The First Blitzkrieg, (What if) Saar Offensive 1939

[gwgardner]

I've had The First Blitzkrieg for a couple of years and was never enamored with the original maps and counters.  The game lacked immersive features, as far as I was concerned.  

The recent 4.00 revision, with better maps, has renewed my interest, so I've wanted to try one of the smaller scenarios.

Gamelin's Gamble, scenario 103, posits a full-scale French Saar Offensive in September 1939, as opposed to the historical advance and quick withdrawal.  The historical Saar Offensive lasted 6 days, this Gamelin's Gamble scenario lasts 13 2-day turns, Sept 6 - Sept 30.

French-German Frontier - 6th September 1939: With five full Armies deployed in the east, to conquer Poland, Hitler was taking a calculated gamble that the French and British would be paralyzed with indecision, and not take action in the west before events in the east were concluded.  While General Maurice Gamelin, the Commander of the French Army, did launch a limited, face-saving offensive in the Saare region, a real opportunity may have been lost by the Allies.  General Franz Halder, the German army's Chief of Staff, was astonished by the weakness of the French attack. He wrote, "If the French had used the opportunity presented by the engagement of nearly all our forces in Poland, they would have been able to cross the Rhine without our being able to prevent it, threatening the Ruhr with decisiveness for the German conduct of the War."  *Designer Note: Unlike the Saare Offense Scenario (#102), this Scenario depicts a full scale attack by the French on Germany with all forces mobilizing to aid the Poles.  However, Belgium neutrality is honored and this area on the map is marked as impassible terrain.

The scenario map is shown here, and has unfortunately been re-oriented so that North is to the right.  Only the region between Luxembourg and Switzerland is in play, generally the Saar and Rhineland as shown in the smaller maps.


The Maginot and Siegfried Fortifications are both represented on the map, see the red-dashed hex outlines on the second screenshot below.



The scenario objectives are circled in red, but I think I'll take the general approach of forcing a crossing of the Rhine.  However, I don't know enough about the historical French plans to confirm or gainsay what the scenario designer has set as objectives.

[gwgardner]

Full French mobilization has started only four days before the start of the scenario.  There are 24 French infantry divisions at start including some far from the Saar region, 2 Mechanized Divisions and 4 armored regiments.  However, only 5 of those divisions are within one day's march of the front line on day one of the scenario.  The French also have substantial artillery forces.  

There are 25 German infantry divisions stationed on the Siegfried Line or in back areas.  At start, the Germans have a stronger force actually on the front line.

There are substantial French reinforcements to be added as mobilization continues, whereas there are lesser German units that will be added as reinforcements prior to the fall of Poland.

Three British divisions are available by by turn 3, ie six days after the start of the scenario, with four more to arrive later.  It's a hypothetical scenario, so I suppose this BEF will be available for the Saar Offensive.

Here's a general comparison of the typical unit strengths/combat factors, although there are for instance several different French divisional types.

[Ricky B]

I don't know of a way to get the current OOB in this game.  Looking at the scenario editor, the Order of Battle is simply a listing of the unit types, not how many of each is on map.  If anyone knows how to determine what's on the map, other than just going around and clicking on each hex, please advise.

Info - Strength is the only solution I am aware of. Although it doesn't show unit names by type, it does show how many units of each type are present in the scenario.



  France-39.png (Size: 23.72 KB / Downloads: 6)

[gwgardner]

Thanks.  That's a big help;  I'll revise my statements above about the OOB.

[gwgardner]

French fighters and bombers in the scenario

[gwgardner]

Sept 6-7

The mobilization continues, the railroads are loaded with both infantry and armored units being transported towards the nascent Karsruhe salient.

Infantry and artillery are being positioned near Saarbrucken, with the hope that the Germans will be forced to weaken their defense there, to cover the gap to the south.  Engineering units were positioned to aid a possible crossing of the Saar there.

The enemy remained in positions all along the line and concentrated their airstrikes to the front generally southwest of Karlsruhe all the way to Mulhouse.

[gwgardner]

Sept 8-9

With the intent of rolling up the German static defenses between Karlsruhe and Mulhouse, the bulk of the currently mobilized French forces have moved into position.  Airstrikes continue on the anchors of the German line, but the French Air Force is taking heavy losses.

The German AI has made repeated airstrikes on the heaviest concentration of French forces.

In the screenshot, that's 1 German infantry division near Mulhouse.

[gwgardner]

Sept 10-11

Elements of the BEF have disembarked at St Nazaire and Cherbourg.  And four new French infantry divisions have completed mobilization, unfortunately the French rail capacity has been exceeded so those troops will get some exercise moving to the Front.

[gwgardner]

The first French divisions to mobilize and in place by Sept 10th launched hasty assaults east of Mulhouse and the push towards Karlsruhe continued. The Siegfried Line has been breached in both areas, but with heavy losses against the enemy's prepared defenses.

[gwgardner]

The Germans are gaining in strength in their air arm, with the general odds ratio of 5-1 French superiority on Sept 6, down to 1.6-1 by Sept 10.  This is primarily due to heavy French fighter losses.

No German counter-attacks over these two days, but recon shows that they are concerned with their crumbling defense southwest of Karlsruhe, having pulled back from the French advance to a stronger defensive position.