"Bulge Memorials"

WW I & WW II - related points of interest in Luxembourg

for further details click on the image above

The following war-time memorials' selection is just a small suggestion of recommended monuments and/or places of interest in the vicinity of the museum that are worth visiting. Some of them were actually erected in the previous years in close cooperation with the National Museum of Military History. Because of their neighborhood to the National Museum of Military History, they can easily be coupled with a visit of the museum as well as with the "Hoesdorf - Wallendorf" terrain walk. Numerous other towns and villages throughout Luxembourg have military history-related memorials ranging from monuments dedicated to Luxembourg victims of the nazi occupation to plaques dedicated to individual allied soldiers, to U.S. key units and to local ressistance groups. Altogether, the number of WWII memorials in Luxembourg exceeds 80. Most of them are located in the North of Luxembourg, though, in the "Ardennes" or "E'islek" (in Luxembourgish).

Local and regional memorials

Commonwealth War Grave of British Flight Officer Cameron, KIA on May 10, 1940 around Diekirch Location: Municipal Cemetery in Diekirch War grave of a Royal Air Force pilot, killed in action near Diekirch during the first day of the German invasion on May 10, 1940. After the liberation of Luxembourg, the grave has been taken care of for all those years by grateful citizens of Diekirch amongst whom Mrs. J. Winter, who has recently been honored by the Royal Air Force Association (RAFA) for her commitment to honor a British flyer. « Kreizwée » Diekirch Location: Municipal park in Diekirch on south bank of Sûre river in direction of Ingeldorf and Ettelbruck. Although nor related to the "Battle of the Bulge", this special memorial in Diekirch is worth visiting. The "Kreizwée" or stations of the cross is a memorial commemorating the tragic fate of the Luxembourgers of the years of birth (1920-1926), who were forcibly recruited by the nazi occupant into the German army. A descriptive narrative of each of the fourteen stations (bronze plaques) composing the memorial, is available as a folder at the museum. U.S. Liberation Memorial Diekirch Location: Municipal park in Diekirch behind the City Hall and on the banks of the Sûre river). The U.S. Memorial in Diekirch was inaugurated in presence of some 150 U.S. WWII veterans on September 23, 1984 on the occasion of the official opening of the National Museum of Military History in the context of the celebration of the 40th anniversary of the liberation of Luxembourg. The main memorial plaque is dedicated to the 4th, 54th, 28th, 80th U.S. infantry divisions, as well, as the 5th, 9th and 10th U.S. armored division that were engaged in the greater Diekirch Sector during the September 1944-January 1945 time frame. The bronze plaque at the base of the monument, is a representation of the former railroad bridge that spanned the Sûre river. This bridge was the only possible escape route for the civilians, when Diekirch had be be evacuated under extreme time constraints during the night of December 19-20, 1944 under American supervision, after Capt. Harry Kemp, executive officer 3rd Bn/109th Inf. Rgt had ordered the town to be evacuated in the best interest of the civilian population. (the concrete foot bridge in the backside of the memorial stands at the same location). A second, more recent memorial (inaugurated on June 21, 2000), summerizes the painful World War II experience in Luxembourg on four etched glass plaques held together by a modern stainless steel structure. This memorial is part of the Luxembourg Ministry of Culture's effort (M 2000; M for Memory) to transfer the entire potential of one thousand years of Luxembourg history and culture to the 3rd millenium. The city of Diekirch was selected for the "military history"-related angle because of the presence of the National Museum of Military History. U.S. Memorial Hoesdorf Location: Entrance of Hoesdorf coming from Reisdorf next to the waterhouse and starting point of the Hoesdorf "Battle of the Bulge Terrain walk".. This specific memorial is dedicated to the 109th Regiment, 28th division to pay tribute to the sacrifices of the valiant soldiers who on December 16-18, 1944 slowed down the German advance in this sector. The memorial that was erected by grateful citizens of the community of Reisdorf-Hoesdorf, was inaugurated on September 25, 1984 in presence of a strong delegation of U.S. veterans of the 109th Regiment and some German survivors of the battle. The National Museum of Military History had arranged a "former opponents -- today friends" meeting on this occasion and was thus able to gather