of the French army, the plan of its fortification had to be composed on the basis of theoretical provisions arising from the experience of the only ending war.
According to the newly developed plan, the main section of the border from Luxembourg to Switzerland was closed by two veins: one by Maasa - Verden - Tul and the second on the line of the veins - Epinal - Belfort. The gaps between these basic supporting points of defense were filled with certain fortifications that block the road. The stretch of each curtain was about 60 kilometers, 6-7 intermediate forts were located on this front.
Thus, it was created as if a single system of border engineering defensive structures, based on the forts. At the same time, the firing link between the Forts was weak, since their task was only to not allow the movement along the roads of the opponent's columns. There was a so-called Sharm pass between the veins - also about 60 kilometers. It was assumed that, without drafting at the assault of fortified curtains, the main forces of the enemy would rush to the Sharmist passage, where they will be detained with the army from both flanks and with both flanks will be attached to the curtains under cover.
The flanks of this fortifications system were vulnerable, which resulted in the borders of neutral states - Belgium and Switzerland. If the neutrality of Switzerland has been provided to some extent to the difficult terrain, the border with Belgium was completely open. At the same time, the fact that in its nature the terrain on the border with Belgium was little suitable for defense, since she had no natural frontier. Therefore, according to the plan, the cover was envisaged here by two large fortresses - Mobezh and Lille, as well as separate forts, Montmondi, Live, Mesiere, Girson, etc.
Considering that the defense should have a depth, two groups of fortresses of the second line were outlined behind the flanks: on the right flank - Langro, Besancon and Dijon, on the left - Reims, Laon and La Fer. Finally, a large fortress was created as the main center of all strategic defense of the eastern border - Paris.
The plan was accepted in general. However, the head of the Commission, which made this plan, some Serya de Rivier, heard a lot of reproaches in that, that, too many fortifications were created, demanding enormous tools for their periodic modernization. This led to new scientific discussions and restrictions in funds. Therefore, at the beginning of World War II, at the present level, only the basic fortresses were Verden and Belfort. Fortresses Tul, Epianal and Mobyzh clearly outdated. Also outdated, certain fortifications were obsolete, which visually confirmed the attack by the Germans of one of the strengths of the curtain Verden - Tul - Camp-de-Romain, produced on September 23, 1915. Then the German artillery opened fire on the fort, and after 20 minutes the Fort was silent. The overall attack on the fort lasted only three hours and ended with his capture. At the same time, 180 people reached the loss of defending French and the Germans - 96 people.
Based on this battle, the German military specialist in the work of the "Commander and Technology" work exposed a sharp criticism of the Schliffene plan, which was built on the rapid, deep strategic coverage of the French army and its defeat. The fact is that Shliffen, having learned about the presence of the so-called Verden curtain, even began to doubt the reality of his plan, fearing that the border fortified band of the enemy would significantly detain the coming during its breakthrough. Ustrov, who during World War I was commanded by a heavy battery of 420 mm of Gaubitz, the so-called Tolstoy Bert, crushing the Liege, Namur and Mobezh in a short term, believed that before her began the German General Staff, including Schliffen himself, too little Interested in new military equipment and underestimated her opportunities. He argued that in the presence of heavy-duty artillery, it was possible in a short time to force the veins Verden - Tul and develop blows deep into France.
Another military specialist, Culman, also believed that the French fortresses to the beginning of the First World War were very outdated and could not have enough resistance to the German army. But at the same time, he ratified not so much for the powerful fire of artillery, as for bypass action after suppressing the resistance of the flank forts.
And he had reason. The French fortress Lille was so outdated that before the start of war, as a military unit was abolished. In the same condition were the interior fortresses of La-far, Laon, Reims, Langro, Besancon and Dijon. Meanwhile, there were heavy artillery in these fortresses, in which the French army needed so much.
The more modern Belgian Fortresses Liege, Namur and Antwerp and the French fortress Mobez did not justify themselves. Their rapid fall showed that the isolated fortress can not hold on their own. Thus, the entire margin of the middle fortress projectiles at the time was about 700 thousand shots, and, for example, the artillery of the fortress Verdin during the fighting of 1916 daily spent on average up to 100 thousand shells. Thus, all the reserves of Verdes as the fortress would only be enough for 7 days of battle. Meanwhile, the successful defense of Verdena continued for quite a long time and kept not so much on the strength of its fortifications, but at a strong barrier fire of French artillery and in counterattacks systematically replaced troops.
Without faithful to fortresses and needing heavy artillery, General J. Joffre achieved the relevant decree from the French government, on the basis of which on December 5, 1914, all French fortresses were abolished. On their base, three fortified areas were created as the supporting points of the Army Front: Belforce, Venden and Dunkirksky. Subsequent events of fighting on West Front showed the correctness of this event. Successful defense Verdene brilliantly proved the power of resistance to the same fortified district, which is included in the front line and has an open rear.
The First World War showed that the "sick" venue of France is the proximity to its border of the most important centers of industry. From the first days of the war and before her end, the German army occupied the 10 richest provinces of France, which made 60% of iron and steel products from all production, 94% of copper, 76.5% zinc. As a result, the border departments of the German army, the cross-border departments of France, gave 95% of the total national production of this state. It applied a huge blow to the economic database of the French army.
The proximity of industrial centers to the borders has delivered the question of the defense of France in completely peculiar conditions. This required either the transfer of hostilities into the enemy's territory, or the creation of a system of powerful fortifications, relying on which the army could resist on the border. Experts believed that the location of the industry was attracted by the French army to the border and deprives her of the strategic maneuver with a departure in the depths of the country. It was this circumstance that was the reason for the construction of a powerful defensive line on the northeastern border of France, called the Magino line.
For various reasons, the description of this line in the domestic literature is practically absent. Some information I managed to get from the article at the time of the senior teacher of the Department of Tactics of Higher Compounds of the Academy of General Staff Komdiva D.M. Karbyshev, published in the magazine "Military Thought" at the end of 1939. In addition, in certain works dedicated to the beginning of the Second World War, a fragmentary mention of this line is found.
Under Liniya Mazhino was understood as the system of French defensive fortifications located at the borders of Belgium, Luxembourg and Germany, the total length of which is about 750 kilometers, including with Belgium - 350 kilometers, with Luxembourg - 40 kilometers and Germany - 360 kilometers.
When creating this system, the experience of the First World War was taken into account, which irrefutably proved that the fortification forms of defense were already completely dismissed and a fundamental change was required in the representation of both the fortress as a whole and the foundations of their defense - forts. The question of new forms of long-term fortification was widely discussed both in the literature and in special government commissions. Based on this scientific discussion, a large number of proposals have developed.
Thus, the military engineer trigu offered to build a scheme of its fortified front by the type of the former serf position of the so-called forty belt. The defensive system according to his project consisted of a number of forts located at the intervals of one kilometer. At the same time, all the main elements of the old fort were preserved in them, but they were scattered on a large area of \u200b\u200b400x400 meters. The most threatened approach to the forts, in his opinion, could be covered by the plots of pivots and wire networks, but in order to mask the direction and location of them did not completely communicate with the defensive structure of the fort. Thus, the fort upon proposal of trigu, according to D.M. Karbysheva, "Partly reminded the small French ensemble of Mazhino Line."
The gaps between the main forts were filled with smaller groups. Directly behind the Fort line was located a number of concrete shelters for tanks designed to support counterattacks. Artillery positions are widely equipped with different kind of long-term structures. The defense garrison reached 6 fighters per meter of the front. There were underground incomemates for the Mortyr.
Another military engineer, Levek, in 1922 proposed to create a defensive system from a number of fortified areas, each of which had to have a length of 25-30 kilometers with intervals between them at 5-10 kilometers. For the stability of defense behind the main resistance band, the citadges were located in the form of circular positions with a diameter of 6 kilometers. Each fortified area of \u200b\u200bthe defensive band, at the proposal of Levek, was to consist of groups of armor towers. For the defense of these towers in close proximity to them, concrete above-ground shelters with armored domes for car guns were supposed to be made, which greatly complicated the operations of blocking groups.
The third military engineer, Norman, put forward the idea of \u200b\u200bcreating continuous lines of the trenches and moves of the message, which are erected already in wartime. In peacetime, concrete two-storey caponies, armed with machine guns, guns and haubers, whose main task was to flank the nearest approach to the troops were to be built on the line of future trenches every 500 meters. In the rear of the defensive band, defensive barracks were to be built, around which in wartime was supposed to equip certain resistance centers. Essentially, the idea of \u200b\u200bNorman was an improved scheme of position of the end of the First World War.
Another military engineer, some Cherino, offered to build a fortified front from the main resistance band and individual reference points. These support points in the form of large concrete arrays were to be located ahead of the main resistance band at a distance from 300 to 2500 meters and to connect to the rear with a special underground gallery with a length of up to 3 kilometers. In peacetime, shelters for reserves should be built on the main resistance lane, each. Subsequently, by approximately such a system on the line Mazhino, fortified bands were built on secondary directions.
Each of the numerous proposals contained new thoughts, but none of them could be fully applied when strengthening the borders in the new conditions of the situation. This happened because in the liberal government circles of France at that time more was mentioned about saving money than about the real defense of the country in the event of aggression. Voices were distributed, completely denied long-term structures. The authors referred to the weak resistance of the fortresses during the First World War and on the stubborn defense for the troops of the field positions, which were erected by their own forces during the fighting. "Such views, of course, were wrong, - did the conclusion of D.M. Carbishev. - Concrete and armor with honor withstand the contest with the largest shells of artillery. Therefore, it was necessary to change the forms of structures. "
More deeply worked and reasonable forms of fortified areas were nominated by the Military Engineer Kulimn, who studied enough scientific literature on this issue on this issue and, above all, the works of General Peten. In addition, the results of the work of the Special Commissions of the 1922-1923 and 1925-1926 were taken into account. And if the first commission only studied the problem as a whole, the second one already specifically worked on the preparation of a project of fortifications.
Directly to the border strengthening work began in 1929. All the works were led by a special commission submitted to the Maginos Military Minister Maginos, whose name was obtained by the line of fortifications.
