Rust in peace: Haunting pictures of the Belgian 'car graveyard'

de bene esse: literally, of well-being, morally acceptable but subject to future validation or exception

The haunting sight of a 'car graveyard' nestled in a Belgian forest, where vintage motors sit rusting among the fronds.

The old-fashioned vehicles are thought to have been left in the wood near the village of Chatillon by US soldiers who were stationed in southern Belgium during World War II. When the war ended, military troops were sent home but could not afford to ship the cars they had bought and hid them in the forest.

Wreckage: The shell of a car sits rusting in the speckled light shining through the trees, in what has now become a popular attraction for tourists

Piece of history: The cars were parked in the middle of a forest near Chatillon, a small and ancient village in Southern Belgium

Abandoned: Many car parts have corroded or worn away over roughly 66 years since the soldiers left

Camouflage: The vehicles now blend into their surroundings because their bodywork has rusted and is covered with moss

Natural world: The cars sit in a forest of mainly oak and beech, which supports a large amount of wildlife

Waving goodbye: The exodus of American soldiers from Chatillon took pace on March 2, 1947, with the area still in chaos

Bruised and broken: Châtillon is situated in the deep south-eastern corner of Belgium, towards the port of Antwerp

Rich tapestry: Some of the cars in the fascinating cemetery were parked there by soldiers on tours at later dates

Treasure trove: The most attractive parts that have not rusted away have been stolen as souvenirs by locals and car collectors

Recyclable: Other parts of the cars have been taken to help fix similar vintage models, which can be expensive to revamp

Crumpled: Rows of cars stand in orderly fashion between the trees in the atmospheric wood

Standing firm: Years of debris has built up around the cars and vegetation grows around them

Back to the earth: The collapsing cars seem to be becoming part of the natural environment again

 

The ranking officers decided to leave all army cars behind, with the hope of being able to transport them home at a later date. The motors were driven up a hill and parked in a quiet spot, hidden from the outside world.
Once back in the US, soldiers who wanted their cars back were told they would have to take personal responsibility for the cost of shipping. Not a single car was retrieved. Over time, corrosion and decay have worn down the vehicles and what little remained was stolen by locals and car collectors, with dashboards and logos proving particularly popular for fixing similar old models.

Stay tuned: It was too expensive for the US army to ship the cars over to America, but they had hoped to recover them later

Priced out: After returning home, the soldiers were told they would have to take personal responsibility for the costs of shipping their cars out - and none did

Last one left: At one point there were four car graveyards around Chatillon, and as many as 500 vehicles

Tales to tell: Chatillon was used as a base in both World Wars and for post-war operations

Neatly parked: The other graveyards in the area are thought to have contained cars roughly dumped together by soldiers in the 1950s and 1960s

 

Heroes: American troops drive through a Belgian town in 1944 after defending them from a German offensive

At one point there were four car graveyards around Chatillon, and as many as 500 vehicles but only one 'plot' - Part XL - remains today. It contains around 100-150 vehicles, and some of the oldest models, although it has been added to by soldiers stationed in the village in later years.
The latest other cemetery on record sounds very different - it was relatively small and linked to several back gardens, with the cars dumped roughly together. The smashed motors were all from the sixties to the eighties, manufactured in Europe and the US.
Another contained cars made only in the fifties and sixties, left there by soldiers at a nearby US Army base, perhaps following post war assignments.
Chatillon is one of the oldest villages in Belgium - and it is hoped that the beautiful car graveyard will be preserved for just as much time to come.

Blowing the doors off: The cars, which would have been used to run errands and transport soldiers from place to place, have been ravaged by time rather than guns

Old-timers: There are other car graveyards all around the world, from Switzerland to Montana to an underwater cemetery in Legrena, Greece

Streaked with tears: The cars act almost as a memorial for what took place in Belgium and across Europe

New and old: Cars kept being brought to the same graveyards by GIs after their post-war tour was over

Eerie and enchanting: The spot is hugely popular with photographers and 'Urban Explorers'

Splashes of colour: The forest is famous for its exceptional beauty

Action stations: The spot could make a perfect film set - as has happened at other car graveyards

Modern history: Around 100 to 150 cars in various stages of decomposition stand in the spot

Different style: The Americans brought great change to the war after arriving in 1918