"Band of Brothers Adventure" Day 4,5 -- (Bastogne -- the town) ...

Bastogne seemed like a long bus ride from where we were at Sainte-Mère-Église . Truth in advertising, after looking at a map, it really seems that nowhere in that area of the tour is really that far.  But, then again, I am in a very nice tour bus, watching a movie, not slugging it out on the ground in pitched battles.  Those who were there talk about distances in terms of yards.  Distances were measured in days, not movie lengths.

We finally got there and checked in to the hotel (BTW - if you have not been in a European hotel, you are in for a treat, especially on a hot, humid August night with no air conditioning).  

Even though the town is obviously changed and recovered from the war, the heritage is pretty much every where you look.  There are American tanks and monuments throughout the countryside, sitting in silent testimony to the fight.  They are clean, no graffiti spray painted on them (like we saw on a lot of other things in France on the way to Normandy) and the area is neat and there is no trash blowing around. Several times our guides  told us how the Americans were still held in high esteem here for the efforts and sacrifices of our forefathers.  That is not so much the case in the rest of France. Didn't feel the love.

Our group was pretty much on its own to explore the town of Bastogne.  The pictures will pretty much show you what we saw.  I would have to say Bastogne was quite a town.

The American tank in the center of town is quite a monument to the sacrifices of the soldiers who fought here.  The towns people I talked to (mostly waiters at the restaurants and bars, along with a couple of shopkeepers) really treated us well and went out of their way to talk to us about the battles, monuments and take good care of us in their establishment. BTW, the tank is pointed toward the battlefields.

 

These three pictures were just a few of the "sculptures" in the square.  This was obviously an artisan's hometown.  It was interesting to see all of the different things that were used to make these pieces of art.

  An area that really got our attention was a part of the main street, a bit removed from the square.  As you can see from the picture, they strung up colorful umbrellas for the whole length of this section.  We saw it and wondered what it was, so Keith and I went down there and found several shops and lots of eating establishments.  We went into one, a pizza place, and ordered dinner.  Boy were we surprised.  We each ordered a pizza and when they came out, there were 4 of them.  Seems that their custom is that one person orders for both of the people, and since we both ordered different kinds of pizza, they just assumed we were ordering four of them.  Oh well, we were certainly hungry and the pies weren't that big - kinda like a small or medium in the US. We really had a good time there and some of my old high school and college French came in handy.  The owner of the pizza place said the umbrellas were an attempt to draw tourists down to this part of the village.

 

The streets were really narrow and there was not much room for cars and buses.  With all of the war damage, it was probably hard for military vehicles (tanks especially) to make their way through during the battles.

Below are a couple of short videos that might also help one visualize what the town went through.

  Original Film Footage of Bastogne WWII

 There are several other videos on YouTube that can give you a great deal of background on this town and the battles that took place during the Bulge.  Most/some of them have ads, but you can click out of those and continue on with the video.

"Whoever said the pen is mightier than the sword obviously never encountered automatic weapons." (D. MacArthur)

Hooah

"Band of Brothers Adventure" Day 4,5 -- (Normandy -- some after thoughts on the way to Bastogne...) ...

It's later in the afternoon and we're boarding the bus for the trip to Bastogne. I had time to review some of the things I was at the beaches of Normandy and different places as we began to work our way inland. So, I came up with some pictures that I forgot I had, but I thought they would be interesting.

This was a display at the museum at Normandy and it showed some of the major unit patches of the units that took part in the invasion.  I am pointing here to the 83d Infantry Division patch which was part of the Omaha force.  The 83d later was re-designated as the 83d ARCOM (ARmy COMmand) and was located in Columbus, OH. When I first enlisted in the Army Reserves, I was a member of the 342d MP Co. (EG) (Zanesville, OH) which was a Military Police Company whose function was serving as Escort Guards (EG) -- we transported enemy prisoners of war from a collection point to an enemy prisoner of war camp, some distance in the rear.

Here I am pointing to the 5th Infantry Division patch (the red triangle).  This was the patch of my old friend, Warren, a WWII veteran, who came to the fight some time after the beach landings. The 5th came ashore at UTAH.

This PW (prisoner of war) beach cage sign was located only a few hundred yards from the beach.

Here is a list of some of the units that supported the fight at the beaches and the move inland.  There are two MP EG units listed -- the 301st and the 595th. The most important thing about this list is that these are company sized  units (110 to 145 troops on average).  When we think of Normandy, we most often think of units that are division sized (101st, 82d, 25th, etc.)(10,000 troops per division).  But to me, it's interesting to see who the "little guys" were that were assigned or attached to and supported those larger groups and what their role was.

