The first book in English to consider these fortifications in detail, this book describes the major fortified lines built during the 1930s in Germany and neighboring nations in response to France's construction of the Maginot Line. Using drawings and descriptions, the authors assess the military necessity and usefulness—or lack thereof—of these popular fortifications. Many designers attempted to copy some of the better-known features of the Maginot Line, but often the defenses consisted more of propaganda than of concrete and steel. Nonetheless, when Germany stood poised to attack, the fate of Europe hung on these fortified lines.