Mardasson Memorial

Geschiedenis

The Mardasson Memorial is a monument honoring the memory of American soldiers wounded or killed during World War II's Battle of the Bulge. It is located near Bastogne in the Luxembourg province of Belgium. His name comes from a little pond (in french "une petite mare") located below his hill. The name of this place is "Asson" and "la mare d'Asson" became "the Mardasson".The first step towards the memorial was undertaken on July 4, 1946, with the presentation of some earth from the site to U.S. President Harry Truman. Dedication was on July 16, 1950.Architect Georges Dedoyard designed a 12m tall monument in the shape of a five-pointed American star with 31m sides surrounding a 20m wide atrium. The inner walls are covered with ten passages carved in stone commemorating the battle, and the parapet bears the names of the then 48 U.S. States plus Alaska and Hawaii. Insignia of most participating battalions are shown on the walls, representing the 76,890 killed and wounded during the thwarted December 1944-January 1945 German Watch on the Rhine offensive.Below the structure a crypt with three altars – one each for Protestant, Catholic and Jewish services – was carved, and decorated with mosaics by French artist Fernand Léger.The Latin inscription on the memorial stone:LIBERATORIBVSAMERICANISPOPVLVS BELGICVSMEMORIV.VII.MCMXLVI. translates to "The Belgian people remember their American liberators – 4th July 1946."