ISBN 2-908-182-882
182 pages

Foreword; photos; diagrams; charts; tables; maps

Mary, Jean-Yves and Alain Hohnadel. Hommes et Ouvrages de la Ligne Maginot, tome 2. Paris: Histoire & Collections, 2001

ISBN 2-908-182-97-1
222 pages

Photos; diagrams; charts; tables; maps

Mary, Jean-Yves and Alain Hohnadel. Hommes et Ouvrages de la Ligne Maginot, tome 3. Paris: Histoire & Collections, 2003

ISBN 2-913903-88-6
246 pages

Photos; diagrams; charts; tables; maps

   Anyone who opens a volume of this series—three down and one to go—will appreciate the stunningly attractive graphic production: the photos are clear and interesting, the maps are beautiful, hundreds of technical illustrations are exquisitely executed, and the overall layout is superb. Every page is gorgeous.
   In addition to the enormous quantity of striking photos and maps and technical drawings, the series also contains quite a lot of text. Francophones will instantly recognize an excellent resource on the Maginot Line. Those not so adept in the Gallic tongue might be less certain. Some other books in French (for example, Les Grandes Unites Francaises) make it easy to mine information even for readers not completely familiar with the language. These books, on the other hand, require a fair amount of understanding of French in order to move beyond simply admiring the pictures. Although not as daunting as a typical French novel, this is not always easy fare. Here's an excerpt to test your language skills:

   Parallelement a l'action menee par la ID 215, le commandement allemand envisage une attaque frontale contre les casemates d'Aschbach et d'Oberroedem mais l'action est cependant conditionnee par le deroulement de la percee menee par la ID 215. Il peut etre en effet plus efficace de pousser la ID 246 du General Danecke derriere la ID 215 plutot que de l'obliger a forcer elle-meme le passage. D'autant que la ID 246 doit necessairement attendre que la ID 215 en ait fini avec son attaque pour beneficier a son tour de l'appui des Stukas et de la Schw. Art. Abt. 800 (un Morser de 35,5 et un de 42 cm). Finalement, decision est prise de passer a l'action le 20 au matin, non sans avoir a tout hasard fait glisser le IR 404 par la trouee des Basses-Vosges.
   Danecke a engage toute l'artillerie dont il dispose -- c'est-a-dire pas grand chose car une par-tie des materiels lourds a ete engagee dans la Sarre et n'en est pas encore revenue -- centre les casemates d'Hoffen, d'Aschbach et d'Oberroedem qu'il espere pouvoir neutraliser par des tirs directs a partir de 15 h 30. La Schw. Art. Abt. 800 n'est pas encore a pied d'oeuvre et seul Ie 35.5 cm devrait etre en mesure d'operer dans les delais. Quant aux Stukas, ils interviendront des la fin du bombardement terrestre, c'est-a-dire a partir de 16 h.
   Face a la ID 246, la position ne presente pas une puissance demesuree puisqu'elle ne comporte que sept casemates (Bois-d'Hoffen Ouest et Est, Hoffen, Aschbach Ouest et Est et Oberroedem Nord et Sud) en lieu et place de l'ouvrage d'artillerie prevu a cet endroit. Ce groupe de casemates est relativement isole puisqu'il existe un espace important entre les casemates d'Hunspasch Sud et du Bois-d'Hoffen au nord et celles d'Oberroedem Sud et de la Seltz au sud. En revanche, il benefide de la couverture des 75 sous tourelle de Schoenenbourg, si les liaisons telephoniques fonctionnent...
   L'operation debute comme prevu. Pendant que les casemates sont secouees par les explosions et que les creneaux des cloches sautent sous les coups de Pak et de Flak, les Stosstruppen des IR 313 et 352 s'approchent des reseaux selon une methode soigneusement mise au point. Sitot le bombardement termine, les Stosstruppen s'elancent et en plusieurs endroits parviennent dans les reseaux des casemates: les jumelages de mitrailleuses des casemates tirent pratiquement a bout portant sur l'assaillant qui accuse le coup et manifeste un certain flottement.
   La situation est cependant dramatique a Oberroedem Nord ou une bombe tombe dans le fosse diamant, soulevant la casemate et provoquant la panique que l'on devine. Mais le chef de casemate, le lieutenant Vialle, est un meneur d'hommes exceptionnel. Il rassemble son equipage a l'etage inferieur, constate qu'il n'y a aucune perte et le fait remonter aux creneaux en chantant La Marseillaise. Les servants ouvrent le feu quand les Stosstruppen abordent les reseaux. Vialle fait meme tirer an canon de 47 sur les assaillants qui sont debout devant ses creneaux et s'appretent a deposer des charges. Tous les cables telephoniques ont ete coupes par les crateres de bombes a l'exception de celui de la casemate d'Aschbach Est, ce qui permet d'alerter le Schoenenbourg. C'est finalement l'intervention de la tourelle de 75 de son bloc 4 qui ramene le calme dans le secteur.
   Conscients de leur echec, les assaillants se replient sur leur base de depart et Danecke se voit oblige de reclamer une seconde intervention des Stukas, intervention qui a effectivement lieu vers 19 h 30 mais n'apporte pas les resultats escomptes. La tentative d'attaque qui s'ensuit est a nouveau brisee par la determination des defenseurs et les deux tourelles de 75 du Schoenenbourg.

