Luxembourg American Cemetery and Memorial, American military cemetery in Hamm, Luxembourg City, Luxembourg
Luxembourg American Cemetery and Memorial covers 50.5 acres at Hamm, east of Luxembourg City. Its 5,076 white Lasa marble headstones stand in nine plots lettered A to I, divided by two malls radiating from the memorial and two transverse paths. A white stone chapel sits on a circular platform near the entrance, and two flagpoles overlook the graves.
The cemetery was established on 29 December 1944 by the 609th Quartermaster Company of the U.S. Third Army, while Allied forces were containing the German Ardennes offensive. It was completed on 16 December 1949 and dedicated on 4 July 1960, after a 1951 U.S.–Luxembourg treaty granted free use of the land in perpetuity. Architects Keally and Patterson of New York designed it, with landscaping by Alfred Geiffert Jr.
The bronze entrance door carries eight panels symbolising soldierly virtues, and the chapel's stained-glass window bears the insignia of the five major U.S. commands that operated in the region. A mosaic ceiling covers the interior, where the altar is flanked by national flags. The chapel stands on a circular platform near the cemetery entrance.
The cemetery lies about three kilometres east of Luxembourg City in the suburb of Hamm. A large iron gate with bear figures holding laurel wreaths forms the entrance, and the gently sloping grounds are bordered by spruces, beeches and oaks. The terrace around the chapel gives an overview of the grave plots.
General George S. Patton died on 21 December 1945 in a Heidelberg military hospital and was buried here at his own request, between the two flagpoles overlooking the graves. Twenty-two sets of brothers also lie side by side in adjacent graves.
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