"The battle of Metz in the autumn of 1944 was the last time in the history of modern warfare when supposedly out-dated fortresses, built nearly a half century earlier, were able to play a decisive role. Impervious to heavy artillery and air bombardment, they enabled a weak and die-hard German force to resist, and, for o time, stop powerful American forces who had sliced across France. It was also a battle of 'might-have-beens.'"--Book Jacket.
A complete examination of Patton's campaign to take the fortified city of Metz. General George Patton's most controversial campaign was the series of battles in autumn 1944 battles along the German frontier which centered on the fortified city of Metz. In part, the problem was logistics. As was the case with the rest of the Allied forces in the European Theatre, supplies were limited until the port of Antwerp could finally be cleared. Also problematic was the weather. The autumn of 1944 was one of the wettest on record, and hardly conducive to the type of mechanized warfare for which Patton was so famous. However at the heart of the problem was the accretion of sophisticated fortifications. Metz had been fortified since ancient times, heavily rebuilt by France in the post-Napoleonic period, modernized by Germany in 1870–1914, and modernized by France during the Maginot effort in 1935–40. The Germans hoped to hold Metz with a thin screen of second-rate troops, counting on the impregnable fortifications. This book covers the entire campaign from beginning to end, offering an unbiased assessment of the success and failures of both the Allied and Axis efforts.
The author concentrates on the Battle of Metz which was to be decisive for the operations in Lorraine which followed.The battle is told step by step, constructed from the testimony of numerous veteransand therefore much of the material has never before been published . Photos taken at the time are juxtaposed with photos taken at the present day, accompanied by documents of the veterans themselves. This memorial to the Battle of Metz is a prequel to the earlier publication in 1984 by Heimdal of Memorial Lorraine.
Following the defeat of France in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–71, the German Army began to construct a fortress line from Strasbourg to Luxembourg to protect their new territory, the centrepiece of which was the great Moselstellung (Moselle Position) of Metz / Thionville. Illustrated with rare photographs and full-colour cutaway artwork, this book examines the design and development of the fortress and analyses its use in combat, focusing particularly on the part it played in holding up General Patton's Third Army's advance across France in 1944.
Following the defeat of France in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–71, the German Army began to construct a fortress line from Strasbourg to Luxembourg to protect their new territory, the centrepiece of which was the great Moselstellung (Moselle Position) of Metz / Thionville. Illustrated with rare photographs and full-colour cutaway artwork, this book examines the design and development of the fortress and analyses its use in combat, focusing particularly on the part it played in holding up General Patton's Third Army's advance across France in 1944.
Illustrated with over 20 maps and diagrams The Lorraine Campaign: An Overview, September-December 1944 originated at the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College as an introductory lesson to a course on corps operations. It is an adaptation of a narrated slide presentation used to provide students with a historical context on which to base their studies of current doctrine. The Lorraine Campaign, which included failures as well as successes, was chosen because it encompassed a variety of operations that involved such factors as logistics, intelligence, and weather. This overview serves as a point of departure for more in-depth studies, sets the stage for the analysis of unit operations from platoon to corps, and furnishes a useful reference for studying branch operations in battle. Repeated reference to this overview will give students an insight into specific operations or single branch actions. This study also provides a concise summary of Third Army operations in one of the World War II European campaigns.
There are probably no two men of such stature who can speak to the Holocaust as Christian theologian Johann Baptist Metz, author of A Passion for God and Jewish writer, Nobel laureate and human rights activist, Elie Wiesel, author of Night. One was drafted into the German army at the age of fifteen; the other was interned at Auschwitz. Both came from upbringings of deep faith, only to have their lives broken by the horrors they witnessed during the war. Both share the sense that the Holocaust is a rift in history itself, after which nothing could ever be seen in the same way as before. Yet for both, there is hope ... "nonetheless."
