The American Legion’s 1945 Memorial Day tour

Commander, graves registration chairman make first visit to the fallen in Europe since the Nazi occupation.
American Legion National Commander Edward Scheiberling marches in a parade in Romagne, near the Meuse-Argonne Cemetery, along with Overseas Graves Committee Chairman Mancel Talcott of Illinois and Brig. Gen. E.W. Smith, the American Legion military escort, in the opening ceremony of the first Memorial Day observances in three years in Europe.
American Legion National Commander Edward Scheiberling marches in a parade in Romagne, near the Meuse-Argonne Cemetery, along with Overseas Graves Committee Chairman Mancel Talcott of Illinois and Brig. Gen. E.W. Smith, the American Legion military escort, in the opening ceremony of the first Memorial Day observances in three years in Europe.
The American Legion delegation lays wreaths at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arc de Triomphe in Paris as part of the May 1945 tour.
The American Legion delegation lays wreaths at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arc de Triomphe in Paris as part of the May 1945 tour.
At Pershing Hall in Paris, American Legion National Commander Edward N. Scheiberling and Graves Registration Committee Chairman Mancel Talcott review maps and make plans to pay homage to the fallen of two world wars as they embark on a long-delayed tour of temporary and permanent cemeteries. 
At Pershing Hall in Paris, American Legion National Commander Edward N. Scheiberling and Graves Registration Committee Chairman Mancel Talcott review maps and make plans to pay homage to the fallen of two world wars as they embark on a long-delayed tour of temporary and permanent cemeteries. 
One stop in The American Legion tour to honor the dead of World War II was Margraten, Holland, where townspeople joined in the decoration of their liberators’ graves. American Legion Post NL01 in The Netherlands now makes remembrance of this World War II cemetery a significant part of its program.
One stop in The American Legion tour to honor the dead of World War II was Margraten, Holland, where townspeople joined in the decoration of their liberators’ graves. American Legion Post NL01 in The Netherlands now makes remembrance of this World War II cemetery a significant part of its program.
Among the stops in The American Legion Memorial Day tour of 1945 was Hochfelden, France, one of hundreds of temporary locations where U.S. troops were buried before they were moved to permanent ABMC resting places or repatriated to the United States, depending on family wishes, a policy announced to the organization by Gen. Dwight Eisenhower during the tour. 
Among the stops in The American Legion Memorial Day tour of 1945 was Hochfelden, France, one of hundreds of temporary locations where U.S. troops were buried before they were moved to permanent ABMC resting places or repatriated to the United States, depending on family wishes, a policy announced to the organization by Gen. Dwight Eisenhower during the tour. 
American Legion Graves Registration Committee Chairman Mancel Talcott, right, of Illinois, joins American Legion National Commander Edward N. Scheiberling in a moment at the grave of Royce E. Smith of Waukegan, Ill., of Talcott’s home city, in Hamm Cemetery in Hamm, Luxembourg.
American Legion Graves Registration Committee Chairman Mancel Talcott, right, of Illinois, joins American Legion National Commander Edward N. Scheiberling in a moment at the grave of Royce E. Smith of Waukegan, Ill., of Talcott’s home city, in Hamm Cemetery in Hamm, Luxembourg.
Mancel Talcott, American Legion Graves Registration Committee chairman, visits the grave of Walter C. Taylor of Waukegan, Ill., at the Hamm U.S. Military Cemetery in Luxembourg.
Mancel Talcott, American Legion Graves Registration Committee chairman, visits the grave of Walter C. Taylor of Waukegan, Ill., at the Hamm U.S. Military Cemetery in Luxembourg.
The American Legion group visits and pays tribute at a temporary cemetery in Italy.
The American Legion group visits and pays tribute at a temporary cemetery in Italy.
The American Legion group pays tribute to Lt. Gen. Lesley J. McNair, who had led and fought through much of the war in Africa and Europe before he was killed in St. Lo, France, after D-Day. He was the highest-ranking officer killed in World War II combat. He was later moved to the Normandy American Cemetery, where he rests today. In 1954, he was posthumously made a 4-star general and Fort McNair in Washington, D.C., was later named in his memory.
The American Legion group pays tribute to Lt. Gen. Lesley J. McNair, who had led and fought through much of the war in Africa and Europe before he was killed in St. Lo, France, after D-Day. He was the highest-ranking officer killed in World War II combat. He was later moved to the Normandy American Cemetery, where he rests today. In 1954, he was posthumously made a 4-star general and Fort McNair in Washington, D.C., was later named in his memory.