The Château-Thierry American Monument is a

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

memorial, dedicated in 1937, located near

Château-Thierry Château-Thierry () is a French commune situated in the department of the Aisne, in the administrative region of Hauts-de-France, and in the historic Province of Champagne. The origin of the name of the town is unknown. The local tradition att ...

Aisne Aisne ( , ; ; pcd, Ainne) is a French department in the Hauts-de-France region of northern France. It is named after the river Aisne. In 2019, it had a population of 531,345.Stripped Classicism Stripped Classicism (or "Starved Classicism" or "Grecian Moderne") Jstor is primarily a 20th-century Classical architecture, classicist architectural style stripped of most or all Ornament (art), ornamentation, frequently employed by governmen ...

Situation

The memorial is situated upon Hill 204''Frommer's France 2011'', p. 350. and commands a wide view of the valley of the river

Marne Marne can refer to: Places France *Marne (river), a tributary of the Seine *Marne (department), a département in northeastern France named after the river * La Marne, a commune in western France *Marne, a legislative constituency (France) Nethe ...

. It is located about east of

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

, southeast of the

Aisne-Marne American Cemetery and Memorial The Aisne-Marne American Cemetery and Memorial is a World War I cemetery in Belleau, Northern France. It is located at the foot of the hill where the Battle of Belleau Wood was fought, with many American fatalities. The cemetery also contains bu ...

, and southwest of the

Oise-Aisne American Cemetery and Memorial The Oise-Aisne American Cemetery and Memorial () is an United States of America, American military cemetery in northern France. Plots ''A'' through ''D'' contains the graves of 6,012 American soldiers who died while fighting in this vicinity duri ...

. It commemorates the achievements of United States forces that fought in the region during World War I. In 1918, the 2nd and 3rd United States Infantry Divisions took part in heavy fighting around the area during the

Second Battle of the Marne The Second Battle of the Marne (french: Seconde Bataille de la Marne) (15 July – 18 July 1918) was the last major German offensive on the Western Front (World War I), Western Front during the World War I, First World War. The attack failed wh ...

, which took place during the wider German spring offensive. The 4th Marine Brigade, which made a name for itself in the Battle of Belleau Wood, fought as part of the 2nd Infantry Division. The bodies of a number of US servicemen who were killed during the fighting are interred in cemeteries nearby. Two stone pylons mark the entrance to the memorial from Highway N-3 which runs from Paris to Château-Thierry. The monument consists of a double colonnade rising above a long terrace, as designed by

Paul Philippe Cret Paul Philippe Cret (October 23, 1876 – September 8, 1945) was a French-born Philadelphia architect and industrial designer. For more than thirty years, he taught at a design studio in the Department of Architecture at the University of Pennsylv ...

.The American Battle Monuments Commission 1983, p. 15. On its west facade are sculptured figures representing the United States and France. The sculptor was the French-American artist

Alfred Bottiau Alfred-Alphonse Bottiau (6 February 1889 – 25 February 1951) was a French sculptor. He was born in Valenciennes and after early studies in his home town he studied in Paris under Jean Antoine Injalbert and was runner-up for the Prix de Rome f ...

. The English inscription reads, "This monument has been erected by the United States of America to commemorate the services of her troops and those of France who fought in this region during the World War. It stands as a lasting symbol of the friendship and cooperation between the French and American Armies." On its east facade is a map showing American military operations that took place in the region and an

orientation table A toposcope, topograph, or orientation table is a kind of graphic display erected at viewing points on hills, mountains or other high places which indicates the direction, and usually the distance, to notable landscape features which can be seen ...

pointing out the significant battle sites. The Belleau Wood US Marines monument is located near the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery, about 9.3 km northwest.Homsher 2006, p. 33.

Gallery

File:1952 André TOISON et la Maquette Cote 204.jpg, André Toison with a maquette File:30th Infantry Division Monument Front.JPG, Detail of the building File:American Monument Chateau Thierry Battle Map.jpg, Battle map on the front of the monument File:Chateau-Thierry American Monument English Dedication.jpg, Dedication text in English

Notes

References

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External links

ABMC Chateau-Thierry American Monument web page

ABMC authorization
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chateau-Thierry American Monument World War I memorials in France American Battle Monuments Commission Paul Philippe Cret buildings Monuments historiques of Hauts-de-France