c1936-40 French Maginot Line Fortress Troops Badge

Beautiful, 1930s-early WWII French Maginot Line Fortress Troops Badge. Insigne on ne Passe Pas (they shall not pass) Lihne Maginot Troupe De Forteresse Guerre. Depicting a French WW1 era Artillery piece in a bunker / fortress defence line. Lovely gilt metal. Pin contemporarily soldered to reverse. VGC.

The Maginot Line (French: Ligne Maginot, IPA: liɲ maʒino), named after the French Minister of War André Maginot, is a line of concrete fortifications, obstacles and weapon installations built by France in the 1930s to deter invasion by Nazi Germany and force them to move around the fortifications. It was impervious to most forms of attack; consequently, the Germans invaded through the Low Countries in 1940, passing it to the north. The line, which was supposed to be fully extended further towards the west to avoid such an occurrence, was finally scaled back in response to demands from Belgium. Indeed, Belgium feared it would be sacrificed in the event of another German invasion. The line has since become a metaphor for expensive efforts that offer a false sense of security.

Code: 417