Download or read book The German Fortress of Metz 1870–1944 written by Clayton Donnell and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2013-01-20 with total page 154 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Following the defeat of France in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–71, the German Army began to construct a fortress line from Strasbourg to Luxembourg to protect their new territory, the centrepiece of which was the great Moselstellung (Moselle Position) of Metz / Thionville. Illustrated with rare photographs and full-colour cutaway artwork, this book examines the design and development of the fortress and analyses its use in combat, focusing particularly on the part it played in holding up General Patton's Third Army's advance across France in 1944.