BATTLE OF THE MARNE and BELLEAU WOOD MONUMENTS
American Military Cemeteries in France
"Over There...Over There..." When America finally answered the call of George M. Cohan’s patriotic melody of coming to the aide of France who had been bogged in the trenches with Germany for almost 5 years, one of the first meetings of the fresh American forces and the battle hardened Germans was the brutal World War I Battle of Belleau Wood in June of 1918. It took place on a wooded hillside in the valley of the Marne River in East Central France in the country’s Champagne region outside the village of Belleau, about 10 kilometers northwest of the town of Chateau-Thierry near Reims. 2018 marks the 100th Anniversary of the Marne battles and the last year of the “Great War” which finally came to an end in November.
The battle proved the mettle of the American doughboys who surprised the Germans with their ferocity, earning the American Marines the nickname “Devil Dogs”. While the weary French were on heels, the fresh troops from the United States were determined to prove themselves and did, forcing the Germans back across the river, stopping their advance to Paris. The Army 3rd Infantry earned the nickname the “Rock of the Marne” for their tenacious stand. It was a costly victory for the American-French side in which 2,289 dead were left buried in a cemetery at the base of the hillock on which much of the battle was fought. Another 1,060 were counted as missing.
The Aisne-Marne Military Cemetery at Belleau Wood is maintained by the American Battle Monuments Commission which administers 24 cemeteries on foreign soil for 125,000 American dead from WWI, WWII and the Mexican-American War. The cemetery at Belleau Wood has both WWI soldiers from the Belleau Wood Battle and the surrounding Marne campaign, as well as WWII soldiers. Many of the later WWII soldiers once buried here were later returned to the United States, but about a third remain in hollowed ground in France. A chapel on the grounds of the cemetery commemorates the missing in action with names inscribed on the walls inside (see Battlefields Tours by Rail).
About 3 miles away from the cemetery stands a massive concrete monument to American action in France. The monument is engraved with the names of the military divisions and a map showing the ground captured by American soldiers of the battles of the Marne after July 1918. The monument occupies a hill overlooking the valley between the Marne and Aisne rivers, with a view of the town of Chateau-Thierry.
Visiting the Aisne-Marne Cemetery and Monument
These sites are on either side of the A4 auto route halfway between Paris and Reims. The Aisne-Marne cemetery is open daily from 09:00 to 5:00 (17:00) except Christmas Day and New Year. It is open on French national holidays, because it is officially honored as American soil. A staff member is on duty in the Visitors’ Building to answer questions and escort relatives to graves and memorial sites when the facility is open and where you'll find a a guest book offering an opportunity to leave a simple “Thank You” to those who served and never left France.
World War I Centennial Event
To coincide with Memorial Day weekend, the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery in France will hosted a ceremony in 2018, to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Belleau Wood and Operations in the Aisne-Marne region during World War I. ©Bargain Travel EuropeAmerican Battle Monuments Commission
ABMC Cemeteries
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