additional detailed oral history accounts to document the history of this particular sector of the "Bulge". U.S. Memorial(s) Bettendorf Location: South end of the Sûre river bridge in Bettendorf. On the occasion of the visit of some 50 U.S. veterans of the 5th U.S. Infantry Division "Red Diamond" headed by the late MG. William M. Breckinridge to Bettendorf in 1987, a special memorial remembering the Sûre (Sauer) river crossing on January 18, 1945 by the 10th Infantry Rgt (5th Inf. Div.) was erected. At the same time, the entire memorial square was renamed "General Breckindige Square" in honor of the former executive officer, Col. William M. Breckinridge, who was instrumental in the planning of the counterattack and rivercrossing in this sector. On January 23, 2001, a beautiful bronze plaque sowing medical units and support elements of the neighboring 4th Infantry Division pushing boats to the Sûre river in January 23, 1945, was inaugurated on the initiative of the community of Bettendorf. This plaque which is a "bronze" copy of an original picture (also displayed) can be found some 100 meters on the left side of the prementioned memorial. The matching diorama and additional photos (1945) from the river crossing, can be found in showroom 11 U.S. Memorial Hoscheid Location: Center of town, square adjacent to church of Hoscheid. Dedicated to the 11th Regiment, 5th U.S. Infantry Division "Red Diamond", that liberated the town on January 23, 1945. Inaugurated by the former regimental commander, Col. Birdsong, assisted by a delegation of 5th division veterans in June 1994. U.S. Memorial Weilerbach Location: Left side of Weilerbach (Sûre river) bridge Standing at the exact crossing site of February 7, 1945, this monument immortalizes the many sacrifices made by units of the 11th Infantry Regiment and 7th Engineer Bn, (both of the 5th U.S. Inf. Div.) during initial steps towards the invasion of Germany. Opposite the memorial on the German side of the Sûre (Sauer) river, are the remains of a former German "Westwall" bunker. Hill 313 Commemorative plaque, Lauterborn (outskirts of Echternach) Location: At the edge of the uphill woods about 50 meters from the road junction/intersection Echternach-Luxembourg and Echternach-Scheidgen. The plaque is a tour stop addition of the existing tourist trail "L". This memorial was inaugurated on April 15, 2001. The following is the official address by Ms. Abby Schields, U.S. M. A. West Point-student on the occasion of the inauguration ceremony. Hill 313 is captioned as a location of especially fierce and bloody fighting during the initial December 16-22, 1944 onslaught, when units of the 4th Infantry Division, supported by 159 Combat Engineer Bn, slowed down the enemy advance in its effort to gain access to the vital Echternach-Luxembourg road. Troops of the 5th Infantry Division relieved the battleweary elements of the 4th Infantry later, denying further enemy action in this sector. U.S. Memorial Osweiler Location: Center of town. Memorial inaugurated in 1982 features a bronze plaque dedicated to 5th U.S. armored division, as well as 28th Inf (Sept.-Dec.1944), as well as 9th armored division and 4th Inf, 5th Inf, 76th Inf and 87th Infantry divisions during the December 44 - February 45 battle in the Osweiler sector. A plaque specifically dedicated to 22nd Rgt/4th Infantry division ("Ivy Leaves") that broke the encirclement of the town of Osweiler, can be found at the entrance of the school building U.S. Memorial Echternach Location: Open Parking lot at entrance of Echternach, coming from Diekirch -- edge to Sûre river banks. Located at the entrance of the municipal park parelleling the Sûre river, the memorial is dedicated to key U.S. units engaged in the Echternach sector during the September 44 - February 45 time frame. They are: 9th and 10th U.S. armored divisions, as well as 4th, 5th, 76th, 83rd, 87th Infantry Divisions. Patton Memorial Ettelbruck Location: Entrance of Ettelbruck, coming from Diekirch or Erpeldange at right side of exit of "Sûre" bridge. The very impressive bronze statue of Gen. George S. Patton, Jr -- an exact copy -- of an identical statue at West Point, guards the Luxembourg Ardennes. On its side, an M4A1 Sherman tank and the superb stone monument with the American Eagle are timeless reminders of the Liberation of Luxembourg by U.S. forces. For many years, Ettelbruck also known as the "Patton town", has hosted a unique 3-day Luxembourg-American friendship event, "Remembrance Day" as a tribute to the United States and as a token of Luxembourg gratitude. This same event, now a little less elaborate, usuallky takes place every year second week of July. Don't forget to visit the Ettelbruck "General Patton Memorial