REMEMBRANCE TOURISM GUIDE 2018


US MEMORIALS AND CEMETERIES


Many American cemeteries in France will be holding special centennial ceremonies on Memorial Weekend (26-28 May) and on Armistice Day (11 November) to mark the centenary of the end of the Great War.


Aisne-Marne American Cemetery and Memorial A 42-acre cemetery at the foot of the hill where the Battle of Belleau Wood was fought, causing 9,777 American casualties – 2,288 are buried here. A memorial chapel bears the names of 1,060 US soldiers missing in action. To coincide with Memorial Day weekend, the cemetery will host a ceremony on 27 May 2018 at 9.45am to mark Memorial Day, and the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Belleau Wood and Operations in the Aisne-Marne region during World War I. Attendance is free and open to the public. 02400 Belleau  www.abmc.gov/cemeteries- memorials/europe/aisne-marne- american-cemetery


Belleau Wood


A bronze-relief statue at the foot of the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery pays homage to the Marines who sacrificed their lives at the Battle of Belleau Wood. 6 June 1918 saw the highest number of casualties in Marine Corps history at the time, with 9,777 casualties sustained over the month of June. 02400 Belleau  www.abmc.gov/cemeteries- memorials/europe/belleau-wood


Oise-Aisne American Cemetery and Memorial A cemetery for 6,012 American soldiers who died fighting in the Second Battle of the Marne and the Oise-Aisne campaign. A Romanesque-style semi-circular monument constructed from marble and granite stands at the top of the site, next to a small chapel and fascinating museum.


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a map detailing the events of the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. The cemetery will host a ceremony and luminary event on 23 September 2018 marking the 100th anniversary of the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. Attendance is free and open to the public.


55110 Romagne-sous-Montfaucon  www.abmc.gov/cemeteries- memorials/europe/meuse-argonne- american-cemetery


The Meuse-Argonne Offensive was the Americans’ biggest battle of the war


The cemetery will host a ceremony on 28 July 2018 to mark the 100th anniversary of the Oise-Aisne Offensive. 02130 Seringes-et-Nesles  www.abmc.gov/cemeteries- memorials/europe/oise-aisne- american-cemetery


Château-Thierry Monument An impressive monument designed by Paul Philippe Cret comprising a double stone colonnade upon a long terrace. Commemorating the achievements of the US servicemen who fought in the Second Battle of the Marne and the Battle of Belleau Wood, it also honours the alliance between France and the USA. 02400 Château-Thierry  www.abmc.gov/cemeteries- memorials/europe/chateau-thierry- monument


Bellicourt American Monument


The Bellicourt American Monument is nine miles north of Saint-Quentin, Aisne.


Erected above a canal tunnel constructed by Napoleon I, it commemorates the achievements and sacrifices of the American troops who served in battle with the British Armies in France during 1917 and 1918. Engraved on the rear façade of the memorial is a map illustrating the American operations; on the terrace is an orientation table. A ceremony at the monument on 7 August 2018 will mark the 100th anniversary of American


units fighting with the British Army in France. 02420 Bellicourt  www.abmc.gov/cemeteries- memorials/europe/bellicourt- american-monument


Somme American Cemetery The Somme American Cemetery and Memorial lies on a gentle slope typical of the rolling Picardy countryside. The cemetery contains the graves of 1,844 US military dead. Most lost their lives serving in units attached to British forces, or in operations near Cantigny. To coincide with Memorial Day weekend, a ceremony at Cantigny Monument at 9am on 26 May 2018 will mark the role played by the US 1st Division in the First World War. Attendance is free and open to the public. 02420 Bony  www.abmc.gov/cemeteries- memorials/europe/somme- american-cemetery


Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery


This is the largest American war cemetery in Europe, where 27,000 American soldiers were buried until the 1920s, when 60 per cent of them were relocated to the US. Today there are 14,246 graves here, rising in rows towards a chapel where stained-glass windows portray American military badges. A gallery behind the chapel displays panels naming the 954 American troops whose bodies were never recovered, as well as


Montfaucon American Memorial Visible from the Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery, this 50-metre column stands on the battlefield’s highest point and commemorates the American victory in the Meuse-Argonne Offensive in late 1918. Crowned by a statue symbolising liberty, there’s also an observation point at the top with views of the battlefield. A detailed map of the offensive, available at the entrance, will help you to get your bearings and imagine the battle unfolding beneath you. 55270 Montfaucon-d’Argonne  www.abmc.gov/cemeteries- memorials/europe/montfaucon- american-monument


Montsec American Monument This neoclassical monument remembering the sacrifices made by American forces in the war is made up of a circle of white stone columns with a bronze- relief map detailing the Saint- Mihiel Salient in its centre. At 370 metres high, it offers visitors unrivalled views of the former battlefield and trenches, which remain today. 55300 Montsec  www.abmc.gov/cemeteries- memorials/europe/montsec- american-monument


Saint-Mihiel American Cemetery


The 40-acre cemetery contains the graves of 4,153 US soldiers; the majority of whom died in the Saint-Mihiel Salient.


The site is divided by rows of linden trees, with a sundial in its


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