Joël Stoppels Battlefield Tours

Joël Stoppels Battlefield Tours De tours zijn geschikt voor alle leeftijden. Visiting battlefields from any conflict is both a fascinating and moving experience.
(1)

Battlefield Tours is gespecialiseerd in het geven van rondleidingen over de bevrijding van Nederland en Europa in de Tweede Wereldoorlog en neemt u mee naar de meest indrukwekkende locaties! Soldiers who fought those wars left behind a legacy; their name on a war memorial, an experience passed down to the family or a faded photograph in a frame. How do we understand the significance of that legacy

and how do we understand what the battlefields mean to us now? These are all questions we regularly ask on Battlefield Tours and they are at the heart of what we do: myself and my team of Specialist Battlefield Guides of The International Guild of Battlefield Guides are there to help you decipher that legacy, and understand a past that touched us all; whether it relates to the sandy beaches of Normandy or the concrete walls that once surrounded Berlin.

This then and now photo was taken at the Stationsstraat in Zetten in January 1945. On January 20, 1945 the 2nd South Wal...
23/01/2025

This then and now photo was taken at the Stationsstraat in Zetten in January 1945. On January 20, 1945 the 2nd South Wales and the 2nd Essex regiment, 49th (Polar Bears) Infantry Division got the order to recapture the whole town of Zetten in the Netherlands, they were supported by two troops of Canadian tanks of the 1st Hussars. The battle was fought in blinding snow and bitter cold, and several cases of frost bite were reported. During the battle the Polar Bears suffered 220 casualties, but they took 300 prisoners and accounted for another 300 killed or wounded.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel 👉 https://bit.ly/3FHXpCN
Follow us on Instagram 👉 https://www.instagram.com/joelstoppels/

The month January 1945 was particularly rough. Thirty centimeters of frozen snow covered the Ardennes and at some times ...
22/01/2025

The month January 1945 was particularly rough. Thirty centimeters of frozen snow covered the Ardennes and at some times a temperature of about 18 degrees below zero was recorded, even during the Sauer River crossing by the US 5th Infantry Division on January 18, 1945. This photo shows private Charles Preston of the 5th US Infantry Division. He removes the snow from his water-cooled Browning 1917 AL machine gun. Its cooling mantle was filled with anti-freeze liquid.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel 👉 https://bit.ly/3FHXpCN
Follow us on Instagram 👉 https://www.instagram.com/joelstoppels/

On 18th January 1945, British soldier Dennis Donnini of the Royal Scots Fusiliers found himself in the thick of firefigh...
22/01/2025

On 18th January 1945, British soldier Dennis Donnini of the Royal Scots Fusiliers found himself in the thick of firefight for control of the little village of Stein, during Operation Blackcock on the border between the Netherlands and Germany. Atrocious weather conditions had ensured that there was almost no tank or artillery support, and so the infantry carried on alone.

When the advance stalled, Dennis led a fresh charge covering thirty yards of open ground under heavy fire, and clearing a farmhouse of the enemy, before returning to rescue a wounded comrade. Though wounded, himself, he refused to leave the fight and continued to man his Bren gun until an incoming round exploded one of the grenades that he was carrying in his belt.

At just 19 years and 2 months, he was one of the youngest recipient of the Victoria Cross, in the Second World War, and his citation recalled "the dash, determination, and magnificent courage of Fusilier Donnini (which) enabled his companions to overcome an entrenched enemy twice their own strength."

Subscribe to our YouTube channel 👉 https://bit.ly/3FHXpCN
Follow us on Instagram 👉 https://www.instagram.com/joelstoppels/

In the course of January 19, 1945, the German village of Höngen is finally captured after heavy fighting by units of the...
21/01/2025

In the course of January 19, 1945, the German village of Höngen is finally captured after heavy fighting by units of the 52nd (Lowland) Infantry Division and the road to Heinsberg is open. In the afternoon of January 18, a Scottish battalion with the support of Sherman tanks of the Dragoon Guards of the British 8th Armoured Brigade starts its advance towards Koningsbosch. Not as planned via the crossing at Pey (see previous post), but via the peaty area between Pey and Koningsbosch. Due to the poor road conditions, several tanks got stuck in the mud and at least three Sherman tanks were knocked out by enemy fire. Late in the evening two companies reach the woods on the edge of Koningsbosch. Hampered by heavy snowfall, they immediately seek shelter in the forest.

