"to 622 field guns, 2,876 fortress guns, 72 mitrailleuses, 137,000 chassepots, 123,000 other small arms, vast stores of ammunition and 56 Imperial Eagles, all captured by the Germans. The Germans lost 5,500 enlisted men and 240 officers killed and wounded, as well as large numbers of sick. Siege of Metz (1870) The Siege of Metz lasting from 19 August – 27 October 1870 was fought during the Franco-Prussian War and ended in a decisive Prussian victory. After being held at the Battle of Gravelotte, Marshal Bazaine retreated into the defenses of Metz. There he was besieged by over 150,000 Prussian"
"Battle of Metz The Battle of Metz was a battle fought during World War II at the city of Metz, France, from late September 1944 through mid-December between the U.S. Third Army commanded by Lieutenant General George Patton and the German Army commanded by General Otto von Knobelsdorff. Strong German resistance resulted in heavy casualties for both sides. The city was captured by U.S. forces and hostilities formally ceased on 22 November; the last of the forts defending Metz surrendered on 13 December. Metz is located between the rivers Moselle and Seille. The fortifications of Metz consisted of several forts"
"victory for the Prussians. Bazaine had failed to make it to Verdun. After the Battle of Gravelotte on 18 August, the Prussians trapped Bazaine in the city on 19 August, and the Siege of Metz ensued, concluding with the surrender of the French Army of the Rhine on 27 October. Von Bredow's death ride ""was perhaps the last successful cavalry charge in Western European warfare"". Its success won it renown among military historians, which created a myth to the effect that ""for some decades 'Bredow’s achievement was the norm',"" that cavalry could still play a decisive role in battle in"
"Metz forts were gradually reduced through December. Fort Jeanne d'Arc was the last to surrender on 13 December 1944, capitulating to the U.S. III Corps. Following the war, Fort Jeanne d'Arc was selected to become a NATO control center for air defense operations, manned by American, Canadian and French personnel. The site was designated the Moselle Common Area Control (MCAC), and provided air traffic control for a portion of Northeastern France and adjoining areas of Luxembourg and West Germany, along with approach control for four USAF bases as well as a flight plan service for RCAF Station Grostenquin. The facility"
"1/4 of his men. By 22:00, firing largely died down across the battlefield for the night. The next morning, the exhausted French Army of the Rhine retreated to Metz where they were besieged and forced to surrender two months later. The battle was a Prussian and Hessian victory in that it succeeded in blocking Bazaine's way to Verdun. In a short time the Prussians trapped Bazaine in the city and the siege of Metz ensued. The casualties were severe. The combined Prussian and Hessian force had 20,163 troops killed, wounded or missing in action during the 18 August battle. The"
"the Americans from reaching the Moselle. Under pressure from the American artillery, and armored troops, the German units of the eventually fell back on a more limited basis, before shutting themselves in the fort, West of Metz during the final assault on the old city of Lorraine. While the US military managed to pass the Moselle on November 18, 1944, the US command was forced to keep back forces to neutralize the elements of the """" still entrenched in the Group Fortification Francois de Guise and the forts surrounding. On the evening of November 23, 1944, shortly before midnight, the"
"staff of the and defended by a battalion of fusiliers, is the last of the forts of Metz to surrender, December 13, 1944. Determined German resistance, bad weather and floods, inopportunity, and a general tendency to underestimate the firepower of the fortifications of Metz, have helped slow the US offensive, giving the opportunity to the German Army withdraw in good order to the Saar. The objective of the German staff, which was to stall US troops at Metz for the longest possible time before they could reach the front of the Siegfried Line, is largely achieved. Group Fortification Marne The"
"the early weeks of the war. However, being the youngest of the French Marshals, Napoleon's choice was met with suspicion and jealousy by the older, socially superior Marshals. Hence it was with reluctance that he took up the chief command, and his tenure became the central act in the tragedy of 1870. He found the army in retreat, ill-equipped and numerically at a great disadvantage, and the generals and officers discouraged and distrustful of one another. Bazaine's solution was to bring back his army to Metz. The day after assuming command of the Army, on 14 August at Borny he"
"Corps of the Army of the Rhine near Metz. On August 12, 1870, during the war, Bazaine was nominated as the commander-in-chief of the Army of the Rhine, which was forced to unfold towards Châlons-sur-Marne to rejoin reserves in order to face the German troops. On the other hand, while he was presented with the occasion to destroy several enemy army corps following the Battle of Mars-la-Tour (), on August 16, he decided, to the astonishment of his general staff headquarters to unfold his army of 180,000 men at Metz (), accordingly cutting himself from free France and his reserves."
