France Attacks 39: German Experience Report

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In 1939 a few days after the declaration of war by France, the French Army invaded Germany, this is called the Saar Offensive. This campaign is often forgotten and the information on it is very limited. In this video, we look at the offensive and a German report about how the Germans troops conducted themselves and what they thought about the performance of the infantry, engineers (Pioniere) and some of the new weapons like the MG 34.
Thumbnail Screenshot from Post Scriptum Reveal Trailer 2019: • Post Scriptum - Chapte...
Modified by vonKickass.
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» SOURCES «
Maier, Klaus; et al.: Die Errichtung der Hegemonie auf dem europäischen Kontinent. Bd. 2. Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt: Stuttgart, Germany, 1979.
Müller-Hillebrand, Burkhart: Das Heer 1933-1945. Entwicklung des organistorischen Aufbaues. Band II. Die Blitzfeldzüge 1939-1941. Das Heer im Kriege bis zum Beginn des Feldzuges gegen die Sowjetunion im Juni 1941. E.S. Mittler & Sohn: Frankfurt am Main, Germany, 1956.
BArch, RW 19/1528: Militärische Erkundungen, insb. militärische Lage in Polen vor Ausbruch der Kampfhandlungen (mit Lagekarten), 1939-1940.
Beevor, Antony: The Second World War. Little, Brown and Co: New York, USA, 2012.
Shamir, Haim: The drole de guerre and French Public Opinion. In: Journal of Contemporary History, 11, 1976, p. 129-143.
La drôle de guerre. Septembre 1939 - 10 mai 1940. imagesdefense.gouv.fr/media/p... Last accessed: 26-01-2022.
La débâcle ou « l’étrange défaite »
www.cndp.fr/crdp-reims/cddp10/... Last accessed: 26-01-2022.
Frieser, Karl-Heinz: Blitzkrieg-Legende: der Westfeldzug 1940. 4. Auflage, Oldenbourg: München, 2012.
#ForgottenFrenchOffensive,#FranceAttacks39,#SaarOffensive

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17 фев 2022

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Комментарии : 93

@alecmiddleton1842 2 года назад

Congratulations Bernhard. I was just reading a Canadian Military History PDF about The Assault of Kampfgruppe Meyer on Bretteville in 1944. I found I was reading every quote lifted from German sources in your voice. You have successfully occupied my mind.

@MilitaryHistoryNotVisualized 2 года назад

@alecmiddleton1842 2 года назад

From what I read: Interesting how 12th SS Panzer's successful battalion tactics on the Eastern Front failed against a compact, well supplied, well supported and highly trained and motivated army on the Normandy Front. That might be a hint.

@madsakjr6507 2 года назад

@@alecmiddleton1842 Winning hearts and occupying minds

@etwas013 2 года назад

@@alecmiddleton1842 Well no, they were just loaded with artillery and air support and Germans had none.

@alecmiddleton1842 2 года назад

@@etwas013 That's why I typed 'well supported'.

@user-lg4mm3mf8i 2 года назад

The tank of the 7th Panzer Division that drove on a mine might even have driven on a Belgian mine. Belgium used 4 kinds of anti-tankmines. There were several minefields in the Belgian Ardennes. Belgian engineers also laid them on the spot.

@DiggingForFacts 2 года назад

Very well possible, but it must be noted that Frieser writes about the 55th Division d'Infanterie, who were in the line at Sedan, whereas the 7th Pz. Div.crossed near Houx. There's always a chance that thingss were somewhat differently organised 70km further along.

@jimmiller5600 2 года назад

This is what a "failure of vision" looks like. If the French had moved decisively into Germany and created a "pain point" as a bargaining chip they may have influenced Germany's future behavior. By retreating they passed the initiative to the Germans, ceding them the ability to maximize their advantage for the next move.

@riv4lm4n 2 года назад

@Indigo Rodent You have no idea what you're talking about, the army was well trained, and well equipped, as proved by tactical successes both during the battle of France and from the Free French Forces fighting after the fall of France. The military failure falls on strategic and droctrinal errors from blind old men. There is also the civilian side failure, from indecisive politicians, political schizms and anti-war sentiment born from the horrors of the great war. France was fully ready for modern war, else they would have never made cavalry and breakthrought tanks (both used later in the war), the only part that wasn't ready was the air force and they were 1 to 2 years away from being ready. There are many more factors that led to the perfect storm of France falling. But to blame the men that fought on the front line is short sighted.

