Special Report

Overseas War Memorials With the Most American Soldiers

underworld111 / iStock via Getty Images

American troops have repeatedly been sent to fight abroad. Beginning with World War I, these soldiers, known as the American Expeditionary Force (AEF), were the first in the history of the United States to be sent overseas to defend foreign soil. Like many soldiers that have since followed, countless numbers did not return. These soldiers, who have sacrificed their lives for their country, are buried in cemeteries all around the world. These overseas U.S. military cemeteries are some of the U.S.’s most sacred and revered war memorials.

To determine the overseas war memorials with the most American soldiers, 24/7 Wall St. referenced the American Battle Monuments Commission’s list of overseas monuments and cemeteries. Established in 1923, the ABMC maintains and operates U.S. military cemeteries and monuments in foreign countries. Cemeteries are ranked by how many U.S. soldiers are interred there. Information on what year each cemetery was dedicated, how many were missing in action, and how big each cemetery is in terms of acreage also came from the ABMC. It should be noted that the memorials on the list are not necessarily every monument or cemetery located overseas but rather the major ones.

The Normandy American Cemetery is one of the most well-known overseas U.S. military cemeteries. Located near Omaha Beach, this cemetery is the final resting place of over 9,000 American soldiers who fought and died during the D-Day invasion of Europe in World War II. The cemetery is designed in a way that creates the impression of the emergence of soldiers from the ocean waves on the beaches of Normandy.

The Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery and Memorial is another notable U.S. military cemetery located overseas. This cemetery is located in France and is home to the remains of more than 14,000 Americans who died in the Meuse-Argonne Offensive of World War I. This is the largest American military cemetery in Europe. (Also see, countries with the most U.S. military bases.)

These overseas war memorials serve as an important reminder of the brave men and women who fought for America’s freedom and gave the ultimate sacrifice. 

Here’s a look at the overseas war memorials with the most American soldiers:

26. Lafayette Escadrille Memorial Cemetery, France

Source: usabmc / Flickr
  • Number buried: 51
  • Missing in action: 5
  • Year dedicated: 1928
  • War originated: World War I
  • Acreage: 11.1 acres

ABMC: “The Lafayette Escadrille Memorial Cemetery commemorates the birth of American combat aviation and serves as a symbol of Franco-American comradeship during World War I. This site honors the American volunteer pilots who flew with French squadrons during the Great War and is the final resting place for 48 of America’s first combat aviators, one Canadian aviator and two French officers.”

25. Flanders Field American Cemetery, Belgium

Source: usabmc / Flickr
  • Number buried: 368
  • Missing in action: 43
  • Year dedicated: 1937
  • War originated: World War I
  • Acreage: 6.0 acres

ABMC: “At this site rest 368 American war dead, most of whom gave their lives in liberating Belgium in World War I. Most of the dead are from four United States infantry divisions that operated in the regions. The 37th and 91st Divisions operated in the vicinity of the cemetery and the 27th and 30th Divisions served south of Ieper (Ypres).”

24. Brookwood American Cemetery, United Kingdom

Source: GTMedia / iStock via Getty Images
  • Number buried: 468
  • Missing in action: 564
  • Year dedicated: 1937
  • War originated: World War I
  • Acreage: 4.5 acres

ABMC: “This cemetery contains the graves of 468 American war dead who died throughout the United Kingdom and Ireland during World War I. Close by are military cemeteries and monuments of the British Commonwealth and other Allied nations.”

23. Mexico City National Cemetery, Mexico

Source: usabmc / Flickr
  • Number buried: 813
  • Missing in action: 750
  • Year dedicated: 1851
  • War originated: Mexican-American War
  • Acreage: 1.0 acres

ABMC: “To the honored memory of 750 Americans known but to God whose bones collected by their country’s order are here buried.”

22. Rhone American Cemetery, France

Source: usabmc / Flickr
  • Number buried: 851
  • Missing in action: 294
  • Year dedicated: 1956
  • War originated: World War II
  • Acreage: 12.5 acres

ABMC: “This cemetery, located in the medieval town of Draguignan, is the final resting place for 858 American war dead, most of whom lost their lives in the liberation of southern France in August 1944. Their headstones are arranged in straight lines, divided into four plots, grouped about an oval pool.”

21. Suresnes American Cemetery, France

Source: PierreOlivierClementMantion / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
  • Number buried: 1,559
  • Missing in action: 974
  • Year dedicated: 1937
  • War originated: World War I, World War II
  • Acreage: 7.5 acres

ABMC: “ABMC’s first cemetery, Suresnes, holds 1,541 Americans who died in World War I, together with 24 unknown dead of World War II. Bronze tablets on the walls of the chapel record the names of 974 missing in action or lost or buried at sea in 1917 and 1918. Originally a World War I cemetery, Suresnes now shelters the remains of United States dead of both wars.”

20. Somme American Cemetery, France

Source: usabmc / Flickr
  • Number buried: 1,844
  • Missing in action: 333
  • Year dedicated: 1937
  • War originated: World War I
  • Acreage: 14.3 acres

ABMC: “This cemetery contains the graves of 1,844 Americans, most of whom lost their lives while serving in American units attached to British Armies, or in the operations near Cantigny. The headstones, set in rows, are separated into four plots by paths, which intersect at the flagpole near the top of the slope.”

