All things Maginot

[MLW]

I have been on this forum for just a few days. To date, I have enjoyed both the friendliness and helpfulness of the members. Unfortunately, this is not the situation on some "other" WW2 forums.

As for myself, I have had a longtime interest in World War 2 in Europe fueled by my service in the Army. Back then, we studied the Russo-German War, Normandy 1944, and the Battle of the Bulge to gain insights on how to defeat the Soviet Forces in Germany. After 20 years, I settled on the Maginot Line as my primary focus and am now shifting my personnel and professional interest into the realm of amateur historian (although I do possess a university degree in history). My main effort at the moment is my web site - Maginot Line War, 1939-1940. It features some of my knowledge about combat surrounding the Maginot Line and a few of my 5,000 period photographs.

I guess, my value added to the forum is what I have learned about the Maginot Line and France 1940, and if anyone has questions about captured German records at the US National Archives, I may be able to help (there is so much there that I have only scratched the surface).

Cheers,
Marc
Maginot Line at War 1939-1940

[Paul Reed]

Hi Marc - a belated welcome from me to the forum. I have very much enjoyed looking your website and the offer re. US National Archives is very kind... so I am going to ask, do they have War Diaries and Operation Reports for US units down to battalion/regimental level in WW2. And are these open to public inspection? Sorry to go off-topic a little.

[MLW]

Paul:

I don't know. My area of interest is pre-US involvement. However, I will ask around and see what I can dig up (in fact I just sent off an e-mail to the most experienced researcher I know). My initial impression is that US combat unit records are probably at the Military History Institute (MHI) at Carlisle Barracks in Pennsylvania. In both the case of the US National Archives (NARA) and MHI the records are accessible because they are considered to by of public record.

Cheers,
Marc

[Paul Reed]

Thanks Marc - much appreciated.

[Rich Payne]

Hello Marc,
I suspect that the US archives are something of a mystery for most of us here in Europe. We have such a large number of National and Military archives here that we tend to forget how efficient the US was in collating documents in 1945 and that a great deal of unique material has probably found it's way there.

I have a particular interest in the BEF which inevitably encompasses the other combatants to some degree and researches are hampered by the fact that most BEF War Diaries were very much written-up after the event. There are regularly suggestions that the captured BEF GHQ archives found their way to Moscow but I have seen nothing definite. If you come across BEF documents from May /June 1940 I would certainly be interested to know and any sources for photographs of actions involving the British in Belgium in May 1940 particularly.

To be perfectly honest, my interests mostly stem from one abandoned motorcycle that turned up 65 years later but the fact that I live close to the Maas where Fall Gelb began give it a special resonance.

Rich

[Owen]

Hello again Marc as this is your 'official' introductory thread I'd better say "Hello, Good Evening and Welcome " on here .
Good Luck with the website, I've not been to the Maginot line as yet but I'm sure that will be resolved in a future family holiday, they just don't know it yet.

[MLW]

Rich:

I will look around NARA for BEF material, but it may be a stretch to find anything textual. Yet, the archive surprises me all the time. The archive does have many captured German photos (well, they are really contact images) of British soldiers in Belgium. I went through the whole collection a couple months ago looking for Maginot Line photos, so I don't know when I will revisit it. But, let's see what I can come up with.


Regards,
Marc

[MLW]

Owen, I can make some suggestions on where best to visit. After ten years of studying the Maginot Line, I finally took my wife on a visit. She did not care for the "museum" fort we visited, bu instead enjoyed walking through the countryside in search of combat-damaged casemates. Funny, huh?

Cheers, Marc

[MLW]

Paul - Question: "do they have War Diaries and Operation Reports for US units down to battalion/regimental level in WW2. And are these open to public inspection?" Answer according to my researcher expert: Yes the reports are in the archives (Archives II in Greenbelt, Maryland), and yes, they are accessible by the public at the archives.

Rich: I asked the same expert about BEF material. I am awaiting an answer. The next time I go to the archives (in two weeks, I hope), I will poke around for some photos. The still photo section allows its photos to be scanned.

Cheers,
Marc
Maginot Line at War 1939-1940

[Paul Reed]

Marc - many thanks indeed for that.