The German War Cemetery Vossenack / Eifel or Ehrenfriedhof Vossenack (in German) was constructed on a strategic site, known as Hill 470, between 1949 and 1952. Today it contains 2355 war dead, of whom 35 are post-war victims who lost their lives during cleanup operations as members of the “Ammunition Search and Removal Team”. This is also the final resting place of Field Marshall Walter Model.
A monument at the entrance of the cemetery, placed here in May 2005, commemorates Julius Erasmus (1895 – 1971), a German Engineer Captain who fought in the Battle of Hürtgen Forest himself and returned to Vossenack in 1945 after the war. Erasmus personally recovered and buried the remains of 1569 fallen comrades from Hürtgen Forest, risking his own life. After burying the first 120 soldiers on the edge of the forest, the local community gave him this plot of land on Hill 470 to continue his work. Erasmus is basically seen as the founder of the Vossenack cemetery.
Related Posts
Visit
The cemetery is open during daytime hours