19. Aisne-Marne American Cemetery, France

Source: whitehouse45 / Flickr
  • Number buried: 2,289
  • Missing in action: 1,060
  • Year dedicated: 1937
  • War originated: World War I
  • Acreage: 42.5 acres

ABMC: “This cemetery contains the graves of 2,289 war dead of the American Expeditionary Forces, most of whom fought in the vicinity and in the Marne Valley in the spring and summer of 1918. From the hillside rises the memorial chapel decorated with sculptured and stained-glass details of wartime personnel, equipment, and insignia.”

18. North Africa American Cemetery, Tunisia

  • Number buried: 2,841
  • Missing in action: 3,724
  • Year dedicated: 1960
  • War originated: World War II
  • Acreage: 27.0 acres

ABMC: “The cemetery is located near the site of the ancient city of Carthage in the modern nation of Tunisia. At this ancient and hallowed site rest 2,841 American war dead, most of whom lost their lives in military actions ranging from North Africa to the Persian Gulf.”

17. Cambridge American Cemetery, United Kingdom

Source: Hiob / iStock via Getty Images
  • Number buried: 3,811
  • Missing in action: 5,127
  • Year dedicated: 1956
  • War originated: World War II
  • Acreage: 30.5 acres

ABMC: “This cemetery contains the remains of 3,811 American war dead; on the Tablets of the Missing are recorded the names of 5,127 who are listed as missing in action, lost at sea, or buried at sea. Most of the individuals interred or memorialized at the cemetery died in the Battle of the Atlantic, the strategic air bombardment of northwest Europe, in training areas of the United Kingdom, and in the invasion of occupied Europe.”

16. St. Mihiel American Cemetery, France

  • Number buried: 4,153
  • Missing in action: 284
  • Year dedicated: 1937
  • War originated: World War I
  • Acreage: 40.5 acres

ABMC: “The cemetery contains the graves of 4,153 American servicemen, the majority of whom died in the offensive to reduce the St. Mihiel salient, the first major offensive by an independent American Army in World War I. This offensive, launched in September 1918, took back in four days ground that had been held by the German Army for almost four years.”

15. Florence American Cemetery, Italy

Source: usabmc / Flickr
  • Number buried: 4,392
  • Missing in action: 1,409
  • Year dedicated: 1960
  • War originated: World War II
  • Acreage: 70.0 acres

ABMC: “At this cemetery lie 4,393 American war dead, arrayed in symmetrical curved rows upon the hillside. On the topmost of three broad terraces stands the memorial, marked by a tall column surmounted by a large sculptured figure entitled “The Spirit of Peace.”

14. Brittany American Cemetery, France

Source: usabmc / Flickr
  • Number buried: 4,404
  • Missing in action: 500
  • Year dedicated: 1956
  • War originated: World War II
  • Acreage: 28.0 acres

ABMC: “This cemetery contains 4,405 American war dead. A greater number of those lost their lives during the German counterattack at Mortain in early July 1944. Others fell on the field of battle up to the liberation of Paris, on August 25, 1944. The cemetery is named in honor of the battle to secure the Brittany peninsula and its ports.”

13. Luxembourg American Cemetery, Luxembourg

Source: statephotos / Flickr
  • Number buried: 5,070
  • Missing in action: 371
  • Year dedicated: 1960
  • War originated: World War II
  • Acreage: 50.5 acres

ABMC: “In this cemetery are buried 5,073 American war dead, many of whom lost their lives in the Battle of the Bulge and in the advance to the Rhine River. Gen. George S. Patton, Jr., is buried here along with two Medal of Honor recipients, one woman, and 22 sets of brothers buried side-by-side.”

12. Ardennes American Cemetery, Belgium

Source: usabmc / Flickr
  • Number buried: 5,162
  • Missing in action: 463
  • Year dedicated: 1960
  • War originated: World War II
  • Acreage: 90.5 acres

ABMC: “This cemetery is unique among all ABMC cemeteries as it served as the central identification point for unknown remains for the entire European Theater of Operations from the last days of the war until 1960. The Ardennes American Cemetery is the final resting place for 5,247 Americans, with 65 percent of those being airmen of the United States Army Air Forces.”

11. Epinal American Cemetery, France

Source: usabmc / Flickr
  • Number buried: 5,252
  • Missing in action: 424
  • Year dedicated: 1956
  • War originated: World War II
  • Acreage: 48.0 acres

ABMC: “The cemetery sits on a plateau 100 feet above the Moselle River, in the foothills of the Vosges Mountains. It contains the graves of 5,251 Americans, most of whom lost their lives in the campaigns across northeastern France to the Rhine and beyond into Germany. The memorial consists of a chapel, portico, and museum room with a mosaic operations map.”

