2009 Robert Mary. By Alain Henry de Frahan, #20768, Brussels, Belgium

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1 2009 Robert Mary By Alain Henry de Frahan, #20768, Brussels, Belgium Last December some returning American veterans of the severe battle that took place in the Belgian Ardennes, during the terribly cold winter of , were pleased that old Europe still remembers their courage, sacrifice and suffering caused by Hitler s last offensive. ARMY MOTORS 25

2 Didier Ruth s jeep in Baseilles, the BMVT s headquarters A. Henry de Frahan. Jean Weiler s G13/Hetzer photographed before the reenactment performed in Remagne by the Duty First club Benoît Henry de Frahan. The Royal Museum of the Army s M7B2 Priest and a French owned Ford M8 in Remagne Frédéric Mousset and Anne Blondiau. 26 ARMY MOTORS

3 Many reenactment activities were organized for December 12 and 13, 2009 under the authority of the committee set up to optimize the coordination between the various public and private participants. It was impossible to attend all the events. The final outcome was encouraging but there is room for improvement. The main focus of the 65th anniversary activities took place in and around Bastogne, at Vaux-sur- Sûre (southwest of Bastogne), at Remagne (west of Bastogne), at Arlon, and, a separate organization, around the superb museum of Baugnez, where an SS unit massacred eighty-five American prisoners of war. THE 'DUTY FIRST' ATTACKS IN REMAGNE On Saturday morning, one of the main focal points was the village of Remagne, where the Duty First club performed a reenactment of the fighting that took place there on December 31, 1944 between the US 87th Infantry Division and a German unit of the 116th Panzer Division. The pyrotechnic effects failed by far to meet the public s expectations. But the reenactors in US uniforms of the Duty First and those in German uniforms of the Historical Military Remember Association (HMRA) A Ford M8 in the village of Remagne during the second part of the reenactment performed by the Duty First club Benoît Henry de Frahan. performed rather well, considering that reenactment atmosphere of an actual combat event is always a difficult exercise. The Belgian Military Vehicle Trust (BMVT), chaired by André Witmeur MVPA #1780) Freddy Delaunoit s M16 half-track in Remagne Alain Henry de Frahan. ARMY MOTORS 27

4 A VW 82 Kübelwagen with HMRA reenactors leaving Remagne for Vaux-sur-Sûre Alain Henry de Frahan. Guy Retter s Sherman on static display in the main square of Arlon Guy Klinkenberg. On 'Place McAuliffe' the Royal Museum of the Army displayed a Sherman painted as Cobra King, Lt. Boggess tank which was the first to enter Bastogne on 26 December Alain Henry de Frahan. 28 ARMY MOTORS

5 participated with an M16 half-track, the Royal Museum of the Army with an M7B2 Priest, and Jean Weiler with his Hetzer/G13. Two French collectors drove their M8s, protected by infantrymen of the Duty First. An Allis-Chalmers M4, the M5A1 Stuart of Mons and a British M18 Hellcat were present but not involved. ARLON, GEORGE PATTON S STARTING POINT In the southern Ardennes, about 100 vehicles with 300 people drove to Arlon, the town where General George S. Patton regrouped and turned his 3rd US Army to beleaguered Bastogne. The first tank, belonging to the 4th Armored Division, broke through on December 26th, It was an M4A3E2 Jumbo Sherman nicknamed Cobra King, commanded by Lt. Charles Boggess. On Sunday the convoy drove to various places before reaching Bastogne for the final big parade. A French SAS jeep in Bastogne. The French did not fight there but similar Belgian SAS jeeps actually fought more in the north during the battle Laurent Baret. A Czech OT-810, painted as an Sd.Kfz 251, carries HMRA reenactors dressed as SS and WH Fallschirmjäger during a mock battle in Vaux-sur-Sûre Robert Mary. The Royal Museum of the Army s M24 Chaffee participated in a mock Battle at Vaux-sur-Sûre Robert Mary. ARMY MOTORS 29

6 White M3 half-track with US infantryman and a resistance fighter during a mock battle in Vaux-sur-Sûre Robert Mary. VAUX-SUR-SÛRE THE SCENE OF TWO MOCK BATTLES In Vaux-sur-Sûre the HRMA club performed an important reenactment on both Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon that involved many reenactors in US and German uniforms, as well as a few tanks and soft skin vehicles. Impressive and interesting! A large crowd and many military and civilian officials attended. Unfortunately, the Royal Museum of the Army s Sherman M4A1 (76 mm) could not take part as poorly parked vehicles prevented it from reaching the scene. William Witmeur is watching the unloading a Studebaker M29 Weasel in Baseilles, the BMVT s headquarters Alain Henry de Frahan. 30 ARMY MOTORS

7 BASTOGNE, ALWAYS A FAMOUS NAME The Belgian ABC club (Amicale des Collectionneurs Bastognards) gathered nearly 500 participants from Belgium, France, Italy, Germany, The Netherlands, Switzerland and Luxembourg. They set up a little campsite near the church in Bastogne, focusing on support and medical units. Later they formed a convoy that snaked through the surrounding countryside and villages that suffered so much during the various battles in 1944/45. On Sunday at noon two para drops of reenactors from the Liberty Jump Team, in US Army WWII paratrooper uniforms, took place near the Mardasson monument. The guys jumped from a C-47 that had taken off from the Liège/Bierset airport. It was a very exciting demonstration! Bob Izumi, a veteran of the 101 Airborne / 506 PIR, was on board. Just imagine what he must have thought. The ABC club set up a campsite near the church of Bastogne Alain Henry de Frahan. The final parade on the main street of Bastogne involved 400 HMVs greeted by approximately 5,000 enthusiastic people. In spite of the collectors charter (one more totally useless and ineffective piece of paper like the French one in Normandy), that stated what all the participating clubs for the 65th anniversary had to conform to, several very undesired individuals tried to join with totally inappropriate post-war vehicles. They were firmly rejected. IN CONCLUSION What to finally think of these commemorations? Once again, such a large event proved to be exceedingly difficult to manage by a committee and the police. But encouraging efforts were successfully made to improve the coordination and the dissemination of information. Most important was the fact that the US veterans who came back saw how sincerely thankful old Europe still is toward them. ARMY MOTORS 31