What's new? 2002

Preparations are on their way! ........

A lot of volunteer muscle grease is still needed in light of the projected opening of the extension of the museum’s vehicle section, scheduled for.  This is a meaningful date --  not only for the museum itself, but also for the city of Diekirch and the community --, as it marks the 58^th anniversary date of the final liberation of the town by units of the 5^TH Infantry Division "Red Diamond".

Currently, the museum’s small volunteer working team is moving full steam ahead and is throwing in a lot of extra "after-business" hours remodeling the exhibition hall, moving heavy equipment and repositioning and cleaning vehicles and artillery pieces in order to meet the deadline for the opening.

Jean-Paul Sassel, Roland Rach and Mike Boehler about to “reposition” the 75 mm Pack howitzer to create room for bigger “stuff” .

More specifically, the addendum to the existing WWII vehicle collection will consist of the following pieces:

In addition there will be a range of additional accessories and matching equipment with each of the pre-mentioned vehicles and displays.

Mike Boehler, Jean-Paul Sassel and Roland Gaul cleaning and “oiling” a batch of 1944-issue “white bag” 155mm propelling charge containers to be displayed with the big 155 mm howitzer .

Part of the vehicles were donated by the U.S.- and the Luxembourg armies.   For years, the vintage "warriors" had been brought back to original condition and shape by the museum’s volunteers with the assistance of several of the army’s workshops.  The opening of the new section is in line with the museum’s policy to feature a supplementary point of attraction every year.

ABC (Bastogne Military Vehicle Collector's Association) tours Luxembourg-based AMBA-Museums as Miami University faculty visits NMMHD

On the initiative of ABC (Bastogne Military Vehicle Collectors Association) and its President, Mr. Olivier Frazelle, some 60 original WWII American military vehicles and about 150 Belgian and Luxembourg enthusiasts participated on September 21, 2002 in the AMBA - organized and sponsored "Randonnée des Musées au Luxembourg" (Touring the Luxembourg AMBA-member museums).

ABC tour group participants pose in front of the Diekirch museum.

The program consisted of an early morning departure in Bastogne, Belgium to subsequently then visit as "rolling museum" the "Battle of the Bulge" museums of Wiltz, Clervaux, Diekirch, Ettelbruck, and Perlé.

Around 12:30 noon, the impressive convoy arrived in Diekirch and the participants (most of them in original WWII uniforms) were welcomed by Roland Gaul and Mike Boehler of the museum staff. As a special memento, ABC President Olivier Frazelle handed over a photo with the famous original 1945 bullet-riddled road sign of Bastogne.

ABC President Olivier Frazelle hands over memento to Roland Gaul.

After the museum tour and stopover visits of the General Patton Memorial Museum in Ettelbruck and 385^th BG museum in Perlé, the convoy returned to Bastogne, where Roland Rach from the NMMH in Diekirch, had arrived in the meantime with hot chow for all the participants.

Assisted by Micheline Clam and Roby Clam, AMBA coordinator (center), Mike Boehler (left) and Roland Rach (right) distibute hot pea&bacon broth, plum pie and coffee to the hungry ABC tour participants in Bastogne .

A similar ABC tour projected for September 2003, will cover the Belgian AMBA museums: Bastogne, La Gleize, La Roche, St Vith/Poteau and Elsenborn.

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The ABC tour participants had hardly left, when another group arrived at the Diekirch NMMH for a full guided tour. Headed by former American Ambassador to Luxembourg, Mr. John E. Dolibois and Charly Teckmann, Principal, a group of faculty staff of Miami University (Oxford/Ohio) was about to discover the museum and become familiarized with the "Battle of the Bulge in Luxembourg".
NB: Frequently, Miami University students visit the museum on their orientation tour prior to commencing their "European studies" program in Luxembourg, where they also stay with Luxembourg host families.

Miami faculty staff together with Ambassador John E. Dolibois and Roland Gaul (center) prior to the museum tour on September 21, 2002.

Luxembourg-born Ambassador Dolibois was himself a U.S. officer during WWII and as a key interpreter in the CIC was detailed to assist with interrogating captured top Nazi brass detained at "Camp Ashcan" in Mondorf, Luxembourg in late 1945, prior to the Nuernberg war criminals trial. Ambassador Dolibois, who frequently returns to Luxembourg, has written his memoirs – especially his WWII experience – in an outstanding book "Pattern of Circles".

The Miami faculty staff tour also had several WWII veterans in the group who, together with Ambassador Dolibois, supplemented the explanations by anecdotes from their own personal experience.

"Red Diamond" veteran visits former battlefield

September 11, is a day, where customarily numerous Luxembourgers reflect on the September 1944 initial liberation of their country by U.S. forces. September 11, 2002, was also a day of painful commemoration for the American nation, equally shared by the international community, remembering the victims of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

This year’s September 11, was in many ways also a very special emotional day for Ford Greene, a U.S. veteran of the 2^nd Infantry Regiment, 5^th U.S. Infantry Division "Red Diamond", who in January 1945 helped liberating Luxembourg during General Patton’s Third Army’s counterattack to liquidate the "Bulge" on the southern shoulder.

