Why is WWII Brittany American cemetery not in Brittany?
The Brittany American Cemetery is actually in Normandy and not the region where the soldiers commemorated died
The American war cemetery in Saint-James
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Reader Question: I saw that the US ambassador went to pay homage to American soldiers who died in the Second World War in Brittany, at a cemetery in Normandy– why is it not in Brittany?
The Brittany American Cemetery is the resting place for more than 4,000 American soldiers who lost their lives during World War Two.
It is located in Saint-James, a village in Normandy, and not in Brittany as you might expect.
A temporary burial site was set up in Saint-James in August 1944, after the region had been liberated by the 8th Infantry Division of the US army. Almost all the soldiers buried died in Brittany while liberating the region.
Read more: American returns 68 years on to French town that helped him after WWII
The plan was to relocate the burial site to Saint-Georges de Reintembault in Brittany, which was only two kilometres away.
However, a delay by local councillors in Brittany meant the project ended up being abandoned.
The Americans decided to make the temporary burial site permanent, in order to ensure that the soldiers had a final resting place without more delay.
The Brittany American Cemetery is one of 11 American cemeteries in France, five of which are from WWII. It was inaugurated in 1956.
France granted the use of the land of these cemeteries to the American government in perpetuity as a token of gratitude.
Denise Bauer, the United States Ambassador to France, has been visiting the cemeteries in the run-up to the 80th anniversary of D-Day.
