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Langemark German war cemetery: Difference between revisions

Coordinates: 50°55′14″N 2°55′0″E / 50.92056°N 2.91667°E / 50.92056; 2.91667
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{{Short description|Cemetery in West Flanders, Belgium}}
{{Infobox Military Cemetery
{{Infobox Military Cemetery
|name=Langemark German war cemetery
|name=Langemark German war cemetery
|body=[[German War Graves Commission]]<br>''Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge''.
|body=[[German War Graves Commission]]<br>''Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge''.
|image=[[Image:Langemark massgrave.jpg|300px]]
|image=[[Image:Langemark massgrave.jpg|300px]]
|caption= This mass grave contains 24,917 soldiers of whom 7,977 remain unknown. The names of those known are on the surrounding basalt blocks.
|caption= This mass grave contains 24,917 soldiers of whom 7,977 remain unknown. The names of those known are on the surrounding upright basalt blocks.
|use_dates=1915-1918
|use_dates=1915–1918
|established=1915
|established=1915
|designer=
|designer=
Line 16: Line 17:
|by_war=[[World War I]]
|by_war=[[World War I]]
|source=
|source=
| embedded = {{designation list | embed=yes
| designation1 = WHS
| designation1_offname =Funerary and memory sites of the First World War (Western Front)
| designation1_type = Cultural
| designation1_criteria = i, ii, vi
| designation1_date = [[List of World Heritage Sites by year of inscription#2023 (45th session)|2023]] <small>(45th [[World Heritage Committee|session]])</small>
| designation1_number = [https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1567 1567-FL06]
}}
}}
}}
The '''German war cemetery of Langemark''' (formerly spelt 'Langemarck') is near the village of [[Langemark]], part of the [[municipality]] of [[Langemark-Poelkapelle]], in the Belgian province of [[West Flanders]].<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/special_report/1998/10/98/world_war_i/211932.stm Germany lays nightmares to rest - BBC]</ref> More than 44,000 soldiers are buried here.<ref>[http://www.volksbund.de/kgs/stadt.asp?stadt=501 Langemark] - Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge</ref> The village was the scene of the first gas attacks by the German army, marking the beginning of the [[Second Battle of Ypres]] in April 1915.
The '''German war cemetery of Langemark''' (formerly spelt 'Langemarck') is near the village of [[Langemark]], part of the [[municipality]] of [[Langemark-Poelkapelle]], in the Belgian province of [[West Flanders]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/special_report/1998/10/98/world_war_i/211932.stm |title=Germany lays nightmares to rest |publisher=BBC News |date=1998-11-11 |accessdate=2014-04-11}}</ref> More than 44,000 soldiers are buried here.<ref>[http://www.volksbund.de/kgs/stadt.asp?stadt=501 Langemark] – Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge</ref> The village was the scene of the first [[Chemical weapons in World War I|poison gas attacks]] by the [[Imperial German Army]] in the [[Western Front (World War I)|Western Front]] ([http://www.ww1battlefields.co.uk/flanders/images/lang/langemarkmap.gif see trench map]), marking the beginning of the [[Second Battle of Ypres]] in April 1915.


During the [[First Battle of Ypres]] (1914) in World War I, inexperienced German [[infantry]] suffered severe casualties when they made a futile frontal attack on allied positions near Langemark and were checked by experienced French infantry and British riflemen. Contrary to popular myth, only fifteen percent of the German soldiers involved in the Battle of Langemark were schoolboys and students. Legend has it that the German infantry sang the first stanza of what later (1919) became their national anthem "[[Deutschland, Deutschland über alles]]", as they charged.
During the [[First Battle of Ypres]] (1914) in World War I, poorly trained and inexperienced German [[infantry]]men suffered severe casualties when they made a futile frontal attack on allied positions near Langemark and were checked by experienced French [[Poilu]]s and British [[Tommy Atkins|Tommies]]. Contrary to popular belief, only fifteen percent of the German soldiers involved in the Battle of Langemark were schoolboys or students. Legend has it that the German infantry sang the first stanza of what later (1919) became the national anthem of the [[Weimar Republic]]; "[[Deutschland, Deutschland über alles]]", as they charged.