Each fortified area was a continuous front of a large stretch, formed by a system of small long-term buildings. Flanges of fortified areas should be provided by deep bends, natural obstacles or zones of barriers. The stretch of fortified areas of the Magino line reached 150 kilometers, which corresponded to the front of the army defense. Mostly, a task was laid on the fortified areas of this line: together with the parts of the cover and aviation, cover the concentration and deployment of armies.
French military specialists believed that the defense of the fortified district should be continuous. By the nature and strength of the development of fortifications, they distinguished fortified areas, fortified sectors and defensive sites. At the same time, fortified areas, the fortified sectors, are somewhat weaker, in the form of fortified bands, and, finally, defensive sites could only be prepared for strengthening in wartime, prepared for defense.
The fortified areas consisted of a number of fortified stripes depth to 10 kilometers. At the front and rear edges of the main defensive strip, which is in a depth of 4-5 kilometers and the first echelon shelves, were to be built only, "intermediate fortifications". They were usually a major concrete array of a triangular shape, facing the base towards the opponent. Advanced to 15 machine guns and up to 7 guns could be in service with the intermediate strengthening of the average force. Of these, one machine gun and one gun should have been located on the surface of the array in the domes and rotating towers, solving the tasks of self-defense. The remaining fire funds were supposed to be in the caaset plans located on the flanks of the ledges, at the rate of which there are fire on 3 guns and 6 machine guns. True, the power and armament of intermediate fortifications depended on their tactical purposes and on the nature of the adjacent area.
According to the requirements of the French leadership, the thickness of the defensive structure of the fortified area, which protects against one hit 155-mm projectile, was to be about 0.8 meters, from 210 mm projectile - a meter from 380-mm - 1.5 meters and from 420-mm - 1.75 meters. Therefore, intermediate fortifications had walls and coatings with a thickness of up to 3 meters, which should have ensured their vitality even if two shells of 420-mm warmness (safety coefficient-2) were enabled.
The strengthening itself was deeply omitted to the ground and had several floors, as a rule, three. In the upper floor there was a major gallery serving the tower, the incomemates, an observation point, etc. The average floor of intermediate strengthening was occupied by kitchens, pantry, machines, and there was also part of the ammunition. In the lower floor there were residential incans, tanks with water and fuel, powder cellar.
Depending on the appointment and armament, the size of such a fortification ranged from 75 to 100 meters on the front and from 40 to 50 meters to the depth. His garrison had a number of up to 40 people. According to the estimates of Soviet military specialists, the cost of the construction of such a strengthening ranged from 500 thousand to 1 million rubles.
Intermediate fortifications were located at the front and rear edges of the main defensive strip in a checker order, at intervals of 4-5 kilometers. Each fortification was associated with the rear to 1-2 kilometers of the underground gallery and is surrounded by a moat that is heated from the boxes for countercirp. In the intervals between intermediate fortifications, machine-gun points were located (incidents) in several rows.
Each firepoint (the caasemate) was armed with 2-4 machine guns shooting on the sides. As a rule, they were located on the reverse rods, covered from the opponent's eyes. The wall thickness and covering of such a point was within 1.75 meters, which provided it with the survivability when a 420 mm caliber is inserted. The dimensions of the point for 4 machine guns - on the front - 25 meters and in the depth - 10 meters; A half-breeder for 2 machine guns - on the front - 13 meters and in a depth - 10 meters. As a rule, each point was two-story. Soviet experts estimated that the cost of such a half-chaponior can be 75 thousand rubles, and Caponir - 150 thousand rubles.
In general, intermediate fortifications and the incidents have formed a defensive strip of a depth of 4-5 kilometers. At the same time, no special centers of resistance and reference items were created. But at the same time it was necessary that the structure of the fire was minimally four-layer.
In the rear of the main defense strip of the fortified district, heavy artillery was located, which should have been on the railway installation. For her movement, a special narrow-blooded railway was laid. Due to this, the overall depth of the main defense strip could be increased to 10 kilometers.
At the secondary directions of defense, the so-called fortified sectors were created, within which the fortified stripes were arranged. Each fortified strip consisted of one line of intermediate fortifications and caasemates between them. Intermediate fortifications were binding to the ground with underground galleries up to 2 kilometers long.
In the rear of the line of concrete structures, at a distance of 1 kilometer, a field defensive strip was satisfied, prepared by the troops in wartime. In peacetime, there were only asylums for personnel with a capacity of approximately polished infantry. For equipment field strip, all materials were prepared in peacetime.
The field of field strip consisted of a series of small reinforced concrete blocks and gaponers for machine guns an average of 5x5 meters. True, this position was supposed to be equipped with troops already in wartime. All the necessary tools, the means of mechanization of work and materials were to be born in special army engineering parks, which were supposed to deliver their troops to the place of work.
In the intervals between fortified areas and to ensure their flanks, zones of barriers, destruction and floods were created. To accelerate flooding in these zones, ponds were created in advance with a margin of water.
For the defense of the most important reference points, the so-called ensembles were created within the boundaries of the fortified districts - a special group of structures. Within the "ensemble" on the surface of the Earth were: machine guns in the tower and bombing for the defense of the entrance to the "Ensemble"; machine-gun towers, machine-gun and gun caponies and semi-caponies; anti-tank guns in towers, machine-gun batteries on reverse rods;
Underground in the "ensemble" were equipped with warehouses of ammunition, housing for the garrison and all serving rooms. These rooms were located at various levels, forming a ledge. The total depth of the ensemble reached 30 meters. All its facilities were connected by the network of underground galleries, and the entrances to the "ensemble" are carefully disassembled. To disrupt the enemy, penetrated into the "ensemble", at the entrance and in the depths there was a network of armor doors closing automatically. The total area of \u200b\u200bthe Ensemble reached 1 square meters. kilometer.
The Magino line itself consisted of several fortified areas. The most durable of them was Larring, or Metsky, fortified area, which occupied 120 kilometers on the front. The front edge was removed from the border by 10-15 kilometers.
The ensemble of Hackenberg, located east of Deddhafen, is particularly strong and committed by the fortifications of the Larring fortified district. The northern sector of the Larring fortified district included the strengthening of the former German Minor Fortress of Didenhafen, or Tionville. Crossing across the Mas River was controlled by the former fortress of the Metz, located on the right bank. The strengthening of the fortress of the metz themselves constituted the second defense line of this fortified area, covering the most important industrial area of \u200b\u200bBreew.
In the area of \u200b\u200bthe border between the Rivers Saar and Rain, an Alsatian fortified area was located on the front of 80 kilometers and a depth of 20 kilometers. It was developed somewhat weaker than the Larring fortified district and included the "ensembles" Khokhwald and Beach. Otherwise, the structure of Alsatian Ur did not differ significantly from the forms of Larring Hur.
There was a zone of floodings and barriers between Alsas and Larring fortified areas, on the front 30 and in a depth of 50 kilometers. The presence of a large number of rivers, lakes, canals and swamps significantly facilitated a flooding device. Water was going to special pools, from which through the gateways could be used for flooding.
At the sector of the French-German border from Switzerland to Karlsruhe, the line was built at the rate of the River Rhine presents a serious barrier to forcing by its troops. In addition, in parallel, Rhine passed the Rhine-Roller channel with a width of 120 meters and a depth of 6 meters. Channel, also parallel to Rhine, flowed the river Fly, having a lot of sleeves and chalks. The west of the listed barriers was a mountain range of trim, all the passages in which were blocking fortifications. From the east, approaches to the Rhine were also covered with the Black Forest Mountain. For the defense of the Rhine along its shore in checkers, blockhouses were built. Based on all this, French military specialists believed that the French border site from Karlsruhe to Switzerland is difficult for the onset of the enemy's large troops.
The eastern border of Belgium was covered with small fortifications. In the depths of the line of nexo - Liege was prepared a defensive strip, and the fortress of Liege, Namur and Antwerp was modernized. Albert's channel was arranged in blockhouses, flanking obstacles that had to protect the river from the strike from the outside of Holland. In the Franco-Belgian border in Ardennes, barriers were arranged, and a plot from Mobaja to Lille was covered with small fortifications. But in general, the Belgian border was prepared for defense very weakly.
At the border of France with Italy, all mountain passes were closed by groups of fortifications.
Thus, the French military specialists believed that their country is reliably protected by the strengthening of the Maginos line from Germany, Luxembourg and partly from Belgium. The cover of the northeastern border was explained by the fact that it was from this side that the German troops struck in France during the First World War. At the same time, the most powerful fortified areas were erected on the border with Germany and Luxembourg.
The weak point of the Mazhino line was the system of anti-tank obstacles. At the views of the time it was believed that there were up to 5 kilometers of various anti-tank obstacles to each kilometer of the defense front at a tanker hazardous directions. Their foundation should have made anti-tank pips to a depth of 3 meters, which were planned to have in front of the ensembles and before all major intermediate fortifications. These pips were to be shot through the fire of rainflash guns, which were installed in special configarframes. For self-defense, machine-gun towers installed on them. The fire of these machine guns has also had to prohibit the approach to the sumps and infantry of the enemy for the purpose of the device in them. From the front, anti-tank Rips should have been covered with a wide band of anti-personnel obstacles.
However, due to their high cost of such anti-tank RVov, there was little. Instead of them, an obstacles of a lighter type were arranged on a number of directions of the Magino line. They were buried in the ground and tilted towards the enemy rails built in 5 rows. The total width of such a band of obstacles reached 4 meters. It was believed that she would become a serious obstacle to the path of not only the lungs, but also the heavy tanks of the enemy.
Antiches were arranged in the form of a wire network on wooden or iron stakes, if necessary, an electric current could be passed.
The second disadvantage of the Mazhino line was almost complete insecurity of the left flank of the Larring fortified district, despite the fact that it was he who was intended to cover the richest eastern industrial area of \u200b\u200bFrance. In addition, the northern industrial area of \u200b\u200bthe country (Lille - Moberey) was almost not covered.
