Battle of Artois
La Targette French Cemetery is in the hamlet of La Targette, in the commune of Neuville-Saint-Vaast, and next to the British war cemetery. The village was destroyed during the Second Battle of Artois, an offensive launched in May 1915. The two cemeteries border the D55 road, which connects Lens to Maroeuil.
The French cemetery at La Targette retains a sober and dignified atmosphere, typical of French military cemeteries. Rows of white crosses, aligned in a grid pattern, form geometric designs on the manicured lawn.
The majority of the soldiers buried in this cemetery were killed during the offensive that began on May 9, 1915. The objective of the Second Battle of Artois was to weaken the formidable German defences before launching the assault on Vimy Ridge.
After capturing Neuville-Saint-Vaast, the Germans transformed the village into an impregnable stronghold. They converted the 150 houses into fortified bunkers, strategically defended by cannons and machine guns.
They also fortified the village with four lines of defence, forming a complex network of trenches and underground passages. These defensive works were reinforced with blockhouses and forts, and tightly interwoven with barbed wire. This vast defensive perimeter, stretching for several kilometres, was nicknamed “the labyrinth.”
The offensive began on May 9 and continued until June 17. Through painstaking effort, the French advanced gradually, seizing territory inch by inch, trench by trench.
Among these conquests was the highly coveted Colline Notre-Dame-de-Lorette (Hill). Unfortunately, the intense battle resulted in astronomical casualties on all sides..
La Targette French Cemetery
La Targette French Cemetery was established in 1919 to receive the remains of 11,443 soldiers who fell during the Battles of Artois in the First World War, as well as those of 593 soldiers who died during the Second World War. The ossuary contains the remains of 3,282 unidentified soldiers who perished in these conflicts. The cemetery also includes the graves of Jewish soldiers, as well as a section reserved for French colonial troops whose graves are oriented towards Mecca, in accordance with Muslim tradition.
Together, La Targette French Cemetery and the adjacent British War cemetery cover nearly 50,000 square metres.
Pas-de-Calais department – Neuville-Saint-Vaast – on D55
Coordinates : Lat 50.349849 – Long 2.747102