What the Scots do not know is that just a few hundred yards away, a few hundred German soldiers are taking cover in shelters and wooden bunkers. After a Scottish patrol is captured, the Germans hastily evacuate their positions in the woods. At dawn on January 19, the rest of the Scottish battalion finally arrives. During the heavy snowfall, the attack on the German village is launched. Despite the deployment of German Tiger tanks and Sturmgeschütze, the attack proceeds well. In the night of 19 to 20 January contact was made between the battalion located in Koningsbosch and an advanced battalion that had meanwhile reached the village from the south via Höngen.

📸 Picture: A staged photo of British soldiers of the 2nd Battalion The Devonshire Regiment, clearing the town of Echt (Netherlands) of Germans left behind to harass the advance north during operation Blackcock. © IWM B 13756

Source: Battle for the Roer Triangle by H.G.P. Gootzen K. Connor.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel 👉 https://bit.ly/3FHXpCN
Follow us on Instagram 👉 https://www.instagram.com/joelstoppels/

In the Ardennes, GI’s subsisted on pre-packaged ‘C’ and ‘K’ ration packs. However, the most prized items were chocolate ...
20/01/2025

In the Ardennes, GI’s subsisted on pre-packaged ‘C’ and ‘K’ ration packs. However, the most prized items were chocolate bars. By 1945 Hershey estimated they had produced and distributed over three billion ration bars. This high-energy, heat-resistant, four-ounce chocolate bar intended to provide a soldier with 600 calories, a third of the minimum recommended daily requirement. The German soldiers often relied on captured US rations and one German prisoner claimed in his interrogation that 80 per cent of his unit’s food came from liberated American stocks.

Source: Snow & Steel, Peter Caddick-Adams

Follow us on instagram for more pictures and stories 👉 https://www.instagram.com/joelstoppels/

During operation Blackcock, the 5th Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards cleared the Dutch village of Echt on January 18, 1...
20/01/2025

During operation Blackcock, the 5th Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards cleared the Dutch village of Echt on January 18, 1945 after heavy street fighting. From Echt, the British advanced further to the northeast and east in the direction of Roermond and Waldfeucht, threatening to cut off the German troops at Susteren. Simultaneously with this action, the British launched another attack against Susteren. After this, the German resistance quickly collapsed.

In the evening of January 18, 1945, the damaged village of Susteren was liberated and the beleaguered B-company of the Queens Regiment led by Major John Evans was relieved from their perilous position. Of the approximately 130 soldiers of this company who had launched the attack on Susteren on 17 January, 39 were wounded or killed and 29 were taken prisoner. Major Evans was the only officer of the company that survived, but he lost his left arm in the fighting.

Source: Battle for the Roer Triangle by H.G.P. Gootzen K. Connor.

📸 Picture: British soldiers of the 2nd Battalion The Devonshire Regiment, clearing the town of Echt of Germans left behind to harass the advance North. IWM B 13755.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel 👉 https://bit.ly/3FHXpCN
Follow us on Instagram 👉 https://www.instagram.com/joelstoppels/

On Tuesday January 16, 1945, the 87th Infantry Division was removed from the front line on the far left flank of General...
19/01/2025

On Tuesday January 16, 1945, the 87th Infantry Division was removed from the front line on the far left flank of General Middleton VIII Corps. Major General Cullens and his division had completed the task west of Bastogne at the cost of more than 1100 casualties. Tuesday was also a relatively quiet day for the 17th Airborne Division on Cullin's right flank. Major General Miley's paratroopers had an astonishing 2,480 casualties after the bitter fighting.

