List of World War I Memorials and Cemeteries in Lorraine

South-east of Nancy the French Ist Army under General Dubail had many encounters with the Germans and apart from the fighting at Sarrebourg they fought the Battle of the Haute-Meurthe from 24 August to 11 September 1914. This will be dealt with in the article covering Alsace. After these battles a defined front line was established by late September and was not to change significantly until the end of the war, although fighting from trench to trench would occur almost daily.

The short period of August to September 1914, saw the French Plan XVII shattered and this, and the ultimate failure of the Von Schlieffen plan, saw the "war of movement" end and a static war of trenches and more trenches take over.

For France the death toll was notable and by the end of August, the French Army had suffered 75,000 dead of which 27,000 were killed on 22 August alone,^[1] the death toll was similar to first day on the Somme. Total French casualties for the first month of the war were 260,000^[1] of which 140,000 were sustained during the climactic final four days of the battle of the Frontiers.

The French Army's "Plan XV11" set out the invasion of Lorraine and her return to France as a major objective. Annexed by Prussia after the 1870-1871 Franco Prussian War, along with Alsace, its return to France was essential. The French were therefore to give top priority to retaking Lorraine and Alsace whilst the Germans had other ideas and were intent on pursuing the Von Schlieffen plan to the north. The beginning of the war in August 1914 saw the two protagonists lock horns in the north at Charleroi, in the centre at the Ardennes and in Lorraine at Morhange and Sarrebourg, whilst in Alsace the two sides fought at Mulhausen. These early battles were identified by historians as the "Battles of the Frontiers" and the encounters at Morhange and Sarrebourg were two of them.

On 14 August 1914, the French attacked on two fronts, with General Auguste Dubail leading the French 1st Army with the objective being to take Sarrebourg to the east of Nancy, whilst General Noel de Castelnau, leading the French 2nd Army, would attack Morhange. The 1st and 2nd French Army were known as the "Army of Lorraine". Both Sarrebourg and Morhange were fortified towns. Facing the French were the German 6th and 7th Armies. Prince Rupprecht had command of the 6th and overall command of both armies, with General Josias von Herringen having command of the 7th.

At this stage the German Army, knowing that their major effort was taking place with the march through Luxembourg and Belgium, deliberately followed a policy of "retreat", feigning to be overwhelmed by the French, but luring them into a position where they would be vulnerable to a fierce counter-attack. "Come into my parlour said the spider to the fly." However, as the French advanced Rupprecht soon tired of such tactics and pressed von Moltke to allow him to be more aggressive. He wanted to drive forward and push the French back to Nancy. Rupprecht had his way, although this flew in the face of the blueprint of the von Schlieffen plan and on 20 August 1914, the Germans went on the offensive and the French 2nd Army were forced to retreat. Dubail and the French 1st Army could now no longer stay out on a limb attacking Sarrebourg and he also retreated, but despite the retreat of the two French armies, Foch's XX Corps were able to successfully defend Nancy.

The French front-line was however now in disorder and Joffre, the French Commander in Chief, had no alternative but to order a general withdrawal and only eight days after the French offensive had begun both the 1st and 2nd Armies were back to the line Belfort-Epinal-Toul. The Germans had also pushed through the "Trouée des Charmes," a natural gap between Epinal and Toul, on 24 August, but their success was limited to establishing a small salient. The French line held and fighting continued until the end of August. Stalemate ensued. Given that they had not made any major gains, the Germans must have regretted tying up 26 Divisions in Lorraine and Alsace when these could have swung the outcome of the Battle of the Marne further to the north west. Morhange had then played an important role in the events of 1914.

General Dubail with his 1st Army and General de Castelnau with the 2nd Army, had however exhausted themselves in the fruitless attacks on Sarrebourg and Morhange and the French concept of "offensive a outrance" had withered before heavy German artillery, barbed wire and the now ubiquitous machine-gun.

