Editing GHQ Line

{{Short description|Defence line built in the United Kingdom during World War II}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{unreferenced|date=May 2015}}
[[File:WW2 pillbox at Freewarren Bridge near Crofton - geograph.org.uk - 800994.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|A FW3/22 type pillbox in Wiltshire, near the [[Kennet and Avon Canal]]|alt=]]
The '''GHQ Line''' (General Headquarters Line) was a defence line built in the United Kingdom during [[World War II]] to contain an expected [[Operation Sealion|German invasion]].

The [[British Army]] had abandoned most of its equipment in [[France]] after the [[Operation Dynamo|Dunkirk evacuation]]. It was therefore decided to build a static system of defensive lines around Britain, designed to compartmentalise the country and delay the Germans long enough for more mobile forces to counter-attack.  Over 50 defensive lines were constructed across the country. After the coastal defences, the GHQ Line was the longest and most important, designed to protect [[London]] and the industrial heart of [[Great Britain|Britain]], and was considered to be the last chance of defence.<ref name="BrimstoneUXO">{{cite web |title=Britain's WWII Defence Lines |url=https://www.brimstoneuxo.com/uxo-news/britains-wwii-defence-lines/ |access-date=29 May 2025 |publisher=Brimstone UXO}}</ref>

The "green" section of the GHQ Line ran from the northern end of the [[Taunton Stop Line]] near [[Highbridge, Somerset|Highbridge]] in [[Somerset]], along the [[River Brue]], across the [[Mendips]] from [[Wells, Somerset|Wells]] and following the railway from Masbury into the [[Wellow, Somerset|Wellow]] valley. This joined the "blue" line which followed the [[Kennet and Avon Canal]] to [[Reading, Berkshire|Reading]]. The green line continued from [[Bradford-on-Avon]] along the river to [[Malmesbury]] where it met the "red" line which ran to [[Abingdon-on-Thames|Abingdon]], along the [[Thames]] to [[Pangbourne]] and rejoined the blue line at [[Theale]]. The green line continued to [[Avening]] then down the valley to [[Framilode]], protecting the strategic areas of [[Bristol]], [[Avonmouth]], and [[Sharpness, Gloucestershire|Sharpness]]. The eastern line was to run inland of the coast from [[Essex]] to [[Edinburgh]] but was not completed. London was protected by the concentric rings of the [[Outer London Defence Ring]].

On the section of the line in Essex, between [[Great Chesterford]] and [[Canvey Island]], the defences were made up of around 400 FW3 type concrete [[Pillbox (military)|pillboxes]], which were part of the [[British hardened field defences of World War II]]. Well over 100 pillboxes still exist on this section in 2025, with around 40 highly visible FW3 Type 22, 24, 26, 27 and 28 boxes between the Rettendon Turnpike and [[Howe Green, Chelmsford|Howe Green]], mostly alongside the [[A130 road|A130]] road. Many more FW3s are still in place north of [[Chelmsford]] along the Chelmer Valley and towards [[Great Dunmow]].<ref name="PillboxStudyGroup">{{cite web |title=UK WWII Defence Locations |url=https://www.pillbox-study-group.org.uk/uk-defence-locations/ |access-date=29 May 2025 |publisher=Pillbox Study Group}}</ref>

==See also==

* [[British anti-invasion preparations of World War II]]
*[[British hardened field defences of World War II]]
* [[British military history of World War II]]
* [[Coquet Stop Line]]
* [[Taunton Stop Line]]
*[[Tyne Stop Line]]

In other countries:

* [[Alpine Wall]]
* [[Maginot Line]]
*[[Siegfried Line]]

==External links==
{{commons category}}
* [http://www.pillboxesuk.co.uk UK World War 2 Invasion Defences]
* [http://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/archives/view/dob/ The Defence of Britain Project]
* [https://chriskolonko.wordpress.com/2015/12/01/mapping-ghq-lines-in-google-earth/ A blog post featuring a map of the line ]

[[Category:British World War II defensive lines]]
[[Category:Fortifications of London]]
[[Category:London in World War II]]