XX Corps (United States) - Across The Moselle

Across The Moselle

On 8 September 1944, the German 106th Panzer Brigade counterattacked the U.S. 90th Infantry Division near Mairy, but failed to route the U.S. infantrymen. In the ensuing battle, the "Tough Ombres" of the 90th Division destroyed the Panzer brigade, causing the Germans losses of 30 tanks, 60 halftracks, and almost 100 other vehicles. On the same day, the U.S. 5th Infantry Division forced a crossing of the Moselle at Dornot, but found German opposition intense and carved out a shallow bridgehead. Intense German counterattacks forced the abandonment of the Dornot bridgehead on the night of 10 – 11 September, but the 5th Division had established another bridgehead at Arnaville on 10 September. This crossing, and simultaneous advance toward Metz were met with desperate counterattacks by German forces, including the 17th S.S. Panzergrenadier Division. On 12 September, the U.S. 90th Infantry Division cleared Thionville west of the Moselle River, and engineer bridges were completed at Arnaville, allowing armored fighting vehicles to cross into the bridgehead. Subsequently, artillery fire from Fort Driant (part of the Metz fortifications) made bridging and ferrying operations by the corps at Arnaville quite difficult. Finally, on 16 September, armored elements of the corps (U.S. 7th Armored Division) broke out of the Arnaville bridgehead and advanced toward the river Seille. Attacks by the U.S. 90th Infantry Division towards Metz during this period were handily repulsed by the Germans.