 

After leaving the airport in Paris, we would travel through a number of small towns.  It was kinda interesting to see signs like this when we stopped to see some of the towns and sights.  I would often think of troops trying to navigate their way to an objective and coming upon a sign like this, wondering if it was real or planted, if it was pointing the correct way or not. Sure was a lot easier being part of a tour group.

 

We stopped in a little town and visited the church and the town (village?) square.  Right in the niddle of it was a water source which was used by everyone in the village, the Germans when they "owned" the place, and the Americans when it was theirs. The top picture is what it looks like today.  The bottom one is an actual shot of Germans loading up on water.  I seem to remember that there was a plaque on the back side of the spigot area which memorialized some American Soldiers who were killed there taking cover as they fought. 

Again, these were just some after thoughts as I reviewed my notes during the bus trip to Bastogne. Images of what I had seen popped in and out of my head and I wanted to include them.  There was so much and I had to include them before I forgot them (happens a lot as I get older).

“Veterans know better than anyone else the price of freedom, for they’ve suffered the scars of war. We can offer them no better tribute than to protect what they have won for us." (President Ronald Reagan, 1983)

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The 12 Days of Christmas in the South ...

It's getting close to Christmas and I thought it might be helpful if I shared with you an adaptation of that old seasonal favorite, "The 12 Days of Christmas." So before you get "Lords a leapin'" and "Golden Rings" stuck in your head for a week or so, check this list out to see how this works in the South...

12 Chickens fryin'

11 footballs flyin'

10 porch swings swayin'

9 preachers prayin'

8 hunters huntin'

7 pick-ups honkin'

6 biscuits bakin'

5 mason jars for drinkin'

4 fireflies glowin'

3 jugs o' sweet tea brewin'

2 "Bless yo Heart, darlin'"

and ...

a blossom in a Magnolia Treeeeeeeee.

This is just another part of my education upon moving to North Carolina.  So far, we have really enjoyed this major, major change in our lives -- especially at our advanced age. If you would like to review some of the things I have already learned following our move, pull up my entry from January 30, 2020 ("Time for a little culture, y'all")

“Did you ever notice that life seems to follow certain patterns? Like I noticed that every year around this time, I hear Christmas music.” (Tom Sims)

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"Band of Brothers Adventure" Day 3 -- NORMANDY, Part 6 (Brecourt Mannor, Sainte-Mère-Église ) ...

It was just a short jaunt over to the farm known as Brecourt Mannor, the place where the Germans had several big guns situated that overlooked the landing areas on the beaches.  This farm, the German guns and their destruction by Easy Company, 502 PIR, was highlighted in the HBO min--series, "Band of Brothers."  I have watched this series so many times I wore out the one that my old Sergeant-Major gave me and had to buy another set of discs.  As is shown in the pictures below, this area has pretty much been preserved as it might have been then.

                                            

The monument to the right was erected when the men from Easy Company came to visit this field again. The guide that the tour company (Beyond the Band of Brothers) hired (various subject matter experts for each of the stops on the tour) went into great detail explaining the placement areas for the guns, and how the men of Easy Company took them out.  There has been a lot written about this and it was subsequently used by Army as a model for small unit tactics.  Google this and there will be lots of articles, books, maps and videos of terrain walks for your review.

Following this stop, we headed out for Sainte-Mère-Église.  This was really a great place to see and take in the history of what happened to the Airborne troops that assaulted this area. There is an 82d Abn.museum in the city and there were really interesting exhibits, including a WACO glider which was manufactured in Troy, OH. Again, this is one of the things that would be worth your while to Google as there are tons of documents, pictures, maps, and stories surrounding this assault.  Below are some of the pictures I took highlighting just a few of the things to see here.

Men attending mass in this church.

The church today.

A stained glass window in the church.  Notice the 82d emblem in the upper left and the parachute at the very top. Enlarge this picture and see all the various airborne images the people put in it. I think I remember someone in the church telling me that the person in the middle of the window is supposed to be the patron saint of paratroopers.

This is a vigil stand.  You light one of the candles and say a prayer for someone or something.  I lit two of the candles -one for my dad, and one for my brother-in-law, Chuck (third row up from the bottom, far left).

My dad was artillery during the war, so I checked out this piece.  He was not in the 82d, but I remember him telling me he fired big howitzers, much bigger than this one.

This is the outside of the church at Sainte-Mère-Église.  You can see the outside of the window shown above.  The white item caught on the spire of the church is a representation of John Steele, a paratrooper whose chute caught up on it during the assault. Originally, this was on the other side of the church (historically correct), but tourists didn't see it there, so they moved it to this side. Google this too.  It's interesting.

