Walking in the footsteps of Easy Company

Wed/Thurs - January 3-4

"Band of Brothers," the historical account of the men of Easy Company, Second Battalion, 506th Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division is a famous HBO Mini-series based on the book by Stephen Ambrose of the same name.  The book and show follow a company of American Paratroopers from their advanced training in Georgia through to the end of the war.  The unit was highly decorated and participated in many significant battles in western Europe, including jumping into France before the Normandy invasion; the failed Operation Market Garden campaign in The Netherlands, liberating a concentration camp and capturing Hitler's "Eagles Nest."  But the true fame of this unit was gained during the Battle of the Bulge in Belgium between December 18, 1944 and January 13, 1945.

Our time in Belgium is right smack in the middle of where the battles took place 78 years ago and there are reminders all around us.  Many buildings still show pock marks from bullets and shrapnel.  We have visited the village of Foy (about 6km from our home) and walked the town that Easy company recaptured to break the back of the German encirclement of Bastogne.  We also stopped at the Jacques Woods, where for nearly two weeks Easy Company braved sub-zero temperatures with little food, ammunition or winter clothes when undergoing regular artillery shelling from the Germans.

A farmhouse in Foy with battle scars still evident

Donovan stands beside memorial at the edge of Jacque's
Woods. The memorial lists the 14 members of Easy Co.
killed during the battle. 
Another 68 in the company were wounded.

  

We spent an afternoon at the Bastogne War Museum just north of town.  The museum is excellent and tells the story of the battle through the eyes of four individuals:  a 13 year old Belgian boy whose father was executed when a radio was found in a nearby home; a young school teacher, recruited by the Belgian Resistance to bicycle coded messages through enemy lines; a German infantry lieutenant and a US Army Corporal from the 101st Airborne.  All four were real-life individuals and eventually came together for a couple of days in the cellar of a café in Bastogne during a German bombing attack (the German had been captured and was being taken to HQ by the US soldier).

Memorial erected on the grounds of the Bastogne War 

Museum.  The names of all 48 states are inscribed.

The museum provides headphones and narrations are triggered throughout the exhibit based on your proximity.  There are also three theaters where short movies are shown.  The museum provides a complete overview of World War II, but focuses on the events taking place in and around Bastogne.  Some in our group whom have been to other similar museums in places such as Normandy said this was the best WWII museum they had seen.

On Thursday, we drove south to Luxemburg City and visited the US Military Cemetery.  Here, thousands of US soldiers have their final resting place as they paid the ultimate price to help liberate the people of Belgium, Luxemburg and The Netherlands.

My attempt at a panorama view of the American Military Cemetery at Luxemburg.