My fellow re-enactors just returned from a re-enactment in Viesville, Belgium this past weekend.
It was the anniversary of the towns liberation by the 2nd and 3rd Armored divisions. They both took different routes into different villages. On Saturday we convoyed on the path of the 2nd Armored and on Sunday we took the path of the 3rd Armored.
I got to ride in a Jeep for about 5 hours over the weekend. What was really awesome was being able to retrace the exact route they did 60+ years ago. Also as we drove through the villages the residents came out to wave and cheer us on.
It gave us a warm feeling inside especially when we would see some people that remembered the real liberation. To still see a smile as we drove by.
The attached picture is of our convoy. If you would like to see more I can post them.
This link features a WEALTH of links that can be found on the NPR, National Public Radio, relates references to WWII.
Many of these contain audio/visual clips. Okay, lock us up in a room and throw away the key. Now if we could arrange to have a hundred hours in each of our days. Don't bother me, I'm listening...
Hear a commentary from Walter Cronkite regarding the Battle of the Bulge. Actual news stories from the front are interspersed within this several minute audio that was broadcast on National Public Radio.
Scroll down to find his memories of the war that include,
June 4, 2004: Eisenhower's Return to Normandy
Hear a Sevareid essay on the anniversary of Pearl Harbor
Nov. 8, 2002: The North Africa Campaign
Dec. 7, 2001: The Lone War Dissenter - This one is about the lone dissenter in Congress who was the only one not to vote for war after the infamous Pearl Harbor attack.
A C&P reply to an earlier question re seeing Krauts in GI Uniforms around the time of the Battle of the Bulge(This was on another Forum)
"Possibly you have misinterpreted what Recon and J3rd said when each they said THEY had never seen a Kraut in an American uniform and I was able to reaffirm their statements. They were much further South rather than in the Bulge Area.
I can assure you that it did happen to the Americans and those Krauts caught in an American uniform were shot as spies. "Operation Greif Commandos" were the ones that wore GI equipment.
From what I recall from being in an Intel Unit is that there were four groups on reconnaissance commandos and two groups of demolition commandos sent out in the first few days of the Operation. Each unit consisted of 3 or 4 men and were thought to be quite able to pass for GIs.They had the uniforms,weapons and vehicles(captured) and were able to lose their Kraut accents. However through changing passwords on short notice,trick questions,calling a halt to all troop movements sparodically for a short period etc the ruse was seen through.
General Bradley was briefly detained at a check point because the men there didn't really know him by sight and another General(forget the name) was taken into custody because he answered the question about the Capital of the State of Illinois correctly BUT the man in charge thought it was another city which was HIS mistake. Thankfully the General was generous to his "captors".
The American solution to the Greif Commandos was simple and effective. Any Krauts captured wearing US Uniforms were shot as spies and no more groups showed up after December 20,1944."
One of the original facets of the operation was the capture of Gen. Ike but there was never a chance for that to happen with his security!!!
Perhaps this is not the right section but I couldn't find one which sounds better to me. Feel free to move.
A friend of me is looking for more information about the 505 PIR from the 82nd Airborne division. He knows a lot about their fights and dropzones but is there anybody who can provide more information about stories and/ or pictures from troopers? I found some pictures and stories her:
