Battle of Nancy
Part of World War II
Date September 5 - 15, 1944 Location 48°41′36″N 06°11′04″E / 48.69333, 6.18444 (Nancy)Coordinates: 48°41′36″N 06°11′04″E / 48.69333, 6.18444 (Nancy) Lorraine Result U.S. victory
Combatants
United States	Germany
Commanders
Manton S. Eddy	Heinrich F. v. Luttwitz
Strength
3 divisions	2 divisions and 2 regiments
Casualties
at least 2,851 (80th Division only)	at least 4,081 (3rd PG and 553rd VG Divisions)

For the Burgundian Wars Battle of Nancy, see Battle of Nancy Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... is the 248th day of the year (249th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 258th day of the year (259th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ... Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ... (Région flag) (Region logo) Location Administration Capital Regional President Departments Meurthe-et-Moselle Meuse Moselle Vosges Arrondissements 19 Cantons 157 Communes 2,337 Statistics Land area1 23,547 km² Population (Ranked 11th)  - January 1, 2006 est. ... Image File history File links US_flag_48_stars. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Germany_1933. ... Image File history File links US_flag_48_stars. ... Manton S. Eddy was a lieutenant general of the United States Army. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Germany_1933. ... Combatants Duchy of Burgundy Swiss Confederation Valois Dynasty The Burgundian Wars were a conflict between the Dukes of Burgundy and the Kings of France, later involving the Old Swiss Confederacy, which would play a decisive role. ... Despite the disasters of 1476 Charles the Bold, [[Duke of Burgundy]], remained confident that 1477 would bring an upturn in the fortunes of his beloved Burgundy. ...

The Battle of Nancy in September 1944 was a ten-day battle on the Western Front of World War II in which the U.S. Third Army defeated German forces defending the approaches to Nancy and crossings over the Moselle River to the north and south of the city. The battle resulted in U.S. forces fighting their way across the Moselle and liberating Nancy. Combatants  United Kingdom  United States Poland  France Canada Free France  Netherlands  Belgium Germany Italy Commanders Winston Churchill, Trafford Leigh-Mallory, Harold Alexander, Bertram Ramsay, Bernard Montgomery, Lord Gort, Trafford Leigh-Mallory, Franklin Roosevelt,, George Marshall, Dwight Eisenhower, Omar Bradley, Jacob Devers, WÅ‚adysÅ‚aw Anders, WÅ‚adysÅ‚aw Sikorski, Stanis... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... Shoulder Sleeve Insignia of the U.S. Third Army. ... This article is about the city in France named Nancy. ... This article is about the river in France, Luxembourg & Germany. ...

American soldiers cross the Siegfried Line The drive to the Siegfried Line was one of the final Allied phases in World War II of the Western European Campaign. ... The 10th Canadian Infantry Brigade was tasked to cross the Ghent Canal about five kilometers south of Bruges at a small village called Oostcamp. ... Combatants United Kingdom United States Canada Poland Germany Commanders Bernard Montgomery Brian Horrocks Roy Urquhart James M. Gavin Maxwell Taylor Stanislaw Sosabowski Walter Model Wilhelm Bittrich Kurt Student Strength 35,000 20,000 Casualties 11,377 dead,wounded or missing 6,450 Captured 2,000 Killed 6,000 Wounded Operation... Combatants United States Germany Commanders Courtney Hodges Walter Model Strength 120,000 80,000 Casualties 33,000 casualties 12,000—16,000 deaths[1] (est. ... Combatants Canada United Kingdom Poland Belgium Norway Germany Commanders Guy Simonds (acting) (First Canadian Army) Gustav-Adolf von Zangen (German 15th Army) Strength  ?  ? Casualties 12,873 total; including 6,367 Canadian  ? The Battle of the Scheldt was a series of military operations which took place in northern Belgium and south... The Battle of Overloon (Code named Operation Aintree) took place between September 30th and October 18th 1944. ... Combatants United States Germany Commanders William Simpson Gerhard Wilck Strength 100,000 soldiers 12,000 soldiers Casualties 2,000 dead, 3,000 wounded 5,000 dead or wounded, 5,600 captured The Battle of Aachen was a battle in Aachen, Germany, that took place in October 1944 in World War... During World War II, Operation Clipper was an Allied offensive by Thirtieth British Corps (including the American Eighty-fourth Infantry Division) to reduce the Geilenkirchen Salient on 18 November 1945. ... Combatants Nazi Germany United States of America Commanders Colonel Gerhard Wilck Colonel George A. Smith Jr. ... Combatants United States United Kingdom Germany Commanders Omar Bradley Walther Model Strength 100,000 soldiers 40,000 soldiers Casualties  ?  ? Operation Queen was a joint British-American operation during World War II at the Western Front between Aachen and the Rur river in November 1944. ...