The survivors were only too happy to make contact with the Scots of the 51st Infantry Division coming from where the salient's nose had been. But even on Tuesday, the 101st Airborne Division still had to fight for the villages north of Noville. Not until the afternoon did reports of the capture of Houffalize come through. Even better news was that the 11th Armored Division would come to relieve the paratroopers of the 101st Airborne Division the next day.

📸 Picture: Driving a W***y Jeep through a thick layer of snow and bitter cold was a real challenge for the American soldiers during the Battle of the Bulge.

Follow us on instagram for more pictures and stories 👉 https://www.instagram.com/joelstoppels/

In the early morning hours of January 18, 1945, General Patton ordered two crossings of the Sauer river: the 2nd Infantr...
19/01/2025

In the early morning hours of January 18, 1945, General Patton ordered two crossings of the Sauer river: the 2nd Infantry Regiment between Ingeldorf and Diekirch and the 10th Infantry Regiment near Bettendorf. This operation was intended to cut the German troops off and drive them back to their initial lines and across the Our river. It was bitter cold and snow in the terrain was knee-deep. Numerous American soldiers suffered from trenchfoot and frostbite. It was a pitch-black night when the soldiers without artillery preparation were hand-carrying the wooden assault boats draped in white linen through knee-deep snow to the banks of the Sure river. Just before daybreak, they attempted a first crossing covered by an artificial smoke screen.

In Bettendorf, the first attempt was not detected by the enemy and soon, the troops of the 10th Infantry Regiment began to clear the village and to push on towards the north. In Ingeldorf however, the 2nd Infantry Regiment found itself exposed to strong and precise machine gun and mortar fire and wasn’t able to cross the Sauer without taking heavy losses. Several boats were hit and did subsequently sink, letting their occupants drown in the icy water. An assault bridge was destroyed twice by German mortar and artillery fire, but a third attempt carried out by the engineers was finally successful. The river crossing had been costly and bloody, but it had given the Americans a new initiative in the southern part of the ‘Bulge’. On January 19, 1945 a bridgehead had thus been formed, and the 5th Infantry Division began its push towards the north of Luxembourg.

Source: The Battle of the Bulge in Luxembourg: The Southern Flank, Roland Gaul (Order this book here 👉https://amzn.to/35PPfZK)

📸 Picture: The biggest diorama of the MNHM - Musée National d'Histoire Militaire depicts the night time crossing of the Sauer river by the American 5th Infantry Division on January 1, 1945 to liberate the city of Diekirch. I took this photo of this impressive diorama in 2019.

Follow us on instagram for more pictures and stories 👉 https://www.instagram.com/joelstoppels/

The 7th Armored Division "The Desert Rats" started their attack during Operation Blackcock towards Echt on January 17, 1...
19/01/2025

The 7th Armored Division "The Desert Rats" started their attack during Operation Blackcock towards Echt on January 17, 1945. But on the Rijksweg they soon had to deal with a series of German counter-attacks that stalled the advance. It is late in the afternoon when the first British soldiers and tanks reach Echt via the road along the Juliana Canal. Fierce house-to-house fighting immediately ensues in Echt that lasts all night. It wasn't until January 18 that Echt was completely cleared by the 5th Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards.

Meanwhile, in the night of 17 to 18 January, a unit with British tanks moved through Echt to the intersection of the Rijksweg near Pey. The Germans try to block the way to Koningsbosch and the area behind the German lines along the Saefeller creek. The plan to attack the German units from the rear near the German village of Höngen fails. The German units manage to prolong the fighting around the crossing until January 19. On that morning, when the first British units entered the village of Pey via the Rijksweg from Susteren, the German units of the 176th Infantry Division under the command of General Landau quickly retreated.

