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More than 5000 entries on the history, culture and life of Britain (published in 1993 by Macmillan, now out of print)
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Siegfried line
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Name used by the Germans for two of their lines of fortification. The Siegfried line of World War I, known to the Allies as the Hindenburg line, was built behind the German trenches in Belgium as a fall-back position. The later Siegfried line was constructed between the wars along the border between Germany and France, facing France's equivalent Maginot line. It is this which features in the song popular with British soldiers in World War II: 'We're going to hang out the washing on the Siegfried line ... if the Siegfried line's still there'.
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