What's new? 2003

Recent “Bulge-relic” discoveries

It is truly amazing that 59 years after the “Bulge”, rusty relics still turn up, as the Diekirch museum keeps exploring sections of the former battlegrounds based on veterans' personal oral history accounts.

On December 20, 2003 Mike Boehler of the museum's volunteer working team, while walking the former U.S. positions at the “Hoesdorf plateau” overlooking the Our river, discovered a German Panzerfaust 30 literally lying on the ground, partially covered with fallen leaves. The weapon itself was in rather poor condition – sections of the warhead were completely rotten away by heavy rust, partially exposing the explosive shaped charge. The sight and trigger mechanism were also almost completely gone. After E.O.D experts had carefully removed the relic, it was found out that the weapon had not been primed. In fact, the tail end housing of the projectile did not contain any booster nor detonator. If fired 59 years ago, a “hit” would have resulted in a “dud” and possibly .... a bad surprise.

Amazing discovery : unprimed German Panzerfaust 30 lying on the ground of the wooded slope of the “Hoesdorf Plateau”, where it was “forgotten” 60 years ago.

This again confirms an account by a former NCO of the 352^nd Volksgrenadier-Division, stating that some of the 17-year old soldiers painfully lacked practical training  ....  “some even could not use a Panzerfaust !!!!”.  Anyway, the “Panzerfaust” was most likely lost on the Hoesdorf slope during the first onslaught of the “Bulge” , December 16-19, 1944 by a German soldier, who may have been killed there. ...........another rusty and silent witness of the deadly fighting that went on there 59 years ago.

Additional discoveries on that day consisted of a “U.S. 2,36” bazooka rocket, a U.S. anti-personal mine, as well as 2 German 8 cm mortar rounds.  All relics have been safely disposed of by the Luxembourg army E.O.D. service.

October 2003 Elder Hostel BoB study Group

With the excellent late "Indian" summer weather on their side, another 16-person Elder hostel study group was visiting the former Ardennes battlefields in Luxembourg and Belgium from October 09-20, 2003. There were three WWII U.S. veterans with them ( 1 artillery, 1 medic, 1 fighter pilot) in addition to a former Marine from the Korean conflict and a former nurse from the Vietnam war. Using Bastogne as their "home", the group undertook daily field trips to various key historical sites in Luxembourg, as Roland Gaul, curator of the Diekirch museum and President of AMBA familiarized the interested audience with the detailed facts of 1944-45. During one of the programs, the "hostellers" were also joined by a group of American Embassy Luxembourg staff interested in exploring some of the sites along the Our river.

"Elder Hostelers" gather around the U.S. liberation memorial in the municipal park of Diekirch, which will be the venue of several key commemorative events in 2004 and 2005.

Belgian historian Henri Mignon, another expert and escort Michel Baert then took the group around the Belgian Ardennes with highlights at Bastogne (where they visited the "Band of brothers’ Easy company’s Bois Jacques), St. Vith, La Gleize, Poteau, and many other places of interest.

On the last day, the "hostellers" paid tribute to the 5076 graves at the Luxembourg American cemetery at Hamm/Luxbg, where assistant superintendent Randall Banky took them on a silent tour through the rows of white marble crosses.

During the 60^th anniversary year of the "Bulge" in 2004/2005, Elder Hostel plans additional study groups to Belgium and Luxembourg in an effort to familiarize senior Americans with this important chapter of mutual history.

September 11, 1944 - Nine/Eleven

Special message and greetings by museum curator Roland Gaul

Dear Veterans, dear American families:

September 11 is a time where usually senior (but also younger) Luxembourgers pause and reflect on the liberation of the Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg by U.S. forces in 1944. Numerous streets and public squares of key towns and villages all over northern Luxembourg are named "Sept 11, 1944 - street" to commemorate that historical event of record, when 59 years ago elements of the 5th U.S. armored division, flanked by units of the 28th U.S. Infantry division, liberated the Luxembourg Ardennes for the first time.

The first U.S. Sherman M4A1 tank entering the town of Diekirch around 09:30 a.m. on September 11, 1944 from the south end. A group of civilians is greeting their liberators with a homemade U.S. flag. The tank belonged to the 5th U.S. armored division.

