Bastogne

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=100 BGCOLOR="#CCCCFF" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="04400640egdysm.jpg"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#000066" FACE="Arial" ><B>LRWMA Home</B></FONT><FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#000099" FACE="Arial" ><B> </B></FONT><B>    |     </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="LRWMA Home"><B>home</B></A></div> <div>                                                   </div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=200 BGCOLOR="#0000BF" TEXT="#F7F7FF"> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" height=380 width="100%" BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <I>Bastogne</I></div> <div> My good friend from the Netherlands once was with me clearing a trail in the LRWMA and while there, he talked of seeing the troops come down by parachute near where he lived as a youth. </div> <bR> <div> In September 2008 he sent the following photos and comments:</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <A HREF="http://www.lrwma.com/bev-jim/photo_albums/bastogne/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.lrwma.com/bev-jim/photo_album"><B>Click here for photos</B></A></div> <bR> <div> We did return of our holiday in the south of France and travelling home we made a stop in Bastogne, the famous town of the Ardennen Ofensive in WW2. I made some pictures because you still can find there what happened in 1944 around Christmas. On the centre square you find a Sherman tank where now schoolboys are climbing on it and having their fantasy.</div> <bR> <div> Beside that you see a statue of Mc Auliffe the man who spoke the famous word "nuts " We also visited the churche St Pierre where the wounded military were treated. Very impressive to realise what took place on this spot. The gate is an old townentrance on a short ditance of the church. Then you find  a monument for General Patton. So you see they are not yet forgotten what all the Allied did for Europe.</div> <bR> <div> When we were on the square we saw an old man watching around the Sherman tank. he had several decoration on his jacket and we also saw a tag of the white eagle hanging on a siver chain around his neck. He must have been one of the last living old military who particpated to that battle. Later I regretted that I did speak to the man to ask him about it but then he had already disappeared. I hope you appreciate the pictures. The story you do know better then I do.</div> <div>  </div> <div> Regards , Jan</div> </td> </tr></table></body>