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Saar Offensive
September 1939 - October 1939
"If the blood of France and of Germany flows again, as it did twenty-five years ago, in a longer and even more murderous war, each of the two peoples will fight with confidence in its own victory, but the most certain victors will be the forces of destruction and barbarism."
Edouard Daladier - Prime Minister of France - 2nd September 1939
The Saar Offensive was a direct response by France and Britain to the German invasion of Poland on the 1st of September 1939. Bound by a military alliance with Poland, they aimed to alleviate pressure on the Poles by attacking Germany's western front. The plan was to breach the German border defences, which were lightly held, and advance on a broad front into the Saarland region towards Saarbrücken with a significant force. Despite the British being unable to contribute any troops and the French Army suffering challenges due to its slow mobilization and logistical issues, the French did launch the offensive on the 7th of September with 11 divisions and made good progress, capturing a number of German towns with only minor resistance being met. However, the offensive lacked momentum and was halted short of the German West Wall, also known as the Siegfried Line, without any attempt to breach it. As German reinforcements arrived following Poland's capitulation, the French Army began to withdraw behind the Maginot Line, marking the end of this brief and largely ineffective sortie into Germany.
September 1939
7th September 1939
The French Second Army Group launches 'Operation Saar', an offensive into Germany, designed to support the Poles. The French move forward along a 32-kilometre front near Saarbrücken, capturing a number of border towns by the 9th September as the German withdraw their covering forces into the defensive positions of the Westwall.
9th September 1939
French forces having penetrated up to 8km into Germany at various point during their Saar Offensive complete the capture the Warndt Forest.
10th September 1939
A German attack in the Saarland liberates the village of Apach, but an immediate French counterattack recaptures it.
12th September 1939
French forces capture the German town of Brenschelbach. Following a conference of the French and British command, its decided to halt all further offense operations into Germany just short of the Westwall. The Poles, are not informed of this, but are told that a renewed offensive will begin on the 17th September.
17th September 1939
The French inform the Polish command that the planned renewal of the French offensive into the Saarland has been postponed until the 20th September.
21st September 1939
With French forces having moved over to the defensive in the Saarland and with the French Command believing that Polish defeat is imminent, they order a withdrawal of the majority of offensive units back to positions on the French border in preparation for a general withdrawal.
October 1939
16th October 1939
With the French Army withdrawal from the Saarland now in progress, German forces, reinforced by units transferred from Poland, launch a counter-attacks against them.
17th October 1939
French forces complete their withdrawal from the Saarland to their start positions in the Maginot Line, with German troops recapturing all the territory lost since the beginning of 'Operation Saar'. The French have suffered approximately 2000 killed, wounded or missing and the Germans around 700 casualties.
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