Relive The Past Battle of the Bulge ­ Berdorf

Tour Info ● Starting Point: Parking Place at Camping Martbusch in Berdorf ● Transportation: Bike, Car or by Foot ● Duration: Depends on transportation. The total tour can take 3 hours by foot, 1.5 hours by Bike and an hour by Car! ● I highly suggest to rent a bike at camping Martbusch. Sometimes there’s a big distance in between historical spots and having a bike will allow you to get to every spot without having any parking issues. ● Ending Point: Parking Place at Camping Martbusch in Berdorf

★ Start of the Tour at Camping Martbusch & Introduction Welcome to the Berdorf Battlefield Tour! My name is Joey van Meesen and I will be your guide for today. In this tour I will show you different battlefield sites and explain what happened in the area of Berdorf during the winter of 1944­1945..

To put things in a bigger perspective I will have to tell you what was going on during that very cold winter. Most of us know that after D­Day on June 6th 1944, the allied forces fought their way up to Belgium, Luxembourg and some parts of Germany. The U.S. forces advanced so fast that these countries were already liberated in September! (Except for Germany)

On September 17, the allied forces launched a new operation called Operation Market Garden. Their goal was to capture the most important bridges leading from Belgium to a city called Arnhem in The Netherlands. With this operation the allied commanders hoped to end the war before Christmas. However, the plan failed and the allied front stalled. After the failure of Allied Operation Market Garden in the Netherlands, Hitler came up with a new plan to crush the allied th troops. This plan started on December 16 ​ 1944. The Germans launched one of the biggest ​ counter offensive in history known as the Battle of the Bulge. They attacked on a 150km wide front from Monchau to Echternach to crush the US forces and spearhead to the port of Antwerp.

Being close to Echternach and the border with Germany couldn’t prevent Berdorf from taking part in the Battle of the Bulge. The Germans crossed the Sauer river, the official border, in the morning of December 16th 1944. It wasn’t until February 18th that the U.S. 5th Infantry Division crossed the Sauer River back into Germany. In this specific tour we will be following two divisions that fought in the Berdorf Area. The first one being the 4th Infantry Division, who defended this area from December 16th till the arrival of the 5th Infantry Division on December 23rd. The 5th Division was part of the famous general Patton’s 3rd Army whose help was necessary to stop the German Advance.

The emblem in the top right is the one of the 4th Infantry Division and the red diamond shaped on the left is from the 5th Infantry Division. The 4th Infantry Division is known to be the first division to land on the Normandy Beaches on D­Day June 6th 1944. The 5th Infantry Division landed a month after the Normandy Invasion at Utah beach on July 9th. Both Divisions fought their way up north towards Belgium and Luxembourg. The 5th Infantry division then became famous of their fights at Metz. This was one of the longest and bloodiest battles for the division and lasted from September till November 1944.

★ Tour continues from here! From the camping site we make our way towards the centre. After 200m take the first road on your right. Continue until you’re at a crossroad overlooking the Church of Berdorf. Don’t cross the road! Instead, move to the right side of the road you just came from. On your right hand you’ll see a building project for a residential building.

Until 2013 there used to be a vacant hotel here called Parc Hotel. Interestingly, this hotel already existed during the war. Use Image 1, attached to the back of the file, to see what the ​ ​ hotel looked like in the 50’s and probably during the war. On Image 2 and 3 you see how the ​ ​ vacant hotel looked like in 2013. Image 2 is a picture of the front part in which you can definitely ​ ​ see the hotel changed over time. On Image 3 you can see the back of the hotel. ​ ​

On December 16th 1944 the Parc Hotel served as the headquarters for F Company, 12th Regiment, 4th Infantry Division. First Lieutenant Joseph E. Miller was in command here when ​ German troops of the 212th Volksgrenadier(Infantry) division marched down the fields that morning on the 16th. Miller got on the radio and called back his outlying gunners. They were vastly outnumbered, but they'd make a stand. Miller was probably standing in the back of the hotel, Image 3, watching the Germans marching down the field. ​ ​

