Neuville-St Vaast German war cemetery
Encyclopedia
The Neuville-St Vaast German War Cemetery is located in Neuville-Saint-Vaast
, a small village, near Arras
, Pas-de-Calais, in northern France. The cemetery was established by the French in 1919 as a concentration cemetery for German war casualties from the regions north and east of Arras. It is now administered by the German War Graves Commission
, (Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge).
It is the largest German cemetery in France, containing 44,833 burials. There is no central building, just a field of crosses, with soldiers buried four to a grave. There are, too, a few headstones for Jewish soldiers who fell fighting for Imperial Germany. The bulk of the fatalities occurred during the Battles of Artois in Autumn 1914
, Spring 1915
and Autumn 1915
;
and the Battles of Arras in Autumn 1914
, Spring 1917
and Spring 1918.
Neuville-Saint-Vaast
Neuville-Saint-Vaast is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France.-Geography:Neuville-Saint-Vaast is situated north of Arras, at the junction of the D49 and D55 roads...
, a small village, near Arras
Arras
Arras is the capital of the Pas-de-Calais department in northern France. The historic centre of the Artois region, its local speech is characterized as a Picard dialect...
, Pas-de-Calais, in northern France. The cemetery was established by the French in 1919 as a concentration cemetery for German war casualties from the regions north and east of Arras. It is now administered by the German War Graves Commission
German War Graves Commission
The German War Graves Commission is responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of German war graves in Europe and North Africa...
, (Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge).
It is the largest German cemetery in France, containing 44,833 burials. There is no central building, just a field of crosses, with soldiers buried four to a grave. There are, too, a few headstones for Jewish soldiers who fell fighting for Imperial Germany. The bulk of the fatalities occurred during the Battles of Artois in Autumn 1914
First Battle of Artois
The First Battle of Artois was a military encounter during World War I. The battle was the first offensive move on the Western Front by either side after the First Battle of Ypres ended in November 1914...
, Spring 1915
Second Battle of Artois
The Second Battle of Artois, of which the British contribution was the Battle of Aubers Ridge, was a battle on the Western Front of the First World War, it was fought at the same time as the Second Battle of Ypres. Even though the French under General Philippe Pétain gained some initial victories,...
and Autumn 1915
Third Battle of Artois
The Third Battle of Artois was on the Western Front of World War I, is also known as the Loos-Artois Offensive, including the major British offensive, known as the Battle of Loos....
;
and the Battles of Arras in Autumn 1914
Battle of Arras (1914)
The Battle of Arras , which began on 1 October 1914, was an attempt by the French Army to outflank the German Army to prevent its movement towards the English Channel during the Race to the Sea....
, Spring 1917
Battle of Arras (1917)
The Battle of Arras was a British offensive during the First World War. From 9 April to 16 May 1917, British, Canadian, New Zealand, Newfoundland, and Australian troops attacked German trenches near the French city of Arras on the Western Front....
and Spring 1918.