Aisne-Marne American Cemetery Chapel

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Ralph Adams Cram submitted striking drawings to the ABMC for this chapel in 1926, and by 1932, the project was completed. Perched on the front line that once housed the American 2nd Division's strongholds, the French Romanesque chapel and memorial now stands as a poignant tribute to the bravery of those who fought there during the Aisne-Marne Offensive. Rising from the woodland above, the battleground where the brutal battle of Belleau Wood took place still bears scars from the intense fighting that raged for 20 consecutive days - a testament to the unyielding spirit of soldiers who clashed in hand-to-hand combat, endured poison gas attacks, and fought ferocious onslaughts against entrenched machine gun nests. Today, this World War I battleground remains remarkably intact, a rare gem that has resisted the ravages of development. Notice the small hole to the right of the chapel's entrance; it serves as a grim reminder of the damage inflicted upon the structure by a mortar shell during the tumultuous Second World War.