Historical Information (Volksbund)

Final resting place of 11 422 German soldiers from the First World War, 3 930 single graves are so marked, 126 of which are unknown. There are two mass graves containing 7 492 soldiers only 2 316 of who are known.

Two thirds of the dead lying here are from the Battle of the Somme between July and November 1916. Most of the remainder are from the summer of 1918.  In 1929 repairs were carried out following negotiations with the French Government and the mass graves were given a proper wall and planted with roses. Trees were planted and the cemetery was inaugurated on 17 September 1933.  The problem of how to mark the names of the fallen had to wait until the end of the Second World War for a solution. Eventually in 1972 the wooden crosses were replaced with crosses made from Belgian granite.

A small chapel made from red Vosges sandstone lies within the cemetery. Inside is a carving by Geiger of an interment.