On Map 1, back at the attachments, you can see the 4 outposts that were in connection with the ​ ​ Headquarters at Parc Hotel. Outpost 1 at the Posselt Farm consisted of 33 man and tried to ​ ​ return back to Berdorf when they got notice of the German advance. However the Germans were quick and surrounded the farm before Sergeant Ed Potts and his men could get away. They had to fight their way out which resulted in casualties on both sides. After roaming around the area for more than a day, Ed Potts and his men reached the U.S. lines on the road to Consdorf in the evening of December 17th. Outpost 2 at Birkelt Farm was manned by 24 men and served as an observation post overlooking the Sauer River to the east of Berdorf. Outpost 3 at Hamm Farm consisted of 4 Machinegun positions and a 60mm mortar position. It served as an observation post for the ledges north of Berdorf. Both outpost 2 and 3 were quickly surrounded and lost during the German advance. The men at Birkelt were able to keep the Germans off for a couple of days, but were then taken prisoner. The last outpost, nr 4., was at the Grundhof farm down in the Mullerthal area west of Berdorf and consisted of 8 man. According to our sources it’s unknown what happened to them. They might’ve gone back to Berdorf or they might’ve been captured. When you drive along the Grundhof farm nowadays, you can still see bullet damage in the walls of the buildings.

Miller and his men at the Headquarters back in Parc Hotel continued to defend it when the German forces arrived, they had to make a stand! Gunfire from the hotel pinned down the Germans who tried to pass through the town. The enemy used mortars and tank guns on the hotel which resulted in the roof getting blowed off. Miller and his men then moved downstairs.

December 16 was also army payday and so while holding off the Germans, a U.S. Army paymaster showed up and drove his jeep right into the Germans’ Arms. They captured him and marched him down the hotel. He had to make Miller and his men surrender. Miller, however, had other ideas. His men opened fire on the Germans and surprisingly killed all of them while the paymaster was unharmed.

The siege went on for four more days and defenders of Parc hotel ended up five miles behind the German lines. The US machine­gunners and sharpshooters kept the roads dangerous for the Germans. They laid a ring of empty bottles outside the hotel, which served as an early warning system for a possible nighttime assaults by the Germans. Whenever they’d hear noise, they’d open fire and throw grenades. Every morning there’d be dead German soldiers outside. Miller and his men were finally rescued on the fifth night when american armor punched through the lines at Berdorf to rescue the infantrymen.

★ Tour Continues. Before we start walking I’d like to say that all of the Outposts are actually still there! We will make our way Outpost 1 right now, but we’ll visit the others at the end of the tour. I wish I could show you the remains of Parc Hotel, I was really surprised to find out it was destroyed in 2013. If you walked around the original location of the hotel, make sure to get back to the crossroad we came from. If you’re facing the grass field across the road you should be able to see the Church of Berdorf. From the crossroad, follow the road signs to Echternach. You are now on your way to the Center of Berdorf. DON’T confuse this with Centre Maartbesch on the road sign. On your left hand there should be another grass field now. Continue down the center of Berdorf, but try to spot the farm that’s full of bullet damage. If you can’t spot it take a look at Image 2 in the Attachments. To see the farm yourself, continue to the Center of Berdorf. Go left on the crossroad and stop in front of the 4th house from the left. This should be a pink coloured house. On left side of the pink house there should be a farm with two small light blue doors. Walk right through the alley that divides the farm and the pink house. At the back of the farm you should be able to spot the bullet holes which I was talking about. This farm is a perfect example of World War 2 battlefield history. All across Europe you can still find buildings like this which shows you the impact the war had in even the tiniest places on earth. However, this farm is very rare as it’s fully intact and literally is full of bullet holes! Most buildings have a few impact locations, mostly spread all over the building. The fact that this farm is full of bullet holes suggests it could’ve been some sort of stronghold when the Germans tried to take the village on December 16th 1944. It’s definitely worth making a picture of this farm, you’re not going to find one like this again soon!

