The "Phony War" Phase, 1939-40

The Maginot Line was a series of underground forts and concrete and steel casements and pillboxes extending from Switzerland to Luxembourg. In places it was 25 miles (40 km) wide. André Maginot, the French war minister for whom it was named, intended it to be used as a base for offensive action, and for a few weeks it was so used. As early as September 5 French troops began moving toward the German lines.

Late in the month the French attacked Saarbrücken. By this time, however, Poland had been defeated, and the French saw no point in continued attacks against the Siegfried Line. They withdrew almost entirely within the Maginot Line, convinced that it was impregnable and that France was secure.

There followed a period of almost complete idleness that American correspondents called the "phony war" and "sitzkrieg" (sitting war). The opposing air forces were idle, except for raids into Germany by Britain's Royal Air Force (RAF)to drop propaganda leaflets. No effort was made to disrupt Germany's mobilization or hinder its occupation of Poland.

At times the idleness seemed almost a truce. One American correspondent actually rode from the French lines into the German lines by taxicab. The "phony war" lasted throughout the winter and early spring.