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Lorraine
Tag
(12)
1914
August
14
Key event
Battles of Morhange and Sarrebourg begin
On 14 August 1914 the French armies launched a great offensive in Lorraine. It began a series of battles that ended in defeat at Morhange and Sarrebourg.
20
End of the battles of Morhange and Sarrebourg
On 20 August 1914 a German counter-attack in Lorraine shattered the French offensive. The French armies fell back towards Nancy with heavy losses.
23
Zeppelin Z VIII shot down in the Vosges
On 23 August 1914 the German army airship Z VIII, hit by ground fire while flying over French troops, came down in a forest near Badonviller.
25
Key event
Battle of the Mortagne begins
On 25 August 1914 the armies of Castelnau and Dubail halted the German drive on the Trouée de Charmes in Lorraine and went over to a counter-offensive.
September
03
End of the Battle of the Mortagne
On 3 September 1914 the Battle of the Mortagne ended. The French held Lorraine, and the Germans prepared a new blow, this time against Nancy.
04
Key event
Battle of the Grand Couronné begins
On 4 September 1914 Crown Prince Rupprecht's army struck the Grand Couronné heights before Nancy. General Castelnau's French held the city for over a week.
12
End of the Battle of the Grand Couronné
On 12 September 1914 the Battle of the Grand Couronné ended. The German 6th Army withdrew from Nancy, and the French recovered Lunéville and Pont-à-Mousson.
24
Germans take Saint-Mihiel
On 24 September 1914 the Bavarians took Saint-Mihiel on the Meuse and next day Fort Camp des Romains, creating a salient held by Germany until September 1918.
1917
February
14
House of Commons on war aims
On 14 February 1917 Balfour declined to explain war aims in the Commons. London spoke cautiously of Alsace-Lorraine, though its allies went further.
November
15
Alsace and Lorraine a war aim
On 15 November 1917 Lord Robert Cecil assured the Commons that the return of Alsace and Lorraine to France had been a British war aim from the outset.
December
28
Pichon on France's war aims
On 28 December 1917 Foreign Minister Pichon set out France's war aims in the Chamber of Deputies. He rejected the Brest talks and demanded Alsace-Lorraine back.
1918
November
19
The French enter Metz
On 19 November 1918 troops of the Tenth Army entered Metz, capital of German Lorraine. The parade was watched by Pétain, who learned of his promotion that day.