★ To continue the tour, walk back to the crossroads in the center of Berdorf. From here follow the road signs to Consdorf. After about 750 meters you will see a roadsign for ‘Heisbich’. We are going to head in the direction of Heisbich and we stop until there’s a grass field on our right hand.

According to Map 1 this whole field was the location where the Canon Company was located on ​ ​ December 16th. One of the soldiers who was with this company was Sergeant Urban T. Massuci. We’ve put a picture of him in the back at Image 4. Massuci clearly remembers the ​ ​ night of December 15­16 as he went to sleep in a two story building just outside Berdorf. Around 6AM he was already up for Guard Duty and observed heavy mortar shells dropping in the area. When the shellings came closer he warned the lieutenant who woke up everyone in the house. Shortly after, he could see Germans coming out of the woods about a hundred yards in front the house. Everyone started firing their M1 and carbines until a jeep arrived and the officer in charge told them to retreat. He would cover them with his mounted .50 cal machine gun.

Since the woods was about a 100 yards away, the location of the house must’ve been further down the road towards Heisbich. Since this is the location where Canon Company was positioned, Sergeant Urban T. Massuci must’ve been in this area when he saw the Germans appearing from the woods down the road.

★ We continue following the road towards Heisbich. Notice that the woods we’re nearing must’ve been the woods Sgt. Massuci was talking about. Heisbich itself is a very small collection of houses and farms including one hotel. When you pass the hotel, follow the road for another 200m until the road splits in two. Go left here and continue down the road for some 2300 meters. If you’re on foot, it will take you about 30 minutes until you reach the posselt farm.

Posselt farm is one of the Outposts which we were talking about. If you’d like you can reread the story of Sgt. Ed Potts and the 33 men who defended this farm on December 16th. If you have plenty of time I highly suggest for you to take look inside the woods near the Posselt farm. Try to spot some foxholes and mortar craters, I’ve been able to spot them myself! You should recognize them by an unnatural lowering in the ground.

From here the tour slowly switches to the 5th Infantry Division. After December 16th, the 4th Infantry Division set up a defensive line from Christnach in the west to Wolper in the East. From there the line continued east to Herborn up to Osweiler and Dickweiler. The 5th Infantry Division replaced the 4th Division from Christnach to Breidweiler to Consdorf to Wolper. Use Map 2 to ​ ​ follow the line from Christnach to Consdorf. The tour will continue from here in and we’ll make our way to Consdorf.

★ From the Posselt farm continue up the road until you reach a new set of farms. At the intersection you go right and we’ll move into the direction of Kalkesbach. Once you arrive in Kalkesbach you want to follow to signs pointing towards Consdorf. After about 800m you’ll find yourself at a crossroad. Go left in the direction of Consdorf. From here it’s 1400m until you reach a little intersection. There should be a sign pointing towards a Football Terain. Follow the sign and drive past the football terrain. After about 800m you’ll reach another 3­way section. Make sure to make a sharp turn and enter the road on your right hand. Follow the road for 200m and take the first right. You should be on Rue D’Osterholz right now. From here it’s straight ahead for 500m until you enter a forest. Move through the woods until you’re on the edge of the woods. From the tree line you’ll be able to see Osterholz Farm

th Just like most US divisions, the 5 ​ Infantry Division consisted of three infantry regiments, four ​ field artillery battalions, an engineer battalion, a medical battalion, a reconnaissance troop, a quartermaster company and some other small units. The most important were the infantry regiments, for them being on the front line most of the time. They were the soldiers that fought th nd th directly against the Germans. The three infantry regiments of the 5 ​ Divisions were the 2 ,​ 10 th ​ ​ ​ and 11 ​ Infantry Regiment. ​

rd On December 23 ​ the 5th Infantry Division relieved the 4th Infantry Division in the area between ​ Echternach and Christnach. The 2nd Infantry Regiment was then located at Consdorf and Breitweiler. As you can see on the map, Consdorf was the assembly area for the 2nd Regiment. On Christmas Eve, December 2th, they jumped off into combat. Their objective was the village ​ of Berdorf. Located on top of a hill overlooking the Sauer river with Bollendorf on the otherside and Echternach in the East, made it a key­position for troops.

