Скачать или смотреть Britain's Forgotten Maginot Line - GHQ Red Stop Line (General Ironside) Pill Boxes

Britain feared a German invasion immediately after Dunkirk. Lines of pillboxes were built as "Stop Lines" to act as a defence should the invaders break out of their bridgehead. The photos here are of the Red Stop Line which followed the Thames and in particular from Dorchester to Lechlade. This defence system were also called General Ironside's Line. A long filled-in Anti-Tank Ditch connected the pillboxes which were usually built in pairs. They must have been well built as many have hardly deteriorated although nature has done its best to cover them with vegetation. I believe they were only manned once for what turned out to be a false alert. Some appear to have been used as target practice or as demolition practice, perhaps in anticipation of a raid on the continent.


If you walk the Thames Path and keep your eyes open you will spot many of the pillboxes , remember they usually come in pairs.

I've just learnt they they were built in just 6-8 weeks (Tony Robinson Thames Walk Video) mostly by private companies and some by Royal Engineers. I heard they used up all the concrete in England.


Churchill was not enthusiastic about such defensive measures so one day a jeep full of officers went round and told them to stop (building) as there was no longer a threat of imminent invasion .. after the Battle of Britain. I also heard farmers were paid a miserable £5 to cover the cost of demolishing them.
The GHQ stop lines are probably forgotten partly out of embarrassment and partly because of the secrecy of everything military at that time when traffic and direction signs were removed so any enemy could not find his way about!


Britain's Forgotten Maginot Line - GHQ Red Stop Line (General Ironside) Pill Boxes