A recent letter from the German War Graves Association, www.volksbund.de, indicates that there are three upcoming cemetery ceremonies in France in 2016–two of which are situated in the Meuse-Argonne Region.

28 May, 2016:  Romagne-sous-Montfaucon

There will be a ceremony to commemorate the 100th Anniversary of Verdun on this date; and it will include an interment.  At present, the webmaster has no further details on the event.  Presumably it is part of the official commemoration ceremonies held in late May; so visitors can expect restricted access and / or large crowds.

Prior to its redesign, the Romagne cemetery was the Webmaster’s favorite German cemetery in the area.  Any reports and photographs from the event would be greatly appreciated.

1 July, 2016:  Fricourt (in the Somme Sector)

There will be a ceremony to commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the Somme on this data; and it will include adding names to the communal grave.  (Nachbeschriftigungen am Kameradengrab.)

3 September, 2016:  Noyers-Pont-Maugis

There will be an event to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the dedication of the cemetery in 1966.  Few American Meuse-Argonne tourists travel this far north, as the cemetery is just a few kilometers south of Sedan.  However, it is well worth the visit.  The hill at the North end of the cemetery offers a great view of Sedan; and this is essentially the location where the 16th Infantry Regiment, 1st Division, AEF crossed the 42nd Division’s boundaries in the race for Sedan in late November 1918.  (There is also a French cemetery located on the hill, behind the German cemetery.)

The cemetery is quite large, containing graves of 26,843 soldiers from both world wars as a result of the fighting in the area.  It also has a beautiful commemorative chapel; and an office which houses one of the few German Volksbund officials in France.