The American Battle Monuments Commission 1983 Apse in Chapel •American (Eemeierg nnb JHemartal LOCATION by automobile from Paris via au- The Aisne-Marne American Ceme­ toroute A-3 east by taking the tery and Memorial is located 6.5 Montreuil-aux-Lyons exit and fol­ miles/10.5 kilometers northwest of lowing the cemetery signs to Lucy- Chateau-Thierry, just southwest of le-Bocage and proceeding through the village of Belleau, Aisne, France. Belleau Woods to the entrance to the Travel by train from the Gare de l'Est cemetery. The distance from Paris to in Paris to Chateau-Thierry takes the cemetery by automobile is ap­ about one hour. Taxi service to the proximately 50 miles/80 kilometers. cemetery is available at the Hotel accommodations are available Chateau-Thierry railroad station. in the cities of Chateau-Thierry, The cemetery may also be reached Meaux, Soissons and Reims. Entrance to the Cemetery 3 HOURS their efforts, as they not only learned the line of attack, but the exact day The cemetery is open daily to the and hour that the German offensive public as shown below: was scheduled to commence. SUMMER (16 March - 30 September) 9:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. — weekdays On 15 July, the date of the German 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. — Saturdays, offensive, there were 26 American Sundays, and holidays divisions in France, of which 12 were WINTER (1 October - 15 March) available for combat. Because of 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. — weekdays their large size, 12 American divi­ 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. — Saturdays, sions were equivalent in fire power Sundays, and holidays to 24 French, British or German divi­ When the cemetery is open to the sions. With so many fresh American public, a staff member is on duty in troops available and knowing that the Visitors' building to answer soon there would be more, Marshal questions and to escort relatives to Foch, the Allied Commander, incor­ grave and memorial sites (except be­ porated an attack by U.S. troops on tween the hours of noon and 3:00 the western face of the Aisne-Marne p.m. on weekends and holidays). salient in his counterattack plans, as it was considered the most vulnera­ ble part of the German lines. Shortly HISTORY before the German attack was On the morning of 27 May 1918, the scheduled to begin, the Allies re­ Germans attacked in force on the duced the manning of their front Aisne front between Berry-au-Bac lines to weak detachments with or­ and Anizy-le-Chateau. Reserves ders for them to retire under heavy were rushed there by the Allies from bombardment. This tactic proved every quarter. The French were able exceptionally successful as the Ger­ to stem the onslaught with the help mans wasted much of their prepara­ of American troops, but only after a tory fire on newly abandoned posi­ large salient had been driven into tions. Allied lines roughly defined by the To capitalize further on knowing triangle of Reims, Chateau-Thierry the exact hour that the Germans and Soissons. On 9 June, two Ger­ were to attack, the Allies began man armies attacked from the salient bombarding the German assembly toward Compiegne in an attempt to areas for the planned offensive 30 widen it and secure use of the rail­ minutes before the preparatory fire road from Compiegne to Soissons; by the Germans was scheduled to the attack was unsuccessful. begin. This caused much confusion The Germans then began prepara­ in the assault forces, and they took tions for a major offensive on either many casualties. Two days later, side of Reims in the general direction after sustaining heavy losses, the of Epernay and Chalons-sur-Marne. Germans halted their offensive Its objective was the capture of without attaining the important re­ Reims and the high ground south of sults they had expected to achieve. it to obtain use of an additional trunk The following day, 18 July, the Al­ line railroad. Three German armies lies launched their counterattack totaling 47 divisions and a large against the western face of the quantity of artillery were assembled Aisne-Marne salient. Although the for the offensive. Meanwhile, the Al­ Germans resisted stubbornly, they lies were doing everything they quickly realized that their position could to discover when and where was untenable and began a gradual the next offensive would take place. withdrawal from the salient. Reduc­ They were completely successful in tion of the Aisne-Marne salient be- 4 Location of Cemetery Features came a fact on 4 August, when Allied SITE troops reached the south bank of the Vesle. On 6 August, the counterat­ The Aisne-Marne Cemetery Memo­ tack was officially terminated. Not rial, 42.5 acres in extent, is situated at only had a serious threat to Paris