"Metz by Chambley, Mars-la-Tour, Jarny and Briey. After an initial withdrawal, on 6 September 1944, the German lines now rely solidly on the western sector of the forts of Metz, especially on forts Lorraine, Jeanne D'Arc and Driant. The US offensive launched September 7, 1944, is cut short. Troops must stop on the Moselle, despite gaining two bridgeheads south of Metz. The forts are better defended against US attack than expected, so US troops are now out of breath. General McLain, in agreement with the General Walker, decided to suspend the attacks, pending further plans of the General Staff of"
"became traditional in the age of early modern warfare, when sieges were more common, and logistical challenges made it difficult to corner a defeated enemy after a battlefield victory. However, the practice continued into the age of industrial warfare. After the Siege of Metz (1870), the Prussians offered honours of war to the capitulating French army, but the French general Bazaine refused to accept them. In World War II, the Germans granted the honours of war to the defeated French garrison at the Siege of Lille (1940), and the British granted the honours of war to the defeated Italian army"
"army, on November 21, 1944. at the end of the Battle of Metz. The fort Jeanne-d’Arc was the last of the forts of Metz to surrender. Determined German resistance, bad weather and floods, inopportunity, and a general tendency to underestimate the firepower of the fortifications of Metz, have helped slow the US offensive, giving the opportunity to the German Army to withdraw in good order to the Saar. The objective of the German staff, which was to save time by stalling US troops for the longest possible period, before they could advance to the front of the Siegfried Line, has"
"too far back near the Moselle for resupply to be accomplished on 16 August. The French soldiers were physically exhausted and morally shaken by the long and severe battle and one later French military writer opined that the entire French army would have retreated in panic on 17 August had the Germans advanced. Citing the need to acquire more ammunition and the distance from the supply trains, Bazaine issued an order on the night of 16–17 August for his army to fall back closer to Metz. The strong defensive positions of the fortress would, he thought, enable him to inflict"
"Battle of Mars-la-Tour The Battle of Mars-La-Tour (also known as the Battle of Vionville or Battle of Rezonville) was fought on 16 August 1870, during the Franco-Prussian War, near the village of Mars-La-Tour in northeast France. One Prussian corps, reinforced by two more later in the day, encountered the entire French Army of the Rhine in a meeting engagement and, surprisingly, forced the Army of the Rhine to retreat into the fortress of Metz. A cavalry patrol of the 1st Squadron of the 1st Hanoverian Dragoon Regiment No. 9, led by Rittmeister Oskar von Blumenthal, discovered that Marshal François Bazaine's"
"Lorraine. In late August 1944, at the beginning of the Battle of Metz, the German command integrated the defensive system set up around Metz. On 2 September 1944, Metz was declared a Hitler Reich fortress, to be defended to the last by German troops whose leaders were all sworn to the Führer. The next day General Walther Krause, then commander of the fortress of Metz, established his High Command, the main command post in the barracks was Fort de Plappeville, then known as Feste Alvensleben. The same day, the troops of General Krause took position on a line from Pagny-sur-Moselle"
"not remilitarised after 1945. The Fort des Bordes is closed permanently in 1954. In early September 1944, at the beginning of the Battle of Metz. the German command integrated the defenses around Metz. On September 2, 1944, Metz was declared in effect by the Reich fortress Hitler. The fortress must be defended to the last by German troops, whose leaders were all sworn to the Führer. The next day, September 3, 1944, General Krause, then commander of the fortress of Metz, established his ""High Command, ""the main command post in the barracks fort Alvensleben. Fort Plappeville was indeed the center"
"The fort Jeanne-d’Arc was the last of the forts of Metz to disarm, on December 13, 1944. Determined German resistance, bad weather and floods, inopportunity, and a general tendency to underestimate the firepower of the fortifications of Metz, helped slow the US offensive, giving the opportunity to the German Army to withdraw in good order to the Saarland. The objective of the German staff, which was to stall the US troops at Metz for the longest possible time before they could reach the front of the Siegfried Line, was largely achieved. Fortifications of Saint-Quentin The Fortifications of Saint-Quentin, or form"
