| The Siegfried Line | |
|---|---|
Der Westwall | |
| Western Germany | |
 Map of the Siegfried Line | |
| Type | Fortification |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1936 |
| Built by | German Army
|
| In use | 1939–1945 |
| Materials | Concrete, steel |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
The Siegfried Line, known in German as the Westwall (= western bulwark), was a German defensive line built during the late 1930s. Started in 1936, opposite the French Maginot Line, it stretched more than 630 km (390 mi) from Kleve on the border with the Netherlands, along the western border of Nazi Germany, to the town of Weil am Rhein on the border with Switzerland. The line featured more than 18,000 bunkers, tunnels and tank traps.
From September 1944 to March 1945, the Siegfried Line was subjected to a large-scale Allied offensive.
- ^ Macdonald, Charles B (1993). The Siegfried Line Campaign (PDF). Center of Military History, United States Army. p. 30. ISBN 1944961305.