My summer holiday 2008...the war related bits

edited in note: lots of attachments were lost after several forum software moves & I can't be bothered to replace them again.

Last summer whilst sipping wine on the banks of the Seine at Les Andelys, my wife and I discused where too go for summer holidays 2008.
She wanted to retrace a school trip she did to Cologne & Coblenz.
I readily agreed and cunningly planning to "do" Remagen.

Having taken the family to the Ardennes in February & nipping off to Italy in May, I tried to keep the holiday as family friendly as possible with not too many Cemeteries & battlefields.
They are finally starting weary of such trips.
I'm now back and will start to post the images of the war related stuff we saw.
We had five nights at this campsite for starters.
Campingplatz Goldene Meile Caravan Zelten Camping Urlaub Remagen Mittelrhein

The first view I had of the bridge was whilst visiting the toilet block.
So for starters here's the first of many photos.....


I bet Slipdigit posts the comment "Jealous". :p

 

The view from our tent, looking at the Erpeler Ley where the Germans had their flakvierlings & the Americans scaled the cliffs.

 

The first site we visited was of The Chapel Of The Black Madonna.
See here.
Translated version of http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kapelle_Schwarze_Madonna_(Remagen)

Sculpted by Adolf Wamper .
adolf-wamper

I hope one of our German speaking members will translate the text in the following photos.
Diane, aka dbf, has translated the German for me, now edited in below relevent picture.


The chapel of the Black Madonna is a memorial to the 300,00 prisoners of war held by the Americans between April and July 1945 in a camp under wretched conditions in the open air. The figure of the Black Madonna was made in the camp by the artist Adolf Wamper and he presented it to the priest in Kripp. Financed by donations the chapel was built in 1987 to the memory of the victims.



Centre:

At this place a gigantic prisoner of war camp was run by the Americans from April to late in the summer of 1945, until 11th July 1945 when the French took over. Estimates place the number of inmates at its highest capacity at 135,000, during the period of which a total number of approximately 270,000 passed through the camp altogether. More than 1200 German soldiers died due to malnourishment and dysentery. This commemorative place should be a reminder of this frightful camp and a call to the world for peace.

For the inner circle:
The mistakes of the past should not be repeated. As revenge is not love, hate is no foundation for peace.

For outside top:
Luke 1, 48 [For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for,] Behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.

For outside bottom:
Holy Mother of God pray for us.




The black Madonna of Remagen was created by inmate Prof. Adolf Wamper in the PoW camp from the earth found in what is called the golden mile. He gave it to the incumbent priest in Kripp, Dr. Wilhelm Keller, who had tried hard to relieve a little the sufferings of the inmates.
The Madonna came to the attention of Remagen’s town mayor of Hans Peter Kuerten, after it had been kept for decades in the Rectory.
Thanks to his initiative this chapel was designed by architect Paul Otto Pickel Dip-Eng. and built by Hans Metzler, Eng. with contributions from ex prisoners of war, the town of Remagen and amongst others the fed. State of Rheinland-Pfalz.
And so the Black Madonna of Remagen, rests finally in the place where she originated.




This cross, designed and made by master Carpenter Friedrich Ohligh of Remagen was erected on the 22nd of June 1985 on initiative of Remagen’s mayor Hans Peter Kürten and dedicated to the memory about 300,000 former soldiers and inmates of the PoW camp, who suffered here with no shelter and little care during the period from April up to July, 1945 and of whom more than 1,200 died from starvation and illness died.

 

Sees like the weather was good at last.
Ah, it varied alot, rain, thunder storms , sunshine & blue skies.
In Bavaria we had rain for 33 hours solid.
The new tent held up as well as could be expected.
Mrs & kids even made a snowman.....well we were up the Zugspitze at 2950 metres.
Will get stuck into posting the rest of the pictures over the next few days, stay tuned.

 

Sunday morning, after visiting the Black Madonna we get to what is left of the Ludendorf bridge.

 

Route around the town is marked out with these plaques.

 

Those towers are so immediately familiar aren't they.





(From: Taking the Remagen Bridge)

 

It seemed rather odd to fiinally visit a place so well talked about and photographed on this forum.
One of these plaques reminded me we have a Veteran , Franek, as a member.
I'd also like to know more about the Belgain unit whose plaque is alongside those of the US units.

 

My daughter took that photo of the sign, I'd missed it.
Another "peace museum" sign had LSSAH graffiti on it.
Shame, really.
I liked the museum even though it's called a "peace museum".
I wish people would call a war museum a war museum and be done with it.
It had lots of old fashioned war museum exhibts, original photos, artifacts, militaria, just the top floor of the other tower had the modern style airy-fairy peace & war rubbish.
Worth a visit if you're anywhere nearby.

 

A few more general views of the bridge on the western bank.


Looking across the Rhine to the eastern shore.

 

Next day we went to the eastern bank and I took these.
I did go up to the tunnel , which is now a theatre but for some reason the photo I took won't open, ah well.



Looking back to the western shore.
Please note how the lie of the land is nothing like that in the film.
There were no 88s on the Erpeler Ley & the western side the hills are about a Km away at least.



Battle damage on the eastern end of the bridge.


edit: deleted incorrect photo

 

We then went up the Erpeler Ley for a picnic.
I found some good fire postions if I was in charge of the flakvierlings on the hill.
The best place was to the left of here, great field of fire down onto the bridge and it's approaches.
Just again I can't open the picture I took from that position.

 

Back to Sunday evening now, we went to Der Ehrenfriedhof Bad Bodendorf.
To se the graves of those who died in the POW camps in 1945.
Ehrenfriedhof Bad Bodendorf - AW-Wiki

Felt a bit odd as the only British car to approach a German War Cemetery carpark full of Germans, some who looked old enough to remember the war years.

We got stared at a bit but thankfully my kids behaved themselves and we had no hassle.
My youngest thought this was Rapunzel's Tower.


This one caught my eye, a Schumacher and a Panzer.


One of the few unknowns.


Alot of those in the cemetery were old enough to have served in the Great War.
I expect the older men suffered more in the POW camps.

edit: deleted incorrect photo