Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery and Memorial

The post below is from our trip to the north of France in 2016.  The post is delayed because we had mislaid the photos

The action of the Meuse-Argonne, September-November 1918, was the largest American battle in history, involving 1.2 million American men.  More ammuniton was expended in the three hours bombardment before the attack than both sides used in the four years of the American Civil War.

Very close by the Meuse-Argonne battlefield, where Anna's Grandfather fought with the 91st Division, is the largest American military cemetery in Europe. It is maintained by the American Battle Monuments Commision.  Most of the 14,426 men buried there lost their lives during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. The cemetery consists of eight sections behind a large central reflection pool. Beyond the grave sections is a chapel which is decorated with stained glass windows depicting American units' insignias. Along the walls of the chapel area are the tablets of the missing which include the names of those soldiers who fought in the region and in northern Russia, but have no known grave.

We were surprised at its size as we had assumed that the largest American cemetery would be near the Normandy D-Day landing beaches.  We had discovered that a distant relative of Anna's had been killed in France and so decided to visit the cemetery to see if he was buried there.

The cemetery is near the village of Romagne-sous-Montfaucon, about which more later, and is quite impressive.

Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery

As it was not tourist season, there were few people around when we visited the office.  We were met by the American Superintendent of the Cemetery, a retired US Arny officer.  He discussed at length with us the role of the 91st Divison, pulling some books and records from the shelves.  He informed us that the 91st was considered one of the more competent divisions in what was at the time a very inexperienced American Army.  He also researched Anna's distant relative for us and discovered that he was buried at an American cemetery near Saint-Mihiel, the site of another famous American battle.

Also at the cemetery is the American Monument at Montfaucon, which we visited.  The 91st Division is memorialized at this monument - see the Post about Grover's unit.

American Monument at Montfaucon

The town of Romagne-sous-Montfaucon contains a very interesting little museum.  It is run by a Belgian man who used to vacation in the area as a child with his parents.  He would wander the area exploring bunkers and trenches and picking up artifacts.  He is apparently authorized by the French Government to continue this activity.  He and his wife have assembled a fascinating small museum, and run an adjacent snack bar where one can get a carafe of wine and a plate of charcuterie for lunch.  He has an intimate knowledge of World War I actions in the vicinity and leads personalized tours of the area.  We talked with him at some length, although we did not have time to take a tour.  He encouraged us to return at a later date and he would give us a tour specific to the actions of Anna's grandfather's unit.

Interior of the museum

Exterior of the museum building