Overview

The Epinal American Cemetery and Memorial in France, 48 acres in extent, is sited on a plateau 100 feet above the Moselle River in the foothills of the Vosges Mountains. It contains the graves of 5,252 of our military dead, most of whom lost their lives in the campaigns across northeastern France to the Rhine River and beyond into Germany. The cemetery was established in October 1944 by the 46th Quartermaster Graves Registration Company of the U.S. Seventh Army as it drove northward from southern France through the Rhone Valley into Germany. The cemetery became the repository for the fatalities in the bitter fighting through the Saverne Gap, and in defense of Allied positions in the Vosges region, during the winter of 1944-1945.

The memorial, a rectangular structure with two large bas-relief panels, consists of a chapel, portico, and map room with a mosaic operations map. On the walls of the Court of Honor, which surround the memorial, are inscribed the names of 424 of the missing. Rosettes mark the names of those since recovered and identified. Stretching northward is a wide, tree-lined mall that separates the two large burial plots. At the northern end of the mall, the circular flagpole plaza forms an overlook affording a view of a wide sweep of the Moselle Valley.

On May 12, 1958, 13 caskets draped with American flags were placed side by side at the memorial. Each casket contained the remains of one World War II unknown American, each from one of the thirteen permanent American military cemeteries in the European theater of operations. In a solemn ceremony, Gen. Edward J. O'Neill, commanding general of the U.S. Army Communication Zone, Europe, selected the unknown to represent the European theater. It was flown to Naples, Italy and placed with unknowns from the Atlantic and Pacific Theaters of Operation aboard the USS Blandy for transportation to Washington, D.C. for final selection of the unknown from World War II. On Memorial Day, 1958 the remains were buried alongside the unknown from World War I at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery.

 

Image
Vintage poster of Epinal American Cemetery
A vintage poster was created by French artist DOZ for all ABMC cemeteries and five monuments and memorials to mark ABMC’s centennial. At this time, we are not offering printed versions of the posters, but the high-resolution printing file for each poster is available here for personal use. Please note that the posters are copyrighted and may not be reproduced for commercial purposes. Please contact ABMC Public Affairs at publicaffairs@abmc.gov with any questions.
Dedicated:
Location: France
Burials:
5252
Missing in Action:
424
Acres:
48.00

Virtual 360

Experience this site in a 360 degree view. Immerse yourself now with the beauty, serenity and history of the cemetery.

Photos

Browse photos, videos, interactive websites and apps dedicated to memorializing those who served in the U.S. Armed Forces overseas. Their service, achievements, and sacrifice are illuminated — dive in to learn more.

Cemetery Information

Visiting Hours

The cemetery is open daily to the public from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., except December 25 and January 1. It is open on host country holidays. When the cemetery is open to the public, a staff member is on duty to answer questions and escort relatives to grave and memorial sites.

Contact Us

Epinal American Cemetery
385, rue de la Rondenolle
88000
Dinozé
France

Directions

GPS Coordinates: 48° 8' 35" N , 6° 29' 49" E

The Epinal American Cemetery is located approximately four miles southeast of Epinal, France, on the D-157 Departmental road (Rue Camille Krantz), in the village of Dinoze-Quèquement.

Travel via Car:
The cemetery can be reached by car from Paris in about five hours via the A-4 toll freeway, eastward towards Nancy and then exiting onto highway N-57. Signs for the cemetery will be seen from highway N-57. After passing the town of Epinal on the highway, exit at Arches-Dinozé.  The cemetery is located approximately four miles southeast of Epinal, France, on the D-157 Departmental road (Rue Camille Krantz), in the village of Dinoze-Quèquement.

Travel via Train
Rail service is available from the Gare de l'Est in Paris, France. Depending on the train schedule, it may be necessary to change trains in Nancy with final destination as the city of Epinal. The train journey takes about two and a half to three and a half hours.

Travel via Airplane
Paris is about 250 miles from the cemetery, and Brussels is about 260 miles from the cemetery.

Travel via Public Transportation
Taxi service is available from the train station to the cemetery.

Lodging
Hotels are available in Epinal.

News & Events

Download this infographic to see where ABMC sites are located throughout the world.

Experience the history of World War II through a new interactive timeline. View maps, watch videos, see photos and read about the events that shaped the war.

Plan a visit to an ABMC site on Veterans Day to honor the fallen. Ceremonies are planned in France, England, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Philippines, and the Netherlands.

During Veterans Day weekend ABMC sites paid tribute and honored those men and women that are buried and memorialized overseas.

U.S. Citizen Information