The Swing Shift Shuffle is a radio program of swing, big band, jazz, boogie woogie and other popular music from the 1930's and 40's that airs every Wednesday from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. (US Central Time) on WEVL 89.9 FM in Memphis, Tennessee, with a live webcast at wevl.org. In addition to the radio show, this blog is dedicated to all aspects of the Swing Era, including art, automobiles, cartoons, comics, history, movies, music, news, science, technology, and anything else that happened during that time. It also includes announcements about events in the Memphis/Mid-South area related to the Swing Era, such as classic movies, concerts, dances, lectures, etc. If you see something that fits the description, send it to me at tim@wevl.org. If you would like more information about the radio show, just go to the Radio Show FAQ page.

Monday, April 18, 2011

France Builds World's Greatest Defense System

Well, history sure did a number on the above statement.  As revealed in this 1931 Modern Mechanics article posted on Modern Mechanix, the Maginot Line was an engineering and technical marvel, with its self-contained living quarters, underground transportation, ammunition storage, and fortified weapons emplacements.  The fatal flaws?  It was stationary, and it stopped at the Belgian border.  In 1940, German Panzer divisions pushed straight through the Ardennes, which was so thick that French and British military commanders considered it impassible for tanks, and simply went around the Maginot Line through Belgium into France. 

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