Landroff (; ) is a
commune in the
Moselle
The Moselle ( , ; ; ) is a river that rises in the Vosges mountains and flows through north-eastern France and Luxembourg to western Germany. It is a bank (geography), left bank tributary of the Rhine, which it joins at Koblenz. A sm ...
department in
Grand Est
Grand Est (; ) is an Regions of France, administrative region in northeastern France. It superseded three former administrative regions, Alsace, Champagne-Ardenne and Lorraine, on 1 January 2016 under the provisional name of Alsace-Champagne-A ...
in north-eastern
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
.
Historical significance
Landroff was the site of a sharp but brief battle during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
on 14–15 November 1944 between elements of the U.S.
6th Armored Division and the German
36th Volksgrenadier Division led by the 87th Grenadier Regiment.
Elements of the U.S.
68th Tank Battalion liberated the town on 14 November. Beginning that evening at 1800, the 68th repulsed the first of four increasingly violent and determined German counterattacks. The others followed at 2100, 2300, and finally at 0130 on 15 November. B Company, 44th Armored Infantry Battalion reinforced the 68th after the second counterattack. During the final counterattack German forces cut the road to the west of the town and, in the darkness, infiltrated into Landroff proper, where the battle devolved into a hand-to-hand melee that lasted until dawn.
For his role in organizing the defense of the town, the 68th Tank Battalion's S-3 (Operations Officer), Captain Daniel E. Smith, was awarded the
Distinguished Service Cross.
See also
* Communes of the Moselle department
The following is a list of the 725 communes of the Moselle department of France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include Frenc ...
References
External links
*
{{authority control
Communes of Moselle (department)