"forbidden against the holdout forts in order to preserve artillery ammunition for the XX Corps' advance to the Sarre River and the isolated forts subsequently surrendered one by one following the surrender of Fort Verdun on 26 November. By the end of November, several forts were still holding out. The last of the forts at Metz to surrender was Fort Jeanne d'Arc, which capitulated to the U.S. III Corps on 13 December. 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"
"red of the other three zouave regiments, with yellow instead of blue fez tassels. The bulk of the Imperial Guard was amongst the army led by Marshal Francois Bazaine, which was obliged to capitulate at Metz on 27 October 1870. The Guard was formally abolished by the new French Republican Government, following the fall of the Empire. The 23 depot companies of the infantry of the Imperial Guard were brought together to form the 28th ""regiment de march"" which fought with distinction during the siege of Paris and subsequently became the 128th Regiment of the Line of the new French"
"combative troops of the , the forts fall one after the other, as a result of fighting or simply running out of food and ammunition. The final assault on Metz happens at dawn on November 14, 1944. The M101 howitzer from ""359th Field Artillery Battalion"" opened fire on the area located on either side of the Fortified group Jeanne-d'Arc, between the and the fort Driant to pave the way for ""379th Infantry regiment"" whose goal is to reach the Moselle. The attack is focused on fort Jeanne-d’Arc which ends up being encircled by US troops. After two deadly counterattacks, the"
"forces needed for the defence of the Mareth Line and the effort was abandoned at dusk. During the night, the Eighth Army remained alert in case of another Axis attempt and sent forward patrols to reconnoitre and to demolish knocked-out Axis tanks. During the day the ""Luftwaffe"" and ""Regia Aeronautica"" had made a maximum effort with little effect against the Allied anti-aircraft defence and the Desert Air Force and on 7 March, the Axis forces began a withdrawal northwards towards the Mareth Line, the Eighth Army pursuit being slowed by rain. The Battle of Medenine was the last battle commanded"
"defeats of Marshal MacMahon's French Forces at Wörth and Marshal Canrobert's at Forbach, Napoleon III (who was in increasingly poor health) was swift to give Bazaine the title of Commander-in-Chief of the French Army on 13 August 1870. At the time, Napoleon's choice was considered to be a wise one. It was widely believed by French politicians and soldiers alike, that if anyone was capable of saving France from the Prussian onslaught, it was ""notre glorieux Bazaine"" (""our glorious Bazaine""). He was the only remaining Marshal of France not to have suffered defeat at the hands of Prussian forces in"
"concentration. The great battle was fought, and having inflicted severe punishment on his assailants, Bazaine fell back within the entrenched camp of Metz. But although he made no appeals for help, the only remaining army of France, Marshal Mac-Mahon's ""Army of Châlons"", moved to rescue Bazaine. Napoleon III followed close behind MacMahon's army in a carriage. When on 2 September 1870, MacMahon blundered into a German trap at Sedan, the Emperor mounted a horse despite his pain, rode along the firing line for hours seeking death. It never found him. Napoleon III surrendered with 80,000 men. With Sedan the Second"
"want to unleash a terrible revolution. They will say you quit the army to flee the danger."" The Emperor agreed to remain with the army. With the Empress directing the country, and Bazaine commanding the army, the Emperor no longer had any real role to play. At the front, the Emperor told Marshal Leboeuf, ""we've both been dismissed."" On 18 August 1870, the biggest battle of the war, the Battle of Gravelotte took place in Lorraine between the Germans and the army of Marshal Bazaine. The Germans suffered 20,000 casualties and the French 12,000, but the Germans emerged as the"
"the Americans, but certain forts still resist for two long weeks. On December 6, 1944, the fort Saint-Quentin surrenders with its large garrison. The Fort Plappeville disarms the next day. The fort Jeanne-d’Arc, probably because it was controlled by the staff of the and defended by a battalion of fusiliers, is the last of the forts of Metz to disarm, on December 13, 1944. Determined German resistance, bad weather and floods, inopportunity, and a general tendency to underestimate the firepower of the fortifications of Metz, have helped slow the US offensive, giving the opportunity to the German Army to withdraw"
