Patton at Bay

by Rickard, John Nelson

• ISBN13: 9781574887822
• ISBN10: 1574887823
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2004-06-28
• Publisher: Potomac Books Inc

Summary

For Lt. Gen. George S. Patton, Jr., the battle for Lorraine during the fall and winter of 1944 was a frustrating and grueling experience of static warfare. Plagued by supply shortages, critical interference from superiors, flooded rivers, fortified cities, and the highly determined German army, Patton had little opportunity to wage the type of fast armored campaign of which he was so enamored. Author John Rickard examines Patton's generalship during these bitter battles and suggests that Patton was unable to adapt to the new realities of the campaign, thereby failing to wage the most effective warfare possible. Relying on a broad range of historical sources, including personal papers and division after-action reports, this treatment of Patton's operational performance in Lorraine goes beyond the official history. It describes Patton's philosophy of war and explains why it failed him in Lorraine. Supplemented by full orders of battle, casualty and equipment loses, and excellent maps based on Hugh M. Cole's official U.S. Army history of the campaign, Patton at Bay,/i>is a penetrating study of one of America's best fighting generals.

Table of Contents

Illustrations	ix
Foreword by Carlo D'Este	xi
Preface	xv
Symbols	xix
Chapter 1 A Philosophy of Battle	1	(16)
Chapter 2 From Theory to Practice	17	(12)
Chapter 3 Orders of Battle	29	(22)
Chapter 4 Strategy, Logistics, and Perception	51	(26)
Chapter 5 Breaching the Line of the Moselle	77	(24)
Chapter 6 Opportunity and Counterattack	101	(16)
Chapter 7 The Problem of Metz	117	(18)
Chapter 8 Correcting the Army Line	135	(16)
Chapter 9 Planning for the November Offensive	151	(20)
Chapter 10 The Fall of Metz	171	(28)
Chapter 11 Advance to the West Wall	199	(28)
Chapter 12 Assessment	227	(16)
Appendix A Third Army Order of Battle	243	(10)
Appendix B German Order of Battle	253	(6)
Appendix C Casualties and Replacements	259	(2)
Appendix D Material Losses	261	(2)
Appendix E Third Army Operational Directives	263	(8)
Selected Bibliography	271	(8)
Index	279