Visiting the Ardennes looking for more WWII History

My Dad was in the infantry in WWII, serving in the Africa and Sicily campaign under General George Patton, then in Normandy and finally in Germany, where he was located in the Hurtgen and Ardennes forest during the Battle of the Bulge. Last summer with my sister, we retraced his steps in Normandy and Germany and I have blogged about our experience there. Next summer we are going to find the spot near Mt. Etna in Sicily where he was injured the first of three times during the war. In recreating my Dad's steps in WWII over the last 15 years, I have become extremely interested in learning about the war, and what his experience may have been like when he served, as well as the experience of other soldiers and civilians. (Several blog posts previously posted about my Dad serving in WWII:  WWII blog posts about retracing my Dad's steps in WWII )

When my friends Kate and Lee from Austin came to visit, we took a weekend to visit Luxembourg and Bastogne, Belgium to see the area when the majority of the Battle of the Bulge was fought in the Ardennes forest and also to visit the American Cemetery in Luxembourg where Patton is buried.

We started in Luxembourg City. We had previously booked a bicycle ride in the Moselle Wine region to visit some

wineries. This was cancelled right before our trip, so we ventured in to Luxembourg City to see what we might find there. What a treat it was! Luxembourg was started in the early Middle Ages because it was at the crossroads of two Roman roads. A huge castle was built and over the years, it became an important fortification in early Europe. It has been occupied by the Burgundians, the Spanish, the French, the Spanish again, the Austrians, the French again, and then the Prussians. Germany invaded and headquartered here during WWII and finally after the war,  it was restored as it's own nation. There are tunnels, walls, gardens, an old abbey,  viaducts, and a Catholic church dating back to the 12th century. The topography drops over 230 feet (or 70m) and it is very picturesque. 

Walking through the area, it is a bit like a 3D maze because of the topography of the area. It is possible to look out across the city to see where you want to go, but have no idea how to get there. We climbed and descended the landscape to uncover all the treasures in the city. The best part of the day was finding the elevator and the biggest surprise was hearing the screeching air raid sirens to commemorate the 100 years since the start of WWI in Luxembourg. The noise was ear-splitting and it is always a bit scary to hear air raid sirens. We later enjoyed a typical Luxembourg dinner (passed on getting the pig knuckles) and local brew. A couple of bachelor parties found us and whatever the tradition is, we were given a carrot by the future groom. I am not sure I want to know what that might signify.

The next day we started early to visit the American Cemetery in Luxembourg, the second largest WWII cemetery in Europe. It is also where Patton was buried after his early death due to a car accident in Luxembourg shortly after the war. In paying respects to the soldiers of the war, I noticed a couple of brothers that were buried near each other, many graves of unknown soldiers, and a ceremony where a family had come to place flowers on the grave of a loved-one. Patton was originally buried among his soldiers, with the tradition that in death officers were buried alongside their troops. However, Patton's body was moved to a special area in the cemetery after nearby graves were trampled because of the traffic due to visiting Patton's grave site. I believe my Dad had seen Patton when Patton was his commander in Africa and Sicily after reading some After Action Reports of my Dad's unit in Africa and Sicily, though I don't know for sure. Patton spent much time in front of his troops to get them ready for battle.

After a short visit, we set off for Bastogne, Belgium to visit the Bastogne War Museum and Mardasson Memorial. It has been recently reopened in March of this year after extensively renovations. It focuses exclusively on the Bulge campaign and the story is told from the viewpoint of 4 characters: an American soldier, a German soldier, a female schoolteacher who was a member of the Belgian resistance, and a Belgian school boy who grew up during the war. It was only at the end of the museum tour that we realized that these characters were not made up - they were true stories about the lives of these four people during the war. I had been a little confused about the Belgian experience of WWII and this museum perfectly explained how Belgium was affected by the war and how they participated though defeated early by the Germans. I saw at the end what I believe to be the gun that my Dad started the war with - a Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR) machine gun which is a two-person assembly (one for the gun and the another for the stand and water cooling apparatus that is required). The Mardasson Memorial nearby talked specifically about my Dad's unit during the Battle of the Bulge.

We left the Museum to find some original foxholes and to also see the area that was featured in the documentary "The Band of Brothers". My Dad told the story of getting in trouble and reprimanded by an officer because either the manner he dug his foxholes or jumping in the foxhole that was dug for an officer.  While crossing the Meuse River at Hastiere, Belgium, all of my Dad's unit was lost (except my Dad who was in the hospital after he was hit the second time in the war). My Dad arrived in Monschau, Germany after his second hospitalization and integrated new soldiers and officers into his unit. From what we've read of the battle, we believe he was the only veteran soldier left in his unit. Dad must have been devastated to know that his Army buddies of three years were gone. He also must have been affected to know that he would be away from home for his third Christmas.

We don't have the details about the story around the beginning of the Battle of the Bulge, but we have surmised that his officer apparently tried to tell him how to dig a foxhole. My Dad had actual war experience that the officer did not. My Dad dug the foxhole as directed, but also dug another foxhole to HIS specifications. When the air strafing started by the German Luftwaffe, my father jumped in the foxhole that he dug that he thought would better protect himself during the fighting. He faced discipline from his officers for not using the specified foxhole, but he survived the attack by using the one he dug the way he thought it should be done. Also, at one point, my Dad told me that he had a profound belief in God because every time he was hit in WWII, he knew that morning while rising from his foxhole that day, he would be hit that day. It was important for me to see a battle field and some actual foxholes.

As Patton said, "Wars may be fought with weapons, but they are won by men. It is the spirit of men who follow and of the man who leads that gains the victory." Living in Europe gives me the opportunity to try to understand the war that took the lives of many and that changed the lives of all.