As the third lack of a line of Mazhino, it is possible to consider the absence of its operational depth, in advance prepared by the strengthening. A certain depth had a plot of this line, adjacent to the Rhine River. At the same time, Larring and especially the Alsatian fortified areas prepared for promptly depth did not have. True, the French military specialists believed that the depth of the Larring fortified district could be strengthened by the old German fortress of the Metz in the event of its troops and an enhancement of artillery.
The first inspection of Magino's combat readiness was held in March 1936, when the German army occupied a demilitarized Rhine zone. Then the strengthened areas were occupied by the full composition of garrisons (in peaceful time there were only one third of the personnel) and are in full combat readiness.
For field filling, part of the cover of six infantry divisions (11, 13, 14, 42, 43, and 2nd North African) were put forward directly to the border (11, 14, 42, 43 and 2nd North African), which took place, the length of which reached 30 kilometers. At the same time, the shelves occupied sections with a width of up to 10 kilometers, and the battalion areas had a front with a width of up to 5 kilometers and a depth of 2 kilometers. It is noteworthy that these troops not only carried the security, but also engaged in the improvement of the line of fortifications, primarily the field filling objects and the second defense line, which was scheduled at a depth of 20-30 kilometers. There were also an artillery shelves of the reserve of the chief command, which occupied firing positions. But then, as you know, the German troops did not violate the border of France.
This happened four years later. And this time, as in 1914, the German command, who did not want to experience the strength of the main fortified areas of the Maginos line, located on the eastern border of France, decided the first strike on the territory of Belgium. German Feldmarshal E. Von Manstein in his memoirs writes that the idea of \u200b\u200ban offensive in the West to bypassing the Magino line owned by A. Hitler. He notes: "Hitler installed in advance how an offensive operation was supposed to be carried out: bypassing the Magino line, through Belgium and Holland. The commander of the land forces remained only technically to fulfill this operation, on which his opinion was not heard and with respect to the decisive success of which he, in any case, in the fall of 1939, adhered to a negative opinion. "
France, England and Belgium were preparing to reflect this strike. The Anglo-French Union Command came to a general opinion about the need to meet the offensive of German troops is possible further to the east, so as not to let them in the depths of France, primarily in coal basins located on the Franco-Belgian border, as well as to the North Sea coast. In this regard, the Allies decided with the beginning of hostilities to put forward a strong grouping of the Anglo-French troops in Belgium and Holland. Further, connecting with the armies of these countries, the Allied troops were to organize joint defense of the border areas of Belgium and Holland along the Dil River and south. As a result, it was assumed to create a solid defense front, which was supposed to be a continuation of the Maginos line. This plan received the code name "Plan Dil". In the inaccessibility of the same line Maginos, the French command was not doubted.
In accordance with the "Dil Plan" to May 1940, the Allied Command made the deployment of forces. The French army launched 106 divisions, of which 3 tank, 3 light mechanized and 5 cavalry. In addition, there were still 40 separate tank battalions that were attached to infantry divisions. England sent expeditionary forces to France in 15 divisions. The Belgian army deployed 20 divisions, Dutch - 12 divisions, and at the expense of Polish emigration two more divisions. In total, on the border with Germany, the Allies had 155 divisions, 4 thousand tanks and 2.7 thousand aircraft.
For the attack on Belgium, Holland and France, the German command has deployed 135 divisions, including 10 tank and 4 motorized. As part of these forces, there were 2580 tanks, their air cover should have been provided with 3,800 aircraft.
Thus, the allies exceeded the Germans in all indicators. In addition, the defense of their troops relied on a system of long-term defensive structures. Despite this, the German troops, starting the offensive on May 10, almost immediately could achieve significant success.
In particular, Fort Liege - Eben-Enamel - was captured as follows. Before the dawn on May 10 from the airfield, located west of Cologne, went to the Fort a German landing battalion on glider towed by bombers. The personnel of this battalion for several months was prepared for the assault on this strengthening at a special landfill, which exactly reproducing fortifications. The equipment of the battalion was automata, manual machine guns, pomegranates, mines and cumulative charges.
At the removal of 3-4 kilometers from the Fort, the planery was pulled off from towing and silently in the pre-mutinal fog planned for the fort, the garrison of which slept. Suddenness of the attack ensured success. The main fortifications of the fort for an hour were blown up with cumulative charges and captured. The garrison of the fort, raised by the alarm, could not resist. Subsequently, paratroopers contributed to the crossing through the 4th German Tank Division, which immediately rushed towards Brussels.
The Dutch army could not hold back the offensive of German troops. Its main defensive position was relatively easy to break through, and the 9th German tank division of the 18th Army was over 12 May the District of Breda, 50 kilometers from Rotterdam, and on May 14 he also took Rotterdam himself. After that, the Dutch government ran to London, and the Dutch army capitulated.
As a result of successful forcing the Maas and Canal Alberta River, the 6th German army began to move quickly into the depths of the Belgian territory. At the same time, the allies in the morning of May 10, as soon as it became aware of the invasion of German troops in Belgium, began nomination to a position, held along the Dil River. At the same time, the tank group of General E. von Kleist entered into the territory of Luxembourg. Ardennes, contrary to the calculations of the French and English command, did not become a serious obstacle to the rapid promotion of all generics of German troops equipped with engineering services. According to the road roads of the Ardennes mountains, almost without meeting resistance, the German tank group has advanced for three days per 100-130 kilometers and by morning 13 May came to the Masa River area to Sedan.
The operation ended on June 27, 1940 by the exit of the German troops to the Para de Calais strait and the defeat of the Allied troops. As a result of Herland and Belgium, the English army was evacuated from the continent, losing 62 thousand people and 23 thousand guns. The French during this operation lost about 20 infantry divisions, and therefore the combat capability of their army decreased significantly. The losses of the Germans in this operation were insignificant.
Regarding the results of the first operation of German troops in Belgium later, E. von Manstein in his book "Lost Victory" wrote: "If in reality in 1940, thanks to the skillful actions of the Army Group, the opponent was tilted on a wide front and Belgian and Dutch The army were forced to surrender, then this result (at the same time giving tribute to the German command, and the shock strength of our tank connections) still cannot be called a consequence of a pre-planned operation, the outcome of which was predetermined. The best leadership of the troops in the camp of our opponents could not allow such an outcome. "
It so happened that after the end of the first phase of the German offensive, both enemy again opposed each other on a solid front along the Maginos line to Karignan and then along the En and Lower Somma, and the Germans had to storm this front again. But now, before the main forces of the enemy, there were only individual forts and outposts, as well as a band of barriers, a weakly developed engineering attitude, which remained the remnants of the demoralized French army.
The second stage of the operation in the West began the 5th and ended on June 18, 1940. By that time, a part of the troops were transferred to the north of the Maginos line, which, together with the French troops, and put forward from the reserve by French troops amounted to the 3rd group of armies (6, 7 and 10th). The 2nd group of armies (2nd and 4th) were still defended by the Maginos line, fearing the strike of the enemy from the east.
For the attack on France, the German command focused grouping from 124 divisions. At the same time, the German army "C" continued to stand against the line of Maginos, creating a threat to her breakthrough.
On the morning of June 5, on the right wing of the German-French front, the army group of the army of General E. Claysta. She held the French defense east of the city of Abville and struck a 30-kilometer breach at the front of the Defense of the 10th French Army.
On June 9, the army group "A" began an offensive, inflicting the main blow to Reims. There, June 11, the main forces of the Tank Group of General Guderian were introduced into the battle. The French defense was broken, and the German troops occupied Reims.
On June 12, the French command, essentially, has already abandoned attempts to have any resistance to the promotion of German troops in the depths of the country, and was a fear of Paris. On June 22, the fright French government hurried to make a truce with Germany.
E. von Manstein wrote: "And if the second phase of the onset of the German armies in such a short period led to the complete opponent's surrender, then only because he could not take enough defense on a solid front from the Swiss border to the sea, there were such big losses in Northern Belgium. The second reason was that the combat spirit of the French army was already applied. It is not already necessary to say that the enemy has not yet had the troops, equivalent to German operational tank connections. "
Thus, the campaign conducted by German troops in Belgium, Holland and Northern France and the last 40 days continued, ended with a complete defeat of the allies. The calculations of the French command on the line of Mazhino did not justify themselves - the German troops refused to assign its fortified districts by bypassing them from the North-West.
At the same time, the French troops, which were during the entire operation on the Maginos line, were bound by the troops of the German Army Group "C", which was commanded by Colonel-General R. von Leeb. But this, the Germans seemed a little, and they wanted to prove the failure of the French and in relation to the Magino line. Therefore, on June 15-17, 1940, after Paris's class, German troops hit the Rhine Front by the forces of seven divisions of the 7th Army, equipped with a large number of cross-making drugs on a plot between Strasbourg and Nez-Bryzakh (15 kilometers of south of Marcolmsheim). The purpose of this operation that received the code name "Bear" was the refutation of the expression "Rhine is an irresistible natural border." In some sections of the offensive, the Germans had seven-time superiority in the forces and means. Part of the garrisons of long-term defensive structures died, the other part surrendered.
Thus, General R. von Leeb successfully completed the task set before him. This put forward him to a number of prominent German military leaders, and on July 19, 1940, he was awarded the highest military rank of the Third Reich - became General Field Marshal.
Since childhood, despite the most advanced humanitarian orientation, I had a big love for all kinds of visual schemes demonstrating a device of various techniques, weapons, technological processes, the work of enterprises and similar images.
I make sense to introduce such a heading into the blog - it is worth it.
"Inside the Citadel Static (Static?) War.
One of the bastions of the mighty line Mazhino "
From publications in the English (American?) Press for December 1939.
In principle, English signatures should not confuse people familiar with military affairs, but not in English - everything is obvious.
From Wikipedia:
Magino line (Fr. la Ligne Maginot.) - a system of French fortifications, on the border with Germany from Belforge to Longiyon. It was built in 1929-1934 (then improved until 1940). Length about 400 km. Named named Military Minister Andre Maginos.
