Battle of Longwy
| date | August 22 to August 25, 1914 |
|---|---|
| place | Montmédy to Longwy , northern Lorraine and the Belgian province of Luxembourg |
| output | German victory |
| Parties to the conflict | |
|---|---|
| Commander | |
|
Crown Prince Wilhelm of Prussia |
Pierre Ruffey |
| Troop strength | |
| 5th Army with 14 divisions, 270,000 men |
3rd Army with nine infantry divisions and one cavalry division, about 180,000 men Armée de Lorraine with six reserve divisions |
| losses | |
|
unknown |
unknown |
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The Battle of Longwy from August 22nd to 25th 1914 was one of the so-called border battles of the First World War . It took place on the western front on the fortress line Montmédy - Longuyon - Longwy . The battle was initiated by an attack by the German 5th Army under the leadership of Crown Prince Wilhelm from the Arlon area to Diedenhofen . The action on the front line Étalle - Virton - Esch met with the French 3rd Army under General Pierre Ruffey , which advanced simultaneously with three corps between Audun - Montmédy to the northeast. The German troops were able to push the French back on the Meuse and the northeast front of Verdun in three days of fighting .
prehistory
At the beginning of its advance through Luxembourg, the German 5th Army comprised five army corps with 147 battalions and 240,000 men and 123 batteries with almost 700 artillery pieces. The Higher Cavalry Command No. 4 under General der Kavallerie von Hollen was available with 41 squadrons - around 6,500 riders - in the Diedenhofen area as a mobile intervention reserve. In order to strengthen the forces in front of the Verdun Fortress , the 5th Army was also added to the 2nd Landwehr Division under Lieutenant General Adolf Franke on August 20 . In the association of the 5th Army were primarily the V , XIII. and XVI. Army Corps , as well as the V. and VI. Reserve Corps . The 3rd Cavalry Division operated on the right wing in front of the front of the 5th Army Corps (General Hermann von Strantz ) and cleared up from Étalle via Jamoigne - Izel against Florenville .
On August 20, the 5th Army reached the Arlon – Étalle – Châtillon line (V and XIII Army Corps), Kerschen - Redingen (VI Reserve Corps) - Öttingen - XVI. Army corps north of Diedenhofen, 5th reserve corps as a reserve of the center behind at Dippach - Arsweiler . In the second season the VI followed. Reserve Corps behind the XIII. Army Corps from Kayl to Esch after. The 33rd Reserve Division under Lieutenant General Viktor Bausch was withdrawn from the fortress of Metz and, after the danger of a French attack on Metz no longer existed, moved to take part in the attack on Verdun. The 3rd and 6th Cavalry Divisions of the Higher Cavalry Command No. 4 acted to cover the two wings of the 5th Army . The 3rd Cavalry Division secured the right flank of the 5th Army on the heights north of Villers-sur- Semois .
August 22nd
March
The French 3rd Army under General Pierre Ruffey was advancing north on August 22nd with eight divisions from the Verdun area over the Othain and the Meuse up against the Longuyon - Montmédy line . For the Germans, there was a danger that the inner wings of the French 3rd and 4th Armies (2nd and 4th Corps) would be pushed right up to the seam of the German 5th and the 4th Armies advancing to the right . This would threaten the 4th Army on its left flank, while the right wing corps (German VI and VAK) and the 5th Army, which advanced in two groups, would have been threatened by a split. The left wing of the 5th Army would have been prematurely stopped with the planned advance between Crusnes and Serre to the Othain sector. The Chief of Staff of the 5th Army, Lieutenant General Schmidt von Knobelsdorf convinced the German Crown Prince that he could successfully avert this danger by a counterattack on both sides of Longwy in a south and south-westerly direction. The news arriving at the headquarters of the German 4th Army in Bastogne caused the chief of staff there, Lieutenant General von Lüttwitz , to attack his troops in the Neufchâteau area at the same time . The pioneer leader of the 5th Army, Major General Kaempffer , independently led his detachment against the fortress of Longwy in the center of the 5th Army . The V Reserve Corps , which followed in the second meeting , had marched through Esch on August 20 and was after its turn to the south, the 10th Reserve Division was advancing via Dippach on the march towards Crusnes, the 9th Reserve Division passed over Leudelange and Bettembourg on the French border near Aumetz .