@_kommandant_3055 2 года назад

The thumbnail is from the trailer for the Battle of France update to the WWII game Post Scriptum. Never thought I'd see that

@MilitaryHistoryNotVisualized 2 года назад

yes

@gusti187 2 года назад

by the way a great game👍

@fintrollpgr 2 года назад

@1:10 the translation is not entirely correct. The objective was to establish positions along the Saar between Merzig and Säärbrücken. No splitting of a river involved The English word "border" comes from the French border used here (as in following the edge). And the engagement physique does not actually apply to Gamelin himself as a person and showing up on location. It is more figurative speech. Meaning Gamelin did not make full use of the means at his disposal. In this context meaning he did not take any forceful or decisive action on the front. As is evident from the slow progression and stopping of the offensive as mentioned later. Anyway thank you again for an interesting video!

@RedGnoll 2 года назад

Agreed. I should also add that French historiography sometimes makes it difficult to get a clear view of the state of the French Army at the very start of the war, wich I think here is best illustrated by the statement about Gamelin. I am impressed, however, with the quality of the German reports, wich corroborate what the French non-military sources usually states about the precariousness of French morale and diplomacy. Public opinion about the war was greatly divided because of the Molotov Ribbentropp pact, wich puzzled the French left political wing, and to a lesser extent the failure to prevent the invasion of Czechoslovakia.

@JDFloyd 2 года назад

Your research, and presentations are incredible - always a must see when they first come out.

@GuangkaZ 2 года назад

Post Scriptum thumbnail!! 😍

@tubarao1143 2 года назад

Always cool to have more information regarding the Saar offensive! The use of Post Scriptum thumbnail is gold. Beautiful game!

@jackmoorehead2036 2 года назад

Danka! I appriciate your open dialog on all the subjects I have had the pleasure of seeing here on RU-vid. The concise appraisal the Germans had on the MG 34 and subsequent production of them and the MG 42 showed some one at the Wemacht H Q were reading the reports. The assessment of the French sadly was very spot on and foreshadows May of 1940. Again thank you for all your excelent productions.

@cannonfodder4376 2 года назад

Informative as always.

@johnd2058 2 года назад

5:30 as to "local reserves" -- Usually, of course, but I recall scenes in Ostfront tactical combat memoirs where a hasty was even executed without any reserves, just the surviving troops displaced from the front after rallying just out of sight of the enemy.

@MilitaryHistoryNotVisualized 2 года назад

not entirely sure, but those are basically local reserves, since when you lose your position in a way you are the reserve.

@adamjaquay4279 2 года назад

@@MilitaryHistoryNotVisualized i remember during the Battle of the Bulge after the US 106th division lost 70% of its strenth and was forced back in tatters Ike was asked what reserve was left to plug the 20 mile gap. He said a TD battalion and the 106th( now just a lone regiment) lol! A regiment and a battalion against a tank army... great video thank you!

@johnd2058 2 года назад

@@MilitaryHistoryNotVisualized True, rallying is a sort of status shift. I'm visualizing the headcount process as a magic incantation that restores the unit to being. I'm not joking half as much as it sounds; I got enough training in the Army to know the importance of standard procedures for the psyche.

@johnd2058 2 года назад

@@adamjaquay4279 Sounds like the redoubt that stopped the Axis pursuit after Kasserine.

@PalleRasmussen 2 года назад

German units always counterattack. Read Citino.

@randyhavard6084 2 года назад

Great video, with some very interesting information.

@1983jarc 2 года назад

Sr Kass flawless as usual, thank you

@johnrohde5510 2 года назад

To continue the fencing metaphor, counter-thrust might be a better translation than hasty counter-attack. Hasty carries the implication of too soon. Counter-attack and counter-thrust have precisely those implications in fencing: the latter a spontaneous and immediate action, the former a developed one.