It contains 39 long-term defensive fortifications, 75 bunkers, 500 artillery and infantry blocks, 500 caasemates, as well as bludges and observation points.
The Magino line was built to perform several goals:
- In order to avoid a sudden attack and give a signal to the beginning of defense events.
- To protect Alsace and Lorraine (these territories were given to France in 1919) and their industrial potential.
- To be used as a strategic bridgehead for counteroffensive.
- In order to keep the opponent's offensive at the time of mobilization until the main part of the army could be supplied to the line.
The French assumed that the Germans would act as in 1914 - the search of French troops through Belgium from the northeast. Therefore, their defense plan assumed a reflection of a German attack on the Dil River and passive defense on the fortified line of Mazhino.
About 3 billion francs were spent on the construction of the Magino line (1 billion dollars in the prices of those years). The total number of troops on the line reached 300 thousand people. In underground multi-level forts, residential premises were equipped for personnel, power plants, powerful ventilation plants, narrow-sole railways, telephone exchanges, hospitals, recreation rooms, unattainable for shells and airbabes. In the upper ground floors, equipped with elevators guns. They were covered in the ground concrete "boxes" from the thickness of the walls and the ceiling of 3.5-4 meters. Brononbashnya-turret performed up.
Before the first line of defense, anti-tank Rips were torn and bred from anti-tank heroes. The first line of defense was located a network of support points - concrete sites for infantry, artillery, spotlights, etc. At these points at a depth of about 50 meters under the ground were warehouses of ammunition and equipment equipped with elevators. Even then there were positions of long-range large-caliber guns at the railway go. It was also upgraded old defensive lineConsisting of Fort Belfort, Epinal, Verden, etc. Depth Defense Magino line was 90-100 km.
The French military strategists considered the Mazhino line an impregnable. After entering the Wehrmacht's troops to Poland in 1939, France and the United Kingdom decided that they could not quickly help Poland and instead began to plan a long war. In early September, France was hesitantly moved his troops to the Saar region, but on October 4, after the defeat of Poland, they again took them behind the Maginos line (the so-called strange war). In 1940, German troops rapidly bypassed the line of Maginos from the north through Ardennes. After the surveys of France, the garrison line Mazhino surrendered.
On June 14, 1940, the 1st and 7th infantry armies of the Army Group "C" of Colonel-General Wilhelm von Leeba (July 19, 1940 was produced in General Field Marshals) attacked Line Maginos and broke through her. The defensive structures of the Magino line were broken in a few hours as a result of infantry offensive even without tank support. The German infantry has occurred with powerful aviation and artillery support, smoke shells were widely used. Soon it turned out that many of the French dollets do not stand the direct hits of the artsbanks and airbabes. In addition, a large number of structures were not adapted for circular defense, and they could easily be attacked with rear and flank with grenades and flamers.
Many historians believe that under modern war, such high-cost fortification structures are quite vulnerable and do not provide effective protection. However, for the sake of fairness it should be noted that for the most part Line Maginos, as it was conceived by the creators in the 1920s, fulfilled its main task, which consisted in limiting the scale of attacks in positions protected by the line. The main and qualitatively built part of the line was built until 1936, when Belgium abandoned the Allied Covenant with France, declaring neutrality, which forced the last hastily to hold the line along the Belgian border to the Atlantic Ocean. This new part of the line was built in a hurry and was not communicated to the proper level of protection. Therefore, when it says about the breakthrough of the Maginos line, it meant in mind the breakthrough of new sites built in a swampy terrain, where the construction of underground structures was very difficult. The defeat of France in 1940 was not the result of the shortcomings of the central part of the line (which, despite the numerous attempts of the German army, was broken only in two places, which happened after the fall of Paris and the retreat of most of the French army), and as a result of numerous strategic miscokes The Government of the French Republic, who failed to take advantage of the advantages that were created by the existence of this powerful defense line.
After the war, part of the structures of the Magino line was transferred under the warehouses of military property. A peculiar video of the Maginos Line in the 21st century can serve as the French film 2004 "Baghrovaya Rivers 2: Angels of the Apocalypse".
Magino Line is a system of French fortifications, on the border with Germany from Belforge to Longiyon. It was built in 1929-1934 (then improved until 1940). Length about 400 km. Named named Military Minister Andre Maginos. It included 39 long-term defensive fortifications, 70 bunkers, 500 artillery and infantry blocks, 500 caasemates, as well as bludges and observation points.
The French assumed that the Germans would act in the same way as in 1914 - will try to bypass the French troops through Belgium from the northeast. Therefore, their defense plan assumed a reflection of a German attack on the Dil River and passive defense on the fortified line of Mazhino.
About 3 billion francs were spent on the construction of the Magino line (1 billion dollars in the prices of those years). The total number of troops on the line reached 300 thousand people. In underground multi-level forts, residential premises were equipped for personnel, power plants, powerful ventilation plants, narrow-rescue railways, telephone exchanges, hospitals, recreation rooms, unacceptable for shells and bombs.
On September 1, 1939, Germany attacks Poland and on September 3, France announces the war of Germany, from this day mobilization and the fort is filled with soldiers who will leave him only in June 1940 after France's surrender. By May 10, 1940, the period of "strange war" during which both parties are: Germany and France are sitting behind their strengthening lines and large-scale hostilities is not conducted. After a breakthrough, the Germans of the Maginos line in the area of \u200b\u200bthe SAAR region in this region begin martialctionsBut despite the powerful attacks of the Germans with the support of artillery, the Fort never managed to capture and he remained unresponsible. After the surveillance of France, on June 25, 1940, the Fort soldiers were forced to surrender to the honorable conditions on the orders of the Supreme French Command. A few days later, Fort Po Rohrbach was transferred to the Germans and his defenders were sent to one of the camps for prisoners of war.
04. German soldiers near the Second Block in 1940.
photo: http://www.fortcasso-maginot.com.
05. The second unit in our time. Hole with lattice in the foreground - air intake of the ventilation system, iron fittings with wire stretched between them - radio antennas. Next to the entrance of the ambrusura machine gun, which was supposed to prevent the approach of the enemy close to the block. In front of the walls of the block is the so-called diamond ditch, the main goal of which was - to take the fragments of concrete from the walls and roof in the case of the bombardment of the Fort Aviation. Thus avoided the outlet of the Fort with concrete debris. The bridge, peroxide through diamond ditch when closing the fort, was removed inside. This door is the only entrance to the fort, except for the Spare Exit Stand.
The German army did not use the Fort in 1940, or in the fight against allied troops in 1944-45. Thanks to this, the fort is not injured and excellent preserved almost in the original state. In 1951, many Forts of Maginos line, including Fort Rohrbach, were modernized and are presented in combat readiness in connection with the advent of a new potential enemy - the Warsaw Block. But after the creation of its nuclear weapons, the defensive structures of the Mazhino line finally lost their relevance and in 1970 Fort Rohrbach was removed from the army. In 1987, activists from the locals with the support of the city of Rohrbach-Les-Bitche began to restore the fort, and in 1989, the Fort Casso Association was created, the purpose of which was the restoration of the fort to the pre-war and discovery to the public.
06. American troops near the Second Block in 1944. 
photo: http://www.fortcasso-maginot.com.
This is all related to the history of Fort. Now a few words about the Fort device. All Forts of the Machinino line have the same structure and consist of a certain number of combat units (3-4 blocks in small forts and up to two dozen blocks in the largest fortifications of the defensive line) interconnected by underground tunnels (losses). In addition, underground there are barracks for accommodating personnel, kitchen, power station, hospital, command post, communication facilities, warehouses for provisions, fuel and ammunition. In essence, the fort was a small underground city capable of keeping defense within two months, remaining completely autonomous. The depth of the underground part of the Fort Rohrbach is 25 meters. This is a safe depth to which it was impossible to make the explosive method, even if you bomb at the same place. The fact is that the most powerful bomb of the time when the Mazhino line was built, he left the funnel with a depth of six meters. The second bomb, dropped into a funnel from the first, made his way no longer six meters, but much less. Thus, it was impossible to make a 25-meter depth with the help of weapons of that time.
The drawing is at the bottom, although it does not apply to this fort, but gives an excellent idea of \u200b\u200bhow the fighting block of the Fort line Maginos and its underground system looks like.
source: www.lignemaginot.com.
The diagram of a small fort Po Rohrbach is presented in the figure below. As can be seen from the scheme, the fort consists of three combat units related to each other, a length of several hundred meters. Fort has one main input located in the second block. In addition to the main one, there is also an emergency exit, which is located at the end of the gallery, originating near the third block. The length of this gallery can be several hundred meters, and maybe a kilometer or even more. The entire underground part of the fort (barracks, kitchen, warehouses, power station) is concentrated near the second input unit. In total, 182 people served in Fort Po Rohrbach: 6 officers and 176 ordinary soldiers.
07. Well, let's now go inside and see how it really looks like.
08. Place of a machine gunner with a machine gun embedded in the ambrusura Machine gun 24/29, guarding entrance to the fort. In case the input armor is blown up and the enemy will begin the storming of the fort, the first thing that it will stumble - the machine gun is blowing.
09. In the next room there is a filter ventilating unit. On filters you can see the year when they were installed in the fort - 1939th.
10. The second unit is equipped with two armored aircraft: the first GFM dome, I wrote about this type of domes in previous posts dedicated to the facilities of the Magino line. The second dome of the AM (Arme Mixte). So they look outside (in the foreground AM, in the rear GFM):
11. Familiar to us in the previous posts observational bronorolpak type GFM. He could equipped with optics for observation, if necessary, embedded in the embrasure, a manual machine gun of MAC 24/29 or 50mm caonic mortar was built. The thickness of the armor of the cap is 300 mm, the weight of the Bronchoven GFM is 26 tons.
12. And this is a mine of a bronorolepak type AM. Here the equipment looks frontier.
13. Bronchonolpak type AM was equipped with a combined weapon consisting of a machine gun and a 25-mm anti-tank gun. This is the most impressive type of armored packaging applied on the objects of the Magino line. The weight of the armored package reached up to 50 tons.
