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Menen German war cemetery

German War Graves CommissionWorld War I cemeteries in BelgiumWorld War I memorials in Belgium
Menen Deutscher Soldatenfriedhof 6
Menen Deutscher Soldatenfriedhof 6

The Menen German war cemetery is a military cemetery in the Belgian town of Menen territory and partly in Wevelgem. There were nearly 48,000 German soldiers buried from the First World War, making it the largest in Flanders. In between are several crosses and oak and chestnut trees. In the center is an octagonal memorial chapel. The original cemetery was created in 1917. Between 1956 and 1958, there were 128 small German military cemeteries scattered across Flanders consolidated to four. The remains of the cemeteries were transferred to the cemeteries of Langemark, Vladslo, Hooglede and Menen. Menen casualties came from 53 small cemeteries. The German architect R. Tischler designed the octagonal mausoleum and a reception building. Around the chapel are eight tombstones, bearing the names and locations of the 53 cemeteries, from where the fallen were transferred. The grave stones were restored in 1991. The cemetery is administered by the German War Graves Commission (Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge).

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Menen German war cemetery (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Menen German war cemetery
Kruisstraat, Menin

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Wikipedia: Menen German war cemeteryContinue reading on Wikipedia

Geographical coordinates (GPS)

Latitude Longitude
N 50.809166666667 ° E 3.1519444444444 °
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Kruisstraat

Kruisstraat
8930 Menin (Wevelgem)
West Flanders, Belgium
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Menen Deutscher Soldatenfriedhof 6
Menen Deutscher Soldatenfriedhof 6
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Battle of Menin (1793)
Battle of Menin (1793)

The Battle of Wervik, or of Wervik and Menin was fought on 12 and 13 September 1793 between 30,000 men of the French Army of the North commanded by Jean Nicolas Houchard, and 13,000 Coalition troops: the veldleger (mobile army) of the Dutch States Army, commanded by the William, Hereditary Prince of Orange and his brother Prince Frederick of Orange-Nassau, and a few squadrons of Austrian cavalry under Pál Kray, seconded by Johann Peter Beaulieu. The great superiority in numbers being on the French side the battle ended in a victory for France, with the Dutch army suffering heavy losses. Among the casualties was Prince Frederick, who was wounded in the shoulder at Wervik, an injury from which he never fully recovered. The combat occurred during the Flanders Campaign of the War of the First Coalition. Menen is a city in Belgium located on the French border about 100 kilometres (62 mi) west of Brussels. After his victory in the Battle of Hondschoote, the French commander Jean Nicolas Houchard decided to fall on the Dutch forces defending Menen. About 27,000 French troops advanced on Menen from two directions - northward from Lille toward Menen and eastward along the north bank of the Leie (Lys) River toward Wervik and Menen. The Dutch defenders held their own on the 12th. However, on the 13th the French won a significant victory, forcing the Dutch to withdraw to Deinze. Two days later, the French were beaten by Beaulieu in the Battle of Courtrai and abandoned Menen. Despite his recent successes, Houchard was charged with treason and executed.