10. Corozal American Cemetery, Panama

Source: usabmc / Flickr
  • Number buried: 5,557
  • Missing in action: N/A
  • Year dedicated: 1914
  • War originated: Several U.S. conflicts from Spanish-American through to the present day
  • Acreage: 16.9 acres

ABMC: “This memorial has been erected by the United States of America in humble tribute to all interred here who served in its Armed Forces or contributed to the construction, operation, and maintenance of the Panama Canal”

9. Oise-Aisne American Cemetery, France

Source: usabmc / Flickr
  • Number buried: 6,012
  • Missing in action: 241
  • Year dedicated: 1937
  • War originated: World War I
  • Acreage: 36.5 acres

ABMC: “At this cemetery rest 6,012 U.S. war dead, most of whom lost their lives while fighting in this vicinity during 1918. Their headstones, aligned in long rows, rise in a gentle slope from the entrance to the memorial at the far end. The burial area is divided into four plots by wide paths lined by trees and beds of roses; at the intersection is a circular plaza and the flagpole.”

8. Sicily-Rome American Cemetery, Italy

  • Number buried: 7,845
  • Missing in action: 3,095
  • Year dedicated: 1956
  • War originated: World War II
  • Acreage: 77.0 acres

ABMC: “Directly ahead of the entrance is a flowering lily pond with a small island of Italian cypress trees in the middle. Beyond the pond is a gently rising slope that encompasses 7,858 burials arranged in arcs beneath rows of Roman pines. A wide central mall leads to the memorial, which is rich in works of symbolic art and architecture. On the white marble walls of the chapel are 3,095 names listed as missing in action, lost at sea, or buried at sea.”

7. Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery, Belgium

Source: Jules_Kitano / iStock via Getty Images
  • Number buried: 7,987
  • Missing in action: 450
  • Year dedicated: 1960
  • War originated: World War II
  • Acreage: 57.0 acres

ABMC: “The Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery contains burials from all major battles in Northern Europe from September 1944 through March 1945, including the Battle of the Bulge. The cemetery is the final resting place for 7,987 American war dead. An overlook west of the highway offers an excellent view of the rolling Belgian countryside that was once a battlefield.”

6. Netherlands American Cemetery, Netherlands

  • Number buried: 8,288
  • Missing in action: 1,722
  • Year dedicated: 1960
  • War originated: World War II
  • Acreage: 65.5 acres

ABMC: “Here, in the only American military cemetery in the Netherlands, lies 8,291 American war dead. Most died late in 1944 and in 1945, in the airborne and ground operations in eastern Netherlands, during the advances into Germany over the Roer River, across the Rhine River, and in air operations over these regions. This war dead came from every state in the union and the District of Columbia and include 41 sets of brothers.”

5. Clark Veterans Cemetery, Philippines

Source: usabmc / Flickr
  • Number buried: 9,060
  • Missing in action: N/A
  • Year dedicated: 1948
  • War originated: Philippine-American War
  • Acreage: 20.4 acres

ABMC: “While sources differ as to the earliest burial, interments date at least to the Philippine-American War (1899-1902). During that conflict and after, the United States operated a series of military installations in the Philippines with military post cemeteries.”

4. Normandy American Cemetery, France

Source: underworld111 / iStock via Getty Images
  • Number buried: 9,387
  • Missing in action: 1,557
  • Year dedicated: 1956
  • War originated: World War II
  • Acreage: 172.5 acres

ABMC: “This cemetery, ABMC’s most heavily visited, sits on a cliff overlooking Omaha Beach and the English Channel and contains the graves of 9,382 American war dead, most of whom lost their lives in the D-Day landings and subsequent hedgerow fighting. On the walls of the semicircular garden on the east side of the memorial are inscribed the names of 1,557 listed as missing in action, lost, or buried at sea.”

3. Lorraine American Cemetery, France

Source: carolecastelli / iStock via Getty Images
  • Number buried: 10,481
  • Missing in action: 444
  • Year dedicated: 1960
  • War originated: World War II
  • Acreage: 113.5 acres

ABMC: “This cemetery is the largest World War II cemetery in Europe, with 10,482 American war dead. Most of them lost their lives during the Moselle and Rhine river crossings in liberating the Lorraine region, and campaigns across Germany and into Czechoslovakia. There are five Medal of Honor recipients, 11 women, and 30 sets of brothers buried side-by-side.”

2. Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery, France

Source: usabmc / Flickr
  • Number buried: 14,246
  • Missing in action: 954
  • Year dedicated: 1937
  • War originated: World War I
  • Acreage: 130.5 acres

ABMC: “Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery contains the largest number of American war dead in Europe, a total of 14,246. Most of those buried here lost their lives during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive in 1918, America’s largest of World War I. The immense array of headstones rises in long rows upward beyond a wide central pool to the chapel that crowns the ridge.”

1. Manila American Cemetery, Philippines

Source: Mindaugas Dulinskas / iStock via Getty Images
  • Number buried: 16,859
  • Missing in action: 36,286
  • Year dedicated: 1960
  • War originated: World War II
  • Acreage: 152.0 acres

ABMC: “This cemetery is the largest of all ABMC cemeteries with a total of 17,058 war dead interred, most of whom lost their lives in the operations in New Guinea and the Philippines. The headstones are aligned in 11 plots forming a generally circular pattern, set among masses of a wide variety of tropical trees and shrubbery.”

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