📸 Picture: British Churchill tanks and troops of the 9th Durham Light Infantry in Schilberg, January 20, 1945. © IWM B 13933.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel 👉 https://bit.ly/3FHXpCN
Follow us on Instagram 👉 https://bit.ly/3tLU8A9

At the beginning of January 1945, British units of the XII Corps, led by Lieutenant-General Neil Ritchie, are concentrat...
18/01/2025

At the beginning of January 1945, British units of the XII Corps, led by Lieutenant-General Neil Ritchie, are concentrated at the front for Operation Blackcock. The purpose of this operation was to clear the so-called Roer Triangle, formed by the towns of Roermond, Sittard and Heinsberg (Germany) on the border of the Netherlands and Germany, between the Maas and the Roer rivers.

Before the attack, the tank regiments of the 7th Armored Division formed a long column on the Rijksweg in Sittard. This road was more or less the gateway to the Roer Triangle as it was the only road suitable for moving heavy vehicles. This photo shows how Cromwell tanks of the 5th Royal Tank Regiment drive through Sittard towards the front on 15 January 1945.

Follow us on instagram for more pictures and stories 👉 https://www.instagram.com/joelstoppels/

In the early hours of Monday, January 15, 1945, the hundred American soldiers of the 327th Glider Infantry Regiment in B...
17/01/2025

In the early hours of Monday, January 15, 1945, the hundred American soldiers of the 327th Glider Infantry Regiment in Bois Jacques listened with disbelief to their new orders. Troops of the 502nd Parachute Infantry Regiment had just reached them after being trapped in the woods for two days. They had hidden in abandoned German trenches to escape the worst of the shelling and lived on raw potatoes left by the Germans. The soldiers now received extra ammunition and k rations so that the attack could be carried out at dawn. The soldiers started the attack on the Germans screaming like Comanche Indians.

Meanwhile, the Führer-Begleit-Brigade launched an attack against Oubourcy when a gap threatened to open in the main line near the village east of the N 15. The 603rd Tank Destroyer Battalion was sent when the Germans positioned themselves on a ridge north of Arloncourt, blocking any progress. But in the course of the day it became clear that the Germans were withdrawing from the N 15. West of the main road units of the 17th Airborne Division and the 11th Armored Division launched an attack on Compogne, a junction of secondary roads just above Noville. During the clearing of the village, the Americans captured more than 400 Germans. The Germans are on the run, " wrote General Patton in his diary.

Source: Those Who Hold Bastogne, Peter Schrijvers

📸 Picture: Medics of the First Battalion, 194th Glider Infantry Regiment, 17th Airborne Division, work on the leg of a calf near Chanogne. 14 January 1945. Then picture: Erwin Verholen.

On 16 January 1945, with the battle in de Ardennes almost won, Field Marshal Montgomery withdrew the 30e Corps from the ...
17/01/2025

On 16 January 1945, with the battle in de Ardennes almost won, Field Marshal Montgomery withdrew the 30e Corps from the Ardennes and sent them back to the Netherlands to prepare for the long-planned offensive into Germany and the crossing of the Rhine. This offensive was also known as Operation Veritable and was to be carried out on February 8, 1945. This was for the British and Canadian troops the largest operation since Normandy.

Follow us on instagram for more pictures and stories 👉 https://www.instagram.com/joelstoppels

On January 13, 1945, the fatal crossing at Baugnez-Malmédy was recaptured by the Americans. On the morning of January 14...
16/01/2025

On January 13, 1945, the fatal crossing at Baugnez-Malmédy was recaptured by the Americans. On the morning of January 14, American engineers began using mine detectors to investigate whether the ss-Panzergrenadiers had applied b***y traps to the bodies of the eighty-four American prisoners of war shot on December 17, 1944 by members of the Kampfgruppe Peiper.

After this, the grave registration teams and the doctors got to work. That was very difficult work, because the bodies were under at least half a meter of snow. Most had several injuries, including bullet wounds to the forehead, sleep or back of the head. Evidence was gathered before a tribunal for war crimes, and eventually the US Military Tribunal in Dachau convicted 73 former members of the Kampfgruppe Peiper.

