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The Fixed crown prince , renamed Fortified group Driant In 1919, was a fort of","datePublished":"2018-09-27","dateModified":"2018-09-27","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/wiki.edu.vn\/all2en\/wiki32\/author\/lordneo\/#Person","name":"lordneo","url":"https:\/\/wiki.edu.vn\/all2en\/wiki32\/author\/lordneo\/","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/44a4cee54c4c053e967fe3e7d054edd4?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/44a4cee54c4c053e967fe3e7d054edd4?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Enzyklop\u00e4die","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/wiki.edu.vn\/wiki4\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/download.jpg","url":"https:\/\/wiki.edu.vn\/wiki4\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/download.jpg","width":600,"height":60}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/thumb\/1\/16\/USA-Bombing-Fort-Driant-Lorraine-p267.jpg\/250px-USA-Bombing-Fort-Driant-Lorraine-p267.jpg","url":"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/thumb\/1\/16\/USA-Bombing-Fort-Driant-Lorraine-p267.jpg\/250px-USA-Bombing-Fort-Driant-Lorraine-p267.jpg","height":"296","width":"250"},"url":"https:\/\/wiki.edu.vn\/all2en\/wiki32\/fortified-group-driant-wikipedia\/","wordCount":7028,"articleBody":"For homonymous articles, see Driant. The Fixed crown prince , renamed Fortified group Driant In 1919, was a fort of the second fortified belt of Metz, in Moselle. There Fixed crown prince is one of the largest fortified groups among the strong Messins. Located at the rear of the lines during the First World War, it underwent the assaults of the allied troops at the end of the Second World War. The Driant Fortified Group was one of the last forts to go, at the end of the Battle of Metz.   During the annexation, Metz, whose German garrison oscillates between 15,000 and 20,000 men at the start of the period [ first ] and exceeds 25,000 men before the First World War [ 2 ] , gradually becomes the first strong place of the German Reich [ 3 ] . The Fixed crown prince Complisted La SECONDE CONTUCTURE FOAKING THE MOBS COMPOSES THIS FRIENGIN (18925), KiThinx (1899,905), Farrr Von ” 1907-1916), havemers (1899-1905), prinzing Litzold (190714) It Infantry-Crown (1908-1914). The Fortified Kronprinz group had to control the Moselle valley, therefore the road and rail communication axis between Metz and Nancy, and the Mance valley. It was part of a larger program of fortifications, called “Moselsllung”, and encompassing fortresses scattered between Thionville and Metz, in the Moselle valley. Germany\u2019s goal was to protect itself from a French attack aimed at resuming Alsace and Moselle from the German Empire. The fortification system was designed to adapt to the growing progress of artillery since the end of XIX It is century. Based on new defensive concepts, such as dispersion and concealment, the fortified group was to constitute, in the event of an attack, an insurmountable dam for the French forces. The protection perimeter of the fortified group is provided by a set of infantry positions, fortified barracks and artillery batteries, distributed over a large area (134 hectares) and hidden by natural topography. From 1899, the Schlieffen plan of the German staff designed the fortifications of the Moselle position , between Metz and Thionville, like a lock intended to block the possible advance of French troops in the event of a conflict [ 4 ] . This concept of fortified line on the Moselle constituted a significant innovation compared to the S\u00e9r\u00e9 de Rivi\u00e8res system developed by the French. He later inspired engineers from the Maginot line [ 5 ] . The Fixed crown prince was built between 1899 and 1905 in the southern sector of the Fortifications of Metz. Called “Kronprinz” in honor of the imperial prince Guillaume de Prussia, he is inaugurated the May 19, 1913 , by the emperor Guillaume II in person [ 6 ] . The works of the fortified group are distributed over 142 hectares, the site having a total area of 223 hectares. The fort could house a garrison of 1,810 men [ 4 ] . The central work, a trapezoidal building of 200 meters of base, housed an electric generator, an infirmary, sanitary equipment and various annexed parts, including the command post [ 7 ] . An infantry parapet, with combat shelters, protected access to the North. Aligned on a