Keith and I had a great lunch here, and the beer was really pretty good. So this was a pretty busy day and now it's off to Bastogne.

Click on this link for some more info on this site.  Follow-up link. 

 “People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf.”  (George Orwell)

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"Band of Brothers Adventure" Day 3 -- NORMANDY, Part 5 (American Cemetery at Normandy) ...

Our next stop was at the American Cemetery at Normandy.  I was so looking forward to seeing this piece of ground, but was not ready for what I saw.  We got off the bus and walked down a little drive and the first thing I saw was the statue shown below.  And then I looked to the left and that sight almost took my breath away.  White crosses for pretty much as far as you can see, at least to the edge of the cliffs at the ocean side. If you did any homework before going here, and if you know anything about what took place on the beaches below and the surrounding countryside, seeing this place and walking among the first few rows, it's like a gut punch. The overwhelming weight of this sight demands that you stop, take a deep breath, and remember that each of these 9,385 markers was a person, a person who fought to keep us free, who fought against unimaginable horrors.  The exact precision in which the crosses are lined across the field is a stark contrast to the chaos of those battles.  But beyond all of that, it is just overwhelming knowing that each of these markers was a human being. Over the next few days, we were to see several cemeteries like this one, but this one woke me up.

 

I was surprised to find, as I walked around, that there are actually quite a few markers that indicated that the soldier buried there was unknown -- 307 Unknowns.  I didn't know that prior to going there.

The Normandy American Cemetery is located in Colleville-sur-Mer.  It is situated on 172.5 acres and contains the graves of 9,385 of our soldiers.  There are 1,557 names on the wall by the statue denoting those who were missing in action, and there are 45 sets of brothers buried here.

As enormous and overwhelming as this place of honor was, it's hard to know that this wasn't all of it -- all of the war that was to consume and destroy a continent. 

"Our flag does not fly because the wind moves it. It flies with the last breath of each soldier who died protecting it." (Unknown)

Hooah

(P.s. Here is a picture of the first burial place for Soldiers killed at Normandy.  Didn't last long ans it quickly became overcome by sheer numbers.)

"Band of Brothers Adventure" Day 3 -- NORMANDY, Part 4 (Walking the grounds) ...

After spending a great deal of time on the beaches and seeing the big German guns on the cliffs above the landing area, we spent some time over by the areas where the Rangers came up the cliff at Point du Hoc.  What they managed to do was absolutely unbelievable.  I went to the edge of the cliffs and looked down, just as the German defenders might have.  The fields of fire the Germans had presented such a dangerous mission for those Rangers. I don't know how all of this went down, but at some point the big guns of the Navy played an important role, shelling the German guns on the cliffs, paving the way for the invading Americans and Allies.

This picture shows the view out of a gun emplacement over the cliffs.

 

The two pictures above give you an idea of just how formidable that shelling must have been.  I'm viewing this some 60 years after the war, so the craters have filled in some with the elements and time, but as you can see, this terrain was just destroyed and to a great extent hasn't grown back.  I walked down into the center of a couple of them and they were still more than 15-20 feet deep and around 10-12 yards wide.  Also, these craters were literally right next to each other.  The paths that are in the bottom picture led from one crater to another.  I know this picture doesn't do justice to the actual size of this area and the damage that was done.  Perhaps you can go some other place on line and get some better pictures.

"It was a different world then. It was a world that required young men like myself to be prepared to die for a civilization that was worth living in."  (Harry Read, British D-Day veteran) 

Hooah 

"Band of Brothers Adventure" Day 3 -- NORMANDY, Part 3 ("Then and now") ...

Quite a while ago, a friend of mine (Keith) sent me a power point presentation that showed pictures of Normandy as it was during the war, and as it was at the time these pictures were taken (not sure of the date).  This was kinda the spark that led to this trip.  Thought you would like to see it and I really wanted to show that particular one.  BUT, I was not smart enough to figure out how to get a power point presentation linked to this entry. I'll keep trying.  Maybe my friend Dave will be able to tell me when he reads this.

I'm not sure this video will be the one to come up each time. But, again, you are looking for the one that is titled "Normandy, then and now."

Also, please feel free to skip the ads that might pop up.  Don't know how to edit them out.Also, I hope there is nothing that is inappropriate that might pop up.  If this becomes a problem, I might delete this entry.

Regardless, this was quite a trip.  Seeing the places where my father might have walked was quite an experience.

“The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him”

Hooah