Battle between Rossignol and Tintigny
The left wing of the German 4th Army advancing on the Léglise - Thibessart line - the VI. Army Corps under General von Pritzelwitz - was temporarily subordinated to the 5th Army in order to be able to support the attack of the 5th Army Corps on Virton . The Germans met the right wing of the French 4th Army of General Langle de Cary , who, during the simultaneous battle at Neufchâteau, had orders to bring his troops across the Belgian border to the Gedinne - Paliseul - Offagne - Bertrix line . Langle's right wing, formed by the French colonial corps under General Lefevre , met the German VI at Rossignol. Army Corps. To the left of the Colonial Corps, the French 23rd Division of the XII. Army Corps on the Semois, the 2nd Colonial Division under General Leblois, had orders to remain behind the river at Jamoigne as a reserve. The German 12th Division under General Chales de Beaulieu was assigned to Rossignol and the 11th Division under General von Webern to Tintigny . From Sainte-Marie the 3rd Cavalry Division attacked Bellefontaine, the 12th Division crossed the Semois and reached Saint-Vincent . The French suffered heavy losses at Rossignol. The German 11th division comprised Rossignol, here the 3rd DIC (colonial infantry, ethnically French professional soldiers) was almost completely encircled at Bellefontaine - the division leader General Raffenel had fallen when the outbreak occurred . By the morning of August 23, the VI. Army Corps brought in 3800 prisoners, including the two wounded Brigadier Generals Montignault and Rondony . The 1st Colonial Brigade, which initially consisted of 6,800 men, had only 226 soldiers that morning.
Fights between Virton and Ethe
The V Army Corps under General von Strantz , set up on Virton , met the French 4th Corps under General Victor Boëlle on the Ethe – Robelmont line . General von Below let the 9th Division advance on the heights between Robelmont and Virton, east of this the 10th Division of General Kosch with the 19th Brigade on Belmont and the 50th Infantry Regiment of the 20th Brigade on Ethe. The French 7th Division had orders to take Virton. The leading 14th Brigade reached Gomery and received orders from General Edgar de Trentinian to attack Belmont. To the north of Virton, the French attempt to attack the flank of the German V Corps got stuck, despite the support of the 7.5 cm guns. When General de Trentinian arrived in Gomery with the 14th Brigade, he found that the 13th Brigade was already in retreat. In the evening the French had to take their troops back at Ethe, they also evacuated Goméry overnight - numerous wounded men and their medics were left behind. When retreating, the French relied on the 2nd Corps under General Augustin Gérard in the Montmédy area .
The procedure on Longuyon
In the center of the German 5th Army moved the XIII. Army Corps (General of the Infantry von Fabeck ) from Saint-Léger via Signeulx and Musson against the French 5th Corps under General Charles Georges Brochin . The 27th Division advanced on the left via Mussy-la-Ville to Ruette , on the right the 26th Division advanced on Ville-Houdlémont . The Württemberg 26th Division under General von Urach was assigned the procedure via Willancourt to Baranzy. The 53rd Brigade (27th Division) had approached via Châtillon and advanced under Major General von Moser via Saint-Léger to Bleid. The defending French division was thrown down from the heights north of Bleid - Baranzy and pushed back behind the line Tellancourt - Villancy - Gorcy . The 26th Division encountered strong enemy forces at Baranzy early on - the 52nd Brigade suffered heavy losses from flanking fire from the French 4th Corps. The XIII. Army Corps reached the Grandcourt and Tellancourt lines and pushed on towards Longuyon .
