To many who are interested in WWII, it seems that when Patton was given a command, it moved on with great speed, pushing aside all obstacles in its path. Well, sort of. Like all wars, WWII was as much a battle of supplies and resources as it was equipment and generals.

After the big breakout from Normandy, Patton's Third Army moved so far and so fast that it quickly exceeded its ability to be supplied. Once it solidified the front, other priorities demanded many of Patton's units and those were moved up to what was considered to be the more important part of the western front battles and that was north with Montgomery. This was becaust Montgomery was having a very tough go of things and his advances were minimal at best.

Meanwhile, Patton was stopped just outside Metz and its fortifications, many of which were part of the French Maginot line. Without the manpower or equipment he previously had, Patton found the fortifications around Metz to be a very tough nut to crack. Though the German units were pretty well depleted, they had the advantage of a shorter supply chain, meager though it was, and the forts that many Allied commanders had written off as being a push over.

It turned out not to be the case at all. Despite not having top quality troops, the Germans used these fortifications very much to their advantage and completely stopped Patton's forward progress. Adding in the unseasonably wet fall/early winter to the mix meant that tanks had to stay on hard surface roads or be stuck in the quagmire. The Germans also had a lot of field artillery, much of it already zeroed into to river crossings and road crossings. This was not helped by Patton's lack of adequate artillery. in fact, most of the guns used by Patton's troops were captured German guns and ammunition, something I found to be pretty amazing stuff. It took Patton almost four months, from very early September to mid December to finally push through the few miles around Metz.

Author Steven J. Zaloga tells the story of the battles around Metz, providing a preamble of events leading up to the campaign, a look at the commanders of both sides and the men under their command. Then there is an inspection of the plans of both sides. The 'meat' of the volume is next with the various battles, mostly occurring around various forts in the area. Finally, introspection on how the battle went, what was learned from it, and how it affected future events. There is also a look at the battlefield today. All of this is superbly illustrated with period photographs and the artwork of Steve Noon, whose work has graced literally hundreds of books over the years.

If you want insight into the most difficult campaign fought by George Patton or just a fascinating read, then this is the book for you. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and I'm sure you will as well.

April 2012

For more on the complete line of Osprey books, visit www.ospreypublishing.com. In the US, it is Osprey Direct at 44-02 23rd St, Suite 219, Long Island City, NY 11101., where you can get a catalogue of available books.

If you would like your product reviewed fairly and quickly, please contact me or see other details in the Note to Contributors.