Mont-de-Huisnes German war cemetery is a military war grave

mausoleum A mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the interment space or burial chamber of a deceased person or people. A mausoleum without the person's remains is called a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be consid ...

, located 1 km north of

Huisnes-sur-Mer Huisnes-sur-Mer (, literally ''Huisnes on Sea'') is a commune in the Manche department in north-western France. See also *Communes of the Manche department The following is a list of the 446 communes of the Manche department of France. The ...

and a few kilometres southwest of

Avranches Avranches (; nrf, Avraunches) is a commune in the Manche department, and the region of Normandy, northwestern France. It is a subprefecture of the department. The inhabitants are called ''Avranchinais''. History By the end of the Roman period, t ...

, France. It presently contains in nearly 12,000 burials of German military personnel of World War II, plus some women and children. It is maintained and managed by the

German War Graves Commission The German War Graves Commission ( in German) is responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of German war graves in Europe and North Africa. Its objectives are acquisition, maintenance and care of German war graves; tending to next of kin; youth ...

History

The cemetery, situated at the top of a 30m hill at Mont-de-Huisnes, is the only German crypt construction in France. In 1961, the Reburial Service of the German War Graves Commission interred German soldiers from numerous small graveyards and field graves to the mausoleum; including those previously buried in the French departments of Morbihan, Ille-et-Vilaine, Mayenne, Sarthe,

Loir-et-Cher Loir-et-Cher (, ) is a department in the Centre-Val de Loire region of France. Its name is originated from two rivers which cross it, the Loir in its northern part and the Cher in its southern part. Its prefecture is Blois. The INSEE and La P ...

, Indre-et-Loire and Vienne as well as from the Channel Islands of

Guernsey Guernsey (; Guernésiais: ''Guernési''; french: Guernesey) is an island in the English Channel off the coast of Normandy that is part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, a British Crown Dependency. It is the second largest of the Channel Islands ...

, Jersey,

Alderney Alderney (; french: Aurigny ; Auregnais: ) is the northernmost of the inhabited Channel Islands. It is part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, a British Crown dependency. It is long and wide. The island's area is , making it the third-largest ...

and Sark. The only exception was that the German graves located in the graveyard of Fort-George in Saint Peter Port on the island of Guernsey were not moved. The circular crypt is 47m in diameter and constructed on two floors. Within the inner side of the crypt are 34 crypt rooms on each level containing 180 burials. The floors are connected by gangways and stairs. A large cross dominates the central grassed area. Opposite the entrance, steps lead onto up a natural terrace from which Mont-Saint-Michel can be viewed. The names of the interred are placed on bronze tablets affixed to the walls of each crypt. The memorial was inaugurated on 14 September 1963.

Photographs

File:Mont-huisnes11.JPG, Entrance to Mont-de-Huisnes German war cemetery File:Mausolée du Mont d'Huisnes 3.jpg, Entrance to central courtyard File:Mausolée du Mont d'Huisnes.jpg, A crypt containing 180 burials File:Mausolée du Mont d'Huisnes (7).jpg, A gangway connecting the various crypts File:MontDeHuisnes.jpg, View of central courtyard from upper terrace File:Le mont Saint-Michel vu du belvédère du mausolée du Mont d'Huisnes.jpg, View of Mont-Saint-Michel

Personal fates

The majority of the fallen in the graveyard date from the American advance during Operation Cobra and the subsequent American breakthrough at

in July and August 1944.

Volunteer maintenance

Unlike the American and Commonwealth War Graves Commissions, the German Commission is entirely voluntary and relies on gifts and collections to further its work. During the summer months one may see international school children tending the graves. They volunteer to work with the Volksbund during their school holidays and visit American and German war cemeteries, memorials, sites of the invasion and take part in the memorial ceremony with veterans and the mayor of La Cambe.Sophia Kühn, Pauline Schurund, Lisa Thuriam: ''Eine wundervolle Erfahrung'' (Tales of some workcamp participants)
/ref>

References

External links

*
Huisne German Ossuaire (Deutsche Kriegsgräberstätte Mont-de-Huisnes)

(de) * ttp://bastas.pagesperso-orange.fr/pga/monthuisnes.htm Deutsche Kriegsgräberstätte Mont-de-Huisnes (Mont d’Huisnes)(fr, de) {{Subject bar , portal1=Architecture , portal2=France , portal3=Germany, portal20=Politics , commons=y , commons-search=Mont-de-Huisnes German war cemetery German War Graves Commission World War II cemeteries in France World War II memorials in France 1961 establishments in France Cemeteries in Normandy