Battle for Nancy
| date | September 5-15, 1944 |
|---|---|
| place | Nancy , France |
| output | allied victory |
| Parties to the conflict | |
|---|---|
| Commander | |
| Troop strength | |
| 3 divisions | 2 divisions and 3 regiments |
| losses | |
|
at least 2,851 |
at least 4,081 |
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The Battle of Nancy ( French Liberation de Nancy , English Battle of Nancy ) describes the ten-day fighting in September 1944 for the French city of Nancy on the Western Front . You are part of the Battle of Lorraine . In the course of the fighting, the city and its surroundings were liberated by the 3rd US Army . At the same time the Moselle was crossed by the US troops.
Starting position
When US 3rd Army launched its attack on Nancy, it had only just recovered from a five-day fuel shortage that forced it to stop at the height of the Meuse . The German defenders used this time in the area to strengthen their positions. While the XX. US Corps in the north was entrusted with the capture of Metz , Nancy, the second important city in the Lorraine region , should be from the XII. Corps are taken. The corps was not fully operational at this point, as the 35th US Infantry Division had to cover the southern flank of the Allied troops until the 7th US Army in the south could close the gap. This meant that only the 4th US Armored Division and the 80th US Infantry Division were available for the anticipated battles .
US troops
XII. Corps - Major General Manton Eddy
- 4th Armored Division - Major General John S. Wood
- Combat Command A
- Combat Command B
- Combat Command R
- 35th Infantry Division - Major General Paul W. Baade
- 134th Infantry Regiment
- 137th Infantry Regiment
- 320th Infantry Regiment
- 80th Infantry Division - Major General Horace L. McBride
- 317th Infantry Regiment
- 318th Infantry Regiment
- 319th Infantry Regiment
German defenders
XXXXVII. Panzer Corps - General of the armored troop Heinrich Freiherr von Lüttwitz
-
3rd Panzer Grenadier Division - Major General Hans Hecker
- 8th Panzer Grenadier Regiment
- Panzer Grenadier Regiment 29
- 553rd Grenadier Division - Major General Hans Bruhn
- Grenadier Regiment 1119
- Grenadier Regiment 1120
- Grenadier Regiment 1121
- Panzergrenadier Regiment 104 (detached from the 15th Panzergrenadier Division )
- Parachute Hunter Replacement and Training Regiment 3
- Air Regiment 92
course
Attempt by the 80th Infantry Division to secure a bridgehead
Due to landscape difficulties and a lack of information about the enemy strength, it was decided, contrary to the approach at Commercy, not to risk the 4th Panzer Division in a surprise attack on a bridge. Instead, the 80th Infantry Division was commissioned to secure three crossings over the Moselle: at Pont-à-Mousson with the 317th regiment, at Toul with the 319th regiment and at Marbache with the 318th regiment. The 4th Armored would then, coming from northern Pont-à-Mousson, bypass the city and attack from the east, while the infantry would advance from the west of Toul.
At Pont-à-Mousson, the 317th regiment renounced reconnaissance and previous artillery strikes, hoping to have the surprise advantage on their own side. In retrospect, this turned out to be a bad decision. The German defenders were far stronger and better prepared than expected. They held the site and recognized the movements of American troops nearby. They made two attempts to cross, the first in daylight and the second at night. Both were easily repulsed and the attack was called off by General Eddy.
The 318th Infantry Regiment met the Flieger-Regiment 92 at Marbache. Heavy fighting in the woods ensued as an attempt was made to conquer the heights that dominated the area. After two days of fighting, the defenders had to give up their positions and the hill was taken. The US troops had to give in to a German counterattack and were thrown back.
At Toul the Americans initially seemed to have more success, as a loop of the Moselle was crossed by the 319th Inf. Regiment. The Parachute Hunter Replacement and Training Regiment 3 deployed here then withdrew to a defense position 16 km to the east, from where further advances could be repelled.
American regroupings
Although the initial crossing attempts largely failed, the situation began to improve for the Americans from September 7th. Since the 7th Army was now advancing from the south, the XV. Corps return to 3rd Army and cover the southern flank. This made it possible to include the 35th Infantry Regiment in the fighting. A new plan was worked out. The 80th Infantry Division was now to attack in the north and the 35th Infantry Division in the south together with Combat Command B (CCB) of the 4th Panzer Division. Meanwhile, CCA should remain in reserve to provide support afterwards. The plan was scheduled for September 11th.
Attack in the north by the 80th Division
After the poor results of the previous crossing attempts, greater efforts were made to carry out a coordinated and well-supported attack. The new plan provided that only the 317th regiment would cross over at Dieulouard and build a bridgehead in order to then cover the 318th regiment and allow it to storm the heights at Mousson in the north. A bridge had to be built that would enable the CCA tanks to take Château-Salins , an important rail hub in the area. Since the 319th Regiment was still involved in fighting in Toul, it could not be used in this attack.