@billbolton 2 года назад

Interesting is an understatement

@quentintin1 2 года назад

From memory, the French infantry division type North East had in effect an artillery regiment equipped with 75mm field guns (36 pieces in 3 groups of 3 batteries), but also a heavy artillery regiment equipped with 155mm howitzers (24 pieces in two groups of three batteries)

@rroberwargaming8667 2 года назад

In addition, twice as many heavy cannons and howitzers from the corps and army levels - the French did not lack artillery, it was worse with the desire to use it

@tomaszmankowski9103 2 года назад

Thanks a lot for another interesting video. Early campaigns of the war led to many changes - obviously comparing to the 1st WW those changes were not so massive, but way too often early campaigns of the war are overshadowed too much by events from 1944 or 1945. It is very interesting how armies learnt from experience - e.g. Drachinifel told a lot how it changed for example US Navy's night fighting capabilities or damage control - and how inability to learn was punished by opponents. The difficulty of training of men to get accustomed to new equipment is another neglected factor, especially early in the war or just before it. For example Polish Army was replacing 75 mm cannons with 100 mm howitzers and to (yet unknown) degree it was decided to train new crews from the beginning to use howitzers instead of re-training - so wasting experience of cannon crews. They could be simply relocated to infantry regiments with their cannons. Introducing a weapon was often a complicated process, from training to logistics. Take care!

@letsexchangecansandbadadvi4245 2 года назад

This is Really interesting!! Is it possible to find out what units in German Army group C actually seen combat?

@germancustombricks 2 года назад

Guten tag! Another great video, great job. I was also wondering if you could find out any info on the Bruckenleger IVc (German Bridge layer) used at the start of operation barbarossa. The info out there is very limited and I was thinking you might be able to find out anything from the archives?

2 года назад

Interesting Video. There needs to be more Content on the Battle of France.

@fars8229 2 года назад

08:44 Sometimes praising your foes is the best way to dispraise your friends. In other words: Indirect criticism is usually more digestible than direct criticism. But there may be another reason: Telling somebody that he is doing something the wrong way does not automatically tell him how to do it right. Giving positive example is more paedagogical.

@jaym8027 2 года назад

I never knew the Germans used steel-cased ammunition during the war. Thanks

@seegurke93 2 года назад

the sound is better when you have your head straight or downwards. Chin up high might be fun but not the best for the sound ;)

@Lawofimprobability 2 года назад

That explains a lot of some accounts I had seen of that action in history books. It seems the authors were relying in the German report in their characterization of the French actions.

@MilitaryHistoryNotVisualized 2 года назад

I am very certain that this report was not used by anyone before, particularly in the English speaking world. It was in some obscure place in the archives. While even far less obscure stuff on more important stuff is generally not used.

@naamadossantossilva4736 2 года назад

I thought the Saar offensive was bad before watching this,but now i see it was even worse than i thought.The French achieved nothing but improving the manuals of the Wehrmacht.

@mattheweagles5123 2 года назад

How were different nations at assessing their own performance? Did some paint an overly rosy picture of themselves?

@NoMoreCrumbs 2 года назад

Interesting that that early in the war the standard troops were already asking for SMGs. I guess the hope was that you'd never need them because the war was supposed to go fast enough that you'd never need to clear trenches or cities

@looinrims 2 года назад

Automatic weapons were in desperate demand because in actual combat, suppression is more of a thing than killing that asshole over there, hence the maneuver

@jonnypariah1 2 года назад

Must admit, having a degree in War a studies does make me wonder how to get into a gig like this …

@johnd2058 2 года назад

You'll need an angle. MHV has the Austrian translator & tactical diagramming thing on lock, for instance. TIK does operational unit map-based narrations (as well as sometimes jarring economic asides, but he managed to split that). The Chieftain specializes in doctrinal analyses. Of all the papers you wrote, limited to the ones submitted on time, which one gave you the biggest 'zang' to research and write?

@wheelmanv 2 года назад

@@johnd2058 "no one has ever enjoyed writing or reading an academic paper" I know that's true in the hard sciences at least

@johnd2058 2 года назад

@@wheelmanv Lemme find my 101-level 12-page comparative analysis I did in 2008 of the USA and PRC economies over the twenty preceding years. It was for a PoliSci/Sociology class, so basically it was like 'just make up some economics considerations and wing it' pretty well explicitly. My TA was a Turkish Marxist, for added flavor. I quoted "Fight Club" on the last page. Got the third-best grade in a class of 225.

