Lorraine American Cemetery and Memorial

Beneath the five figures is inscribed:

OUR FELLOW COUNTRYMEN-ENDURING ALL AND GIVING ALL THAT MANKIND MIGHT LIVE IN FREEDOM AND IN PEACE. THEY JOIN THAT GLORIOUS BAND OF HEROES WHO AHVE GONE BEFORE.

The wall bearing the sculptured figures which form the background of the chapel is of Massangis limestone from the Cot d'Or region of France; beneath the figures is the altar of French green Antique Patricia marble upon which is inscribed this text from St. John X,28.

I GIVE UNTO THEM ETERNAL LIFE AND THEY SHALL NEVER PERISH.




This cemetery is the biggest American Cemetery in Europe. Here's some history of Lorraine American Cemetery.

The U.S. 3rd Army resumed its pursuit of the enemy across France early in September 1944, after a brief halt because of a shortage of fuel. Except at Metz, where extremely heavy fortifications and resistance were encountered, the U.S. 3rd Army advanced rapidly and crossed the Moselle River. By late September, Nancy was liberated and a juncture with the U.S. 7th Army, which was advancing northward from the beaches of southern France, was made near Epinal. Upon the joining of these 2 Armies, a solid Allied front was established extending to the Swiss border.
Throughout October, the two Armies pushed aggressively eastward against increasingly strong resistance. The U.S. 3rd Army drove toward the Saar River and the U.S. 7th Army into the Vosges Mountains, as the enemy fortress at Metz continued to resist. On 8 November 1944, the U.S. 3rd Army launched a major offensive toward the Saar River. During this offensive, the main fortress at Metz was encircled and it capitulated on 22 November. Its outer forts, however, did not surrender until 13 December. Bypassing this resistance, the U.S. 3rd Army continued to advance, capturing Saarquemines on 6 December 1944. By mid-December, several bridgeheads had been established across the Saar River and the U.S. 3rd Army had begun preparations for breaching the Siegfried Line. Meanwhile on 11 November, the U.S. 7th Army to the south launched an attack eastward capturing Saarebourg on 20 November 1944. Moving rapidly, it outflanked, then penetrated the vital Saverne Gap in the Vosges Mountains. Sending the French 2d Armored Division to liberate Strasbourg on the Rhine River, the U.S. 7th Army turned northward advancing along the west bank of the Rhine against the defenses of the Siegfried Line, simultaneously aiding the U.S. 3rd Army’s operations to the north.
Throughout these operations, the U.S. 9th Air Force and the U.S. 1st Tactical Air Force rendered vital air support to the U.S. 3rd and 7th Armies, respectively, despite severe rainstorms and cold weather.
The progress of the two U.S. armies was halted temporarily by the enemy’s final major counter-offensive of the war, which began in the Ardennes Forest on 16 December 1944. Officially designated the Ardennes-Alsace Campaign, it became known as the “Battle of the Bulge.” The U.S. 3rd Army moved quickly northward to counter this threat, as the U.S. 7th Army and the French First Army to its south extended their lines northward to cover more front. The second phase of the enemy’s final counteroffensive was launched on New Year’s Eve against the U.S. 7th Army. The assault began as a drive for the Saverne Gap followed by an attack across the Rhine toward Strasbourg. After furious fighting on all fronts in bitterly cold weather, the last major enemy offensive was halted and the U.S. 3rd and 7th Armies resumed their assault on the Siegfried Line. The line was soon broken and all enemy units were cleared from the west bank of the Rhine. In March 1945, the two U.S. armies crossed the Rhine River and began their drive into Germany.