As you can see on Map3, the 2nd Battalion of the 2nd Regiment jumped off at Breidweiler. Their ​ ​ task was to take Mullerthal and move up to take the highground south of Berdorf. The Germans ​ wouldn’t just give this away, and so Company F and G fought with heavy resistance for more than 8 hours just to gain 200 yards. The fight became a manhunt, rifleman against rifleman, stalking one another in crevices, on cliffs, from tree to tree. The quarry, skillfully hidden, had the best of it. Company F ran against a strong­point on a cliff and was the loser in a fire fight. Company G lost direction several times in the maze of cross corridors, but at every point drew sharp fire. Company E met less resistance and by nightfall they had taken Osterholz. Hereby releasing pressure for Companies F and G which set up for the attack on Doster Farm the next day. Osterholz was liberated once again by the Allied troops! It had already been liberated in September and the Osterholz farm served as a gun position of the 3rd Field Artillery Battalion. You can see them at Image 5,6 and 7 ​

★ We continue our route north past the Osterholz Farm. At the first crossroad you go straight ahead until the road splits in two again. Take the left road until you’re at a farm. This right here is Doster Farm.

Company F & G that were first struggling in the Mullerthal gorge prepared for an attack against Doster farm once they got to the highground to the west of the farm. Supported by tanks from the 735th Tank Battalion, they were able to take the farm. One tank, however, got destroyed by an Anti­Tunk gun which was placed in the woods to the north of Doster Farm. The other tanks easily spotted the canon and destroyed it. Now the infantry could use full force against the farm and push on to within a thousand yards of Berdorf

On Image 8 you’ll see an aerial picture of the Mullerthal area taken by a German ​ ​ Reconnaissance Airplane. The wooded hill in the bottom right was the take off location for F & G company. From here they had to work their way up through the sledges and rocky area to the North. In the top right you can see Doster Farm located near the Laangebesch woods.

★ From Doster Farm we head back in the direction of Osterholz. As soon as the road splits again make a LEFT turn instead a right turn. If you’re going back to Osterholz, you took the wrong road! If you took the left road, you’ll arrive at a crossroad after about 900m. This is the same crossroad we stopped earlier. Head back in the direction of Kalkesbach until you reach to intersection the middle of the village.

Back in 1944 Kalkesbach was also a small collection of Farms.During the Battle of the Bulge it didn’t play a big role, but taken by 3rd Battalion on December 25th, Christmas Day. Back in September 1944, a M7 Priest tank was camouflaged near one of the farms here in Kalkesbach. You can see the tank on Image 9. Can you find out the original location? The M7 Priest was an ​ ​ American Self­Propelled Artillery Vehicle using a 105mm self propelled­gun. It was also loaded with .50 caliber M2 Browning heavy machine gun.

★ From the intersection look for a sign saying Heisbich. You want to follow the sign and follow the road for about 600m until you reach to tree lines.

If you weren’t able to spot the foxholes back at Posselt farm. You can enter the woods on your left. Near the edge of the woods facing towards Kalkesbach you should be able to find a couple of them. They probably belonged to the 2nd Infantry Regiment of the 5th Division who moved through these woods on December 26th.

★ After you’ve finished exploring the woods we’re going to head up the road to Heisbich. After about 350m stop at the intersection.

Now make sure to check Map 4 and notice the marked tree line. Your location is on the map as ​ ​ well and if you’ve followed the route, The tree line should be on your left side.

After the 2nd Regiment of the 5th Division captured the Doster Farm we visited earlier, they moved through the woods that are marked on Map 4. One of the soldiers that was with the 2nd ​ ​ Regiment was Private Bilder from G company. Eugene Brinkman was a good friend of him back when the division was stationed in Iceland. On December 26th, Sergeant Brinkman and private Bilder were standing at the edge of a forest. Their position is located at the Red Diamond on Map 4. According to Bilder, Brinkman had just received news that his father had died and ​ received an emergency honorable dischrage from the army to go home and support his mother. Brinkman was only son which meant he was responsible for financial support.

