Netherlands American Cemetery and Memorial

Entrance to the military cemetery

Netherlands American Cemetery and Memorial ( German Dutch American War Cemetery and Memorial ) is the only American war cemetery in the Kingdom of the Netherlands . It is located near Margraten , about 15 km southeast of Maastricht on the N278 , covers 26 hectares and is looked after by the American Battle Monuments Commission .

History of origin

Rows of graves in a semi-arch

The area around Margraten near Maastricht was captured and liberated on September 13, 1944 by units of the 30th (US) Infantry Division . These units were among the troops that advanced from here in a north-easterly direction towards Germany. On November 10, 1944, the 9th (US) Army laid out the first and only American military cemetery at this point near Margraten. The cemetery and memorial were designed by architects Shepley, Bulfinch, Richardson and Abbott of Boston , Massachusetts , work was completed in 1960 and this war cemetery was inaugurated on July 7, 1960 . The landscape was designed and landscaped by landscape architects Clarke, Rapuano, and Halleran of New York City . The remains of around 8,800 dead are currently on the 26 hectare facility. In 2005 the then President of the United States, George W. Bush, visited the Cemetery of Honor.

general description

From the entrance gate to the main courtyard, there is an oval, grass-covered green area. From here one arrives at the steps of the main courtyard, the square tower immediately falls into the optics and the line of sight to the flagpole at the back opens up a wide view over the rows of graves.

The court of honor

The main courtyard extends from the memorial, a stairway leads directly to the square tower with an elongated water basin in front of it. On the north and south walls of the main courtyard are the names, ranks , units and states of soldiers of the Army and Air Force who went missing in 1722 . The American inscription reads.

HERE ARE RECORDED THE NAMES OF AMERICANS WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES IN THE SERVICE OF THEIR COUNTY AND WHO SLEEP IN UNKNOWN GRAVES

HERE ARE THE NAMES OF THE AMERICANS WHO DEDICATED THEIR LIVES IN THE SERVICE OF THEIR COUNTRY AND REST IN UNKNOWN GRASES

The memorial

Military operations situation map

Immediately at the entrance to the facility on the southern side is the memorial for the American soldiers. In the middle of the covered hall, walls made of Roman travertine show the course of the military operation from the beginning in Normandy to the end of the Second World War , as well as the strategic air raids since 1942. The tactical troop movements are represented by mosaics , bronze and enamel works . Standing in the hall in front of the large relief, the airborne operations that led to the destruction of the Siegfried Line and the advance on the Lower Rhine are shown on the left . The military operations depicted on the right represent the advance of American troops to overcome the Rur and the Rhine .

The tower with the chapel

Square tower and chapel

A bronze statue of Joseph Kiselewski (New York City) was erected in front of the tower, depicting a grieving person who is flown around by doves (messengers of peace). At your feet, a new shoot grows from a burned stump, this symbolizes the new beginning. The following text is engraved in the base:

NEW LIFE FROM WAR'S DESTRUCTION PROCLAIMS MAN'S IMMORTALITY AND HOPE FOR PEACE

NEW LIFE AFTER THE DESTRUCTIONS OF WAR EXPLAINS THE IMMORTALITY OF HUMANITY AND THE HOPE FOR PEACE

Bronze statue with doves of peace and a new tree shoot

The square tower has a height of 33 meters and is made of English Portland stone. On the outside walls are listed the largest battlefields on which American soldiers fell. These are: Maastricht, Eindhoven , Grave , Nijmegen , Arnhem , Jülich , Linnich , Geilenkirchen , Krefeld , Venlo , Rheinberg , Cologne , Wesel and the Ruhr area . The entrance to the chapel leads from the side of the burial ground through bronze doors, they represent the outline of a tree of life and bear the inscription:

IN MEMORY OF THE VALOR AND THE SACRIFICES WHICH HALLOW THIS SOIL

IN MEMORY OF THE BRAVERY AND SACRIFICE THAT CONSECUTE THIS EARTH

Interior of the chapel

Inside the chapel hangs a chandelier donated by the Dutch people , which represents the Dutch crown. The small lights hanging down from the roof are intended to bring the firmament to mind. At the head side is an altar carved from oak wood , the memorial inscription on the altar reads:

HONOR - FAITH - BRAVE

HONOR - FAITH - BRAVE

National flag of America and church flags

On the left wall hang three US national flags and one Christian and one Jewish church flag .

The tombs

Grave site with cross

Grave site with Star of David

The 8301 tombstones are arranged in parallel semi-arches, the Star of David indicates the fallen of the Jewish religion, while the other grave sites have Christian crosses . The crosses are made of marble and have the engraved name, rank, troop affiliation, state and ultimately the date of death.

Horticultural design

The middle path, which also forms the visual axis, is lined with American oaks , and the rhododendron beds offer a wealth of flowers every year on Memorial Day. Other plants are thorn hedges and wooded parts with oak and hawthorn , the memorial is surrounded on the sides with polyanthine roses and further planting is made up of soil plants and large lawns and finally a hedge made of holly .