Memorial to Black US Soldiers Who Died in WW2 Quietly Removed [View all]

Source: Newsweek

Published Nov 10, 2025 at 08:59 AM EST updated Nov 10, 2025 at 10:22 AM EST


Plaques commemorating African American soldiers fighting against Nazi Germany in Europe have been removed from a U.S. military cemetery in the Netherlands. Approximately 1 million African American soldiers fought in Europe during World War II.

More than 8,200 Americans are buried at the Netherlands American Cemetery in the southern village of Margraten, just east of city of Maastricht. Another 1,700 officially counted as missing have their names displayed at the site, according to the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC), the U.S. agency responsible for the Dutch site.

A total of 174 African American soldiers are buried or memorialized at Margraten, according to the Dutch research project, the Black Liberators. It is the only U.S. military cemetery in the country.

Dutch media reported earlier this month two informational panels about African American soldiers in the mid-20th century war had been taken down in the cemetery's visitors' center. A local official who was granted anonymity to speak freely told Newsweek the ABMC did not inform authorities in the Limburg province, where the cemetery is located, of the removal.

Read more: https://www.newsweek.com/memorial-to-black-us-soldiers-who-died-in-ww2-quietly-removed-11020241