The World. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1912-1921, 1918-09-30
CAPTURE OF METZ
WOULD HASTEN
END OF WAR
GERMAN BASE, SUR
ROUNDED BY 2S FORTS, is
FORMIDABLE FORTRESS.
CENTER OF LARGE IRON FIELDS
UPON WHICH GERMANY DE-
PENDS FOR IRON ORE.
FALL OF CITY WOULD IMPERlL
GERMAN LINE WEST OF lAON
AND NORTH TO COAST.
fBy The Associated Press.)

strike at one Of the most important
German bases in the west. The city
land the % encircling forts comprise
what has been regarded as one of the
most formidable fortresses in the
world. Metz also is tie center OF
important iron fields, which before
the war supplied France and Ger
many with more than two-thirds of
the ore used by their iron manufac
tories.
Metz is ON the Moselle, 10 IL mile
west of the French border The city
lays astride the Moselle river as we'll
as on both sides of the Seille. Part
OF the city is on islands in the Mo
lselle. To the east, north and north
west are the iron and coal fields of
French and German Lorraine. De-
prived of these fields Germany could
not conduct the war another three
months, it is asserted.
The chief iron field of the Rhine
district is that of Lorraine, including
the Bassin de Briey (the centre of
which is the little village of Briey)
the greatest iron producing region in
/ the world. 1t is located mainly
in Alsace-Lorraine ana oyerlaps into
Belgium and Luxembourg It extends
along the Franco-German frontier for
thirty-five miles, almost up to Pont-
a-Mousson.
Germamy's possession of the major
portion of this productive area fol
flowed the signing of the treaty of
/ Frankfort in 1871. Previous to the
present war Germany obtained from
the mines on her side OF the frontier
Il 100000 tons of her total annual
production of 100000, while France
got 15000,000 out of a total produc-
4tion of 22,O0O,OOO .M
! Since her occupation in f914 of the
mines on the French side of the
frontier Germany has added to her
mineral wealth the 15,000,000 tons
annually obtained by the French,
/ bringing her total production from
Lorraine alone up to 100000 tons
a year.
The only practical road to this inn
portant region, military authorities
agree, is the valley OF the MoseTle.
AT the head of the valley and barring
the way lies Metz, ranking with
lStrassburg as one of the two great
buawarks of the German southwes-
tern frontier. Metz is city of co.
600 population, its chief industries
being the manufacturing of weapons,
clothes, shoes and hats.
AS a fortress Metz has been impor-
tant since the lRomanera. Since that
time it has never succumbed to from
tai attack. Its present system of for
! tifications includes % detached forts
which encircle the city proper The
outer chain of defenses, built within
the last two decades, and undoubted-
ly perfected since the outbreak of the
present war, extend to Thionville on
! the north, and Gravelotte ON the west
| West and southwest of Metz the
course of the Moselle is lined with
high, wooded hills. The German fort
ress also is protected by heights and
woods northward. On the south, how
ever, the terrain, is more open with
few hills and little wood.
From the American lines southwest
of Metz the nearest forts are Forts !
if1aeseler and de Sonny on the right !
bank of the Mosellei and Fort Kron-
prlnz on the left bank Fort de Som
my is less than five miles from the
French town OF Arnaville, on the
ltTancolGerman border The forts
surrounding Metz were similar to
those at Liege, which were notable
for their disappearing turrets. Ger
man guns, however, overcame these
| forts.
Metz also is an important point on
the railway line supplying the Ger
man line from Laon
The fall of Metz not only would
probably seal the fate of the iron and
coal fields, but, through the sever
ance of railway lines, imperil the
German line west to Laon and thence
northward to the Belgian coast. All
reports of possible German retire
ment IN the west have indicated that
Metz would form one of the bastions
of the German defense.
IRON. weoswer.iag and cos.rae,o.., M.ehie.7