A Summer in the Bulge! 2014

Last summer me and my dad went for a holiday trip to Luxembourg! We do this every year, simply because we love the country. We’ve visited museums and battlefields during the day and in the evening we enjoyed all the good food the country has to offer.

On my trip I’ve taken photographs and videos of everything we came across that was World War 2 related.

The first two days were very rainy which made it perfect to visit some museums. Both the Diekirch National Museum of Military History and the General Patton Memorial Museum are a MUST-SEE for everyone that stays near these cities. Both with their own unique story, but so close to each other, shows that World War 2 had a big effect on Luxembourg. For both museums I’ve written a review so you can take look at the museums. Click on the name of the museum and you will be forwarded to the specific page.

As a metal detecting fan I can tell you that both museums have a great amount of relics. For me, however, it is illegal to metal detect in Luxembourg and so the museums made it a perfect alternative to see what has been found in area of Diekirch and Ettelbruck.

Since I’m a big fan of the 5th Infantry division I had so many things to see. I’d like to share a picture of this monument which is placed along the Sauer river in Weilerbach. Here the 3rd battalion of the 2nd Infantry Regiment were the first to cross the Sauer river in February 1945, under heavy enemy fire and adverse weather conditions.

On one evening after having a BBQ on a wonderful spot near Wallendorf, we came across a house which had WW2 artillery shells in their garden. Crazy at first, but inspiring for when I have my own house as soon as I’m leaving the nest.

Besides the 5th Infantry division, the 28th Infantry division known as the “bloody bucket” division fought in the area of Diekirch. There’s a walking trail near the village of Hoesdorf about the Hoesdorf Plateau. Next to the roads, men placed information boards telling you the story of what happened there during the first hours and days of the Battle of the Bulge. I will write a separate blog post about the Hoesdorf Plateau in the future, so make sure you subscribe to my newsletter to see when it’s available for reading.

During my trip in Luxembourg I also discovered amazing places to eat and sleep. I will soon make a list of hotels and restaurants so that it’s easier for you to plan your trip to Luxembourg or Belgium. I’m going a little bit off-topic here, but the schnitzel zigeuner art at the “Altes Zollhaus” in Anmeldingen is the best schnitzel I’ve ever eaten in my life!

We stayed at a place called Berdorf. At museum in Diekirch I found a picture of the 11th infantry regiment, standing at a ridge near Berdorf. So the next day we went to the same place as where the picture was taken and I tried to pose just like the soldier.

Diekirch is also very close to the German border. Actually two of the villages I’ve mentioned before belong to Germany and they are right across the border. Along this border the Germans built a huge defensive line which they called the Westwall and is also known as the Siegfried Line. This defensive line consists of big and small concrete pillboxes and stretches more than 600km. The line began at Kleve, near the Dutch border, all the way to the village of Weil am Rhein near the border with Switzerland. More than 18000 bunkers, tunnels and traps were built by German labors during the 1930’s.

During our trip we came across several of these pillboxes.

This pillbox near Echternach is completely destroyed. Most of the pillboxes were demolished after the war or right after they were captured by U.S. troops

 

It seems to me that people built their house next to this pillbox. Nowadays, it’s probably used as a cellar.
We came across this house during our trip in Luxembourg.

Everything comes to an end, and so this holiday comes to an end. I know I have much more to share with you, but I’d like to end this post with my visit to the Battle of the Ardennes museum in La Roche-en-Ardenne, Belgium.  A review of this museum is also on the way and will be available for reading soon.

La Roche-en-Ardenne is one of those villages we pay a visit to when we are near. It is also perfect village to rent a hotel and tour across the Belgian battlefields of the Battle of the Bulge! On the way home I wanted to pay a visit to the museum so I could make pictures and write a review about it.  What I liked about this museum is their Veterans’ Corner, where they exhibit wonderful items of different divisions that fought in the Battle of the Bulge. About one year ago I read the story of Joe Cicchinelli, a soldier of the 551st PIR, 82nd Airborne Division. I was surprised to see his jacket at the museum in La Roche. To read more about Joe Cicchinelli, click here!

After taking some pictures at the tank in La Roche it was time to go home!

Thanks for reading and see you on the next trip.

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