Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-09-19
METZ LOsS WOULD END
HUN HOPE Of VICTORY
Germany Would BE Helpless With
Her Iron Supply Gone;
City of 10000.

Offensive operations toward Metz strike
at one of the most important German
bases in the West The rity and tho % en-
circlIng forts comprise what has been re-
gareled as one of the most formidable for
tresses in the world Metz also is the cen
ter of important iron fields which before
the war supplied France and Germany
with more than two-thrds of the ore
used by their iron manufactures
Metz IL on the Mosclle, l0t3 miles west
of the French border The city lays astFide
the Moselle river rs we'll as on both sides
of the Sellle Part of the city Is on islands
in the Moselle To the east, north and
northwest are the iron and coal fields OF
French and German Lorraine Deprived
Of these fields Germany could not conduct
the war another three months, II ~ assert
ed
The chief iron field of the Rhine dis
trict is that Of Lorraine. including the
Bassln de Brley, dhe centre Of which IS
the little village Of Briey,l the greatest
iron producing region IN the world IL ls
located mainly IN Alsace-Lorraine and
overlaps into Belgium and Luxcnhurg
II extends along the Franco-f ,erman from
tier for 50 miles, almost up to Pont-a-
Mousson.
Gerunany's possession Of the major
portion of this productive area followed
the signing Of the Treaty Of Frankfort in
1871. Previous to the present war, Ger
many obtained from the mines on her side
Of the frontier, u ,Oo0, 900 tons of her
total annual production Of %, 100000,
while France got 5,OO1,UO0 out Of a total
production of 220O,0OO
Since her occupation in ID OF the mines
on the French side of the frontier Ger
many has added Ia her mineral wealth
the 5000, 900 tons annually obtained by
the French, bringing her total production
from Lorraine alone, up to 100000
tons year
The only practical road to this import
ant region, military authorities agree, Is
the valley Of the AIoselc At the head Of
the valley and barring the way, lies Metz,
ranking with Strasshtug as one OF the two
great hulwarks of the German southwest
crn frontier Metz, Is a city of 10000
population, its chief Industries being the
manufacturing of weapons, clothes, shoes
and hats
As fortress Metz has been important
since the Roman era. Since that time II
has never succumbed 10 frontal attack.
Its present system of Notifications in
clude 2S detached forts which encircle
the CjAS proper. llt OuitE ttttlu bI Ut
fenses, built within the last two decades,
and undoubtedly perfected since the out
break OF the present war, extend to I'hion-
vile 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 fortress also is pro-
tected by heights and words northward
On the south, however the terrain, Is
more open with few hills and little wood.
From the American lines southwest of
Metz the nearest forts are Forts Haeseler
and de Sonny on the right bank of the
Moselle and Fort kronprinz on the left
bank. Fort de Sonny is less than five
miles from the French town of Arnaville,
on the Franco-German border. The forts
surrounding Metz were similar to those at
Liege, which were notable for their dis
appearing turrets. German guns, however,
overcame these forts.
Metz also Is an important point ON the
railway line supplying the German line
eastward from Laon.
The fail of Metz not only would prob
ably seal the fate of the iron and coal fields.
but, through the severance of railway
lines imperil the German line west to
Loan and thence northward to the Bel
gIum coast. All reports OF possible Ger
man retirement in the west have indlcat- |
ed that Metz would form one of the bas-
tions of the German defense