CENTER OF MILITARY HISTORY
UNITED STATES ARMY
WASHINGTON, D.C., 1997
President, Williams College
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University of Chicago
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Columbia University
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Detroit News
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Richmond News Leader
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Amherst College
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Social Science Research Council
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United States Military Academy
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University of California
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Harvard University
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Princeton University
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Chief Historian | Kent Roberts Greenfield |
Chief, World War II Group | Col. Allison R. Hartman |
Editor-in-Chief | Hugh Corbett |
Chief Cartographer | Wsevolod Aglaimoff |
*Deceased 16 May 1949. **Maj. Gen. Harry J. Malony was succeeded by General Ward on 1 April 1949. |
Page | |||
Foreword | vii | ||
Preface | xi | ||
Chapter | |||
I. | THE HALT AT THE MEUSE | 1 | |
Troop Dispositions | 2 | ||
Allied Strategy | 6 | ||
Composition of the Third Army | 13 | ||
The Pause in the Third Army Pursuit | 20 | ||
The Military Topography of Lorraine | 25 | ||
The Enemy Situation on the Western Front | 29 | ||
Enemy Dispositions in the Moselle Sector | 43 | ||
The Lull in Operations Comes to an End | 52 | ||
II. | THE XII CORPS CROSSING OF THE MOSELLE (5-30 SEPTEMBER) | 57 | |
The XII Corps Plan | 57 | ||
The Assault at Pont-à-Mousson | 60 | ||
The 80th Infantry Division Advance East of Toul | 65 | ||
The XII Corps Returns to the Attack | 68 | ||
The XII Corps Crosses the Moselle South of Nancy | 70 | ||
The XII Corps Crosses the Moselle North of Nancy | 75 | ||
CCA, 4th Armored Division, Begins the Penetration | 84 | ||
The Envelopment Southeast of Nancy Continues | 89 | ||
Task Force Sebree Occupies Nancy--15 September | 93 | ||
The Battle for the Dieulouard Bridgehead | 96 | ||
The XII Corps Continues the Advance | 105 | ||
III. | THE XX CORPS CROSSING OF THE MOSELLE (6-24 SEPTEMBER) | 117 | |
Preparations for the Moselle Crossing | 117 | ||
The Enemy Situation | 122 | ||
The XX Corps Advance to the Moselle | 129 | ||
The Dornot Bridgehead | 135 | ||
The Arnaville Bridgehead | 141 | ||
The Fight to Expand the 5th Division Bridgehead | 146 | ||
The Battle West of Metz | 151 | ||
The Advance on the Left Wing of the XX Corps | 157 | ||
Expanding the 5th Division Bridgehead | 161 | ||
The 90th Infantry Division Attack West of Metz | 177 | ||
IV. | THE XV CORPS ADVANCE (11-20 SEPTEMBER) | 184 | |
The Situation on the Southern Flank of the Third Army | 184 | ||
Hitler’s Plans for a Counteroffensive | 190 | ||
The XV Corps Advance to the Moselle | 195 | ||
The Advance to the Meurthe River | 205 | ||
V. | THE GERMAN COUNTERATTACK IN THE XII CORPS SECTOR (19 SEPTEMBER-1 OCTOBER) | 209 | |
Plans for Employment of the Third Army | 209 | ||
The Dispositions of the Fifth Panzer Army | 215 | ||
The Attack at Lunéville, 18 September | 220 | ||
The Arracourt Tank Battle, 19-22 September | 222 | ||
The XV Corps Advance to La Vezouse River, 21-24 September | 233 | ||
The Continuation of the Tank Battles, 24-29 September | 236 | ||
The Forêt de Grémecy Battle | 244 | ||
VI. | THE OCTOBER PAUSE IN OPERATIONS | 256 | |
The Initial Attacks on Fort Driant | 260 | ||
The 90th Division at Maizières-lès-Metz | 276 | ||
Operations on the North Wing of the XX Corps | 280 | ||
Stabilizing the XII Corps Main Line of Resistance | 283 | ||
The Quiet Phase | 289 | ||
Plans for the Resumption of the Offensive | 296 | ||
German Defensive Preparations, October and Early November 1944 | 303 | ||
