The Dixmude, a former German airship, was handed over to the Allies in 1918 as war reparations. Based at the Cuers-Pierrefeu Centre, it carried out numerous flights between 1920 and 1923. On the night of 20–21 December 1923, it was blown off course by a storm whilst on a mission to study atmospheric conditions and exploded, struck by lightning, off the coast of Sicily. All 50 people on board, crew and passengers, perished in the accident.



As soon as the official announcement of the airship’s loss was made, a committee, on the initiative of the local council, was formed in Pierrefeu to appeal to the public’s generosity. A fund-raising campaign was launched. Public and private donations supplemented the funding, confirming the national significance of this monument.

By decree of the President of the Republic dated 24 November 1924, the municipal council of Pierrefeu was authorised to provide a site in a public square on which to erect the monument. A competition, organised the following year, was won by Michel Roux-Spitz, an architect in Paris and winner of the 1st Grand Prix de Rome, and Armand Martial, a sculptor in Paris and also a winner of the Grand Prix de Rome. The construction was carried out by Maison Barbedienne (Paris), which also made a financial contribution.


The monument, 14 metres high, is built of Corsican imperial granite. It takes the form of two monumental wings joined together, and features an inscription on the front commemorating the names of the crew and passengers who died on board in 1923.


To find out more about the fascinating history of this Zeppelin-type airship, please contact the association: ‘Les Amis du Dixmude’.