Now the French withdrew to the line of the Grande Couronné. In effect the policy of "offensive a outrance" died in the killing fields of Lorraine and amongst the corpses of soldiers with their bright red pantaloons there were no doubt bodies of some of their officers still wearing white gloves.

Rupprecht's artillery continued to pound the French lines. Ste Genevieve, near Nomeny, was battered, and it was decided that the French Army must retreat behind the Grand Couronné. The French looked for some respite and on 22 August 1914 they found it when Rupprecht took the offensive against Charmes and exposed his flank to the troops now positioned beyond Nancy. The Germans attacked, the French counter-attacked, and the German 6th and 7th Armies locked horns with the French 1st and 2nd Armies, the French backed by the guns of Belfort, Epinal and Toul. Again stalemate ensued; there was no victor. There had however been a quite horrendous loss of life.

When the battle started on 24 August 225,000 French soldiers faced 300,000 Germans. The Germans objective was to reach and pass the gap at Charmes which lay between the forts of Toul and Epinal to then attack Commercy, Bar-Le-Duc and Verdun from the rear. Joffre's order was to defend Nancy and hold the position in front of Charmes so that Dubail could attack the German's flank at Mortagne and on the Meurthe.

On the 24th the Germans advanced from Mont-sur-Meurthe to Gerbéviller, passing the Mortagne and then attacked the fort at Manonviller which was taken on 27 August.

After taking Lamath the Germans attacked towards Romain and Bayon and the French attacked their flank at Courbesseaux, Saint-Boingt, Essey-la-Côte and Damas-aux-Bois whilst the 2nd Army's artillery blasted the Germans from the Flainval plateau.

On the 25th the Germans took Rozelieures, which was retaken in the afternoon of the same day. Castelnau pushed on and the 15th and 16th Army Corps retook Einvaux, Lamath, Blainville, and reached the Meurthe and the Martagne. At the same time the 8th Army Corps of the 1st French Army conquered Domptail and Saint-Pierremont. At Crevic and at Courbesseaux the struggle was bloody.

From the 26th to the 29th the German offensive was broken and the ground from Champenoux to Friscati was taken. Xermanénil was retaken and now the scene was set for the Battle of Grand-Couronné and the German attempt to take Nancy. Castelnau emerged victorious on 13 September, Castelnau took Lunéville and the Germans retired to the Seille where they would dig in for four long years. From 29 August to 7 September, Dubail's 1st French Army won the battles at Rambervillers and the Haute-Meurthe including fierce and bloody fighting on the Chipotte peak.

This part of the German line retreated to Parroy as far as the peak at Saales and dug down into their trenches.^[2]

The war in Lorraine had started rather badly for the French, with her 2nd Army retreating from Morhange which left the 1st Army having to pull back from Sarrebourg. Moltke, the German Chief of Staff, drew the conclusion that the 2nd Army was a spent force and had no further role to play and saw the opportunity to strengthen the attack to the rear of the French Armies which was the basis of the Von Schlieffen plan and what the German armies to the north were already trying to achieve. Moltke thought that if he could use Rupprecht wisely then the French could be hit twice from the rear, firstly by the German armies to the north and then by Rupprecht's 6th

Moltke planned that Rupprecht's 6th Army would pass through the Trouée de Charmes which passed between the Forts of Toul and Epinal and then turn to the northwest and march north to Bar-le-Duc and take the French 3rd and 4th Armies in the rear.

Now all depended on Castelnau whose 2nd Army now manned the Trouée de Charmes area and he learned from his Intelligence Service, that German columns were moving to Saffais and Bechamps and heading for the gap at the Trouée de Charmes. A few hours later French aerial observers would confirm this. Now the French High Command directed General Dubail, commanding the 1st French Army to put his 8th Division at Castelnau's disposal. Dubail did this immediately and now Castelnau had much needed reinforcements and knew exactly what the Germans were up to.

