My Ardennes Trip, February 2008

Discussion in 'WW2 Battlefields Today' started by Owen, Feb 23, 2008.

  1. Jakob Kjaersgaard

    Jakob Kjaersgaard Senior Member

    Really great photos. Thanks for sharing :)
     
  2. CROONAERT

    CROONAERT Ipsissimus

    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)
     

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  3. Slipdigit

    Slipdigit Old Hickory Recon

    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&Itemid=4

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

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

    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.
     
  5. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

    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!"


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  6. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

    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.
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  7. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

    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.
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  8. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

    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?
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  9. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

    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.

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  10. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

    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.

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  11. CROONAERT

    CROONAERT Ipsissimus

    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.

    Cheeky b***ard! I haven't changed all that much!!! (Well,err...maybe a little):D

    There was probably a similar sign back then too, but it didn't mention anything about climbing in it!:rolleyes:

    Dave.
     
  12. deadb_tch

    deadb_tch the deadliest b#tch ever

    Great shots, Owen, thnx!!
     
  13. Slipdigit

    Slipdigit Old Hickory Recon

    Wednesday we went to Germany for lunch, to Prüm.
    I'm sure there must be a WW2 connection there.

    Off the top of my head, the 22nd IR of the 4th ID fought their way through there in late December 44 or early January 45.

    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?

    I searched and found a several foreign language sites, mostly Dutch. All they said was his name, he was sent to Buchenwald and a date. Was the the street also named Paulin Moxhet? I found one of those.

    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.

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    Edit---Pay no attention to the ignorant sentence below. Tanks? Those are big metal things that hold liquids, right?
    >>>This was a Firefly. I guess the people who honored the men used what they could find, even if it wasn't US inventory<<<


    Owen, thanks for posting the pics. I especially appreciate the pics of where the 291st stood their ground. I would guess that Brian can appreciate what these engineers did.
     
  14. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

    Jeff
    That ain't no Firefly, it's one of yours.
    M4A1 with a 76mm, I think.
     
  15. von Poop

    von Poop Adaministrator Admin

    Don't think it's a Firefly Jeff, still seems to have the Hull machine gun position and the muzzle brake is likely from a 76 or German.

    Edit:
    :lol: cross-posted with the above.

    Anoraks of the world...
    :unsure:
     
  16. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

  17. Slipdigit

    Slipdigit Old Hickory Recon

    I will accede to smarter guys. That long barrell made me think it was a Firefly. Was the Firefly even longer?

    I added a brief edit to that post, be sure to read it.
     
  18. Slipdigit

    Slipdigit Old Hickory Recon

    I went back and looked it up. The 22nd IR of the 4thID was figting over Prum in mid-February 45.
     
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  19. 51highland

    51highland Very Senior Member

    Outside la Roche is this memorial to the dead of the 51st (Highland) Infantry Division.
    I think Richard (51st Highland) may have posted photos of this before.

    Was there in 1994 when they were surrounded by "Jock" veterans, sadly not very many of them left with us now.
     
  20. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

    Just thought I'd add some general views to give more of a feel of the area to those who haven't been there yet.
    This is the bridge at Stavelot , viewed from the half-track.
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    This is a view of the house we stayed in.
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    View from backdoor on two different days.
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    Then these two are somewhere between Malmedy, Stavelot & Trois Ponts, can't remember where excactly.
    Bit blurred, taken from the car on way back from Germany, week ago today, ho-hum.
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