Museum", that has also a wealth of memorabilia of the earlier war years in addition to portraying the September 1944 liberation and the "Bulge." GI Memorial Clervaux Location: Clervaux Center of town - public square (backside). Impressive oversized bronze GI statue and plaque featuring all units units engaged in Luxembourg during the two liberations. A visit to the "Battle of the Bulge" museum inside the Clervaux castle compound, is also recommended. National Liberation Memorial at Schumann’s Eck (Schumann crossroads), located at the Wiltz/Bastogne/Ettelbruck road junction) Location: "Mt. Schumann" crossroads (main intersection), Wiltz-Bastogne. On the occasion of the national observation and commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the liberation of Luxembourg and the Battle of the Bulge, this unique monument was erected at this historic site, where so many lost their lives. The memorial -- a joint effort by the four Luxembourg "Bulge museums" -- , was designed by Fernand Zens and funded through public subscription. It was inaugurated on September 13, 1994 in presence of numerous Luxembourg and foreign VIPs as well as American and British WWII veterans and representatives of patriotic organizations. The memorial itself has the shape of burnt-out ruins, as found in 1945 in Luxembourg after the "Bulge". Several bronze plaques immortalize those U.S. units that were specifically engaged in this secor. A recent bronze situation map shows the development of the murderous battle around Schumann crossroads. As of june 12, 2004 a special memorial trail also enhances the existing monument. Wiltz Memorial Location: Center of town - on the right of the Wiltz City Hall and entrance of "Château" and "Bataille des Ardennes" museum of Wiltz. This memorial, in form of a "Red Keystone", commemorates the presence of the divisional headquarters of the 28th Inf. Division in Wiltz. Opposite this memorial, there is also a special plaque dedicated to Gen. Dwight.D. Eisenhower, who visited Wiltz prior to the "Bulge". Wiltz, which has a special meaning for the 28th Infantry Division "Red Keystone", is also known as "Cité des Martyrs" and has another memorial remembering those Luxembourg patriots who in 1942 helped organizing a strike protestion against the nazi rule. In addition, a visit of the "Musée de la Bataille des Ardennes" (Battle of the Bulge museum) of Wiltz, is also highly recommended. U.S. Sherman tanks Location: Clervaux; Diekirch; Ettelbruck; Wiltz The two Shermans at Wiltz and Clervaux are original leftovers from the "Bulge". The M4A3 with T23 turret, located in the Clervaux castle, still bears the shell holes of an enemy anti tank gun. The Ettelbruck Sherman tank (M4A1) was imported from France in the late 1960s, whereas the M4A1E-8 "Easy Eight" HVVS 76 mm Sherman -- an original WW2 vintage vehicle --is a donation from the Dutch Army to the National Museum of Military History. German 8,8 cm Guns (Clervaux, Heinerscheid, Troisvierges, Wiltz) Location: Towns of Clervaux, Heinerscheid, Troisvierges and Wiltz. Serveral of the impressive German 8,8 cm guns can still be seen in the north of Luxembourg. They are authentic left-behinds from the "Bulge" and have only recently been put up as a reminder of those dark 1944/45 days in the Luxembourg Ardennes. 9th Armored Division "obelisk"; Medernach Location: Main road from Diekirch to Larochette at entrance of Medernach - intersection to Ermsdorf Inaugurated in 1983 in presence of Crown-Prince Henri and a large delegation of U.S. veterans headed by MG. George Ruhlen, former commander of the 3rd Field Artillery Bn (9th armored division), this tall mounment stands almost at the exact location where the German advance in this area was stopped around December 20, 1944. A bronze plaque gives the summary of the 9th armored division history, whereas 3 individual bronze tablets on the sides of the "obelisk" give a detailed narrative of the divisions individual Combat Commands: A, B and R. Medernach itself was defended by units of CCA of the 9th armored division. The neighboring villages of Ermsdorf and Savelborn have each an additional bronze plaque with the combat history of several key sub-units of CCA/9th armored division in this area during the December 16-21, 1944 time frame. U.S. plaque, Brandenburg Location: Brandenburg village center; across "Blees" creek bridge The quiet little town of Brandenburg with its medieval castle ruins, also has a monument in honor of the 28th U.S. Infantry Division. Sub-units of the 109th Infantry Regiment were desperately trying to defend the village, which was captured by the Germans on December 18, 1944 and retaken by units of the 5th U.S. Infantry Division in late January 1945.