The following passage comes from Bilder’s Personal Account: “Brinkman obviously had mixed emotions. He was sorry to lose his father, but still ecstatic at the thought of going back to the States. Everyone was glad for him” He then describes about the patrol Brinkman was leading: “We had to move from one patch of woods to another, crossing a large open area with some small houses between the two sections of woods.” (On Map 4 you ​ can see the red shaped Diamond which points out the location of Bilder and the rest of the Patrol) “The separation was not complete, however, since a large cluster of trees off to a far ​ side connected the two wooded areas.” (The light blue rectangle is the large cluster) “The ​ ​ normal military procedure was to hug the tree line for cover and go around the long way for safety’s sake Brinkman must have been preoccupied, for he proceeded to lead us right across the open ground!” (Instead of following the red line down along the tree line, Brinkman ​ walked straight towards Heisbich. The Yellow arrow points out his move. “A German ​ machine gun in the first house ahead of us opened up and hit him in both legs. He went down but was still very much alive. We yelled him to stay put as we put fire on the enemy gun. Brinkman in a state of panic began to use his arms to drag himself toward us as quickly as he could. The German on the machine gun spotted him moving and fired a line of bullets that raced across the ground and over the trunk of his body, killing him instantly.”

★ Tour continues from here. We move forward through the little village of Heisbich. Again we pass the hotel, this time on our right hand. We continue to follow the road for 700m until we’re at the intersection. Then after 450m you want to enter the first road on your right. We stop here at the monument. Check Picture 10 to make sure you’re at the right monument. This monument is dedicated to the 10th Armored Division which also fought in the area of Berdorf and Echternach. Just like the 5th Division, the 10th Armored Division had to rush to the frontline in Luxembourg. Just when the offensive started, on December 16th, the Division was taking part in a training program about 30km east of Thionville. In less than a day they were rushed to Luxembourg city and take up defensive positions in the outskirts of the capital. On December 17th, the division had received instructions to destroy enemy focal points in the Echternach area. Therefore, elements of the 10th Armored Division supported the 4th Infantry Division in defending the area at Consdorf, Berdorf, Echternach and Osweiler. Especially in the Mullerthal area. they had to prevent the Germans from penetrating further into the American lines. After the arrival of the 5th Division, tanks of the 10th Armored Division supported them in taking Berdorf.

★ We return to the road and go back the same way as we came to head into the center of Berdorf. The next stop is one of the outposts held by F Company during the first day of the German advance on December 16th. Once you pass the church in the center of Berdorf you make sure to follow to signs to Echternach. After about 500m you will find yourself at an intersection that has a sign saying ‘Birkelt’ and ‘Hammhaff’. Follow this sign and go right at the next crossroad after about 100m. Then after about 750 the road splits in two. Make sure to take the road on your right. You will then soon find yourseld driving in a small draw covered by some trees. Make sure to keep driving for another 700m until you’re at a crossroad. There should be one road going straight to the forest ahead of you and one road to the right to a farm.

This farm right here is the Birkelt Farm which we talked about earlier!! Birkelt Farm was Outpost no.2 of F Company on December 16th just when the offensive started. It was an observation post that overlooked Weilerbach and the Sauer valley Northeast of Berdorf. Now, not only did this farm play a role at the beginning of the Battle of the Bulge, it also played a role when the 5th Infantry Division tried drive the remaining German troops out of Berdorf. At Birkelt farm there was only a small rear guard detachment. However, when the 3rd Battalion of the 2nd Regiment, 5th Division arrived, that small detachment set up a real fight in both the farmhouses and the woods.

★ From the crossroad at Birkelt farm we head back in the direction of Berdorf. In less than 100m you will find a road to the right. Enter the road and continue for another 1.8km until you find a barn on your right and a small lake in the upper right corner behind the crossroad.

