Below you will find some objects and locations of interest such as the Sherman tank at the Place General McAuliffe, the cemetery and the Sherman tank turrets you’ll find at some point around Bastogne.

On a corner of Place General McAuliffe is the most photographed monument to be found of Bastogne, a M4A3 Sherman tank. This Sherman was served in the 11th Armored Division, 41st Tank Battalion, Company B of the 11th Armored Division. The tank, under command of Staff Sgt. Wallace Alexander, was put out of action near Renaumont, a few kilometres west of Bastogne, on December 30 1944. The tank, called ’Barracuda’ by it’s crew, was separated from it’s unit, together with another tank under command by Captain Robert L. Ameno. Both Shermans wandered north of Bastogne towards Renuamont. This was the HQ of Colonel Otto Ernst Remer, ‘Kommandeurr’ of Hitler his elite brigade Führer Begleit. ’Barracuda’ got stuck in a snow covered pond and some German grenades put it out of action. On the portside of the tank, you’ll find a hole where a German shell went through. This hit was one of the causes that the crew got wounded. At the rear is also a hit of a shell to be found.

The tank commander, Wallace Alexander was severe wounded and would die later of his wounds. Gunner Cecil Peterman and loader Dage Herbert were also wounded, but after treatment by the Germans, were sent to Stalag XIIA. Driver Andrew Urda and his assistant, Ivan Goldstein were unhurt, and also taken prisoner and sent to Stalag XIIA. But because Goldstein was a Jew, he was put to heavy labour, together with Urda, who made a pact with Goldstein to stay with each other. Both men survived the war, but Urda never fully recovered and died in 1979. Goldstein moved to Israel is still (2012) alive. Tank commander Wallace died a couple of days after the ordeal, but has an unknown grave and his remains are still to be found. Sergeant Alexander's remains were transported from Belgium, back to the States, and buried on November 25, 1952 at the Golden Gate National Cemetery, in San Bruno, California.
The tank fron Capt. Ameno was also put out of action, and four crew menmbers were killed, and a fifth was taken prisoner.

After the war, ‘Barracuda’ was the only tank that survived around Bastogne. The other vehicles were taken away by scrap dealers. But the owner of the pond, M. Denis, were ’Barracuda’ still was standing was reluctaned to give permission to mover te tank, because he was afraid that his pond may be contaminated. But in 1947 he gave way to the request of the Belgium Army. The tanks was restored and given another turret. After the restoration it was given to the town of Bastogne and placed on Place General McAuliffe.

In 2006 the tank was temporarily removed from it’s spot and was restored. In May 2007 he returned and looks great. Maybe a minor detail, but the tank turret still has it’s .50 Browning machinegun.

Just south of this point, on the leftside of Rue de Neufchâteau, there is a small museum. This, ‘Original Museum’, has an entrance fee of 3€ p/p. Het looks like a shop, but that is just a part of it. In this ‘store’ you can buy ‘original’ pieces from the Battle for Bastonge, the prices are steep, and there is no guarantee that the objects are original. A German helmet was 20 years ago around 25 guilders (12 €), the prices are now around the 200€. The front of the museum is a folk museum, and in the back are the items on the Battle of the Bulge.

I like to point out number 21, across the road of the 'Original Museum'. Here is a Chinese restaurant with on the front a plaque which remembers the death at this spot of Renee Lemaire. This nurse was killed during a German bombardment on December 24. She became famous when she was portrait in the TV series 'Band of Brothers'. More on her, lower on this page.

From the Place Gen. McAuliffe drive along the Rue de Neufchâteau until you reach the overpass. On the right side of the road, you see a Sherman tank turret with a 76mm canon. This place stands as a memorial to the first Allied soldier killed at Bastogne, Ernest Glessener. He was killed near this spot just after he had destroyed a German tank on September 10, 1944.

If we move eastwards again, through Bastogne, via the Rue de Sablon, you come across some well known points. One of these points features many publications. It was taken from a balcony. The picture is shown here with the balcony from which the picture was taken.

Further down the road, past the church of St Petrus, you find, at the end of Rue de Virvier, the impressive war monument at the crossing of Place de Saint-Pierre and Rue de Pierre Thomas. It is a gray and dull monument and deserves a better place for remembrance than this very busy crossroad. If you turn right at this spot, you end up at the Mémorial du Mardasson (heading Clervaux).

Turning left at the monument and at the next roundabout the second exit, heading for Hemroulle/Longchamp, you come across the headquarters of General McAuliffe. It was located on the right in the army barracks of the Belgium army (can be visited).

Perhaps for most people, the best museum in Bastogne is at the 'Bastogne Barracks', which are located at the Rue De La Roche 40 in Bastogne. It is one of the most historical landmarks of the Battle of the Bulge, this was the headquarters of General McAuliffe during the siege of Bastogne. There is a possibility to visit this place and to have a look at the museum and restoration of the many vehicles at the Barracks. There are daily tours with a guide, except on Monday. The guided tours , no free wandering, are at 11.00 hours, 13.00 hours and 14.00 hours.

The tour is between two and two and a half hours, and can take some toll on the feet. After an introduction, you are led into the cellar where once the headquarters was located of General McAuliffe. The location is reconstructed during the time the Germans wanted to discuss a surrender. At this place the famous words ‘NUTS’ were spoken. We know meanwhile the words were more brutal,… F*** ‘EM’. But the officers realized that the answer had to be written, and the word chosen became ‘Nuts’.

