Figure 1.--Here an American Medic Corpsman dress the wounds of a German boy soldier who had been hit in the stomach in fighting near Pouilly as the Americans drove on Metz. |
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Metz south of the Ardennes was the focal point of the U.S. Army Lorraine campaign. It was an important rail and communications center. The Germans after defeating France (1940), annexed Loraine to the Reich. The rapid American advance stalled before Metz, promarily as a result of supply shortages. The Americans concluded that the Germans were mounting a major effort to defend Metz. Patton's Third Army declared the seizure of Metz to be its priority mission (September 28, 1944). The Germans launched a limited offensive toward Nancy (September 29-October 4) The Americans moved on to the Saar river and the Siegfried line. The assult on Metz became a major undertaking, greatly complicated by supply shortages. German reinforcements and poor weather conditions complicated the campaign. The crossing of the Moselle River was a major problem. The XX Corps of the 3rd Army began the drive on Metz from the north. The 5th Division (11th Infantry Regiment) attacked Fort Driant (October 3-12). It had to break off the assault because of determined German resistance behind fixed defensive positions. The 90th Division reaching the outskirts of Maizières-lès-Metz (October 2). An long, greeling fight ensued. The Americans took a month to seize the town (October 30). It was a critical victory and it opened a direct route to Metz itself. The XX Corps move on Metz consisted of four tactical engagements. 1) The drive on Metz was renewed in greater force by the 90th Division (November7). They made on limited progress. 2) Second was the wide envelopment north of Metz by the 90th Division. They were reinforced by the 95th Division. Patton commited the 10th Armored Division which began the crossing of the Moselle (November 14). 3) Next came the 5th Division which executed the envelopment south of Metz. 4) Finally came the 5th Division which carried out a lengthy action west of the Moselle. Metz was finally taken by a final assault on both sides of the Moselle (November 15-22). [Cole] With the fall of Metz, the Germans withdrew behind the Sieegfried Line and the Rhine. The Americans after taking Metz drove northeast toward the nearby Rhine.
Cole, Hugh M. The Lorraine Campaign (Historical Division, U.S. Army, Washington, DC, 1993).
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