northwest axis-East, five batteries, two of which are equipped with how to run 150 mm , with a range of 10 km , and three of 100 barracks of 100 mm , with a range of 7 km , provided the defense in the southwest of Metz. His shots could cross with those of the Fortified Verdun group, built opposite on the eastern bank of the Moselle. The fifth battery, or “Moselle battery”, located outside the protected perimeter, flanked the southern flank of the site. Five fortified barracks, connected by underground passages to the various batteries, sheltered the troops. The soldiers were sleeping in heated dormitories. Each barracks had sanitary facilities and running water. Five concrete blockhouses built on critical points completed this device. The book had sixteen observation cupolas and 29 watch stations. All the Fort positions were connected by 1,500 m underground galleries. For its energy, the fortified group had five diesel engines of 35  ch each [ 4 ] . A network of barbed wire, protected by heavy machine guns, surrounded each defensive point. Each barracks was protected by an earth envelope on the back, as was already the case in Plappeville or Queuleu, but also and above all by reinforced concrete, on the front and on the top. The openings, doors, windows and ventilation conduits, had heavy metal panels, which can be locked. In the 1930s, all these works were adapted to new requirements and rearmed by the French [ 8 ] . From 1890, the succession in the forts was ensured by the troops of the XVI It is Corps parked in Metz and Thionville. During the First World War, the fort served as a relay for the German soldiers rising to the front, notably in Saint-Mihiel and Verdun. His equipment is then at the forefront of the military technique. In mars 1919 , the fort is occupied by the French army. Fortified groups in the sector remain active and integrate into the French fortification system of the Maginot line, not without having been carefully studied by French engineers [ 9 ] . It was also the fortified group Driant that cinematographic images were shot to show the French what the Maginot line was [ ten ] . After the departure of the French troops in June 1940 , the German army reinvests the premises. After 1945, the fort became the destruction polygon [ note 1 ] devices and ammunition found in Moselle [ 11 ] . Always military field, its access is still strictly prohibited. In order to preserve and publicize this military heritage, the Association of Fort Driant chaired by Mr Noel Jacques nevertheless wishes to make it accessible to the public [ twelfth ] . During the Battle of Metz, the Fortified Driant Group will show all its military potential and its real defensive qualities. Underestimating the German forces of the sector and the fire power of the Forts de Metz [ note 2 ] , the American army is trying to establish a bridgehead on the eastern bank of the Moselle, near Dornot, south of Metz. However, the Driant Fortified Group and the Fortified Verdun Group dominate the Moselle valley there and can cover the entire sector with their shots. In addition, the troops of the 462 It is Infantry-Division and in particular the aspirants of the Metz officers school [ note 3 ] know the ground well [ 13 ] . The fights around the Driant Fortified Group will take place September 7, 1944 At December 11, 1944 under extreme conditions. Between September and December 1944 , the Driant Fort, who could contain a garrison of 2,000 men, successively welcomed the 208 It is and the 698 It is Grenadier replacement battalions , the 1419 It is Fortress infantry battalion , the 179 It is Enlightenment department , the 938 It is Coastal artillery regiment [ note 4 ] , elements of the 19 It is Volks-Grenadier-Division, and at least eight Fahnenjunkern Companies of the Metz Officer School. These troops rose regularly between September and November 1944 . From the beginning of September, many anti -tank and anti -personnel mines were placed around the fortified group. Certain elements of the troops which will constitute the future 462 It is Volksgrenadier Division, and the students officers of the ” Flag junker school Vi “de Metz, knew the ground well for having used it as a field of maneuver [ 13 ] . This knowledge of the field will facilitate counterattacks in the sector. The troops of the Driant Fortified Group regularly organized nocturnal counterattacks, in the south, harassing their precise shots the American troops, first entrenched in Ancy-sur-Moselle, then in Dornot. Ancy will thus change hands several times between the 7th and the September 12, 1944 , before training with Rongueville, a no man’s land separating enemy lines [ 14 ] .  