The cemetery, which evolved from a small group of graves from 1915, has seen numerous changes and extensions. It was dedicated in 1932. Today, visitors find a mass grave near the entrance. This '''comrades' grave''' contains 24,917 servicemen, including the Ace [[Werner Voss]].<ref>[http://www.greatwar.co.uk/westfront/ypsalient/cemeteries/langemark.htm The Great War 1914-18: Ypres Salient war graves]</ref> Between the oak trees, next to this mass grave, are another 10,143 soldiers (including 2 British soldiers killed in 1918). The 3,000 school students who were killed during the [[First Battle of Ypres]] are buried in a third part of the cemetery. At the rear of the cemetery is a sculpture of four mourning figures by Professor [[Emil Krieger]]. The group was added in 1956, and is said to stand guard over the fallen. The cemetery is maintained by the [[German War Graves Commission]], the ''Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge''.
The cemetery, which evolved from a small group of graves from 1915, has seen numerous changes and extensions. It was dedicated in 1932. Today, visitors find a mass grave near the entrance. This '''comrades' grave''' contains 24,917 servicemen, including the [[World War I]] [[flying ace]] [[Werner Voss]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.greatwar.co.uk/westfront/ypsalient/cemeteries/langemark.htm |title=The Great War 1914–18: Ypres Salient war graves |publisher=Greatwar.co.uk |date=1932-07-10 |accessdate=2014-04-11 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20131110040329/http://www.greatwar.co.uk/westfront/ypsalient/cemeteries/langemark.htm |archivedate=2013-11-10 }}</ref> Between the oak trees, next to this mass grave, are another 10,143 soldiers (including 2 British soldiers killed in 1918<ref name="cwgc">[https://www.cwgc.org/find-a-cemetery/cemetery/4007433/langemark-german-military-cemetery/ CWGC: Langemark German Military Cemetery]</ref>). The 3,000 school students who were killed during the [[First Battle of Ypres]] are buried in a third part of the cemetery. At the front of the cemetery is a sculpture of four mourning figures by Professor [[Emil Krieger]]. The group was added in 1956, and is said to stand guard over the fallen. The cemetery is maintained by the [[German War Graves Commission]], the ''Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge''.


In September 2008, last [[British Army]] [[World War I]] combat veteran [[Harry Patch]] visited the Langemark cemetery and laid a memorial wreath on the grave of an [[Imperial German Army]] soldier who was [[killed in action]] on 16 August 1917; the day Private Patch's Division had attacked and taken the village of [[Langemark-Poelkapelle|Langemarck]] during the [[Battle of Passchendaele]]. Noticing three [[acorn]]s nesting beside the German soldier's gravestone, Patch picked them up, brought them back to England, and planted the acorns beside the Fletcher House nursing home, where he lived in [[Wells, Somerset]].<ref> Harry Patch and [[Richard van Emden]] (2009), ''The Last Fighting Tommy: The Life of Harry Patch, Last Veteran of the Trenches, 1898-2009'', Bloomsbury. Pages ''xvi'' - ''xvii''.</ref>
⚫
==External links==

* [http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=cr&CRid=639580&CScn=Langemark& Langemark at Find A Grave]
On 22 May 2009, an all-[[Flemish people|Flemish]] band performed the traditional German soldiers' [[lament]] ''[[Ich hatt' einen Kameraden]]'' on the [[Great Highland bagpipe]]s and drums during a joint Belgian, British, and German memorial ceremony at the Langemark German war cemetery. Afterwards, the attendees socialized peacefully together at a nearby village pub.<ref> [https://youtube.com/xYRCgK85PtQ?si=XlS4TqvlPsNH4pKP "Ich hatte einem Kameraden" at Langemarck German military cemetery In Flanders Fields]</ref>
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* (de) [http://www.volksbund.de/kriegsgraeberstaetten.html?stadt=501 Langemark cemetery at Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgraeberfuersorge > Weiterlesen]

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* (nl) [http://www.wo1.be/ned/database/dbDetail.asp?TypeID=6&SubTypeID=21&ItemID=5772 Langemark at wo1.be]
==Gallery==
<gallery widths="200" heights="140" perrow="4">
File:Langemark mass grave marker.jpg|This wreath marks the largest mass grave.
File:Langemark unknown soldier stone.jpg|Individual marker of four unknown soldiers.
File:Langemark german cemetery burial key.jpg|This map is a key to World War I German soldier burial sites in Belgium, located in the entrance block.
File:Langemark wall of student names.jpg|One wall listing the names of the 3,000 German students killed during the First Battle of Ypres, inside the entrance block.
File:Langemark flat grave markers.jpg|Flat grave markers.
File:Langemark basalt crosses ceramic poppies.jpg|For the 100th anniversary commemoration of World War I, many cemeteries and other sites have had ceramic poppies installed.
File:Langemark German Cemetery memorial.jpg|A section of the memorial wall to the victims of the massacre of the Innocents.
File:Langemark German war cemetery 01.jpg|2 plaques in the Langemark German cemetery
</gallery>


==References==
==References==
{{commons category|Deutscher Soldatenfriedhof Langemark}}
{{commons category|Deutscher Soldatenfriedhof Langemark}}
{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist}}

⚫
==External links==
* {{Find a Grave cemetery|639580}}
⚫
* (de) [http://www.volksbund.de/kriegsgraeberstaetten.html?stadt=501 Langemark cemetery at Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgraeberfuersorge > Weiterlesen]
⚫
* (nl) [https://web.archive.org/web/20110812043339/http://www.wo1.be/ned/database/dbDetail.asp?TypeID=6&SubTypeID=21&ItemID=5772 Langemark at wo1.be]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncS3Vrqz9AU YouTube video made at Langemark]


{{DEFAULTSORT:Langemark German War Cemetery}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Langemark German War Cemetery}}
[[Category:World War I cemeteries in Belgium]]
[[Category:World War I cemeteries in Belgium]]
[[Category:German War Graves Commission]]
[[Category:German War Graves Commission]]
[[Category:Belgium in World War I]]
[[Category:Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemeteries in Belgium]]
[[Category:Funerary and memory sites of the First World War (Western Front)]]

