Immediately after the liberation of the south eastern part of the Netherlands the American army planned the construction of a military cemetery in the area of Margraten in the Province of Limburg. The first burial took place on 11th November 1944 and in 1946 no less than 17,742 Americans were interred in this cemetery which also served as a temporary burial site for 1,026 allied soldiers, 692 Russians and 3,075 German dead. As from 1947 the cemetery was reorganised. The allied, Russian and German dead were reburied elsewhere and some 56% of the American dead were repatriated for reburial in the USA. It would take until 1960 for the Margraten cemetery to receive the shape as we know it today. The cemetery is now the final resting place for 8,301 buried dead and the 'Walls of the Missing' commemorate 1,722 whose bodies were never found. The 'Netherlands American Cemetery and Memorial' is located 10 kms east of Maastricht, on the main road highway to Aachen, Germany. Margraten is 112 kms east of Brussels and 405 kms north of Paris. A map of the local area is show on the Contact Me page. Download the brochure of the Netherlands American Cemetery and Memorial: |
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