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.
Overview
The fortifications around Metz consisted of casemates, concrete barracks, infantry strong points, and concrete batteries, equipped with rotating steel turrets. Each position was surrounded by several ditches, or concrete trenches, with shelters and observation cupolas. A large barbed wire belt, defended by machine gun and rifle positions, completed the defensive system. Forts had usually several large blockhouse style barracks. These had 3-meter thick reinforced concrete roofs with 2-meter thick walls. They were partially buried under as much as of compacted earth. Tunnels connected all of the structures. The fort also had deep wide trenches, some as much as in both dimensions. They were also surrounded by a thick layer of barbed wire entanglements. Each fort had 2–4 batteries, equipped with hydraulic rotating steel turrets. In the summer of 1944, only 10% of the batteries were fully operational. Most of those were in Fort Driant and Fort Jeanne d'Arc. By November, during the battle of Metz, the German troops had managed to get about 50% of the guns operational in most of the forts listed below. These batteries were lacking range tables, missing sights and other equipment to make the guns fully operational. Below is a list of the fortifications that exist around the area of Metz. Because they switched hands quite often, the French names are listed as well as any applicable German ones. In parentheses is the construction period.
Groupe fortifié du Mont Saint-Quentin / Feste Prinz Friedrich-Karl
* Fort Diou / Ostfort
* Fort Girardin / Fort Mannstein
Forts of the second belt
The second, outer belt of fortifications were completed by the Germans prior to the First World War but saw little service. Prior to the Second World War they were incorporated by the French into the Maginot Line defenses, but again saw little action. In October 1944, while occupied by the Germans, the fortifications were assaulted and captured by the American 3rd Army in the Battle of Metz. The forts were in an offset ring from 8–10 km from the city, and were :
Fort Verdun / Feste Haeseler, sometimes referred to as Feste Graf Haeseler
The "seven dwarves"
These are a series of small defensive emplacements built between 1912 and 1916 in a line between Driant and Jeanne d'Arc. The name for them was created by the Americans of the U.S. Third Army during the Battle of Metz in the Second World War. They are sometimes referred to as forts, and their name alludes to their weak defensive strength. From south to north they are:
