Bastogne - Day 1

On Sunday, July 10th, Mom, Dad, AJ, Michael and I headed to Bastogne.  The boys, David and I were there a few years ago, but it was cold and snowy in December.  This time the weather was beautiful and sunny.  We stayed at the same place we did last time.

This time it was warm enough to go swimming in their pool.  What is really neat about this one, is that it is covered and you can swim in it all year round.

All of the sections of the roof can move, so you can have one open, all of them or none of them.  It was really cool!!  The boys also played with the owner's son who didn't speak any English, but they were still able to have lost of fun together!!!!

Of course we had to play a little Phase 10 with a Twist!!!  I am not sure who won, but I am going to say it is me!!!  LOL

The next day we had a private tour set up with a Belgium man who was 8 years old when Battle of the Bulge happened.  I can' tell you how AWESOME it was to have somebody who was there and had first hand knowledge.  He also was in the military and then mastered in history and has done so many interviews and met hundreds of people who fought in the Battle of the Bulge!  Most of the memorials have a star underneath them, whether it was made out of dirt, grass, or other materials.

The one thing that we found out is that there are A LOT of memorials and plaques all of Bastogne area.  There are over 90 of them and I think we saw the majority of them.  The other thing that I didn't realize was how much those poor soldiers had to walk.  We drove a lot and I was just imagining the whole time our soldiers walking, without the right kind of clothing, food, or ammo.  It put it in a lot more perspective in my mind.

These plaques were at Parker's cross roads, site of the "Alamo Defense" by the 589th Field Artillery, Maj. Arthur C. Parker III, commanding. Battle of the Bulge, 20 December to 23 December 1944. Elements of the 106th Infantry Division and other American small units versus the 2nd SS Panzer Division.

This World War II vintage 105mm howitzer is now displayed here at Baraque de Fraiture, marking the place where fewer than 400 U.S. troops resisted a German Panzer division for three crucial days during the first phase of the Battle of the Bulge.

During the German's attack, their plans were set upon them crossing the river Meuse in three days.  These men stalled the 2nd SS German Panzer division for three days.  This put their whole plan in jeopardy.

This building was the only building that was there during the time of the war.

You can see the star in the ground underneath this memorial.  This was one of the few that was to the Belgium corps.

The boys enjoyed this one, since it was a tank. 

It was from the 7th armored division.  They were another important division that held the Germans at St. Vith and delayed the Germans from crossing the river.  This fight happened two weeks before the battle of the bulge.

The 106th fought with the 7th armored division at St Vith.  They held back the German force for as long as they could. They were hungry and sick.  They knew they were going to be overrun so they finally had to retreat and get re-enforcements.

The 168th Engineering Combat Battalion from Belgium also fought here at St. Vith.

This is the site where 11 African- American soldiers were captured and massacred by SS German soldiers.  This site was dedicated to all black soldiers of WWII.

This is a famous picture from WWII.  It shows German soldiers looting Americans for boots, personal items, and whatever else they could find.

This is the exact spot where that picture was taken more than 70 years later.

Mom and Dad in front of where the Ardennen offensive took place.  This is where the 612th and 801st TD Battalions and attached units of the 99th Infantry division fought.

This is where Dietrich was performing on Dec 16th, but then was evacuated quickly because the Germans attached suddenly.

There were 3000 mines in this field.  It was the Northern side of the fighting.  I think we saw as many American flags this day as we did Belgium ones.

Next we headed into the forest.  We were driving down a road he said we weren't supposed to, but he hardly ever sees anybody on it so we should be ok.  I was a little nervous driving my big van down the small road, but it was worth it.

As you can see, they sometimes put two different plaques on different side.  This is to the 99 US ID.  The rocks on top are from people visiting this site.  The 99th infantry was in control of this area.  They fought on both sides of the field we looked at early.

The crew heading into the forest.  It was really neat to see all the places that have been talked about in history.  My dad knew most of the history and had read about the places that we were now visiting.  It is almost surreal all the places we are able to go and see.

The Siegfried Line was a series of fortifications on the western border of Germany, stretching more than 390 miles from Kleve, near the Dutch border, all the way to Weil am Rhein near the border of Switzerland. Called the Westwall by the Germans, it was built between 1938 and 1940 and is made of more than 18,000 pillboxes and tank traps.

Our wonderful tour guide telling us a little more about eh Siegfried Line.

You can see the steel bars inside the cement to reinforce them. 

The boys checking out the "dragon teeth" as they were nicknamed.  The one in front of AJ was turned over, you can see that two or more dragon teeth are connected under ground.

Hitler had over 500,000 men working on the Siegfried Line to get it complete.  Here you can see the dragons teeth a little better.  There were also tank traps and bunkers on this line.

