Week 163-164: Battle the Bulge sites in Belgium + Luxembourg

On our final trip of the year, we explored Belgium and Luxembourg, for the 79th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge (well a week early). This journey held deep personal significance for Eric and me, as both of us had family members—Eric's great uncle Ellery and my grandfather—who served in the Battle of the Bulge in World War II.

There aren’t many war stories shared in our families. However, over the last two weeks, we have been researching extensively. Talking with relatives, examining maps and timelines, and even finding stories hidden in deep crannies on the internet about the divisions and companies these two men were a part of.

My grandfather belonged to the 84th Division, 333rd Infantry, F Company, known as the "Railsplitters," (The Germans called them “the Hatchet Men.”) while Ellery served as a 1st Lieutenant paratrooper in the infamous 101st Airborne Division. We learned the first time Ellery ever rode in an airplane, he jumped out of it. This made us laugh.

While I never got to meet my grandfather, and these two men most likely never crossed paths, to be in the places where they likely stood, made us feel a stronger connection to them. This week’s video and blog are in a way, a tribute to them, and the other 500,000 American Soldiers who courageously held the jagged, bulging line, even though they were surrounded by enemies in below-freezing temps.

Here are a few action photos from their divisions. While divisions are made up of 1000s of soldiers, and they probably were not present in these photos, it is their divisions and I thought these painted a picture of what things looked like while they were there.

Friday, December 8

After multiple weather-related plane delays, we arrived in Luxembourg.

As we left the airport and drove to the opposite side of the tarmac, we arrived at our first stop–The Luxembourg American Cemetery. Upon entering the gate, we found a memorial chapel, an engraved quote by Eisenhower about the sacrifice of military service members, and stone maps that displayed the battle movements of the entire WWII operation as well as movements directly related to the Battle of the Bulge.

Luxembourg American Cemetery
Hours: 9 AM - 5 PM
Price: Free
Address: 50 Val du Scheid, 2517 Hamm Luxembourg
Click here for more information

The Luxembourg American Cemetery pays tribute to the brave soldiers who fought and sacrificed their lives during World War II. It’s also where we learned Patton died in a car accident in Germany. This was shocking to us. To make it through the entire war only to be killed in a car accident...

*General Patton’s grave at the Luxembourg American Cemetery*

The cemetery is the final resting place for thousands of American soldiers who lost their lives during World War II during the Battle of the Bulge. As we walked through the meticulously maintained rows of white crosses and Stars of David, one stood out the most. This is where General Patton is laid to rest. The city of Luxembourg served as headquarters for General George S. Patton's U.S. Third Army.

*Eric walking through the Luxembourg American Cemetery*

We would occasionally come across a white cross with a Christmas wreath or an American flag. Other times we would see rocks placed on Stars of David stones. This is a symbol of respect and remembrance.

As the closing hours of the cemetery grew closer, the American flags were pulled from the flagpoles, properly folded, and placed inside the chapel. Then without any warning, ‘Taps’ began to play while the few visitors and security guards that remained stood in complete silence. If you ever get to go to this cemetery, make sure to stick around until closing time.

After leaving the cemetery, we drove across the border to Bastogne, Belgium. Our hotel, Hotel Leo Station is located in McAuliffe Square.

The square is named after General Anthony McAuliffe, the leader of the Allied troops who defended Bastogne in 1944. Not only will you find a stone bust of the general here, but a Sherman tank that was damaged in the battle is also located at the edge of the square.

Saturday, December 9

We began our day of history overload in Bastogne, a focal point of the war, as well as a critical town in the HBO series, Band of Brothers.

9:00 AM - General Patton monument

South of McAuliffe Square, in a large parking lot, stands an even larger stone monument engraved with a portrait of General Patton with an American flag to the left and a Belgian flag to the right of the monument.

General Patton Monument
Hours: 24/7
Price: Free
Address: Place du Général Patton, 6600 Bastogne, Belgium

9:30 AM - The Bastogne War Museum

This museum is a tribute to the events of the Battle of the Bulge during World War II. The museum brings technology and historical artifacts to life transporting visitors back to the winter of 1944. With various displays, life-sized dioramas, and personal stories, the museum unveils the experiences of soldiers and civilians caught in the middle of war.

