Discover the History of Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery

At the Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery and Memorial in Belgium, covering 57 acres, rest 7,987 of our military dead, most of whom lost their lives during the advance of the U.S. armed forces into Germany.

Their headstones are arranged in gentle arcs sweeping across a broad green lawn that slopes gently downhill. A highway passes through the cemetery. West of the highway is an overlook that affords an excellent view of the rolling Belgian countryside, once a battlefield.

To the east is the long colonnade that, with the chapel and map room, forms the memorial overlooking the burial area. The chapel is simple, but richly ornamented. In the map room are two maps of military operations, carved in black granite, with inscriptions recalling the achievements of our forces. On the rectangular piers of the colonnade are inscribed the names of 450 missing. Rosettes mark the names of those since recovered and identified. The seals of the states and territories are also carved on these piers.

The cemetery possesses great military historic significance as it holds fallen Americans of two major efforts, one covering the U.S. First Army’s drive in September 1944 through northern France, Belgium, Holland and Luxembourg into Germany, and the second covering the Battle of the Bulge. It was from the temporary cemetery at Henri-Chapelle that the first shipments of remains of American war dead were returned to the United States for permanent burial. The repatriation program began on July 27, 1947 at a special ceremony at the cemetery when the disinterment began. The first shipment of 5,600 American war dead from Henri-Chapelle left Antwerp, Belgium the first week of October 1947. An impressive ceremony was held, with over 30,000 Belgian citizens attending, along with representatives of the Belgium government and senior Americans.

Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery lies two miles northwest of the village of Henri-Chapelle, Belgium, which is four and a half miles northwest of the Welkenraedt exit (seven miles from the German border) on the Aachen-Antwerp autoroute.

Welkenraedt, the nearest train station to the cemetery, may be reached by train from Paris (Gare du Nord), Brussels and Aachen, Germany.

The Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery honors fallen American service members from two major campaigns during World War II.

The first was the First U.S. Army’s offensive from September through December 1944, which pushed through northern France, Belgium, Holland, and Luxembourg into Germany. The second was the Battle of the Bulge, the last major German counteroffensive, which temporarily halted the Allied advance but ultimately led to the final push into Germany.

From September 1944 to March 1945, U.S. forces engaged in brutal combat, including the Siege of Aachen, the deadly Hürtgen Forest battles, and the grueling Battle of the Bulge. After overcoming the German counteroffensive in January 1945, the Allies launched Operation GRENADE and Operation LUMBERJACK, clearing the way for the crossing of the Rhine River and the final drive toward victory in Europe.

By March 21, U.S., British, and Canadian forces had reached the Rhine River, setting the stage for the final offensive that would lead to Germany’s surrender on May 8, 1945.

• September 8, 1944: First U.S. Army liberated Liège, Belgium.
• Mid-September – October 21, 1944: First Army besieged and captured Aachen, Germany, the first major German city to fall to the Allies.
• Mid-September 1944 – March 1945: U.S. forces engaged in sustained, fierce combat in the Hürtgen Forest, one of the longest and most brutal battles of the war.
• December 16, 1944: Germany launched a major counteroffensive in the Ardennes (Battle of the Bulge), halting the Allied advance for one month.
• January 3, 1945: First Army, reinforced by British XXX Corps, counterattacked the northern flank of the Bulge.
• January 13, 1945: First and Third Armies linked up at Houffalize, marking a turning point in the battle.
• February 23, 1945: With the Bulge eliminated, Ninth Army launched Operation GRENADE, crossing the Roer River and advancing eastward toward Wesel.
• March 1, 1945: The 12th Army Group, composed of First and Third Armies, began Operation LUMBERJACK.
• March 5, 1945: First Army reached Cologne, Germany.
• March 21, 1945: U.S., British, and Canadian forces reached the west bank of the Rhine River, stretching from the Netherlands south to Mannheim. They were now prepared for the final push across the Rhine.
• May 8, 1945: Germany officially surrendered, marking Victory in Europe Day (V-E Day).

Vintage Poster

Vintage posters convey the beauty, tranquility, and solemnity of the place as a sign of respect for those who fought so that we can live free today.