On 24 August Rupprecht's troops began to attack in the direction of the "Trouée de Charmes" and he concentrated this attack on the centre of the 2nd Army as this was judged to be the cornerstone of the French's defence and where they were the strongest. Initially the Germans were successful and they managed to take Damelevières and Gerbeviller and then pushed the French from Vacquenatwood, Clairlieu and Censal from where they move towards Bayon. At this point however, the French started to check the German advance, the French 74th Infantry in particular fighting with great tenacity and at the same time the Bavarians attacking the Flainval plateau were also checked by the French. Now in a desperate effort to force through the gap, the German 6th Army effectively weakened their right and left flanks which Castelnau saw and decided to use to his advantage. He attacked the German flanks with General Fayolle's 70th French Infantry and they were pushed out of Erbeviller, Réméréville and Courbesseaux. Now the right wing of the French 2nd Army attack Rupprecht's left flank and managed to take Saint-Boingt, Essey-la-Côte and Clézentaine Ménarmont.

During the night of 24 to 25 August Castelnau pounded the Germans with his artillery. Now Castelnau concentrated on Rupprecht's centre and launched an attack to take Rozelieures from the Germans. He was successful but the Germans hit back and retook Rozelieures but later in the day of the 25th the French took it back. Rozelieures was theirs!

On the 25th and 26th fighting was fierce in every area but finally Rupprecht ordered a retreat.

The Monument of Lorraine which celebrates the outcome of the engagements of August/September 1914

The battle of Charmes was a victory for the French 2nd Army and in stopping the Germans from passing through the "Trouée de Charmes" Castelnau had arguably saved the French from a complete disaster. To quote Maurice Barrès-

"Paris a été sauvé à la Marne, c'est parce que Castelnau avait vaincu à Rozelieures"

"If Paris was saved at the Marne it was because Castelnau won at Rozelieures"

The Trouée de Charmes was a gap in the French defensive lines north-east of the town of Charmes. There were many fortresses around Toul and Epinal in the Vosges. But around Lunéville, in the rather open landscape of plains and hills, there was only one fortress, the Fort de Manonviller. In this open country there are three natural obstacles, being the rivers Moselle, Vezouze and Meurthe. These last two rivers link together directly west of the city of Lunéville. Any German Army which could break through the Gap of Charmes, would have been awarded with the advantage of three options to facilitate the continuation of its campaign on more accessible terrain: 1. Go right and attack Nancy and Toul, or 2. Go left, and attack St. Dié and Epinal, or 3. Advance directly to the Champagne. Another reason why this weak link in the French defensive line was called the Gap, was the fact that the French 2nd Army linked up here with the 1st Army. During the period of 20–23 August the flanks of these armies almost lost contact. During the Battle of the Trouée des Charmes from 24 until 26 August 1914, it took the French 2nd Army much effort to withstand the German attacks. It even needed the assistance of the 8e Corps d’Armée of Dubail's 1st Army. Now the two sides regrouped and on 4 September clashed again in the "Battle of the Grand Couronné" which was to last until 13 September. After that encounter the front line in Lorraine would not change for the next four years.

The French retreat after the fighting at Morhange and Saarbourg saw them eventually take up position on the Grand Couronné, an area of high ground to the east of Nancy, on an arc Pont-à-Mousson, Champenoux, Lunéville and Dombasie, Grand Couronné consists of a series of high ridges which dominates the plain to the east of Nancy. These ridges are La côte Sainte-Geneviève with a height of 394 metres, Le Mont Toulon with a height of 375 metres, Le Mont Saint-Jean with a height of 400 metres, the plateau of the Bois du Chapitre with a height of 400 metres, the plateau of the Bois de Faulx with the spur of La Rochette with a height of 406 metres and finally the plateau of Malzéville and the ridge called "Le Rembêtant". These ridges dominated the plain and allowed excellent observation of it.

After the Battle at the Trouée de Charmes, the German's first attempt to pierce the French line at the point where the 1st Army joined the 2nd Army, the Germans decided to attack simultaneously Saint-Dié in the Battle of the Haute Meurthe and Nancy in the battle of the Grand Couronné. The fighting at Haute Meurthe will be covered when we look at the war in the Alsace area.

The fighting at Charmes had been inconclusive and the capture of Nancy now became psychologically important for the Germans and the Kaiser came along to personally supervise the attacks and the French were not helped when Castelnau had to let men go to bolster the 3rd Army who were experiencing difficulties in the west.

The battle opened on 4 September when the German guns opened up destroying a number of villages in the area but from the 5th to the 11th, despite heavy losses, neither side were able to take the upper hand. On 9 and 10 September the German guns opened fire on Nancy. By 12 September the Germans began to retreat and on the next day withdrew from Pont à Mousson and Lunéville which were then reoccupied by the French. The French then continued to the banks of the River Seille where the front line stabilised and did not change until 1918.

It could be argued that the Grand Couronné and the fighting at the Haute Meurthe encounter helped the allies in their success at the 1st Battle of the Marne in that they kept important numbers of German troops in Lorraine. On 18 September 1914, Castelnau was made a "Grand-Officier de la légion d'honneur" and was to appear on postcards of the time under the title "The saviour of Nancy". The loss of live as a consequence of these early battles in Lorraine was horrendous.

^[3]

It was in 1935 and on the initiative of the parish priest and the Bidestroff mayor, that a committee was set up which led to the monument being erected. Most of the funds were collected from veterans in Toulon and the Strasbourg sculptor Valentin Jaeg was commissioned to carry out the sculptural work involved. The monument is 12.5 metres high and at the top is the figure of the Archangel St Michael who raises his arms to heaven. St Michael is the patron saint of Bidestroff.

At the base there are groups of crosses on each of the monument's four faces, each inscribed with the name of one of the units of the 15th Army Corps. These surround the Cross of Christ. The inscriptions on the monument read

"Au XVè corps 19 et 20 août 1914"

and

" Aux 1204 morts du cimetière militaire de Bidestroff, 1914-1925"

^{[5] [6]}

There is a monument located in the Riche Military Cemetery that remembers the men who fell fighting at Morhange. Riche lies just to the south of Morhange.

The inscription reads

"Aux Heros au Champ d’Honneur en Terre Lorraine 19-20th August, 1914 Morts pour La France"

At the side of the cemetery is a small chapel dating back to 1928. This has been roped off from the public owing to falling masonry. This is a pity as there are some magnificent stained glass windows in the chapel, of which four tell the history of the 20th Infantry Division.

The cemetery contains the remains of 2,574 French soldiers with 1,088 individual graves and two ossuaries containing the remains of 1,486 men. 577 of these were not identified. Most of those buried were killed in the fighting at Morhange. This particular cemetery contains the grave of the son of General Joseph Curières de Castelnau, who was killed on 20 August 1914. There are also 158 Russian graves of a later war period and a Russian mass grave with an unknown number of Russian soldiers buried in it.^[7]

Cemetery at Riche with monument and two ossuaries visible to the rear

"Aux soldats français tombés glorieusement à la bataille de Morhange, les 19 et 20 août 1914"

^[8]

Memorial to the Battle of Morhange

In Lorraine there are also German Military Cemeteries at Bouillonville holding the remains of 1,368 soldiers, at Fey where 2,006 soldiers are buried with 500 unidentified. There is also a German cemetery at Thiaucourt with the remains of 11,685 soldiers. 2,980 of these are in an ossuary of which 2,645 could not be identified. In Bertrimoutier the cemetery is a joint Franco-German one and holds the remains of 6,749 German soldiers and 950 French soldiers.

At a later stage a plaque was added acknowledging the victims of the Second World War. At the base is an allegorical representation of the town of Sarreguemines and at the summit is a bronze depicting the "Angel of Victory"^[11]

The war memorial at Sarreguemines

^[12]

The cemetery is called "L'Espérance" and was created in 1914 after the fighting at Morhange. Bodies were also gathered in from Loudrefing, Bénestroff, Dieuze, Guinzeling and Lostroff. There is a monument in the cemetery with sculpture by Charles Petit dedicated to the men of the 15th Army Corps killed in 1914 fighting at Dieuze. This was inaugurated 1 July 1934.^[14]

There are also two ossuaries in the cemetery which contain the remains of both French and German soldiers who died fighting in the area and at the Dieuze military hospital.