Overview

When the Third Army began its attempt to capture Nancy, it had only recently recovered from a large fuel shortage which had caused it to halt on the Meuse River for five days. During this time German defenders in the area had reinforced their positions. The Meuse (Maas) at Maastricht Meuse near Grave The Meuse (Dutch & German Maas) is a major European river, rising in France and flowing through Belgium and the Netherlands before draining into the North Sea. ...

While the XX Corps in the north was tasked with the capture of Metz, Nancy, the other major city in the region, was assigned to the XII Corps. When the XII Corps first started on this assignment it was not at full operational strength as the U.S. 35th Infantry Division was guarding the southern flank of the Allied forces until the southern Seventh Army could close the gap. This left only the U.S. 4th Armored Division and the U.S. 80th Infantry Division available. The XX Corps fought from northern France to Austria in World War II. Constituted by redesignating the IV Armored Corps, which had been activated at Camp Young, California on September 5, 1942. ... City flag City coat of arms Motto: Si paix dedans, paix dehors (French: If peace inside, peace outside) Cathedral St. ... Route of march of the U.S. XII Corps. ... The 35th Infantry Division was a unit of the United States Army in World War I and World War II. World War I Activated: August 1917 (National Guard Division from Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska). ... Shoulder Sleeve Insignia of the U.S. Seventh Army. ... Shoulder sleeve patch of the United States Army 4th Armored Division. ... The 80th Infantry Division was a unit of the United States Army in World War I and World War II. Prisoners of Ebensee, one of the sub-camps of Mauthausen-Gusen, upon liberation by 80th Division World War I Activated: September 1917. ...

U.S. forces

U.S. XII Corps - Major General Manton Eddy Insignia of a United States Air Force Major General German Generalmajor Insignia Major General is a military rank used in many countries. ... Manton S. Eddy was a lieutenant general of the United States Army. ...

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

Shoulder sleeve patch of the United States Army 4th Armored Division. ... A Combat Command was a combined-arms military organization of comparable size to a brigade or regiment employed by armored forces of the U.S. Army from 1942 until 1963. ... The 35th Infantry Division was a unit of the United States Army in World War I and World War II. World War I Activated: August 1917 (National Guard Division from Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska). ... The 80th Infantry Division was a unit of the United States Army in World War I and World War II. Prisoners of Ebensee, one of the sub-camps of Mauthausen-Gusen, upon liberation by 80th Division World War I Activated: September 1917. ...

German forces

XXXXVII. Panzerkorps - General der Panzertruppen Heinrich Freiherr von Lüttwitz Lieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. ...

3. Panzer-Grenadier-Division - Generalmajor Hans Hecker

8. Panzer-Grenadier-Regiment

29. Panzer-Grenadier-Regiment

553. Grenadier- (later Volksgrenadier) Division - Generalmajor Hans Bruhn

1119. Grenadier-Regiment

1120. Grenadier-Regiment

1121. Grenadier-Regiment

104. Panzer-Grenadier-Regiment (detached from 15. Panzer-Grenadier-Division)

Fallschirm-Jäger-Ersatz-und Ausbildungs-Regiment 3 (airborne infantry replacement and training regiment)

