Lorraine campaign
Lorraine Campaign is a term used by U.S. Army historians to describe operations of the U.S. Third Army in Lorraine during World War II from September 1 through December 18, 1944. Official U.S. Army campaign names for this period and location are Northern France and Rhineland. The term was popularized by the publication of a volume of the same name by the U.S. Army in 1950. As written by the volume's author:
Precise military terminology has been employed, except in those cases where clarity and economy of style have dictated usage of a more general nature. Thus, the Third Army operations in Lorraine are considered to be a "campaign" in the general sense of the term, despite the fact that the Department of the Army does not award a separate campaign star for these operations.[1]
Although the term Lorraine Campaign is unofficial, it represents a more traditional use of the term "campaign" in that the battles described by the term were part of a larger operation that had a set goal. By contrast, the official U.S. Army campaign names refer to what were actually multiple campaigns and large military organizations with diverse goals.
Operationally, the term encompasses the assaults across the Moselle and Sauer Rivers, the battles of Metz and Nancy, and the push to the German frontier at the onset of December 1944.
The Lorraine Campaign consisted of three phases.
- The push to the Moselle
The Third Army, lacking gasoline, was unable to swiftly take both Metz and Nancy, unlike the actions that characterized the rapid advance across France. After the battle of Arracourt following the fall of Nancy and the meeting engagement of Mairy, the Third Army had to pause and await resupply. For the OKW, stopping Patton was a priority that resulted in replacements and reinforcements for the German Fifth Panzer Army and 7th Army.
- Stalemate around Fortress Metz
Until 12 October 1944 and the beginning of the assault on Metz, exceptionally rainy weather hampered military operations. This combined with spirited German resistance and competent use of the terrain around Metz to delay the fall of Metz until late in November 1944.
- The advance to the Saar and the Siegfried Line
After the fall of Metz and its fortifications, the Third Army launched an offensive to advance to the Westwall. The attack across the Saar River was underway as the Germans opened the Ardennes Offensive. Operations on the Saar were scaled down as Third Army shifted troops north to counterattack the German offensive into Belgium and Luxembourg from the south. The move north of the Third Army marked the close of the Lorraine Campaign.
Estimated losses were:
35,000 U.S. casualties
50-75,000 German casualties
See also
- Battle of Fort Driant
- The Lorraine Campaign online
- U.S. Army brochure on the Northern France Campaign
- U.S. Army brochure on the Rhineland Campaign
Article sources
- The Lorraine Campaign, Hugh M. Cole, Washington: Center of Military History, 1950.
Citations
- ^ Cole, p. xiii.