Battle on the Frontline: Maginot vs Siegfried

PBS: UK PREMIERE Tuesday 27 August at 8.45pm

In the 1930s, Europe was barricading itself away behind fortresses, walls and defence lines. This intriguing documentary looks at two superstructures, the French Maginot Line, and the German Siegfried Line, barricades of 700 and 630 kilometres in length respectively.

But what event brought Europe to prepare for warfare yet again only ten years after the First World War? And what brought about the idea of fortifications in France and Germany at a time when battles were fought with fighter planes and tanks?

As of 1940, the world watched on as the fortresses’ limits were put to the test. This detailed film uses archive images and interviews with experts to take a behind-the-scenes look at these extraordinary defence lines.