Lonesome Memorials #27: Monument de la Lorraine à la Gloire des États-Unis

 

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As war broke out in 1914, Germany was in possession of almost a third of the historical Lorraine (including the Moselle region and Metz). As the fighting unfolded during the 1914 Battle of the Frontiers, it pushed German forces into the still-French parts of the Lorraine. Approximately, 30 percent of the territory of the Meuse and Meurthe-et-Moselle departments were occupied for almost the full-duration of the war. These areas suffered severe physical destruction, heavy military casualties, and intense civilian hardship. Residents suspected of pro-French sympathies faced thousands of prosecutions for anti-German sentiment, heavy censorship, and imprisonment or placement in preventative detention camps.

This unhappy situation ended in September 1918 when General Pershing's First Army forced a general evacuation of the French Lorraine back to approximately the borders of German-held Lorraine. Needless to say, the local citizens were extremely happy with the end of the German occupation and were most appreciative of their American liberators. A commemoration of some sort was in order. This resulted in the Monument de la Lorraine à la Gloire des États-Unis (Lorraine Monument to the Glory of the United States) in the village of Flirey, which is located just south and near the center of the American jump-off line of 12 September 1918. 

The region commissioned the well-known Nancy-born sculptor Alfred Finot to design the monument. Inauguration: The monument was officially dedicated in 1921. The memorial is structured as a large bronze high-relief sculpture full of rich allegory. It features two victorious American soldiers standing proudly under the American star-spangled banner. They stand in front of a Gallic rooster (the national symbol of France) depicted with its wings wide open, symbolizing the shared Franco-American triumph. In the background, a cathedral is etched into the stone, representing the enduring cultural heritage of the liberated region. The inscription at the base translates to: "On September 12, 1918, the first offensive of the United States Army, commanded by General Pershing, sprang from here. It liberated numerous Lorrainese communes..."

Location:  At the wartime strategic intersection of the D904 and D958 roads in Flirey. On the north side of D958 there are a monument to the 163rd French Regiment of Infantry which fought in the village during the war's early years. North on D904, .75 miles is a Vauthier Borne Marker,  is one of a series of World War I demarcation stones erected throughout France and Belgium to map out the Allied front line as it stood on 18 July 1918. It is designated "Georges Washington" in recognition of the American service in the area.