France Honors Russian Dead: WWI Heroes Given Cenotaph to Commemorate Ancient Alliance

In France, the heroic deed of Russian defenders of Paris was honored. On the hill of Mont Spen, which in 1917 was liberated from the German army by the Russian expeditionary corps at great of life, a cenotaph was erected today. After the Revolution, soldiers and officers, no longer being bound to an oath to the Tsar, helped the French as volunteers.

In France, the heroic deed of Russian defenders of Paris was honored. On the hill of Mont Spen, which in 1917 was liberated from the German army by the Russian expeditionary corps at great of life, a cenotaph was erected today. After the Revolution, soldiers and officers, no longer being bound to an oath to the Tsar, helped the French as volunteers. As was said at the opening ceremony, the new monument would remind our peoples that in two horrific world wars, they fought together.

Here's the report by Asya Emelyanova.

 

Nothing is hidden under flags. This is a very modest and laconic cenotaph. This clean white stone featuring an Orthodox cross are in this open field, but this is the right spot for this monument. 100 years ago, it was at this spot near the village of Aguilcourt, where the 3rd Special Infantry Brigade of the Russian expeditionary corps stopped the Germans. This land is soaked with Russian blood. 2,000 soldiers laid down their lives on these heights. 700 more were missing in action. If not for our corps, the Germans could have occupied Paris. The heroes of the Entente Spring Offensive were sent to France in 1916. "Over the seas and oceans to France".

Marina has a Russian name and last name in honor of her grandfather: Mamontoff. Though it's in the French style: ending in a double F. After the Revolution, her grandfather remained in France, like many other officers. The Russian Legion was formed out of the volunteers. This footage was filmed last year when French historians and our Military Historical Society managed to find the remains of the Russian soldiers and their belongings during excavations.

Pierre Malinovsky, historian: "No one knew the story of the Russian expeditionary corps and the sacrifice they made in France. It was important for me to discover the truth".

Everyone wanted this monument to be here. The monument, made in Tambov, cleared customs in two days. Politics aside, our mutual memory and gratitude is a completely different story. 150 kilometer from Paris seems like a short distance today. The German army could've made it in three days.

Alexey Meshkov, Russian Ambassador: "I think that it's a sophisticated monument. I'm sure it'll be visited regularly, not only by Russians coming here, but by the locals as well".

It's the 7th monument erected in honor of our corps. In April 2017, there was a ceremony in Courcy, where 5000 of our soldiers perished.

Asya Emelyanova, Victor Kozakov, Vesti, France.