There is also a monument dedicated to those Roumanian prisoners of war sent to Alsace-Lorraine by the Germans in 1917 and 1918. 940 of these died in captivity and are buried at Dieuze. The inscription reads

"Aux soldats roumains 1916-1919. A la mémoire des 2344 prisonniers de guerre roumains morts dans les camps d'internement allemands en Alsace et en Lorraine en 1917 et 1918, à la mémoire des Alsaciens et des Lorrains qui les ont aidés à survivre. A la fière douceur de leur victoire unie, dormez au sol de France enfants de Roumanie"

- 2,344 men were to die in captivity and the inscription adds a thank you to the kindness of the people of Alsace and Lorraine.

Also in Dieuze there is a memorial to those French soldiers who were killed fighting in Roumania. The sculptural work here is by Remus Botar Botarro and the monument was inaugurated on 9 November 1998.^[15]

""A la 11ieme division. La Lorraine et La France reconnaissantes Ici La division de Fer Arreta la ruée allemande"

Apart from their efforts at Léomont, the 11th had fought at Lunéville and Friscati and had played an important role in protecting Nancy. The original monument, erected in 1922, was destroyed by the Germans in 1940 and reconstructed in 1950. It depicts a soldier mounting guard and protecting Nancy. The original sculpture was the work of Gaston Broquet and when the monument was rebuilt the sculptor, J.Sinapi, faithfully copied Broquet's original work. ^[18]

Memorial to the 11th Division at Léomont

Samogneux was involved in the Battle of Verdun and the French Infantry Regiments 112th, 173rd, 126th and 335th fought there.

"To the Defenders of the Grand Couronne August–September 1914 in memory of Louis Marin."

Marin was an influential local politician and the leader of the "National Republican Party" of Meurthe-et-Moselle, the President of the General Council of Nomeny and from 1934 to 1952 he was Chairman of the General Council of Meurthe-et-Moselle. The monument is somewhat worn and at each end of a curved wall are depictions of Joan of Arc and St Genevieve.

In 1923 the soldiers who had fought at Bois-le-Prêtre raised funds to replace the original cross with this monument. The sculptural work is by Emile Just Bachelet. His composition involves a large cross whose transverse is supported by two soldiers. One wears the uniform worn by the French in 1914 and the other the standard uniform worn at the war's end. The original cross has been bedded into the monument and the Bachelet's maquette is held in the Musée de l'École de Nancy.

Raymond Poincaré attended the inauguration which took place on 23 September 1923. The stained glass artist Jacques Grüber depicted the inauguration in 1924 on a window in the church of Saint-Gorgon in Fey-en-Haye nearby.

^[20]

"Barrer La Route de Nancy a l'Envahisseur"

In Brionne there were it seems other more sinister events

"A Brionne fut arrete L'Ennemi après L'Incendie et La Meurtre inqualifiable de 70 habitants de Nomeny"

Underneath an elaborately carved granite canopy and supported by columns, is a sculpture of a reclining soldier which is reminiscent of the "Soldat du Droit" at Fleury-devant-Douaumont in the Meuse and around the canopy are inscribed "les frontières"; the names of the main areas of the conflict- "Yser, Artois, Marne, Somme, Champagne, Aisne, Verdun, Argonne and Grand Couronné". A photograph of the monument is shown here. ^[21][22]

Monument to civilians of Nancy killed 1914-1918

The main inscription reads

"Aux Victimes Civiles de la guerre 1914-1918"

^[23]

Memorial to 37th French Infantry

Other memorials in the cemetery are dedicated to the 5th Regiment of Hussars, the 69th French Infantry, the 79th French Infantry and the 8th Regiment of Artillery.^{[24] [25]}