Ford Greene, a 19-year old member of "G" company, 2nd Infantry Regiment in 1944 after completing basic training.

More specifically, Mr. Ford Greene was an assistant BAR gunner of "G" company, 2^nd Rgt, who participated in the January 18, 1945 Sauer river crossing at Ingeldorf close to Diekirch. He eventually was wounded later by small arms fire after successfully crossing the icebound river two days later about 5 miles north of the crossing site in the perimeter of "Kippenhof" or "Koeppenhaff" identified as a major German stronghold on the vital skyline drive, connecting Diekirch with northern Luxembourg.

This all happened 58 years ago; Ford Greene had almost completely recovered from his wounds, but the actual battle, the terrible fighting in a sub-zero climate was always on his mind and will never be forgotten. Nonetheless, Ford Greene, who in his post WWII professional life, had been an aviation engineer, had never really considered returning to the former battlefields.

58 years later. Veteran Ford Greene points at the direction he was attacking in direction of "Kippenhof" farm on January 20, 1945. This is the view the enemy had when shooting at him.

September 11, 2002 was going to change all that!

For years, his wife Maggie, son Ford Kevin and daughter Lisa, had tried to talk him into returning to Luxembourg to visit the "Bulge" battlegrounds and eventually show them the area, where he barely escaped!! The veteran Ford Greene had never considered doing this, convinced that - given almost 60 years of distance to those fatal days - he would never be able to recognize anything.

The full circle was about to come!

With the assistance of Lisa’s friend Denise - and with Ford Greene totally unaware of it - the family began researching to trace back Ford’s footsteps of WWII from the time he joined the "Red Diamond Division" as a 19-year old reinforcement in August 1944 in France. Official unit history and detailed combat narratives provided an accurate picture of Ford’s unit, as it progressed from the "Battle around Metz" to Luxembourg. Research on the internet eventually led to a contact being established with the National Museum of Military History in Diekirch and to its curator, Roland Gaul, who agreed to show the party around.

So, even though already touring in Luxembourg with his family, Ford was still "kept in the dark", as they inteded to present the "battlefield revisited" program as a special surprise on an especially meaningful day (September 11) to pay tribute to a U.S. veteran, who has serviced his country!

Ford Greene almost at the exact spot giving explanations, when coming out of the woods on January 20, 1945, he was hit by small arms fire, while Denise, daughter Lisa, son Ford Kevin and wife Maggie listen on..

It was in the early afternoon of September 11, 2002, when the party was welcomed at the museum by Roland Gaul, who was in the process of giving a tour to an American visitors’ group. In front of the "Sauer river crossing diorama", Ford Greene himself could tell his personal story ...."about the boats being pushed under shell fire ...... screaming, deep snow, extreme cold...." whereas the attendance listened and cameras were flashing.

The personal tour for Ford that followed thereafter started south of Diekirch at Stegen, where prior to the crossing of the Sauer river, the assault boats were assembled, then the heights overlooking Ingeldorf - the actual crossing site of the 2^nd Inf. Rgt -, where the GIs carried the boats down to the banks. Although the surroundings had completely changed due to intense construction (inexistant in 1945), the crossing site could be easily identified.

From there, the party progressed north, via "Goldknapp" hill past Erpeldange up to "Friedhaff", where Ford’s company got involved in heavy fighting on the 19^th of January 1945 in the snow-covered woods. We ended up in the surrounding areas of "Kippenhof", then a farmhouse, now a private estate. It was here on the approach in an open field that Ford got hit by enemy rifle fire in the tights.....on January 20, 1945.

Gauging distances from various angles, carefully looking at the landscape, we were able to finally locate the approximate area, where during company GI’s attack on "Kippenhof" to dislocate the enemy from the farmhouse, a German soldier detailed to the perimeter security, must have hit Ford on the approach.

Luckily medical evacuation on the U.S. side was efficient, despite all odds, and Ford was rather quickly evacuated on a litter on a jeep to a collecting point and from there to a medical clearing station near Diekirch. He had survived!

As the sun set down, Ford, his family and Roland Gaul paid tribute to the 5^th Infantry Division memorial at nearby town of Hoscheid on this September 11.

Romanian Minister of Defense visits National Museum of Military History

On the recent occasion of a working visit to Luxembourg, Romanian Minister of Defense, Mr. Ioan Mircea Pascu, also visited the Diekirch museum. After a range of meetings and consultations with his Luxembourg counterparts, Mr. Pascu was also given a briefing of the structure and current missions of the Luxembourg army, including a tour of the army installations in Diekirch.

Escorted by the Luxembourg Ambassador to Romania, H.E. Mr. Fernand Kartheiser (2nd from left) and staff of the Romanian Embassy and Ministry of Defense, Minister Pascu (center) visits the museum, as curator Roland Gaul explains.

