Schuster Line

Map showing the major installations of the Schuster Line

The Schuster Line (Luxembourgish: Schuster-Linn) was a defensive line of barriers and barricades erected by the Luxembourg government along its countries borders with Nazi Germany and France shortly before World War II. It was named after Joseph Schuster, Luxembourg's chief engineer of bridges and highways, who responsible for its construction.[1]

The Schuster Line consisted of 41 sets of concrete blocks and iron gates; 18 bridgeblocks on the German border, 18 roadblocks on the German border, and five roadblocks on the French border.[2] The roadblocks were setup a mile inland in a zigzag pattern covered by barbed wire entanglements on either side. Nine radio outposts were erected along the German border, with a central receiving station in the St. Espirit barracks in the capital.[3]

The line failed to significantly slow the German army's advance during the invasion of Luxembourg on 10 May 1940. The iron gates were simply torn down, and ramps were built over the concrete blockades to drive over them; in other cases, they were blown up.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Wagner aus Strassen, Raymond. "Verziel mer vum Krich"; De Cliärrwer Kanton, Edition Spéciale 2001 (in Luxembourgish).
  2. ↑ Thomas, Nigel (2014). Hitler's Blitzkrieg Enemies 1940: Denmark, Norway, Netherlands & Belgium (illustrated ed.). Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 15. ISBN 9781782005971.
  3. ↑ Government of Luxembourg. Luxembourg and the German Invasion, Before and After, Hutchinson & Co. Accessed 19 August 2016

Further reading

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