Two plaques are affixed to this monument. The first pays tribute to the 37 soldiers of the Light Infantry 2nd Battalion who fell at Vaucourt. The second is dedicated to the American soldiers of 1917-1918 and the French Forces of the Interior resistance fighters killed during World War II.

At the summit of the cemetery stands a monument erected in the memory of Marshal Lyautey. The Marshal's ashes, until they were transferred to Invalides in 1961, were kept at this site, close to the château de Crévic where he lived before the war.

Pour accéder au panneau d'information 1 de la nécropole, cliquer ici 

From the First World War, there are 1,834 Germans, 388 French, 149 Russians, fifteen British, thirteen Austro-Hungarians and five Serbians buried there.

Visionner le diaporama

Pour accéder au panneau d'information 2 de la nécropole, cliquer ici 

From the Second World War, 2,008 French, 1,032 Germans, eight Yugoslavians, seven British, five Polish, five Australians, two New-Zealanders, one Canadian, one Dutch and one Armenian. Among them are buried the remains of the remains of some women, civilian victims or military nurses, and two children who died during World War II; Monique Ferret, born and died in May 1945 in captivity at Innsbruck (Square C, row 6, grave 6) and Jacques Budios killed during a bombardment along with his mother in August 1944 (Square C, row 2, grave 19).

In addition, the remains of two servicemen who died in Indochina are at Strasbourg Cronenbourg: Johann Jury, of the 13th Demi-Brigade of the Foreign Legion, who died 15 January 1953 at Cau Xa in Tonkin (square D, row 11, grave 19) and Helmut Kraska, of the 2nd Foreign Regiment, who died in Nam Dinh (Tonkin) on 7 October 1953 (square C, row 1A, grave 15). More recently, there was a sapper parachutist of the 17th Parachute Engineer Regiment, a native of Strasbourg, Michel Lung-Hoi, who died on 4 September 1986 in Jwayya, Lebanon.

From the Great War, there are 821 Romanians, 263 Frenchmen, 239 of whom lie in two ossuaries, 122 Germans in two ossuaries, eight Poles and seven Russians.

From the Second World War, 222 Poles and five Frenchmen are buried there.

A monument honouring the memory of the Romanian soldiers killed on French soil in 1914-1918 has been erected there. This memorial was unveiled in 1998 by the Romanian Ministry of Defence. Standing on a plinth made of Vosges sandstone, this structure, given as a gift by Romania, is a reproduction of a monument in Bucharest. The monument contains earth from the ten French cemeteries in Romania.

This site, which is a testament to this history and to the annexation of Lorraine to the Reichland, boasts one of the richest funereal heritages. At the end of the 19th century, the Germans erected a chapel in order to organise ceremonies dedicated to the soldiers buried in this garrison cemetery. Today this edifice enables ceremonies to be held in remembrance of those who died in all conflicts.

Finally, funereal emblems from all periods are kept here. In cast-iron or stone, they have - depending on the periods concerned - a different symbolism, but each respect the faith of the buried soldier.

Among the soldiers buried at Dugny is the body of General Ernest-Jean Aimé, commander of the 67th infantry division (DI), and who fell on 6 September 1916 at Souville fort, buried in grave n° 1665. This general officer, who was born in 1858, chose the military way of life at the age of 11. A colonel at the start of the war, he was given command of the 21st infantry brigade, then of the 67th infantry division. On 6 September 1916, whilst on a reconnaissance mission near Souville fort, he was fatally injured by shrapnel. He was posthumously commended by the Army: General officer of the highest military and moral worth. Gloriously killed in action, whilst he was going towards the line of fire to reconnoitre the battlefield and support the morale of his troops, who were about to launch an attack.

The soldiers buried here include Corporal Louis Micol, of the 19th Bataillon de Chasseurs, who founded one of the first newspapers at the Front, called Le son du cor, the trench newspaper written by the Chasseurs à pied (light infantry). He was killed on 18 September 1915 in Brabant (grave No.390).

The Battle of Verdun, 1916-18

During the Battle of the Marne, Verdun and its ring of forts formed an entrenched camp that provided solid support for General Sarrail’s 3rd Army. The enemy sought to bring down this stronghold with two attacks: one to the west against Revigny-sur-Ornain, the other to the east against Fort Troyon. Both attacks failed. Throughout 1915, General Joffre launched bloody operations to the east against the Saint Mihiel salient and, to the west, deployed the 3rd and 4th Armies to defend the Argonne. These local combats descended into tunnel warfare and became a real test for soldiers’ morale.

It was in this sector, therefore, where French positions were poorly maintained, that Germany’s General Falkenhayn decided to launch an offensive to wear down the French Army.

On 21 February 1916, Operation Gericht went ahead against the French positions. After a violent bombardment of the right bank of the Meuse and the town, the Germans advanced over a ravaged landscape. In four days, they progressed four miles, despite determined resistance from the 30th Army Corps, defending the Bois des Caures woods.

On 25 February, the enemy took Fort Douaumont, while General Pétain’s 2nd Army was tasked with defending Verdun. Pétain organised the front and supplies. The Bar-le-Duc to Verdun road became the main artery, the “Sacred Way” which, day and night, brought supplies for the defence of Verdun.

Stalled outside Vaux and Douaumont, on 6 March the German 5th Army expanded operations on the left bank of the Meuse. These two ridges, the only natural obstacles controlling access to Verdun, became the most disputed positions on the left bank of the Meuse. Within six days, the Germans had reached Mort-Homme. On the 20th, they sent in the 11th Bavarian Division to take the village of Avocourt. An initial attack with flame-throwers was successful, but the French counter-attack recaptured the wood and the sector known as the “Avocourt réduit”. The troops, without supplies for several days, were exhausted. On 29 March, the wood was retaken. On 9 April, the enemy pushed through the Bois des Corbeaux ravine, in a joint operation by three divisions. The French defence held firm without retreating, and General Pétain declared in his general orders, “Keep it up, men. We shall get them!” The fight continued, and the enemy were allowed to advance little more than two miles. In June, the French troops resisted on both sides of the Meuse. The Germans threw everything they had into the battle, launching attack after attack. Without success, they occupied part of Mort-Homme, which they fortified.

In August 1917, the French recaptured Hill 304 and Mort-Homme, and completely freed up Verdun. But the struggle went on along the Caurières ridge, where enemy artillery deployed new mustard gas shells. From the 24th onwards, Mort-Homme and its tunnels, including Les Corbeaux, and also Hill 304, were recaptured once and for all.

Three quarters of the French Army passed through Verdun, where losses on 15 July amounted to 275 000 dead, wounded or captured. The same was true for the German Army.

Among the French soldiers lies Lieutenant-Colonel André Agel (grave 495). A former student at the Saint-Cyr military academy, Sudan class (1891-1893), this senior officer in charge of the 51st infantry regiment (RI) "was killed gloriously on 10 November 1914, at the foot of the German trenches he had received orders to take. In this situation, as was previously the case on many occasions, he gave the most magnificent example of courage and dedication to the troops under his command". The body of Thomas Ziller (grave 521) is also buried here. Originating from the Alsace region, on 4 December 1914 this soldier enlisted voluntarily with the 2nd foreign regiment under the assumed name of Eugène Girard. After transferring to the 57th RI in April 1915, he died as a result of his injuries on 28 June 1916. He was posthumously awarded the War Cross with palms.