Bombardment of Fort Driant by P-47S of 19 It is Tactical Air Command , September 27, 1944. To secure the sector and contain the German troops in the forts of the fortified West-Metz von Gallwitz line, a military operation was set up in the following days by the American staff. The “Operation Thunderbolt”, coordinating an attack combined on the ground and in the air, is planned the September 17, 1944 . Thanks to the plans of the fortified group and the advice of a French officer [ note 5 ] , a model of the Fortified Driant group is carried out to prepare the operation. THE September 26, 1944 , bombed hunters of 19 It is Tactical Air Force perform an air raid on the forts of Metz, dropping napalm bombs of 500 kg [ 15 ] . But the concrete and buried fortifications resist this surprise air attack. The day after, September 27, 1944 , the howitzers of 240 mm of 19 It is  Field Artillery Batallion prepare the field for two assault companies 11 It is Infantry Regiment from 5 It is American infantry division, a regiment whose workforce had been renewed since the failure of Dornot’s attack. Faced with German troops operating as well as possible the land and the fortifications, American troops cannot cross the barbed wire networks of the fortified group and fold in the end of the day. Before September 30, 1944 , two new air raids will be ineffective to dislodge the German soldiers, who earth during the raids, and find their combat stations immediately after. The October 3, 1944 , American troops manage to take one of the five barracks in the fortified group. The fighting now continues on the surface and in the communication tunnels connecting the bunkers to each other. Thanks to battleship observatories, heavy mortar and machine gun fire could be precise [ note 6 ] , both outside the fort and inside the fortified perimeter. Americans will learn it very quickly at their expense. Four of the tanks engaged by the 735 It is Tank Battalion are already out of combat on the first day. Five other tanks will be affected by Panzerfaust, on the night of 3 to October 4, 1944 [ 16 ] . The next day, American troops are immobilized on the surface, unable to take new bunkers. THE October 6, 1944 , the troops of 11 It is Infantry regiment are noted by the Task Force Warnock , composed of units of 2 It is And ten It is Infantry regiment , supported by the 735 It is Tank Battalion and the 7 It is genius . Faced with these fresh and well -armed troops, the German soldiers, supervised by junkern in iron discipline, somehow hold their positions. A counterattack of riflemen from the 19 It is Grenadier Division, supported by two jagdpanzer IV type tanks, is countered north of the site. Believing that they can benefit from their material superiority, American troops launch a new attack on the October 7, 1944 . The fights are hard, the German soldiers defending themselves with the energy of despair. In a last effort, they postpone the American attack on the surface and make prisoners, trapped in the underground. THE October 8, 1944 , a gallery leading to the southern battery is deliberately obstructed by a German explosive load. Twenty American soldiers perish in the underground corridor leading [ 17 ] . Faced with this bitter new failure, the Gay General decides to abandon the offensive. After the loss of 21 officers and 485 men [ 18 ] , American troops folded over the night of 12 to October 13, 1944 . Wanting to trap the German defenders, and avenge their comrades fallen in the last fights, the American genius causes no less than 3,000 kg Explosives in the tunnels and bunkers who fell into their hands, before retiring. The German garrison, strongly shaken by the deflagrations and suffocated by toxic gases, now expects an imminent massive attack. The October 17 , the soldiers still holding the “Moselle battery”, isolated south-east of the fort and affected during the air raids, therefore receive the order to fall back into the central part of the fortified group. THE October 20, 1944 , the 5 It is Infantry Division is replaced by the 95 It is Infantry Division [ note 7 ] . For a long month, besieged soldiers will still keep their positions, with discipline and resignation, awaiting this final American attack, an attack