The
Saar Offensive was a
French ground operation into
Saarland, Germany, during the early stages of
World War II, from 7 to 16 September 1939. The plans called for roughly 40 divisions, including one armored division, three mechanised divisions, 78 artillery regiments and 40 tank battalions to assist
Poland, which was then
under invasion, by attacking Germany's understrength western front. Although 30 divisions advanced to the border (and in some cases across it), the assault never happened. When the quick victory in Poland allowed Germany to reinforce its lines with homecoming troops, the offensive was stopped. The French forces eventually withdrew amid a German counter-offensive on 17 October.
According to the
Franco-Polish military convention, the
French Army was to start preparations for the major offensive three days after
mobilization started. The French forces were to effectively gain control over the area between the French border and the
Siegfried Line and were to probe the German defenses. The sector was defended by the
German 1st Army. On the 15th day of the mobilization (that is on 16 September), the French Army was to start a full-scale assault on
Germany. The pre-emptive mobilization was started in
France on 26 August and on 1 September, full mobilization was declared.
French mobilization suffered from an inherently out of date system, which greatly affected their ability to swiftly deploy their forces on the field.
[4] The French command still believed in the tactics of
World War I, which relied heavily on stationary
artillery, even though this took time to transport and deploy. Many pieces also had to be retrieved from storage before any advance could be made.
[5]