Fort Saint-Privat

Fort Saint-Privat
	fort Saint-Privat
Coordinates	49°27′14″N6°49′59″E / 49.454°N 6.833°E
Type	Von Biehler fort
Site history
Built	1872–1875
Fate	Unused

Last updated April 02, 2019

Fort Saint-Privat (Feste Prinz August von Württemberg before 1919) is a fortification near Metz. Part of the forts of Metz, it had its baptism of fire in late 1944 during the Battle of Metz.

Metz is a city in northeast France located at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers. Metz is the prefecture of the Moselle department and the seat of the parliament of the Grand Est region. Located near the tripoint along the junction of France, Germany, and Luxembourg, the city forms a central place of the European Greater Region and the SaarLorLux euroregion.

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.

History

Fort Saint-Privat is part of Metz' first fortified belt, designed during the Second French Empire by Napoléon III. The belt consists of Fort Saint-Privat (1870), Fort de Queuleu (1867), Fort des Bordes (1870), Fort de Saint-Julien (1867), Fort Gambetta, Fort Déroulède, Fort Decaen, Fort de Plappeville (1867) and the St. Quentin fortifications (1867). Most of the forts were unfinished in 1870, when the Franco-Prussian War began. Under German control, Metz initially had a German garrison of 15,000 to 20,000 men,^[1] exceeded 25,000 before World War I ^[2] and gradually became the premier stronghold of the German Reich.^[3]

The Second French Empire, officially the French Empire, was the regime of Napoleon III from 1852 to 1870, between the Second Republic and the Third Republic, in France.

The Fort de Queuleu is a fortification to the southeast of Metz, near Queuleu, France. Construction began while part of Lorraine was under French rule in 1868. After the interruption of the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71, the fort was improved between 1872 and 1875 by the German Empire, which had conquered the area in the war. Renamed Fort Goeben, it formed part of the first ring of the fortifications of Metz. Functionally obsolete by the First World War, it saw no military action, but was used by the Germans as a detention center for members of the French Resistance during World War II.

The Feste von Zastrow, renamed Fort des Bordes by the French in 1919, is a military structure located in the district of Boric in Metz. It is part of the first fortified belt of the forts of Metz. Buried since the construction of the Eastern expressway in 1968, it is covered by a green space, although some remnants of the fort remain visible.

Construction and facilities

The fort, built by German engineers from 1872 to 1875, was designed in a style similar to the "detached fort" concept developed by Hans Alexis von Biehler in Germany. The goal was to form an enclosure around Metz of forts and artillery, with a variety of guns and spaces between them.

Hans Alexis von Biehler Prussian general

Hans Alexis von Biehler - was a Prussian general. He designed fortifications in many famous locations. Beginning in 1873, he saw fort construction in Cologne, Strasbourg, Poznań, Toruń, Königsberg, Ingolstadt, Metz, Kostrzyn, Spandau, Ulm, Mainz and Magdeburg.

Assignments

In 1890, the forts were staffed by German Corps XVI troops from Metz and Thionville. The 145th King's Infantry Regiment (6th Lorrain) garrisoned the fort before 1914. Invested by the French army in 1919, the Prinz August von Württemberg Fort was renamed Fort Saint-Privat. It was soon encompassed by the perimeter of the Metz-Frescaty Air Base, which was developed after World War I. The fort was captured in 1940 by the Wehrmacht, which held it until 1944. It is no longer in use.

The XVI Army Corps / XVI AK was a corps level command of the German Army before and during World War I.

Thionville Subprefecture and commune in Grand Est, France

Thionville is a commune in the northeastern French department of Moselle. The city is located on the left bank of the river Moselle, opposite its suburb Yutz.

Investment (military) Military term for surrounding an enemy position

Investment is the military process of surrounding an enemy fort with armed forces to prevent entry or escape. It serves both to cut communications with the outside world, and to prevent supplies and reinforcements from being introduced.

Second World War

On September 2, 1944, Metz was declared a Reich fortress by Adolf Hitler. The fortress was to be defended to the last by German troops, whose leaders had sworn allegiance to Hitler.^[4] Faced with the 5th American Division, the German 462nd Infantry Division defended the Reich. When fighting began in September, its defense was commanded by Waffen-SS Colonel Ernst Kemper. During the Battle of Metz, several units succeeded each other in the fort.

Adolf Hitler was a German politician and leader of the Nazi Party. He rose to power as Chancellor of Germany in 1933 and later Führer in 1934. During his dictatorship from 1933 to 1945, he initiated World War II in Europe by invading Poland in September 1939. He was closely involved in military operations throughout the war and was central to the perpetration of the Holocaust.

The Waffen-SS was the armed wing of the Nazi Party's SS organisation. Its formations included men from Nazi Germany, along with volunteers and conscripts from both occupied and un-occupied lands.