that will not come, the Americans who finally gave up taking the forts west of Metz. General Patton, finding this failure badly, nevertheless demanded every day from Bomber Command air raids on the fort, to “Paver the hell of these dirty bastards of Germans” [ 19 ] . Time decided otherwise. Operation “revenge” finally lived on the day shortly before the fall of Metz. Prelude to the offensive on the city of Messina, the Air Force sent the November 9, 1944 , no less than 1,299 heavy bombers B-17 and B-24 pour 3,753 tonnes of bombs, 1 000 To 2 000 books, on fortified works and strategic points located in the III combat zone It is army [ 20 ] . Most of the bombers who have dropped their bombs without visibility, at more than 20,000 feet, the military objectives were often missed. In Metz, the 689 bombs loads, intended to strike the fortified group Driant and six other forts designated as priority targets, did only collateral damage, proving once again the inadequacy of massive bombardments on military objectives [ 21 ] . At the dawn of November 14, 1944 , the 105 mm buckets of the 359 It is Field Artillery Battalion open fire to the sector located on both sides of the fortified group Jeanne-d’Arc, between Fort Fran\u00e7ois-de-Guise and Fort Driant, in order to open the way to 379 It is Infantry regiment whose objective is to reach the Moselle. The attack focuses on Fort Jeanne-d’Arc, who ends up being surrounded by American troops. After two murderous counterattacks, the men of Major Voss, belonging to the 462 It is Volksgrenadier Division, soon folded over the fortified group. They will not get out of it anymore. For the commander of Fort Jeanne-d’Arc, the observation is bitter: the losses are heavy and did not prevent the Americans from reaching the Moselle [ 22 ] . Meanwhile, south of Fort Jeanne-d’Arc, the first is battalion of 379 It is Infantry regiment Attack the works of Jussy-Nord, Jussy-Sud and Saint-Hubert. Each defended by a handful of soldiers from 462 It is Volks-Grenadier-Division, these secondary infantry positions are taken to 14 h . Two hours later, the first is Battalion succeeds in taking the Bois-la-Dame infantry work, held by a German section, despite a vigorous counterattack and sustained shots coming from Fort Driant [ 22 ] . On the evening of November 14, 1944 , infantry works of ” Seven Dwarfs “, Called to distinguish them from large fortified groups, were in the hands of American soldiers [ 22 ] . While the city of Messina is about to fall into the hands of the allies, Colonel Richter takes command of the Driant Fortified Group, the November 17, 1944 . The connections, which were done by carrier with the Metz command post, are now definitively cut. The forts, surrounded by 9,000 G.I. , no longer communicate. Locked in their bunkers, soldiers can only count on themselves. THE November 23, 1944 , the 2 It is Infantry Regiment replaces the units of the 95 It is Infantry Division . In early December, wanting to break the encirclement of American troops, Colonel Richter projects, in a burst of pride, a last outing. He quickly renounces it before the lack of combativeness of his men, harassed and nervously tested by these 70 days of fighting. While the forts of the Saint-Quentin and Plappeville have just surrendered, Colonel Richter finally agreed to surrender, with the honors, to Colonel Roffe 2 It is Infantry Regiment , the December 8, 1944 . By one of the chances of the war, the Fortified Driant group capitulated before a unit of the 5 It is American infantry division, fifteen minutes before it is noted [ 23 ] . After three months of siege, no less than 611 German survivors, officers, non-commissioned officers and troops, will leave the fortified group Driant, Maganis and Hagards, but proud to have fulfilled their mission, to go directly to Cherbourg (Cherbourg-en-Cotentin since 2016) [ 24 ] . Fort Jeanne-d’Arc was the last of Metz’s forts to go. The determined enemy resistance, the bad weather and the inundations, inappropriate, as well as a general tendency to missense the power of the fortifications of Metz, helped to slow the American offensive, by giving the opportunity to the German army to Remove in good order towards the Saarland [ 23 ] . The objective of the German staff, which was to save time by fixing the American troops as long as possible of the Siegfried line, will therefore be largely reached. Notes [ modifier | Modifier and code ] \u2191 Secure zone allowing the destruction of ammunition.  \u2191 According to General Friedrich von Mellenthin, officer at the Group of Arm\u00e9es G, the Battle of Metz ” was a series of errors caused, largely, by an overflowing optimism expressed by those who led the operations (\u00ab\u00ab Objectives achieved but … \u00bb, in Liberty years , Metz, 1994).  \u2191 “Fahnenjunkerschule VI”, then “Schule VI F\u00fcr Fahnenjunker der Infanterie Metz”: School of officers of Metz, under the orders of Colonel Joachim von Siegroth, with approximately 1,800 students.  \u2191 Artillery replacement department 256 (Neustadt \/ Weinstra\u00dfe).  \u2191 Genius captain Nicolas, detached from the 5 It is Infantry Division . After the war will order the 2 It is genius in Metz.  \u2191 The batteries will remain silent for lack of rocket adapted to the French manufacturing shells. This important detail is explained by the precipitation in which the forts were rearmed in August 1944.  \u2191 Elements of the 5 It is Infantry Division went ten days, between Jopp\u00e9court, Errouville and Morfontaine, with close combat techniques in the fortified area.  References [ modifier | Modifier and code ] The dramatic and action series Driant Refuge in the process of scripting will be carried out. Other projects are being reflected such as the Driant 44 series or the Hauted film. \u2191 Ren\u00e9 Bour, History of Metz , 1950 , p. 227 .  \u2191 L\u2019Express , n O 2937, from 18 to October 24, 2007 , file “Metz in 1900”, Philippe Martin.  \u2191 Fran\u00e7ois Roth, “Metz annexed to the German Empire” , in Fran\u00e7ois-Yves Le Moigne, History of Metz , Toulouse, Privat, 1986 , p. 350 .  \u2191 A B and C Clayton 2008, p. 24.  \u2191 Clayton 2008, p. 10-13.  \u2191 Meyer and Christmas 2014.  \u2191 Colin 1963, p. 111.  \u2191 Colin 1963, p. 109.  \u2191 [PDF] Laurent Commaille, ” Ars-sur-Moselle, town-model of the C\u00f4tes de Moselle \u00bb, Lorraine notebooks , n O 1, 1985 ( read online ) .  \u2191 Pierre Salf and Fran\u00e7ois Calame, ” Polygonal fortification \u00bb, The Arms Gazette , n O 67, January 1979 .  \u2191 Colin 1963, p. 106.  \u2191 ‘ Ars-sur-Moselle: “It is always forbidden to access the 223 hectares of the site” \u00bb, The Lorraine Republican , April 13, 2017 ( read online ) .  \u2191 a et b Caboz 1984, p. 182.  \u2191 Caboz 1984, p. 171.  \u2191 Republican Lorraine 1994, p. 30.  \u2191 Colin 1963, p. 115.  \u2191 Colin 1963, p. 116.  \u2191 Clayton 2008, p. 52.  \u2191 Colin 1963, p. 119.  \u2191 Colin 1963, p. 118.  \u2191 Cole 1950, p. 424.  \u2191 A B and C Cole 1950, p. 432.  \u2191 a et b Cole 1950, p. 448.  \u2191 Republican Lorraine 1994, p. 30.  ‘ The Fortified Group Driant \u00bb, Renaissance of Old Metz , n O 37, 1980 , p. 47-58 . General Jean Colin, ” Contribution to the history of the liberation of the city of Metz; Fort Driant’s fights (September-December 1944) \u00bb, National Academy of Metz , 1963 , p. 105-124 ( read online ) . General Barjaud, ” A German example of delaying action (improvised defense of Fort Driant -Metz, September 26 – November 15, 1944) \u00bb, Military history notebooks , Study Committee for Military History in WE It is region, n O 4, 1971 . Ren\u00e9 Caboz, The Battle of Metz: August 25 – September 15, 1944 , Sarreguemines, Pierron editions, coll. “Lorraine documents”, 1984 ( read online ) , p. 221\u2013226 and 171-179 . The Lorraine Republican, “Objectives achieved but …” , In 1944-1945: Liberty years , Metz, 1994 , p. 30 . Roland Meyer and Jacques No\u00ebl, friendly of Fort Driant, Fort Driant: a century of history , Editions du Quotidien, October 2014 , 280 p.  (ISBN\u00a0 978-2-37164-023-8 ) . (in) Donnell Clayton ( ill. \u00a0Brian Delf), The German Fortress of Metz: 1870-1944 , Oxford, Osprey Publishing, coll. \u00a0\u00ab\u00a0Fortress\u00a0\u00bb ( n O 78), 2008 , sixty four p.  (ISBN\u00a0 9781846033025 , Online presentation ) . (in) Hugh M. Cole\u00a0 (in) , The Lorraine Campaign , Washington, D.C., Center of Military History, coll. \u00a0\u00ab\u00a0U.S. Army in World War II\u00a0\u00bb, 1993 ( first re  ed. 1950), 657 p.  ( read online ) .  "},{"@context":"http:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https:\/\/wiki.edu.vn\/all2en\/wiki32\/#breadcrumbitem","name":"Enzyklop\u00e4die"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https:\/\/wiki.edu.vn\/all2en\/wiki32\/fortified-group-driant-wikipedia\/#breadcrumbitem","name":"Fortified group Driant – Wikipedia"}}]}]