This right here is Hamm Farm, also known as Outpost No.3 that was held by 4 Machine Gunners and a 60mm Mortar Crew on December 16th. It was also one of the first outposts to fall into German hands. Ten days later, on December 26th Colonel Roffe, Commander of the 2nd Regiment, decided to use the 1st Battalion to capture the final regimental objective. The 1st Battalion had been in reserve since they arrived in Luxembourg so the Hamm Farm and the woods near would be their first task. They marched in column toward Berdorf and expected to pass through the 2nd Battalion.However, instead of passing through, they found them in a bitter fight while the surrounding area was filled with shellfire. When the 1st Battalion tried to sideslip to the west it ran into a group of Germans on its left flank. Before they knew it they encountered very heavy artillery fire and C Company alone lost thirty­two men while deploying to attack. It wasn’t until the morning of December 27th that the final collapse of Berdorf allowed the 1st Battalion to reach the woods at Hamm Farm and made the capture of it possible.

If you’d like to spot some foxholes or dugouts, make sure to enter the woods and move to the treeline that’s facing towards Berdorf. These positions were probably used by the Germans trying to defend their position when the 1st Battalion arrived.

The 2nd Infantry Regiment, 5th Infantry Division completed their objective and would soon take up positions South of Diekirch. The rest of the division followed not much later. At Diekirch the Division would prepare to cross the Sauer River and penetrate further into the German lines in Luxembourg. Around February they would move back to the woods overlooking the Sauer River here at Berdorf. After days of patrolling the division crossed the Sauer river for the second time, but this time head into Germany.

★ End of the tour! Go left on the crossroads. This should mean that there’s a forest on your left and a small lake on your right. Go straight ahead on the next crossroads and go right on the second crossroad. After about 700m we arrive back at Camping Martbusch.

Thank you all for taking the tour! I really hope you were able to relive the past today and learn something new about World War 2 or the Battle of the Bulge. Big thanks to Roland Gaul, owner and curator of the National Military Museum in Diekirch, for allowing me to use pictures of their collection. If you’re interested in seeing more about the Battle of the Bulge or the 4th and 5th Infantry Division, make sure to visit the National Militarty Museum at Diekirch. They have a huge collection and very interesting items that will take you back in time and relive the past as well! Besides that there’s the General Patton Museum in Ettelbrück which is also worth visiting. They have an amazing collection of relics that have been found here in the area of the Battle of the Bulge. If you have plenty of time, there’s two other spots I will point on the next page, but only of you want to. My name was Joey van Meesen, your guide for today. Make sure to visit my website for more tours and information: http://www.joedemadio.com and if you’d like a ​ ​ personalized tour by yours truly, send an email to [email protected] ​

Thanks again,

Salute, Lest We Forget.

Extra Sites

★ If you’ve some extra time left to visit some places then go ahead! Move to the center of Diekirch and from here follow the road signs to Echternach. When you move out of the residential area it won’t take you long until you arrive in a draw with ledges and a ravine. Continue down to road until you see a sign saying ‘Perekopp’. Make sure to park your car or bike in the curve up ahead.

This right here is Perekopp. Take a look at Picture 11 and you’ll see medics of the 11th Infantry ​ ​ Regiment, 5th Division at their First Aid Station. If you haven’t noticed already, they are standing on the same spot as you are, Perekopp. If you’d like you can make yourself a Then & Now ​ picture to show to family members or friends back home. This picture was probably taken in February when the 5th Division took up their positions overlooking the Sauer river.

★ From here move down the road in the direction of Echternach. Look out for the Bel­Air Hotel along the way.

During the war, this hotel serves as a German Military Hospital. Then prior to the bulge, when this area was in hands of the Americans, it served as an American Military Hospital. When the Battle of the Bulge started, the hospital was evacuated quickly!

★ Move further down the road. As soon as you’re all the way down at the main road next to the Sauer river, move in the direction of Diekirch for 2.1km until you arrive in Weilerbach. Park your car or bike next to the Sauer river and move to the bridge that crosses the river. On the left side of the bridge you will find a monument shaped in a Diamond.

