Page "Maginot Line" Paragraph 5

The defences were first proposed by Marshal Joffre.

He was opposed by modernists such as Paul Reynaud and Charles de Gaulle who favoured investment in armour and aircraft.

Joffre had support from Henri Philippe Pétain, and there were a number of reports and commissions organised by the government.

It was André Maginot who finally convinced the government to invest in the scheme.

Maginot was another veteran of World War I, who became the French Minister of Veteran Affairs and then Minister of War ( 1928 – 1931 ).