Bastogne Belgium Battle of the Buldge

Here's a link that contains further links to all discussions ever had on this forum about Bastogne, etc.

click here

Ignore the 4 shorter links that end with the word Helpline, click the other longer links and you'll then see the past discussions containing the info you want.

If you do that, and your questions are not answered by those discussions, come on back and ask follow up questions.

I looked at the link thanks. But none of this answered my questions. We are just in begining stages of our planning. We have never traveled to Europe before. I am feeling quite overwhelmed with all the information out there and just don't know where to start.
We plan on spending 17 days we really want to go to Germany that has been our dream vacation for years. The places we would love to visit are the Rhine, Berlin, Black Forest, not sure about Munich ( we will be there last 2 weeks of September ) not really interested in Oktoberfest. (we don't drink) But would love to see that area around Austria.
So I guess my question is with the amount of time we have would a trip to Bastogne be doable? And exactly how should I plan it? Like I said I have no idea how to travel in Europe. So any help would be much appreciated.

There is no train station at Bastogne. The nearest rail link is the town of Libramont, and you need to take a bus from here to Bastogne. By rail, depending on where you came from, you would probably have to take a spur-line from either Namur or Liege. Here are the relevant transportation websites:

www.b-rail.be

http://www.infotec.be/index.aspx?PageId=631734023237830544

PS- You'll be in Germany during Oktoberfest. Unless you really want to see it, avoid Munich during this time.

You will be able see things much better by car.

two tour guides mentioned in one of my prior posts:

We traveled to Belgium in June 2008 after 4 nights in Bayeux taking Battlebus tours of Normandy...then train from Bayeux to Paris, then Thalys to Brussels. Next morning we were picked up at our hotel by Mr. Martin King, with whom we traveled in his car for 2 days seeing the sites associated with the 11th Armored Division and Battle of the Bulge. My husband's father served with the 41st Recon Cav in the 11th. Mr. King (found prior recommendations for him on the RS site) is a Scotsman, semi-retired professor, who lives now in Antwerp, recently did a bit on Hitler's Trenches for the History Channel, currently working on a book about the Bulge. He does only occasional tours. His tour was not cheap, but we felt that what we saw and heard was so worth it. This was a once in a lifetime trip for us, and we could NEVER have seen all the places and known the remarkable stories that he was able to tell us. Here is his site: http://users.skynet.be/fa531049/home/index.html

For us, yes, Bastogne, Malmedy, Houffalize, St. Vith, Foy, and more, were worth the extra days of travel; the Ardennes is both magnificent and moving. We stayed overnight at the Hotel du Sud, a block off the square in Bastogne. It's a fine basic old hotel at a lesser rate than the hotels on the square. Our rooms were comfortable and there was Internet access, and included breakfast. We flew home from smaller and easier Brussels airport.

Another gentleman also has highly recommended tours...Henri Mignon, who was a child in Bastogne during the battle. And here is his site: http://users.skynet.be/bastogne.battle.bulge.guided.tours/index.htm. I am sure that both men or perhaps other guides that are unknown to me, will tailor the tour to your particular desires. For us, it was the path that the 11th Armored took, plus others. We went to places we had never heard of and saw placques and memorials we never dreamed we would see.

Wendy,
My husband and I did a one day tour with Henri Mignon in May this year. It was very interesting and we both enjoyed our time with him. We drove our car and he sat in the back and told us stories along the way. Bastogne is a small town and I think that a guide would be a must. Most of the sights are not marked. We stayed two nights at the Best Western. It is owned by Henri's niece. We took the BOET with Rick Steves and we had a guide for a few hours in Baccarch, Germany. Herr Jung? I'm not sure how you spell his name. He was awesome. Have a wonderful trip.

Wendy,

You might find it interesting to do a bit of "pre-reading" on the battle. Have a look at www.amazon.ca/Tour-Battle-Bulge-Battlefields/dp/0850528348 for details.

That's an area I'd also like to see (as well as the "Bridge Too Far" sites), so be sure to post a report when you get back.

Cheers!

I have to put in a plug here for a website, In Honored Glory, about the Henri-Chapelle Cemetery in Belgium.

http://www.in-honored-glory.info/

The webmaster, Peter Heckmanns, began doing this on his own. I believe he is Dutch, and would visit the cemetery out of gratitude for the sacrifices made. My uncle met him at the cemetery while visiting his uncle's gravesite, and Peter agreed to put my great uncle's story on. The website is very moving.

Frederick O. Anderson can be found under Stories,Buried at Henri-Chappelle,A-E.

If you'll be on the Rhine, go see the WW II museum in Remagen, north of Koblenz, where the battle for the "Bridge at Remagen" took place; no problems getting a train to Remagen as it's on the main line between Koblenz and Cologne.

www.bruecke-remagen.de