14. Lorraine, France, September – December 1944
Lorraine was one of two regions of France, the other being Alsace, which were considered by the Germans to be territory of the Reich, rather than France. As such they had large German speaking populations and were defended as if they were part of the Fatherland, rather than conquered French soil. The retaking of Lorraine was the responsibility of the United States Third Army, under General George Patton and was complicated by Patton’s own errors of judgment and the lack of supplies, particularly fuel for his tanks and armored vehicles. The resultant temporary reduction in offensive punch allowed the Germans to prepare strong defensive positions around Nancy and Metz. The Germans were also aided by the unusually wet autumn weather, which hampered the operations which Patton did manage to launch, as roads and fields turned into mires of mud.
Following the rapid advance of Third Army across France, the fighting in Lorraine was a disappointment to Allied leaders and one of Patton’s most controversial operations of the war. Patton was still slogging in Lorraine when the Germans launched the Ardennes offensive, and armored columns which were poised to push across the Saar River were instead diverted to the north to assist in the containing of the German assault. The battle for Lorraine lasted over three months, a period when Patton’s famed spearheads advanced less than sixty miles, as the crow flies, towards the German border. Following the Battle of the Bulge Patton consolidated his operations in Luxembourg. During the three month slog in mud and mire, 6,657 Americans were killed, in an operation from which little strategic value was derived.