September 11, 1944 early afternoon. Cheerful children and citizens waving Luxembourg and allied flags are celebrating the liberation of Diekirch with their new GI friends. A 4-year nightmare is over.....for the moment at least, .......as Diekirch had to be re-liberated in January 1945 by the 5th U.S. Infantry division during te "Bulge".

Numerous Luxembourg towns on September 11, every year, remember by hosting a wreathlaying ceremony or other meaningful commemorative events. (NB: The southern parts of Luxembourg, including the capital - Luxembourg city - were liberated 1-2 days prior, on September 9-10, 1944)

It is an unusually unique accident that the unsurpassed brutal and tragic event of Nine/Eleven in the U.S. that shoook the entire world, historically coincides with the WWII liberation period of Luxembourg.

As I was touring the surrounding forest areas of Diekirch, where battle occurred in September 1944 and subsequently during the "Bulge" in December 1944 and January 1945 on this very September 11, 2003, silently paying tribute to all those brave American GIs and liberators of 1944 and also remembering the German and civilian victims, I found a couple of long forgotten battle relics. It is amazing that 59 years after those memorable events of 1944, still silent remains of 1944/45 turn up and keep reminding us.

The remains of a german steel container for a 7,5 cm assault gun shell was found in the woods 2 Kms north of Diekirch near "Friedhaff" farm on September 11, 2003.

Another discovery: A german 20 liter fuel "Jerry " can. Fragments of the original embossed lettering ("Kraftstoff "= gasoline fuel) are still visible after 59 years.

On this special day of mutual remembrance, I would like to send greetings to all U.S. veterans and American families and reassure them that Luxembourg has not forgotten, continues and will continue to remember! I respectfully dedicate my thoughts to all those young American heroes who rest in Luxembourg soil. I include in my thoughts the present generation of American servicemen and servicewomen, who are defending democracy and human rights in other parts of the world. Good luck to them and God bless America.

Diekirch/Luxembourg (liberated around 09:30 a.m. on September 11, 1944 by elements of the 5th U.S. armored division)

Luxembourg army E.O.D. team keeps busy as summer vacation goes on !

No time to relax during summer vacation for the Luxembourg army E.O.D. unit !

In the afternoon of August 22, 2003 they were alerted by the landlord of “Valeriushof” near “Sëltz” on the road from Diekirch to Vianden that some suspicious objects, believed to be rusty ammunition, had been found a few minutes earlier on a small dirt path in a pasture ground behind the farm compound.  Actually it was cattle on their way to the nearby creek that had loosened some dried-out earth, yielding ... several pointed objects sticking out of the ground.

Upon their arrival, E.O.D. experts Adj-Ch. Claude Peffer, Adj. Remy Eiffes and Sgt-Ch. Lionel Ronck immediately identified those as German 8 cm mortar shells. They carefully cleared the area of grass and rubble and started removing the upper layer of dry dirt. To their astonishment, there were actually several layers of shells, still neatly packed 3 rounds in, albeit, completely rotten wooden crates. On top of the shells were the disintegrated flat tin cans, holding each several cloth-wrapped increment propelling ring charges.

After the first rounds had been removed and carefully stacked, the three E.O.D. NCOs took turns digging deeper, uncovering layer after layer of life 8 cm mortar shells.  To their astonishment a whole pile of cow bones including a skull, were also dug up next to the ammunition.

The three Luxembourg army E.O.D.experts at work: (left to right): Adj. Remy Eiffes, Adj-Ch. Claude Peffer and Sgt-Ch. Lionel Ronck. Visible at the end of the shell pile are some of the cow bones, buried with the ammunition.

Adj-Ch. Claude Peffer, E.O.D. team leader of the August 22, 2003 mission holding one of the well-preserved German 8 cm Gr.W. 34 high explosive mortar shells.

Three 8 cm mortar rounds with their black bakelite impact fuzes and increment charges on top, about to be removed from their 59-year old "hide-out".

Further digging brought more shells to light and numerous additional propelling charges.  Some of them still had perfectly readable stencils on them.  Altogether an amazing total of 68 shells were found within 3 hours of intensive digging.