The official program also featured a detailed insight into the WWII history of Luxembourg with close-up on the "Battle of the Ardennes" during a presentation at the National Museum of Military History. Mr. Pascu was quite impressed with the variety of artifacts and highlighted the objectiveness and balanced way of the exhibits.

In the context of the excellent bilateral relations between Romania and Luxembourg (a small community of "Luxembourg" Romanians who immigrated in the 13^th century, who live in Transylvania and still speak a Luxembourg dialect!!) , Minister Pascu also suggested a link between the National Military Museum in Bucharest and Diekirch.

U.S. Ambassador Peter Terpeluk visits National Museum of Military History

On August 6, 2002, H.E. Mr. Peter Terpeluk, U.S. Ambassador to Luxembourg, privately visited the NMMH in Diekirch.

Welcomed and escorted through the museum’s exhibits by curator Roland Gaul, Ambassador Terpeluk was given a detailed insight into the historical facts of the « southern shoulder » of the « Bulge », as well as of the history of the Luxembourg army. In addition, he was briefed on the museum’s current developments and future projects.

As the present chairman of AMBA, Roland Gaul also shared a range of basic thoughts and ideas for a joint Belgian-Luxembourg cooperation in light of the planning and scheduling of commemorative events in the larger context of the 60^th anniversary of the « Bulge » in 2004. Along that line, it is intended to soon activate a joint organizational board, whose primary task will be to elaborate an agenda for 2004. This will be done in close cooperation with key institutions from both countries, associations, the AMBA museums, foreign embassies, the military, as well as various communal authorities towards a final program of activities for December 2004 - January 2005.

H.E. Ambassador Terpeluk is welcomed to the NMMH by curator Roland J. Gaul.

Ambassador Terpeluk welcomed this joined initiative and ensured his full support in a multinational effort to observe this key historical event and to recognize the U.S. veterans who will be coming over in 2004 to reflect on the « Bulge » and pay tribute to their comrades who died in the Belgian and Luxembourg Ardennes in winter 1944-45. It is our duty to give them a warm welcome and THANK YOU.

Together with its Belgian and Luxembourg colleagues and other key associations, the Diekirch NMMH will soon start planning on the 60^th anniversary events. The NMMH will take the lead in the implementation of a series of special commemorative activities in Luxembourg.

Information on upcoming events in the context of the 60^th anniversary, will be regularly posted on the museum’s website, as of 2003, as well as on www.amba.lu, as plans develop and are taking shape.

Hidden (museum - ) jewel in the Ardennes : Elsenborn

A (up to now still little known) real gem of considerable historical value is doubtlessly the newly-reopened « Truschbaum Museum », located inside the Belgian army camp/training ground of Elsenborn in the Ardennes.

The museum takes its name from the « Truschbaum » or key tree, used for decades as a common reference point on the ranges of the Elsenborn training grounds. The « Truschbaum » is also featured on the crest - along with a cannon - of the Belgian army unit stationed at the Elsenborn camp.

Despite its perhaps misleading name, the « Truschbaum » museum is a first class military museum dedicated to the history of the camp and, as a major part, to the « Northern Shoulder » of the « Bulge » and the bitter fighting in December 1944 around the Elsenborn ridge.

Roland Gaul and Roland Rach from the National Museum of Military History in Diekirch (who have had contact with Elsenborn for several years), recently re-visited the museum, which was re-inaugurated in May 2002 after having being closed for a lengthy period.

They were welcomed at the camp and the museum by Adjudant-Chef Jean-Claude Schmetz, the curator and driving force and by Major Eddy Loos, Deputy Commander of the unit, who gave a detailed tour of the exhibits.

Roland Rach (Diekirch Museum); Adj-Ch. Jean Claude Schmetz (center) and Major Eddy Loos (right) in front of a diorama showing a U.S. jeep crew defending itself with a .50 cal machinegun against an attacking German fighter plane.

The museum - especially the balanced dioramas on the « Bulge » portraying the American, German, and civilian aspects, is incredibly well done. It is the work of love of 5 dedicated Belgian and German military - and civilian volunteers, who virtually worked day and night for 8 months to turn the initial 1998 exhibits into an awesome museum, packed with facts.

Diorama showing an abandoned German 5 cm Pak 38 antitank gun.

U.S. medic treating a trenchfoot-affected Infantryman.

Thematic exhibits on key vehicles, artillery pieces, weapons, ammunition, equipment, uniforms, selected « dugouts » and other « Bulge » relics, countless photographs, documents, as well as video shows supplement the carefully-built dioramas. In addition, the history of the Elsenborn camp and training grounds throughout the ages, is equally well presented from the time of Prussian horse-drawn artillery units to the present Belgian army and other foreign (German, Luxembourgish, American, British) military units coming to Elsnborn for gunnery.

German air rescue/civil defense team member looking for survivors after a heavy allied air raid in a German border town in the vicinity of Elsenborn.

Adj.Ch. Schmetz (who is also the Elsenborn Camp’s Public Affairs Officer) and his associates can be proud of their accomplishment and are to be congratulated for all their dedicated work to foster international friendship within the military and civilian communities by objectively keeping alive a chapter of common history.

