Lorraine American Cemetery and Memorial

ABMC World War II cemetery in France

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; 79 years ago (1944-09)
(Completed 1960; 64 years ago (1960))
Location| 49°7′19″N 6°43′3″E﻿ / ﻿49.12194°N 6.71750°E﻿ / 49.12194; 6.71750
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

World War II

Statistics source: ABMC website

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 soldiers KIA (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]

## History[edit]

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[edit]

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[edit]

* Medal of Honor recipients
* Sergeant Salvador J. Lara (1920–1945 †), awarded the medal in 2014[2]
* Sergeant Andrew Miller (1916–1944 †), awarded the medal in 1945
* Private Frederick C. Murphy (1918–1945 †), awarded the medal in 1946
* Sergeant Ruben Rivers (c. 1921–1944 †), awarded the medal in 1977
* Lieutenant David C. Waybur (1919–1945 †), awarded the medal in 1943 and killed in action 19 months later
* Others
* Lieutenant Al Blozis (1919–1945 †), football player
* Lieutenant Willard Bowsky (1907–1944 †), animator
* Private Charley Havlat (1910–1945 †), last American to die before the German surrender on 7 May[3]
* Major George Preddy (1919–1944 †), flying ace, buried next to his brother Lieutenant William Preddy (1924–1945 †)

Anecdote: Sheltered from view, hidden by trees in a place a little apart, is a small vegetable garden created in 1962 by Bouaroua Aissa, gardener of the cemetery. More than 60 years later, this garden still exists and is maintained by another gardener who perpetuates Aissa's work.

## Gallery[edit]

* 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[edit]

1. ^ American Battle Monuments Commission. "Lorraine American Cemetery". abmc.gov. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
2. ^ 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.
3. ^ "The Last American Killed in Action in Europe during World War II". abmc.gov. American Battle Monuments Commission. Retrieved 15 June 2018.

## External links[edit]

* American Battle Monuments Commission home page
* ABMC Lorraine Cemetery video .wmv
* ABMC Lorraine Cemetery booklet .pdf
* Lorraine American Cemetery and Memorial Flickr group
* Lorraine American Cemetery and Memorial at Find a Grave

* v
* t
* e

American Battle Monuments Commission

* American Battle Monuments Commission
* World War I
* World War II
* Mexican–American War

Cemeteries and Memorials|

| Belgium|

* Ardennes American Cemetery and Memorial
* Flanders Field American Cemetery and Memorial
* Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery and Memorial

|

France|

* Aisne-Marne American Cemetery and Memorial
* Brittany American Cemetery and Memorial
* Epinal American Cemetery and Memorial
* Lafayette Escadrille Cemetery and Memorial
* Lorraine American Cemetery and Memorial
* Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery
* Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial
* Oise-Aisne American Cemetery and Memorial
* Rhone American Cemetery and Memorial
* Somme American Cemetery and Memorial
* St. Mihiel American Cemetery and Memorial
* Suresnes American Cemetery and Memorial

Italy|

* Florence American Cemetery and Memorial
* Sicily–Rome American Cemetery and Memorial

Luxembourg|

* Luxembourg American Cemetery and Memorial

Mexico|

* Mexico City National Cemetery

Netherlands|

* Netherlands American Cemetery

Panama|

* Corozal American Cemetery and Memorial

Philippines|

* Clark Veterans Cemetery
* Manila American Cemetery

Tunisia|

* North Africa American Cemetery and Memorial

United Kingdom|

* Brookwood American Cemetery and Memorial
* Cambridge American Cemetery and Memorial

Related organizations|

* American War Memorials Overseas
* Commonwealth War Graves Commission
* German War Graves Commission
* Office of Australian War Graves

People|

| General|

* David Urban

|

Principal Architects|

* Perry Dean Rogers Architects
* Paul Philippe Cret

Landscaping|

* Olmsted Brothers

Portals:

* Architecture
* France

Lorraine American Cemetery and Memorial at Wikipedia's sister projects:

* Media from Commons

Authority control databases

International|

* VIAF

National|

* United States

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template