The tour continues through the cellars, to the R&R room for soldiers, and the radio and communication room. In these cellars there is an explanation on the variety of the hand weapons used by the American and Germans. The visitor is allowed to handle an American M1 Garand, a Thompson submachine gun (Tommy Gun) and a German K98 Mauser. Another room is recreated as it looked during a ’ Christmas diner’ for the officers. Next part of the tour is a private collection of weapons and other hardware used during the Battle of the Bulge. It is not just a museum on Bastogne here struggle to survive, but there is another private collection which shows many items on ‘Operatie Desert Storm’, the war in Iraq in the early nineties of the last century.

Last part of the tour, is a visit to the halls with restored tanks and vehicles. To reach these halls, you have to cross the square with the barracks. And there you pass maybe a ‘familiar face’, an M10 ‘Wolverine’, which was on show for many years at the museum near the Memorial de Mardasson. There is a large amount of tanks and other military vehicles which fill the place to the brink, and still more are in restoration here. As a ‘nut’ for the Sherman tank, I was overwhelmed with the versions they have at this place.

There are plans to demolish the barracks in the near future which caused a storm of protest. But if the baracks once will be demolished, the historical site, the cellars of McAuliffe, will be preserved.

Across the barracks is the cemetery of Bastogne located. At this place some well known pictures were shot during the siege, such as the burial of American and German soldiers. From the cemetery was also a supply drop by C-47’s filmed (a clip of this dropping is shown at the museum at Mémorial du Mardasson).

In this cemetery are also the remains buried of Renee Lemaire. As a nurse she helped wounded men of the 20th Infantry Battalion, 10th Armored Division, in a cellar on the Rue de Neufchâteau 21 in Bastogne. In the TV series 'Band of Brothers' is a great portrait of here shown. But it is somewhat beside the truth. In the TV episode, she does her job in the local church of Bastogne and is she visited by the medic Eugene Roe, medic of the 506th PIR, Easy Company. There is no prove that the two ever have seen each other or that she ever helped a wounded 101st paratrooper. What is true, she had a assistant in sister Augusta Marie Chiwy, form the Kongo.

On December 24, around 20.30 hours, the German Luftwaffe bombed Bastogne. The house where Renee Lemaire was doing here work, was hit by a bomb which killed her instantly (Augusta Chiwy survived the bombing, and died of old age (94) on August 23, 2015). Dr. Captain Jack T. Prior wrapped Renee Lemaire her body in a parachute (which she wanted to use as a wedding gown) and brought her to her parents. Her grave is not easy to be found, as it is between other, neglected, graves.

After this visit you can drive on and head for Hemroulle. Just a short distance after you left the cemetery you come across two Sherman tank turrets. These turrets, with 75mm barrels, are missing their rotate masks.

To find the spot where a well known picture was taken of a crashed C-47, drive along towards Hemroulle. Just befor you go under the underpass, you see on your left a small river running through a meadow. This is the spot where the C-47 'Ain't Misbhavin' crashed. The story goes that during the decent, the C-47 clipped an American truck, just passing on this road.

If you drive on, then you can visit Champs. In this small village, units of the 101st Airborne Division disembarked here during the night of December 18 and 19, (among them the 506th PIR) and went by foot towards Noville, to stop the German threat. There is not much to see, except for the crossroad towards Rouette and Mande-St-Étienne, with a sign with the history of Champs during the Battle of the Bulge. Next to the sign, a turret from a Sherman tank is erected.

NOTICE!: A kilometer before you enter Champs, there is a small road leading to Castle de Rolley. On December 30, 1944* General George Patton pinned a DSC (Distinguished Service Cross) on the chest of General McAuliffe (and on Colonel Steve Chappuis) as a thank you for holding Bastogne. On this same date, commanders of the 11th Armored and 87th Infantry Division asked Patton to postpone an attack west of Bastogne on German troops. But Patton declined and the attack went on, with great success, because the Germans were themselves busy to plan an attack on the Americans. And caught in the middle of their planning. More luck then wisdom perhaps on Patton his side brought this success,… in Patton his own words: 'although I did not know the German attack was coming. Some call it luck, some genius. I call it determination.'

*some publications give a date of December 28, but according to the 'Patton Papers', Patton has December 30 in his diary.

In Bastogne a new museum was opened on September 2011, the '101st Airborne museum Le Mess' .
It is dedicated to the men fighting between Dcember 1944 and Januari 1945 in and around Bastogne. All of the items in the museum are original and give a good view on the tough battles that were fought here between the Germans and the Allied forces. The museum is located nearby the Place the General McAuliff in Bastogne, in the former officer mess of 1 Regiment Artillery (a building from the ‘30s of the last century).

Now I like to point out that you must not forget to visit the website of Ivan Steenkiste. This fantastic nature photographer, who showed me the spot above, runs a fabulous website on ’The elm tree of Chaumont’. Perhaps you have seen the famous picture taken after some drama took place on December 27 1944. As you may notice, very little has changed around this spot. The site of Ivan shows that every small but deadly incident plays it’s part in the big struggle that took place in the Ardennes, 1944. However deep wounds are made by war and violence, nature tries to hide it as quick as it can, to return to peach and tranquillity.