Program 2017
Thursday Sept. 28, 2017
Today we will make tours into the Hurtgen Forest to visit some special sites like the Kall-Trail, Hill 400, Siegfried line, memorial sites, etc.
Friday Sept. 29, 2017 11 am Beginning of the 3rd annual “Meeting of the sons, daughters and grandchildren of the American and German Veterans of the Battle of the Hurtgen Forest at Hotel “Zur Post” in Düren.
Presentation of the Program and Timeline Introduce of the participants.
1.00 pm Lunch
2.00 pm Lecture 1 - Powerpoint presenation
4.00 pm Coffee break
4.30 pm Lecture 2 – Powerpoint presentation
7.00 pm Dinner at night
Cozy ending of the evening
Saturday, September 30, 2017
Bus excursion into the Hurtgen Forest
9.00 am Departure from the hotel at Düren to Heimbach / Hurtgen Forest
10,00 am Guided tour through the hydroelectric power plant at Heimbach below the Roer River dams. This power plant was captured by US troops in February 1945 only a few hours after the Germans had blown up the valves of the Roer river dams. The hydroelectric power plant was put into operation in 1905.
Power Plant today as a museum Power plant February 1945
12:30 am Lunch at the “Mariawald Abbey”
You have the choise to taste the famous pea-soup. This is the delicacy of the restaurant there. The Abbey was used as a Field hospital during the Battle of the Hurtgen Forest. A few minutes by foot is a German WWII cemetery. The soldiers which are buried here died in the Abbey during 1944/45.
German cemetery nearby the Mariawald Abbey Mariawald Abbey with church
2.00 pm Cruise on the Roer Dams Departure from Schwammenaul on a ship to Woffelsbach/Rurberg
Roer River dams The “White Fleet” on the lake. 3.00 pm Coffeebreak at Woffelsbach/Rurberg
3.30 mp Visiting the Soviet WWII cemetery and memorial at Rurberg. Burial site of more than 2.322 WWII deads. Most of them were Displaced Persons, POWs and slave workers who died between 1941 and 1945 in the Aachen-Düren-Monschau region Memorial Service with wreath laying.
Soviet memorial and cemetery at Rurberg
4.30 pm Museum Hurtgenwald in Vossenack (Hürtgenwald 1944 und im Frieden) Website: www.museum-huertgenwald.de
Exhibition at the Museum at Vossenack
6.00 pm Visiting the German WWII cemetery at Vossenack and the memorial of the 116. Panzer- Division (Greyhound). At the cemetery at Vossenack you will find the burial site of Fieldmarschall Walter Model.
116. Panzer Division (Greyhound) memorial Vossenack cemetery
7.00 pm Dinner at night at Düren and cozy sit in.
Sunday, October 1, 2017
Bus excursion to explore the Souther Shoulder of the Battle of the Bulge
8.30 am Departure from the Hotel at Düren
Our aim for today is to explore the southern shoulder of the Battle of the Bulge. Our tour guides for today are Doug Mitchell and Carl Wouters. Both are experts about the history different German and American units who Fought in this area during the Battle of the Bulge in Dec. 1944 and January 1945. 106th Infantry Division, 28th Infantry Division and 99th Infantry Division, and supporting units. Special sites we are going to visit are the Battle sites at:
St. Vith Memorial St. Vith Memorial
Dragon Teeth at Grosskampenberg Plaque at the Dragon Teeth
Private Monument Pillbox Siegfried Line
Memorial at Vielsalm Parkers crossroads
Altarpiece with bullet holes Schwarzer Mann (Black Man)
Wereth Eleven – Memorial Wereth Eleven Memorial
Our River near Steinebrück Siegfried Line and a creek
Monday, October 2, 2017
Today we will explore the northern and northwestern part of the Huertgen Forest With stops at Schevenhütte, Hamich, Hill 232, Frenzerburg Castle, Merode, Merode Castle, Gürzenich, Jüngersdorf and Langerwehe
Laufenburg Castle Düren St. Mary´s Church
Modern Coal Mine near Lucherberg German Cemetery in the Hurtgen
Trenches in the Hurtgen Forest Memorial Site
Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2017
10.30 am Inauguration of the memorial plaque of the 26th Infantry of the 1st Infantry Division at Merode.
Merode was a debacle for the 26th Infantry and their attached units. The American forces were encircled by German paratroopers and after a counterattack the complete 2nd Battalion and two platoons of tank and tank destroyers were lost.
1.30 pm Inauguration of the memorial plaque dedicated to the 284th Combat Engineer Battalion next to the Roer River Bridge at Winden / Kreuzau
Our Team
Albert Trostorf (Chairman)
Maren Esser (Assistant)
Rainer Monnartz (Tour Guide and Consultant)
Pastor Sheila Trostorf (Pastor and Interpreter)
Sebastian Zipper (Cashier and Finance)
Maurits Huijbprechtse (Associated member and researcher) Recommended Hotels at Düren
Hotel Jägerhof www.jaegerhof-dueren.de
Room rates starts by € 66,00 single bedroom or € 90,00 for double bedroom Inclusive breakfast and taxes
Düren ´s Posthotel www.posthotel-dueren.de
Room rates starts by € 62,00 single bedroom or 90,00 for double bedroom Inclusive breakfast and taxes
Hotel Mariaweiler Hof www.mariaweilerhof.de
Hotel Rotes Einhorn www.neu.rotes-einhorn.de
Room rates are: € 50,00 single bed, € 75,00 double bed, € 90,00 3-bed room Inclusive breakfast and taxes
Hotel Arnoldusklause www.hotel-arnoldusklause.de
Room rates are: € 57,50 single bed, € 75,00 double bed incl. breakfast and taxes
Stadthotel Düren www.mein-domizil-hotel.de
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