What's new? 2004

Paddling down the January 1945 Sauer River Crossing site

A vintage 10-men military inflatable dingy boat was used recently by the museum working group members to implement a new project for a more adventurous on-site exploration of former battlefields.  Supported by Canoe-Kayak Nature company www.cekaen.diekirch.org, owned by Erny Klares, former Luxembourg canoe champion, the museum just generated the idea of paddling down the Sauer river to get the same angle of view, American soldiers of the 5^th and 4^th U.S. Infantry divisions must have had on January 1945, when ordered to cross the same river sector …under fire.

This is an especially fitting activity in the context of the 60^th anniversary of the "Battle of the Bulge".

The sector focused on, is actually the former crossing site of the units of the 2^nd and 10^th U.S. Infantry regiments of the "Red Diamond" Division between Ingeldorf and Bettendorf on the Sauer river.

Paddling down at ease, Madeleine Peiffer, Roland Rach, Jill Rach, Jean-Paul Sassel, Erny Klares and Roland Gaul, saw the banks of the "Sauer" float by, as they focused on the south banks' hill remembering that the GIs had to hand-carry the plywood assault boats then in deep snow to get down to the frozen river.  The north banks lead up to the "Herrenberg" hilltop, used in January 1945 as observation for the German artillery.

The boat in the former 3rd battalion / 2nd Inf. Regiment sector between Diekirch and Ingeldorf.

The trip lasted about 90 minutes and the boat was finally docked near the old mill of Bettendorf, used on January 23, 1945 as a crossing point of U.S. supply units.  The nearby  Bettendorf bridge, presently undergoing maintenance, has been temporarily replaced by a U.S. Army type bailey bridge looking just as the 1945 bridge constructed by the 7^th Engineer battalion, 5^th Infantry division.

The temporary Bettendorf bridge is a modern version of the “Bailey bridge”that had been constructed here by U.S. Engineers after the successful January 1945 Sauer river crossing operation.

The museum intends to further develop the "boat trip project" to be offered in the future to small groups (maximum: 8 persons) of historically interested battlefield visitors several times a year on specific dates.  This would be a less common supplement to the existing "Hoesdorf / Wallendorf" Bulge and "Westwal"l walking tour (" Bulge trails"  for more info).

Reflecting on the January 1945 events.

Erny Klares steering the boat .

Erny Klares can also arrange for any other boats trips in Luxembourg and can tailor half-day outings according to customer wishes.

Museum visit enhanced by ARCICOM Digit (audio) guides

Visitors can now get MUCH MORE out of a visit to the National Museum of Military History by using the new audio Digit Guide, available in several language options.

Easy to use for young and old, comfortable to carry on and above all, low cost (rental fee is only 2,5 € for your entire visit), the Digit Guide takes you through the museum and provides general descriptions of the exhibits supplemented by historical framework explanations, interesting details and other narrative. The Digit Guide, manufactured by Belgian ARCICOM company comes in form of a lightweight hand-held flat “phone” with standard “keys” for starting, advancing, rewinding or pausing recorded explanations, adjusting volume, and – most important – selecting your language of choice: English, French, German, Dutch and Luxembourgish.

On the occasion of the 70th birthday of their husband, father, brother, cousin, grand-father and uncle -- Mr. Albert Schreiner --, the Schreiner family from Mertzig/Luxembourg (where the battle raged in late December 1944) had scheduled a 2-hour visit of the National Museum of Military History in the context of a family gathering.  Both, young and old were using the new ARCICOM audio Digit guide and Mr. Schreiner himself was delighted listening to some stories from the 1944/45 area that were very familiar to him recalling his personal youthful experiences during the “Battle of the Bulge”–60 years ago.

The Digit Guides, available from February 1, 2004 on have an overall 65 minute narrative capacity and by using them, interested visitors will have a good understanding of the museum, its exhibits and above all, the local history of the “Battle of the Bulge 1944-45” and of the Luxembourg Army.

Easy to use FOR ALL, the new ARCICOM audio Digit guide provides a detailed insight into the exhibits of the museum.  The guide itself will be updated at regular intervals, as the museum’s exhibits continue to expand..

Rent an audio Digit guide, and your visit of the museum will be a more rewarding experience that WILL BE REMEMBRED.