Belgian civilians seeking shelter in the basement of their house during the December 44 fighting.

A visit to the « Truschbaum » museum is highly recommended. Despite the museum being located on the compound of a Belgian army military camp, visitors are always welcome.

The museum is open Monday to Thursday from 09:00 to 16:00 and Friday from 09:00 to 14:00. The volunteer staff will be pleased to give tour(s). Entrance is free and photo-taking is permitted. The museum also has a wheelchair access.

Adj-Schmetz, curator of the "Truschbaum Museum" and Roland Rach in front of an "artwork" diorama showing a pre-WWII Belgian artillery piece during a gunnery exercise on the Elsenborn ranges.

Uncommon but sad discovery

On May 16, 2002, museum volunteer staffer Mike Boehler, while researching several late December 1944-related battle sites on the terrain in the greater Echternach area, made an unusual discovery.

In the "Haardtbierg" sector, the metal detector set off a strong signal and Mike carefully started digging. After only a few inches, Mike found a corroded Wehrmacht "Gott mit uns"-type metal belt buckle with the leather belt still attached, as well as the two ammunition pouches. Further careful removal of earth yielded ..... human remains.

The widened dug-out is inspected by René Croë and Mike Boehler before further digging.

After finding several ribs and sections of the spinal column, Mike realized that he had just found the field grave of a - most probably, German soldier. He stopped further digging, covered the sad discovery again with earth and debris and plotted it on a map.

The museum then alerted the German military cemetery at Sandweiler and the German war Grave service, as well as the local police for drawing up an official record of the find.

Several days later, René Croë, the superintendent of the Sandweiler cemetery accompanied Mike to the woods to again inspect the site. Assisted by two additional helpers, they then completely uncovered the remains.

René Croë, the superintendent of the Sandweiler German military cemetery showing the remains of the leather cartridge pouches. Both of them still contained a total of 43 rounds.

It was very obvious that the body was the one of a German soldier, as numerous other pieces of standard German infantry equipment were found with the remains. The skeleton of the unfortunate soldier was almost complete. Further pieces of equipment that were found with or on the remains were: standard "Y" suspenders, canteen, mess tin, bayonet with scabbard, gas mask container (gas mask missing), type M43 helmet, 43 rounds of 7.92 mm rifle ammunition (some on clips); hob-mailed ankle boots, leather straps, as well as the remains (buttons, fittings ...) of any fabric equipment, like "Zeltbahn" tent quarter, knit gloves, combat dress.... No weapon was found, though, and the most important thing : the soldier’s ID Tag WAS MISSING! The only piece of personal equipment consisted of a small ring.

Mike Boehler has just excavated the infantry shovel in its leather scabbard.

The skeletal remains were carefully placed in a small casket for temporary burial - pending identification - at the Sandweiler cemetery. Further subsequent very careful searching of the surrounding areas, did unfortunately not yield the ID tag.

Casket containing the skeletal remains and the heavily-corroded leftovers of the unfortunate soldier’s equipment.

Going through 1945 grave registration lists of the "Haardbierg"site, revealed a total of 17 soldiers buried there - 15 of them were excavated in 1947 and re-buried at Sandweiler. It is quite possible that the body found by Mike Boehler is the one of the two missing.

The soldier’s ring, as well as the 1945 burial records will be "processed" by the German authorities in the hope that the unfortunate soldier can be identified and properly buried in a marked grave at the Sandweiler cemetery.

It is believed that the unknown was a member of the 212^th "Volksgrenadierdivision", who was killed during the December 18-22, 1944 heavy fighting in that area.

Open Day at Diekirch army barracks

On June 30, 2002, the Luxembourg army hosted an « open day » for the general public at « Camp Grand-Duc Jean » at Diekirch barracks to provide a detailed insight of military life and current missions and activities. The entire event, featuring a very elaborate program consisting of a variety of static displays, demonstrations of equipment, concerts, special exhibits, military catering and much more, was prominently attended by numerous VIPs and by way over 10.000 visitors.

Museum volunteer 1st Sgt. Lionel Ronk (left) with Adj. Claude Peffer of the Luxembourg army E.O.D. team demonstrating their dangerous daily "business".

Foreign partner units of the Luxembourg army from the Belgian-, German-, and U.S.- armed forces, also displayed a range of key equipment and vehicles and added to the overall success of the event.

The National Museum of Military History also modestly contributed to the « open day » by providing some of its storage equipment for a « historic display ». As such, museum staffer Roland Rach, senior NCO of the Luxembourg army, had an original WWII-vintage British 25 PDR artillery gun together with its ammunition limber and Quad Gun tractor displayed along with some technical descriptions. These particular artifacts were donated several years ago by the British army (Irish Guards) and the Luxembourg veterans of the « Brigade Piron » for a future special exhibit inside the museum. It is intended to create a special diorama, showing a crew of Luxembourg allied soldiers preparing for a firing mission in France in June, 1944.