Luxembourg American cemetery

The World War II Luxembourg American Cemetery and Memorial lies just within the limits of Luxembourg City, about three miles east of the center of that capital.  It can be reached by train from Paris (Gare de l'Est) in approximately four hours, from Liege, Belgium and from Frankfurt-am-Main, Germany.  The airport is three miles northeast of the cemetery.  Taxicabs are available at the Luxembourg Station and at the airport.  There are several excellent hotels in the city.

The cemetery, fifty acres in extent, is situated in a beautiful wooded area.  Not far from the entrance stands the white stone chapel sitting on a wide circular platform nearly surrounded by woods.  It is embellished with sculpture in bronze and stone, a stained glass window with American unit insignia and a mosaic ceiling.  In front of the chapel at a lower lever are two large stone pylons with operations maps made of inlaid granites and accompanying inscriptions describing the achievements of American Armed Forces in the region during World War II.  Additionally these pylons are inscribed with the names of 371 American who gave their lives in the service of their country who lie in unknown graves.  The cemetery was established on December 29, 1944 by the 609th Quartermaster Company of the U.S. Third Army while Allied Forces were stemming the enemy's desperate Ardennes Offensive, one of World War II critical battles.  The city of Luxembourg served as headquarters for General George S. Patton's U.S. Third Army.  General Patton is buried at the Luxembourg American Cemetery.

Sloping downhill from the memorial is the burial area containing 5,076 American Dead, many of whom gave their lives in the "Battle of the Bulge" and in the advance to the Rhine River.  Their headstones follow along graceful curves.  The nearby trees, fountains and flower beds contribute to the dignity of the cemetery.

Opening hours: The cemetery is open to visitors daily from 9:00 - 17:00 hres, except Christmas and New Year.

If you would like to learn more in detail about this cemetery, the Commission has a booklet that you can obtain by writing to:

Additional informal description, as narrated by the cemetery’s superintendent, follows:

Brief History of the Luxembourg American Cemetery

This cemetery was established on 29 December 1944 by the 609th Quartermaster Graves Registration Company of the U.S. Third Army under General George S. Patton, Jr., as a temporary burial ground for soldiers killed in the fighting in the Ardennes hills north of here. Ten days earlier, Third Army units rapidly swung north from positions in Germany’s Saarland after Adolf Hitler launched his vast counter-offensive with half a million troops that broke through U.S. First Army lines in the Ardennes. Three of Patton’s divisions attacked the southern flank of the German penetration on 22 December, a week before the first burials took place here. The fierce winter engagement came to be known as the Battle of the Bulge.

As the fighting raged 30 miles to the north, a service detachment of the Third Army prepared the grounds in this forest glade and built simple wooden structures and primitive dirt roads, while labor troops performed the burials. A staff of American and Luxembourg clerks were installed in the school building at nearby Hamm to handle records.

Gen. Patton himself was buried here on Christmas Eve 1945, three days after he died in Heidelberg, Germany, as a result of a neck fracture suffered in a car accident. His original grave was in an area now designated as Plot F.

During 1946, American labor troops aided by German prisoners of war built a chapel, an office building and other structures, and laid stone pathways among the 28 plots of graves then in existence, which contained the remains of 8,412 soldiers. That same year, the American Graves Registration Command (AGRC), which had taken over the task of developing and maintaining the U.S. military burial grounds in Europe after the war, appointed Mr. (Col.) R. Warren Davis as the first superintendent of the Luxembourg American Cemetery. Under Mr. Davis, a local labor crew came into being, which also maintained the nearby German military burial ground. Over 200,000 people visited the American cemetery in 1946, and virtually all of them went to see Gen. Patton’s grave. It was then decided to move his remains to a more convenient location at the top of the burial plots. The move was completed during March 1947, and the general’s grave was not touched by the subsequent reconstruction of the cemetery according to a new design.

In March 1948, the cemetery was closed to visitors and screened with tarpaulins around its entire perimeter, and 250 local laborers were hired to perform the exhumations of all remains in preparation for casketing and the repatriation of those whose families had chosen to rebury them in the United States. Over the next year and a half the cemetery was completely rebuilt. All the remains were prepared by morticians after final positive identification and were laid in 500-pound, bronze-finished coffins. About 5,050 of the dead were then trucked to Antwerp for shipping to the United States. The others were buried in trenches shaped in concentric arcs according to the new design of the cemetery. An additional 1,700 American dead were brought here for reburial from the temporary cemeteries of Grand Failly near Longuyon in France and Foy near Bastogne in Belgium, bringing the total to 5,076. All but 101 of an original number of 267 unknown soldiers were positively identified at this time.

Among those buried here, there are 118 soldiers of the Jewish faith, whose headstones are in the shape of a Star of David, 22 pairs of brothers and one pair of close friends buried side by side at the request of their families, and one woman, an Army nurse.

The American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC), an agency of the Executive Branch of the U.S. Government founded by an Act of Congress in 1923, took over control of the Luxembourg American Cemetery from the AGRC in December 1949. The cemetery was reopened to visitors but development of the grounds continued and new plans were made for the construction of the present terrace area, chapel, visitors’ building, entrance gates, and the asphalted pathways with the pools.

General George C. Marshall was chairman of ABMC at the time. In Luxembourg, Mr. Davis continued as superintendent of the American cemetery under ABMC. A treaty was signed on 20 March 1951 by Madame Perle Mesta, U.S. Minister to Luxembourg, and Luxembourg Foreign Minister Joseph Bech, giving the United States Government the perpetual right to use the 50.5 acres of land taken up by the cemetery. The Luxembourg Government had offered outright title to the land but this would have raised a problem of extraterritoriality, which the United States considered undesirable.

All of the present structures of the cemetery were built during the 1950s based on plans prepared by architects Keally and Patterson of New York and several other American firms. During this time, the original wooden markers on the graves were replaced by new, white marble headstones from the Lasa quarry in the Dolomites Mountains of northeastern Italy. These headstones were cemented onto concrete beams that run for more than six miles under the manicured lawn of the grave plots.

Two large pylons were erected on either side of the terrace, bearing battle maps on the inside faces and the names of 371 missing soldiers on the outside faces. Seven of those names have since been marked with asterisks to show that the remains of those soldiers were later found.

The completed grounds and Memorial were dedicated on 4 July 1960 in a ceremony attended by the late Grand-Duchess Charlotte and her consort, Prince Felix of Luxembourg. On this occasion, President Dwight D. Eisenhower issued a message stating in part: “On this anniversary of America’s Independence Day, I join you in paying proud tribute to the men who sleep in the Luxembourg cemetery, our comrades-in-arms in the crusade against tyranny. These died that people might live in freedom and peace. Now they rest forever in the soil of the friendly country which so many of them helped to free from the invader.”

In the decades since the dedication of the Luxembourg American Cemetery and Memorial many distinguished visitors have been received, including all members of the Luxembourg royal family, and two vice presidents of the United States who later became president: Lyndon B. Johnson in 1963 and George H.W. Bush in 1984.

More than 70,000 people visited the cemetery in 2007, including over 30,000 Americans.

At present, the permanent cemetery staff consists of two Americans and 10 local national employees.

