Now & Then.. Ardennes Iconic Image Journey..

[LUCKYSTRIKE]

Just noticed thats a Spitfire exhaust manifold next tto that Tiger II.
LS

[WeyAx]

Yes Lucky, you are a lucky man indeed:



My Zugführer told me to ride a Spähtrupp into the little Hamlet



so I saddled my Wunderwaffe
took my favourite,


which one???

And made my way up to La Gleize, with was a real high watermark for me too,
because it was a rainy, stormy and cold weekend in the Ardennes,
but of course no comparison to the Ardennes-Winter our fathers fought in!!

Alex

Ps.: A few pictures will follow!

[WeyAx]

Though I put together and packed my trailer:



loaded it with some spare parts for Peiper:




heard the Wehrmachtsbericht if the roads were clear:



followed the roadsigns:




climbed up the steep hill towards La Gleize




where a mighty comrade was waiting for me:



By the way he managed to change his shape and goes down from its second Stellung at the memorial:





to the crossing down to Werimont-Farm:



but there he ran out of fuel and the crew was helpless.

But the father of the Vorsehung brought him a plane:



with a jerry-can of fuel:




and some amunition and Wunderwaffen from the Ost-Mark:



Evening came very fast, I entered Peipers Headquater:



and decides to have a fine meal with saucisse belge:



Porzellan historic:




and a beer on the Friedhofs-stair:



Peipers Adjudant started the generator





and called the mobile Führerhauptquartier:



where Blondie was waiting for new adventures:




But not only he but I too get new Orders for the next day.


So long

Alex

[packin9]

Great photo's and story WeyAx! Looks like good beer and eats too! Ron

[LUCKYSTRIKE]

Lovely pictures and what great relics there were for sale at the fair. Did you get yourself anything?
LUCKYSTRIKE

[herrzark]

great, super photos..

[WeyAx]

Boah Lucky, buying anything??? The prices were on a very high level, though I
only bought a WH-Koppelschloss and cruised 1000times around the K43 for 2250Euros, but I had not to buy it, because Peiper offered one to me:



That was a useful geste of him, but more later,

early in the morning I started to search a vehicle for my new ordered Spähtrupp,
I walked up to the hospiz:



from there I had a wonderful sight towards La Gleize early in the morning:




and stepped down to the Halbketten-tree-ground:



I took one of the better ones:




drove back through La Gleize saying good-bye to the tigers:







made a last pic of my comrade Wessels's tiger with my girl-friend in foreground:



drove down the road nearby the church to Werimont-Farm with a last
view up to a big friend:



along a beautiful farmhouse:



I made my way up to Werimont, look the little way on the right of this picture:



From Werimont-Farm you can overlook the little valley and the street where task-force McGeorge
arrived:






From the task-force the americans had this view towards Werimont:




On the position of Werimont I visited my friend Hantuschs-tiger:





and finally Dollingers tiger which was in bad condition:




This was the first resting point of tiger 213:




than he was moved towards the city-hall:





and later he was torn further down to the new museum:













From Werimont-Farm I drove down to Coo and than further to Trois-Ponts, there I had to look if
the Bridges are in good conditions.

So long

Alex

[WeyAx]

Next Morning our Spähtrupp to Trois-Ponts started, but.............not yet, first a german field-butcher offered us
a very fresh Ardennen-Steak:





Afterwards we drove down besides the railroad-tracks to Trois-Points which was defended from the american 51. engineer combat group what we have to learn very painfully, our halbkette run on one of their mines:



We had to boot out and fight our way to the bridge as Infantry:



Now I was a lucky man to have a K43 and not a normal K98
because fighting was heavy against these pioneers with her automatic M1



But with my bigger caliber I was able to fight them at a long range,
even better as my frined with his shorter ammunition of his STG44




After fierce fighting I reached the bridge:




but.............................!!

It was blown off before my eyes, shit,...............that was our so called bridge too far!!!!!!

After the war a monument was installed to honour the brave pioneers who stopped Peiper:




and the bridge was built up in modern forms:












For me and my comrade the only consequenz was a little Rückzug, but not too far......




besides the bridge a hamburger and frits bunker was installed from the pioneers,
we conquered it and had a good meal with some pints of beer




Afterwards we made our way back to La Gleize and reported Peiper that the planned Marschroute
was blown off.

He decided to leave all the Tanks in La Gleize because without petrol and blown bridges it was no way to reach the american petrol-Depot near Francorchamps and it should be better to go back to Germany by foot and save his men.

so long

Alex

[WeyAx]

But for me that was not a decision I could live with.

In the early morning I left Peipers column in La Gleize and started to the battlefield of Stavelot, where fierce and cruel fighting
had taken place days before, I searched the wrecked vehicles and found a little Volkswagen not badly damaged but without Sprit.



But not a probleme for me, I filled a jerry-can out of the ronson in the background and was able to start the little Boxer-Engine.

Through the Ardennes and Luxembourg I reached the german boarder with this little car:





and over Dasbourg bridge I entered Germany:



2 Hours later my lovely Mosel-Valley lay before me:



I camouflaged my little friend very well:



and started Weihnachten 1944 within my family!!

For me the war was over and in March 1945 the Americans reached the Mosel and liberated my village.


But worst of all?????????????????????????

I was never able to find my little friend after the war, it may be still hidden under its Zeltplane!!!


Greetings

Alex

[LUCKYSTRIKE]

Alex
A wonderful story and pictures I really enjoyed following the post good work mate, thank you for taking the time.
LUCKYSTRIKE