There is also a monument in the town dedicated to the soldiers of the 20th Company of the 212nd French Infantry who were killed in the fighting on 23 August 1914, when the Germans were prevented from occupying the town. They were led by a Colonel Brau. The inscription reads

"Le Colonel Brau, Défenseur de Dombasle, a évité à la ville d'être occupée par l'ennemi le 23 août 1914 grâce à son courage et à celui des vaillants soldats de la 20e Compagnie du 212e Régiment d'Infanterie"

This monument is situated at the crossing of the Rue du Colonel Brau and La Place du Souvenir Français. ^[26]

War memorial at Dombasle sur Meurthe. Frenchman tells children of the Great War

"A la mémoire des Héros de la 74e D.I.R., Défenseurs de Gerbéviller : 36e R.I.C. - (222e - 223e - 230e - 299e - 333e Régiments de Réserve) - 27/08/1914 - 02/09/1914"

This monument stands alongside the road skirting the two war cemeteries in Gerbéviller, one French and one German.^[27]

The war memorial at Gerbéviller is dedicated in particular to the chasseurs of the 2nd Brigade commanded by an adjutant called Chèvre, who held a Bavarian brigade at bay . The sculptural work is by Émile Just Bachelet.

The French war cemetery was created in 1920 and holds the remains of many of the soldiers who died in the fighting at the battle at Trouée des Charmes in August 1914. Total burials are 1,121. ^[28]

The German war cemetery holds the remains of 4,335 soldiers.^[29]

The inscription lists all the French units involved

"On pris part à la Bataille : 2e, 6e 10e Division de Cavalerie

2, 4, 8, 10, 12, 14, 15, 19, 20 et 31e Dragons, 13, 17 et 18e Chasseurs à Cheval, 7 et 10e Cuirs. Le Hussards 2, 6 et 10e D.C. Groupe cyclistes, Groupe d'Artillerie 1, 48e R.A. 2, 70e B.C.P.Infanterie: 10, 13, 15, 23, 27, 53, 56, 80, 81, 85, 95, 98, 124, 142, 143, 210, 230, 233, 322 et 333e R.I."

^[31]

"En souvenir des soldats corses et méridionaux, morts ici, en combattant pour une juste cause - souvenez-vous que sous ce sol reposent à jamais des combattants français et allemands, morts dans une impitoyable guerre de mines. Les châtaigniers qui prospèrent sur ce sol sont un souvenir de leur passage et de leurs beaux pays"

^[32]

The inscription on the monument which also remembers the soldiers of the 38th French Infantry reads

"A la mémoire des officiers, sous officiers, caporaux et soldats des 38e et 86e R.I., tombés glorieusement en combattant dans nos rues et dans nos champs, le 25 août 1914, qui trouvèrent ici une sépulture provisoire. Le Souvenir Français, 1927".

. The monument is situated where the Rue des Trois fontaine crosses the Rue de Saint-Christophe.

^[33]

H. Antoine and the sculptural work was by the Parisien sculptor Emile Just Bachelet.^[34]

The inscription reads

"Monument élevé à la mémoire de nos chers camarades du 358e R.I. Morts pour la France au cours de la Grande Guerre. Hommage fraternel des anciens combattants du 358e R.I. et de leurs amis. 14 juillet 1924"

^[35]

^[36]

The inauguration of Cochinaire's Triumphal Arch

The cemetery contains the remains of 2,653 Frenchmen of whom 1,209 lie in two ossuaries. The bodies here were moved from smaller burial plots at Angomont, Badonviller, Baccarat, Montigny, Neufmaisons, Pierre-Percée and Saint-Maurice.

Soldiers grotto at La Chapelotte

There is a fountain here erected by the soldiers of the 338th Infantry as mentioned above. The area had many grottos and one of these is known as the "Grotto des Poilu" and was used as a first-aid post by the soldiers of the 43rd Territorial Infantry. At the top of the mountain there is a monument which reads

"Aux Morts Glorieux du 363e R.I."

the Hell Hole.

