Visiting Belgium

[GasMasksUK]

I'm leaving tomorrow afternoon for a weeks holiday in Brugge, Belgium. I was wondering if theres any places fairly nearby that would be nice to visit from someone interested in military history's point of view? I'm also really wanting to bring a relic back as I'm yet to actually have something I pulled out of the ground myself (excluding things I've found in the UK). However is there anything I should be aware of, apart from the usual things regarding munitions, firearms and private property? I'm not looking for anything big or special, even just some shell cases from a rifle or shell fragments would be more than enough

Thanks in advance

Danny

[stewfoxy]

Danny

If I were off to Brugge I'd be wanting to visit Walcheren Island in the Scheldt Estuary just to the north east. I'm certainly no expert but the little I've read about it has impressed on me its strategic importance to ending the war and what a truly awful task it must have been for the Allied troops assaulting one of the strongest parts of the Atlantic Wall.

Have a look at this Wikipedia link on Operation Infatuate in November 1944.

CombinedOps is another interesting site on the operation and also has contact details for people on the island who may be of assistance to you. It also has this to say by way of introduction:

Operation Infatuate, the codename for the invasion of the Dutch Island of Walcheren, was a major Combined Operation amphibious landing against heavily fortified and entrenched German positions. The island stood at the mouth of the River Scheldt and blocked Allied access to the captured port of Antwerp some 80 kilometres inland. With the Germans holding the channel ports it is impossible to overstate the importance of Antwerp to the Allies in order to secure supply lines to their advancing armies.

If you do go, post some pictures!

Simon

[WW2Hunter]

Depends on what era you're looking for.But for WW1 you have plenty here's a link The Diggers - Yorkshire Trench
It's a belgian site about WW1.
Have fun

Grtz Steven

[darrenj40]

Thare is a ww1/2 shore battery in Ostend, its worth a visit...take the train, plenty of shopping for the girlfriend...

[Redgemak]

Thare is a ww1/2 shore battery in Ostend, its worth a visit...take the train, plenty of shopping for the girlfriend...

Darren is right about the choise, here is the website Welkom
Nearby is also the frontline of WWI with at every village a military cemetery.

Jean

[Woolgar]

Or take a break from military things ( yes I know its difficult!!!) and enjoy the towns' beauty , beer and chocolates !!! I did

Nick

[Whitehunter]

Look forward to seeing how you get on Dan

Steve looks like a good link i'm going to have a read later

[GasMasksUK]

Or take a break from military things ( yes I know its difficult!!!) and enjoy the towns' beauty , beer and chocolates !!! I did

Nick

Thats what eventually happened as the family werent too keen on visiting the actual battlefields so at the end of the day I came back with nothing other than a couple of random shell cases I found in an antiques shop

Thanks

Danny

[Woolgar]

Thats what eventually happened as the family werent too keen on visiting the actual battlefields so at the end of the day I came back with nothing other than a couple of random shell cases I found in an antiques shop

Thanks

Danny

There is more chance of Hell freezing over than me getting my wife to visit a battlefield

Nick

[Steve T]

There is more chance of Hell freezing over than me getting my wife to visit a battlefield

Nick

Do what I do.....take the wife's parents with you. They bugger off and look at paintings and castles all day while I dig stuff up

Steve T