14. Combined weapons from this armorolpak is exhibited for visibility nearby.
15. For the next armor there is an elevator mine and a staircase envelope with her spiral down. The elevator had the right to use only officers or other high-ranking visitors of the fort, soldiers went on foot. In addition to the officers on the elevator transported products and ammunition to the lower level. This is the only elevator of the fort. The elevator cabin contained eight people or ton of cargo and was equipped with a stopper, in the event of a break of the carrier cable.
16. Go down under the ground on the stairs, enveling the fenced with the lattice of the elevator mine. Under the ground lead 145 steps.
17. The underground level of the Fort Po Rohrbach lies at a depth of 25 meters in limestone soil - it is approximately as the height of the nine-story house.
18. Numerous communications between the underground part of the fort and the surface.
19. So we have reached a depth of 25 meters, from this place and my acquaintance with a fascinating underground world begins.
20. Immediately opposite the elevator there is a small pantry with various economic smallers. This room served as an intermediate warehouse, where it was possible to quickly unload the elevator and send it to a new batch of cargo. During hostilities, the room also performed the role of the Morga. But in the entire history of Fort, only one soldier died here, patrolling the territory around Fort and stumbled upon a German intellectual.
21. To get frames without people, I walked at the very end of the excursion, so part of the photos turned out with a loaf back. Behind the door in the photo is the lifting mechanism of the elevator.
Let's go back again to the Fort scheme. With a red oval, I ran around that part of the fort, which I will show in this post. Immediately next to the staircase and elevator is a kitchen, opposite it, an energy center, which includes transformers for converting high-voltage current, obtained from outside the power cable, as well as an autonomous power plant consisting of two diesel generators. Next are the barracks of soldiers and rooms of officers, Lazaret, the command center and the warehouse part of the fort, in which there is a small museum with various weapons and the Fort technique. The scheme also visible appendix unfinished lost, which was supposed to lead in another combat unit, but in connection with the cutting of financing, this unit was not built, and the waist was closer before the war.
And now we will examine the entire underground part of the fort in the sequence listed.
22. The nearest room to the elevator shaft is a kitchen. Where people are visible in the photo - this is a way from where we started underground walk. That is, the photo is made back to the loss leading further inside the fort.
23. Living for months in the closed space of the bunker is psychologically very difficult. Therefore, to preserve the combat spirit and vigorous personnel feeding, the soldier was given a special role. In the bunkers of the Mazhino line fed much better than on the surface. The bunker was attracted by the best cooks and the kitchen was equipped with the latest technology of that time. Much of the kitchen equipment installed in the Forts of the Magino line appeared in ordinary apartments only after decades.
24. Fully all equipment in the kitchen, including furnaces was electric. A large silver box on the right side of the photo is a coffee maker.
25. And this amazing device cleaned potatoes. Thus, the soldiers were exempted from the potato cleaning. Everything in this forte was designed to make life easier underground.
26. Such is the kitchen Highite in the mid-30s.
27. There are several Kamorok for the kitchen, in one of them hooks for meat carcasters.
28. In another equipment, the purpose of which could not be established. Perhaps some kind of refrigeration unit.
29. Window for issuing food soldiers.
30. A characteristic feature of the Fords of the Magino line was the lack of canteens. Each soldier received his meal and ate her either on his bed, or for such a tables exhibited directly in the flip of fort. In the photo below the tables are located right next to the kitchen.
31. And this is lost, leaving two other combat blocs. Here we also see tables with benches along the underground stroke.
32. Immediately opposite the kitchen there is a power plant with backup diesel generators. Ploy there.
33. There is a stylish diesel punk everywhere. The door in the center of the frame leads to a room with huge fuel tanks.
34 In case of damage to the power cable that feeds the fort, a local power station consisting of two SMIM engines (Paris) was built in one of the premises.
35. Both 4-cylinder engines, developing power 100 hp By 600 rpm. Thanks to the work on low turns, the engines were very reliable.
36. Electric appliance shield.
37. In this corner of the power plant under the floor there is a well, depth 250 meters, from which the entire fort is supplied with water with the help of an electric pump located under the floor. The photo on the right is visible part of the pumping equipment for the transportation of water from the well in the reservoirs of the fort.
38. So looks like the entire room of the power plant.
39. Engines are very impressive with their appearance and sizes.
40. In the corner of the power plant hall there is a small workshop, which has everything necessary for the repair of light faults in the work of technology.
41. Tool.
42. Workshop.
43. Each of the engines was connected to an alternator of an alternator. Huge engines launched with compressed air, which was served in two of four cylinders in order to move the cardan shaft with a huge and heavy flywheel. After overclocking the engine, the stationary mode of operation with the injection of fuel included. The tanks with compressed air necessary for the launcher of diesel engines are visible in the photo on the left.
44. The output is another single-cylinder engine with a small generator, possibly a backup. The inspection of the power plant is over and we return to the main one.
45. The next premises for the power plant is transformer. Ploy and there.
46. \u200b\u200bAs I mentioned, the Fort feed was carried out through the power cable from the outside. In the transformer current, obtained from the outside, was converted to 110 volts of the internal network of fort. So the transformers and concomitant electrical equipment look like. All this works so far.
47. The transformer is located with huge tanks. They contain water to cool the power plant equipment.
48. It is very difficult to take a picture of them, as they occupy most of the volume of the room.
49. On one of the tanks hang safety instructions. On the left, apparently the original since the 30s, and the right is similar to a replica or from a later time.
The network found an excellent plan viewed by us part of the fort. Everything is very clear here. And we go further into the barrage of the fort.
50. Beyond the end of the technical zone, it makes a little bending, it can be seen in the picture from above.
51. The armored verses in the left part of the photograph lead to the barracks of the fort, lost in the right-hand side of the fort - to two other combat blocs.
52. The scale of underground labyrinths are very impressive.
53. Bathroom. All Fort lighting was duplicated by conventional candles or gas lamps in case of failure of electricity. On the left in the photo you can see the candle. Closed door In the photo - toilet for officers and command, toilets with half-open doors - for ordinary soldiers.
54. The sewers were collected in special reservoirs with chemical solvents - the prototypes of modern beyatuetails. The tanks were located under the toilets, there was no classic sewage in the fort.
55. Next to the toilets there is a small room with washbasins.
56. Near showers. Of the three shower cabins, one was intended for disinfection of victims of poisonous gases, the other two were ordinary shower. Each soldier had the right to fire in the shower once a week.
57. The filter ventilating unit intended for disinfecting the affected gas attack.
58. In twenty meters from shower and bathrooms, the barracks themselves are directly.
59. One of the two rooms with iron beds for ten places was intended for professional workers of the fort: mechanics, sanitary workers, chefs, electrical engineering.
60.
61. Simple soldiers slept in hammocks that were hung in two levels. This room accomed 26 hammocks. A feature of such a room was that metal structures were easily folded, which allowed for a very short time to turn the room into the festive hall. In 1939, the Fort soldiers celebrated Christmas with songs, fun, and wine.
62. Near another room with hammocks but already smaller.
63. Double room Unter-Officers.
64. Comanthand Fort, the only single room in the fort.
65. The room in which Lieutenants lived.
66. In Fort, there was also a small Sanchast, consisting of dressing ...
67. ... and chambers for two patients.
68. At this point, the barracks are completed, move to the next location located next to the barracks - the command center, from where the Fort is managed.
69. The command center is located for the next turn (in the photo on the left).
70. The main hall of the Command Center. Pay attention to the heating battery. The heating of Fort was carried out by the carriers that the warm air was served in all the premises of the fort. Installation of central water heating was in the process of installation, but the work was interrupted by the beginning of the war. Therefore, in different premises of the fort you can meet heating radiators that have never worked.
71. The command center received information about the situation outside and inside the fort. Immediately an analysis of the situation was carried out and from here were given orders to various combat blocs and a connection with neighboring forts was carried out.
72. The main sources of information were the five observational armored vehicles of the Fort, the information from which by phone was reported to the command center. Also, thanks to the telephone connection with neighboring Forts, the Fort command was well informed about the situation in tens of kilometers around.
73. The appeal of General de Naked to the French nation.
74. Telephone cables between Forts were laid at a depth of three meters in the vicinity of Fort and at a depth of two meters in the fields. In addition to direct telephone communication between Forts, each of the forts was connected to a single telephone network laid in a kilometer from the potential front line. In case of failure of the telephone line, there was a backup option for communications between the Forts by means of signal missiles.
75. Telephone station. Closest to the command center in Fort, officers and telephonists were settled. Thus, when an alarm declaration, the command center began to function almost immediately. Telephoneists recorded all the information received from the outside to special documents, which were immediately studied by officers, analyzed the area maps and decisions were made on shooting, which were transmitted from here to the Fort combat accidents. The minus forts of the Magino line was that they were blind with the onset of the night or with a strong fog. After all, the tip of all tools was at that time solely visual.
76. On this we leave the command center and move to the last underground location of the fort - warehouse.
77. On the territory of the warehouse, in order to fill the empty warehouses, organized a small museum with a good collection of various techniques used in the Forts of the Maginos line, ranging from weapons and ending with periscopes of observational armpenders and various electrical devices.
78. Machine telegraph similar to the ship. Using these devices from the Fort team center, commands were sent to combat blocks and came back confirmation of their execution.
79
80. A paired mapping machine-gun installation which was usually installed in the ambrusuras of the Fort combat blocks. If necessary, this machine-gun unit was removed to the side and a 47-mm anti-tank gun was becoming in its place. Read more about this in the second part of the story.
81. And this is an installation with a combined weapon, which was placed inside the Brononopol type AM about which was higher (photo 10, 12, 13). The combined weapon was two weapons in one: a machine gun and a 25-mm anti-tank gun. Bronconolpak type AM was equipped with powder gas and ventilation and ventilation system, supply system in ammunition cap and weapon cooling.
82. Despite the fact that Brononopol himself was not rotated, with the help of supporting brackets, a heavy gun could be quickly reinstalled into one of two Ambrazur Brononolpaca. All adjustments and settings of the guns were carried out by rotating the handles, which was very simplified by its operation.
