What if: Sikringsstilling Nord - A Danish Maginot Line

[lordroel]

What if: Sikringsstilling Nord - A Danish Maginot Line

Do know this might not have stopped the Germans in 1940 when they invaded Denmark, but what if the Royal Danish Army used Security Position North (Danish: Sikringsstilling Nord ) a fortification line built by the German military during the First World War. It was built in the period 1916 to 1918 as protection against an English attack from the north.

Map of the position

The line stretched across what was then German Southern Jutland, from the east coast at Hoptrup to the west coast at Skærbæk.

It consisted of barbed wire barricades, a double line of partially dug trenches, artillery positions and cover spaces. A total of around 800 bunkers.



Twitter post

[stevep]

   They would have needed to have maintained the position and have the willpower, troops and time to man it before the attack. Plus trenches and barbed wire is unlikely to slow panzer units supported by artillery and air for long while they could simply bypass it by sea or air landings behind it.  The best bet is some of the more powerful bunkers might hold out for a while and if positioned where they could fire on road and rail links could increase German casualties and delay the operations.  Which is likely to mean a harsher hand in the occupation.

[lordroel]

Jul 24, 2022 14:47:23 GMT stevep said:

   They would have needed to have maintained the position and have the willpower, troops and time to man it before the attack. Plus trenches and barbed wire is unlikely to slow panzer units supported by artillery and air for long while they could simply bypass it by sea or air landings behind it.  The best bet is some of the more powerful bunkers might hold out for a while and if positioned where they could fire on road and rail links could increase German casualties and delay the operations.  Which is likely to mean a harsher hand in the occupation.

But it would be longer than the 6 hours it took OTL Germans to take Denmark.

[575]

Jul 24, 2022 14:50:09 GMT lordroel said:

Jul 24, 2022 14:47:23 GMT stevep said:

   They would have needed to have maintained the position and have the willpower, troops and time to man it before the attack. Plus trenches and barbed wire is unlikely to slow panzer units supported by artillery and air for long while they could simply bypass it by sea or air landings behind it.  The best bet is some of the more powerful bunkers might hold out for a while and if positioned where they could fire on road and rail links could increase German casualties and delay the operations.  Which is likely to mean a harsher hand in the occupation.

But it would be longer than the 6 hours it took OTL Germans to take Denmark.

It did take a little longer - the 11. Schützen Brigade (Motorized) didn't reach Aalborg Airport the key objective until 10. April as in the case of Bornholm. Suffice to say that airliftet troops did do it at Aalborg.

The line would require some work as it was positioned to fire at north! Anyway the Politicians had decided that we weren't to defend ourselves but the King insisted on some defence carried out.

Stauning by 1934 possibly did seriously consider a defence but in the end dropped the matter as he had had talks with the British that wasn't coming to aid us bacon - butter or not!

[raharris1973]

What about water-line defenses of the Danish islands?