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THE OPERATIONS OF THE 359TH INFANTRY REGIMENT
(90TH INFANTRY DIVISION) IN THE CROSSING OF
THE MOSELLE RIVER, 9-14 November 1944
(RHINELAND CAMPAIGN)
(Personal experience of a Regimental S-3)
INTRODUCTION
This monograph covers the operation of the 359th Infantry Regiment of the 90th Infantry
Division in the crossing of the Moselle River north of Metz, France in November 1944. This
operation was a part of the XX Corps attack that encircled and captured that city, the hinge of the
center of the German defensive line on the Western front.¹
The attack to capture Metz was a resumption of the offensive by the Third US Army after
a six-week quiescent period that had its cause back in the first three months of the invasion of
France.
For the first month and one half after the invasion of Normandy, France, by the Allies on
6 June 1944
4
, the progress of the troops was much slower than had been estimated by the
planners of Operation Overlord. This condition continued until the end of July 1944 when the
breakthrough at St. Lo began to gain momentum.² At the time of the breakthrough there were
more than one million Allied troops ashore in France within a comparatively small beachhead
that covered only the northwestern third of Normandy. This combination of a large number of
troops in a small area severely limited the size of the logistical buildup on the continent.³
Third Army became operational at 011200 August 1944 and started it's amazing dash
across France. By D+90 elements of the Third Army had reached the Moselle in the vicinity of
Metz and the Allied front had advanced approximately 150 miles farther than the logistical
planning for Operation Overlord had anticipated.
5
As the supply lines began to stretch to the
breaking point, higher headquarters were forced to adopt a very strict rationing policy on
supplies. Third Army began to slow down and then virtually halted in its tracks through the
consequent lack of supplies, primarily gasoline. The impetus of the Third Army's drive had been
lost.
6
This pause in the meteoric dash gave the German High Command sufficient time to
reestablish a defensive line in front of the Third Army located generally along the line of the
Moselle River.
7
The German strategy was for Metz to become the hinge in the reorganization of the
center of the Western front between Alsace and Belgium.
8
The equivalent of more than three
divisions took over the defense of Metz and the area immediately adjacent to it.
9
Metz was a very old city established by the Romans as one of their forts to defend Gaul
against the Germanic tribes. The Huns captured the city and 461 AD, which was the only time
the city had been captured by assault up until the arrival of the Third Army. The city is on the
east bank of the Moselle and is surrounded by terrain that naturally lends itself to the defense.
To improve these defenses of total of 43 forts had been built around the city. The forts formed
two concentric rings around Metz with 15 forts on the inner ring and 28 forts on the outer, the
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