Covering an area of 25 hectares, the cemetery holds over 40,000 bodies, half of which are in individual graves, and the other half are divided into seven ossuaries. It is France’s largest national cemetery.

Some foreign soldiers (Belgian, Romanian and Russian) are also buried there. French soldiers killed in WWII were also buried there.

Amongst the graves, you can find the grave of a father and his son who died on the battlefield in 1915 and 1918. Six other graves hold the bodies of a father killed in WWI and a son killed in WWII.

 

 

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Among these soldiers are buried General Janssen, commander of the 12th Motorized Infantry Division (DIM), killed on 2nd June 1940 during the aerial bombardments of the fort. There is a plaque at the entrance to Fort des Dunes, in remembrance of him and his men who fell alongside him during those first days of June 1940. A second plaque is dedicated “A la mémoire du Lieutenant Colonel Le Notre commandant les forces terrestres et aériennes de la première Armée des Officiers, Sous-officiers et soldats des F.T.A. tombés à leur poste de combat en ces lieux le 03 juin 1940 [To the memory of Our Lieutenant Colonel commanding the land and air forces of the first army of Officers, NCOs and soldiers of the FTA who fell at their battle stations at this place on 3rd June 1940].” In the fort, at the entrance to the Military Police building, a plaque honours the memory of the gendarmes of the Military Police of the 12th Motorized Infantry Division who died for France on 3rd June 1940. In the moat of the fort, there is a final plaque in memory of the eight resistant fighters who were shot dead on that very spot on 6th June 1944.

 

Among these soldiers are buried the remains of two generals. Those of General Dame, commander of the 2nd North African Infantry Division (DINA) who died for France on 18th July 1940 during his captivity in the fortress of Königstein and those of General Mesny, commander of the 5th DINA. This general officer was executed on 19th January 1945 in retaliation for the death of the German General von Brodowsky on 28th October 1944.

178 graves also preserve the memory of Soviet prisoners of war or civilians arrested on the Eastern Front and deported to France to work in the mines or in the construction of the Atlantic Wall. Some antifascist Russian immigrants are also buried there.

The war cemetery also contains 21 graves of Russian soldiers who died during the First World War.

In 1915, the German army established, to the left of the communal cemetery, a military cemetery for burying the soldiers who died in combat or in the field hospitals. It contains 1,627 bodies, including 631 in a mass grave.

 

The Natzweiler-Struthof concentration camp was mainly used for the internment of resistance fighters from across Europe, but homosexuals and Jehovah’s Witnesses were also interned here. The camp’s interns were made to do gruelling forced labour for the economy of the Third Reich. A number of those deported for racial reasons (Jews and Gypsies) were also sent here, to be subjected to horrific pseudo-scientific experiments.

 

Today, this listed historic site offers the chance to discover the workings of the only concentration camp in France, with its huts, crematorium and gas chamber.

Opened in 2005, the Centre Européen du Résistant Déporté has a definite educational approach to its visits. Touchscreen terminals, films, objects and photos chart the rise of fascism and Nazism in Europe and the setting up of the Nazi concentration camp network, whi

le at the same time paying tribute to the resistance movements that rose up against oppression.

 

A meeting place and discussion forum, the Centre holds regular temporary exhibitions and conferences. It aspires to spread the values of freedom, respect, tolerance and vigilance.
The camp, a major site for national and European remembrance, comes under the responsibility of the National Office for Veterans and Victims of War, an executive agency of the French Ministry of the Armed Forces.

 

 

Sources: ©Site de l’ancien camp de concentration de Natzweiler-Struthof - Centre européen du résistant déporté

Its sizeable collection brings visitors into close contact with history.

Large numbers of objects, archive documents, materials, photographs and weaponry are displayed in three rooms: Occupation, Resistance, and Liberation and Remembrance.

Midway through the visit, a digital portrait from the Morvan “Digital Gallery” plunges visitors into the world of the maquis rural resistance groups.

The Occupation

The first room, on the Occupation, looks at patriotic feeling and the defence of Morvan from 1940, followed by the impact of the German Occupation: occupied towns and villages, restrictions on freedoms, rationing, requisitioning, Nazi repression, and so on.

The Resistance

In the face of German and Vichyist propaganda, the Resistance organised itself, with underground newspapers and pamphlets, brave acts by local personalities, etc.

This second room presents the first acts of resistance through to the formation of the maquis, through a variety of materials, photographs, weapons and clothing, and the assistance provided by the Allies (parachute drops, containers, letters, mannequins, etc.).

Liberation and Remembrance

Morvan played a strategic role in the liberation of the region.

The maquis liberated Morvan in September 1944, through acts of sabotage, fighting and pitched battles, represented here by photos, reconstructions and objects.

The visit ends with a look at remembrance and the philosophy of the Resistance, through photographs of expressions of remembrance, steles and monuments (poems, texts, letters, etc.).

Digital Gallery

“The Morvan Maquis” is a new digital portrait from Morvan’s “Digital Gallery”.

Situated at midway point in the permanent exhibition, “The Morvan Maquis” is an immersive projection space presenting daily life in the maquis.

In this space, a film is shown on two screens: one shows documents directly related to maquis life, while the other places events in the national and international context of the war.

The installation immerses the visitor in the world of the Morvan maquis, showing how they were organised on a day-to-day basis, and examining their actions, their camps, the roles played by their leaders, and the hunger, fear and courage involved.

From personal stories to major historical events, the portrait focuses on the people, both men and women, involved in these maquis groups, who ultimately played a key role in the liberation of France.

Educational activities

The museum makes an excellent contribution to curriculum requirements in history, history of art and civic education for schools and colleges. It offers students and teachers a practical approach to various themes specific to the Second World War, as well as the concepts of human rights, freedom, political engagement, tolerance and solidarity. It also provides an opportunity to reflect on the values of the French Republic and the founding principles of European unity.

Finally, it offers students a practical insight into civic engagement.

 

Exhibitions, conferences, film screenings, national events (European Heritage Days, European Museum Night, etc.), ceremonies and more

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Educational offering (workshops, tailored visits, learning resources, etc.)

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Source : ©Musée de la Résistance en Morvan

The Shuhogahara French Military Cemetery in Kobe, in Japan, groups together the bodies of 40 soldiers who fell during the expedition of 1864. The Shuhogahara necropolis in Kobé is managed by services of the French consulate general in Osaka-Kobé. Since 1868, it has held the remains of 40 members of the 1864 expeditionary corps.

From the middle of the 19th century onwards, Japan, following on from China, was made to agree to open her inland seas in order to seal trade relations with the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, Prussia, the Netherlands, Portugal and France. These newcomers to the Japanese market caused anxiety for the population, strengthening the nationalist party against the Shogunate regime. Acts of hostility manifested themselves during the month of September 1862 with the assassination of the British negotiator Richardson. On 25 June 1863, the Shôshû coastal batteries fired on the "Pembroke", an American ship, as it crossed the straits of Shimonoseki. On 7 July, a French navy dispatch boat, the "Kien-chan", suffered the same attacks. On 20 July 1863, Admiral Jaurès, in command of the "Tancrède" and the "Sémiramis" bombarded the batteries in the straits of Shimonoseki, landing a regiment of 250 men and setting fire to two villages. On 15 August, Admiral Kuper had the Kogashima bombed by the Royal Navy in retaliation for the assassination of Richardson. However, Japan's inland seas remained a no-go area for westerners. Negotiations opened in Paris in the month of August, with Japan agreeing on the 20th to open the strait of Shimonoseki. However, the Shogun rescinded five days later. On The 30th September, the Shogun ordered the expulsion of all foreigners and the closure of the straits of Yokohama. The western powers then launched an expedition consisting of nine British, four Dutch and one American ship and three French warships - the "Tancrède", the "Sémiramis" and the frigate "Dupleix". On 4 September the fleet focussed on Hiroshima, launching into an attack on the forts in the straits of Shimonoseki on 5, 6 and 7 September 1864. On 8 September, the Shogun succumbed and, on 22 October, the Japanese straits were opened once and for all. Thirteen men were killed during this engagement. In 1868, an 80m² necropolis was built in a place called Futatabi, in the Kobé province. It consists of an area where the 29 sailors and Naval officers who died during these years of conflict are laid to rest, and a commemorative monument built in memory of the victims of the Sakai massacre and the eleven sailors wounded or killed aboard the "Dupleix". The site is maintained by the French Consulate General in Osaka-Kobé, thanks to an annual budgetary allocation granted by the Ministry of Defence. Useful information French embassy in Tokyo 4-11-44, Minami-Azabu, Minato-ku Tokyo (106-8514) Tel.: 03-5420-8800 www.ambafrance-jp.org French Consulate General in Osaka-KobeCristal Tower 10 F 1-2-27 Shiromi Chuo-ku Osaka 540-6010 Tel.: (06) 4790-1500 Fax: (06) 47901511 www.consulfrance-osaka.org.jp Email: fsltosak@eagle.ocn.ne.jp