Vivian Rowe

Comparatively early in the run of analyses of the fall of France in 1940, though it follows by a number of years Marc Bloch's classic "Strange Defeat." The first part of the book deals with the construction of the Maginot Line itself, and the second part focuses on the actual Battle of France, with an emphasis on how the Line held, whereas the rest of the French Army, because of poor command decisions, crumbled in the face of the German onslaught. Not a very deep book; it is more pitched to a popular level, and to a certain extent, there have been deeper analyses of what went wrong in the late spring of 1940. Still worthwhile as a good read, though. However, one should probably refer to the relevant entries in Osprey's "Campaign" and "Fortress" series.… (mais)