bigpigeon.us webpage WW II - Germany > ETO > Allies Stymied > Lorraine Campaign, updated by RAC 12 Aug '19.
HIstorians use the term Lorraine Campaign to describe the activities of George Patton's Third Army in the Lorraine area of northeastern France from the time the Northern France campaign began to peter out in early September 1944 until the Third Army moved north in mid December to participate in the Battle of the Bulge.

General George Patton is remembered for skillful expoitation of armor to achieve rapid battlefield advances. This was not the case in Lorraine. Supply shortages and rainy weather, combined with the early August commitment of his strongest corps to Brittany far to the west, helped cause the capture of Lorraine to drag on for three months.

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Lorraine in Northeastern France
Lorraine in Northeastern France
​In August, the Third Army had swept east as the right flank of the Allied advance across northern France. Patton arrived in western Lorraine with only six divisions, his most-powerful corps having been diverted for the liberation of Brittany. Supply shortages, especially of fuel, restrained further advances. ​

Despite his weakened army and supply shortages, Patton for a time promoted an early attack northeast through a gap in German lines towards the Rhine, as shown on the accompanying map. I believe that if General Eddy's corps had proceeded with such an attack, the end result would have been the encirclement and capture of the attacking force.
The Third Army in Lorraine - Overview Map
The Third Army in Lorraine - Overview Map
The salient event in the Lorraine Campaign was the capture of the complex of fortifications in the Metz area in northeastern Lorraine. The shaded area around Metx in the first map, as well as Alsace to the east, had been part of the German Empire from 1871 to 1919; thus a degree of patriotism entered into the stubborn German defense of Metz.

​ The battles for Metz occupied Patton's Third Army for most of October and November 1944, although combat started in late September and the last fort did not surrender until December.
Metz Fortifications
Metz Fortifications
After the capture of Metz, the 3rd Army turned its attention northward towards the German Saarland and began to cross the Saar River and penetrate the Siegfried Line. The 16 December German offensive in the Ardennes Plateau to the north soon intervened. Much of the Third Army turned northward and Seventh Army elements shifted left to replace portions of the Third Army front.
Credits for the WW II - Lorraine Campaign webpage
  • The webpage header Metz Nov '44 photo is courtesy of wikipedia. It shows a typical house clearing activity when occupying a city.
  • The Lorraine in Northeastern France map is courtesy of worldatlas.com.
  • The Third Army in Lorraine - Overview Map is courtesy of ibiblio.
  • The Metz Fortifications map is courtesy of militaryhistoryblogspot.wordpress.com.
Pottawattamie County, Iowa WW II Deaths - Lorraine Campaign (updated 12 Aug ’19)
World Wars > WW II > Pott. Co. Deaths has parental and spousal information.
  • Ash, Mickiel D., US Army; 347th Inf. Regt., 87th Inf. Div.; d. 20 Dec ’44 at Obergailbach, E of Sarreguemines, France.
  • Points, Lester R., US Army; 313th Inf. Regt., 79th Inf. Div.; d. 29 Sep ’44, Forêt de Parroy, E of Nancy.
  • Ronnfeldt, Roy R., Avoca, IA, US Army; Sgt., Co. E, 358th Inf. Regt., 90th Inf. Div. Killed 6 Dec 1944 near Wallerfangen, Germany, about 15 miles northwest of Saarbrücken during the last days of the Lorraine Campaign. The 358th Regt. crossed the Saar River on 6 December against heavy enemy fire and continued advancing through the Siegfried Line until 21 December. Then, because of the Battle of the Bulge to the northwest and an anticipated future German offensive to the southeast, they gave up their gains, retreated back across the Saar River, and assumed defensive positions. On 5 January 1945, the 90th Division was relieved by the 94th Division and transferred to the Ardennes.
  • Snyder, Kenneth H., US Army; 315th Inf. Regt., 79th Inf. Div.; d. 29 Sep ’44, Foret de Parroy, near Lunéville, SE of Nancy.
  • Williams, Jerry J., US Army; 101st Inf. Regt., 26th Inf. Div.; d. 9 Nov ’44, S of Metz.