Epinal American Cemetery and Memorial

Dinozé, France

Epinal American Cemetery and Memorial is a United States military cemetery in Dinozé. The 19.7 ha site rests on a plateau above the Moselle River in the foothills of the Vosges Mountains. It contains the graves of 5,255 of the United States' military dead, most of whom lost their lives in the campaigns across northeastern France to the Rhine and beyond into Germany during World War II.

The cemetery was established in October 1944 by the 46th Quartermaster Company (Graves Registration Service) of the U.S. Seventh Army as it drove northward from southern France through the Rhône Valley into Germany. The cemetery became the repository for the fatalities in the bitter fighting through the Heasbourg Gap during the winter of 1944–45.

The memorial, a rectangular structure with two large bas-relief panels, consists of a chapel, portico, and map room with a mosaic operations map constructed under the direction of the American artist Eugene Savage. On the walls of the Court of Honor, which surround the memorial, are inscribed the names of 424 of the missing. Rosettes mark the names of those since recovered and identified. Stretching northward is a wide, tree-lined mall that separates the two large burial plots. At the northern end of the mall, the circular flagpole plaza forms an overlook affording a view of a wide sweep of the Moselle Valley.

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Details

Founded: 1944
Category: Cemeteries, mausoleums and burial places in France

More Information

en.wikipedia.org

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4.8/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Joshua Harvey (16 months ago)
Wonderful experience for our family. As a U.S. Soldier I am humbled by the cemetery and memorial. The ABMC does a terrific job. ?Please follow for more vids and pics ? ? @destinationeverywhere ? @comeseeitall ? @we_explore_everywhere ? @we.explore.everywhere
Toby Wolter (2 years ago)
I highly recommend a visit to this amazing cemetery. 5,255 soldiers are buried at Epinal…a more beautiful and respectful site you won’t find anywhere…Elsa, in the Visitors’ Center, went above & beyond to welcome and educate. Don’t miss it!?????
Lee Kruis (4 years ago)
I consider these places hollowed ground. Tread carefully where the spirits of the past rest. These folks have fought and died for the free world we live in today.
Pabl0picass0 69 (5 years ago)
Always a most humbling place, super well kept grounds and such a peaceful retreat.
Sonia Darioli (8 years ago)
Always a space that we owe much respect for remember so many heroes! Space with greenery, with beautiful memorial made mosaic!
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