Ring-shaped propelling increment charges - some wit still clearly readable stencilling. The perforated (broken) dark-green disks are the actual powder increments.

A neat stack of just unearthed ammunition. Some shells still had remains of the original dull red paint -- an indication for post -1943 war production hig explosive ammunition.

The entire dangerous lot was packed in the trailer of the E.O.D. service vehicle to be safely evacuated to a secure area, pending later destruction by a demolition charge.

Drawing on several after action reports and German and American oral history witness reports by veterans, museum curator Roland Gaul who had been called to the excavation site, confirmed the location as the actual site of a nearby German 8 cm mortar position of G.R. 914 /352^nd Volksgrenadier-Division on December 16-17, 1944 in support of an infantry attack in direction of Bastendorf and Tandel.  On the other hand, an American 1^st lieutenant of “B” company 109^th Inf Rgt/28t Inf. Division, whom Gaul had interviewed in the 80s, had recalled finding in an abandoned house on the road from “Seltz” to Tandel on December 16, 1944 a pile of wooden crates with brand-new 8cm mortar ammunition – the shipping ticket read October 1944 !  (The narrative of the battle around Longsdorf-Seltz-Tandel-Bastendorf, is featured in Gaul’s two volumes «The battle of the Bulge in Luxembourg –The southern flank».

Gaul rated the unusual discovery as a temporary storage cache for additional mortar ammunition abandoned by a mortar crew supply team.  I was eventually disposed of after the war in a trench or dug-out together with a dead cow. Who knows !

The E.O.D. team will continue probing around in the hope to find additional ammunition and to clear the area of the dangerous spoils of the “Bulge”.

"Fossilized" hand grenade

On August 4, 2003 a Dutch tourist and his 13-year old son reported to the museum desk carrying a plastic bag containing what appeared to them to be a hand grenade!

With the present August 2003 "tropical" temperatures in Luxembourg having considerably decreased the water levels of the streams, they had found the "artifact" on the dried-out banks of the Sure (Sauer) river in Diekirch.

What actually looked like a mud-coated potato turned out to be indeed the cast-iron fragmentation body of a U.S. hand grenade. Careful cleaning yielded parts of the pineapple texture of the grenade, heavily corroded and covered with mud, sand and small pebbles ... all baked together and frozen in time by almost sixty years’ burial on the bottom of the Sure.

This "fossilized" WW II relic -- a U.S. defensive MK II hand grenade can still be very dangerous -- ...even after almost six decades!  Its broken off and partially exposed "fuze element" makes it even more dangerous. !

The museum curator alerted the two finders that although "fossilized", the item was still very dangerous and that they should have left it untouched and ought to have reported it to the police.

The grenade actually had its firing mechanism broken or rotten off and, but parts of the delay element were still visible – in other words: the body still contains the life blasting cap and TNT explosive filler.

Again, one cannot emphasize enough the dangers and hazards caused by improper handling of corroded ammunition. So, as interesting as it may have been talking from a historic point of view, the unusual find was transferred to the E.O.D. (explosive ordnance disposal) unit of the Luxembourg army, where it will be safely disposed of.

NB: It is believed that the hand grenade was lost during the January 18-20, 1945 Sure river crossing operation preceding the liberation of Diekirch by units of the 5^th U.S. Infantry "Red Diamond" division.

The museum’s strong advice: If you find what appears to be an "UXO" (UNEXPLODED ORDNANCE): DO NOT TOUCH IT! LEAVE IT IN PLACE AND REPORT IT ASAP TO THE NEAREST POLICE STATION.

Transatlantic museum cooperation in the making

Recently, Dr. Gordon “Nick” Mueller, President of the National D-Day Museum in New Orleans/Louisiana, founded by the late Stephen E. Ambrose, visited the National Museum of Military History in Diekirch in the context of an informal working meeting. The museum and its volunteers were very honored and privileged by the visit of Dr. Mueller, as a “return” courtesy call for an introductory meeting curator Roland Gaul had in New Orleans in November 2002.