   If your French is up to speed or you just want to see the photos and drawings, we can recommend these volumes whole-heartedly. Otherwise, you'll need to decide if it's worth the effort to struggle through. To help you make up your mind, here's a quick tour of what each book contains.
   In sum, the series covers planning and designing the Line, construction, location and armaments of each position, units that manned the positions, and attacks against the Line in 1940. Each volume is divided into several parts and each part is sub-divided into several chapters. The chapters are further divided into an assortment of sections and sub-sections, and every page is crowded with photographs, drawings, maps, diagrams, charts, and tables.

Volume One: Genesis of the Maginot Line and the Fortress Infantry Regiments

   Part One of the first volume discusses the strategic choices behind the decision to build the Maginot Line, describes the part played by important personalities such as General Petain, and follows the CORF—the overseeing Commission d'Organisation des Regions Fortifies. The authors survey the existing French fortifications and examine various plans for the new Line. This part then deals with the initial projects, the laborers, the overall progress of work, and the techniques for construction of various kinds of positions. Accompanying maps show the fortified regions and photographs show sites and workers and machinery and different stages of work.
   Part Two looks at the "infantrymen dedicated to concrete" with OBs, TOEs, uniforms, insignia, and so on. There's also quite a bit of information, with many group photos, about how the troops lived and trained along the fortified line from the 1930s forward. The second chapter outlines the mobilization scheme for French forces, and chronicles the stages of the 1939 mobilization—alarm, security, cover—in particular. The heart of this part of the book comprises almost sixty pages devoted to a regiment-by-regiment survey of the fortress infantry units. For each of more than forty regiments, the authors give mobilization dates, sectors assigned, composition, and a summary of the unit's activities from 1939 through the end of the 1940 campaign. (This is much the same information which can be gleaned from volume III of Les Grandes Unites Francaises under "La Forteresse.")
   The remainder of the book includes brief sections on flags and parades (including a diagram of the marching order for officers, troops, and musicians); uniforms and insignia of officers and under-officers; uniforms of sappers; military bands, including a "TOE" of musicians and instruments; and unit banners and pennants.

