Siege of Metz (1870)

Long ago, a big fight happened in Metz. Many French soldiers were trapped in the city. German armies surrounded them. They could not get out.

The soldiers tried to fight to escape. But they could not win. Soon, the food ran out. The people in the city were very hungry. This made the fight very hard.

Finally, the French army had to stop fighting. The German armies won the fight for Metz.

In 1870, a big fight happened in France and Prussia. This was part of the Franco-Prussian War. A French leader named Marshal Bazaine led his army into the city of Metz. German troops under Prince Friedrich Karl surrounded the city. They could not break into the strong fortress. Instead, the Germans decided to wait for the food to run out. This is called a siege.

The French army tried to fight their way out twice. They fought at Noisseville and Bellevue. Both times, the French were pushed back. Inside the city, things became very hard. The food ran out on October 20. The soldiers had to eat horses to stay alive.

On October 27, Bazaine surrendered. About 193,000 French men were taken as prisoners. The Germans won the city. Later, the German Empire took control of Metz. A famous thinker named Friedrich Nietzsche was there too. He worked as a medical helper during the siege.

The Siege of Metz was a major event during the Franco-Prussian War. It began in August 1870 and lasted until late October.

A French leader named Marshal François Bazaine moved his troops into the Metz fortress. This happened after his army lost a battle at Gravelotte. Soon, German forces led by Prince Friedrich Karl surrounded the city. This created a siege, where one side is trapped inside a place.

The Germans wanted to capture the fortress to win the war.

The siege worked by cutting off the people inside from the outside. The Germans could not break the strong walls with their guns. Instead, they decided to wait for the food to run out. This is a way to make an army surrender without a direct fight. Inside the city, the situation became very difficult for everyone. The French soldiers and the people living in the city grew very hungry. Riots even broke out because there was so little to eat.

History shows that the French tried hard to escape the trap. They fought two big battles to break out of the siege. The first was at Noisseville in late August. The second attempt happened at Bellevue on October 7. Both times, the German armies stopped them. These battles were hard for both sides, with many men killed or wounded. The French could not find a way to reach help.

Numbers show how much the people inside suffered during this time. The food supplies only lasted about 41 days for the soldiers. By October 20, the food was completely gone. The French army had to eat 20,000 horses to stay alive.

On October 27, Bazaine surrendered the entire army. About 193,000 French men were taken as prisoners by the Germans. The Germans also captured many guns and thousands of weapons.

This event changed the map of Europe for a long time. After the war, the Treaty of Frankfurt was signed in May 1871. This treaty gave the city of Metz to the German Empire.

Even famous people were part of this history. The thinker Friedrich Nietzsche was there serving as a medical helper. The siege remains a famous part of the war's story. It shows how much a siege can change a conflict.

The Siege of Metz was a major military operation during the Franco-Prussian War. It lasted from August 19 to October 27, 1870. This event was a decisive victory for the German allied forces. It involved the trapping of a large French army inside a fortified city. The siege changed the course of the war and the borders of Europe.

The siege began after the French Army of the Rhine suffered a defeat. This defeat happened at the Battle of Gravelotte on August 18, 1870. Marshal François Bazaine led the French troops into the defenses of Metz. Soon, German forces under Prince Friedrich Karl of Prussia surrounded the fortress. They used over 150,000 Prussian troops to create this encirclement.

To help Bazaine, Napoleon III formed the Army of Châlons. This new army marched toward the Belgian border to avoid the Prussians. They then turned south to link up with the trapped French forces. However, the Prussian Field Marshal Helmuth von Moltke planned a counter-move. He used the Prussian First and Second Armies to catch the French. This resulted in the Battle of Sedan on September 1 and 2. The Army of Châlons was destroyed at Sedan, leaving Metz isolated.

The Germans tried to capture the fortress using heavy siege guns. They brought 50 large guns from Germany to bombard the city. However, the Metz fortress was very well-built and heavily armed. The German artillery could not silence the French guns effectively. Because they could not storm the walls, the Germans chose a different tactic. They decided to starve the French army into submission.

Conditions inside the fortress became very difficult for everyone. The French had enough food for 70,000 civilians for three and a half months. They also had five months of provisions for a regular garrison. But because the entire Army of the Rhine was trapped there, supplies ran out fast. Food lasted only 41 days, and oats for animals lasted only 25 days. Riots broke out among the starving soldiers and city residents.

The French attempted to break the siege through direct combat. They fought the Battle of Noisseville from August 31 to September 1. They also tried to break out at the Battle of Bellevue on October 7. Both attempts were repulsed by the German forces. In these two battles, both sides lost about 5,000 men killed or wounded. By October 20, the food supplies were completely gone. The army survived by eating 20,000 horses at a rate of 1,000 per day.

On October 27, 1870, Marshal Bazaine surrendered the entire Army of the Rhine. This surrender included approximately 193,000 men. The Germans captured enormous amounts of military equipment during this time. They took 622 field guns and 2,876 fortress guns. They also captured 137,000 chassepots and 123,000 other small arms. The Prussian victory freed their armies to fight in the Loire river valley. Later, the Treaty of Frankfurt in May 1871 annexed Metz into the German Empire.

Many notable people and details are connected to this siege. The famous philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche served as a medical attendant for the Prussians. During the siege, he contracted diphtheria and dysentery. The siege was so significant that it inspired the "Siegesmarsch von Metz" music. The loss of the French army at Metz was a turning point in the war. It demonstrated how starvation can be used as a powerful tool in siege warfare.