Latest revision as of 15:32, 24 December 2024

Langemark German war cemetery
German War Graves Commission
Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge.
This mass grave contains 24,917 soldiers of whom 7,977 remain unknown. The names of those known are on the surrounding upright basalt blocks.
Used for those deceased 1915–1918
Established1915
Location50°55′14″N 2°55′0″E / 50.92056°N 2.91667°E / 50.92056; 2.91667
near 
Langemark-Poelkapelle
Total burials10,143 + ca. 9,470 (graves); 24,917 (mass grave)
Unknowns
3,836 (graves); 7,977 (mass grave)
Burials by nation
Imperial Germany Great Britain
Burials by war
Official nameFunerary and memory sites of the First World War (Western Front)
TypeCultural
Criteriai, ii, vi
Designated2023 (45th session)
Reference no.1567-FL06

The German war cemetery of Langemark (formerly spelt 'Langemarck') is near the village of Langemark, part of the municipality of Langemark-Poelkapelle, in the Belgian province of West Flanders.[1] More than 44,000 soldiers are buried here.[2] The village was the scene of the first poison gas attacks by the Imperial German Army in the Western Front (see trench map), marking the beginning of the Second Battle of Ypres in April 1915.

During the First Battle of Ypres (1914) in World War I, poorly trained and inexperienced German infantrymen suffered severe casualties when they made a futile frontal attack on allied positions near Langemark and were checked by experienced French Poilus and British Tommies. Contrary to popular belief, only fifteen percent of the German soldiers involved in the Battle of Langemark were schoolboys or students. Legend has it that the German infantry sang the first stanza of what later (1919) became the national anthem of the Weimar Republic; "Deutschland, Deutschland über alles", as they charged.

The cemetery, which evolved from a small group of graves from 1915, has seen numerous changes and extensions. It was dedicated in 1932. Today, visitors find a mass grave near the entrance. This comrades' grave contains 24,917 servicemen, including the World War I flying ace Werner Voss.[3] Between the oak trees, next to this mass grave, are another 10,143 soldiers (including 2 British soldiers killed in 1918[4]). The 3,000 school students who were killed during the First Battle of Ypres are buried in a third part of the cemetery. At the front of the cemetery is a sculpture of four mourning figures by Professor Emil Krieger. The group was added in 1956, and is said to stand guard over the fallen. The cemetery is maintained by the German War Graves Commission, the Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge.

In September 2008, last British Army World War I combat veteran Harry Patch visited the Langemark cemetery and laid a memorial wreath on the grave of an Imperial German Army soldier who was killed in action on 16 August 1917; the day Private Patch's Division had attacked and taken the village of Langemarck during the Battle of Passchendaele. Noticing three acorns nesting beside the German soldier's gravestone, Patch picked them up, brought them back to England, and planted the acorns beside the Fletcher House nursing home, where he lived in Wells, Somerset.[5]

On 22 May 2009, an all-Flemish band performed the traditional German soldiers' lament Ich hatt' einen Kameraden on the Great Highland bagpipes and drums during a joint Belgian, British, and German memorial ceremony at the Langemark German war cemetery. Afterwards, the attendees socialized peacefully together at a nearby village pub.[6]

[edit]
  • This wreath marks the largest mass grave.
    This wreath marks the largest mass grave.
  • Individual marker of four unknown soldiers.
    Individual marker of four unknown soldiers.
  • This map is a key to World War I German soldier burial sites in Belgium, located in the entrance block.
    This map is a key to World War I German soldier burial sites in Belgium, located in the entrance block.
  • One wall listing the names of the 3,000 German students killed during the First Battle of Ypres, inside the entrance block.
    One wall listing the names of the 3,000 German students killed during the First Battle of Ypres, inside the entrance block.
  • Flat grave markers.
    Flat grave markers.
  • For the 100th anniversary commemoration of World War I, many cemeteries and other sites have had ceramic poppies installed.
    For the 100th anniversary commemoration of World War I, many cemeteries and other sites have had ceramic poppies installed.
  • A section of the memorial wall to the victims of the massacre of the Innocents.
    A section of the memorial wall to the victims of the massacre of the Innocents.
  • 2 plaques in the Langemark German cemetery
    2 plaques in the Langemark German cemetery

References

[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Deutscher Soldatenfriedhof Langemark.
  1. ^ "Germany lays nightmares to rest". BBC News. 1998-11-11. Retrieved 2014-04-11.
  2. ^ Langemark – Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge
  3. ^ "The Great War 1914–18: Ypres Salient war graves". Greatwar.co.uk. 1932-07-10. Archived from the original on 2013-11-10. Retrieved 2014-04-11.
  4. ^ CWGC: Langemark German Military Cemetery
  5. ^ Harry Patch and Richard van Emden (2009), The Last Fighting Tommy: The Life of Harry Patch, Last Veteran of the Trenches, 1898-2009, Bloomsbury. Pages xvi - xvii.
  6. ^ "Ich hatte einem Kameraden" at Langemarck German military cemetery In Flanders Fields
[edit]
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