Roland Rach with the repainted British 25 PDR gun.

Some 200 Luxembourg « allied » soldiers were integrated as artillerymen in the « Belgian Brigade Piron » that participated in the liberation of France, Belgium and Germany in 1944-45. The Luxembourgers constituted one battery of 25 PDR guns inside the Brigade Piron; others were members of the « scout » troop.

Museum member and volunteer Lionel Ronk (also a career military), together with his colleagues, were staffing a special exhibition describing the activities of the Luxembourg army E.O.D. (Explosive Ordnance Disposal Service) and its numerous missions in the Luxembourg Ardennes.

Rick Rommelfanger, a close friend of the museum and key Luxembourg collector with his superbly-restored M8 "Greyhound".

Finally, it should be noted that several Luxembourg vehicle collectors’ associations also provided a range of original WWII U.S. vehicles for the interested audience to compare with the modern military equipment.

Tambow revisited

As a career military and senior NCO of the Luxembourg Army CFE unit (Conventional Forces in Europe) and GIVO (Group Inspection, Verification and Observation) team, museum volunteer and staffer Roland Rach recently visited Russian army installations as a member of a multinational verification team.

More specifically, the CFE team under Dutch army leadership consisted of American, British, Dutch, German and Luxembourg specialists.

During their one-week mission, the CFE members also visited - on the initiative of Roland Rach - the nearby areas of Rada and Tambow because of the vicinity of those former WWII Russian POW camps and the special exhibit at the Diekirch museum of those unfortunate Luxembourgers, who as forced conscripts of the German Wehrmacht suffered during their captivity in Tambow 1943-1945.

There is not much visible evidence left of the former camps - only a few memorial plaques and explanation panels -- and numerous graves.... in the middle of lush green woods, where once POW barracks used to be.

CFE team pays tribute to dead after listening to the explanations by museum staffer Roland Rach (4th from left).

Brief description signpost at the entrance of the former Tambow camp.

What remains are numerous graves ... silent tokens of bygone tragedies.

Adj-Ch. Roland Rach was the Luxembourg army representative of the June 4-7, 2002 CFE multinational mission to Russia.

As « Tambow » is a sad and painful chapter of Luxembourg WWII history reflecting the destiny of numerous unfortunate young Luxembourgers who died here during captivity as forced conscripts, Roland Rach gave an on-site presentation to his CFE colleagues about this little-known aspect. This was truly an excellent way of linking the past to a present military mission in the context of international peacekeeping - and mutual understanding efforts.

German « Bundeswehr » detachment supporting federal war grave service visiting the National Museum of Military History

From May 25 June 8, a 15-man team of officers, NCOs and soldiers of the Panzeraufklärungsbataillon (armored reconnaissance battalion) from Eutin/Schleswig-Holstein were quartered at the Diekirch army barracks as guests of the Luxembourg army. They had volunteered for a 2-week duty tour to support present ongoing maintenance- and landscaping works at the German cemetery of Sandweiler. This program - the first of its kind for Luxembourg - is coordinated by the « Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge » and locally supervised by Mr. René Croë, Superintendent of the cemetery.

Together with their detachment commanders, 1st Lt. Bernd Kakuschky and S/Sgt. Klaus Sind, a group of young German Bundeswehr soldiers from Schleswig-Holstein, who had volunteered for a war grave maintenance program, were welcomed at the museum by curator Roland Gaul.

During their free time, the young German soldiers had numerous opportunities to familiarize themselves with the historical facts of 1944/45 « Battle of the Ardennes » in Luxembourg by visiting memorials, battle sites and the National Museum of Military History, where they were given a 3-hour detailed tour.

Two subsequent groups of German military volunteers from other « Bundeswehr » garrisons will continue this valuable program during the course of this summer, as well as in 2003.

Already 4^th ELDER HOSTEL » study group in Luxembourg

From May 31-June 10, 2002, another « Elder Hostel/Lyon Travel » study group has been visiting the Luxembourg and Belgian Ardennes. Since the successful launching of the program in fall 2001, the programs coordinated in the U.S. by Firas Amad and Melody Arsenault and locally implemented by Roland Gaul and Henri Mignon, assisted by Michel Baert, have been continuously improved.

Group picture at the Diekirch U.S. Memorial in the municipal parc Guide Roland Gaul is on the right.

The 4^th tour group consisted of 13 Americans, including 6 veterans (including an 84-year old army surgeon), as well as the daughter of a deceased veteran of the 6^th armored division researching her late father’s personal route during winter 44/45. There were also two « juniors » in the group, the daughter and son of two veterans.

A "standard" and a "junior" Elder Hosteler taking a close look at the bronze situation map plaque of the Ettelbruck memorial.

The wonderful weather in Luxembourg surely contributed to the success of the program, while the « hostelers » were exploring key sites of the « Bulge », discovering museums, listening to outdoor presentations, crawling through « bunkers » and foxholes and enjoying Luxembourg dishes, washed down with local Moselle wine or beer.

