WWII in the Ardennes - Day 1

[smallhobbit]

I've just been on a battlefield tour to visit the Ardennes in Belgium to learn about the Battle of the Bulge in December 1944 and January 1945.  The photos I am sharing over the next few days are a personal reflection and in memory of the ordinary soldiers who fought and died and the civilians who suffered.

Firstly the Henri-Chappelle American Cemetery:

   



From there we travelled to Hollerath, which is the area where the Battle of the Bulge started

   

We had beautiful sunshine, so it was hard to imagine what it was like at the time - cold, icy wind, and later snow.

A memorial to men who were killed at Malmedy - roses given by a Texas rose growers association.



We saw a large number of tanks - this is a Panther tank with The Daughter in front of it.

Comments

[stonepicnicking_okapi]

Great photos! I do like the forest!

[smallhobbit]

Thank you! The forest was amazing.

[adafrog]

Thanks.

[smallhobbit]

I'm glad you liked it.

[rusty_armour]

Wonderful photos! :-D It looks as if you had beautiful weather that day. Like stonepicnicking_okapi, I also like the pics of the forest, and that's a great photo of your daughter in front of the Panther tank.

It's rather touching that a Texan rose growers association donated flowers for the Malmedy memorial.

[smallhobbit]

Thank you very much. Yes, we had lovely weather that day - it was the best in the week, although the others were okay, not as warm and rather greyer. I think the roses at the Malmedy memorial will look beautiful once they are in bloom - we were too early.

[meridian_rose]

I'm sure these photos will be a great reminder of an important trip.

[smallhobbit]

Yes, they will be - great for looking back on - I'm still processing my thoughts.