For three consecutive days, French infantrymen suffered under accurate German bombardment.
Over four million soldiers had been mobilized for an offensive against Germany to occupy
the Saarland.
However, the Siegfried Line, a series of impenetrable fortifications, was heavily defended by over
33 German divisions pitched against the more than 65 divisions of France and the United
Kingdom.
While the infantry was pounded by German artillery, tanks were being decimated by the numerous
minefields across the region, making the advance lose its momentum.
Even when the numbers were on their side, the Anglo-French forces faced an apparently
impenetrable wall of German defenses, but the outcome of this first encounter had the
potential to change the entire course of the war…
Germany Rises
Following World War 1, France and the restored state of Poland made a defensive alliance
against Germany in case it rose again, even after the consequences of the Treaty of Versailles.
Such an alliance was tested in the early 1930s when Adolf Hitler and the National Socialist
Party won the elections in Germany.
The newly-elected Fuhrer of the German people steadily began reclaiming the territories
taken from the Prussian Empire during the post-war period.
In 1935, Germany reclaimed the territory of the Saar Basin, or Saarland, after a referendum
in which most of the population decided on reunification with the Fatherland after more
than ten years of occupation by the League of Nations’ forces.
In early 1938, the Anschluss took place with the annexation of Austria to Greater Germany.
During the same year, the Fuhrer reclaimed the Sudetenland, which comprised portions
of northern and western Bohemia and northern Moravia in modern-day Czechia.
The territories were inhabited by over three million ethnic Germans who once were part
of the Prussian Empire before they were incorporated into the state of Czechoslovakia in 1919.
The disputed territories were transferred to the Third Reich following the Munich Conference.
Hitler turned his attention toward Poland to reclaim the Polish Corridor.
France and the United Kingdom had agreed to not let Hitler reclaim more territory to stop
Germany's expansion and secretly vowed to support the Polish government in the case
of German aggression.
France at Arms
Reinvigorated by the alleged support of the two Western countries, Poland refused Hitler's
offers of giving up the narrow strip of land that ran between Pomerania and East Prussia
and separated the latter from the German Reich.
Tensions were high, and France began readying its armies in early 1939, its entire armed
forces ready to invade the Saarland.
French High Commander Gamelin recalled reservists on August 21.
Poland’s refusal led the Third Reich to invade on September 1, 1939.
Two days later, the United Kingdom and France declared war on Germany after issuing an ultimatum
of backing down that was ignored by Hitler.
The dice were cast, and the three nations were now at war despite Hitler's insistence
on preserving peace with the two allied forces.
This led to an eight-month period later called the Phoney War due to the limited military
operations conducted by the three European powers.
The Anglo-French battle plan called for a swift occupation of the Saarland that was
expected to end by mid-September 1939.
It would be followed by a full-scale assault across Germany by transporting additional
troops.
However, for the operation to succeed, the French forces were required to breach the
Siegfried Line at France and Germany's border.
It would not be easy despite heavily outnumbering the German garrison.
Siegfried Fortifications
The Siegfried Line was heavily defended through a series of bunkers, machine gun nests, minefields,
and artillery emplacements.
It was superior to the French Maginot Line in almost every way.
Germany had spent four times the amount of concrete and twice the amount of steel as
the French.
The West Wall comprised more than 11,000 concrete emplacements with sophisticated bunkers, guns,
and mortar emplacements.
Moreover, the fortifications had an extra layer of protection in the form of S-mines
or Bouncing Betties, anti-tank mines, and other obstacles that would make it difficult
for the infantry, armor, and artillery to advance into Teutonic territory.
The French military was unprepared to deal with the sheer number of mines scattered across
the Siegfried Line.
There were not enough mine warfare units attached to the attacking forces, and the advance would
be tedious and slow.
Although the numerous French artillery pieces could pound the German defenses, the military
and natural obstacles would pose a serious threat.
Besides the mines, the French artillery faced the Rhineland, full of forests, rivers, and
hills that greatly favored the defenders.
Another grave mistake the Anglo-French forces would make was the assumption that the bulk
of the Wehrmacht was focused on the invasion of Poland.
They believed they could overwhelm the defenders with numerical superiority.
Though true to some extent, the Siegfried Line was defended by the Heer's 1st Army under
Field Marshal von Witzleben, and they were eager to clash with the invaders.
Experienced Defenders
The 1st Army, commanded by von Witzleben, comprised 33 divisions.
Even though the field marshal did not have any tank divisions at his disposal, he did
not need them, as the fortifications and defensive nature of the mission did not require them.
Over 12 divisions belonged to the first wave of German troops trained in the early 1930s.
The rest were also professional soldiers, albeit less proficiently trained than the
volunteers and conscripts of the Reich's first years.
The troops were expected to fight well in static defensive positions despite lacking
the numbers to match the French.
While most of the Luftwaffe was focused on the air campaign over Poland, it still retained
air superiority against the French Air Force.
There were over 1,300 German aircraft in the region, comprising over 500 BF 109s, 500 He
111s, Stukas, and other aircraft.
Many of these pilots had participated in the Spanish Civil War as part of the Condor Legion
and had also trained many novice pilots, giving the Germans a tactical edge over the French
pilots, who had not seen air combat since the last days of World War 1.
The French Air Force had 1,350 operational aircraft, including 450 fighters, 360 bombers,
and other warplanes.
However, few were as advanced as the German models, and their pilots lacked the combat
experience of the seasoned Luftwaffe airmen.
Strength In Numbers
France could mobilize up to four million men for the attack, with additional support from
British Expeditionary Forces.
The problem was logistics and transport to deliver the troops in time for the Saar offensive.
The French Republic had over 20 divisions during peacetime.
It rapidly rose to over 65 divisions, with ten of them deployed on the Italian border.
Besides the infantry divisions, the French had two armored divisions, two armored brigades,
and 40 tank battalions.
In addition to the almost 1,450 aircraft the French had at their disposal, the army's four-million-strong
forces would be substantially increased by adding colonial divisions from French possessions
overseas.
Moreover, the British would send four infantry divisions and several striking groups from
the Royal Air Force to bomb the German defenses.
More troops from the UK joined the offensive as it progressed.
When this formidable force was put together, it outnumbered, outmanned, and outgunned the
German defenders of the Siegfried Line.
Anglo-French forces had the advantage, but this began to change as the Wehrmacht's offensive
in Poland swiftly advanced.
It was only a matter of time before more German divisions were sent to the Western Front to
reinforce it.
Storming the Saar
Four days after France declared war on Germany, Commander Gamelin dispatched the French Army
to the Saar.
It was September 7 when 11 divisions marched across a 32-kilometer front to attack the
German defenders.
Two days later, four additional divisions joined the fray.
The French Army advanced eight kilometers and captured over 12 towns without resistance.
The towns of Saarland were evacuated, and there was no food or shelter where the French
troops could take refuge from three days of continuous German bombardments.
Gamelin's vacillations to attack time came with a heavy price.
The Germans were well prepared and fended off the French attacks.
Churchill ordered RAF air strikes, but Gamelin requested them to be limited to not provoke
retaliations by the Luftwaffe.
Still, the RAF bombed several towns of no strategic importance.
French casualties increased rapidly once their advance was stopped by the minefields.
As expected, the mine warfare units were insufficient to cover the French divisions and some sectors
were immobilized.
The mines destroyed countless artillery pieces and tanks essential for keeping the momentum.
By September 12, over 85 French and British divisions engaged 34 German divisions.
Despite having numerical superiority, the French offensive was halted on September 12
after Gamelin ordered the troops to withdraw when they were close to the primary defenses
of the Siegfried Line.
The Germans had suffered over 400 casualties, while the French toll rose to 3,000 men.
A Symbolic Offensive
Gamelin's reason for ordering the French withdrawal was related to Poland.
The Soviets had already invaded the country from the East, and there was no hope of liberating
the country from the Germans and the USSR.
Ultimately, the Saar attacks proved to be a mere token of French commitment to the Polish
cause.
In post-war analysis, German commanders explained that Gamelin's offensive could have breached
the Siegfried Line and allowed them to attack Germany.
Still, Gamelin's slow reaction time led to its failure.
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