Hindenburg line

American  

noun

1. a line of elaborate fortifications established by the German army in World War I, near the French-Belgian border, from Lille SE to Metz.

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Hindenburg line British  

/ ˈhɪndənˌbɜːɡ /

noun

1. a line of strong fortifications built by the German army near the Franco-Belgian border in 1916–17: breached by the Allies in August 1918

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Etymology

Origin of Hindenburg line

First recorded in 1915–20; named after P. von Hindenburg

Example Sentences

The Meuse-Argonne Offensive was part of a larger Allied offensive taking place all along the Western Front as German armies fell back to the Hindenburg Line—their last line of resistance.

From Literature

The Germans had pulled back to a heavily fortified position known to the British as the Hindenburg Line and to the Germans as the Siegfried Line.

From Literature

In 1918, Allied forces began their decisive breakthrough of the Hindenburg Line during World War I.

From Washington Times

The story would take place in the spring of 1917, when the Germans retreated to the Hindenburg Line and left a trail of devastation and traps in their wake.

From New York Times

Set on 6 April in northern France, after the Germans had staged a tactical retreat to the position known as the Hindenburg Line, 1917 follows a soldier’s deadly mission to help a family member.

From The Guardian