"to take command of the Army of the Rhine, petrified by the responsibilities which would ensue, abandoned this vicious commandment to Bazaine and became an obeying subordinate. He partook to the combats of Sainte-Barbe, Noisseville and Landonchamps. On August 16/18, he commanded the 6th Army Corps and distinguished capability at Gravelotte, Saint-Privat where he shook three corps of général von Steinmetz and decimated the 1st Infantry Regiment of the Prussian Guard (), however, due to a mistake in supply of ammunition and reinforcements, he abandoned his position. He was made prisoner with Marshal Bazaine during the surrender of Metz on"
"21 November 1918. Pétain ended the war regarded ""without a doubt, the most accomplished defensive tactician of any army"" and ""one of France's greatest military heroes"" and was presented with his baton of Marshal of France at a public ceremony at Metz by President Raymond Poincaré on 8 December 1918. He was summoned to be present at the signing of the Treaty of Versailles on 28 June 1919. His job as Commander-in-Chief came to an end with peace and demobilisation, and with Foch out of favour after his quarrel with the French government over the peace terms, it was Petain"
"This surrender is often explained by Bazaine's lack of motivation to defend a government that corresponded less and less to his political ideals and the best interests of France, as he saw it. A week's further resistance would have potentially enabled the levies of the National Defence government to crush the weak forces of the Germans on the Loire and to relieve Paris. But the army of Prince Friedrich Karl of Prussia, set free from the siege of Metz by Bazaine's surrender, hurried up in time to check and to defeat the great effort at Orléans. The defection of Bazaine"
"Siege of Metz (1814) The Siege of Metz (17 January – 10 April 1814) was a siege of the French city of Metz during the War of the Sixth Coalition at the end of the Napoleonic Wars. It pitted French forces under General Pierre François Joseph Durutte against Prussian, Russian and Hessian troops commanded by the Russian General Dimitri Mikhailovich Youzefovitch. The allied force began the siege on 17 January 1814 and eventually lifted it on 10 April the same year, without having taken the city. After the German campaign, Napoleon's army retreated onto French soil. From November 1813 the"
"to Mondelange, passing to the west of Metz by Chambley-Bussières, Mars-la-Tour, Jarny and Briey. After an initial withdrawal, starting 6 September 1944, the German lines rested firmly on the forts of Metz. The US offensive, launched 7 September 1944 on the west line of the forts of Metz was cut short. American troops, stopped at the Moselle, despite taking two bridgeheads south of Metz, better defended than expected, were now low on supplies and figuratively out of breath. General Raymond McLain, in agreement with General Edwin Walker, decided to suspend the attack, pending new plans from the General Staff of"
"to take the fortifications of Metz in a pincer movement. 95th Infantry Division must focus its efforts on the western front of Metz, while 5th division must outflank the German lines north and south. The encircling attack on the US military finally succeeds, after three days of uncertainty. On the evening of November 17, 1944, the situation of the German defenders has become critical. The able-bodied men of are mostly surrounded in the forts of Metz. The remaining troops, fragmented in the extreme, hold key positions on the outskirts of the city. On 22 November 1944, the city falls to"
"staff calculated that Bazaine was nearing Verdun, the French had in reality barely got their artillery and baggage trains through the town of Metz. Even on the battlefield the Marshal forbade the general staff to appear, and conducted the fighting by means of his personal orderly officers. After the cumbrous army had passed through Metz it encountered an isolated corps of the enemy near the village of Mars-la-Tour, which was commanded by the brilliant leader Constantin von Alvensleben, and promptly attacked the French. At almost every moment of the day victory was in Bazaine's hands. Two corps of the Germans"
"massive losses on the Germans and crush their armies. After resupplying, Bazaine would begin anew the march to the Meuse on 19 and 20 August. Despite some skirmishing on 17 August, the Prussians did not pursue the French in force, as attacking that day was not their intention. The French withdrew to the Plappeville plateau east of Gravelotte over the course of the day. There the Battle of Gravelotte would be fought on 18 August. Tactically, neither side succeeded in dislodging the other from their positions during the day. The French withdrew during the night. The battle was a strategic"