Metz and Mud

Finally, on November 8th, the waiting was over. The Third Army once
again had been given a green light from Eisenhower. That is just what
Patton and his soldiers had been waiting for. The soldiers of the
Third Army knew that, as Patton had told them, "The road home is
through Berlin." After their long delay, they started their first big
fight by attacking the German city of Metz.

Patton had gone through the ordeal of a trench war in World War One.
He knew how bad the effects of a stalemate could be. It was exactly
that type of trench warfare he wanted to avoid with his rapid,
motorized war of continual advance. "Never let the enemy rest," he
told his men, "once you have them on the run, keep them on the run."

Major General Walton H. Walker, commander of the XX Corps, and Major
General Manton S. Eddy, commander of the XII Corps, managed to
establish bridgeheads across the Saar River because of bold attacks.
Both of these generals knew how important it is to surprise the enemy
so they started battles during weather so bad the Germans didn't think
it was possible to attack.

As usual, because of their boldness, the Third Army achieved a
tactical surprise. They were becoming famous for being able to do the
impossible.

During these attacks, heavy rains left the terrain muddy and the
rivers at a record flood level. These conditions called for more than
average performance by the bridge building engineers.

The wet and cold weather caused a trenchfoot epidemic among Third Army
troops, but a program of individual foot care was ordered personally
by General Patton. This lowered the casualty rate and broke the
epidemic.

The severe weather helped the Germans to prevent a complete
breakthrough, but they still had to withdraw into Germany and take
defensive positions behind the Siegfried Line. In spite of fanatic
German resistance, Metz was captured for the first time since 451 A.D.
The Third Army entered the city on November 18th after it was
completely encircled.

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