Lorraine American Cemetery and Memorial
Lorraine American Cemetery and Memorial is a Second World War American military war grave cemetery, located just outside Saint-Avold, Moselle, France. The cemetery, containing 10,489 American war dead (the second largest number of American burials in Europe, after the Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery of World War I dead, with 14,246), covers 113.5 acres (45.9 ha), was dedicated in 1960. It is administered by the American Battle Monuments Commission.[1]
| Lorraine American Cemetery and Memorial | |
|---|---|
| American Battle Monuments Commission | |
 Lorraine American Military Cemetery, Memorial Day 2010, ceremonial wreaths | |
| Used for those deceased 1944–1945 | |
| Established | September 1944 (Completed 1960) |
| Location | 49°7′19″N 6°43′3″E near Saint-Avold, Moselle, France |
| Designed by | Murphy & Locraft, Washington, D.C. (Monument) Allyn R. Jennings of Oley, Pennsylvania (Landscaping) |
| Total burials | 10,489 |
| Commemorated | 444 |
| Burials by nation | |
United States | |
| Burials by war | |
| Statistics source: ABMC website | |
History
During and shortly after the war over 16,000 American casualties were interred across the Saint Avold region in France. Those interred at the Lorraine American Cemetery died mostly in the autumn of 1944 during the Allied advance from Paris to the Rhine as the Americans sought to expel the Germans from fortress city of Metz and advance on the Siegfried Line during the latter stages of World War II. They were mainly part of the U.S. Third and Seventh Armies.
In the late 1940s many bodies from the Saint Avold region were repatriated to the US or concentrated at Lorraine.
Layout
The cemetery's headstones are arranged in nine plots forming an elliptical design ending with an overlook feature. A memorial has ceramic operations maps with narratives and service flags. Either side of the memorial are Tablets of the Missing commemorating 444 soldiers missing in action (rosettes mark those since recovered and identified).
Notable burials
- Al Blozis (1919–1945), football player
- Willard Bowsky (1907–1944), animator
- Salvador J. Lara (1920–1945), Medal of Honor recipient[2]
- Andrew Miller (died 1944), Medal of Honor recipient
- George Preddy (1919–1944), flying ace, buried next to his brother William Preddy
- David C. Waybur (1919–1945), Medal of Honor recipient
- Ruben Rivers (c. 1921–1944), Medal of Honor recipient
Gallery
Facing southeast, toward the rear of the memorial
Lorraine American Military Cemetery, entrance sign
Lorraine American Military Cemetery, chapel
Lorraine American Military Cemetery, St-Avold, American and French flags
References
- American Battle Monuments Commission. "Lorraine American Cemetery". abmc.gov. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
- Santschi, Darrell R. (23 February 2014). "Riverside men to get top honor: Jesus S. Duran and Salvador J. Lara will be awarded the Medal of Honor". The Press-Enterprise.