BATTLEFIED VISITS and TERRAIN WALKS
Historic Site Visits
Throughout the year, we take excursions to different historical sites and battlefields in Belgium, France, and the Netherlands.
Ypres - Armistice Day Ceremony
We participate with the American Legion contingent during the annual 11/11 events in the Western Belgian town of Ypres. It is a hugely symbolic and restorative parade and ceremony at the Minin Gate memorial to the over 100,000 soldiers killed in action, but whose bodies were never identified.
We usually carry the flags of the three U.S. Army Divisions that fought near Ypres, under British command in Western Belgium. Those National Guard units were the 27th Infantry Division (New York), the 30th Infantry Division (South Carolina), and the 37th Infantry Division (Ohio) ("Buckeye"). See https://armyhistory.org/borrowed-soldiers-the-american-27th-and-30th-divisions-and-the-british-army-on-the-ypres-front-august-september-1918/
Eben-Emael Fortress Visits
Eben-Emael was one of the fortresses built to defend Belgium and France from German invasion.
Eben-Emael was considered impregnable and the largest fortress complex in Europe before the German invasion of Belgium on 10 May 1940. The fortress was armed with long-range artillery guns meant to engage German forces as they crossed the border into Belgium from Aachen. The fort overlooks the confluence of the Meuse River, which flows north to Maastricht in the Netherlands, and the Prince Albert Canal that allows barge traffic to continue west to the major port of Antwerp.
German glider troops, led by NCOs, took the Fortress in less than 12 hours. Visitors can witness a reenactment of the battle to retake Eben-Emael by the 30th Infantry Division, U.S. Army National Guard, in September. See https://fort-eben-emael.be/en/
Ardennes Campaign - Battle of the Bulge
The Ardennes Campaign was a last-ditch effort to stave off the defeat of the Nazi regime. The German Army conducted a front-wide winter offensive against the weakest section of the American lines. It was part of a strategic attempt to break through the Allied front lines and strike deep into their rear area with the critically important port of Antwerp, Belgium, as the target.
Along with numerous battlefield sites, this part of Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands is home to three major American military cemeteries, which we visit, especially on Memorial Day weekends in April.
Battle of Waterloo
The historic battle that proved to be Napoleon Bonaparte's last major offensive effort occurred just south of Brussels, in the Waterloo area. The excellent new museum, the battlefield terrain walks, and the annual reenactment of the battle provide an insightful and experiential understanding of the huge slugfest between the French and the allied forces comprising Dutch, British, and Prussian armies.