Selected sates of origin and number of soldiers buried or commemorated in the Luxembourg American Cemetery:

Selected divisions and number of soldiers buried or commemorated in the Luxembourg American Cemetery:

Opening hours: Every day except Christmas and New Year from 9:00 - 17:00 hres.

Cemetery for German soldiers at Sandweiler

During the heavy fighting in the winter and spring of 1945 along the Luxembourg-Belgian and Luxembourg-German borders, the American war grave and burial service recovered the bodies of their own as well as German victims of war from the fighting zone and buried these in two provisional cemeteries in their own military zone. They are located approx. 1,5 km apart in two adjacent municipalities; the German in Sandweiler, the Americans in Hamm.

When the US Army Burial Service had completed its work, the German cemetery totaled 5599 graves. It was divided up into several blocks of 300 graves, each one being identified by a small wooden cross.

In 1952 an agreement was signed between the governments of the Dukedom of Luxembourg and the Federal Republic of Germany with respect to the provision for the German soldiers graves on Luxembourg territory.

In addition to those German soldiers buried in common graves in Sandweiler, there were also at that time graves of German soldiers in 150 other Luxembourg municipalities with a total of 5286 dead. These were mostly mass graves for which only incomplete records were available. The Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge (German Association for the Provision of War Graves) transferred these bodies to graves in Sandweiler where sufficient grounds were available for expansion to enable a cemetery for German soldiers to be finally planned. This operation also offered the opportunity of identifying the unknown dead.

The laying out of the cemetery was begun in May 1952. It was the first cemetery of the 1939/45 war which the Volksbund had been able to build outside of the Federal Republic of Germany. The ceremonial opening took place in June, 1955 in the presence of more than 2000 relatives of the dead, whom the Volksbund had brought to Sandweiler in special trains. With them came also delegations of school children from every German federal state. (In the development of the cemetery the Volksbund made use of donations by German school children to a considerable extent.)

A narrow path through the wood leads to the entrance with its wall to the front. In the center is a narrow gate with hand-forged copper railings through which the visitor can see the 5 m high stone cross at the end of the graveyard.

The upper end of the cemetery is terminated by a comrades’ grave in front of which stands the over-towering cross on a 2 meter high, circular base.

Of the 10913 German soldiers buried at Sandweiler 4829 of these are in the large comrades’ grave.

The comrades’ grave is located behind the large cross. Of the 4829 dead buried here 4014 are identified by name. These names are listed on bronze plaques in the enclosure wall of the comrades’ grave.

A few steps lead up to the inscription on the sarcophagus stone on the comrades’ grave, which reads :

HERE REST IN A COMMON GRAVE

4829 GERMAN SOLDIERS OF THE WORLD WAR 1939-1945

Address: Deutscher Soldatenfriedhof; L-5280 Sandweiler; Tel: (+352) 35 50 07; Fax: (+352) 35 05 54

Deutscher Soldatenfriedhof (German Cemetery) Wallendorf

The small "Wallendorf" German military cemetery, overlooking the Sauer (Sûre) and Our rivers, as well as the Luxembourg border area, was established as early as 1948 Under the auspices of the German "Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge" (war grave care union), remains of killed in action German soldiers, who were temporarily buried in emergency field graves in the larger surrounding areas of Wallendorf on both sides of the two rivers during the September 1944 - February 1945 time, were relocated here after identification.

As can be seen from the personal data on the grave plaques, most of the German soldiers buried here, were very young. The dead are primarily from the following German units or sub-units, who either fought and died defending the "Wallendorf" bridgehead forced by elements of the American 5th Armored Division (late September 1944), or who fell later on during the Battle of the Bulge (December 1944 - January 1945) or during the invasion of Germany by U.S. troops in early February 1945: 2nd Panzerdivision; 108th Panzerbrigade; 352nd Volksgrenadierdivision; 276th Volksgrenadierdivision; 5th Fallschirmjägerdivision; 212th Volksgrenadierdivision; Volkswerferbrigade 18; Volksartilleriekorps 406; and other smaller Corps-attached support- and engineer units.

Altogether, a total of 326 soldiers are buried here. The German military rank abbreviations on the present grave plaques are the following and stand for: