German war cemetery El Alamein

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Octagonal central building of the war grave memorial

The German war cemetery in El Alamein is a war cemetery for 30 dead in the First World War and 4,213 fallen in the Second World War in Egypt . It is located on the coastal road between Alexandria and Marsa Matruh about 100 kilometers west of Alexandria one kilometer north of kilometer stone 115.

Collective cemetery

The reburial commandos of the British Army put on collective cemeteries for the war dead of the Commonwealth, Italy and Germany in 1943–1947. The German provisional collective cemetery, like the Italian one, was transferred to the care of the Italian burial service in 1947. From 1953 the Egyptian state granted the Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge to operate in Egypt. As a result, the new final collective cemetery was built with light beige limestone from the quarry near Marsah Matrut. There is an online directory with the names of some of the war dead.

architecture

Entrance area with a mosaic showing the cross and evangelists
Basalt obelisk
Niche with sarcophagus and name boards

The construction was carried out in the shape of an octagon based on the Castel del Monte and in the style of the necropolis . The height is 12 meters, the diameter 42 meters. The towers are lower than the enclosing walls. Inside, an archway leads along the walls. There are eight niches there. One serves as an entrance room in which the 31 fallen soldiers of unknown nationality are remembered with a plea for peace. The fallen are embedded in the tomb chambers of seven of the niches. The names of the fallen are listed on bronze plaques on the back walls of the niches. The niches are marked with memorial stones in the shape of a sarcophagus

Entrance to the war cemetery

Entrance to the war cemetery of Manfred Bergmeister

The German blacksmith Manfred Bergmeister created the desert gate, the entrance gate to the war cemetery El Alamein.

International memorial hour

Every three years, an international commemorative hour to commemorate the end of the Battle of El Alamein takes place alternately at the British, Italian or German war cemetery .

War cemeteries of other nations in the area

  • El Alamein Commonwealth cemetery
  • Libyan soldiers cemetery
  • Greek memorial
  • Italian war cemetery

See also

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Internet site of the Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge for the German war cemetery El Alamein
  2. ↑ Internet site of the Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge for the German war cemetery El Alamein
  3. ↑ German place of honor El Alamein: names of war dead at findagrave
  4. ↑ Internet site of the Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge for the German war cemetery El Alamein
  5. ↑ Victoria Spinrad: The lucky blacksmith from Ebersberg, "Süddeutsche Zeitung", November 28, 2017
  6. ↑ Internet site of the Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge for the German war cemetery El Alamein

Web links

Commons : El Alamein German cemetery  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Coordinates: 30 ° 53 '22 "  N , 28 ° 52' 28"  E