Advance to the Crusnes section
Opposite the right wing of the French 5th Corps, the German VI. Reserve Corps (General Konrad Ernst von Goßler ) on - left with the 12th Reserve Division via Laix - also on Longuyon and Pierrepont and reached the Cutry - Doncourt - Baslieux line . On the right, the 11th Reserve Division under General Karl Surén went through Cutry - Chenières on the Cons-la-Grandville - Ugny line . The 12th Reserve Division was attacked from Joppécourt on the left flank, but withstood enemy pressure at Doncourt. The 10th Reserve Division (Lieutenant General von Wartenberg ) fought for the place Ville-au-Montois and reached the Crusnes at Pierrepont. At around 3 p.m. German troops crossed the Crusnes valley. The 9th Reserve Division under Lieutenant General von Guretzky-Cornitz , in conjunction with the 34th Division , forced the march through Fillières and pursued Joppécourt. During the fighting for Mercy-le-Haut , several German infantry regiments and the 6th Cavalry Division bypassed the position of the French 40th Division (General Hache ) at Mercy-le-Haut from the southwest.
In the eastern apron of Verdun
Attacking from the Diedenhofen area , the XVI. Army Corps under General von Mudra in combat with the French 6th Corps under General Sarrail, the line Ville-au-Montois - Bazailles - Boismont to Sancy . The 34th Division under General von Heinemann was sent via Serrouville to Joppécourt, the 33rd Division under General von Reitzenstein from Sancy to Anderny . The 6th Cavalry Division under Lieutenant General von Schmettow had approached Mercy-le-Bas and Landres via Othain on August 21 and was attacked on the 22nd at Murville , but relieved by the intervention of the 66th Brigade under Colonel Heuer. The Heuer brigade was dispatched to the heights of Joppécourt, also via Audun-le-Roman and Fillières. Further south began the attack of the 34th Division on Malavillers , the 67th Brigade under Colonel Brosius was assigned to Bonviller via Sancy . The other brigade of the 34th Division was meanwhile still fighting for Mercy-le-Haut , so that the bulk of the 33rd Division was brought forward to the northwest via Preutin-Higny and followed the retreating French 6th Corps to the west of Xivry-Circourt . At the border near Briey , German Landwehr troops under General Adolf Franke prepared their approach to the Woëvre plain , where two French divisions of the reserve group under General Paul Durand were defending. The German 43rd and 45th Landwehr Brigade were brought forward to Landres, the 13th and 53rd Landwehr Brigade and the Bavarian 9th Landwehr Brigade to Briey.
August 23
The V Army Corps went on via Ruette - Charency , the 9th Division remained for the time being in Virton to avoid the left wing of the 4th Army - the VI, advancing towards the fortress of Montmédy . Army Corps - to be able to provide support at any time.
In the center of the attack, the XIII. Army Corps via Charency on Marville to Othainbach . On the right wing of this corps, the 27th Division advanced on the Allondrelle - Villancy line , with the 26th Division on the left via Montigny-sur-Chiers to Longuyon. The Fabeck corps finally reached the Othainbach between Villette - Colmey .
The VI. Reserve corps was assigned to the Saint-Laurent-sur-Othain - Pillon line . The corps reached the Beuveille - Arrancy line while the Kämpffer detachment now completely enclosed the fortress Longwy in the hinterland, which was defended by the French brigade of General Darche. Advancing south of Longwy to the west, the 11th Reserve Division had reached Cutry and was preparing to attack Montigny. The 12th Reserve Division captured Doncourt and Beuveille.
The V Reserve Corps was meanwhile set up from the Boismont - Mercy-le-Bas area on the Les Eurantes - Saint-Pierrevillers line to Othainbach. The 9th Reserve Division reached the area west Pierrepont where simultaneously the connection with that of Saint-Supplet approaching the 34th Division has been reached. The 33rd Division reached the Étain - Ollières - Domprix line by evening and was assigned to Gondrecourt .
