“FOR THE FALLEN”
They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old
Age shall not weary them, not the years condemn
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them
But where our desires are and our hopes profound
Felt as a well-spring that is hidden from sight
To the innermost heart of their own land they are known
As the stars are known to the Night
As the stars that shall be bright when we are dust
Moving in marches upon the heavenly plain
As the stars that are starry in the time of our darkness
To the end, to the end, they remain
The Cambridge American Cemetery and Memorial site in England, 30.5 acres in total, was donated by the University of Cambridge. It lies on a slope with the west and south sides framed by woodland. The cemetery contains the remains of 3,812 of our war dead; 5,127 names are recorded on the Walls of the Missing. Rosettes mark the names of those since recovered and identified. Most died in the Battle of the Atlantic or in the strategic air bombardment of northwest Europe.
Dedicated: 1956 – Location: United Kingdom – Burials: 3812 – Missing in Action: 5127 – Acres: 30.50
– click to see the graves of 457th Bomb Group men buried at Cambridge American Cemetery –
This cemetery is unique among all ABMC cemeteries as it served as the central identification point for the entire European Theater of Operations from the last days of the war until 1960. The Ardennes American Cemetery is the final resting place for 5,317 Americans, with 65 percent of those being fallen airmen of the U.S. Army Air Forces. Their headstones are aligned in straight rows that compose the form of a Greek cross. Along the outside of the memorial, inscribed on granite slabs, are the names of 463 of the missing, whose remains were never recovered. The façade on the far (north) end that overlooks the burial area bears the insignia, in mosaic, of the major U.S. units that operated in northwest Europe in World War II.
Dedicated: 1960 Location: Belgium Burials: 5317 Missing in Action: 463 Acres: 90.50
– click to see the graves of 457th Bomb Group men buried at Ardennes American Cemetery –
The cemetery’s tall memorial tower can be seen before reaching the site, which covers 65.5 acres. From the cemetery entrance visitors are led to the Court of Honor with its pool reflecting the tower. At the base of the tower facing the reflecting pool is a statue representing women who have suffered loss. To the right and left, respectively, are the visitor building and the map room containing three large, engraved operations maps with texts depicting the military operations of the American armed forces. Stretching along the sides of the court are Tablets of the Missing on which are recorded 1,722 names. Rosettes mark the names of those since recovered and identified.
Dedicated: 1960 – Location: Netherlands – Burials: 8301 – Missing in Action: 1722 – Acres: 65.50
– click to see the graves of 457th Bomb Group men buried at Margraten American Cemetery –
The Lorraine American Cemetery and Memorial in France covers 113.5 acres and contains the largest number of graves of our military dead of World War II in Europe, a total of 10,489. Their headstones are arranged in nine plots in a generally elliptical design extending over the beautiful rolling terrain of eastern Lorraine and culminating in a prominent overlook feature. Most of the dead here were killed while driving the German forces from the fortress city of Metz, France toward the Siegfried Line and the Rhine River. Initially, there were over 16,000 Americans interred in the St. Avold region in France, mostly from the U.S. Seventh Army’s Infantry and Armored Divisions and its cavalry groups. St. Avold served as a vital communications center for the vast network of enemy defenses guarding the western border of the Third Reich.
Dedicated: 1960 – Location: France – Burials: 10489 – Missing in Action: 444 – Acres: 113.50
– click to see the graves of 457th Bomb Group men buried at Lorraine American Cemetery –
The cemetery consists of 17 acres of manicured lawn surrounded by 33.5 acres of woods. The visitor center, where information and brochures are attainable, is to the left as the visitor enters the front gates. Entering through the gates, the visitor will see the impressive Memorial Chapel encompassed by a stone terrace directly in front of them. The chapel includes massive bronze doors embellished with bronze cartouches depicting military “virtues”, a sparkling mosaic ceiling and a colorful stained glass windows showcasing the Army insignia representing the men and woman that rest in the cemetery.