On November 9, 1944 (before to the attack on Metz) the United States Air Force sent 1,299 heavy bombers, B-17s and B-24s, dumping 3,753 tons of bombs and 1,000 to 2,000 pounds of ammunition on fortifications and strategic points in the combat zone of the US Third Army.^[5] Most of the bombers dropped their payloads blind from over 20,000 feet, and military targets were often missed. In Metz 689 loads of bombs hit the seven forts identified as priority targets, causing collateral damage and demonstrating the practical inadequacy of massively bombing military targets.^[6]

The United States Air Force (USAF) is the aerial and space warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the five branches of the United States Armed Forces, and one of the seven American uniformed services. Initially formed as a part of the United States Army on 1 August 1907, the USAF was established as a separate branch of the U.S. Armed Forces on 18 September 1947 with the passing of the National Security Act of 1947. It is the youngest branch of the U.S. Armed Forces, and the fourth in order of precedence. The USAF is the largest and most technologically advanced air force in the world. The Air Force articulates its core missions as air and space superiority, global integrated intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, rapid global mobility, global strike, and command and control.

Heavy bombers are bomber aircraft capable of delivering the largest payload of air-to-ground weaponry and longest range of their era. Archetypal heavy bombers have therefore usually been among the largest and most powerful military aircraft at any point in time. In the second half of the 20th century, heavy bombers were largely superseded by strategic bombers, which were often smaller in size, but were capable of delivering nuclear weapons.

The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is a four-engined heavy bomber developed in the 1930s for the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC). Competing against Douglas and Martin for a contract to build 200 bombers, the Boeing entry outperformed both competitors and exceeded the air corps' performance specifications. Although Boeing lost the contract because the prototype crashed, the air corps ordered 13 more B-17s for further evaluation. From its introduction in 1938, the B-17 Flying Fortress evolved through numerous design advances, becoming the third-most produced bomber of all time, behind the four-engined B-24 and the multirole, twin-engined Ju 88.

The final attack arrived from the south and west on November 16, 1944. Facing the 11th Infantry Regiment of the 5th Infantry Division, the 462nd Infantry Division resisted with German MG 34 and MG 42 machine guns. Troops commanded by Lieutenant General Heinrich Kittel defended the airfield's hangars and air raid shelters before falling back towards Fort Saint-Privat and the last hangars. During the cold, wet night of November 16, 1944, the 11th Infantry regiment lost four officers and 118 men on the ground;^[7] German losses were also heavy. Fighting resumed northeast of the base (where a German section clung to the last buildings) the following day, with shots fired primarily from Fort Saint-Privat.

The fort was commanded by Werner Matzdorff (1912–2010), a Waffen-SS Sturmbannführer and a Schutzpolizei major.^[8] Matzdorff commanded his troops with an iron fist, knowing that he could not hold out for long. Entrenched in the fort, he refused to surrender. On November 20, Matzdorff emerged from the fort with a white flag. The 11th Infantry commander thought that he was surrendering, but Matzdorff said that he and his men were ready to fight to the death "if necessary" and only wanted to evacuate twenty of his most severely-wounded men.^[9] On November 21, General Kittel (who was wounded in the Riberpray barrack) was captured, and Metz was liberated at 14:35 the following day. That evening, the troops at Fort Saint-Privat began surrendering to the Americans. Although morale in the fort was low, resistance was fierce.^[9]

After a week the situation became critical, with shortages of food and ammunition. On November 29, Matzdorff agreed to surrender unconditionally with 22 officers and 488 men (80 of whom were wounded and without care for over a week).^[10] The swastika no longer flew over the air base.^{[note 1]} The German General Staff objective, to play for time by stalling US troops as long as possible ahead of the Siegfried Line, was largely achieved.^{[ citation needed ]}

Notes and references

Notes

↑ "The man can fall, the flag never": inscription in gothic letters framed by the SS runes" Treue "left and" Wolfangel "right. in ( Kemp 1994 , pp. 352–353).

Related Research Articles

The Fortifications of Metz, a city in northeastern France, are extensive, due to the city's strategic position near the border of France and Germany. After the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, the area was annexed by the newly created German Empire in 1871 by the Treaty of Frankfurt and became a Reichsland. The German Army decided to build a fortress line from Mulhouse to Luxembourg to protect their new territories. The centerpiece of this line was the Moselstellung between Metz and Thionville, in Lorraine.

The 17th SS Panzergrenadier Division "Götz von Berlichingen" was a German Waffen-SS division that saw action on the Western Front during World War II.

Fort Jeanne d'Arc, also called Fortified Group Jeanne d'Arc, is a fortification located to the west of Metz in the Moselle department of France. It was built by Germany to the west of the town of Rozérieulles in the early 20th century as part of the third and final group of Metz fortifications. The fortification program was started after the German victory of the Franco-Prussian War, which resulted in the annexation of the provinces of Alsace and Lorraine from Germany to France. The Fort Jeanne d'Arc was part of the Moselstellung, a group of eleven fortresses surrounding Thionville and Metz to guard against the possibility of a French attack aimed at regaining Alsace and Lorraine, with construction taking place between 1899 and 1908. The fortification system incorporated new principles of defensive construction to deal with advances in artillery. Later forts, such as Jeanne d'Arc, embodied innovative design concepts such as dispersal and concealment. These later forts were designed to support offensive operations, as an anchor for a pivoting move by German forces into France.

