Maginot Line - Limekiln

We visited the Maginot Line.

The Maginot Line was a collection of underground defensive forts built along the boarder of France and designed to keep the Germans out.

The solid lines on along France's eastern boarder on the map above mark locations of the fort groups.
The Maginot Line completely spanned the boarder between France and Germany, and spanned much of the boarder between France and Italy. Forts were not placed on the France/Belgium boarder, nor were they placed on the France/Switzerland boarder. In addition to being neutral countries, it was believed that the geographic features of mountains in Switzerland and swamps in Belgium would prove impossible to cross.

Well the Maginot was not successful in keeping the Germans out of France. Instead of passing through the lines, Germany went through Belgium to take France.

 The only portions of the Maginot Line visible above ground are the entrances.

 Each of the entrances are guarded with double sets of steel doors as well as with machine guns.

 Inside the fort, a network of tunnels connects adjacent command areas. The tunnels contained train tracks which were used by both trains and hand carts.

Life inside the Maginot Line was somewhat similar to life in a submarine. The air was continuously filtered and the men never saw the light of day. Instead they used a device similar to a periscope to monitor activity outside. The green dome in the outside entrance photo (third picture) is a retractable periscope device.

 A kitchen was in operation 24/7 to feed three shifts of men.

 Bread was stored in metal cages hung from the ceiling to prevent mice and rats from getting into it.

Each bed was occupied by three men who were allowed eight hours of sleep per shift. Toilets were shared by forty men and one hundred men shared a shower in the Limekiln fort and were allowed one three-minute shower per week.

 Full state-of-the-art medical facilities were installed in the forts.

 They were complete with operating rooms and dentistry services.

 Mess halls were non-existent, and men ate at retractable tables in the tunnels.

The above pictures were taken at the Limekiln - Fort-a-Chaux in Lembach, France - 2, Route de Bitche - which is a 1 hr 15 min drive from the Ramstein Air Force Base area of Germany.





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