Analysis of The Battle of Arracourt

In the summer of 1944, General George S. Patton and his 3rd Army successfully broke through heavy German Forces resistance from the Normandy invasion. German forces were in total disarray by the end of August 1944. Patton pleaded with his boss, General Omar Bradley, that if 3rd U.S. Army could be allocated as little as 400,000 gallons of fuel, he could be inside Germany in two days. Time was crucial before the inevitable reaction by the Germans to shore up their defense, preventing Patton from advancing. General Bradley refused Patton's request for more fuel; Unfortunately, General Patton advanced to Germany. Morale ran high throughout Patton’s Army, and there was no sign of heavy resistance before the German border. Consequently, by early September, the 3rd U.S Army had ground to a virtual halt along the flooded Moselle River. In places, Patton's tanks and vehicles ran out of fuel on the battlefield and their swift momentum outran their supply lines (Fugate, 1999). Lack of logistics allowed the German forces to take advantage of Patton’s Army and initiate one of the largest tank battles of World War II, the Battle of Arracourt.

BATTLE ANALYSIS

THE BATTLE OF ARRACOURT

I. Define the Subject.

a. Define the Battle to be analyzed.

(1). The Battle of Arracourt took place in Arracourt, Lorraine Province, France. The Province of Lorraine was along the shortest route from Normandy to Germany through France. Arracourt was a small town located on the Mosselle River on the French and German border. The principle adversaries in the Battle of Arracourt were General George S. Patton’s 3rd U.S. Army led by the 4th Armored Division. The 3rd Army had more than 160,000 Soldier, 1,500 Artillery pieces, and 930 Sherman...

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...attle was to take advantage of General Patton’s Army and stop the initiative. Adolph Hitler had no time to plan his counterattack on the 3rd U.S. Army, and his men had no training. The unity of command principle of war from the 3rd U.S. Army side was perfect.

References:

Bell, K. (1998, 11). Innovative general 'tiger jack' wood commanded the 4th armored division during its lightning dash across France. World War II, 13, 72.

Cameron, R. S. (2003). The army vision: The 4th AD in world war II. Military Review, 83(6), 59-68

Fugate, D. (1999). The Lorraine campaign: Patton's bloodiest test. Armor, 108(4), 57. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/205377317?accountid=8289

Brennan, L. (2011). The battle of arracourt [Television series episode]. In Brennan , L. (Executive Producer), Greatest Tank Battles. Military Channel.