Dedicated: 1960 – Location: Luxembourg – Burials: 5070 – Missing in Action: 371 – Acres: 50.50
– click to see the graves of 457th Bomb Group men buried at Luxembourg American Cemetery –
The Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial in France is located in Colleville-sur-Mer, on the site of the temporary American St. Laurent Cemetery, established by the U.S. First Army on June 8, 1944 as the first American cemetery on European soil in World War II. The cemetery site, at the north end of its half mile access road, covers 172.5 acres and contains the graves of 9,385 of our military dead, most of whom lost their lives in the D-Day landings and ensuing operations. On the Walls of the Missing, in a semicircular garden on the east side of the memorial, are inscribed 1,557 names. Rosettes mark the names of those since recovered and identified.
Dedicated: 1956 – Location: France – Burials: 9385 – Missing in Action: 1557 – Acres: 172.50
– click to see the graves of 457th Bomb Group men buried at Cambridge Normandy Cemetery –
The Epinal American Cemetery and Memorial in France, 48 acres in extent, is sited on a plateau 100 feet above the Moselle River in the foothills of the Vosges Mountains. It contains the graves of 5,254 of our military dead, most of whom lost their lives in the campaigns across northeastern France to the Rhine River and beyond into Germany. The cemetery was established in October 1944 by the 46th Quartermaster Graves Registration Company of the U.S. Seventh Army as it drove northward from southern France through the Rhone Valley into Germany. The cemetery became the repository for the fatalities in the bitter fighting through the Saverne Gap, and in defense of Allied positions in the Vosges region, during the winter of 1944-1945.
Dedicated: 1956 – Location: France – Burials: 5254 – Missing in Action: 424 – Acres: 48.00
– click to see the graves of 457th Bomb Group men buried at Epinal American Cemetery –
The Florence American Cemetery and Memorial site in Italy covers 70 acres. The wooded hills that frame its western perimeter rise several hundred feet. Between the two entrance buildings, a bridge leads to the burial area where the headstones of 4,399 of our military dead are arrayed in symmetrical curved rows upon the hillside. They represent 39 percent of the U.S. Fifth Army burials originally made between Rome and the Alps. Most died in the fighting that occurred after the capture of Rome in June 1944. Included among them are casualties of the heavy fighting in the Apennines Mountains shortly before the war’s end. On May 2, 1945 the enemy troops in northern Italy surrendered.
Dedicated: 1960 – Location: Italy – Burials: 4399 – Missing in Action: 1409 – Acres: 70.00
– click to see the graves of 457th Bomb Group men buried at Florance American Cemetery –
At the Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery and Memorial in Belgium, covering 57 acres, rest 7,992 of our military dead, most of whom lost their lives during the advance of the U.S. armed forces into Germany. Their headstones are arranged in gentle arcs sweeping across a broad green lawn that slopes gently downhill. A highway passes through the cemetery. West of the highway is an overlook that affords an excellent view of the rolling Belgian countryside, once a battlefield.
Dedicated: 1960 – Location: Belgium – Burials: 7992 – Missing in Action: 450 – Acres: 57.00
– click to see the graves of 457th Bomb Group men buried at Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery –
After te war ended families of those who were killed in action could have their loved one(s) repatriated to the United States. In the following years, while the temporary cemeteries in Europe were constructed to their permanent lay out, bodies of those who were being patriated were being send home. This mega undertaking would last until early 1950-ies. Around 131 members of the 457th Bomb Group were send home to their loved ones all over America.
Dedicated: 1945/1951 – Location: all over America – Burials: 131 – Missing in Action: 0
– click to see the graves A to H of 457th Bomb Group men buried at various American Cemeteries –
– click to see the graves I to M of 457th Bomb Group men buried at various American Cemeteries –
– click to see the graves N to Z of 457th Bomb Group men buried at various American Cemeteries –