American Monuments -
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Montsec. The St. Mihiel Monument. Designed by Egerton Swartwout of New York. The monument is built on a hilltop site and can be seen from miles around.
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America's biggest battle and biggest Western Front memorial, (above).
Montfaucon commemorates one of history's most momentous battles, but the sacrifices of 1918 are almost forgotten. Differing substantially in style from the iconic monument of the same name in New York, this Statue of Liberty contains a staircase which takes the visitor to the viewing platform visible at top of the Doric column. The view from the top provides the modern visitor with a vista of the Meuse-Argonne battlefield. The defenders of 1918 also used this high ground for observing the French and Americans. The shattered church framing the monument in our photograph is surrounded by a number of surviving German bunkers. Despite the elaborate defences, US Forces took Montfaucon on the second day of the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. Defences deeper inside the Argonne Forest proved to be more formidable. |
Chateau-Thierry Monument. Architect Paul P. Cret was an American citizen, but was born in France and served in the French forces throughout the war. This double-column design was the last of the three great monuments to be built. Dating from the 1930's, it mainly commemorates the Americans who plugged the gap in the French line during the German attacks of 1918.