Patton's Attempt to Capture Fort Driant Near Metz Results in Defeat

Patton's forces reached the fortress at Metz on 5 September 1944, forcing a German surrender on 21 November 1944, taking over 10 weeks in the Battle of Metz with both sides suffering heavy casualties. An attempt by Patton to seize Fort Driant just south of Metz was defeated. Patton's decisions in taking this city were criticized. German commanders interviewed after the war noted he could have bypassed the city and moved north to Luxembourg where he would have been able to cut off the German Seventh Army. The German commander of Metz, General Hermann Balck, also noted that a more direct attack would have resulted in a more decisive Allied victory in the city. Historian Carlo D'Este later wrote that the Lorraine campaign was one of Patton's least successful, faulting him for not deploying his divisions more aggressively and decisively. Patton remained frustrated at the lack of progress of his forces. From 8 November to 15 December, his army advanced no more than 40 miles (64 km).