@wbertie2604 2 года назад

@@johnd2058 then your angle should probably be economics and production with respect to WW2. MHV and others touch on it, but not in detail.

@johnd2058 2 года назад

@@wbertie2604 Me, I can't produce from home in a timely manner. Depression & ADD (inattentive)'s a bitch of a combo. Looks like original commentator John Roberts might be dissuaded or still thinking though... and no, he probably should not follow my advice.

@thebigone6071 2 года назад

Can we all clap up Bernhard though? I’m from da hood and we all love him here! You a true OG fam!!!!

@allofus6133 2 года назад

Top!

@PalleRasmussen 2 года назад

Christian de Castries was part of this offensive IIRC.

@mladenmatosevic4591 2 года назад

Interesting question: Did Germany ever tried to produce cheaper sibling to MP-40 to be widely distributed among assault infantry detachments? UK had Sten, USSR Ppsh and Pps and USA "Grease gun" in addition to semiautomatic rifle and carbine. Too heavy reliance on MG alone had disadvantages in urban fight.

@gwtpictgwtpict4214 2 года назад

Germany did produce a few thousand MP 3008 right at the end of the war, basically a copy of the Sten, but with a vertical magazine. The MP 40 was itself a simplified MP 38, fewer machined parts, more use of metal stampings.

@wbertie2604 2 года назад

The MP-40 was the cheaper version of the MP-38.

@mladenmatosevic4591 2 года назад

@@wbertie2604 It wasn't cheap enough to make millions of copies and distribute 3-4 to every infantry squad. In 1941 only squad commander got it.

@wbertie2604 2 года назад

@@mladenmatosevic4591 One per squad for Stens too. Entire platoons with SMGs was policy, as even MP40s were cheaper than rifles.

@mladenmatosevic4591 2 года назад

@@wbertie2604 That would make about 1000 Stens per infantry division. So where 4 million units produced during WWII went? And there were some US weapons too.

@epameinondastziortzios8267 2 года назад

Why is the magazine of the chauchat in the thumbnail reversed ??

@MilitaryHistoryNotVisualized 2 года назад

I probably flipped the image.

@wheelmanv 2 года назад

That facial expression while saying "digging in" makes it seem figuratively as well as literally dirty

@BigL1999 2 года назад

Post Scipum Image :o

@madsakjr6507 2 года назад

In truth Fremde Heere Nord would have been a guy on holiday looking at 200 danes in uniform :) (exaggerated for comic effect)

@MilitaryHistoryNotVisualized 2 года назад

@jackobrien47 2 года назад

wow Using Frieza as a source.

@MilitaryHistoryNotVisualized 2 года назад

@grognard23 2 года назад

I second the "?" I admit to a relatively cursory examination of Frieser, but I see nothing that indicates he is a bad source. I am willing to be enlightened, please do let us know what is wrong with his scholarship.

@grognard23 2 года назад

Unless it was a DBZ reference... in which case... that is odd, but whatever floats your boat, I reckon.

@princeofcupspoc9073 2 года назад

@@MilitaryHistoryNotVisualized Frieza was the origin of the "it's not even my final form" trope.

@47Mortuus 2 года назад

bier-ing?

@rroberwargaming8667 2 года назад

The important thing is that the French wasted the time Poland gave them and learned nothing - for this, France paid in 1940 and paid for the following years of the war

@wbertie2604 2 года назад

France was in the middle of a major period of reequipment and to some extent reorganisation which was occupying a lot of 'bandwidth' and was to be complete (sort of) around two years after the events related here.

@rroberwargaming8667 2 года назад

@@wbertie2604 Germany also did not plan a war in 1939 - as evidenced by the fact that the main part of their armored vehicles were Pz.I and II tanks suitable only for training and reconnaissance, not for combat

@wbertie2604 2 года назад

@@rroberwargaming8667 This is also true, but it was also an authoritarian regime with a madman in charge and prepared to risky things democracies were not. May 1940 could easily have failed for Germany.

@samarkand1585 2 года назад

You sure showing a Chauchat in the thumbnail picture was fair? As far as I know, its replacement, the Chattelerault M24 was one of the few weapons the French army was *not* short on at the onset of WW II

@MilitaryHistoryNotVisualized 2 года назад