Sunday July 24th- Hike to French National Military Cemetery

Today we started the day with a strenuous roundtrip hike of about 10 miles to the French Military Cemetery high on a hilltop near Sigolsheim.  We made the approach to the cemetery from the Riquewihr side of the hill via the vineyard roads and gravel paths.  When we finally reached the cemetery we were not emotionally prepared for what we were about to see.  With a panoramic view of the wide Alsatian plain below, in neat rows there were placed the graves of 1,494 French soldiers who died in the World War II Battle of the Colmar Pocket- during the first two months of 1945.

The vineyard road to the Cemetery:                          Allies Advance on Colmar Pocket:

          

I am not ashamed to say that we were both moved to tears when we saw name after name of young men on the simple grave markers.  It was only fitting that these young men, who gave their lives to liberate their country, were given such a special spot for their final resting place.

French Muslim soldier's graves: 

We noticed that some of the grave markers were not shaped as crosses, and quickly figured out that Jewish and Muslim soldiers were also among the many interred at this site. In fact 792 of the soldiers laid to rest at this site were Muslim members of the French Army from North Africa.

As we walked around the Memorial, we looked west,  and there blowing in the wind about 100 yards away from the French Memorial, was our American flag.  It took our breath away to be so far from home yet feel so connected,  and to know that the French remain grateful for our help during the war. We quickly made our way to the American site.

Marker at the base of the American flag:

Logos of American Army units who helped liberate Colmar area:

At the American site, we discovered the names and logos of the various American Army units that fought courageously to push the Nazis out of this area of France, and liberate the Alsace.  For more information on the 28th Army Division (Red Keystone logo) click on this site: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/28th_Infantry_Division_(United_States)

The walk back to Riquewihr: