For General George S. Patton, Jr., the battle for Lorraine during the fall and winter of 1944 was a frustrating and grueling experience of static warfare. Plagued by supply shortages, critical interference from superiors, flooded rivers, fortified cities, and the highly-determined German army, Patton had little opportunity to wage a fast armored campaign. Rickard examines Patton's generalship during these bitter battles and suggests that Patton was unable to adapt to the new realities of the campaign, thereby failing to wage the most effective warfare possible. His use of massive bomber support, his disinclination to concentrate his combat power, his unwillingness to avoid enemy strength, and his somewhat odd inability to demand the most from subordinates are considered in this iconoclastic look at George S. Patton, Jr.

Includes maps of: Patton's 2nd Armored Division, Louisiana, Phase II ; Third Army's Advance, August 1-September 5, 1944 ; Location of the West Wall and Maginot Line ; Third Army Plan of Advance/German Dispositions, September 5, 1944 ; 80th Infantry Division's Assault on the Moselle, September 5-10, 1944 ; 4th Armored Penetration to Chateau-Salins, September 11-14, 1944 ; Patton's Plan to Assault the West Wall, September 16, 1944 ; Fifth Panzer Army Counterattack, September 18, 1944 ; Third Army's Front, September 25, 1944 ; Metz Defensive System ; Fort Driant Complex ; Third Army Line Correcting Operations, September 27-October 31, 1944 ; Outline Plan A, October 18, 1944 ; Outline Plan B, October 18, 1944 ; Third Army Plan of Advance, November 8, 1944 ; 90th Infantry Division's Zone of Advance, November 9, 1944 ; Air Support Plan, Operation Madison, November 8-9, 1944 ; Orscholz Switch Line ; Third Army's Battle Line, November 30, 1944 ; Third Army's Battle Line, December 19, 1944.

t Foreword / $r Carlo D'Este -- $t A Philosophy of Battle -- $t From Theory to Practice -- $t Orders of Battle -- $t Strategy, Logistics, and Perception -- $t Breaching the Line of the Moselle -- $t Opportunity and Counterattack -- $g Ch. 7. $t The Problem of Metz -- $t Correcting the Army Line -- $t Planning for the November Offensive -- $t The Fall of Metz -- $t Advance to the West Wall -- $t Assessment -- $g Appendices. $t Third Army Order of Battle -- $t German Order of Battle -- $t Casualties and Replacements -- $t Material Losses -- $t Third Army Operational Directives.