Volume Two: Technical Configurations of the Northeastern Fortification

   While the first volume mostly looks at the background of the Maginot Line and examines the units assigned to the Line, the second volume mostly delves into the actual structures of the Line. The first chapter of Part One takes in order casemates, blockhouses, shelters, and observation posts. In addition to photos of examples of the various works, these sections contain the best floor plans and cutaway illustrations we've ever seen of these buildings. The same goes for the ouvrages, the massive "underground battleships" that usually come to mind. The authors provide an overview of these structures, then study all the components, including entrances, underground facilities, combat blocks, camouflage, etc. The second chapter goes into even more detail with armored doors, turrets, and armored fighting positions called "cloches" (bells). The same chapter continues with information about all the electrical-mechanical systems of the Line—including generators and ventilation systems and underground trains and communications systems—amounting to about forty-five pages with more excellent diagrams and technical drawings.
   Part Two looks at some of the more unusual Maginot positions, such as advanced posts and fortified houses in the Ardennes. The third and final part of this volume shifts its focus to artillery and artillery units. These pages deal with uniforms and badges, OBs and TOEs, mobilization of artillery units, and fortress engineer forces. Chapters also review fortress artillery units in much the same manner as volume one dealt with fortress infantry units. This includes RAMF (regiment d'artillerie mixte de forteresse), RAP (regiment d'artillerie de position), and RARF (regiment d'artillerie de region fortifiee) regiments. (Unlike the RIF units, data for the artillery is much more difficult to extract from Les Grandes Unites Francaises.) The fourth chapter of this part of the book contains similar kinds of information for eighteen regiments of engineers serving in the Maginot Line.

Volume Three: The Tragic Destiny of the Maginot Line

   The first part of this volume looks at the Maginot Line during the drole de guerre (the Phoney War). Following mobilization, the Line was soon manned at full strength but there was still much to be done to bring everything into fighting condition. These chapters look into the daily life of men in the Maginot positions, the equipment they used, the work and training they conducted, the brief long-range artillery duels, and even the highly publicized tours of the Line by visiting dignitaries which were used to impress upon the Allies, the Germans, and the rest of the world the strength of the French defenses. Another short chapter views those defenses from the German side of the border and discusses German preparations.
   Perhaps the strongest component of the book—and maybe the strongest of the whole series—is Part Two. It amounts to almost a hundred pages and gives a complete, detailed tour of the Maginot Line and the defending troops as of 10 May 1940, beginning with the French 7th Army positions in Flanders and continuing all the way to the Swiss border. Going army by army and sector by sector, for each zone one map displays the general run of the Line, pinpoints and identifies all the individual positions and their armaments, and provides OBs and names of commanders for the defending units. The same maps also show the locations of ouvrages with diagrams of the territory covered by their heavy guns. For each ouvrage, additional maps pinpoint the extent of the interconnected entrances, blocks, magazines, barracks, machine rooms, underground passageways, and so on. Tables give details of the heavy weapons in each block and turret. Accompanying photographs show the positions in question, and notes also refer the reader to relevant photos in other volumes.
   "Ouvrage E" at Four-A-Chaux, for example, is first identified on the map of the Vosges fortified sector (in the zone of the 5th Army). After general information about that sector as a whole and details about the other ouvrages in the sector, a detailed diagram shows the layout of the ouvrage's individual positions (including six combat blocks, the entrance for troops, entrance for munitions, etc). Four photos with informative captions show different parts of the fortifications at Four-A-Chaux. Finally, a table lists details about the construction of the site, the commanders and garrison, and the armament of each block. All this fits attractively on a single page along with some catchy graphical flourishes.

O 600
FOUR-A-CHAUX (OURAGE E)
CORF

Ouvrage d'artillerie a six blocs et deux entrees, appele egalement Ie FAC

Plan: masse du 2 decembre 1930 et implantation rect_fiee no. 461 S du 16 mai 1931. Examen lors de la 53e reunion de la CORF (8 Juin 1931). Approbations ministerielles no. 1557-3/11 du 23 juin 1931 et no. 2999 2/4 S du 2 juillet 1931.
   Commandant l'ouvrage : commandant Exbrayat
   Commandant en second : capitaine Thiebaut
   Major d'ouvrage : capitaine Martinelle
   Commandant l'artillerie et GAF 2 : capitaine Faure
   Commandant l'infanterie : capitaine Martin
   Commandant Ie genie : capitaine Serin
   Effectif theorique : 12 off., 200 h. ? (presents Ie 2 septembre 1939 : 19 off., 491 h.)

