My Ardennes Trip, February 2008

[Kjaersgaard]

Really great photos. Thanks for sharing

[CROONAERT]

Nice pics, Owen. Looks like you had a good time in one of my favourite places in the world! Bet you can't get inside Dollinger's chariot these days though! (The below photo was taken of me, erm... "quite a few" years ago!...)

Dave.

(PS. did you get to the chemists in Stavelot? If not, I'll dig out the photos I got from him - they include 213 in situ after the battle)

[Slipdigit]

Any suggestions on where to read up on the action here?

Charles McDonald's A Time for Trumpets is good book that covers the subject well. If you are wanting an excellent account of the fighting in the Ardennes, then this a book you
want to read.

Here are some online sources

http://www.criba.be//index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=49&Itemi d=4

http://www.criba.be//index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=71&Itemi d=4

[Owen]

Dave,
No couldn't find the chemists you mentioned, I did look though.
It seems alot of shops in Belgium shut for a few hours at lunch-time anyway.
You are right, your body shape has changed somewhat since that photo was taken.
There is a sign now asking not to climb on the King Tiger.

Jeff,
Thanks for the links to that article, I'll read it later when I've taken kids to school.
I'll also post a few more photos.

[Owen]

Lienne Creek.
On the Trail of Kampfgruppe Peip

Peiper's column was delayed by air attacks, and it was dark by the time his tanks wound their way down the hill toward the bridge over the Lienne creek. Another squad of the 291st Engineer Combat Battalion had beaten him there and prepared the wooden Neufmolin bridge for demolition, and blew it when the Germans were about 100 meters away. This is the location where Peiper is said to have cried in frustration, "The damned engineers! The damned engineers!"

[Owen]

Up to Werbomont where 82nd Airborne formed up before heading off to do battle.
The 25 Pdr I think is a post-war Belguim one as the muzzle brake isn't WW2 vintage.
I bumped into two American gentlemen here, they were doing the battlefields too.
We got chatting and it turns out they know Swindon, my hometown, one had even been to car-boot sales here. Small world init?
They're in the blue car in the background, I thought they were Germans at first but it was a rental.
I gave this site a plug, I hope they join in.

[Owen]

Wednesday we went to Germany for lunch, to Prüm.
I'm sure there must be a WW2 connection there. If anyone can find what happened there let me know, please.
Thursday we got the train from Trois Ponts to Luxemburg City.
Travelled through many famous places on the way.
Only WW2 photo was this one in Luxemburg City, I must look more into what happened in that Duchy during WW2.

[Owen]

Friday we went to Vielsalm a few Kms south of Trois Ponts.
Saw this memorial to Paulin Moxhet who was sent to Buchenwald.
I wonder who they were?

[Owen]

Near the Hotel de Ville in Vielsalm is this memorial to the Chasseurs Ardennais .
They did their best to stop the Germans in 1940.
On Tuesday I saw a staute to what looked like a Chassuer and a wild boar but didn't stop to take a photo when I went to look for it on Friday I couldn't remember where it was, sorry.

[Owen]

Last photos now, whilst in Vielsalm we were looking for both the bottle-bank and the Sherman. They were opposite eachother, as soon as I got my bottles out a "odd" Belgium chap came up and asked us for our empties then proceeded to "fish" for empties in the bottlebank. Whether he was a home-brewer or wanted the deposits on the bottles I dunno. You can see him behind our car in one of the photos looking into the bottle-bank.