Flieger-Regiment 92 (ad hoc regiment of Luftwaffe anti-aircraft and other ground troops)

This article needs cleanup. ... A Brigadier General, or one-star general, is the lowest rank of general officer in the United States and some other countries, ranking just above Colonel and just below Major General. ... A Grenadier was originally a specialized assault trooper for siege operations, first established as a distinct role in the early 17th century. ... Volksgrenadier was the name given to a type of German army division formed in the Fall of 1944 after the double loss of Army Group Center to the Soviets in Operation Bagration and the 6th Panzer Army to the Allies in Normandy. ... A Brigadier General, or one-star general, is the lowest rank of general officer in the United States and some other countries, ranking just above Colonel and just below Major General. ... Ad hoc is a Latin phrase which means for this [purpose]. It generally signifies a solution that has been tailored to a specific purpose, such as a tailor-made suit, a handcrafted network protocol, and specific-purpose equation and things like that. ... The Deutsche Luftwaffe or   (German: air force, literally Air Weapon, pronounced lufft-va-fa, IPA: ) is the commonly used term for the German air force. ...

80th Infantry Division attempts to secure a bridgehead

Initial plans for assault on Nancy.

Due to the difficulty of the terrain and lack of recon about enemy strength, it was decided against risking the 4th Armored Division in the initial capture of a bridge, as had been done at Commercy. Download high resolution version (2000x1549, 441 KB) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Download high resolution version (2000x1549, 441 KB) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...

Instead, the 80th Infantry Division was assigned to secure three crossing sites across the Moselle: at Pont-à-Mousson with the 317th Infantry Regiment, Toul with the 319th Infantry, and a limited one at Marbache (48°48′05″N 06°06′17″E / 48.80139, 6.10472) with the 318th Infantry. The 4th Armored Division would then sweep around from the northern Pont-à-Mousson to assault Nancy from the east, while infantry from Toul would attack from the west. Pont-à-Mousson is a commune of northeastern France, in the Meurthe-et-Moselle département. ... Cathédrale Saint-Étienne de Toul Toul is a historic fortified town of France, a sous-préfecture of the Meurthe-et-Moselle département. ...

At Pont-à-Mousson, the American 317th Infantry dispensed with reconnaissance and preliminary artillery bombardments, hoping to use tactical surprise instead. This turned out to be a poor decision though, as the German defenders, who were in greater strength and much better prepared than assumed, held terrain that allowed them to observe the movement of the American forces in the vicinity. American forces made two crossing attempts, the first in the daylight and the second at night but both were easily repulsed and the assault was called off by General Eddy.

Confronting the German 92nd Luftwaffe-Regiment around Marbache, the U.S. 318th Infantry had a difficult fight through the woods as they tried to seize the high ground which commanded the vicinity. After a two-day battle, they managed to dislodge German defenders and capture the hill, but were soon thrown back by a German counter-attack. The Deutsche Luftwaffe or   (German: air force, literally Air Weapon, pronounced lufft-va-fa, IPA: ) is the commonly used term for the German air force. ...

At Toul, there was seemingly more success as a loop of the Moselle was crossed by the American 319th Infantry, but it was short-lived as the German defenders of the 3rd Parachute Replacement Regiment simply fell back until they reached a ten-mile defensive line flanked by two forts from where they were able to stall further advances.

The Americans regroup

Though the initial crossing attempts largely failed, by September 7, the situation had started to improve for the Americans. With the U.S. Seventh Army rapidly approaching from the south and the XV Corps returning to the Third Army to guard the southern flank, the 35th Infantry Division was now available to use in the next assault. is the 250th day of the year (251st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

A new plan drawn up was for the 80th Infantry Division to attack in the north and the 35th in the south along with the 4th Armored's Combat Command B (CCB), while CCA would wait in reserve to exploit either flank. This new plan was scheduled to take place on September 11. A Combat Command was a combined-arms military organization of comparable size to a brigade or regiment employed by armored forces of the U.S. Army from 1942 until 1963. ... is the 254th day of the year (255th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