Hostelers on the "Gentingen" (Germany) Our river bridge, which was a main crossing point on December 16, 1944 by attacking German forces.

Escorted by Roland Gaul, Nadine Thomas and Michel Baert, the group members also sampled Luxembourg culture and hospitality. A highlight for the daughter of the deceased veteran was to visit the basement of a country inn, (which around Christmas 44 had served for 3 days as a shelter for her late father), a which by means of a 1944 photograph was found back ... virtually unchanged.

After the « Luxembourg » part, Belgian historian Henri Mignon took over for another 6 day program in the Belgian Ardennes around Bastogne.

Three additional Elder Hostel/Lyon Travel Tours will visit Luxembourg and Belgium as of coming September.

Museum supports UK-based German Panther tank restoration

The "wrecked" Panther owned by Kevin Wheatcroft, presently being restored under the expert supervision of Brian Rutter.

On the occasion of a recent visit to the NMMH by a group of British WWII vehicle experts and collectors including David Willey, curator of the world-famous Bovington Tank Museum, as well as Kevin Wheatcroft, owner and curator of the "Kevin Wheatcroft Military Vehicle Collection" and Brian Rutter, an original turret gear box of a German PzKfpw V (Panther) was swapped against a batch of "Schwimmwagen" spareparts.

The "Panther turret gear box" as displayed until March 8, 2002 at the NMMH in Diekirch.

The NMMH has had the Panther turret gear box for many years on display as a relic of a destroyed tank of the "Panzerregiment" of the "Führer-Grenadier - Brigade" (FGB). Around December 26, 1944, a Panther of that unit was knocked out near Eschdorf/Luxembourg by units of the 26th U.S. "Yankee" Division and was later on cannibalized in 1945. Several farmers of Eschdorf had then retrieved vehicle parts, such as bogie wheels, track elements, and other mechanical pieces that could serve them in farming, including the gearbox.

The nearly 200 Lbs heavy "gear box" almost ready to leave for the UK.

The latter one was acquired by the NMMH in 1982 and had since then be put on display at the museum until Brian Rutter on a visit spotted it in 1998 and started negoticating a deal for the "Kevin Wheatcroft collection". Here it was needed for the restoration of a wrecked "Panther" that was recently acquired. As the museum itself was in need of spare parts for its own "Schwimmwagen", the "swap" deal was perfect.

Group picture of British collectors and WW II vehicle enthusiasts, friends of the NMMH pose in front of the museum's M4A1E-8 Sherman tank.

On Saturday, March 9, 2002 the mutually-agreed-upon property was exchanged in Diekirch and the original "Battle of the Bulge"- originating Panther gear box left for the U.K. It is estimated that complete restoration of the "Panther" may take up until 2004, about the time when the museum´s "Schwimmwagen" will be completed.

New recent acquisition - German 4 cm anti aircraft gun Flak 28

The gun in its actual condition as recently acquired by the NMMH Diekirch.

The National Museum of Military History (NMMH) in Diekirch recently acquired an additional historical piece related to the "Battle of the Bulge": a German 4 cm Flak 28 (Bofors).

The 1936-built anti aircraft gun in excellent condition on trailer was subject to an agreed exchange of museum property between the NMMH and the "Museum für historische Wehrtechnik e.V." in Röthenbach/Pegnitz near Fürth/Germany www.wehrtechnikmuseum.de. The German colleagues traded the Flak 28 against a U.S. WWII-issue 6x6 Dodge WC-62 in driveable condition that the NMMH had spare.

With the support and transportation assets provided by the Luxembourg army, the Flak 28 was loaded on an MAN "roll on-roll off" truck and transferred from Fürth to Diekirch by Adj.Ch. Roland Rach and Mike Boehler, both members of the museum’s volunteer working team, assisted by Sgt. Georges Puraye.

Final inspection of the "ready to go piece" by Roland Rach, Georges Puraye and Mike Boehler prior to leaving the German museum's storage place for the long return drive to Diekirch.

On November 20, 2001, the new piece was received at the museum in Diekirch, where it will be stored in a different location pending its complete restoration and repainting by the museum’s volunteers in 2002-2003.

Although of Swedish pre-WWII design, built by Bofors, this particular medium anti aircraft gun served in numerous German anti aircraft artillery units under the denomination of 4 cm Flak 28. Most of those guns in German service came from Poland, where they were captured during Whermacht´s campaign overrunning Poland in 1939. Additional (Bofors) guns were captured later by German forces from Dutch and British troops and even a small number from Red Army forces in the Baltic States in June-July 1941. During the German occupation of Norway, limited production of the Flak 28 was undertaken by Kongsberg for the German forces.

The Flak 28 had an overall weight in action of 1.730 Kg (traveling weight on trailer: 2.500 Kg) and a maximum effective ceiling of 5000 meters. It was fed with 4-round clips and fired both high explosive- and armor piercing shells at practical cyclic rate of 120 rounds/minute at a muzzle velocity of 850 m/sec.