Mom and Dad heading to the monument to the 99th Division, the "Battle Babies."

After defensive patrolling, the 99th probed the Siegfried Line against heavy resistance on 13 December. Formerly known as the Checkerboard Division, which referred to its shoulder patch, in late 1944 having not yet seen battle, it was nicknamed the Battle Babies.  The inexperienced troops of the division were lodged on the northern shoulder of the Ardennes Offensive on 16 December. Although cut up and surrounded in part, the 99th was one of the only divisions that did not yield to the German attack, and held their positions until reinforcements arrived. The lines were then moved back to form defensive positions east of Elsenborn Ridge on the 19th. Here it held firmly against violent enemy attacks. From 21 December 1944 to 30 January 1945, the unit was engaged in aggressive patrolling and reequipping. It attacked toward the Monschau Forest, 1 February, mopping up and patrolling until it was relieved for training and rehabilitation, 13 February.

I love how interested AJ was with the history of the Battle of the Bulge.  He listened to a lot of the history.

Next to the 99th plaque, was one to the 2nd Infantry Division.  I like what they wrote on the back.  "May God help you to understand what the fighting here and in the area was like, for there was such a distance between those who suffered and those who observed suffering from afar."  

This was a monument to the 1st infantry division.  It was in the middle of a round about.  It is to commemorate the 458 dead of this unit during the Battle of the Bulge.  It stands where units of the Division repulsed determined attacks of the German 12th SS Panzer Division, thereby holding the northern shoulder of the German penetrating, and blocking the German 6th SS Panzer Army's attempt to drive at high speed from Bullingen to Liege.

It was kind of funny what they put on the monument.  Look at Kupsenel, Elmer and the NMI after that, which means no middle initial.  There are mistakes like these on a lot of the plaques.

This is the memorial of Baugnez.  It was built in 1945 in memory of the sacrifice of the 87 American soldiers who were killed in cold blood by the Nazis on December 17th, 1944.  It was called the Malmedy massacre - a war crime.

The little chapel that is attached to the memorial.

The Belgium cow - I don't think this one moves much though.  LOL

This is another memorial for more American soldiers that were brutally killed by the German soldiers.

In the back of this restaurant is where SS troops killed more Americans.

This is the town Starlou, which has the Amblar River running through it.  The red building was an abbey   This town was destroyed, there were more than 5,000 soldiers in the town.

I thought this was a nice memorial to the war heroes.  A woman walking by a white cross, with a helmet on it in remembrance.

These are all the units that were involved in the battle of Ardennes.  I love that Dad's image is reflecting in it!

These are the victims in the town of Stavelot, Belgium.

These are old barracks that were turned into Musee Guillaume Apollinaire.

This plaque was on the side of a hotel.  Like I said, they were everywhere!

Many of the memorials have both WWI and WWII side by side.

Dad talking to the tour guide in front of the Tiger tank.

Grandma and Michael standing in front of the Tiger tank.

The boys on the back side of the tank.

We liked the lion on top of the memorial to WWI and WWII.

This was one of the German headquarters during the war.  It is now owned by an individual.

This is a plaque to PFC Mason Armstrong with the 30th US infantry division.  He knocked out two German half-tracks with a bazooka of the SS Kampfgruppe Peiper and stopped the forward spearhead of Hitler's attack on Antwerp.

This is a memorial for the 82nd airborne.  You can kind of see the star in the ground.

AJ was especially enjoying see all of the old weapons.

I really liked the way this one looked, so clean and neat.  It is for 5 different units of the US military.

This is a picture of a Panther tank that was in our tour guides home town.  It was flipped over and he said he played on it when he was a kid.  He climbed all over it.  He and his friends after the war went out and found all sorts of items left over from the war.  There was one day he wasn't able to go out with his friends, that is the day his friends found a bomb that went off and his friends were killed.

The boys were so excited to play and climb all over the tank and so neat that he played on the same tank over 70 years ago.

And of course I love to climb as well and went up to have a picture with my boys!

Mom and Dad with their grandsons - and the boys are soooo silly!!!

The whole family with the tank and the white thing on the right side was a bomb from WWII.

The boys decided they needed to dance on top of the tank doing the Whip and Nay Nay.  It was a great day and a very full day!!!  I think we were all a little tired after that day.  On the way back to drop of our tour guide he told us that during the war the German soldiers stayed in their home.  They took over the whole house and made his mom cook for them.  They all slept on the floor in one room.  He said it wasn't bad until the SS soldiers came and stayed.  Even the German soldiers told them to be careful and not talk to them.  He said his older brother was slapped by one of the SS soldiers and to this day they don't know why.  We then headed back to the apartment, had some dinner and went to bed early because we knew we had another long and fun day tomorrow.