Sitting war - positions in the Dennenwald
After the German attack on Poland on September 1, 1939, England and France fulfilled their assistance agreements and declared war on the then German Reich. However, due to a lack of preparation for an invasion of Germany and the lack of a common strategy, the Allies remained largely passive militarily, and the German Wehrmacht was also ordered to “clearly leave the responsibility for the opening of hostilities to England and France”. On the German side, the West Wall was occupied with the few available divisions, and the French deployed their army of around 2 million men largely defensively in the Maginot Line, apart from a temporary occupation of the Warndt Forest and the Bliesgau ("Saar Offensive"). People spoke of the "Sitting War", or on the French side of "la drôle de guerre" ("weird war"). A few kilometers from the Maginot Line works, infantry units secured the apron in field positions along the border, including along the Dennenwald . Dugouts and machine gun positions, trenches and trenches were created. Especially for the French 151st Régiment d'Infanterie from Metz under its new commander Lieutenant Colonel Afred Daval, which belonged to the 42nd Division d'Infanterie. These French positions, which are still visible today, were part of the "Secteur fortifiée de Boulay", the large Maginot factory in Anzeling, is about 12 km away, and the regimental command post was in Bockange. The outpost positions continued north along the forest edges of Daustaden, Großenwald and Vordersten Wald; advanced positions on Hill 335 north of Heiningen and the town of Guerstling were particularly fortified. On both sides, the population of the towns near the border had to leave their homes when the war began. Source: Text information board