Bastogne, Belgium. For those of you who slept through history class, maybe you remember this area as where the Battle of the Bulge happened. If you still are fuzzy, think of the show "Band of Brothers". Yup, some history here.
There are a ton of things to see here, but I only had a limited time, so I saw three museums, plus wandered around some other areas outside. You can see all the pics in the album link above
www.101airbornemuseumbastogne.com
This museum had many displays of artifacts from both sides. Some were regular day to day stuff, such as rations, some were home made weapons, some were various gear carried by those in battle.
There were displays set up to look like real events with mannequins looking rather realistic. In some cases there were even photos showing certain events. Some were a bit graphic. In the basement there was a, well, basement room set up to look like what a civilian or soldier might hide in during an areal bombardment. This was complete with sound, vibration and motion. A bit disconcerting. If you have been in battle you might want to skip this.
If you saw the show "The Band of Brothers", you saw the 101st 
.30 Caliber, M1919 Browning machine gun I believe. The first Machine Gun I ever fired. 
Along with all the needed tools 
Airborne Beer. Unfortunately I was on the bike and could not sample a bottle in the Cafeteria of the next museum. 
In Belgium, beer is supposed to be drunk from the "proper" glass or mug. Each beer has it's own. Airborne Beer needs to be drunk from a helmet. That is a ceramic helmet there. You can buy those too. 
And the story about how Airborne Beer was born. 
This is what they had to wear when they parachuted in. That is a lot of heavy gear. 
Some kind of Grenade Launcher I think. I have never seen one of these. Maybe one of my expert readers can identify it. 
www.bastognewarmuseum.be/en/home-en/
The Bastogne War Museum traces the events of WWII through interactive displays and reconstructions. Normally I skip movies in museums, but here you have to walk through them in most cases. They were worth the time. Some showed you the history and how the war advanced in about a clear a story as I have ever seen. Some showed what civilian life was like. You get headphones that tell you a story from the perspective of civilians and soldiers. I stayed for every movie.
The displays were fantastic. I didn't take a lot of photos. It just wasn't that kind of place or those kinds of displays.
There was an art exhibit outside the musuem. 
Outside the Bastogne Museum is the star-shaped Mardasson Memorial honors the U.S. soldiers who fought in that battle.
Unfortunately it was undergoing some maintenance. This is the 75th Anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge so all summer there was plenty going on. Now that the tourists are gone, many of the places are able to get the work done that they could not do over the summer. 
www.bulge1944.com/bastogne-barracks
I read about this museum and thought I would go there. It was the headquarters for the 101st Airborne Division during the Battle of the Bulge, it is also a Vehicle Rehabilitation center. A lot happened here, and still does.
The only problem was that it is only available through a tour a 2pm. I expected to be long gone by then, as I had a place to stay that was at least 4 hours away. Plus, I had hoped to be finished visiting the other museums by noon.
Well, I spent more time at the other museums than planned, so thought a quick tour would be worth it. It was inexpensive, and I would see where history took place.
The tour starts with some movies that were pretty good and informative. Then the tour operator says that the tour will last at least two and a half hours....... I quickly let my Air BnB host know I was going to be there pretty late.
There were displays of all kinds, some realistic, some were just shelves of things that were part of a soldiers normal every day life.
It's been 75 years. So long ago, yet, not so much. This is a part of history that needs to be remembered. To be taught, in schools so we never forget. 
Have you got your Foster Grants? 
Obligatory Motorcycle Photo 
Unfortunately I did not get a photo of the information sign, but I believe this is a German StG 44 rifle (Sturmgewehr 44) was invented by Hugo Schmeisser and first used by German troops in 1944. Hugo Scmeisser was captured and enslaved by the Russians, so this was most likely the inspiration for the Russian AK47 rifle and possibly based on it. 
The German letter to the Americans, demanding surrender. 
The story goes that when General Anthony McAuliffe, who almost never swore, read the demand for surrender, he crumpled the letter up, threw it to the ground, yelled NUTS! and stormed out of the room to think.
The staff was all wondering how to respond, and when the General came back and asked if anyone had any suggestions, someone said that his first reaction was perfect. So, the letter went out just like that.
The American's Response, NUTS!. Capitalized, and underlined. 
Yes, this is the exact room where that happened. This display is based on a photograph along with people who were there. There is no lack of history in these buildings. 
Nuts on the cot. 
The NUTS! story in excessive detail - www.army.mil/article/92856/the_story_of_the_nuts_reply
Remember Vincent Speranza? He was the guy who poured beer in his helmet for his buddies in the hospital. So, basically the inventor of Airborne Beer. He Visited the museum a while back. 
It's the stories and the history that really make this place special. There was an entire room dedicated to those who fought here who came for a visit. Lots of stories there.
There was one story that seemed really interesting. Some may have heard the story of the Angel of Bastogne. There is a plaque to her on one of the buildings in town. Renée Lemaire was a Belgian nurse who volunteered her service at an American military aid station during the Siege of Bastogne. She comforted and cared for the wounded and was remembered by many. She died when a bomb struck the building she was in.
As great as this woman's story is, Renee is not the angel that I found most interesting.
The story I liked was the story about the Forgotten Angel of Bastogne. Augusta Chiwy was also a Belgian nurse who served as a volunteer during the siege of Bastogne. Augusta did not just comfort the wounded, she assisted the surgeon in terrible operations under terrible conditions. She accompanied the doctor into dangerous situations. She went above and beyond to help the wounded. She was forgotten. That is, until Martin King heard of the story. You can see the documentary on Amazon Prime. Search for Searching for Augusta: The Forgotten Angel of Bastogne by Director Mike Edwards
The Trailer for the Documentary
A short You Tube Video about the search
Augusta Chiwy in her own words, it's in French, but sub titles.
Unfortunately the vehicle rehabilitation center was closed, so we could not see them working on the tanks and things. But there was a large building with many different kinds. I only took a few pics, as I think I may have enough photos of tanks in other posts. What do you think?