📸 Picture: National Archives and Records Administration (NAID) 532956.

Follow us on instagram for more pictures and stories 👉 https://www.instagram.com/joelstoppels/

On January 11, 1944, Col. H. Howard was the leader of a group of P-51 Fighters providing support for the heavy bombers o...
16/01/2025

On January 11, 1944, Col. H. Howard was the leader of a group of P-51 Fighters providing support for the heavy bombers of the 401st Bomb Group on a long-range mission over Oschersleben in Germany. As Col. Howard's group met the bombers in the target area the bomber force was attacked by numerous Luftwaffe fighters. Col. Howard, with his group, at once engaged the enemy and himself destroyed a German ME. 110. As a result of this attack Col. Howard lost contact with his group, and at once returned to the level of the bomber formation. He then saw that the bombers were being heavily attacked by German airplanes and that no other friendly fighters were at hand. While Col. Howard could have waited to attempt to assemble his group before engaging the enemy, he chose instead to attack single-handed a formation of more than 30 German fighter planes.

With utter disregard for his own safety he immediately pressed home determined attacks for some 30 minutes, during which time he destroyed 3 German fighters and probably destroyed and damaged others. Toward the end of this engagement three of his guns went out of action and his fuel supply was becoming dangerously low. Despite these handicaps and the almost insuperable odds against him, Col. Howard continued his aggressive action in an attempt to protect the bombers from the numerous fighters. The leader of the bomber formation later reported, "For sheer determination and guts, it was the greatest exhibition I've ever seen. It was a case of one lone American against what seemed to be the entire Luftwaffe. He was all over the wing, across and around it. They can't give that boy a big enough award." In June 1944, Col. Howard was presented the Medal of Honor by General Carl Spaatz for his brave actions on January 11, 1944.

Source: Citation Medal of Honor Col. H. Howard, Roar of the Tiger. New York, James H. Howard (1991): ISBN 978-0-517-57323-5.

📸 Picture: Lt. Col. Jim Howard boards a 353rd Fighter Squadron P-51B prior to the Ninth Air Force Group’s mission from Boxted, England, on January 20, 1944. This Mustang was soon lost to air action over Germany on April 8. (Photo courtesy of Stan Piet)

Follow us on instagram for more pictures and stories 👉 https://www.instagram.com/joelstoppels/

Then and now picture of a knocked out German medium tank (Panzerkampfwagen IV) in front of the Church of Foy, January 19...
15/01/2025

Then and now picture of a knocked out German medium tank (Panzerkampfwagen IV) in front of the Church of Foy, January 1945. The hamlet of Foy was situated between the US-frontline and German troops to the north, closer to Noville. For several weeks it was in no-man’s land, being alternately occupied by each side. Some men estimate that the small town changed hands at least seven times.

A number of sizable German groups were ambushed and captured in the fields nearby, mostly by paratroopers of the 506th Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division. This tiny village was the scene of some armored battles and was hit by P-47 fighter-bomber attacks several times. In all, eight houses in Foy were completely destroyed although only one civilian was killed.

Source: The 101st Airborne Division, From Holland to Hitler’s Eagle’s Nest by Mark Bando.

Follow us on instagram for more pictures and stories 👉 https://www.instagram.com/joelstoppels/

Sitting for hours without moving in your observation post, the cold air makes you intolerably drowsy. Now and then you g...
15/01/2025

Sitting for hours without moving in your observation post, the cold air makes you intolerably drowsy. Now and then you go to sleep, which disturbs you greatly, for you have been around long enough to realize fully how vulnerable you are up here even when you are awake and alert - completely isolated, alone, and devoid of all infantry protection. Once it is quite dark when you wake up, and for a brief moment you have to fight down panic when you try to stand up and remove yourself in haste from what has become a cold, dark tomb and find it impossible to walk, let alone walk quickly. With all your instincts tuned to flight, your muscles and joints are too stiff with cold to function. Mentally coaching yourself, you thresh your arms back and forth across your chest as strenuously as possible. Shortly you become mobile enough to stumble, trip, and slide down the dark snowy trail to light and warmth and human companionship - not to mention scalding hot tea laced with rum.

