元旦那天，希特勒以八个师的兵力攻打萨尔区，继之以海因里希 - 希姆莱率领的一个集团军从莱因河上游的桥头堡发动进攻。 在德国将领们看来，让希姆莱带兵简直是开玩笑。

• On New Year's Day Hitler threw eight German divisions into an attack in the Saar and followed it with a thrust from the bridgehead on the Upper Rhine by an army under the command of--to the German generals this was a bad joke--Heinrich Himmler.