Koelberg military cemetery
The German military cemetery Koelberg or Koelberg I , but also Koelenberg , was a small German military cemetery from the First World War in Belgium .
Location and origin
The cemetery of honor was on the N8 (Menenstrasse) between Menen and Ypres , more precisely between Geluve and Geluveld . Following the course of the road in a north-westerly direction, hardly seven kilometers away was the Sanctuary Wood ("refuge forest") with the strategic Hill 62 and the English positions. The fact that such a small military cemetery was set up immediately behind the front shows that the planners did not anticipate such a long stay at this point. During the entire world war, no fewer than five major battles took place on the Ypres arch . In both directions (Menen / Ypres) of the road there were about half a million dead. The Koelberg military cemetery, which was laid out in October 1914, was already filled with graves in mid-1915. Therefore, further south-east in the direction of Wervik Koelberg II and Nachtigall (Flemish: Nachtegaal), each of which was further and further away from the front city of Ypres and increasing in size. The counterpart on the other side of the front is likely to be the Sanctuary Wood Cemetery .
history
In 1914 the cemetery was laid out as the resting place of German soldiers not far from Ypres , especially after the First Battle of Flanders , at a field hospital, as honor cemetery No. 59 Koelberg I. It was triangular in plan with the point facing west. In the Second Battle of Flanders it was filled, especially by members of the 3rd Upper Alsatian Infantry Regiment No. 172 , whose regimental cemetery he became practical during this time and who took over his sponsorship. During the Third Battle of Flanders , the cemetery was partially destroyed by grenades.
The soldiers were buried in single or double graves depending on the war situation. During and after the war, the "Central Office for Warrior Losses and Warrior Graves" in Berlin was responsible for maintaining the cemetery. As a result of an agreement between the Belgian and German governments, the German cemeteries were assigned to the "Official Graves Service for Germans in Belgium", which in 1925 commissioned the Belgian Red Cross to look after them. In 1954 it was agreed to amalgamate the numerous small German military cemeteries that had been scattered as a result of the war. Between 1956 and 1958 the dead in the cemetery were transferred to the German military cemetery in Menen . The original square is now partially built over with houses.
gallery
Koelberg I during the war, approx. 1914 Construction of the burial ground and the fence ...
... as well as further expansion of the cemetery around 1915
Grave of musketeer Sendker and reserve lieutenant Tonnelier 2/172
Grave musketeer Metz
Eastern corner of the filled cemetery ...
... with medical soldiers from the adjoining hospital
Individual evidence
- ↑ way of memory
- ↑ Wegener Hans, The History of the 3rd Upper Alsatian Infantry Regiment No. 172, Zeulenroda (Thuringia) 1934 p. 127
- ↑ On the left the double grave of Cunacus Friedrich and Stemper Johann from 1 / IR 172 fell on May 25, 1915, today in Menen G / 1053 and G / 1054
literature
- Hans Wegener : The history of the 3rd Upper Alsatian Infantry Regiment No. 172. Edited from the official war diaries and reports from fellow combatants. Sporn, Zeulenroda (Thuringia) 1934.
- Werner Bernhard Sendker: Fallen in Flanders fields. Germans and their relationship to the First World War. 2nd, completely revised and greatly expanded edition. Der Andere Verlag, Tönningen et al. 2005, ISBN 3-89959-366-9 .
- Jan Vancoillie: De Duitse militaire begraafplaats Menen forest. Geschiedenis van de Duitse militaire graven van de Eerste Wereldoorlog in Zuid-West-Vlaanderen. J. Vancoillie, Wevelgem 2013 ISBN 978-90-8210-390-8 .
Web links
Coordinates: 50 ° 49 ′ 8.9 ″ N , 3 ° 2 ′ 33.1 ″ E