On the left wing, the 2nd Landwehr Division had meanwhile followed to observe the fortress front northeast of Verdun . As a result, the 5th Army had to move its left wing - the XVI to the west. Army Corps - not weakened further in the attack on Verdun and General Mudra was able to continue his attack on Nouillonpont - Spincourt . Before that, the 6th Cavalry Division operated via Spincourt on Damvillers . The popular old field marshal Gottlieb von Haeseler , a veteran of the war from 1870 to 1871 , appeared at the headquarters of his former XVI during the fighting for Longwy. Army Corps and watched the operations at Damvillers.
The 6th Cavalry Division cleared out at Joudreville , the 3rd Cavalry Division on the southern wing of the 5th Army at Mouaville . The fortress reserve of Metz , the ( 33rd Reserve Division ) intervened in the fighting at Conflans .
August 24th
On August 24th, the 5th Army Corps occupied Charency and Vezin with the 10th Division (Lieutenant General Robert Kosch ) and reached Marville, followed by the 9th Division (Lieutenant General Eduard von Below ) and stood with Ruette.
The XIII. Army Corps fought on the Chiers section between Villette and Colmey, the 26th Division, together with the 11th Reserve Division, were attacking the Longuyon , where the 51st Brigade had already broken in. The VI. Reserve Corps wrestled with 12th Reserve Division for Arrancy, 10th Reserve Division advanced via Han on Pierrepont, 9th Reserve Division wrestled in Bois Deffoy .
By evening the V Army Corps from Vezin to Petit-Xivry , the XIII. Army Corps reached Noërs , the VI. Reserve Corps stood in Bois Deffoy up to Ferme Remenancourt , and the V Reserve Corps at Saint-Pierrevillers had a firm footing on the southern bank of the Chiers.
On the south wing the XVI. Army Corps with the 34th Division from Ollières and Réchicourt on Nouillonpont – Spincourt. The 33rd Division pursued over Domprix and reached the Othain between Duzey - Domremy . The Landwehr Corps under General Franke moved north-west via Gondrecourt to the heights east of Éton after the occupation of Éton , while the 33rd Reserve Division supported the 33rd Division from the south. On the outer left wing of the 5th Army in the Woevre Plain, the combined corps Oven (General of the Infantry Adolf von Oven ) was formed: the 43rd and 45th Landwehr Brigade penetrated the Bois de Rouvres via Béchamps . The 66th Reserve Brigade stormed the Ferme Longeau and, together with the Bavarian 8th Brigade, pushed on to Étain– Warcq .
August 25
On August 25, the weakened garrison of Metz fortress was reinforced by the 10th replacement division (General of the Infantry Georg von Gayl ), which was part of the German 6th Army after the Battle of Lorraine (on August 20-22 between Delme- Saarburg- Mörchingen) via Corny on Ars .
The 8th Bavarian Brigade (General Riedl ) advancing in the front at Rouvres and the 33rd Reserve Division were able to repel counterattacks by the Sarrail corps from the north- eastern front of Verdun between Étain- Lanhères . Links supported the 6th Cavalry Division and the Oven Corps. The XVI. Army Corps began to encircle the north-western front of Verdun on the Duzey- Haudelaucourt line . The 33rd Division captured Vaudoncourt and Muzeray , north of which the 34th Division wrestled before Warpremont . The V Reserve Corps advanced on both sides of Rouvrois .
First attack on Verdun
The French Armée de Lorraine , newly formed from the two reserve group Durand, was taken over by General Joseph Maunoury on August 21. It covered Verdun and the Maas heights between Pont-à-Mousson and Chambley- Étain against failures from the fortress area of Metz. On the morning of August 25, Maunourys counterattacked between Buzy and Conflans with General Durando's 3rd reserve group, set to the north: the Oven corps was pushed back on Fléville-Lixières , the German 6th Cavalry Division had to be withdrawn on Thumeréville . The attack of the 33rd Division standing north over the Othain section had to be stopped, the south wing with the XVI. Army corps and the advanced Oven corps had to go back to the line Nouillonpont-Réchicourt- Avillers- Landres- Mairy . The first German advance on Verdun had failed. The 34th Division went back via Réchicourt and took up a strong defensive position on the heights between Avillers – Landres, which the 33rd Division also had to use via Avillers. To the east of it, the Oven corps had to go back to the Landres – Mairy line. After the retreat of the 34th Division, the V. Reserve Corps had to extend its left wing to Muzeray, at the same time the VI. Reserve corps on the heights south of the Othain between Saint-Laurent and Sorbey are still gaining ground. The XVI. Army Corps went back to the Ollières –Landres – Mairy line .
