Biker15k FF Member's blog: "~ Memorials, all we asked was for Land ~"

The Lorraine American Cemetery and Memorial in France covers 113.5 acres and contains the largest number of graves of our military dead of World War II in Europe, a total of 10,489. 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. Most of the dead here were killed while 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. 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 front wall is the large figure of St. Nabor, the martyred Roman soldier overlooking the silent host. On each side of the memorial, and parallel to its front, stretch the Tablets of the Missing on which are inscribed 444 names. Rosettes mark the names of those since recovered and identified. The entire area is framed in woodland. The cemetery is open daily to the public from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. 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 Visitor Building to answer questions and escort relatives to grave and memorial sites. How to Get There Lorraine American Cemetery is situated ¾ mile north of the town of St. Avold (Moselle), France, on highway N-33. St. Avold, which is 28 miles east of Metz and 17 miles southwest of Saarbrücken, can be reached by automobile from Paris (220 miles) via toll autoroute A-4 in about 4 hours. Trains from Paris (Gare de l'Est) to St. Avold station, which is 3 miles from the town, take about 3½ hours. Taxicabs are available at the station. There are hotels at St. Avold, Forbach, Saarbrücken and Metz.