83. On the way to the first combat unit, such appendix rudely scared (see the map at the beginning of the post). During the construction of Fort, a much larger number of combat units was planned, but after reducing funding, construction had to be limited by three blocks. By that time, it was already time to go to the alleged fourth block, which was shortly concerned. How far goes rudely lost - still unknown. Employees of the Museum Fort here was built a monument to Andre Maginos - Military Minister of France, who was the initiator of the construction of the armed fortifications on the border with Germany.
84. Another small room next to the riddled losses. Initially, this room was a vertical barrel through which the soil removal was with underground tunnels. When construction work was completed, the trunk was covered on top, and thus in the fort formed another additional room. For a short time thinking there was another barren room for soldiers.
After examining all the underground Fort locations, we are narrow and long we fall into the block 1. A visit to the third block was not provided within the framework of the excursion, since it is completely identical to the first block. Both combat bloc differs only by installed guns inside the rotary turret and the construction of the turret. These two combat blocks and make up the main shock force of the fort.
01. The combat unit 1 is connected to the underground system of Fort with a spiral staircase. Its height is 30 meters and in the case of capturing the underground part of the Fort by the enemy, there was an opportunity to undermine this staircase.
It looks all this case something like this: 
02. Overcoming 145 steps we fall into the cage of second block. The first thing that meets us at the entrance is the filter ventilating unit. Each combat unit is equipped with its own Fer. To avoid the penetration of gases inside during the fighting, an overpressure of air was injected inside the block.
03. To the right of the Futivity are sleeping places of the soldier. Let's go deep into ...
04. In the right corner, a niche bronchonolpak type GFM is visible, in addition to the standard equipment, it also equipped with an oxidial periscope with an eight-time approximation. In addition to the connection of the observation bronorchelpaches with the Fort team, there was also a direct relationship from the observation caps of all blocks with a large artillery Fort of Gros Ouvrage Simserhof, which are in eight kilometers from Po Rohrbach, which during hostilities very much supported the small fort fire, not giving the Germans come closer. In the left side of the photograph under Ambrazur, a chute is visible to reset the shooting sleeves in diamond ditch.
05. On the left side below can notice an electric heating radiator. As I mentioned in the first part, the Fort heating system began to rebuild on the central water heatingBut did not have time to complete the process due to war.
06. There is an officer's room, commander of the combat block.
07. On the photo one of the two paired machine guns of the combat bloc. Above it is visible blue rail under which the anti-tank 47-mm gun suspended.
08. If necessary, a paired machine-gun unit moved to the side.
09. And in the opening embrasure, an anti-tank gun was put forward, suspended under the rail and moving along the rail.
10. After one and a half hours spent underground, it was very pleasant to breathe fresh air and see the outside world albeit through the embrasure. I imagine what was the soldiers for forced months to live underground.
11. Footprints of hostilities.
I found an excellent drawing on the network, showing the Po Rohrbach Fort Martial Block in the context. The combat unit represents a two-level caasemate with thick concrete walls with thickness up to 2.75 meters in places facing the enemy and 1.5 meters on the sides, the thickness of the reinforced concrete roof is 2.5 m. As can be seen from the drawing, the caasemate was equipped with two ambrusters with paired machine-gun Installations, which were complemented by 47 mm anti-tank guns and the main weapon of the caasemate was a swivel turret about which will be detailed below. In addition, in the combat unit there were two Broncing Type GFM supplemented observational periscopers with the possibility of 8-fold increase, to observe the terrain.
Taken from: http://www.fortiff.be/casso/
This is the first block with a bird's eye view:
photo taken from here.
12. Well, now we turn to the inspection of the main weapon of the Fort: turning armor-turret with a fire unit placed in it consisting of two combined guns.
13. This armor represents a system for placing a weapon designed to manage fire in all directions and suppress both infantry and armored enemy objects. Brononbashnya of this model was developed back in 1905 and produced in 1915 to equip the French battleships. Twelve such installations did not fall on the fleet and kept in stock, until they moved to the Forts of the Maginos line, where after a minor modernization and the installation of a new weapon in 1934, they continued their service on land.
14. The total weight of the tower with the guns is 135 tons, but thanks to the system of opposing, two people have raised the tower on a meter without much physical effort, leading it to a combat position. In the closed position, the tower was invulnerable to the enemy weapon. The thickness of armor on the roof of the tower is 285 mm, the side walls of the tower are protected by 185-mm armor.
15. To manage and maintain all tower systems, a team of 18 people was required: one officer, three non-officers and 14 soldiers. Four of them were inside the tower, driving the shooting and charging of the weapon, the remaining ten soldiers served a system of guidance, communications, amusement of ammunition, etc.
16. In the center of the frame, the machine telegraph for transferring commands to arrows inside the tower is copied from ship analogs. Left is visible to the backup lighting lamp, in case of refusal of electricians.
17. The old technique is very picturesque: dozens of gears, leverware and other incomprehensible glands create a beautiful techno-abstraction, from which it is difficult to tear the camera lens.
18. Another machine telegraph located on the wall. The whole communication between the command and soldiers serving the tower system was carried out by such devices because due to the very large level of noise during hostilities to transfer commands to the voice method was problematic.
19. In the photo the place of the commander of the combat tower. The black tube in the center of the frame is periscope for outdoor observation and tip. Under it is the acoustic pipes for communication with the arrows in the tower before the shooting starts. On the left side of the photo is visible a pipe, in which the elevator is located for the feeding of cartridges with cartridges for tower machine guns. In the same pipe from the opposite side of the turning mechanism, there is a device for feeding cathrimees with ammunition for anti-tank tower guns: five such cops are visible on the table.
20. Another photo of the commander's place and we climb inside the tower through the hatch, located with the opposite side of the side of the side.
21. Inside is quite spacious, especially compared to close bronoropolis.
22. Tower guns are two anti-tank guns, models SA-L, 1934 release, caliber 25 mm and two paired MAC 31 machine-gun installations, a caliber of 7.5 mm and speed-striped 1200 shots per minute. The shooting range of machine guns is 1200 m, guns - 1800 meters. Thus, the tower armament consisted of four machine guns and two cannons.
23. Inside the tower during the battle were four people: two arrow and two charges. For shooters were equipped with special places under guns. In the photo you can see the machine telegraph for receiving commands from the bottom.
24. Fire control and guns were fully mechanized. The tip was carried out by rotating the handles that are visible in the photo below. The machine guns were managed by these handles. To control the shooting of guns in the floor, pedals are provided.
25. To cool the guns, water cooling was provided, for which a tank with water was located in the tower, with a capacity of 20 liters. Cooling was carried out by spraying water to the hot surfaces of guns using a Vermorel sprayer.
26. Brononbashnya was equipped with a ventilation system and caustic gases. At the lower tier of the combat bloc, an electric fan was located, pumping clean air into the tower. In the frame you can also notice the elevator mine for the supply of ammunition and resistors of electrical heating above the lamp.
27. Places of shooters.
28. Let's go down to the Brononbashni's lower tier. There was a warehouse of ammunition, the tower lifting mechanism and the ventilating unit (left in the photo). When electricity drops, the tower ventilation could be carried out in manual mode.
29. Lifting / lowering armor armor. These operations were carried out by two soldiers who twisted the handles, thereby leading the gear mechanism, which, thanks to the counterweight, raised the 135-ton tower in a combat position or lowered it into a reliable shelter. As part of the excursion, everyone was allowed to twist the handles. The tower falls so easy that even one person can cope with this. In other forts equipped with more modern towers, the electric motor performs this function.
Here is a very visual animation, which is understandable how this mechanism is valid.
a source: Association des amis de la Ligne Maginot
For an even more visual representation of the incision of the entire mechanism of the tower of the first combat bloc.
It was the forts that were to become the creators of the creators to become the impregnable wall designed to restrain the offensive of the enemy's army at the time, until the French army pulls into the border. Forts were located along the French border near strategically important roads or settlements at a distance of a pair of tens of kilometers from each other. The space between them was covered with dots, as well as anti-tank and anti-personnel barriers. Forts were divided into two types: small forts (Petit Ouvrage) and large forts (Gros Ouvrage). Today I will introduce the reader with a small fortage device Maginos on the example of the Fort Petit Ouvrage de Rohrbach (hereinafter simply PO Rohrbach). Po Rohrbach is ideal for illustration of a small fort device due to its excellent safety. Fort is renovated completely until its original pre-war condition and all its mechanisms, nodes and guns are fully operational. To date, Fort is supported by a military history enthusiast group and is open annually for visitors on certain days of the week. It is possible to wander through the dungeons of the fort only with a guide, as in almost all museum forts of the Maginos line. This, of course, minus, but the guide very understandingly reacts to the lag of a person with a camera from the group, so no one bothers photographs without people in the frame. The inlet inside the fort is carried out through the combat unit No. 2, which is depicted in the photo. Excursions are held in German and French, each group with their guide, respectively. The duration of the excursion is more than two hours. 
Before moving to the description of the internal device of the Fort, at first traditionally a bit of history. Fort Rohrbach is a second generation fort, its structure began in 1934 and ended in 1938. For the Fort facilities, 6,000 cubic meters of concrete and 500 tons of steel took place. Initially, in this place it was planned to build a large fort, consisting of 13 combat units, but in the future, in connection with the crisis and a lack of money, these plans were greatly reduced and eventually at the time of construction in 1938, the Fort consisted of three combat units. In this form, it is preserved to the present. 
Workers posing against the background of the second block under construction. 
On September 1, 1939, Germany attacks Poland and on September 3, France announces the war of Germany, from this day mobilization and the fort is filled with soldiers who will leave him only in June 1940 after France's surrender. By May 10, 1940, the period of the "Strange War" lasts, during which both parties: Germany and France are sitting behind their strengthening lines and large-scale hostilities is not conducted. After a breakthrough by the Germans of the Maginos line in the area of \u200b\u200bthe Saar region in this region, fighting begins, but despite the powerful attacks of the Germans with the support of artillery, the Fort never managed to seize and he remained unresponsible. After the surveillance of France, on June 25, 1940, the Fort soldiers were forced to surrender to the honorable conditions on the orders of the Supreme French Command. A few days later, Fort Po Rohrbach was transferred to the Germans, and his defenders were sent to one of the camps for prisoners of war. German soldiers near the second block in 1940. 
