"An ineffective line of defense that is relied upon with undue confidence" doesn't seem to do justice to the sheer breathtaking monumental folly of the concept. It was a politically conceived idea that the Third Republic pinned all its hopes on. horrified by the appalling slaughter of the first world war, closing its eyes completely to the fact that not only could it never have worked, it would provoke the very situation it was intended to avoid. Why anyone would suppose that the Nazi wehrmacht would respect international borders any more than the German Empire had done in 1914 is beyond any rational comprehension. THe Frencg ended up with half a wall; and with supreme irony its strength was never put to the test; the German army simply went round it.

Hello Robbie, (late reply)

"It is a myth however that the Maginot line ended at the Belgian border and was easy to circumvent."
Link

Just a *- to your post. My direct association when I saw that word of the day was, maggot line.

Well for the time this all seemed like a good idea. Serious consideration was not given at the time to air power, airborne infantry and combined assaults. The answer for a fixed fortification is to go around and thereby isolate it. I can't remember the name of the general from the american civil war(might have been Sherman) who said "Hit'em where they ain't."

I always have that when I chase mosquitos.

That would be Gen'l Wee Willie Keeler. Played for several teams, including the New York Porch Climbers from 1903-1909. And the way I remember it, it was "Hit IT where they ain't" although I do see references to your version in some pages about Gen'l Keeler.

You are correct it was Keeler. Great ball player. His record of eight consecutive seasons with 200 hits was just broken last year.
Lineup for Yesterday
K is for Keeler,
As fresh as green paint,
The fastest and mostest
To hit where they ain't.
— Ogden Nash, Sport magazine (January 1949)[5