the foot of the hill on which stands been removed, but important rail­ Belleau Wood where many of those roads were freed once again for Al­ buried in the cemetery lost their lied use. Marshal Petain, who drew lives. During World War I, it was one up the Allied plans for meeting the of the temporary wartime cemeteries German offensive, said that the established by the Army's Graves counterattack could not have suc­ Registration Service, and was ceeded without American troops. known as the American Expedition­ During the fighting, the church in ary Forces' Cemetery No. 1764- the village of Belleau was destroyed Belleau Wood. A photograph of the by American artillery fire. It was re­ temporary cemetery hangs in the stored after the war by a veterans' superintendent's office in the Vis­ association of the 26th Division. Lo­ itors'building. In 1921, Congress au­ cated opposite the entrance of the thorized retention of the cemetery as Aisne-Marne American Cemetery, it one of eight permanent World War I is still known as the 26th Division military cemeteries on foreign soil. Memorial Church of Belleau. The following year an agreement 5 Superintendent's Quarters and Visitors' Building on Entrance Road was signed with the Government of GENERAL LAYOUT France granting its use as a military cemetery in perpetuity free of charge The cemetery is laid out generally in or taxation. The permanent ceme­ the form of a "T." A long avenue leads from the entrance gate past the tery is named for the World War I Visitors' building and parking area campaign area in which it is located. on the right (west) and the superin­ The memorial chapel, the Visitors' tendent's quarters opposite on the building, the superintendent's quar­ left to the mall and the memorial ters, and the service area facilities chapel beyond. The chapel which were constructed by the American crowns the "T" sits on high ground Battle Monuments Commission as to the south. The cross bar of the "T" part of its program of commemorat­ is formed by the cemetery's two ing the achievements of U.S. Armed grave plots, each projecting in a Forces in the Great War. The Com­ slightly convex arc from opposite mission also landscaped the sides of the mall. A flag pole, cen­ grounds. In 1934, The President, by tered on each side of the mall, over­ Executive Order, gave the Commis­ looks each grave plot. sion the added responsibility of operating and maintaining this and other permanent military cemeteries MEMORIAL CHAPEL overseas. The memorial chapel was erected ARCHITECTS over front line trenches dug by the 2nd Division as part of the defense of Cram and Ferguson of Boston, Mas­ Belleau Wood, following capture of sachusetts were the architects of the Belleau Wood by the division on 25 cemetery's memorial features. June 1918. Rising more than 80 feet 6 Memorial Chapel 7 above the hillside overlooking the cal units, airplane engines for Avia­ cemetery, the chapel is a striking tion repair units, a mule's head over example of French Romanesque ar­ which is engraved "8 Chev" for the chitecture. Its exterior walls, steps French boxcar used to transport 40 and terrace are of native St. Maxi- men or 8 horses, and oak leaves for min, Savonnieres and Massangis the Judge Advocate General Corps. limestone. Seven of these carvings appear on The decorative embellishments on each side of the chapel. On the north the outside of the chapel were de­ face are a mule's head, bayonets, signed by William F. Ross and Com­ plane-table, crossed machine guns, pany, East Cambridge, Mas­ Greek cross and caduceus, airplane sachusetts and were executed by engines and cannon; on the east face Alfred Bottiau, Paris, France. The are artillery rounds, mule's head, carvings on the captials of the three bayonets, oak leaves, Greek cross columns which flank each side of the and caduceus, cannon, propellers chapel entrance depict scenes from and tanks; on the south face are a the trenches of World War I. Carved plane-table, crossed machine guns, on the columns on the right side are oak leaves, Greek cross and soldiers preparing for a bayonet caduceus, cannon, propellers and charge, automatic riflemen and tanks; on the west face are artillery riflemen; carved on the columns on rounds, bayonets, plane-table, air­ the left are artillery observers, a plane engines, cannon, propellers machine gun crew and soldiers and tanks. The arches of the belfry launching grenades. In the tym­ openings are embellished with carv­ panum over the entrance is carved ings of small arms ammunition, the the figure of a crusader in armor, front view of a machine gun and defender of right, flanked by the projectile, field packs with entrench­ shields of the United States and ing tools attached, and selected of­ France intertwined with branches of ficer and enlisted insignia.