Poland begins construction of its ‘Maginot Line’, a line of fortifications unprecedented in Europe since World War II

5 comments

1. Better known in Poland as the Tusk Line, but this a French article.

   >Poland already had a fence to deter migrants with Russian and Belarusian visas who have been approaching its borders since late June 2021. Now, it aims to create a “Maginot Line,” called the “Eastern Shield,” a series of fortifications along its border with Belarus, a Russian satellite state, and the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad. This massive 700-kilometer-long and several hundred-meter-wide project is expected to be completed by 2028.

   >The future militarized line will complement the wall and watchtowers erected to counter the flow of migrants directed towards Polish territory by Belarusian and Russian authorities. Behind these initial barriers, the defense ministry plans to construct a berm, anti-tank ditches, minefields, concrete obstacles shaped like hedgehogs, bunkers, and secret weapon storage facilities. The defenses will blend into the natural landscape of this wild region: marshes, floodplains, and dense forests.

   >Modern surveillance technology—acoustic, electromagnetic, and visual sensors, anti-drone systems, and satellite surveillance—will complete the fortifications. The overall cost is estimated at 2.4 billion euros. The government of the new pro-European Prime Minister, Donald Tusk, hopes to secure financial support from Brussels to defend the European Union’s eastern flank. South Korea, a rising power in the arms industry, and the United Kingdom could provide technical expertise.

   The real Maginot Line was bypassed through Belgium, this one won’t cover the Ukrainian border.

2. Better build it all the way to the sea.

3. So when will Poland start recruiting bears for war again?

4. Has a fortification like this ever worked ? Didn’t the nazis just go around them ? Wouldn’t mobile artillery work better? I am very impressed in Polands efforts to never be the invasion access point to Eastern Europe again.

5. They’re going to hang out the Putin on the Maginot Line?