Orglandes German war cemetery

Orglandes German war cemetery
German War Graves Commission
(Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge)

Six or more dead soldiers buried to each cross, three on each side.
Used for those deceased 1944
Established 1944 (Inaugurated 1961)
Location 49°25′35″N 1°26′58″W / 49.42639°N 1.44944°W / 49.42639; -1.44944Coordinates: 49°25′35″N 1°26′58″W / 49.42639°N 1.44944°W / 49.42639; -1.44944
near Orglandes, Manche
Total burials 10,152
Burials by nation
Burials by war
The German military cemetery on northern side of Orglandes.

Orglandes War Cemetery is a German World War II cemetery in Normandy, France. It is located on the northern edge of the village of Orglandes, about 70 km west of Bayeux. The burials come from summer 1944, immediately following D-Day and the Battle of Normandy.

The entrance is marked by a small house surmounted by a bell-tower. The cemetery consists of 28 rows of graves, each grave marked by a stone cross. Each cross details the name, date of birth and date of death of each of the six or more dead soldiers buried to each cross.

Once the neck of the Cotentin Peninsula had been crossed, the American forces then headed towards Valogne and Cherbourg.The soldiers who fell during these operations were originally buried here in the village of Orglandes. After 1945, only the German war dead, 7358 in all, remained: the Americans were reinterred in Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer. The French Burial Department brought together all the scattered German war dead in the surrounding area, some of whom had been buried alone, others in small cemeteries, and reburied them in the vacated ground. The total number of German war dead lying here comes to 10,152.[1]

The cemetery is administered by the German War Graves Commission, the Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge. The landscaping was completed in 1958 and the cemetery was inaugurated on September 20, 1961.

Liberation plaque

By the entrance is a small plaque which says:

“ In honour of the 9th and 90th United States Infantry Divisions who liberated Orglandes on 17 June 1944[2] ”

See also

Sources and references

  1. ↑ Text from sign at entrance ~ see photo
  2. ↑ En honneur de nos libérateurs des 9e et 90e Division pour le 50e anniversaire du 17 juin 1944
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