Rhone American Cemetery and Memorial is a
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...
American military
war grave
A war grave is a burial place for members of the armed forces or civilians who died during military campaigns or operations.
Definition
The term "war grave" does not only apply to graves: ships sunk during wartime are often considered to b ...
cemetery, located within the city of
Draguignan
Draguignan (; oc, Draguinhan) is a commune in the Var department in the administrative region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (formerly Provence), southeastern France.
It is a sub-prefecture of the department and self-proclaimed "capital of ...
, north of
Saint-Tropez, in
Southern France. The cemetery, named for the
Rhone river where most of those interred fought and died, was dedicated in 1956, and contains 858 American war dead and covers . It is administered by the
American Battle Monuments Commission
The American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) is an independent agency of the United States government that administers, operates, and maintains permanent U.S. military cemeteries, memorials and monuments primarily outside the United States.
...
.
History
Those interred died mostly in the summer of 1944 during
Operation Dragoon, the Allied invasion of southern France from the Mediterranean, which followed the Allied invasion of Normandy. This operation was designed to open a second beachhead and Allied combat zone in France, threatening the Axis units confronting the Normandy combat zone, and thus to accelerate the Allied drive into Western Europe. Those interred were mainly part of the
U.S. Seventh Army, in particular the
US 45th Infantry Division, the
US 36th Infantry Division, and the
US 3rd Infantry Division.
Layout
The cemetery, created 19 August 1944, has headstones arranged in straight lines, divided into four plots, and grouped around an oval pool. Small gardens are placed at each end of the cemetery which is overlooked by a chapel. Within the chapel are decorative mosaics, murals (by
Austin M. Purves Jr.) and sculptured figures.
Between the chapel and the graves, a bronze relief map details US military operations in the region. On a wall of the terrace, 294 names of those missing in action are inscribed (rosettes mark those since recovered and identified).
References
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External links
American Battle Monuments Commission home pageAMBC: Rhone American Cemetery and MemorialABMC Rhone cemetery video .wmvABMC Rhone cemetery booklet .pdf*
{{Authority control
World War II memorials in France
World War II cemeteries in France
American Battle Monuments Commission
Buildings and structures in Var (department)
1944 establishments in France
Tourist attractions in Var (department)
Draguignan