This monument is dedicated to the 5th Infantry Division that crossed the Sauer river here on February 7th 1945. If you don’t know what the monument looks like, take a look at Picture 12. ​

When you cross the Bridge you’ll be able to see a German Bunker that’s been called of the so­called Westwall. The German Westwall is a line of fortifications, bunkers and pillboxes that were built to protect Germany from any invaders in the west. This line stretched more than 630km and consisted of more than 1800 bunkers, tunnels and tank traps. The line starts at the German Village of Kleve and ends at the town of Weil am Rhein near the border with Switzerland. At the end of the Battle of the Bulge these bunkers helped the Germans in defending their country, however it did not prevent the U.S. Troops from breaking through the German lines. Together with the 5th Infantry Division, many other division crossed the border into Germany and push the Germans back as much as possible until the end of the war.

On Picture 13 you can see a photo taken from the Bunker on the other side overlooking the old ​ ​ railroad bridge. Weilerbach used to be a stop for the local train service.

If you move back to the monument of the 5th Division Monument and from there walk a little bit in the direction of Diekirch, you should come across the OrangeHof Hotel on your left side. During the war Emil Hansen used to live in a little farm behind the hotel and he experienced the war as a young teenager here in Weilerbach.In October 1944, Emil and his friends watched as German soldier put ammunition and grenades in concealed spots on the Luxembourg side of the river. Both American G.I.s and German Soldiers were frequent visitors to the Hansen Farm during this time of the war. Like an unspoken agreement, the Germans would visit the farm by day and the American G.I.s by night.According to Emil it was a “Matter of Survival”, so they to be friendly to both. However, he clearly favored the American G.I.s because of their chocolate and gum. One day Emil retrieved one of the ammunition caches and threw it in the river in order to help his favorite soldiers! His parents were horrified when they found out, because the consequences would be severe if the Germans found out too! So instead of throwing it in the river, Emil and his friends decided to hide the caches in a secluded spot in his Garden. Over time the caches were forgotten and no one found out, until the OranjeHof hotel was renovated in the 1960s and one of the bulldozers stumbled upon a grenade hanging on its blade.

‘Several American officers who crossed the Sauer at Weilerbach returned to visit the Hansens after ​ the war. As they stood at the former site of the unstable swinging bridge, several began to cry. The officers had been ordered to get the maximum number of troops across the river into Germany under direct fire, regardless of casualties. They were not to attempt evacuation of the casualties, knowing the wounded would tumble into the river under the pounding feet of their comrades. “They had to give the order to leave them” , explained Emil with a sad nod. Six hundred Americans drowned at the Weilerbach crossing.‘ The spring after the Bulge when the swollen river went down, personal effects of these men hung on the bushes and trees along the river. Emil's father sadly brought them home, wristwatch after wristwatch, as "he couldn't stand to just leave them there." The riverbed still holds most of the helmets, rifles, ammo, and personal effects of these 600 men. ­ Source: http://www.ww2onyourown.com

German Veteran Joachim Rozniak from the 212th Volksgrenadier Division remembers: “Here’s where I ran for my life.”

This is the very end of the Tour. Thanks you again if you visited these spots as well. May their story never be forgotten.

Image 1 Attachments

Image 2 Source: Google Maps ​

Image 3 Source: Google Maps ​

Image 4 Source: http://www.battleofthebulgememories.be ​

Image 5 MNHM Diekirch/coll. Fred Karen ​

Image 6 MNHM Diekirch/coll. Fred Karen ​

Image 7 MNHM Diekirch/coll. Fred Karen ​

Image 8 Hugh M. Cole, The Ardennes: Battle of the Bulge, Washington DC 1965, 502. ​

Image 9 MNHM Diekirch/coll. Fred Karen ​

Picture 10 Source: http://en.tracesofwar.com ​

Picture 11 MNHM Diekirch/coll. Roland GAUL ​

Picture 12 Collection Joey van Meesen ­ Joedemadio.com ​

Picture 13 Source: http://www.ww2onyourown.com/ ​

Map 1 MNHM Diekirch/coll. Fred Karen ​

Map 2 Source: http://tourisme.geoportail.lu/ ​ ​ ​

Map 3 Second Infantry Regiment, Fifth Infantry Division, United States, Army ​

Map 4 Source: Google Maps ​ ​