The Dieulouard Bridgehead

After the poor results from the hasty earlier crossing attempts, greater effort was made for a co-ordinated and well-supported assault, with General Eddy deciding on a concentric advance to encircle the German forces around Nancy. Dieulouard (48°49′52″N 06°05′44″E / 48.83111, 6.09556), located about four miles south of Pont-à-Mousson, was chosen as the new crossing site for the northern thrust of the encircling maneuver. The new plan would have the 317th Infantry Regiment cross first and secure a foothold, then for the 318th Infantry to follow and capture the high ground centered around Mousson Hill to the north. A heavy bridge would then be laid and CCA would be able to strike and capture Château-Salins, an important rail centre in the region. Because the 319th Infantry was still engaged in combat at Toul, they could not be used in this assault. Château-Salins is a commune of the Moselle département, in France. ...

Because of the formidable terrain held by the German forces, extra support was called in. On September 10, the IX Bomber Command destroyed a bridge at Custines to prevent enemy reinforcements in the area from Nancy, and the following evening struck at Mousson Hill. In order to feint the enemy, artillery and airstrikes were primarily directed at Pont-à-Mousson. is the 253rd day of the year (254th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

The infantry crossings took place on September 12 and met with only weak resistance. So fast was the advance that elements of CCA were able to cross on the very same day. The reason for this ease was because they had crossed in a region near where two separate German divisions (3rd Panzergrenadier Division and the 553rd Volksgrenadier Division) linked up and were thinly posted. Most of the reserves in the area had already been sent north to engage the U.S. XX Corps as well. is the 255th day of the year (256th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

The German assault to destroy the bridge began about noon on September 13, and was initially successful as it routed the infantry forces and pushed them almost back to the bridge itself. CCA sent its reconnaissance squadron of light tanks to help alleviate the situation, but they were ineffective against the heavier German self-propelled guns. In response, CCA's 37th Tank Battalion, commanded by Lt. Col. Creighton Abrams, pushed across the bridgehead and attacked German forces. The resulting action bought enough time for the American infantry to regroup and the German offense soon burned itself out. By that evening the bridgehead was considered secure, allowing CCA to cross and move on to its initial objectives. is the 256th day of the year (257th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Creighton Williams Abrams Jr. ...

The following day saw further counterattacks against the foothold by German forces emerging from mist-shrouded hills, but they were again repelled by the 80th Division, aided by reinforcements sent back from the advanced CCA.

The Flavigny and Bayon Bridgeheads

On September 10, as the 35th Division moved into position to begin their part of the assault, it was noticed that a bridge, mined but intact, was located at Flavigny (48°33′05″N 06°13′19″E / 48.55139, 6.22194). A battalion of the 134th Infantry Regiment was given permission to assault the bridge and though they succeeded in capturing it, reinforcements failed to arrive and it was subsequently destroyed by German artillery. The battalion itself was decimated by a following German counterattack. This loss prevented the regiment from being further involved in the attempt to secure a crossing site and the next day it was instead assigned to guard the left flank at Pont St. Vincent (48°34′46″N 06°11′10″E / 48.57944, 6.18611). At one location the regiment garrisoned a French fort which was subject to a small German assault that was eventually broken up by artillery and reinforcements.

CCB managed to cross at Bainville-aux-Miroirs (48°36′22″N 06°09′49″E / 48.60611, 6.16361) and near Bayon (48°26′51″N 06°17′53″E / 48.4475, 6.29806). A large bridge was floated at Bayon that night, which German forces attempted to destroy, but were annihilated instead after being encircled.

The 137th Infantry Regiment also managed to secure a foothold at Crévéchamps (48°37′22″N 06°18′29″E / 48.62278, 6.30806) after a feint five miles to the north and a half-hour artillery bombardment. They quickly found themselves pinned after crossing though, but were able to fight themselves out after German forces were depleted following the failed counterattack against the Bayon bridgehead.

