Morocco

Ben M'Sik

Total Occupation: 344 fatalities

Total Occupation: 344 fatalities


Open all year round

In Morocco, 120 German soldiers fell during the First World War and 224 during the Second World War. Their graves were located in a total of 20 places, including Casablanca/Ben M'Sik, Rabat, Meknes and Marrakesh. As it seemed impossible to ensure the permanent resting place of these 344 war dead due to the scattered grave locations over the years, the Volksbund decided to establish a central facility that would create the conditions for the care and preservation of the German graves in Morocco. A closed cemetery at the European cemetery in Casablanca/ Ben M'Sik district, where burials had already taken place in earlier years and whose size allowed for further additional burials, was suitable for this purpose. The Volksbund's first contacts with the Moroccan authorities date back to 1967, but were initially unsuccessful. After years of continuous efforts, the issue of reburying the German war dead was finally resolved. An exchange of notes in July 1978 between the governments of the two countries finally formed the legal basis for the work. In the autumn of 1978, the reburial of a total of 155 fallen soldiers began, most of them buried on the spot. After the reburials were completed in December 1978, the landscaping of the cemetery, which covers an area of around 1,400 square meters, began in early 1979. The cemetery was re-edged with edging stones and planted with Bermuda grass. The existing paths and access were repaired and paved, and the border planting was revised. In addition to the Canary Island date palms and fig trees in the grounds, flowering wild plants of the maquis, a characteristic form of vegetation in the Mediterranean region, give the cemetery its special character. Ivy, lavender and mesembryanthemum were used as ground cover plants, as well as the climbing plants bougainvillea and a variety of shrubs such as pistachio, oleander, laurel, carob, cistus and dwarf palm. The graves of the 344 fallen were then marked with permanent natural stone crosses, each bearing one or two names. A memorial stone at the entrance to the cemetery bears the inscription in German, French and Arabic: IN THIS CEMETERY REST 344 GERMAN SOLDIERS 1914 - 1918 1939 - 1945 After final completion in spring 1979, the site was dedicated on May 30, 1979. In addition to the 344 German soldiers, French and British soldiers as well as European civilians are buried in other cemeteries at Ben M'Sik Cemetery in Casablanca.