Cambridge American Cemetery To Mark Operation Bolero

This year's Memorial Day on May 30th marks the 80th anniversary of the arrival of U.S. troops in the U.K. during World War II, known as Operation Bolero.

The first soldiers to disembark did so in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Between 1941-1946 nearly 3.5 million Americans passed through Britain, in what became known as The Friendly Invasion. These men had left behind their families, wives and children; their jobs ; and were issued their uniforms and military equipment to fight in a war, far from home.

In many cases, their diverse backgrounds had not prepared them for their new role. Before they arrived, they had no idea of their destination. After a dangerous crossing of the North Atlantic Ocean, hunted by enemy submarines, they arrived ‘somewhere in England!’ Somehow, a country already crowded with civilians, and Allied military, had to shuffle up and make room for more.

“Unfortunately, for many of those young U.S. service member arriving in the U.K., the British soil of a Cambridgeshire hillside would become their final resting place,” said Matthew Brown, superintendent of Cambridge American Cemetery.

“The American Battle Monuments Commission will always honor the courage, sacrifice and memory of the men and women commemorated at Cambridge American Cemetery and will fulfill Gen. John J. Pershing’s promise that “time will not dim the glory of their deeds,” he added.

The Memorial Day 2022 ceremony at CAAC will honor the memory of the approximately 9,000 brave young American men and women buried in this cemetery, who arrived in 1942 as part of the initial build-up and made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom.

CAAC is the only cemetery in the U.K. dedicated to honoring fallen Americans who served during World War II. The majority of the service members honored here died in the Battle of the Atlantic or in the strategic air bombardment of northwest Europe.