The 5th Army Corps, which had been assigned to Vittarville , was withdrawn from the front in order to be relocated to the east via Metz. In the center of the army, to the right of the VI. Reserve Corps then advanced the 27th Division to Loisonbach near Failly . The V Army Corps conquered Marville, where the general French retreat took place. Below Montmédy, the 4th Army , after their simultaneous victory on the Semois, then went west with the VI. Army Corps crossed the Chiers section at La Ferté-sur-Chiers and reached Olizy-sur-Chiers . General Ruffey had to give the general withdrawal order to Mouzon and the Maas line for the left wing and the center of the 3rd Army , the north-western front of Verdun was considerably strengthened by the regrouping of the 6th Corps in the Etain area.
Conclusion and consequences
On August 26, the front of the 5th Army stabilized on the northern edge of the Argonne: The combined corps of General Adolf von Oven was at Landres, the Riedel Brigade was at Rouvres and made small counter-attacks. The V. Reserve Corps followed between Muzenay-Pillon, the VI. Reserve corps connected north to Saint-Laurent, the Württemberg XIII. Army corps followed between Dombras - Merles - Mangiennes . The German 5th Army Corps was stopped in Metz and, according to the new guidelines of the OHL, remained on the front east of Verdun. Here the German 5th Army continued its attacks energetically with its left wing towards the Meuse . The French 3rd Army still held with its northern wing (4th Corps) at Loisonbach near Montmédy, in the center with the 5th Corps at Othainbach near Sorbey, and with the 6th Corps (Sarrail) south between Muzeray and Azannes . Maunoury's army first reached the Orne (tributary of the Moselle), but had to withdraw on August 26th before German counterattacks on the Meuse heights and between Malancourt and Consenvoye into the Meuse valley.
On August 27, the Longwy fortress surrendered - the fortress commander General Darche and 3700 men were taken prisoner by Germany. The 1,800-strong garrison of Montmédy had broken out on Joffres's orders on August 26th and by August 29th was overwhelmed by the pursuers in the woods around Brandeville .
The commander-in-chief of the 3rd Army, General Ruffey, was replaced because of his defeat at the beginning of September by the leader of the 6th Corps, General Maurice Sarrail , who finally put the German 5th Army on the defensive in front of the north-eastern fortress front of Verdun during the following Battle of the Marne could.
literature
- Reichsarchiv : The border battles in the west 1914 , ES Mittler Verlag , Berlin 1925, pp. 303–344.
- Friedrich von Bernhardi : Germany's Heldenkampf 1914-1918 , JF Lehmann Verlag, Munich 1922, pp. 37-40
- Hermann Stegemann : History of the War , Volume 1. Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt , Stuttgart 1917, pp. 147–150
- Crown Prince Wilhelm: My memories , ES Mittler Verlag, Berlin 1923, pp. 24–54.
Individual evidence
- ^ Reichsarchiv: The World War 1914–1918. Volume I: The Border Battles in the West. Pp. 303-309.
- ^ Reichsarchiv: The World War 1914–1918. Volume I: The Border Battles in the West. Pp. 315-325.
- ^ Reichsarchiv: The World War 1914–1918. Volume I: The Border Battles in the West. Pp. 340-345.
- ^ Reichsarchiv: The World War 1914–1918. Volume I: The Border Battles in the West. Pp. 547-550.
- ^ Reichsarchiv: The World War 1914–1918. Volume I: The Border Battles in the West. Pp. 555-566.
- ^ Reichsarchiv: The World War 1914–1918. Volume I: The Border Battles in the West. Pp. 624-628.