Have you seen the HBO series, Band of Brothers? If not, watching that is a must, no matter where you live. It is a ten-series show about Easy Company, the 101st Airborne Division in World War II and their journey throughout the war. One of the episodes specifically shows Bastogne, Belgium and the Battle of the Bulge.
I thought Bastogne would be an incredible place to take my parents while they were visiting. My whole family really enjoys WWII history. We spent the first few nights of their visit watching all ten episodes, then set out for Belgium yesterday morning. We packed a picnic lunch, jackets, gloves, scarves, potty chair, etc. and headed out on the two hour drive. We knew there was a 70% chance of rain, but felt we needed to just get up and go. It poured rain almost the entire drive. Approximately 10 minutes prior to arriving in Bastogne, it stopped raining.
Our plan was to visit the Mardasson Memorial and attached museum, then head to Luxembourg to go to the American Military Cemetery in Luxembourg City. While driving in to the Bastogne, we spotted a local cemetery. I knew that it was unlikely to be Americans buried there, but it was very neat-looking and I encouraged my husband to use the roundabout and go back, since it was not raining at the moment. He amazingly obliged me.
We got out of the van, bundled up, and walked across the street to look. We didn't stay long, as it was so windy, but it was beautiful. Several people buried in one small area, flowers on almost all the graves, crucifixes and crosses, pictures, and much more.
As we were leaving the cemetery, my mother saw this sign across the street and wanted to walk over and look at it better.
The Bastogne barracks is where the 101st Airborne's headquarters was. While reading the sign a bit, we discovered that they give tours of these Barracks for free. But we didn't know if you had to have an appointment, if they were in English, or what. So we walked through the gate to to see if there was further information. My father (bravely) walked in and tried to ask (The main language in Belgium is French, which none of us speak a lick of). The man inside didn't really speak English, but did tell dad the next tour was in 10 minutes and pointed us to the waiting room! We had no clue if there would be English or not, but figured just getting to see the barracks would be fun, so we decided to wait it out. (At this point I took our newly potty training daughter and older daughter back to the car to use our new €3 Ikea potty chair before beginning the tour. Very helpful for little bums in the car while traveling!!!)
As the tour began, the man said "Who speaks English?" and asked who spoke French in French. Those were the only languages he spoke, and he spoke English beautifully! He informed us the tour would last approximately 2 hours. The whole tour, he'd speak a bit of English, then a bit of French, explaining everything in both languages. He took us all over the barracks, giving a great history lesson the entire time. This is where the famous quote from General Anthony McAuliffe was made when told by the Germans to surrender or be killed.
His reply? It made him famous...
Apparently when the Americans returned this letter to the Germans, the translation was misunderstood and the German asked "Is the response positive or negative?" The American said "The answer is in the letter." The German said "Yes, yes, I know this, but... is it a positive answer or negative answer. We don't understand what he means." American said "It is definitely a negative answer." (Not exact quotes, a rough translation of what the tour guide told us.)
The tour also included many military vehicles and a museum of artifacts that were all original to the 2nd World War, including a container of blood for transfusions, cigarettes, gas masks, machine guns, and so much more. We were unsure if the children would last. Part of the tour was outside, so we let them be just a bit away from us and run around however they wanted. When we went inside the buildings, we explained everything we saw to them and they behaved fabulously. They LOVED the vehicle restoration center.
The barracks were originally Belgium. They were at war with Germany for 17 days, then the Germans took over the barracks. The Belgiums were forced to help the Germans and train them here. Then Americans drove the Germans out and the Americans used it as their barracks while in Bastogne. Bastogne was the halfway point from Normandy and Luxembourg. The Germans had attacked all 3 at the same time and wanted to get Bastogne to use it when going back and forth between Normandy and Luxembourg. This is the only place where there is any evidence that the Germans were there. You can see the white with black on this wall.
After the tour, we went ahead and went to the Mardasson Memorial. This was incredible, to see how much the Belgium people appreciated the Americans and that we would always be allies. It was amazing to see the American flag flying in Belgium. The Memorial is in the shape of a star, with all the states listed at the top. On the sides are all the units that fought in the Battle of the Bulge. On the inside of the circle is the story telling about Bastogne and the Americans. Unfortunately, the museum was closed for reconstruction. I was so glad we had found the Barracks, otherwise I would have been slightly bummed to have driven two hours just to see the memorial. The
museum is suppose to reopen in May or June, 2013.
The Memorial
Our family
My mom and my daughter
Our flag
Me with the 101st Airborne Division sign
We ended up postponing our Luxembourg trip, and headed back toward our home around 5:30. On our way back, we stopped at one of our favorite local restaurants, Hotel Anna's, and ate dinner. It was a fabulous day and very moving. We couldn't help thinking how chilly we were and we were dressed warmly, while the soldiers were fighting in the snow with no warm gear. It really made me think of them and thank God for the sacrifice they gave for Americans, and people in other countries as well! I pray they are resting in peace. I strongly recommend this trip to others.
Information from the Bastogne Barracks Facebook page: Bastogne Barracks - district Hi Heintz - Street rock 40-6600 Bastogne Free Admission Days and hours: daily except Mondays Guided tours only, starting visits: 09.00 Hr, Hr 10.00, 13.00 and 14.00 Hr Hr For groups of more 20 persons, appointment bookings 32 (0) 61 24 21 24 bb.mra @ skynet.be http://www.klm-mra.be/
I would recommend calling to make sure they are doing tours and finding out if there is an English one before going.
Information for Mardasson Memorial: Maison du Tourisme du Pays de Bastogne, Place McAuliffe, 6600 Bastogne - tel: 061/21 17 11 - fax: 061/21 2725. No guided tours.