This 40-day, Battle of the Bulge was a pivotal victory helping to end the war. The Battle of the Bulge was one of the largest and bloodiest battles fought by the United States during World War II.

Bastogne War Museum
Hours: 9:30 AM - 6 PM (Closed Monday)
Price: €22/Adult
Address: Colline du Mardasson 5, 6600 Bastogne, Belgium
Click here for more information

*Inside the Bastogne War Museum - This is the gun Eric’s uncle Ellery would have used*

12:30 PM - Sergeant D. "Shifty" Powers bullet remnants

Along the outskirts of Bastogne is a town called Foy.

On January 13, 1945, Foy was captured by the 2nd Battalion, 506 Regiment, 101 Airborne Division. During the fighting in the village, Easy Company suffered losses caused by a sniper who fired from the upper window. This shooter was eliminated by Sergeant D. "Shifty" Powers.

Today, this sleepy country town looks much the same as it did during the war. People hid in the cellars of their homes during the battle. The building where a sniper shot from a high window still stands, bullet holes and all.

Sergeant D. "Shifty" Powers' bullet remnants
Hours: 24/7
Price: Free
Address: Foy 152, 6600 Bastogne, Belgium

12:45 PM - Recogne-Bastogne German Military Cemetery

This cemetery contains the graves of 6,807 German soldiers from WWII.

Recogne-Bastogne German Military Cemetery
Hours: 8 AM - 5 PM
Price: Free
Address: Recogne 27, 6600 Bastogne, Belgium

*Recogne-Bastogne German Military Cemetery*

1:45 PM - Marche-en-Famenne

We left Bastogne and entered Marche-en-Famenne, the town where the 84th division command post was stationed. The Railsplitters were heavily involved in the fighting throughout the Ardennes. Perhaps one of the biggest accomplishments was stopping Marche from being taken during the Battle of the Bulge.

On the evening of December 20, 1944, men of the 334th regiment knocked on the door of this house because they were looking for accommodation, after being relieved from the combat zone on the German border. On the 50th anniversary, a mural was painted on the side of the house to commemorate the kindness between the Belgians and Americans.

The 84th Infantry Division Mural
Hours: 24/7
Price: Free
Address: Chaussée de l'Ourthe 31, Marche en Famenne

2:00 PM - 84th division plaque in Marche

Just around the roundabout from the brick painting, there is a plaque reminding locals that the town of Marche-en-Famenne was never reoccupied, thanks to General Alexandre Bolling and the courage of the men of the 84th Division.

The 84th Infantry Division Plaque
Hours: 24/7
Price: Free
Address: Rue du Commerce, 17, 6900 Marche-en-Famenne

3:30 PM - The Siegfried Line (West Wall)

The Siegfried Line was a German-made, 400-mile defense line of fortifications, bunkers, barbed wire, and tank traps that Hitler ordered to be built in the 1930s.

Numerous pieces of the Siegfried Line remain as they were, including thousands of pyramid-shaped tank traps made of concrete and steel, now softened by moss and vegetation but still capable of stopping any motorized vehicle in its tracks. These pyramids are also known as ‘dragon’s teeth’.

The Siegfried Line (West Wall)
Hours: 24/7
Price: Free
Address: Schleidener Str. 440, 52076 Aachen, Germany

*Dragon teeth of the Siegfried Line (West Wall)*

6:00 PM - Durbuy Christmas market

After a big day of history and driving, we stopped in a town called Durbuy to check out their Christmas market.

Durbuy Christmas Market
Dates: 24 November - 07 January 2024
Price: Parking and food prices vary
Address: Rue des Récollectines 7, 6940 Durbuy, Belgium
Click here for more information

Durbuy is a town located in the Wallonia region, a French-speaking community in Belgium. Durbuy is self-proclaimed as the "smallest town in the world" due to its small size and historical charm.

