Bastogne and the Band of Brothers

As I've mentioned before in the blog, I have a keen interest in the history of the 2nd World War. I have had the opportunity to visit Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Hawaii and the War Museum of the north in Manchester, England. I have visited the Dachau concentration/labor camp which is located just outside of Munich, Germany, the Holocaust Museum in Washington D.C. , the Anne Frank house in Amsterdam, Holland and Hitler's retreat called the Eagle's Nest in Berchtesgarden, Germany. I also had the chance to tour a Russian war ship that was docked in harbor in southern China about a two hour drive from Hong Kong. Two other sites that have been high on my list to visit include the Normandy Landing sites/beaches in France and the areas associated with the Battle of the Bulge. The Battle of the Bulge is referred to by the Europeans as the Battle of the Ardennes. Basically, this battle was Hitler's last big thrust to gain some momentum in the war. He took soldiers away from the Eastern Front to build up his forces for this surprise attack. He was counting on bad weather, the element of surprise, and the goal of moving quickly. All three objectives were achieved. His ultimate goal was to reach the Meuse River in Belgium and continue the push to recapture Antwerp. This would allow the Germans to interrupt Allied supply lines and regain control of this important port city.
Furthermore, he hoped to divide the American and British forces and inflict such heavy losses that one of them would surrender and negotiate a peace on the Western Front. These battles occured in southern Belgium and Luxembourg and were heavily concentrated in an area known as Bastogne. In Bastogne, 18,000 American soldiers were surrounded by a German force of superior numbers and firepower, but the grit and determination of the American forces bought the Allies much needed time for reinforcements from General Patton's 3rd Army. These battles have become more well known in recent years as Steven Spielberg created the miniseries Band of Brothers. This series chronicles one company's (Easy) experiences during this conflict. This past week, I rented a car in Brussels and drove on down to visit the battlefields of Bastogne. I also hired a guide to provide some additional insight into the history of this famous battle. I did some research on the area and decided to give Henri Mignon a call. Henry is both a survivor and victim of the war. He was 9 years old during the conflict and has vivid memories of his experiences in the winter of 1944-45. Henri's information on the area was invaluable as he is considered one of the foremost experts on this particular battle. I will be featuring Henri in an upcoming article that I am writing for a local newspaper. I will include a link to that article at a later time on this blog. I believe that you will be truly amazed at all that Henri and his family endured during this time. Now, it is time for the pictures from this memorable day. I hope you enjoy them.

World War II Memorial in Bastogne, Belgium

Notice the fog that is common in the Ardennes during the winter.

victim and survivor of the War-- Henri Mignon standing atop the Memorial.

Easy Company Memorial-- including men who were featured in series Band of Brothers

Easy Company was part of the 101st Airborne Division

Part of the Ardenne Forest where many battles were waged--located less than a mile away from the village of Foy

Remaining remnants of a foxhole

American soldier foxhole-- usually big enough for two men

Standing among the trees of the Ardennes

Approaching the village of Foy

Bullet holes from a building located in the village of Foy

Cemetery memorial for American soldiers

German soldier cemetery near Bastogne-- 7,000 men are buried here, 6 men at each cross

Two of these soldiers are regular soldiers (Wehrmacht) and the STRM rank indicates an SS soldier-- Hitler's elite killing force known for their brutality

3 men on this side of the cross indicate one regular army soldier, one unknown soldier, and one soldier who was a frigate captain in his 50's-- Henri informed me that Germany's infantry was so ravaged at this point of the war, that one quarter of the soldiers in their infantry were aviators, one quarter were infantrymen, and one half were sailors such as Fritz Breithaupt

3 soldiers from the German Wehrmacht

Approaching the village of Foy where Easy company and many other American GI's fought valiantly to stave off the Nazi forces

Village of Houffalize which is located 3 kilometers from Bastogne--This area had no strategic significance in the battle as it is located at the bottom of a valley. The Americans bombed it relentlessly to destroy the roads, so the Germans would get bogged down. There were nearly 300 houses in the village when the bombing started and only 3 remained when the aerial strikes were completed. Note: This is Henri Mignon's hometown

My guide Henri standing on the road leading down to his hometown of Houffalize.

German Panther tank that was driven into the river in Houffalize by a Nazi tank driver.-- Henri refers to this as
his tank, as it stayed upside down in the river for two years after the war ended. He and his friends used to play on the tank as it rested upside down in the river before it was brought to this area for display.

Driving into Foy

Church and house in village of Foy

Abrams tank sitting in McAuliffe Square--Notice damage to this tank where it was struck on the side and back

Memorial to General McAullife-- He responded to German demands for surrender with famous "Nuts" quote. This stubborn reply energized his soldiers to continue the fight. Henri mentioned that the man who delivered the message to the Germans recently passed away at the age of 94. Henri knew him well. When the Germans asked this soldier the meaning of this response, the man replied it is something like "Go To Hell"

Le Nuts Cafe-- The Belgians remain fond of General McAuliffe to this day.

Looking down at the museum from the Memorial-- the museum was full of artifacts from the battle including uniforms, machine guns, jeeps, flame throwers, etc....

Sun setting over the Ardenne forest near the border of Belgium and Luxembourg

Village of Clervaux in the country of Luxembourg-- site of another Memorial for American soldiers