Kemmelberg

The Kemmelberg remained in Allied hands until 25 April 1918. It was then captured by the Germans, who hoped it would offer them an important strategic advantage in their ultimate attempt to capture Ieper and break through to the Channel ports.

The Battle of Kemmel was extremely fierce, even by First World War standards. French and German divisions fought against each other in a bitter hand-to-hand struggle from April until July. The losses and the stories on both sides were terrible. The storming of the hill alone cost 5,000 dead. It was only in September 1918, with the help of American troops, that the Kemmelberg was finally recaptured.

The photos make clear the ferocity of the battle. Not a tree or a building has been left standing. This is now the site a French ossuary containing the remains of 5,294 French soldiers, only 57 of whom could be identified. On top of the hill there is a monument to these soldiers: an angel who looks out over the ossuary site.

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