Montsec () is a commune in the

Meuse The Meuse ( , , , ; wa, Moûze ) or Maas ( , ; li, Maos or ) is a major European river, rising in France and flowing through Belgium and the Netherlands before draining into the North Sea from the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta. It has a ...

department in

Grand Est Grand Est (; gsw-FR, Grossa Oschta; Moselle Franconian/ lb, Grouss Osten; Rhine Franconian: ''Groß Oschte''; german: Großer Osten ; en, "Great East") is an administrative region in Northeastern France. It superseded three former administ ...

in north-eastern France. Fighting in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

and

World War II 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 World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

took place in and around Montsec. The Montsec American Monument was built here during the 1930s by the

American Battle Monuments Commission The American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) is an Independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the United States government that administers, operates, and maintains permanent U.S. military cemeteries, memorial ...

. The monument, dedicated in 1937, commemorates the American forces who fought in the

Battle of Saint-Mihiel The Battle of Saint-Mihiel was a major World War I battle fought from 12–15 September 1918, involving the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) and 110,000 French troops under the command of General John J. Pershing of the United States against ...

in World War I.

History

During The Great War, also known as World War I, the village was occupied by the Germans in 1914 during the Battle of Flirey. A hill, sharing the same name, commands a view of the Woëvre Plain, and was used by German forces as a strong point and for observation. During the Battle of Saint-Mihiel in 1918, the American 1st Division attacked in the area of Montsec, bypassing it. The 1st Division was joined by the American 26th Division, attacking on the other side of Montsec, also bypassing it. Both the 1st and 26th Divisions were able to accomplish it by a

smoke screen A smoke screen is smoke released to mask the movement or location of military units such as infantry, tanks, aircraft, or ships. Smoke screens are commonly deployed either by a canister (such as a grenade) or generated by a vehicle (such as a ...

being placed on the hill. Having been bypassed due to it being fortified, being cut off from the rest of the German line, it fell to the Allies. This was accomplished by forces of the French 2nd Colonial Corps. Before the

Battle of Nancy The Battle of Nancy was the final and decisive battle of the Burgundian Wars, fought outside the walls of Nancy on 5 January 1477 by Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, against René II, Duke of Lorraine, and the Swiss Confederacy. Ren� ...

, the commune was liberated by the American 317th Infantry in 1944.

Montsec American Monument

The monument was designed by

Egerton Swartwout Egerton Swartwout (March 3, 1870 – February 18, 1943) was an American architect, most notably associated with his New York City architectural firm Tracy and Swartwout and McKim, Mead & White. His buildings, numbering over 100, were typica ...

, and has been described as a doric temple. It was built during the 1930s by the

; it was dedicated in 1937. The monument commemorates American forces involved in the Battle of Saint-Mihiel. These included the

First First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and reco ...

and Second armies. During

, German forces occupying France left the monument untouched. As American forces advanced, and began to displace the Germans, the memorial was damaged by American artillery. The monument was later restored. It has been described as being similar to the

Jefferson Memorial The Jefferson Memorial is a Presidential memorials in the United States, presidential memorial built in Washington, D.C. between 1939 and 1943 in honor of Thomas Jefferson, the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence, ...

References

{{authority control Montsec American Monument Communes of Meuse (department)

History

Montsec American Monument

See also

References