Trip to Germany and Belgium (Bastogne)

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nyggis

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Dear friends!

I´m back in the Swedish hell-hole after a wonderful trip to Germany and Belgium with my girlfriend. We both have a history in the Swedish army, so we had similar goals with the journey. To see some traces of WW2.

Since Sweden chickened out and betrayed our neighbours Norway and especially Finnland, there is nothing to see in Sweden... So we took my Mercedes SLK 230, a small tent, a couple of US Army poncho liners to sleep in, and a positive mind set and headed south.

After a great time on the autobahn at around 90 - 120 mph (legally) we came to Hamburg, checked out a Flakturmbunker, a huge multistory concrete building with anti aircraft gun emplacements, and after some beer we went south...

In Bitburg we stayed at the old US Airbase in the old barracks that had been made into a hotel, saw some F16:s from Spangdahlem Airbase, saw the old German army cemetary where Reagan met Kohl, and then went to Bastogne in Belgium..

The great thing with this part of Europe is that the distances are really short. It was about an hour drive, and we had passed Luxembourg and was in Belgium.. In Sweden an hour drive takes you to the next city...

I guess all of you have seen Band of Brothers, or have at least read about the importance of Bastogne as an example of bravery. At the city square there is a knocked out Sherman tank with the scars of battle still visible. Close to the square is an army surplus shop. My girlfriend wanted to check it out... I´m a lucky man, I know...

Since I had my licences for my guns I was able to buy some authentic german 7.92x57 and 7.92x33 rounds. The store keeper tried to trick me to buy some Persian rounds first, but when he saw that I could read the markings he got the real stuff out, and even gave me a discount...

Then he gave us the directions to the village Foy, where the famous Easy company fought the German army during the winter of 44-45. Now there is a forest plantation trying to hide the scarred earth, but some old foxholes were still visible. We wandered the forest for hours in awe and respect of the history of the surroundings.

Dear Americans, take a trip to Europe this summer! In Bastogne you will be well treated, believe me...

/Erik
 
Thanks for the fine read.Hope to follow your path some day soon.
And yes,you are a lucky man!:)
 
When I was stationed at Florennes AB, Belgium in '88 with GLCM, we were still using some of the old German emplacements as part of our perimeter security. Florennes used to be a Luftwaffe base where they flew Me109's up to meet the Allied bombers coming across the channel. There was an Me109 on display at the Main Gate on the Belgian side of the base when I was there.

Got to visit Bastogne, Waterloo, but the place that gave me the best perspective was the little Catholic Chapel down on the Meuse in Hastiere. The tour guide pointed out the grooves on the stone steps where the locals had sharpened their arrows and swords while fending off Viking attacks in the 1100's. Guess Sweden has changed a little since then.
 
Guess Sweden has changed a little since then.
Click to expand...

Definately... To the worse... Sorry to say that. All that is needed is 60 years of Socialism, and all heroics and common sense leaves.. Sad actually...

And yes,you are a lucky man!
Click to expand...

I know! She´s the best there is. Out-shoots me with all my guns except my Swedish Mauser from 1919...
 
That's awesome. I hope to do something similar someday.

Swedene really did that? I never learned about that before. :/
 
Actually all of Normandie in France is a part of the Vikings conquered territory.. It was given to "us" to keep the rest of France in peace... Vikings from Norway were the first to visit America, and Swedish vikings went as far as to Constantinople in present day Turkey to do trade...
 
Spent 3 years in Wiesbaden, Germany as part of a LANCE missile battalion and got to tour around some but wish I had done more, especially on the World War 2 sites. However, I was stationed on an old German kaserne that still had the German eagle as cornerstones on the buildings closest to the front gate. The German civilian that was the caretaker of our local rifle range was fallschrimjaeger, made the jump into Crete. He could tell some stories.

I would give another military tour tip for Western Europe and it would be to see the old Roman empire locations and ruins. These are quite fascinating, especially the ones that have been part of professional archaeology digs with good documentation on the site.

Another recommendation on being well-received as an American would be The Netherlands.
 
Nyggis,

My father was in Bastogne in 1944, with the 101st Airborne. I would dearly love to travel back there with him (he's 82) so he can revisit his old battleground, but he can't get a passport! Born in the woods of Louisiana, no birth certificate, etc. It's just too much of a pain in the behind (for him, at least) to get the passport, so he's about given up.

Man, I'd love to visit Bastogne with him, just once.

I bought him a Garand a couple of years ago, like the one he carried over there. His one comment was, "You know, it wasn't this heavy when I was 19."

I envy your trip!
 
My father was in Bastogne in 1944, with the 101st Airborne. I would dearly love to travel back there with him (he's 82) so he can revisit his old battleground, but he can't get a passport! Born in the woods of Louisiana, no birth certificate, etc. It's just too much of a pain in the behind (for him, at least) to get the passport, so he's about given up.
Click to expand...

Microlon,I wouldn't give up on your Dad getting a passport.His military service background could perhaps overcome the birth certificate problem.
Why not check with the US Passport Agency at:
http://travel.state.gov/passport/passport_1738.html#

It would be wonderful if he could make this sentimental journey with you.
 
I am glad you had a good time. I loved Germany when I was there. I was there when the Iron curtain fell. I listened many times to any of the war veterans on both sides.
 
Microlon

I´m sorry to hear about your fathers situation, and I really hope it can be solved. I´m sure he would be treated with the highest respect by the local people. They haven´t forgotten what your father and his brothers did for them. I hope your father is in good health and soon will sit on a plane heading east!

PershingRiflesC-7

Thanks for the interesting read! Really nice when both sides can meet as friends and share stories. The German stories haven´t been given the same publicity after the war, so it must have been very interesting to hear.

You are so right about the Roman history. We also went to Köln (Cologne) and to Trier, both old Roman cities. I recommend a trip to the Roman-Germanic museum in Köln. Situated next to the Dom, its easy to find and very impressive!
 
...

...sweet,

i actually just live 2 minutes from the Bunker
in Hamburg, that you saw.....

91091059_fd5ec92a67.jpg

heiligengeistfeld_gef.jpg


...should have visited the indoor range, that´s in the city centre.
They got aaaall kinds of handguns and carbines!

Cheers from Hamburg,
Mp7.
 
Don't even try to tell us that you didn't take any pictures!!

You owe it to Easy Company's honor and memory to post some of them. (How's that for playing the guilt card?)

I just finished reading Brothers in Battle, Best of Friends, an account of Easy Company as recounted by Bill Guarnere and Babe Heffron. If you're a BoB fan, this is a must read.
 
The museum at Bastogne is a good one, with very good, easy to see displays.

We I left Bastogne to drive back up north, we took back roads to get a better idea of the countryside. It didn't take long before we came around a corner into a crossroads, which had a Panther (Panzer Mark V) still in the ditch. And this was only 20 years ago.

Bart Noir
 
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