Fricourt German War Cemetery The Fricourt German War Cemetery was established in 1920, by the French Military Authorities, and concentrates the burials from 79 communes in the regions around Bethune, Albert, Combles, Ancre Valley, and Villers-Bretonneux. Most of the fallen were members of the Imperial German Second Army. Of the 17,000 burials, about 1,000 died in the autumn of 1914 and the ensuing trench warfare; about 10,000 during the Somme Offensive; the final 6,000 in the Spring Offensive of 1918 and the ensuing Allied counterattack, the 100 Days Offensive. In 1929, the Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge (VDK) started working on the German Military grave registration service and landscaping the Cemetery. It received a new entrance with stairs, and wrought-iron gate and trees and bushes were planted. The community graves got a verge made of natural stone and a planting with game roses. A high wooden cross served as a central mark; however, the problem of a dur...