The second unit in our time. Hole with lattice in the foreground - air intake of the ventilation system, iron reinforcements with wire stretched between them - radio antennas. Next to the entrance of the ambrusura machine gun, which was supposed to prevent the approach of the enemy close to the block. In front of the walls of the block is the so-called diamond ditch, the main goal of which was - to take the fragments of concrete from the walls and roof in the case of the bombardment of the Fort Aviation. Thus avoided the outlet of the Fort with concrete debris. The bridge, peroxide through diamond ditch when closing the fort, was removed inside. This door is the only entrance to the fort, except for the Spare Exit Stand. 
The German army did not use the Fort in 1940, or in the fight against allied troops in 1944-45. Thanks to this, the fort is not injured and excellent preserved almost in the original state. In 1951, many Forts of Maginos line, including Fort Rohrbach, were modernized and are presented in combat readiness in connection with the advent of a new potential enemy - the Warsaw Block. But after the creation of its nuclear weapons, the defensive structures of the Mazhino line finally lost their relevance and in 1970 Fort Rohrbach was removed from the army. In 1987, activists from the locals with the support of the city of Rohrbach-Les-Bitche began to restore the fort, and in 1989, the Fort Casso Association was created, the purpose of which was the restoration of the fort to the pre-war and discovery to the public. American troops near the second block in 1944. 
This is all related to the history of Fort. Now a few words about the Fort device. All Forts of the Machinino line have the same structure and consist of a certain number of combat units (3-4 blocks in small forts and up to two dozen blocks in the largest fortifications of the defensive line) interconnected by underground tunnels (losses). In addition, underground there are barracks for accommodating personnel, kitchen, power station, hospital, command post, communication facilities, warehouses for provisions, fuel and ammunition. In essence, the fort was a small underground city capable of keeping defense within two months, remaining completely autonomous. The depth of the underground part of the Fort Rohrbach is 25 meters. This is a safe depth to which it was impossible to make the explosive method, even if you bomb at the same place. The fact is that the most powerful bomb of the time when the Mazhino line was built, he left the funnel with a depth of six meters. The second bomb, dropped into a funnel from the first, made his way no longer six meters, but much less. Thus, it was impossible to break into a 25-meter depth with the help of weapons of that time. The drawing is at the bottom, although it does not apply to this fort, but gives an excellent idea of \u200b\u200bhow the fighting block of the Fort line Maginos and its underground system looks like. 
The diagram of a small fort Po Rohrbach is presented in the figure below. As can be seen from the scheme, the fort consists of three combat units related to each other, a length of several hundred meters. Fort has one main input located in the second block. In addition to the main one, there is also an emergency exit, which is located at the end of the gallery, originating near the third block. The length of this gallery can be several hundred meters, and maybe a kilometer or even more. The entire underground part of the fort (barracks, kitchen, warehouses, power station) is concentrated near the second input unit. In total, 182 people served in Fort Po Rohrbach: 6 officers and 176 ordinary soldiers. 
Well, let's now go inside and see how it really looks like. 
Place of a machine gunner with a machine gun embedded in the embrasure by 24/29, guarding the entrance to the fort. In case the input armor is blown up and the enemy will begin the storming of the fort, the first thing that it will stumble - the machine gun is blowing. 
In the next room there is a filter ventilating unit. On filters you can see the year when they were installed in the fort - 1939th. 
The second block is equipped with two armored aircraft: the first GFM dome, I wrote about this type of domes in previous posts dedicated to the facilities of the Magino line. The second dome of the AM (Arme Mixte). So they look outside (in the foreground AM, in the rear GFM): 
The observational bronoronealpack of type GFM could be equipped with optics for observation, if necessary, a manual machine gun of MAC 24/29 or a 50-mm caonary mortar was embedded in the embrasure. The thickness of the armor of the cap is 300 mm, the weight of the Bronchoven GFM is 26 tons. 
And this is a Mine of Brononolpak type AM. Here the equipment looks frontier. 
Bronconolpak type AM was equipped with a combined weapon consisting of machine gun and 25 mm anti-tank gun. This is the most impressive type of armored packaging applied on the objects of the Magino line. The weight of the armored package reached up to 50 tons. 
Combined weapons from this armorolpak is exhibited for visibility nearby. 
For the next armor there is an elevator mine and an envelope with a spiral staircase down. The elevator had the right to use only officers or other high-ranking visitors of the fort, soldiers went on foot. In addition to the officers on the elevator transported products and ammunition to the lower level. This is the only elevator of the fort. The elevator cabin contained eight people or ton of cargo and was equipped with a stopper, in the event of a break of the carrier cable. 
Let's go down under the land on the stairs, enveling the lift shaft fenced by the lattice. Under the ground lead 145 steps. 
Underground Po Rohrbach Fort Locals at a depth of 25 meters in limestone ground - it is approximately as the height of the nine-story house. 
Numerous communications between the underground part of the fort and the surface. 
So we have reached a depth of 25 meters, from this place and my acquaintance with a fascinating underground world begins. 
Immediately opposite the elevator there is a small pantry with various economic smallers. This room served as an intermediate warehouse, where it was possible to quickly unload the elevator and send it to a new batch of cargo. During hostilities, the room also performed the role of the Morga. But in the entire history of Fort, only one soldier died here, patrolling the territory around Fort and stumbled upon a German intellectual. 
To get footage without people, I walked at the very end of the excursion, so part of the photos turned out with a loaf back. Behind the door in the photo is the lifting mechanism of the elevator. 
Let's go back again to the Fort scheme. With a red oval, I ran around that part of the fort, which I will show in this post. Immediately next to the staircase and elevator is a kitchen, opposite it, an energy center, which includes transformers for converting high-voltage current, obtained from outside the power cable, as well as an autonomous power plant consisting of two diesel generators. Next are the barracks of soldiers and rooms of officers, Lazaret, the command center and the warehouse part of the fort, in which there is a small museum with various weapons and the Fort technique. The scheme also visible appendix unfinished lost, which was supposed to lead in another combat unit, but in connection with the cutting of financing, this unit was not built, and the waist was closer before the war. 
And now we will examine the entire underground part of the fort in the sequence listed. The nearest room to the elevator shaft is a kitchen. Where people are visible in the photo - this is a way from where we started underground walk. That is, the photo is made back to the loss leading further inside the fort. 
Living for months in the closed space of the bunker is psychologically very difficult. Therefore, to preserve the combat spirit and vigorous personnel feeding, the soldier was given a special role. In the bunkers of the Mazhino line fed much better than on the surface. The bunker was attracted by the best cooks and the kitchen was equipped with the latest technology of that time. Much of the kitchen equipment installed in the Forts of the Magino line appeared in ordinary apartments only after decades. 
Fully all equipment in the kitchen, including ovens, was electric. A large silver box on the right side of the photo is a coffee maker. 
And this amazing device cleaned potatoes. Thus, the soldiers were freed from the potato cleaning. Everything in this forte was designed to make life easier underground. 
Such a kitchen high-tech of the mid-30s. 
There are several Kamork for the kitchen, in one of them - hooks for meat carcasters. 
In another - the equipment, the purpose of which could not be installed. Perhaps some kind of refrigeration unit. 
Window for issuing food soldiers. 
A characteristic feature of the forts of the Magino line was the lack of canteens. Each soldier received his meal and ate her either on his bed, or for such a tables exhibited directly in the flip of fort. In the photo below the tables are located right next to the kitchen. 
And this is lost, leaving two other combat blocs. Here we also see tables with benches along the underground stroke. 
Immediately opposite the kitchen there is a power plant with backup diesel generators. Ploy there. 
There is a stylish diesel punk everywhere. The door in the center of the frame leads to a room with huge fuel tanks. 
In case of damage to the power cable that feeds the fort, a local power plant consisting of two engines of the company SMIM (Paris) was built in one of the premises. 
Both 4-cylinder engines, developing power 100 hp By 600 rpm. Thanks to the work on low turns, the engines were very reliable. 
Electrical shield. 
In this corner of the power plant under the floor there is a well, depth 250 meters, from which the entire fort is supplied with water with the help of an electric pump located under the floor. The photo on the right is visible part of the pumping equipment for the transportation of water from the well in the reservoirs of the fort. 
This looks like the entire room of the power plant. 
Engines are very impressive with their appearance and sizes. 
In the corner of the power plant, there is a small workshop, in which everything necessary for the repair of easy faults in the work of technology. 
Tool. 
Workshop. 
Each of the engines was connected to the alternator of the electric current. Huge engines launched with compressed air, which was served in two of four cylinders in order to move the cardan shaft with a huge and heavy flywheel. After overclocking the engine, the stationary mode of operation with the injection of fuel included. The tanks with compressed air, necessary to start diesel engines, are visible in the photo on the left. 
At the output there is another single-cylinder engine with a small generator, possibly a backup. The inspection of the power plant is over and we return to the main one. 
The next premises for the power plant is transformer. Ploy and there. 
As I already mentioned, the Fort feed was carried out through the power cable from the outside. In the transformer current, obtained from the outside, was converted to 110 volts of the internal network of fort. So the transformers and concomitant electrical equipment look like. All this works so far. 
The transformer is located with huge tanks. They contain water to cool the power plant equipment. It is very difficult to take pictures, as they occupy most of the room. 
The network found an excellent plan viewed by us part of the fort. Everything is very clear here. And we go further into the barrage of the fort. 
Beyond the end of the technical zone, it makes a little bending, it can be seen in the picture from above. 
The broncesses in the left part of the photograph lead to the barracks of the fort, lost on the right side of the fort - to two other combat blocs. 
The scale of underground labyrinths are very impressive. 