While it isn’t the smallest town (we have been to the smallest town–it’s Hum in Croatia), it might be one of the cutest. We both agreed this market was one of the best and most charming town markets we had been to. I was so excited to eat all the Belgian waffles and chocolate, and they did not disappoint!

Sunday, December 10

9:30 AM - Bois Jacques Foxholes

The only way to enter the gate is to scan the ticket that you will receive from the Bastogne War Museum. We arrived at the Bois Jacques, or Jack’s Woods, right when they opened on a Sunday after it had been raining the day before. This meant we had the whole place to ourselves for about an hour!

The Bois Jacques Foxholes
Hours: 9:30 AM - 6 PM
Price: Admission ticket included a war museum ticket
Address: Le Bois Jacques, 6600 Bastogne

The 101st Airborne Division occupied the woods during the cold winter of 1944, and thanks to the series “Band of Brothers,” the Bois Jacques has become an essential place of tourism in Bastogne.

*The Bois Jacques Foxholes in the Ardennes*

79 years ago, these trees would have been covered in snow, and the ground would be harder than rock. Today, visitors can go back to those same foxholes where the weight of untold stories of sacrifice and valor will remain forever.

Eric’s great uncle Ellery was in the 101st and would have been in these woods. We may have even stood in the fox hole he sought shelter in.

Weeks of heavy snow and rain made the Battle of Bulge about as bad as it could be–for both sides. Soldiers weathered the intense cold despite a lack of winter clothes, food, ammunition, and medical supplies, and held off the increasingly desperate German assaults until the weather started to clear on Christmas Day of 1944 when the airforce could bring in more supplies.

People who visit leave crosses made of sticks to remember the brave men who fought in these woods. Sticks were placed along fences and atop tree stumps.

11:00 AM - Peace Woods

Peace Woods is a six-acre memorial site with over 4,000 trees of different kinds, planted with the shape of the UNICEF logo, the mother and child, a symbol of human tenderness, which can be seen from the sky. If the weather had cooperated a bit better, we could have flown the drown above the site to capture the full scale of this site.

Peace Woods
Hours: 24/7
Price: Free
Address: 6600 Bastogne, Belgium
Click here for more information

The Peace Wood’s purpose is to be a living memorial not just of WWII, but a peaceful message that is relevant every day.

2:30 PM - 101st Airborne Museum

This museum is located in a former Belgian Army officers’ mess and it’s packed with memorabilia from the 101st, spanning three floors. The window scenes of the war are life-sized and transport you to the Bastogne of the 1940s. In the basement, visitors can sit in a bunker to experience what a bombing raid would look, sound, and feel like.

101st Airborne Museum
Hours: 10 AM - 5 PM (Closed Monday and Tuesday)
Price: €12/Adult
Address: Avenue de la Gare 13 -6600, Bastogne, Belgium
Click here for more information

2:30 PM - The Bastogne Barracks

Our final visit in Belgium was to the Barracks.

Bastogne Barracks
Hours: 10 AM - 4 PM (Closed Monday and Tuesday)
Price: €11/Adult
Address: Rue de La-Roche 40, 6600 Bastogne, Belgium
Click here for more information

The site offers large exhibition halls displaying Second World War equipment and vehicles.

*The Bastogne Barracks - A room of military vehicles*

Before arriving at the airport to head back to Austria, we made one last stop in Luxembourg. There was another monument dedicated to General Patton and the Third Army for liberating Ettelbruck, Luxembourg.

General Patton Monument
Hours: 24/4
Price: Free
Address: 102, Avenue J.-F. Kennedy, L-9147 Erpeldange-sur-Sûre
Click here for more information

If you’re a history buff and wish to visit more WWII sites, check out this website. It is a trail connecting WWII remembrance sites and stories across Europe. We are lucky to have been able to see many of them since moving abroad!

Week 163-164: Battle the Bulge sites in Belgium + Luxembourg

Week 165-166: Christmas and skiing in Austria

Week 162: Gmunden Christmas Market