<Li> Battle of France (1940) </Li> <Li> Operation Nordwind (1945) </Li> <P> The Maginot Line (French: Ligne Maginot, IPA: (liɲ maʒino)), named after the French Minister of War André Maginot, was a line of concrete fortifications, obstacles, and weapon installations built by France in the 1930s to deter invasion by Germany and force them to move around the fortifications . Constructed on the French side of its borders with Italy, Switzerland, Germany, and Luxembourg, the line did not extend to the English Channel due to French strategy that envisioned a move into Belgium to counter a German assault . </P> <P> Based on France's experience with trench warfare during World War I, the massive Maginot Line was built in the run - up to World War II, after the Locarno Conference gave rise to a fanciful and optimistic "Locarno spirit". French military experts extolled the Line as a work of genius that would deter German aggression, because it would slow an invasion force long enough for French forces to mobilize and counterattack . </P>

The line of fighting between france and germany