Bathroom. All Fort lighting was duplicated by conventional candles or gas lamps in case of failure of electricity. On the left in the photo you can see the candle. The closed door in the photo is a toilet for officers and command, toilets with half-open doors - for ordinary soldiers. 
Sleeps were collected in special reservoirs with chemical solvents - the prototypes of modern beyatuetails. The tanks were located under the toilets, there was no classic sewage in the fort. 
Next door to the toilets there is a small room with washbasins. 
Near showers. Of the three shower cabins, one was intended for disinfection of victims of poisonous gases, the other two were ordinary shower. Each soldier had the right to fire in the shower once a week. 
The filter ventilation unit intended to disinfect the affected gas attack. 
Twenty meters from shower and bathrooms are directly the barracks themselves. 
One of the two rooms with iron beds for ten places was intended for professional Fort workers: mechanics, sanitary, chefs, electrical engineering. 
Simple soldiers slept in hammocks that were hung in two levels. This room accomed 26 hammocks. A feature of such a room was that metal structures were easily folded, which allowed for a very short time to turn the room into the festive hall. In 1939, the Fort soldiers celebrated Christmas with songs, fun and wine. 
Near another room with hammocks, but already smaller. 
Double room Unter-Officers. 
Room Comandanander Fort, the only single room in the fort. 
The room in which Lieutenants lived. 
In Fort, there was also a small Sanchast, consisting of dressing ... 
... and chambers for two patients. 
On this inspection, the barracks are over, we move to the next location, located next to the barracks - the command center, from where the Fort is managed. 
The command center is located for the next turn (in the photo on the left). 
The main hall of the command center. Pay attention to the heating battery. The heating of Fort was carried out by the carriers that the warm air was served in all the premises of the fort. Installation of central water heating was in the process of installation, but the work was interrupted by the beginning of the war. Therefore, in different premises of the fort you can meet heating radiators that have never worked. 
The command center received information about the situation outside and inside the fort. Immediately an analysis of the situation was carried out and from here were given orders to various combat blocs and a connection with neighboring forts was carried out. 
The main sources of information were the five observational armored lopaks of the Fort, the information from which by phone was reported to the command center. Also, thanks to the telephone connection with neighboring Forts, the Fort command was well informed about the situation in tens of kilometers around. 
The appeal of General de Naked to the French nation. 
Telephone cables between the forts were laid at a depth of three meters in the vicinity of Fort and at a depth of two meters in the fields. In addition to direct telephone communication between Forts, each of the forts was connected to a single telephone network laid in a kilometer from the potential front line. In case of failure of the telephone line, there was a backup option for communications between the Forts by means of signal missiles. 
Telephone station. Closest to the command center in Fort, officers and telephonists were settled. Thus, when an alarm declaration, the command center began to function almost immediately. Telephoneists recorded all the information received from the outside to special documents, which were immediately studied by officers, analyzed the area maps and decisions were made on shooting, which were transmitted from here to the Fort combat accidents. The minus forts of the Magino line was that they were blind with the onset of the night or with a strong fog. After all, the tip of all tools was at that time solely visual. 
On this we leave the command center and move to the last underground location of the fort - warehouse. 
On the territory of the warehouse, in order to fill empty warehouses, organized a small museum with a good collection of various techniques used in the Forts of the Maginos line, starting with arms and ending with periscopes of observational armpenders and various electrical appliances. 
Machine telegraph similar to the ship. Using these devices from the Fort team center, commands were sent to combat blocks and came back confirmation of their execution. 
Paired mapping machine gun unit, which was usually installed in the ambrusuras of the Fort combat units. If necessary, this machine-gun unit was removed to the side and a 47-mm anti-tank gun was becoming in its place. 
And this is an installation with a combined weapon, which was placed inside the Brononopol type AM about which was higher (photo 10, 12, 13). The combined weapon was two weapons in one: a machine gun and a 25-mm anti-tank gun. Bronconolpak type AM was equipped with powder gas and ventilation and ventilation system, supply system in ammunition cap and weapon cooling. 
Despite the fact that the Brononopol himself was not rotated, with the help of supporting brackets, a heavy gun could be quickly reinstalled into one of two Ambrazur Bronchonolpaca. All adjustments and settings of the guns were carried out by rotating the handles, which was very simplified by its operation. 
On the way to the first combat block, such appendix is \u200b\u200brudely scared (see the map at the beginning of the post). During the construction of Fort, a much larger number of combat units was planned, but after reducing funding, construction had to be limited by three blocks. By that time, it was already time to go to the alleged fourth block, which was shortly concerned. How far goes rudely lost - still unknown. Employees of the Museum Fort here was built a monument to Andre Maginos - Military Minister of France, who was the initiator of the construction of the armed fortifications on the border with Germany. 
Another small room next to the riddled losses. Initially, this room was a vertical barrel through which the soil removal was with underground tunnels. When construction work was completed, the trunk was covered on top, and thus in the fort formed another additional room. Thilly thinking, there was another barracks for soldiers. 
Since the early 1930s, no one doubted that the Germans would have to hack French defense stripes.
Andre Maginos, whose name remained in history, was not at all for the construction of fortresses. He served in the army just to sergeant. Nevertheless, Monsieur Mazhino turned out to be a gloomy politician who could competently knock out bell coins from parliamentarians.
If the socialists lost the will immediately after the "jobs" spell, then the rest of the maestro laid the solitaire with a brilliant idea. Casemates with guns and machine guns are aging more than aircraft and tanks.
Construction of the fortifications of the Magino lineBetter now, in the early 1930s, spend money on strengthening. And when Tango with the Germans will cease to be languid, the money rod can easily redirect to pilots and tankers.
No one hid the fact of construction. In response to the third Reich, neither Shalko nor Valko began working on wonderful guns. Their only purpose was to smash the defense line named by the Frenchman.
To May 1940, no 600-mm Mortira "Karl", no 800-mm "Dora" to the stage of combat-ready samples have not yet reached. There was only one new product in the rank - 355-mm M1 Gaubita from Rainmetal-Borzig. In reserve, the Wehrmacht had, of course, in the commodity quantities of "fossils" of Czech production by a caliber 305 and 420 mm. But the enthusiasm of their real opportunities did not inspire even at Kaiser.
Main problem - get
When shooting a canopy, when the trunk of the tool is back up, the fire is very difficult. Wind, errors in determining the distance, the smallest deviations in the weight and temperature of the powder charge became inevitable evil for artilleryrs. They took the projectile to the side of the goal, which was accounted for to cover the slope of the shots. On the defeat of the Compact Dot, sometimes hundreds of heavy shells took place.
The same with airplanes. Yu-87 bombers were almost obscured on defensive structures and threw bombs. But most often did not get anywhere. In short, German assault groups did not expect anything good.
Call to the bell
With inflated turkeys in high ranks, things were well on both sides of the border. The density of the construction of the "Machino line" was uneven. Less dangerous plot in Ardennes was built later and loy. And on Maas, the soldiers in the opposite commander turned into a constructionbath for finishing fortifications.
The Germans, on the contrary, have learned to come for months. As a result, in May 40th, the bombers of Yu-87 did not fall into the Sedan's dota, but greatly undermined the spirit of builders with rifles, we will have a siren and breaking bombs by half a weight.
The assault groups took the French warm. However, lucky not to all attacked. It was required to expand the breakthrough and crush full defense nodes on the flanks.
The decision was not at the top, in the headquarters, but on the battlefield
To observe the enemies, in the facilities of the Mazhino line put special armored barrels. For the characteristic form, the French called them "bells" (Cloche).
Moved "bells" from armor steel, with a thickness of the walls about 300 mm.
Armor to envy any tank World War II.
Some caps were armed with machine guns and could well consider the assault group from the "back" of Dot.
Turkeys in the top did not give German infantry into the hands of effective heavy guns. But the storm parts received anti-aircraft guns of 88 mm ("AHT-Comma-AHT", as the Germans called them.). Armor at 300 mm they formally did not pierne. But the soldiers thought: "And if you shoot many times in one point? The goal is fixed, shells were running away, the shutter of the semi-automatic - know the ... ".
The effect turned out to be amazing. From the distance to the kilometer of the anti-aircraft, they stuck in the caps shell for the projectile - and the same armor was swammed. Dot became blind. He was already able to confidently "poke the ear with Schomptol" by the assault group.
But the German anti-aircraft workers in the strip of fortifications on the banks of the Rhine, in the southern sector of the Maginos line, went too cheerful. The method of "drop is hammered by a stone is not strength, but the frequency of the fall", "AHT-Comma-AHT" punched not only armor-roll, but also a couple of meters of concrete, leaving only the intricacies of reinforcement. It is not surprising that the anti-aircrafts were dragged through Rhine immediately for infantry: to carry out the following line of concrete boxes.
Always did the Germans opened? Of course no
In Alsace, the 246th Infantry Division put anti-aircraft gunners in three kilometers from the front. Bronchonolpaki attack aircraft saw not all. And the coming "bell" with the machine guns turned the attack on June 20, 1940 in bloody failure. The coming lost dozens of soldiers killed and hundreds of wounded.
In another case, the Garnis of French Dota with a red rocket caused a profog of artogne from the rear.
The screams of help ignored their own, but the enemies responded. At the whim of fate, the Germans also agreed to cause fire with a red rocket.
The calculations of Germanic haubs with enthusiasm attacked the strengthening of shells, driving and breathing their assault groups.
The murderer of the Mazhino line was not disassembled superproofs, not pixers and not even tanks. 88 mm of anti-aircraft delivered on the straight press were steel. Their effectiveness turned out to be above all expectations.
German and Japanese officers inspect the captured fortifications This makes it think: could the Red Army arrange a beat of the Finns on the Mannerheim line with Russian 85-mm anti-aircraft? First, in 1939, there were only 20 such guns. Secondly, the guns are half an end. And the case will be if there is a learning assault actions for infantry. Here without experience nowhere.
France fell in the summer of the 40th year. And the reason for this was not a breakthrough of the defense line named sergeant, but the strategic miscalculations of the Government of the Republic. The French could not use all the advantages of such a powerful fortification system. The most perfect in history.