Bloc 1 : tourelle de 135, 2 cl. GFM (lieutenant Vincent)
Bloc 2 : tourelle de 75 mle 32 R. 1 cl. M, 1 cl. GFM (sous-lieutenant Chardonnet)
Bloc 3 : tourelle de 81, 1 cl. GFM, 1 cl. LG (lieutenant Helminger)
Bloc 4 : casemate d'infanterie Est (lieutenant Cavaille) : 2 cl. M, 1 cl. GFM + observatoire : 1 cl. obs./VDP (indicatif 0 10 rattache au Hochwald Ouest, lieutenant Sieffert)
Bloc 5 : tourelle de mitrailleuses, 1 cl. GFM (lieutenant Blanchard)
Bloc 6 : casemate d'infanterie Ouest, flanquant vers l'ouest : 1 creneau JM/AC 47, 1 creneau JM, 1 cl. M, 1 cl. GFM (lieutenant Baranger) + observatoire (indicatif 0 11 rattache au FAC, sous-lieutenant Delaunay) : 1 cl. obs./VDP
Entree des hommes ou Bloc 29 (de plain-pied car elle est au meme niveau que la caserne, cas exceptionnel) : 1 creneau JM/AC 47, 1 cl. GFM (serqent chef Luxembourg)
Entree des munitions ou Bloc 28 (de type A de plain-pied jusqu a l'usine puis en plan incline ascendant a 25 % car elle est implantee en contrebas de la caserne et des blocs de combat) : 1 creneau JM/AC 47, 2 cl. GFM (adjudant-chef Genzbittel) (schema et photo du plan incline, Tome Deux, pp. 30 et 91)

Le premier projet (decembre 1930) faisait etat de deux casemates mixtes (infanterie/artillerie) et de deux tourelles d'artillerie (81 et 135). Les deux casemates ont ete supprimees et remplacees par une tourelle de 75. Au 2e cycle, l'ouvrage aurait du recevoir une deuxieme tourelle de 75 mle 32 R. L'ouvrage ne possede ni magasin M 1, ni traction electrique.

   Coupled with the information given in volume two about the characteristics of all the different kinds of Maginot structures, this lengthy tour makes for the most thorough inventory of the Maginot Line of which we're aware. This is also the part of the series requiring the least fluency in French.
   Part Three goes on to describe how the Line and its troops fared after the Phoney War ended on 10 May. Here it's critical to remember that the disaster farther north meant the "interval troops"—the relatively mobile combat units stationed between and behind the Maginot positions rather than within them—were soon withdrawn, leaving the Maginot Line a skeleton of unconnected bones without the muscles required to function properly. The authors describe the attacks on the Line along with remarkable photos of huge craters around the positions. It seems that one of the biggest vulnerabilities of the Line was the mounds of dirt and debris thrown up by Stuka attacks and heavy artillery fire, which blocked firing positions and allowed infantry and engineers to get close to the defenses. In any event, the German attacks were not a walk-over, and—despite some myths still prevalent today—the defenders did not simply surrender without a fight.

   Volume four, The Victorious Fortress, will conclude the series with the story of the portion of the Maginot Line facing the Italian border. (That stretch of the Line is not included in any of the first three volumes.)

   Having spent some time underground in the dank tombs of more than one grand ouvrage, we feel strongly that the Maginot Line is an important part of World War II, and these books do a great job of bringing the Line to life. Beyond reams of substantial data, a colorful and lively style—in both text and layout—avoids the dusty feel of ancient history. It might be a cliche, but it's probably accurate to say that Hommes et Ouvrages de la Ligne Maginot has been crafted with as much Gallic flair as Teutonic rigor.
   Anyone who has any interest whatsoever in the Maginot Line should have a look at these sumptuous books. The style, the photos, and the drawings might very well be sufficient to entice anyone. For those who read a little French, the series will be difficult to resist.
   Available from online booksellers, local bookshops, or directly from Histoire & Collections and its American distributor, Casemate.
   Thanks to Casemate for providing this review copy.