The Battle of Flirey (french: 1re Bataille de Flirey) took place in the
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
and was fought from 19 September to 11 October 1914. The
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
Army defeated the
French. The battle cut most of the roads and railways to the Fortified Region of
Verdun
Verdun (, , , ; official name before 1970 ''Verdun-sur-Meuse'') is a large city in the Meuse department in Grand Est, northeastern France. It is an arrondissement of the department.
Verdun is the biggest city in Meuse, although the capital ...
(
FV and had a considerable effect on the rest of the war on the
Western Front.
Background
The
Woëvre
The Woëvre () (German: ''Waberland'') is a natural region of Lorraine in northeastern France. It forms part of Lorraine plateau and lies largely in the department of Meuse. Along with the Côtes de Moselle, the Woëvre is one of the areas in ...
Plain stretches from the city of
Luxemburg
Luxembourg ( ; lb, Lëtzebuerg ; french: link=no, Luxembourg; german: link=no, Luxemburg), officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, ; french: link=no, Grand-Duché de Luxembourg ; german: link=no, Großherzogtum Luxemburg is a small land ...
, south to the French city of
Toul
Toul () is a commune in the Meurthe-et-Moselle department in north-eastern France.
It is a sub-prefecture of the department.
Geography
Toul is between Commercy and Nancy, and the river Moselle and Canal de la Marne au Rhin.
Climate
Toul h ...
and has been a common route of attack between Germany and France. The plain is flanked on the western side by a series of mountain ranges (the ''Hauts de Meuse'') along the
Meuse River
The Meuse ( , , , ; wa, Moûze ) or Maas ( , ; li, Maos or ) is a major European river, rising in France and flowing through Belgium and the Netherlands before draining into the North Sea from the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta. It has a t ...
and along the eastern side by a series of mountain ranges along the
Moselle River
The Moselle ( , ; german: Mosel ; lb, Musel ) is a river that rises in the Vosges mountains and flows through north-eastern France and Luxembourg to western Germany. It is a left bank tributary of the Rhine, which it joins at Koblen ...
. A series of German fortifications was built before the war along the Moselle (especially around the city of
Metz
Metz ( , , lat, Divodurum Mediomatricorum, then ) is a city in northeast France located at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers. Metz is the prefecture of the Moselle department and the seat of the parliament of the Grand E ...
), and across the border, a matching set of French fortifications was established along the Meuse around Verdun and Toul.
In the first months of the war, (OHL, German High Command) first realised the increased effectiveness that artillery and machine guns gave to the defence and seized various terrain features that would be easy to defend. Recognising that it is easier to defend the heights along the Meuse than the plain between the Moselle and Meuse, a German attack was planned to seize the heights, deny access to the Woëvre Plain to the Allies, isolate Verdun and reduce the ability of the French to attack German territory.
Battle
The attack commenced on 19 September, with German cavalry from Metz skirmishing with the French defenders in the
Dieulouard
Dieulouard (; formerly Dieulwart) is a commune in the Meurthe-et-Moselle department in north-eastern France. Dieulouard is located between Pont-à-Mousson and Nancy, on the left bank of the Moselle. It is the location of the Gallo-Roman city of ...
–
Martincourt area.
Flirey
Flirey () is a commune in the Meurthe-et-Moselle department in north-eastern France.
Birthplace of Rin Tin Tin
Following advances made by American forces during the Battle of Saint-Mihiel, Corporal Lee Duncan, an aerial gunner of the U.S. Army A ...
, the woods around the village and the village of
Seicheprey
Seicheprey () is a commune in the Meurthe-et-Moselle department in north-eastern France.
See also
*Communes of the Meurthe-et-Moselle department
The following is a list of the 591 communes of the Meurthe-et-Moselle department of France.
T ...
were quickly captured. French reinforcements arrived on 22 September but could not stop the Germans from advancing. The German advance then changed direction by moving from southerly to south-westerly. By 24 September, the town of
Saint-Mihiel
Saint-Mihiel () is a commune in the Meuse department in Grand Est in north-eastern France.
Geography
Saint-Mihiel lies on the banks of the river Meuse.
History
A Benedictine abbey was established here in 708 or 709 by Count Wulfoalde and his wif ...
was captured and villages of Flirey, Seicheprey and Xivray recaptured. More French reinforcements arrived on 27 September but as the Germans were now firmly entrenched, French counter-attacks between Flirey and Apremont resulted in little change in the front line and continued until 11 October.
Aftermath
![Map commune FR insee code 55463](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/31/Map_commune_FR_insee_code_55463.png)
The battle created the Saint-Mihiel
salient projecting into the French lines south of Verdun. Of the two roads and one railway that led to Verdun, only a
minor road remained open, which imposed severe supply difficulties on the French troops in the ''RFV''. The city was enveloped on three sides and neutralised as a base for French offensive operations. The area would see much fighting over the rest of the war. Despite attempts by the French to reduce the salient in the First Battle of Woëvre in early 1915, the
First Offensive Battle of Verdun
The Battle of Verdun (french: Bataille de Verdun ; german: Schlacht um Verdun ) was fought from 21 February to 18 December 1916 on the Western Front (World War I), Western Front in France. The battle was the longest of the First World War and ...
in late 1916 and the
Second Offensive Battle of Verdun in 1917, the salient was not reduced until the
Battle of Saint-Mihiel
The Battle of Saint-Mihiel was a major World War I battle fought from 12–15 September 1918, involving the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) and 110,000 French troops under the command of General John J. Pershing of the United States against ...
in September 1918.
References
Sources
*
*
*
*
*
External links
Michelin GuideFrench site with pages on all French battles of the war*