Dr. Gordon Mueller, President of the National D-Day museum with the “almost” complete current volunteer working team of the NMMH (in their standard museum “dress blues!!!”) left to right : Mike Boehler, Jean-Paul Sassel, Christian Scholtes (most recent volunteer) and (Roland Rach). Missing on the picture is Lionel Ronk.

A range of future areas of mutual cooperation were discussed, especially as both museums continue to expand and in light of the upcoming 60t anniversary of the D-Day landings, the liberation of Luxembourg, the “Bulge” and “V.E. Day in Europe” in 2004 and 2005. During informal talks towards a future closer and more formal cooperation, the general sharing of museum resources, the exchange of oral histories, of expertise, as well as the possibilities for future “on-site battle-field and legacy tours”, were discussed. It is anticipated that the executive boards of both museums will soon elaborate and finalize a memorandum of understanding to formalize the future cooperation.

Roland Gaul, curator and Roland Rach, assistant curator , explaining to Dr. Muller the functioning of the museum’s volunteer working sessions, which are customarily held Wednesday and Friday evening after official business hours.

During his 2-day visit in Diekirch and Luxembourg, Dr. Mueller received a detailed tour of the museum’s current exhibits, as well as its excess stocks and future exhibition rooms. Additional time was spent visiting key sites of the “Bulge” in Luxembourg, selected U.S. memorials and the two military cemeteries near Luxembourg-City.

For the museums’ volunteers it was a great encouragement and special privilege to briefly meet with Dr. Mueller on Friday night of March 14, as they were busily working on a special “medical” exhibit, that will soon open to the public in May 2003.

Rebirth of a VW-166 “Schwimmwagen”

Worldwide WWII military vehicle collectors only know too well that German VW type 166 amphibious cars or "Schwimmwagen"s are very hard to come by. In 1984 the volunteers of the National Museum of Military History were uncommonly lucky when discovering an – albeit strangely modified specimen – virtually under a pile of straw in a barn of a small village some 15 KMs north of Diekirch.

It turned out that the hidden "treasure" was actually an original VW-166 "Schwimmwagen" that had been "resting" there since 1951, when it was "decommissioned" after serving for 4 years in a row in various regional post WWII carnival parades. (This was confirmed by numerous elder fellow-citizens, who remember the vehicle well).

With the sides cut out, numerous accoutrements removed, painted bright red with several weird and ironic white inscriptions (such as "shake before use"), the "Schwimm" – after surviving the "Bulge" – had once been a "star" and a key focus during the late 40s’ carnivals, when people tried to forget about the horrors of war.

Realizing what an unusual "gem" they had discovered, the museum volunteers joined all their savings to come up with an appropriate sum to acquire this "old warrior". But for other priorities inside the budding museum, there was never enough funding, time and other resources to "cosmetically" restore the "Schwimm" to its original condition at that time. For years it had been a sitting duck in the museum’s storage facilities, always admired and sought after by numerous interested foreign collectors. No way would the museum give it away!

Actually it was found out, that the abandoned vehicle came from the Diekirch area, where it was most likely abandoned by the 352^nd German Volksgrenadierdivision in January 1945 during Gen. Patton’s 3^rd Army’s counterattack in the Sauer river sector.

So it is truly a genuine historical piece of the area and this is where it belongs to and should remain!

"VW-Typ 166 : Schwimmwagen" on the go. Jean-Paul Sassel, Roland Rach and the two Luxembourg army soldiers after completed work. The "Schwimm" is loaded and ready for "shipment".

On January 13, 2003, the "carnival-lized" "Schwimm" was finally moved by Jean-Paul Sassel and Roland Rach, assisted by two Luxembourg army soldiers from its 20 year-long depot to be loaded on a Luxembourg army MAN roll on-roll off container truck for a brief temporary storage facility. Within the coming months it will be moved to Germany, where – thanks to the "Bundeswehr" (Federal German army) it will be completely rebuilt and restored to original condition in a mechanical workshop with numerous missing parts being supplied in turn by the Diekirch museum. It is estimated that the restoration works may take up to two years, but this will be worth the effort and time, given the rarity of that interesting vehicle. We’ll keep you posted.

"Schwimmwagen" – buffs and "addicts" may find the following website useful for further information about remaining VW-166s all over the world: www.vw166.com