Battle of the Bulge Monument

The Battle of the Bulge Monument, formerly known as the Mardasson Memorial (French: Mémorial du Mardasson), is a monument honoring the memory of American soldiers wounded or killed during World War II's Battle of the Bulge. Designed in the shape of a five-pointed American star, it is located near Bastogne in the Luxembourg province of Belgium. The first step toward the memorial was undertaken on July 4, 1946, with the presentation of some earth from the site to U.S. President Harry Truman. The dedication was on July 16, 1950.

Belgian architect Georges Dedoyard designed a 12 metres (39 ft) tall monument in the shape of a five-pointed American star with 31 metres (102 ft) sides surrounding a 20 metres (66 ft) wide atrium. The inner walls are covered with ten passages carved in stone commemorating the battle, and the parapet bears the names of the 48 U.S. States. Insignia of most participating battalions are shown on the walls, representing the 76,890 killed and wounded during the thwarted December 1944–January 1945 German Watch on the Rhine offensive, known in English by the colloquial "Battle of the Bulge".

Below the structure a crypt with three altars – one each for Protestant, Catholic and Jewish services – was carved, and decorated with mosaics by French artist Fernand Léger.

LIBERATORIBVS AMERICANIS POPVLVS BELGICVS MEMOR IV.VII.MCMXLVI.

translates to "The Belgian people remember their American liberators – 4th July 1946."

The ten carved panels ringing the inside of the memorial tell the story of the battle. Their text reads:

1. THIS MEMORIAL AND THE EARTH SURROUNDING ARE DEDICATED TO THE ENDURING FRIENDSHIP OF THE PEOPLES OF BELGIUM AND THE UNITED STATES WHO FORGED A BOND FROM THEIR COMMON STRUGGLE TO DEFEAT THE ENEMY OF ALL FREE PEOPLES. FOR THE ARMIES OF THE UNITED STATES IN NUMBERS OF MEN ENGAGED, IN THE COURAGE SHOWN BY ALL FORCES, IN THE INTREPID DECISION OF THEIR LEADERS, AND IN FINAL ACCOMPLISHMENT, IT WAS ONE OF THE GREAT BATTLES OF THEIR HISTORY. FOR THE PEOPLE OF BELGIUM, IT WAS THE FINAL STAND AGAINST AN ENEMY WHO FOR NEARLY FIVE YEARS HAD VIOLATED THEIR SOIL AND VAINLY TRIED TO CRUSH THEIR 2. . . . NATIONAL SPIRIT. IT WAS THE LAST ACT OF TH

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