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Why the Maginot Line couldn't save France in WW2

Why the Maginot Line couldn't save France in WW2

Kevin Passmore tells the story of the fortifications that have become synonymous with France's fall to the Nazis in 1940

Spencer Mizen

Published: September 1, 2025 at 8:00 AM

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As the threat of war began to loom in the 1930s, an elaborate system of fortifications sprung up in northeastern France. Known as the Maginot line, this string of defences was designed to protect the nation in the event of an invasion by Nazi Germany. So, when Hitler's forces did invade, how much blame should the Maginot Line shoulder for the fall of France in double-quick time? That's a question that's troubled historians ever since the traumatic events of 1940. In conversation with Spencer Mizen, Kevin Passmore explores why the line has become a symbol of a nation's collective failure to face the challenges of the modern world

Kevin Passmore is the author of The Maginot Line: A New History (Yale).

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Authors

Spencer MizenSenior production editor

Spencer is senior production editor of HistoryExtra magazine