The Fort de Plappeville, or Feste Alvensleben, is a military fortification located to the northwest of Metz in the commune of Plappeville. As part of the first ring of the fortifications of Metz, it is an early example of a Séré de Rivières system fort. While it did not see action during World War I, it was the scene of heavy fighting between American forces and German defenders at the end of the Battle of Metz, in 1944. After Second World War it became a training center for the French Air Force. Fort 'Alvensleben' has been abandoned since 1995.

The Fort de Saint-Julien, renamed Feste Manteuffel in German, is a military installation near Metz. It is part of the first fortified belt forts of Metz and had its baptism of fire in late 1944 in the Battle of Metz.

The Feste Hindersin renamed Gambetta fort by the French in 1919, is a military installation near Metz. It is part of the first fortified belt of forts of Metz and had its baptism of fire in late 1944, when Battle of Metz occurred.

The Feste Kameke, renamed Fort Déroulède by the French in 1919, is a military installation near Metz. It is part of the first fortified belt of forts of Metz and had its baptism of fire in late 1944, in the Battle of Metz.

The Feste Schwerin, renamed fort Decaen by the French in 1919, is a military installation near Metz. It is part of the first fortified belt of forts of Metz and had its baptism of fire in late 1944, when Battle of Metz occurred.

The Fortifications of Saint-Quentin, or Feste Prinz Friedrich Karl form a fortification group in the Scy-Chazelles municipality located northwest of Metz on the Mont Saint-Quentin. Constituted by forts Diou and Girardin, the group is part of the first fortified belt of forts around Metz and had its baptism of fire in late 1944, when the Battle of Metz occurred.

The Feste Wagner, renamed Group Fortifications of Aisne by the French in 1919, is a fort of the second fortified belt of forts from Metz, in Moselle. This group fortification, built in the municipalities of Pournoy-la-Grasse and of Verny, controlled the valley of the Seille. It had its baptism of fire in late 1944, when the Battle of Metz occurred.

The Feste Leipzig, renamed Group Fortifications Francois-de-Guise after 1919 by the French, is a military structure located in the municipality of Châtel-Saint-Germain, close to Metz. It is part of the second fortified belt of forts of Metz and had its baptism of fire in late 1944, when the Battle of Metz occurred.

The Feste Lothringen, renamed Group Fortification Lorraine after 1919, is a military installation near Metz. It is part of the second fortified belt of forts of Metz and had its baptism of fire in late 1944, when the Battle of Metz occurred.

The Feste Mercy, renamed Feste Freiherr von der Goltz in 1911 and then The Group Fortification Marne in 1919, is a military installation near Metz, in the woods between Jury, Mercy and Ars-Laquenexy. It is part of the second fortified belt of forts of Metz and had its baptism of fire in late 1944, when the Battle of Metz occurred.

The Feste Haeseler, renamed Group Fortification Verdun after 1919, is a military installation near Metz. Constituted as forts Sommy and Saint-Blaise, the fortified group is part of the second fortified belt of forts of Metz. It had its baptism of fire in late 1944, when the Battle of Metz occurred.

The Feste Prinz Regent Luitpold, renamed Group Fortification Yser after 1919, is a military installation near Metz. It is part of the second fortified belt of forts of Metz and had its baptism of fire in late 1944, when the Battle of Metz occurred.

The Infanterie-Werk Belle-Croix, renamed Fort Lauvallière after 1919, is a military installation near Metz. It is part of the second fortified belt of forts of Metz.

The 462nd Volksgrenadier Division was a Volksgrenadier division of the German Army during the Second World War, active from 1942 to 1944.

The forts of Metz are two fortified belts around the city of Metz in Lorraine. Built according to the design and theory of Raymond Adolphe Séré de Rivières at the end of the Second Empire—and later Hans von Biehler while Metz was under German control—they earned the city the reputation of premier stronghold of the German reich. These fortifications were particularly thorough given the city's strategic position between France and Germany. The detached forts and fortified groups of the Metz area were spared in World War I, but showed their full defensive potential in the Battle of Metz at the end of World War II.

References

↑ René Bour (1950), Histoire de Metz, p. 227 .
↑ Philippe Martin (October 18, 2007), "Metz en 1900", L'Express (2937) .
↑ François Roth, "Metz annexée à l’Empire allemand", in François-Yves Le Moigne, Histoire de Metz, Toulouse, Privat, 1986, p.350.
↑ René Caboz (1984), Éditions Pierron, ed., La bataille de Metz, Sarreguemines, p. 132 .
↑ Général Jean Colin (1963), Académie nationale de Metz, ed., Contribution à l'histoire de la libération de la ville de Metz ; Les combats du fort Driant (septembre-décembre 1944), p. 13 .
↑ ( Cole 1950 , p. 424).
↑ ( Cole 1950 , p. 442).
↑ Hans Stöber; Helmut Günther (1976), Osnabrück, Munin, ed., Die Sturmflut und das Ende. Die Geschichte der 17. SS-Panzerdivision "Götz von Berlichingen" (in German), 2, pp. 141–156
1 2 ( Kemp 1994 , pp. 340–341).
↑ ( Kemp 1994 , p. 400).

Fort Saint-Privat

Contents