WW2Museums.com
Florence American Cemetery and Memorial
- Address:
- Via Cassia, Fiume Grave
- Website:
- www.abmc.gov
- WWII Percentage:
- 100%
The Florence American Cemetery and Memorial site in Italy covers 70 acres, chiefly on the west side of the Greve "torrente." The wooded hills that frame its west limit rise several hundred feet.
Between the two entrance buildings, a bridge leads to the burial area where the headstones of 4,402 of our military dead are arrayed in symmetrical curved rows upon the hillside. They represent 39 percent of the U.S. Fifth Army burials originally made between Rome and the Alps. Most died in the fighting that occurred after the capture of Rome in June 1944. Included among them are casualties of the heavy fighting in the Apennines shortly before the war's end. On May 2, 1945, the enemy troops in northern Italy surrendered.
Above the graves, on the topmost of three broad terraces, stands the memorial marked by a tall pylon surmounted by a large sculptured figure. The memorial has two open atria, or courts, joined by the Tablets of the Missing upon which are inscribed 1,409 names. Rosettes mark the names of those since recovered and identified. The atrium at the south end of the Tablets of the Missing serves as a forecourt to the chapel, which is decorated with marble and mosaic. The north atrium contains the marble operations maps recording the achievements of the American armed forces in this region.
Source: American Battle Monuments Commission
Pictures: ABMC.gov
Among others, the following people are buried here (overview).
| Name | Date of death |
|---|---|
| Amaral, George R. | 10 July 1943 |
| Gallagher, Louis H. | 25 September 1944 |
| Greig, Alexander M. | 8 July 1944 |
| Harmon, Roy W. | 12 July 1944 |
| Hayashi, Joe | 22 April 1945 |
Visitorsreactions Give your reaction!
- john j. carroll te pottsville, Pa 20-02-2009 21:18:54
- I personally visited this cemetery on a trip to Italy in the summer of 2001. A very moving experience.
None of the books or travel guides that I have read on places to visit while in Italy ever mention this cemetery or the one in Anzio.
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