Lorraine

The World War II Lorraine American Cemetery and Memorial is located three quarters a mile north of the town of St. Avold (Moselle), France on Highway N-33. St. Avold, which is twenty eight miles east of Metz and seventeen miles southwest of Saarbrucken, can be reached by automobile from Paris via toll Autoroute A in about four hours. Trains from Paris (Gare de l'Est) take about three and a half hours to the St. Avold Station, which is three miles from the cemetery. There are hotels at St. Avold, Forbach, Saarbrucken and Metz.

The cemetery, one hundred and thirteen acres in extent, contains 10,489 American Military Dead, the largest number in our military cemeteries of World War II Dead in Europe. Most of the Dead here were killed in driving the German forces from the fortress city of Metz toward the Siegfried Line and the Rhine River. Initially, there were over 16,000 Americans interred in the St. Avold region, mostly from the U.S. Seventh Army's Infantry and Armored Divisions and its Cavalry Groups. Their headstones are arranged in nine plots in a generally elliptical design extending over the beautiful rolling terrain of eastern Lorraine and culminating in a prominent overlook feature. St. Avold served as a vital communications center for the vast network of enemy defenses guarding the western border of the Third Reich.

The memorial, which stands on a plateau to the west of the burial area, contains ceramic operations maps with narratives and service flags. High on its exterior wall is the figure of St. Nabor, the martyred Roman soldier, who overlooks the silent host. On each side of the memorial and parallel; to its front stretch the Tablets of the Missing on which are inscribed the names of 444 Americans who gave their lives in the service of their country but whose remains were not recovered or identified. The entire area is framed in woodland.

The cemetery is open daily to the public from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm except December 25 and January 1. It is open on host country holidays. When the cemetery is open to the public, a staff member is on duty in the Visitors’ Building to answer questions and escort relatives to grave and memorial sites.