Battle of Nancy 75th Anniversary Commemoration at the WWII Memorial

On Thursday, September 5th at 11:30 a.m., the Friends of the National World War II Memorial will hold a brief ceremony and wreath presentation at the National World War II Memorial to mark the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Nancy.

In a ten-day battle fought in early September 1944, the American Third Army defeated German forces defending the French town of Nancy. This action, referred to as the Battle of Nancy, ignited a successful months-long campaign through Lorraine and galvanized the Allied push to the German border.

To capitalize on high morale following several key victories across Europe, Allied commanders planned to launch a swift campaign from the West to bring the fight closer to the German homeland. Allied leaders looked to the hilly, resource-rich region of Lorraine for a route towards the German “Siegfried Line,” the system of fortifications securing the nation’s western border. After a brief halt due to fuel shortages, on September 5^th, 1944, General George S. Patton’s Third Army moved into Lorraine to cross the Moselle River and take the urban center of Nancy. Early crossing efforts were thwarted by accurate enemy fire from higher ground, much to Patton’s frustration. Yet after spending several days regrouping, on September 11^th, American forces launched a second assault on the Moselle south of the town, this time succeeding in crossing the river and establishing a bridgehead. The next day, other Third Army elements, including the 80^thInfantry Division, managed to secure their own crossing to Nancy’s northwest. The Moselle finally behind them, Third Army infantry and armor plowed through German defenses on the outskirts of Nancy, encircling the town by the 14^th. Their positions surrounded, most of Nancy’s German defenders withdrew from in and around the city, where they could regroup to defend against Third Army forces weeks later. American troops marched into Nancy the following day.

While perhaps not a flawless action, the Battle of Nancy succeeded in liberating the town, which would soon serve as a communications headquarters and the main bridgehead for the rest of the Allied campaign through Lorraine. Although many more hard battles, including the rough siege of Metz, lay ahead of Patton’s Third Army, the successful liberation of Nancy brought Allied forces ever closer to Germany’s own territory.

The Friends of the National World War II Memorial's WWII 75th Anniversary Commemoration is generously sponsored by AT&T.

Generous support has also been provided by the Albert and Ethel Herzstein Charitable Foundation and Worthington Industries.