French troops today entered German territory and reached as far as the Siegfried Line.
The Siegfried Line (known as the ‘Westwall’ to Germans) is a massive defensive line of bunkers, tank traps and tunnels that run parallel to the French border. Beyond the French border is France’s equivalent to the Siegfried Line: the Maginot Line.
The Siegfried Line stretched more than 630km (390 miles) from the borders of the Netherlands to the border of Switzerland. The Siegfried Line’s purpose is to prevent Allied troops entering German territory. Despite construction of the wall starting three years ago, it still remains unfinished, and it is “little better than a building site” in places (German General Alfred Jodl after the war).