George G. Blackburn. Forward Observation Officer, Royal Canadian Artillery, January 1945.

📸 Picture: Canadian infantrymen of the Régiment de la Chaudière, who are wearing British winter camouflage clothing, on patrol near Berg en Dal. Netherlands, January 24, 1945

Follow us on instagram for more pictures and stories 👉 https://www.instagram.com/joelstoppels/

On the morning of Saturday, January 13, 1945, the front line west of Bastogne suddenly moved quickly as the Germans hast...
15/01/2025

On the morning of Saturday, January 13, 1945, the front line west of Bastogne suddenly moved quickly as the Germans hastily retreated further to the N15. The 87th Infantry Division met very little resistance and even almost made contact with the British 6th Airborne Division, which had entered the salient from the west. The 17th Airborne Division now also easily captured Dead Man's Ridge along the main road to Marche.

However closer to the road N15 to the north to Houffalize, the German resistance became more and more fanatic. On the right flank at Longchamps, the Germans launched violent counter-attacks on Combat Command A of the 11th Armored Division. An engineer battalion was sent to the Bois de Nom de Falize to clear a minefield covered by a thick layer of snow. The heavy fighting for Bois de Nom de Falize resulted in 100 American and 150 German casualties.

📸 Picture: Two German prisoners being brought in under guard by men of the 63rd Armored Infantry Battalion, 11th Armored Division near Longchamps, 13 january 1945.

Follow us on instagram for more pictures and stories 👉 https://www.instagram.com/joelstoppels/

‘I had no winter clothing, just long underwear, a woolen shirt and pants, my field jacket and a thin woolen overcoat. Ov...
15/01/2025

‘I had no winter clothing, just long underwear, a woolen shirt and pants, my field jacket and a thin woolen overcoat. Overcoats were a thing of the past for most of my buddies, who had thrown theirs away when they gotten covered with mud, as they were really heavy to wear when wet. We were freezing cold. After running around all day, we kinda got separated and a bunch of us holed up in this forest. It was dark, we could hear gunfire all around, but we were too tired to mount guard and just collapsed on the ground, somehow I fell asleep, my head on a log. It froze overnight. A gun cracked and I je**ed awake so quickly I left a whole patch of my hair frozen to the wood. I was too scared to care.

Hubert ‘Bill’ Cavins, Company E, 109th Infantry Regiment. Source: Snow & Steel, Peter Caddick-Adams.

📸 Picture: Cpl. Thomas O'Brien from Company L, 101st Infantry Regiment (26th Infantry Division) eats a cold ration from his mess-kit during a lull in Tarchamps. On 25 January 1945, two weeks after this photo was taken, Cpl. Thomas O'Brien was killed by a German sniper while he was guarding a crossroad outside the city of Clervaux in Luxembourg. Source: The Battle of the Bulge - Harlange & Wiltz 1944/45

Adres

Calvijnstraat 4
Groningen
9746BE

Openingstijden

Maandag 09:00 - 05:00
Dinsdag 09:00 - 05:00
Woensdag 09:00 - 17:00
Donderdag 09:00 - 05:00
Vrijdag 09:00 - 05:00

Telefoon

+31502803684

Website

Meldingen

Wees de eerste die het weet en laat ons u een e-mail sturen wanneer Joël Stoppels Battlefield Tours nieuws en promoties plaatst. Uw e-mailadres wordt niet voor andere doeleinden gebruikt en u kunt zich op elk gewenst moment afmelden.

