The Maginot LineAndré Maginot) was a line of concrete fortifications, tank obstacles, machine gun posts and other defences which France constructed along its borders with Germany and with Italy, in the light of experience from World War I, and in the run-up to World War II. Generally the term describes either the entire system or just the defenses facing Germany, while Alpine Line is used for the Franco-Italian defenses.
The French believed the fortification would provide time for their army to mobilize in the event of attack, and/or entice Germany to attack neutral Belgium to avoid a direct assault on the line. The success of static, defensive combat in World War I was a key influence on French thinking. The fortification system successfully dissuaded a direct attack, but as it had been drummed up as making France invincible, the following defeat made it look like a failure. The term is sometimes used today to describe any comically ineffective protection.