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| Impressum |
| In the first half of December of the year
1944, three Armies numbering about 240,000 men were assembled in the Schnee
Eifel, under the strictest secrecy. On the south flank the 5th Paratroop
Division was held in readiness. I was a member of the 15th Regiment of this
Division. Shortly before it got dark on December 13, in Ehrang near Trier,
we were unloaded from our railroad trooptrain. During the night we marched
toward Niedersgegen. It was about 40 kilometers, and we were all loaded down
with packs and our weapons. I was in the mortar platoon, and we had a
difficult time. On the 16th of December, under the leadership of Field
Marshal von Rundstedt, the last major German offensive of the war was
launched. At 5:30 AM, under the protection of countless hundreds of
artillery pieces and Nebelwerfer, we crossed the Our River in assaults boats.
On the evening of the 19th of December we were at the hotly contested
highway crossing by the Cafe Schumenn, just west of Wiltz and the 21st we
were in Bigonville, south of Bastogne, near the Luxembourg-Belgium border.
There we set up our four 80-millimeters mortars, because a
counterattack by American troops was expected from the south. During the
fighting with the attackers there, I was taken prisoner the 24th by the Americans,
happy to have come through unscated. Decades later, by accident while hiking in the mountains of the south of Tirol, I got to know a Luxembourg native from the Bigonville region ( He had been 10 in 1944 while I was 18). A little while later I received an invitation from Bigonville. On the 21st of December 2000, 56 years to the day from our entry into Bigonville, I returned there and found many friends. And so I have promised to come back to Bigonville again for the 60th Anniversary celebration. On the 17th of December I traveled with my wife to Luxembourg. At the station we were greeted by Guy Ries and Alphonse Ketter, both from Bigonville. In the Bigonville Community Center, we took part in the opening of an exibition which comprised pictures of the demolished town, as well as pictures of the reconstructed houses. On the next day we took part in memorial ceremonies in Martelange, Radelange, Perle and Rombach, as well as in Bigonville. At the battle site, we collected sand which was scattered the following day on the cemeteries at Hamm and Sandweiler. At the German cemetery at Sandweiler there were also some American veterans who placed a wreath there, for me it was an impressive gesture. After the sand was scattered on the monument, we went to find the American cemetery. After I was interviewed by Luxembourg Television Channel RTL, in conclusion I walked with the US Veteran Earle R.Hart among the rows of crosses, with a final reconciliation over the gravesites. On the evening of the 19th of December we had dinner with our hosts at the Schumann Restaurant at that tragically famous road junction. It was precisely at the time where 60 years earlier, the bitter night battle took place. On the 20th we were taken to the station for the trip to Luxembourg City. Before that, we sought out the Parkhotel where James Burke was waiting for us. At the same timethat I went into captivity as an prisoner of war of the Americans in Bigonville, James was looked up in Bigonville as an American POW before being shipped to East germany. These events bound us together as friends and we were both fortunate to have gotten to know one another personally. So it was for both of us a moving to the memorial celebration. For viewing the pictures, please click above to ardennen pictures
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