Contact

Stuur een bericht naar Joël Stoppels Battlefield Tours:

Video's

On December 25th, 1944, a B-24 crashed in the meadows of La Fosse, Belgium. The crash was witnessed by 6-year-old Victor Yansenne. #ww2 #ww2history #b24 @bobs_battle_of_the_bulge_tours

Operation Bodenplatte
Operation Bodenplatte

80 years ago, on 1st January 1945, it was not a happy New Year’s Day for the Allied Air Forces on the continent of Europe or for the German Luftwaffe. That morning the Luftwaffe launched its planned Unternehmen Bodenplatte (Operation Baseplate), a surprise, low-level, mass air attack by some 850 fighters and fighter-bombers – against 17 Allied airfields in Belgium, the Netherlands, and France.

Christmas mail - Canadian Army Newsreel
Christmas mail - Canadian Army Newsreel

Canadian soldiers of the 1st Canadian Army receive their Christmas mail in December 1944. Subscribe to our YouTube channel for more videos! 👉https://www.youtube.com/user/battlefieldtoursgr Follow us on Instagram for more videos and stories! 👉 https://www.instagram.com/joelstoppels

🕯️✨Last year, I captured this heartfelt tradition —on Christmas Eve in the Netherlands, lights illuminate war graves. A touching tribute to those who gave their last Christmas for our freedom. 🇳🇱🎄 #christmastraditions #christmaseve #christmas #ww2 #wargraves #wargravescommission

On Christmas Day 1944, one of the most important events of the Battle of the Bulge unfolded at Trou du Loup. This critical engagement marked a turning point in the German offensive. #battleofthebulge80 #battleofthebulge #ww2 #christmas1944

Located in the heart of Bastogne, the 101st Airborne Museum is renowned as one of the finest World War II museums. It tells the story of the US 101st Airborne Division during the Battle of the Bulge. Housed in a historic building, the museum offers a unique experience with impressive dioramas! #battleofthebulge80th #battleofthebulge #101stairbornedivision #bastogne

Together with guide and researcher Bob Konings, we visited Parker’s Crossroads, officially known as Baraque de Fraiture. Located at one of the highest points in the Ardennes, this site witnessed fierce fighting during the Battle of the Bulge. Under the command of Major Arthur Parker, US troops bravely resisted the German forces, despite suffering heavy losses. #battleofthebulge80 #battleofthebulge #ww2 #manhay #december1944

Last weekend, we visited the Manhay Ardennes History Remember 44 event. We had the opportunity to speak with a German re-enactor who highlighted the importance of remembering these events. #battleofthebulge80 #battleofthebulge #manhay #reenactment

Last weekend, we had the privilege of speaking with Chris Langlois, whose grandfather, Eugene “Doc” Roe, served as a medic in Easy Company, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne during WWII – the legendary ‘Band of Brothers.’ #battleofthebulge80 #ww2 #101stairbornedivision #bandofbrothers #battleofthebulge @docroepublishing

This week, we commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge. GM “Choc” Charleston, a former tank driver in the 739th Tank Battalion, shared his memories of the intense cold during the fierce battles. #battleofthebulge80 #battleofthebulge #ww2 #bastogne

Today, we spoke with Michal Barszczewski from the Polish re-enactment group GRH Grenadiere about the re-enactment event in Manhay, commemorating the 80th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge. #battleofthebulge80 #battleofthebulge #manhay

Today, we had the privilege of visiting the Manhay History 44 Museum with guide and researcher @bob_konings . #battleofthebulge80 #battleofthebulge #ww2 #manhay

Snelkoppelingen

Delen

Type

Our Story

Visiting World War 2 battlefields around Europe is a fascinating and moving experience. Soldiers who fought the war left behind a legacy; their name on a war memorial, an experience is passed down to the family or a faded photograph in a frame. How do we understand the significance of that legacy and how do we understand what the battlefields mean to us now? These are all questions we regularly ask on Battlefield Tours and they are at the heart of what we do: myself and the team of Battlefield Guides of The International Guild of Battlefield Guides are there to help you decipher that legacy, and understand a past that touched us all; whether it relates to the sandy beaches of Normandy or the concrete walls that once surrounded Berlin. Battlefield Tours tells you the story behind the liberation of Europe.