Florence War Cemetery
Encyclopedia
Florence War Cemetery is a Commonwealth War Graves Commission
burial ground for the dead of World War II
located in Italy near Florence
in the locality Girone-Compiobbi (municipality of Fiesole
), close to the Arno
river.
83 graves from the nearby Arrow Route Cemetery were moved here after the war.
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission is an intergovernmental organisation of six independent member states whose principal function is to mark, record and maintain the graves, and places of commemoration, of Commonwealth of Nations military service members who died in the two World Wars...
burial ground for the dead of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
located in Italy near Florence
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
in the locality Girone-Compiobbi (municipality of Fiesole
Fiesole
Fiesole is a town and comune of the province of Florence in the Italian region of Tuscany, on a famously scenic height above Florence, 8 km NE of that city...
), close to the Arno
Arno
The Arno is a river in the Tuscany region of Italy. It is the most important river of central Italy after the Tiber.- Source and route :The river originates on Mount Falterona in the Casentino area of the Apennines, and initially takes a southward curve...
river.
History
In November 1944 the site was selected and was originally intended for the soldiers who had died in the hospitals in and around Florence. The majority of the graves are occupied by soldiers who lost their lives fighting in the Florence area after it was captured by allied forces in August 1944. The town was in the middle of the Arno Line, defensive positions formed by the retreating German forces, and the bodies of the soldiers killed during fighting from July to September 1944 are buried here.83 graves from the nearby Arrow Route Cemetery were moved here after the war.