French War Cemetery Haubourdin

This cemetery opened in 1941 and primarily contained victims of the fighting north of Lille in May-June 1940.
Between 1952 and 1954, further burials of soldiers and resistance fighters from other cemeteries in the region took place. 1,816 French soldiers who fell in World War II are commemorated in individual graves, including two generals.

Grave 107 belongs to Divisional General Gustave Mesny, who was captured as commander of the 5th North African Division in May 1940 and transferred to Oflag Königstein. During a transfer to Cholditz, he was executed on the 19 January 1945, in retaliation for the death of German General Fritz von Brodowski, who died in captivity under mysterious circumstances on October 28, 1944.

Grave 108 belongs to Brigadier General Pierre Damme, Commander of the 2nd North African Infantry Division during the defense of the Lille Pocket in May 1940.

He died in captivity at Oflag Königstein.

In the northern section, there are 199 Russian graves, 178 of Soviet prisoners of war and deported civilians who were deployed in the construction of the Atlantic Wall, and 21 Russian soldiers who died in World War I.
Finally, a monument was erected for the Russian and Soviet soldiers who died for France during both world wars.

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