Nuts, Bastogne 2009

[WeyAx]

Here my pictures of a little journey to Bastogne participating the 65th. anniversary:



Early in the morning(5o clock) we started in the Hunsrück through snow and fog, driving down to Trier, climbing into the Eifel and then direction St. Vith into the Ardennes.
There sadly wasn't snow, only frozen rain and fog.
At 9 o clock we arrived in Recogne to visit the resting german soldiers which are not forgotten too:




church and graves in Recogne just a very small cottage in the surroundings of Bastogne





6800 graves of german young man




Heavy fighting took place here too, trying a breakthroug to Bastogne



A picture from the 60th. of the cemetary



Then a little rest in Houffalize





visiting the poor Panther blasted from a big bomb into the little river where he and his 5
men died.




Sadly some Sprayers had no mercy with this old symbol of german forces



Later we drove through the outskirts of Bastogne through the dark forest searching the wood of Foy



There at the 101. Airborne-Memorial a belgian group arrived with new flowers for the american young man dying in the cold.






Alex

[WeyAx]

Never forgotten



March of freedom 2009



A camp in the forest of Foy






a column of us troops and free french forces







our beetle camouflaged as FFI-Vehicle(german cars are still not allowed) in the dark and muddy woods of Foy



Old Foxholes besides the road


A Jeep rushes through the wood



Alex

[WeyAx]

Later we drove to Mardasson where General Patton(in the foreground) just arrived



A lovely Greyhound


behind a big towtruck



a heavily armored dodge



and a Beute-Kübel



Dodge command-car



and a strange Jeep selfmade I guess



M10 tank destroyer



screaming eagle drinking water of the Ardennes



The impressive Mardasson Memorial




Alex

[WeyAx]

From Mardasson we drove down to the town of Bastogne



The road up to the well known market-place






a big Pershing(never saw action in 1944) was waiting for us



Pershing 1945 in germany



This tank was able to kill panthers and tigers at a long range and was a famous tank in the battle of Cologne in March 1945



the first one in Bastogne, one of the week older Shermans with the small gun and the Stern-Engine out of an aeroplane







One of the most unknown M22 tanks used by landing troops with gliders(but not in Bastogne)



an original picture with an M22 out of an glider at the Rhine-Crossing



The original Sherman with its bullet-holes which killed him in late december 1944



The Memorial of General Mc Auliff the defender of Bastogne









My daughter in front of a nice Jeep







Through the city we drove






to the belgian military complex where a convoy of rememberance was formed


a nice Fordson-Wrecker

Starting into town again





Alex

[WeyAx]

Down in the town again we visited a little display at the church with anti-tank units to save this crossing





The restored church today



our beetle at the crossing into the town



Than we had to leave the town westwards where a sherman turret remains from 1944


in the outskirts from Bastogne there is a well known Fritten-Shop





where the young members of the Resistance took some Frittes


Back to the woods we visited Schumanns Eck where the Americans





fought against the german Fallschirmjäger



original photo on an actual stamp


Past the patton-Memorial at Ettelbruck


we drove to Diekirch and its war-museum




where an M47(postwar) and a Sherman-firefly are watching the entrance





Artillery-guns displayed outside the Museum





Back in the Mosel-valley we drove in direction to Trier with its famous roman relics, here the Igeler Säule



Here the well known Porta-Nigra of Trier



and the Amphie-Theatre


After a trip of 500kilometers my young resistance fighters reached home late in the evening tired and hungry


enjoy

Alex

[Steve T]

Excellent photos.

Many thanks for sharing

Steve T

[Adrian Stevenson]

Thank you Alex for a very nice tour!

Cheers, Ade.

[Ty Revelo]

Very nice! thanks for showing.

rgds, Ty

[Panzer 3]

Hi alex,
what a great trip you had thanks for showing us. and i love the VW,
Dave.

[Nige H]

Hi Alex,
some great pictures of some very rare vehicles. As to the strange jeep its a theatre made jeep modification. I remember in Wheels and tracks some years ago there was an article regarding improvised six wheelers, made by ingenious mechanics from two jeep wrecks, there was at least two such vehicle made one was on an airbase in England and the other was somewhere in Europe. I did think at first it was a Willys TUG (genuine 6 x 6) however the rear body tub and firewall are not correct, so is it a genuine field made modification or a restorers replica.

Nige.