Germans besiege the fortress of Longwy
- Category:
- Military operations
- Front:
- Western Front
- Date:
- 20 August 1914
- Author:
- Natalia
On 20 August 1914 German troops closed the ring of siege around the French fortress of Longwy. Situated in Lorraine, near the borders with Belgium and Luxembourg, the fortress guarded one of the roads leading from Luxembourg into the interior of France.
An old fortress
Longwy was a fortress with a long history. Its fortifications had been built back in the 17th century to the design of the famous French military engineer Vauban. By 1914 they were obsolete and could not compare with the modern forts of Liège or Namur. The garrison, about 3,500 strong, was commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Constant Darche.
As Crown Prince Wilhelm’s German Fifth Army advanced towards the Ardennes and the Meuse, the fortress found itself in the path of the German offensive. On 20 August it was surrounded.
Defence under fire
The Germans shelled Longwy with heavy artillery. The shells destroyed walls, barracks and houses, and the garrison suffered mounting losses. Even so, Darche and his soldiers held out for several days, tying down German forces needed on other sectors of the front. In the meantime bloody battles were fought in the nearby Ardennes, in which the French suffered a heavy defeat.
On 26 August, when further defence had become impossible and most of the fortifications lay in ruins, Longwy surrendered. The defenders were taken prisoner.
Significance
The defence of Longwy was regarded in France as an example of courage. Darche received a high decoration, and his conduct was held up as a model in the first, difficult weeks of the war. The fall of the fortress, however, opened the way further west for the Germans. Longwy, an important centre of the steel industry, remained under occupation until the end of the war.
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Meanwhile
(04)Elsewhere in the same days.
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Related events
(04)The same battle, people or subject.
- 26 August 1914 · Western FrontSurrender of the fortress of LongwyOn 26 August 1914, after days of bombardment, the French fortress of Longwy surrendered. Its garrison under Lt Col Darche was taken prisoner.
- 19 August 1914 · Western FrontFrench retake MulhouseOn 19 August 1914 General Paul Pau's Army of Alsace re-entered Mulhouse after heavy fighting. This time the French held the town for a week.
- 21 August 1914 · Western FrontBattle of Charleroi beginsOn 21 August 1914 the French 5th Army and the German 2nd Army clashed on the Sambre. The Germans seized the river crossings before the French could occupy them.
- 22 August 1914 · Western FrontBattle of the Ardennes beginsOn 22 August 1914 French armies advancing through the Ardennes ran into strong German forces. It was the bloodiest day in the history of the French army.