Luxembourg and it's connections to our US military (cycle, bridge, vacation)

[k7baixo]

I'm a vet and when on vacation, I always try to take in a little history. We just returned from a visit to the Benelux region of Europe with stops in Amsterdam, Luxembourg and Brussels. Upon landing, we relied strictly on trams, trains and buses.

Luxembourg was of particular interest due to the American Military Cemetery. Gen George Patton is buried there and the grounds are truly impressive. There are several from the "Band Of Brothers" buried there also.

We also took a bus north to the town of Diekirch - normally, we'd travel by train but it was the weekend and they were doing maintenance on the tracks. Not a big deal - we enjoyed a little bit of April snow on the way there. lol

In Diekirch is a museum every American should visit if they're in the area, the Musee National d'Histoire Militaire. Luxembourg has been liberated twice by Americans and while the focus of the museum is majority WWII, there was enough history on WWI to tell me that the Americans wore out their welcome by staying as an occupying force for a bit too long. lol

The museum has several dozen lifesize dioramas based on photographs and input from those who were there. One picture showed a photograph taken during the war of a machine gun nest and several American soldiers were identified.

One of those identified responded to a request from the museum for more information and provided it to them. That letter is also on display. One of those on the crew, now passed, had relatives who visited the museum and with the assistance of a local, knowledgeable expert, was able to locate the actual location where the photo was taken based on various battle reports filed by the Army.

I google the service member's name and found several articles about his service after the war as a firefighter in Oxnard CA. I found all of that fascinating.

The other item on display that caught my attention was an obviously home-made US flag. The women of Dietkirch made it when the Americans liberated them on NINE ELEVEN 1944. Of particular interest were the red stripes on the flag. Those were made from Nazi swastika flags left behind.

One other item that captured my attention was a Harley Davidson motorcycle which the Army left behind in France at the end of WWI. That motorcycle was disassembled and hidden to keep it out of the hands of the Germans in WWII. It was subsequently smuggled into Belgium in 1984 to avoid customs. Think about that - it survived two world wars and customs agents. lol

I highly recommend a stop in Luxembourg - it was much more calmer than Amsterdam or Brussels and the connection to our military makes it even more compelling, at least to me, as a great place to visit.

[eureka1]

Fascinating post! Would love to see Luxembourg.

[athena53]

I have a "list" of countries visited and like to add to it so DH and I did visit Luxembourg. We went to a museum but I don't think it was the Military Museum and if we'd known General Patton was buried in the cemetery I know we would have gone there- DH was a big military history buff.

Did you get to the Military Museum in Brussels- it was amazing. Just tons of stuff, lots of planes and a few tanks. We'd planned to spend the morning there and ended up going out for lunch and coming back so see more.

[Brave New World]

The vast US Ramstein Air Base is in the German region next to Luxembourg, and Ramstein continues to be the centre of US Military operations in Europe.

In terms of US Military Cemeteries oversea, there is a list and some very good information on the American Battle Monuments Commission website.

In terms of Brookwood in the England, some US Service Personnel from WW1 are buried there, as well as he American artist John Singer Sargent who is buried elsewhere at Brookwood, whilst amoung those listed missing in action on the wall, at the Cambridge American Cemetery in England are Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr. (1915–1944), eldest son of Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr. and Rose Fitzgerald and Glenn Miller (1904–1944), jazz bandleader and trombonist. Due to the large number of US Air bases in the area during WW2 and the Cold Wat there is an American Air Museum at Duxford not far from Cambridge.

Cemeteries & Memorials | American Battle Monuments Commission

About - American Air Museum in Britain

There's also a few memorials that are listed at Battle Monuments such as the memorial to US Prisoners of War who died at Dartmoor in England after being captured during the 1812 War. The local church of Michael's Church in Princetown, restored a stained glass window dedicated in memory of prisoners of war who helped to build the church, and the window was re-dedicated in a Church Service. It can be a bit creepy up on the moors though espoecially when a mist sets in.

Dartmoor CAM

Dartmoor POW memorial church window restored - BBC News

As for Patton during World War II Peover House in Cheshie was requisitioned as the HQ for General George Patton of the United States 3rd Army to train for the D-Day landings in 1944. Patton also made a well documented speech at nearny Knutsford. Peover Hall has now been fully restored to it's former glory.

Peover Hall | Historic Houses

Marshall and the Knutsford Affair - George C. Marshall Foundation

[Yippeekayay]

Just a taste.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upQk6826ZRg

[k7baixo]

Originally Posted by athena53

I have a "list" of countries visited and like to add to it so DH and I did visit Luxembourg. We went to a museum but I don't think it was the Military Museum and if we'd known General Patton was buried in the cemetery I know we would have gone there- DH was a big military history buff.

Did you get to the Military Museum in Brussels- it was amazing. Just tons of stuff, lots of planes and a few tanks. We'd planned to spend the morning there and ended up going out for lunch and coming back so see more.

I didn’t but was aware of it and really wanted to go. Instead, I opted for Autoworld and boy, did I enjoy that place! We’ll go back and I’ll hit the Military Museum in Brussels.

[Brave New World]

Originally Posted by k7baixo

I didn’t but was aware of it and really wanted to go. Instead, I opted for Autoworld and boy, did I enjoy that place! We’ll go back and I’ll hit the Military Museum in Brussels.

The role of WW1 and WW2 Cemeteries is increasingly about telling the story of what happened rather than just as a place of mourning, indeed those that were directly effected by the events have declined over the years.

New visitor centres, museums and exhibitions are in this respect helping to educate, as these cemeteries and those who are commemorated in them are an important part of our collective history, and one which should never be forgotten.