Due to the continued successful defense against the German troops, further support was requested. On September 10, American bombers then destroyed a bridge at Custines to prevent further enemy reinforcements from Nancy. An attack on Mousson Hill was launched the next evening. In order to deceive the enemy, artillery and air strikes were carried out mainly on Pont-à-Mousson.
The infantry was finally able to cross on September 12th and met little resistance. The advance came so quickly that parts of the CCA were able to translate on the same day. The Germans were no longer able to counterattack, as large parts of the reserve in the area had already been sent north to defeat the XX. Corps to work.
A German attack to destroy the bridge began around noon on September 13th. It was successful at first, as it succeeded in pushing the US infantry back almost to the beachhead. The CCA's light reconnaissance tanks were then used to ease the situation at the bridgehead. However, these proved ineffective against the German machine guns. In response, the 37th Battalion, commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Creighton Abrams, was sent across the bridge and intervened in the action. This gave the GIs enough time to regroup, and the German attack ran dead. That same evening the bridge was deemed secure and allowed the CCA to pass the bridge. Further counter-attacks against the American bridgehead were repulsed the next day with the help of armored reinforcements.
Attack in the south by the 35th Division
On September 10, when the 35th Division took up position to carry out their part of the attack plan, an intact bridge was reported. This was mined, but not destroyed. A battalion of the 134th regiment was given permission to take the bridge by storm. Despite its success, reinforcements could not be brought in quickly enough, whereupon the bridge was destroyed by German artillery. The battalion now suffered heavy losses from German counterattacks. These losses prevented further use of the regiment when trying to set up a transfer point. Instead, it was used the next day to secure the left flank at Pont-Saint-Vincent.
Now the CCB at Bainville-aux-Miroirs and near Bayon has also managed to cross the river. A large bridge was built at Bayon that same night. A German attack was repulsed here and the enemy units enclosed and destroyed.
The 137th regiment also managed to gain a foothold at Crévéchamps, after an eight kilometer detour and half an hour of artillery bombardment. After translating, the soldiers were quickly held down by German troops, but managed to fight their way free after the Germans were exhausted from the counterattacks at Bayon.
Inclusion of Nancy
The column of Colonel Abrams' 37th Tank Battalion reached Fresnes-en-Saulnois, a village three miles west of Château-Salins, on September 13. The next day, the orders were changed and CCA was now to take the heights of Arracourt to cut off the German escape routes from Nancy. Upon their arrival in the area, CCA met forces from the 15th Panzer Grenadier Division and dispersed them. Defensive positions were then taken to the east. From here, German units on the main road to Nancy could be under fire and advanced units could hit CCB patrols near the Canal de la Marne au Rhin . That included Nancy. Raids in the area have now taken over 400 prisoners, destroyed more than 160 vehicles and killed ten 88mm cannons.
After crossing the Moselle through CCB in the south, the German defenders had to retreat to the forest near Vitrimont on the other side of the Moselle due to poor natural defenses. There was little time for an organized defense, and CCB dispersed the remaining German troops after crossing the Meurthe on September 14th. The majority then withdrew to the Lunéville area.
Liberation of Nancy
The complete encirclement of Nancy hastened the German withdrawal, which General Blaskowitz had approved on September 13th . The 320th and 137th Infantry Regiments pushed out of the bridgeheads at Bayon and advanced rapidly towards the Meurthe, which was crossed on the evening of September 14th. On September 16, the 320th regiment crossed the Marne-Rhine Canal, while the 137th regiment made it to the area around St. Nicolas de Port. At this point a final resistance flared up from the 553rd Grenadier Division. Both US regiments came under heavy fire.
On September 14th, the 319th Infantry Regiment was ready to advance on Nancy herself. The reconnaissance of the Forces françaises de l'intérieur informed the US troops that the Germans had evacuated the Forêt de Haye. On September 15, the 3rd Battalion of the 319th Infantry Regiment finally entered Nancy via the Route de Toul and the eastern suburbs. There was no resistance whatsoever.
Effects
The capture of Nancy gave the Allies an important communications center in France. The city later served as the headquarters for the 3rd Army. However, the German defenders escaped the majority of the enclosure of the city and continued to be deployed in Lorraine and later Germany. The Battle of Lorraine lasted until December 13th and ended with the surrender of Metz.
Web links
literature
- Cole, Hugh M., The Lorraine Campaign , Washington DC: Center of Military History, 1997.
Note: this article is based on a translation of the article en: Battle of Nancy (1944) in March 2010 (the article was at the time here ).