VII. | THE XII CORPS RESUMES THE OFFENSIVE (8-17 NOVEMBER) | 311 | |
Plans for the November Offensive | 311 | ||
The First Phase of the 26th Infantry Division Advance | 320 | ||
The CCA Attack along the Valley of the Petite Seille | 325 | ||
The Fight for the Koecking Ridge | 331 | ||
Task Force Oden Attacks Guébling | 333 | ||
The Attack by the XII Corps Center | 336 | ||
The Drive Toward Morhange | 348 | ||
The XII Corps Advance on the Left | 351 | ||
VIII. | THE NOVEMBER BATTLE FOR METZ | 372 | |
XX Corps Preparations for the November Offensive | 372 | ||
The XX Corps Begins the November Offensive | 374 | ||
The Uckange Bridgehead | 376 | ||
The 90th Division Crossing in the Vicinity of Cattenom | 380 | ||
The Enemy Situation North of Metz | 387 | ||
The Continuation of the 90th Division Attack | 390 | ||
The 90th Division Advance Continues--13 November | 401 | ||
The Expansion of the 95th Division Bridgehead | 403 | ||
The 10th Armored Division is Committed | 406 | ||
The 90th Division Continues the Attack, 15 November | 410 | ||
IX. | THE NOVEMBER BATTLE FOR METZ (CONCLUDED) | 417 | |
The Enemy Situation in the Metz Area | 417 | ||
The 5th Division Begins the Southern Envelopment | 421 | ||
The Enemy Situation in Metz | 430 | ||
The 95th Division Attack West of the Moselle | 433 | ||
The Attack by the 377th and 378th | 436 | ||
Operations of Task Force Bacon, 15-22 November | 440 | ||
The 5th Division Drive into Metz | 443 | ||
The Capitulation of Metz | 446 | ||
X. | THE XII CORPS DRIVE TOWARD THE SARRE (18-30 NOVEMBER) | 450 | |
The 26th Division Attack at the Dieuze-Bénestroff Line | 451 | ||
The Drive to the Honskirch-Altwiller Line | 454 | ||
The 4th Armored Division Operations on the Sarre | 462 | ||
The 35th and 6th Armored Divisions Advance Toward the Sarre | 471 | ||
The 80th Division Attack in the Faulquemont Sector | 480 | ||
XI. | THE XX CORPS ADVANCE TO THE SARRE (19 NOVEMBER-3 DECEMBER) | 487 | |
The First Attack on the Orscholz Switch Line | 487 | ||
The XX Corps Preparations for the Attack Toward the Sarre River | 499 | ||
The German Withdrawal East of Metz | 502 | ||
The Advance to the Sarre by the 90th and 95th Divisions | 504 | ||
The 95th Division Fight for the Sarre Crossing | 512 | ||
XII. | THE XII CORPS ATTACK TOWARD THE WEST WALL (1-18 DECEMBER) | 520 | |
The Fight for Sarre-Union | 521 | ||
The XII Corps Left and Center Advance on Sarreguemines | 526 | ||
The 4th Armored Division Drive from Domfessel to Singling | 530 | ||
The Last Phase of the Advance Toward the West Wall | 533 | ||
XIII. | THE XX CORPS BATTLE AT THE WEST WALL | 548 | |
The 95th lnfantry Division Expansion of the Saarlautern Bridgehead | 554 | ||
The 90th Infantry Division Crosses the Sarre | 558 | ||
Operations on the South Flank of the XX Corps | 569 | ||
The 95th Division Fight at the West Wall, 7–18 December | 572 | ||
The 90th Division Fight at the West Wall Continues, 8–19 December | 577 | ||
XIV. | CONCLUSION | 590 | |
Estimates by the Enemy | 590 | ||
Losses Suffered by the Combatants | 592 | ||
Supply | 595 | ||
Morale Factors; Civilian Problems | 597 | ||
Air-Ground Co-operation | 598 | ||
Matériel | 602 | ||
Characteristics of Operations | 604 | ||
Appendices | |||
A. | THIRD ARMY STAFF ROSTER AS OF 1 SEPTEMBER 1944 | 608 | |
B. | GLOSSARY | 609 | |
C. | TABLE OF EQUIVALENT RANKS | 613 | |
BASIC MILITARY MAP SYMBOLS | 614 | ||
BIBLIOGRAPHICAL NOTE | 616 | ||
INDEX | 621 |
Illustrations are from the following sources: U.S. Army Photos, pages: 14, 19, 59, 64, 73, 74, 76, 92, 113, 133, 136, 147, 186, 188, 267, 268, 279, 291, 292, 327, 341, 343, 347, 356, 364, 378, 383, 392, 424, 439, 445, 448, 455, 474, 481, 523, 545, 585.
U.S. Air Force Photos, pages: 67, 82, 98, 101, 110, 138, 155, 173, 179, 200, 265, 277, 297, 321, 329, 334, 360, 411, 484, 494, 507, 516, 555, 562, 564, 573, 580.
Captured German Photo, page: 44.
United Features Syndicate, Inc., page: 294.