Klunk, Heavy-T, Enjoy definately something to chat about over beers when i get home,,, or just the rum.. you know me
Disclaimer, I do this purely for joy, as others have done it in the past and I appreciate and enjoy those threads.
So this past Friday a work colleague and I took a road trip from Bremerhaven, Germany to Bastogne, Belguim. We stopped in the Hurtgen Forrest in Germany on our way back.
We arrived in Bastogne at about 10 pm. I have been there in the past. And we stayed just off McAuliffe square a knocked out Sherman is front and centre. As it was late we jsut went straight to the bar. All the fun bars here are decorated with items picked up off the battlefields. We were well on our way to getting ####tered and we were chatting with bartender. He was probably about my age and went behind the bar and came back with, a 50 cal round, a hand full of 30-06 rounds a GI mess kit and a Pineapple (fuse removed) All stuff he has found him self in the fields around the city. He then gave was each a 30-06 (told me not to worry it was deactivated) It had been clearly in the ground for along time, primer had been struck, corrosion was uniform through out 43 headstamp. 5-6 rums in i was in the loo,, and did a shake test and heard powder. Low and behold I pulled off the bullet and dumped some powder in the the urinal. Fun Fun. We called the night at 0200 or so,
In the morning we hit the 101st Airbourne Museum. This was really well done. Tons of real authentic stuff. Battlefield relics and soldiers mementos. Lots of dummies dressed in period uniforms and weapons in various scenarios.
Next Day, up at 9, Checked out the Patten Memorial and then the Bastogne War Museum. Now, when I was here in 2011 it was called the Battle of the Bulge Museum, and they had totally renovated it. Before it was full of weapons, battlefield relics etc. Now it is geared more towards the history of Belguim during the war and more for school groups. Still cool though.
After this we went out to the Bois Jaques. Or the woods outside of Foy. This is where the 501st and 506th were dug in and fought. We walked 5-6 km of the lines in the woods, saw tons of foxholes and some makeshift memorials. It was pretty good.
That night we got destroyed at the pubs and couldnt do anything until noon the next day. -i havent mentioned that we are both merchant marine officers -
Once underway to Hurtgen we started off in the '1944 Museum' in Vossenck. It was good, everything there was picked up in the woods. We also got some good tips for going into the woods to look for bunkers. We were assured that every area we were going had been swept for ordinance. They do still sweep the area every year and they still find lots of stuff. it was a bit un-nerving to hear, but we jumped in. We had also had a map of the western wall and all known bunkers and brought that alone. The museum staff did say we could take anything we found, but have to mark and ordinance we find. This did wake up our hung over asses alittle bit. In the woods we found forrest memorials, and lots of old trenches and blown up bunkers. I got a piece of concrete from one of the bunkers, some barbwire adn what i initiall thought was part of a booster cone from a MG 42, now I am not so sure. I found it underneath a blown bunker. Now some of these bunkers were complete destroyed. Others it looked like they were just buried, with vent pipes and concrete still sticking up everywhere.
But enough of that,, enjoy the pics,, and yes we are going back in a couple of weeks
101st Airbourne Museum
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Now the Bastogne Memorial and Museum
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Notice the 'Hit' right on the white start 'bullseye'
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This is one of the reasons the woods are so dangerous german 'Glass' Mines
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Now the woods and fields with Foxholes around FOY
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Now the 1944 Hurtgen Museum and the Western Wall (bunkers and such)
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And now the woods and Bunkers,,, rather whats left of them
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Right behind this, we started to find bits of concrete. 100m further in we found the remains of a large bunker, blown to bits
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Trenches behind bunker
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Only the Germans, the height of WW2, hastily building a bunker, wait get the stencil kit out, Better Label it!
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And we had to cross a creek to get to that last bunker,, no way over,, so we made due,, and acted like 12 year olds while we were at it, Say hi to Stu!
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Disclaimer, I do this purely for joy, as others have done it in the past and I appreciate and enjoy those threads.
So this past Friday a work colleague and I took a road trip from Bremerhaven, Germany to Bastogne, Belguim. We stopped in the Hurtgen Forrest in Germany on our way back.
We arrived in Bastogne at about 10 pm. I have been there in the past. And we stayed just off McAuliffe square a knocked out Sherman is front and centre. As it was late we jsut went straight to the bar. All the fun bars here are decorated with items picked up off the battlefields. We were well on our way to getting ####tered and we were chatting with bartender. He was probably about my age and went behind the bar and came back with, a 50 cal round, a hand full of 30-06 rounds a GI mess kit and a Pineapple (fuse removed) All stuff he has found him self in the fields around the city. He then gave was each a 30-06 (told me not to worry it was deactivated) It had been clearly in the ground for along time, primer had been struck, corrosion was uniform through out 43 headstamp. 5-6 rums in i was in the loo,, and did a shake test and heard powder. Low and behold I pulled off the bullet and dumped some powder in the the urinal. Fun Fun. We called the night at 0200 or so,
In the morning we hit the 101st Airbourne Museum. This was really well done. Tons of real authentic stuff. Battlefield relics and soldiers mementos. Lots of dummies dressed in period uniforms and weapons in various scenarios.
Next Day, up at 9, Checked out the Patten Memorial and then the Bastogne War Museum. Now, when I was here in 2011 it was called the Battle of the Bulge Museum, and they had totally renovated it. Before it was full of weapons, battlefield relics etc. Now it is geared more towards the history of Belguim during the war and more for school groups. Still cool though.
After this we went out to the Bois Jaques. Or the woods outside of Foy. This is where the 501st and 506th were dug in and fought. We walked 5-6 km of the lines in the woods, saw tons of foxholes and some makeshift memorials. It was pretty good.
That night we got destroyed at the pubs and couldnt do anything until noon the next day. -i havent mentioned that we are both merchant marine officers -
Once underway to Hurtgen we started off in the '1944 Museum' in Vossenck. It was good, everything there was picked up in the woods. We also got some good tips for going into the woods to look for bunkers. We were assured that every area we were going had been swept for ordinance. They do still sweep the area every year and they still find lots of stuff. it was a bit un-nerving to hear, but we jumped in. We had also had a map of the western wall and all known bunkers and brought that alone. The museum staff did say we could take anything we found, but have to mark and ordinance we find. This did wake up our hung over asses alittle bit. In the woods we found forrest memorials, and lots of old trenches and blown up bunkers. I got a piece of concrete from one of the bunkers, some barbwire adn what i initiall thought was part of a booster cone from a MG 42, now I am not so sure. I found it underneath a blown bunker. Now some of these bunkers were complete destroyed. Others it looked like they were just buried, with vent pipes and concrete still sticking up everywhere.
But enough of that,, enjoy the pics,, and yes we are going back in a couple of weeks
101st Airbourne Museum
Now the Bastogne Memorial and Museum
Notice the 'Hit' right on the white start 'bullseye'
This is one of the reasons the woods are so dangerous german 'Glass' Mines
Now the woods and fields with Foxholes around FOY
Now the 1944 Hurtgen Museum and the Western Wall (bunkers and such)
And now the woods and Bunkers,,, rather whats left of them
Right behind this, we started to find bits of concrete. 100m further in we found the remains of a large bunker, blown to bits
Trenches behind bunker
Only the Germans, the height of WW2, hastily building a bunker, wait get the stencil kit out, Better Label it!
And we had to cross a creek to get to that last bunker,, no way over,, so we made due,, and acted like 12 year olds while we were at it, Say hi to Stu!
