While it did not see action during World War I, it was the scene of heavy fighting between American forces and German defenders at the end of the Battle of Metz, in 1944.

The Fort de Plappeville is part of the first ring of the Metz fortifications, built during the Second Empire by Napoleon III.

[1] It was designed by Raymond Adolphe Séré de Rivières, who oversaw the initial stages of the Metz fortifications.

[3] During the annexation of Alsace-Lorraine by Germany, the fort was renamed Feste Alvensleben and became a training camp for Prussian officers.

On 7 September Heinrich Himmler reviewed the troops of the 1st SS Division ( Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler) in the fort's place d'armes.

The occasion was the presentation of a new standard to the SS formation, organized for the visit of the Reichsführer to Metz at the request of General Sepp Dietrich.

The Fort de Plappeville, placed under the command of Colonel Vogel of the artillery, as well as Fort du Mont Saint Quentin, commanded by Colonel von Stossel, provided mutual artillery support and impeded the American advance along the valley of the Moselle to the west of Metz.