War cemeteries

[dmclone]

British Commonwealth cemetery-Ypres, Belgium. The British didn't bring their fallen soldiers home. 12K men buried here, 8,300 which are unidentified. There are 2 Americans buried here; both joined with either the Canadian or British military.



German cemetery-Here were over 100 German cemeteries, but they made Germany exhume and consolidate into just four. The grass area here is the size of a tennis court and contains the remains of 25,000 unknown soldiers. 2 British soldiers are part of the 25k. Those 2 were taken prisoners and along with their German captures, killed in a bombing. They could not separate the body parts, so they were buried with the Germans. Hitler used this cemetery as propaganda before WW2 started.

 

[cyfanatic]

VERY cool...wow...both the description and the upkeep of that historical site! Check out the Punchbowl Crater on Oahu! Another impressive cemetery:

VA.gov | Veterans Affairs

Apply for and manage the VA benefits and services you’ve earned as a Veteran, Servicemember, or family member—like health care, disability, education, and more.

www.cem.va.gov

 

[JM4CY]

Jealous. I've been to Yorktown, Antietam, and Gettysburg (and a slough of more minor battlefields/cemeteries of the Revolutionary and Civil wars) in the last year. Would love to get to Europe.

 

[Cyclonepride]

I don't have many bucket list items, but one is to see the American cemetery in Normandy. I am in awe of the sacrifices that were made there.

 

[dmclone]

Normandy American Cemetery​

Overlooking Omaha beach, 9,397 interred at this cemetery in Normandy, 4 are women, and 307 bear the inscription of the Unknown Soldier. Truncated trees represent lives cut short. ​

 

[dmclone]

This one was like 10 years ago so my memory is fuzzy. It's near Hermitage (Andrew Jackson)

 

[cycloneman003]

When I was only 11 my father and I visited Douaumont Ossuary during a family vacation. I was big into war history when I was young and that place sticks with me. It's the cemetary for the Battle of Verdun in WW1. Just a sea of white crosses, burial site for over 16,000 identified French soliders. More haunting though, you can look through these small windows on the outside to see the lower portions of the memorial which are filled with skeletal remains of the unidentified dead from both sides. Estimated at over 130,000. Absolutely impossible to wrap your head around.

 

[MugNight]

It’s definitely in its own little corner of the world, but the Andersonville Civil War cemetery in Georgia is especially harrowing. 13,000 bodies were buried there in a little over a years time back in 1864-1865.

The military prison itself was infamous for its level of squalor and the overall brutal existence for its prisoners. The whole place is a sobering reminder of the horrors of the Civil War and the American lives lost.

If you’re ever in the area I suggest making a visit.

 

[pourcyne]

I don't have many bucket list items, but one is to see the American cemetery in Normandy. I am in awe of the sacrifices that were made there.

I've been there three times.

It's exceptional, but especially in that French cemeteries don't have lawns. This cemetery is American property, just like our embassies around the world. French tombs are covered by a stone that lies flat over the grave, usually surrounded by pea gravel. The American cemetery features an immaculate green lawn. The sign that greets visitors has two words, both in English and French:

SILENCE

RESPECT

During one of my visits, an American (military as I recall) chorus performed "My Country, 'tis of thee".

I wasn't crying. Somebody behind me was peeling onions.

 

[CivEFootball]

British Commonwealth cemetery-Ypres, Belgium. The British didn't bring their fallen soldiers home. 12K men buried here, 8,300 which are unidentified. There are 2 Americans buried here; both joined with either the Canadian or British military.

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German cemetery-Here were over 100 German cemeteries, but they made Germany exhume and consolidate into just four. The grass area here is the size of a tennis court and contains the remains of 25,000 unknown soldiers. 2 British soldiers are part of the 25k. Those 2 were taken prisoners and along with their German captures, killed in a bombing. They could not separate the body parts, so they were buried with the Germans. Hitler used this cemetery as propaganda before WW2 started.

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10 years ago the German one was really neglected and looked terrible. Glad see some found the funds to clean it up.