Sacre Bleu Monsieur Portee - Italiano-tabernac-but of course this may very well be derived from the infamous Maginot Line erected by the industrious (not) French after WWI in order to stop those dastardly Huns from any future invasion. It was named after a French general. It did make the Germans take a detour via Belgium which I am very sure the Belgs did not appreciate at all.

Also: from Wiki: The Maginot Line (French: Ligne Maginot, IPA: [liɲ maʒino]), named after the French Minister of War André Maginot, was a line of concrete fortifications, tank obstacles, artillery casemates, machine gun posts, and other defenses, which France constructed along its borders with Germany and Italy, in light of its experience in World War I, and in the run-up to World War II. Generally the term describes only the defenses facing Germany, while the term Alpine Line is used for the Franco-Italian defenses.

The French established the fortification to provide time for their army to mobilise in the event of attack, allowing French forces to move into Belgium for a decisive confrontation with German forces. The success of static, defensive combat in World War I was a key influence on French thinking. Military experts extolled the Maginot Line as a work of genius, believing it would prevent any further invasions from the east (notably, from Germany). It was also a product of a historical inferiority in population and birthrate, exacerbated by the losses in World War I, which had been developing for three generations.[1]

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