Encirclement of Nancy

4th Armored Division encircles Nancy

After Colonel Abrams' 37th Tank Battalion secured the Dieulouard bridgehead and driven the enemy from Ste.-Geneviève (48°53′50″N 06°05′23″E / 48.89722, 6.08972), CCA was able to start crossing its remaining forces and made a rapid advance towards its initial objective of Château-Salins. Though it was halted several times to neutralize sporadic German forces and roadblocks, by the end of the first day it had reached Fresnes-en-Saulnois (48°51′18″N 06°26′16″E / 48.855, 6.43778), a village located three miles west of Château-Salins. The next day, September 14, orders were changed though and CCA was to instead capture the high ground at Arracourt (48°43′53″N 06°32′09″E / 48.73139, 6.53583), cutting off German escape routes from Nancy. On arrival in the area, CCA encountered and dispatched forces from the 15th Panzer Grenadier Division with only light casualties, then proceeded to set up a defensive position, oriented towards the east, from which they were able to harass German forces on the main road to Nancy and send advance units to meet with patrols from CCB around the Marne-Rhin Canal. The following day brought word to CCA of the German counter-attacks at Dieulouard, at which point they released a reinforcing infantry regiment as well as an armored company to stabilize the situation. Download high resolution version (1800x1389, 383 KB) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Download high resolution version (1800x1389, 383 KB) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Château-Salins is a commune of the Moselle département, in France. ...

After CCB crossed the Moselle in the south, the German defenders, finding poor natural defense in the terrain, retreated to the Forêt de Vitrimont (48°34′48″N 06°25′48″E / 48.58, 6.43) across the Meurthe River. The Germans had little time to prepare their defenses in the area though, and were soon driven off after CCB crossed the Meurthe River on September 14, the bulk of them falling back to Lunéville. The meeting with units from CCA at the Marne-Rhin Canal that night completed the encirclement of Nancy. Lunéville is a commune in the French région of Lorraine. ...

Liberation of Nancy

The concentric assault around Nancy hastened the German withdrawal from the city which had already been authorized on September 13 by General Blaskowitz, the army group commander. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

The U.S. 320th and 137th Infantry Regiments pushed out of the Bayon bridgehead and made an oblique advance to the Meurthe River, crossing it by the evening of September 14. By September 16, the 320th Infantry had crossed the Marne-Rhin Canal while the 137th Infantry had pushed up to it in the vicinity of St. Nicolas de Port (48°36′44″N 06°18′44″E / 48.61222, 6.31222). At this point, resistance by the 553rd Volksgrenadier Division stiffened again, and both U.S. regiments found themselves under heavy fire.

On September 14, the 319th Infantry Regiment was prepared to advance on Nancy proper. Intelligence provided by the French Forces of the Interior informed the U.S. troops that the Germans had evacuated the Forêt de Haye (48°41′39″N 06°05′24″E / 48.69417, 6.09), and on September 15, the 3rd Battalion of the 319th Infantry entered Nancy on the Toul Road and pushed through to the eastern outskirts of the city with no opposition. The French Forces of the Interior (Fr. ...

Aftermath

The capture of Nancy provided the Allies an important communications center in France and the city later served as the garrison of U.S. Third Army Headquarters. The German defenders of Nancy, however, largely escaped the encirclement of the city and were available for further operations during the Lorraine Campaign. The XII Corps' successful assault across the Moselle around Nancy also prompted the subsequent German counter-attack at Arracourt by the Fifth Panzer Army. The German Fifth Panzer Army was created in December of 1942 to help manage the emergency build-up of troops in Tunisia after the Allied Operation Torch landings in Algeria and Morocco. ...

Further reading

• Cole, Hugh M., The Lorraine Campaign, Washington D.C.: Center of Military History, 1997.
• Zaloga, Steven J., Lorraine 1944, Oxford: Osprey Publishing, 2000. ISBN 1-84176-0897.

External links

• Cole's The Lorraine Campaign online
• Combined Arms Research Library - The 4th Armored Division in the Encirclement of Nancy