Biographical note

Clayton Donnell has had a life-long fascination with European fortifications. He spent his early years living in Switzerland and Belgium, and often visited the sites of the forts. Over the years he has travelled extensively in France and Belgium, studying the Brialmont forts of Belgium, the German fortifications of Metz and the French Sere de Rivieres and Maginot Lines. He is co-author of Modern European Military Fortifications, 1870–1950: A Selective Annotated Bibliography (Praeger, 2004), and has written two previous titles in the Osprey Fortress series: The Forts of the Meuse in World War I and The German Fortress of Metz 1870–1944. Clayton is retired from the US Military and lives in Pennsylvania. Brian Delf began his career working in a London art studio producing artwork for advertising and commercial publications. Since 1972 he has worked as a freelance illustrator on a variety of subjects including natural history, architecture and technical cutaways. His illustrations have been published in over 30 countries. Brian lives and works in Oxfordshire.