French War cemetery at Chipotte

The monument bears the inscription

"La Chapelotte 1914-1918. En ces lieux la guerre avait fait d'une magnifique forêt une terre chaotique. La nature en paix a repris ses droits et cicatrise ses plaies. Mais reste le souvenir des quelques 2 000 combattants français tombés ici pour notre indépendance"

^[38]

The area around Raon-l'Etape saw much action in the period August/September 1914 and this particularly involved the 21st battalion of the "chasseurs à pied"

When the prospects of war loomed, the French started to garrison the area of the valley of the river Meurthe near to the Franco-German border. Troops were moved to towns such as Baccarat, Senones, Saint-Dié, and Raon-l'Étape, where the barracks were known as the "Dutertre" barracks and covered the route to Celles-sur-Plaine and Donon. The 21st arrived on 10 October 1913 and on 31 July 1914, the battalion took up positions around Celles-sur-Plaine and Allarmont. Once war broke out the battalion fought at Petit Donon. After the fighting at Morhange the 1st and 2nd French armies retreated towards the Meurthe. The 13th French Infantry division fought at Badonviller, Raon, La Neuveville-lès-Raon, La Haute-Neuveville and La Chipotte then at the end of 21 August left the Vosges to fight in the Battle of the Marne and were then involved in the Race for the Sea fighting at various points as the front line snaked northwards. During the war almost 2,300 chasseur (riflemen) were killed including men from Raon-l'Étape and La Neuveville.

On 24 August, the 21st Army Corps passed along the left bank of the Meurthe and the 20th and 21st battalions of the "Chasseur a pied" fought in the town of Raon-l'Étape itself until they retreated to Haute-Neuveville. and the Chipotte mountain, fighting as they went. The Battles of the Meurthe followed including the fighting at Grand Couronné, the Trouée de Charmes, at the Chipotte and in the la Haute Meurthe. all of which ran through until early September. Finally the Germans were halted along the line of the Meurthe. During all this fighting Raon-l'Étape was occupied by the Germans for 19 days. Now the front line was stabilised parallel with the right bank of the Meurthe and running from La Chapelotte to La Fontenelle and this front line was not to change until the end of the war.

The war memorial here features a sculpture by Gaston Broquet and it is recorded that the interior of the war memorial contains an urn with a sample of soil of the battlefield of Douaumont near Verdun. Broquet had had experience of the war having served in the 94th French Infantry. Broquet's work can be seen in the depiction of the wounded Sergeant Maginot in the Maginot memorial near Fort de Souville and the horrified Poilu with gasmask of Samogneux.^[39]

The 21st battalion arrive at Raon-l'Etape

There is a French War cemetery at Saint-Dié-des-Vosges called "Les Tiges" which contains the remains of 2,608 French soldiers of which 1,182 could not be identified and lie in two ossuaries. The men buried here were brought in from Ravin, la Côte, Mailleufaing, La-Salle, Saint-Rémy and Nompatélize.^[42]

Another memorial to those who died fighting in 1914-1918 stands in the cemetery. See photograph below.

War Memorial in Saint-Dié-des-Vosges French War cemetery

There is a hill known as "La Fontenelles" near to Ban-de-Sapt which was strategically important in 1914, and on 14 September the 1st French Army took the area. Thereafter the Germans made every effort to retake it and as time went on it became a trench area where many tunnels were excavated and underground explosives detonated. The front line eventually ran along the flanks of the hill. In 1915 the fighting was more intense and the French were able to gain some ground. In the French War cemetery of "La Fontenelle" at Ban-de-Sapt, there is a monument remembering those killed in the 1915 fighting which includes the depiction of a Marianne and a French soldier. See photograph above. This cemetery contains the remains of 1,384 Frenchmen of whom 424 lie in an ossuary. It was established in 1925. ^[44]