Battle of Metz
Battle of Metz | |||||||||
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Part of the Lorraine Campaign, World War II | |||||||||
Troops of the U.S. 5th Infantry Division entering Metz on 18 November 1944. | |||||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||||
United States | Germany | ||||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
George S. Patton | Otto von Knobelsdorff |
The Battle of Metz was fought during
Background
Metz is located between the rivers
However, after the Allied "break out" from the lodgement established by the
By the end of August 1944, German forces in
The defense of Metz was undertaken by the
Battle
The first U.S. attack was launched by the 95th Infantry Division, in which they attempted to capture a bridgehead to the north of Metz. This attack was repelled by the German forces, as was another attack on the city that followed. In another attack, the US forces captured a small bridgehead across the Moselle to the south of Metz.[4]
By the end of September, German forces positioned to the north had moved to the southern area of Metz. Some troops were also withdrawn from Metz. After this development, the XII Corps launched another attack but was countered by the German defenders. In the following two weeks, the U.S. forces limited themselves to small scale attacks and patrolling in the Metz area. During this time, the XX Corps underwent a training program, experimenting with methods of reducing the defenses of the fortress. By this time, the U.S. command had decided to attack Metz from its rear, coming from the east.[4]
On 3 November a new attack was launched by the U.S. forces, which resulted in the capture of the outer defenses with the aid of the tactics developed during the training process. On 14 November Generalleutnant Heinrich Kittel was appointed as the new commander of the German forces.[5] By 17 November, U.S. forces had managed to isolate most of the forts, and were attacking the city. German forces had been retreating since 17 November, and U.S. forces pursued them for the following two days.[6] U.S. forces entered Metz on 18 November, and on 21 November Kittel was wounded and subsequently captured. Although the city itself was captured by U.S. forces and hostilities formally ceased on 22 November, the remaining isolated forts continued to hold out.[4][7]
Direct assault was forbidden against the holdout forts in order to preserve artillery ammunition for the XX Corps' advance to the
Aftermath
Although the battle resulted in defeat for the German forces, it served the intended purpose of the German command of halting the advance of the U.S. Third Army for three months, enabling retreating German forces to make an organized withdrawal to the Sarre river and to organize their defenses. The level of casualties for both sides is unknown but high.[9]
The Germans were surprised at the American approach on the battlefield. Generaloberst Johannes Blaskowitz, C.O of Armeegruppe G, reviewed Patton's decision to launch a headlong attack straight into the fortifications of Metz by saying:
"A direct attack on Metz was unnecessary....in contrast a swerve northward in the direction of Luxemburg and Bitburg would have met with greater success and caused our 1st Army's right flank collapse followed by the breakdown of our 7th Army."
The military strategist and historian Liddel Hart remarked:
"Patton's 3rd Army began to cross the Moselle as early as 5 September, yet was little farther forward 2 weeks later - or indeed two months later." [10]
Notes
- Footnotes
- Walter Bordellé(1918†1984) among others.
References
- ^ Video: Third Army blasts Nazi Strongholds, 1944/11/02 (1944). Universal Newsreel. 1944. Retrieved February 21, 2012.
- ^ "Metz, 1944 One More River". World War Two Books. Archived from the original on 2008-12-06. Retrieved 1 December 2008.
- ^ "General George Patton Interrogates a SS General, 1944". Eyewitness to History. Archived from the original on 20 December 2008. Retrieved 1 December 2008.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Col. Scott Pritchett. "Metz 1944". Campaign Awards of the Wehrmacht. Retrieved 1 December 2008.
- ^ Cole, Hugh M. (1950). The Lorraine Campaign (PDF). Historical Division, United States Army. p. 429.
- ^ Cole, Hugh M. (1950). The Lorraine Campaign (PDF). Historical Division, United States Army. p. 413.
- ^ Cole, Hugh M. (1950). The Lorraine Campaign (PDF). Historical Division, United States Army. p. 446.
- ^ Cole, Hugh M. (1950). The Lorraine Campaign (PDF). Historical Division, United States Army. p. 447.
- ^ Cole, Hugh M. (1950). The Lorraine Campaign (PDF). Historical Division, United States Army. p. 448.
- ^ Christer Bergström, "The Ardennes - Hitler's Winter Offensive", p. 28
External links
- Oral history interview with Frank Niedermayer, an infantryman during the Battle of Metz Archived 2012-12-12 at archive.today from the Veterans History Project at Central Connecticut State University