Mike Boehler and Roland Rach securing the "Flak" to the "roll on - roll off" element of the Luxembourg army MAN truck.

Although not fairly common in field divisions, a number of 4 cm Flak 28 were used by various German units during the "Bulge" including the 5th parachute division’s anti aircraft battalion, guarding the Our river bridge on the heights overlooking Roth a.d. Our. This unit consisted of 3 heavy batteries equipped with 8,8 cm Flak, 1 battery of 3,7 cm Flak 43/4cm Flak 28 guns and a 5th battery with 2cm Flakvierling 38 (quadruple 2 cm guns) pieces. The limited towing means consisted of Italian origin trucks (unspecified type) and a few RSO (Raupenschlepper Ost).

A number of German-manufacture 4 cm steel shell cases found in the greater Diekirch area by the museum staff also confirms the use of Flak 28 in this sector during the "Bulge", albeit in a very limited manner.

« Battle of the Bulge » relic found on museum compound

Since February 2001, the surrounding compound of the National Museum of Military History has become a major construction site for future infrastructures of the city Diekirch, as well as for the projected extension of the museum itself.

On October 15, 2001, ongoing extensive excavation works with heavy equipment yielded a dangerous WWII relic, when in the early afternoon an unexploded projectile was found at the backside of the museum.

The local police sealed off the area and the E.O.D. service (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) of the Luxembourg army was called in to remove the unwelcome found.

Adj-Ch. Patrick de Paoli holding the unwelcome 1945 "Bulge" relic after safely deactivating the 4.2" WP Smoke shell M2 before removing for future demolition.

Adjudant-Chef (sergeant-major) Patrick de Paoli, Head of the Luxmbourg army E.O.D. team identified the projectile as the "dud" of a U.S. 4.2" chemical mortar shell at first sight. After very careful cleaning of the mud coat, the shell was positively identified as a 4.2" Shell Smoke (WP), M2, containing white phosphorus and primed with a fuze, P.D. M8.

Due to the clearly visible grooves in the base driving band, it was obvious that the shell had been "shot", but had eventually misfired.

As it was judged too dangerous to destroy the shell in place because of the vicinity of nearby houses, Adj-Ch. de Paoli carefully started to deactivate the dangerous "Bulge leftover by removing the fuze with a special wrench.

The deactivated shell showing disassembled P.D. M9 fuze and the long burster that is housed in a deep cavity inside the shell body containing the sealed white phosphorus.

It took a few minutes of tension until the fuze and burster had been separated from the shell body containing the hazardous white phosphorus. The dud was thereafter evacuated to be destroyed later in a safe place.

According to museum curator Roland Gaul, the shell itself was most probably fired during the 17 - 19 January 1945 time frame on the upper town of Diekirch, when the 91^st chemical mortar battalion and more specifically ist companies "C" and "D" supported the Sauer river crossing and progress of the 2^nd U.S. Infantry regiment (5^th Infantry division) in a combined effort to recapture Diekirch (which was achieved by January 22, 1945).

Apart from being a very effective support weapon for the accurate high-angle firing of high explosive (TNT) shells at distances up to 6 Kms, the rifled bored 4.2" mortar was often used to lay down smoke screens of WP (white phosphorus) to cover friendly troops’ advance and shroud their movements from enemy observation. The explosion of a WP shell also always resulted in setting the surrounding areas ablaze due to burning white phosphorus.

In the case of the January 1945 operations by the 4^th and 5^th U.S. Infantry divisions in their effort to cross the Sauer river, the 91^st Chemical mortar battalion had been detailed from XII U.S. Corps to those two key units as a direct support unit.

The full story of the 91^st Chemical mortar battalion in the Diekirch area is featured on pages 220-222 of Volume II (the Americans) of the "Battle of the Bulge in Luxembourg" by Roland Gaul.

In showroom 8 of the National Museum of Military History, both types of ammunition of the 4.2" mortar, the high explosive (TNT) round and the WP Smoke projectile, are on display.

Elder Hostel starts Battle of the Bulge tours

One of the most recent « Elder Hostel » programs focuses on the history of the Battle of the Bulge 1944/45 in Luxembourg and Belgium.

NB : Elder Hostel is a « lifelong learning » program that addresses primarily senior American citizens by offering them a broad range of cultural programs throughout the world.

The National Museum of Military History in Diekirch, Luxembourg has recently been actively involved in the planning and implementation of the two first Elder Hostel/Lyon Travel programs in October 2001.

Group picture at the National Museum of Military History in Diekirch.

Museum curator Roland Gaul in close cooperation with his Belgian colleague Henri Mignon, had set up a balanced 4-day tour to familiarize the participants with Luxembourg with special focus on the dramatic 1944/45 events. The Luxembourg portion of the program, was followed in turn by a 5-day tour of key sites of the Belgian Ardennes, such as Bastogne.

