The Maginot Line was the last great gun-bearing line of subterranean forts built before World War II. Although it acquired an unjustified reputation as a white elephant, the Maginot Line fulfilled the role for which it was built, allowing the French High Command the opportunity to mass its forces and counter the German invasion. Unfortunately, the French leadership failed to make the most of its assets, with the resulting disastrous outcome.
During the 1920s, the French High Command formulated a number of offensive plans to strike at Germany, but by the end of the decade, it switched to defensive plans because of a lack of manpower. Work thus began on the Maginot Line and on other fortifications such as the French Mareth Line in North Africa and the heavy naval coastal defense batteries in Bizerte (Tunisia) and Toulon (France). The authors conclude that the Maginot Line offered the French High Command many opportunities from September 1939 until May 1940. They blame a failed French military doctrine for taking the initiative away from subordinates, laying the groundwork for the disastrous events of 1940 that left the French High Command paralyzed while German forces broke through the weakly held Ardennes.
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which was Germany's primary oil supplier. The Phoney War was punctuated by a few isolated Allied military actions. The French invasion of German Saarland
The Phoney War was an eight-month period at the outset of World War II, lasting from September 1939 to May 1940, during which there were virtually no major Allied military land operations on the Western Front.
World War II began on 1 September 1939 with Germany's invasion of Poland. This was followed on 3 September by the United Kingdom's and France's declarations of war on Germany, which marked
The…
French Armed Forces began the Saar Offensive on 7 September 1939, crossing the France–Germany border. It was their only offensive action during the Phoney War.
In accordance with orders given by Hitler, Wehrmacht troops of the German 1st Army did not put up any significant resistance, wanting to avoid a two-front war. Fighting broke out in the section between Saarbrücken and the Palatinate Forest, where the offensive was concentrated.
On 12 September, the troops were up to 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) inside German territory, occupying twelve German villages along the evacuated border zone in the Saar region in front of the Siegfried Line. The limited offensive was only intended to assess the strength of the Siegfried Line's defences. On 21 September, General Maurice Gamelin ordered the troops to withdraw to their starting positions on the Maginot Line. On 17 October, the last French troops left German territory. Some French generals, such as Henri Giraud, disagreed with the retreat and saw it as a missed opportunity.
According to the Franco-Polish Alliance, the French Army was to start preparations for a major offensive three days after the beginning of mobilization. The preliminary mobilization had occurred in France on 26 August. By 1 September, full mobilization was declared. The French forces were to gain control over the area between the French border and the German lines, and then to probe the German defences. On the 15th day of the mobilization, the French Army was to start an all-out assault on Germany.
The offensive in the Rhine river valley area began on 7 September. Since the Wehrmacht was occupied in the attack on Poland, the French soldiers enjoyed a decisive numerical advantage along their border with Germany. Eleven French divisions advanced along a 32 km (20 miles) line near Saarbrücken against weak German opposition. The assault was to have been carried out by roughly 40 divisions, including one armoured, three mechanised divisions, 78 artillery regiments and 40 tank battalions. The French Army had advanced to a depth of 8 km (5.0 miles) and captured about 20 villages evacuated by the German army, without any resistance but the half-hearted…
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