I'm walking right into Germany. You know who also did this? The French in 1939.
Many ask: why didn't the French attack Germany in 1939?
When they declared war on Germany.
After Germany invaded Poland. This is the story of the forgotten French invasion of Germany.
That took place in September 1939 and is known as the Saar Offensive.
Good to have you back on the channel and if you're new: I'm stefan and a Dutch history teacher
and I'd like to cover history on location and I'm now on location in a German village
I honestly already forgot the name of. And is this location so historically significant?
Well not that much although the French did capture this village in September 1939.
I'd like to cover the lesser known aspects of WW2. If you find it interesting as well and you
haven't subscribed yet, please do so and also hit that notification bell. When Hitler rose to power
in 1933 tensions in Europe also rose in the following years. Great Britain and France weren't
too keen on going to war with Germany again. Although they had proclaimed victory in 1918
the Great War left a scar on these nations because of the horrendous losses.
Unlike the First World War there was almost war enthusiasm before the outbreak of the Second World War.
Hitler was granted the Sudetenland in 1938 and the following year took over the remaining
Czech lands as Slovakia had become a Nazi puppet state. The Allies pledged that if Germany attacked Poland
they would declare war on Germany. On 1 September 1939 Germany did invade Poland
and when Germany refused to pull back its troops the British and the French declared war on Germany.
Neither France nor Britain was prepared for war: not on a material level, nor on a mental level.
Yet, on 7 September 1939 the French did invade Germany: the Saar Offensive had begun.
Let's take a look at the French Army of that time. It was pretty much an army of the First World War.
In appearence: the French 1939 uniform was almost identical to that of 1918,
except for the collor. But also in tactics: the French relied on static defence and decentralization of armoured
stength over infantry divisions. Iconic was the construction of the Maginot Line: a line
of concrete fortifications build in the 1930s to deter a future German invasion. Compared to 1918
the French did have newer tanks such as the Char B1 bis tank.
On 26 August 1939 the French Army moblized. French Chief of the Army Staff Maurice Gamelin did have a plan for if war would break out.
Since most of Germany's forces were fighting in Poland its western frontier was less defended.
The Saarland was defended by the German First Army, led by Erwin von Witzleben. After the First World War
the German Saarland was occupied by French forces and only given back to in 1935. The advantage
the French had was that they therefore knew the area well. What they knew less was that 90%
of the German Airforce was fighting in the Polish Campaign. Because of this the Allies didn't resort
to the bombing of German cities as they were German retaliation strikes.
On 7 September 1939 the French moved into the Saarland: the French invasion of Germany had begun.
It started with with reconnaissance units and shortly after the infantry units moved in as well.
On a 20 mile front 11 French divisions advanced towards the city of Saarbrücken.
You can see here on this map the areas the French took; these were German sallients and
could therefore be attacked from three sides. German opposition was weak.
Also in turned out that the Germans had evacuated most of the areas. As the French took the Warndt Forrest
some of their tanks were knocked out by mines, since the forrest region contained several minefields
to slow the French advance. The German fire against these tanks was very ineffective.
Yet, the French tanks didn't push forward because they feared the German Panzers.
In reality these panzers were not there but in the east.
The French turned out to be very cautious of their opponent who in reality wasn't as strong as they believed.
By 12 September the French had seized a dozen of
German towns and villages. They then approached the main German defence line:
the Siegfried Line. They pounded this line with their artillery
without much effect. By that time British and French leaders came together to discuss what to do.
By this time it seemed immenent Poland was going to fall. The French and the British agreed
that they would follow up their offensive one week later however Poland's demise was hastened
by the Soviet attack on Poland from the east that happened on 17 September according to the
Molotov-Ribbentrip Pact that was signed the previous month. They had agreed to carve up the Second Polish Republic.
The French then started to withdraw from the Saarland. In some smaller territories
the French dug in. Hitler sent forces west. Mid-October the remaining French forces were driven out of Germany.
The Saar Offensive was over.
The French suffered 2,000 cassualties. The Germans almost 200 killed and almost 400 wounded.
After the French had fully retreated the Phoney War commenced, although you can also see the Saar Offensive as part of the Phoney War.
During this “war” so to say neither side attacked the other.
This was until May 1940. Because then Germany invaded France and the Benelux countries.
If the French would've known this, perhaps they would've put more effort in the Saar Offensive and end the war already in 1939.
As German commander Alfred Jodl stated later:
Another German general claimed that íf the French had attacked in full force the German armies in the west
could've only hold out for one or two weeks. This has led to countless what-if speculations.
The French and the British lacked the resolve and will to carry out a full-scale invasion of Germany.
The French ineffective deployment hindered such an operation.
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if you have not already and best wishes from a German village in the Saarland. Auf wiedersehen.