Both tours in Luxembourg consisted of a mini series of detailed lectures, visits of key towns such as Diekirch, Ettelbruck, Wiltz and Clervaux, tours of several « Bulge museums », terrain walks over the former battlefields, presentations at the German and American military cemeteries, as well as another range of extracurricular activities and visits (castles, brewery, rural folk art museum .....).

Hostelers exploring an undestroyed German pillbox of the « Wallendorf » Westwall trail.

Elder Hostelers exploring the former battlefield.

Guided tour of the December 1944 American positions at the « Hoesdorf Plateau » battlefield.

Closing event at the Luxembourg American cemetery. Group honors American heroes resting in Luxembourg.

Facilitated by superb fall weather, both programs were a real success, as gathered by enthusiastic comments from all the participants.

The programs were concluded by a joint floral tribute at the Luxembourg American military cemetery.

For more information about these programs, contact Lyon Travel Agency/Elder Hostel Elder Hostel through their website at : www.elderhostel.org.

2002 Lyon Travel « hostelers » stalk « Bulge » relics while visiting former battlefields in Luxembourg.

The outstanding spring weather certainly contributed to the success of another "Battle of the Bulge in Luxembourg and Belgium" program by Lyon Travel, when the first group of the 2002 series of "Elder Hostel" tours recently explored the greater Diekirch area around Easter.

The 16 members’ group of "hostelers" also had 3 U.S. veterans of 26^th Infantry division; 10^th armored division and 666^th Field artillery battalion - key units that all fought in the Bulge in 1944/45. To the veterans themselves, it was certainly more than a sentimental journey. "Normandy Beaches" French expert guide, Ms. Rose Robine, met and escorted the group during the program in Luxembourg with close-up on the 1944/45 Southern Should of the "Bulge".

Elder Hostel members exploring the former U.S. defense line in the woods above Hoesdorf overlooking the Our river.

As in the previous fall 2001 programs, academic co-ordinator Roland Gaul had tailored a balanced program consisting of a series of lectures, special presentations at the Diekirch National Museum of Military History, terrain walks in both Germany and Luxembourg to explain the former battlefield and the tactical situations, as well as other visits to cultural and historic places.

"Hostelers" about to discover the "Hoesdorf plateau" Bulge trail together with Roland Gaul as a guide.

More specifically, the hostelers also visited the Ettelbruck, Clervaux and Wiltz museums, the Vianden and Beaufort castles, Echternach, the Binsfeld rural art museum, as well as the German military cemetery in Sandweiler and the Luxembourg U.S. cemetery in Hamm .The "Luxembourg" part of the entire 2-week trip was followed by a program in the Bastogne area with additional excursions to the Belgian Ardennes' battle sites, led by Cpt. (ret) Henri Mignon, another key expert historian of the "Bulge".

From enthusiastic comments gathered from all members, it appeared that the "Bulge trails" terrain walk showing both sides of the "Our" valley battlefields... were one of the highlights of the trip. Whereas the afternoon tour of the "Westwall" trail familiarized the "hostelers" with the former German pre-December 16, 1944 fortifications of the "Siegfried line", enabling an insight visit into a well-preserved bunker, the detailed exploration of the former U.S. positions, was even more special.

A trench with neatly-cut out observation position, as used on the German side of the Our river by German troops prior to the "Bulge".

During the commented terrain walk of the "Hoesdorf plateau", held in mid-December 1944 by front line companies of the 3^rd battalion 109^th regiment (28^th "Keystone" division), hostelers uncovered numerous small relics such as soluble coffee foil wrappers (ex- K-rations), C-ration can lids, scrapnel of all kinds (including well preserved exploded remains of two U.S. 60 mm mortar M40A1 rounds); countless spent 30.06 shell cases, several still loaded 8-round clips, individual tracer and armor-piercing rounds and ....... a life U.S. MK II fragmentation hand grenade with the assistance of museum volunteer Mike Boehler and his metal detector. The hand grenade although rusty, was still in good condition and had some wire winded around the neck (probably the grenade had been attached to a tree). The ring was broken off or missing, but the cotter pin was still in. The grenade was later on safely deactivated for future display at the museum.

A veteran (who fought in Luxembourg during the Bulge as a GI of the 101st   Inf. Rgt/26th  U.S. Infantry division) sporting the life U.S. hand grenade only seconds after it was found ... hidden in the ground for almost 60 years.

All in all, the group got a very good impression of how deadly combat was during the initial onslaught of December 16-19, 1944 in this sector and often paused to reflect in front of a foxhole to remember all those brave young GIs but also think of the numerous German soldiers and civilians who lost their lives here.

Another veteran (666th Field artillery battalion) explaining an 8-round .30 calibre ammunition clip as used by GIs for their M1 "Garand" rifle.

Another highlight consisted in several Luxembourg U.S. WWII vehicle collectors in original GI uniforms volunteering to escort the group during a subsequent excursion day and the pre-mentioned veterans and other members took turns riding an original "Dodge" ¾ truck.

Group picture including the 3 Luxembourg WWII enthusiasts in original GI field uniforms in front of the Ettelbruck General Patton Memorial M4A1 Sherman tank.