Also on our trip to Italy, we visited the US military cemetery and memorial near Florence.
Like all other US cemeteries, it is impressive and immaculately maintained. In spite of the dry summer, the grass was green and crisp.
When we arrived, an American couple came to bring flowers to the grave a relative. Taps were played. You can tell that all honors are being observed for such occasions. Very moving.
The cemetery is about the same size as the one in Margraten, but with a bit over half the number of headstones: 4.392. This is one of two US cemeteries in Italy. The other one is the Sicily-Rome American Cemetery near Anzio, which is the bigger one in terms of number of graves.
We looked for headstones of soldiers of the 82nd Airborne Division and the 10th Mountain Division in particular. We had Chat GPT propose us a list of locations and a route to follow. This also took us to the grave of one of the three Medal of Honor recipients there: Roy W. Harmon of the 91st Infantry Division. And the exceptional grave of a non-combattant, Ralph Barnes, the American correspondent. On November 17, 1940, on his way to cover Mussolini’s invasion of Greece, he was killed along with five Royal Air Force crew members when his plane crashed in Yugoslavia.
More information can be found here on the ABMC website.
On our way from the Apennines to Florence, we stopped by the German WWII cemetery at Futa Pass.
As in other countries, German cemeteries are not as concentrated in one place as the American cemeteries. I counted 10 on Google Maps. But this one is the largest in Italy, with over 30.000 German war dead.
It sits on a hill, overlooking the surrounding mountains, as you can see in the panorama picture below. The style, as always, is very sober, but well maintained. We did not see any other visitors when we were there.
I found it interesting that the site is also maintained by young volunteers from Germany, who can go there on camps organized by the German War Graves Foundation (Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge).
We recently visited the Apennine mountains in Northern Italy. The mountain range that forms the natural barrier to the Po valley, coming from the South, as the allies did in 1944-45. This was the theatre of Operation Encore.
On day one, we did a hike up the famous Mount Belvedere. The mountain top was finally seized by US 10th Mountain Division troops on 20 February 1945. This was their third attempt, and it succeeded because they had managed to secure Riva Ridge on the night of 18-19 February. From this ridge, the Germans could put mortar and artillery fire anywhere on Mount Belvedere. Scaling the steep cliffs of Riva Ridge by night, and in force, and then totally surprising the Germans in their fox holes at daybreak was one of the most audacious operations of WWII.
We parked our car in the quiet mountain village of Querciola. It has a monument to the 10th Mountain Division, and another commemorative plaque. When you park near the monument, it’s about a one hour hike to the top of Mount Belvedere. Mostly through woods, but it was a pretty hot day nonetheless. About halfway, we were rewarded with a vast panorama, overlooking the valley and Riva Ridge across. In my imagination, the Ridge had been closer to Mount Belvedere. Evidently this distance was no obstacle for the light artillery of the German mountain troops.
At the top of Mount Belvedere, you will find the big monument to the 10th Mountain Division, as well as several information panels. There are also clear remnants of medieval fortifications, which the Germans had used for cover. The way down is quicker, maybe 40 minutes.
10th Mountain memorial in QuerciolaOne of the info panels on Mount BelvedereView of Riva Ridge from Mount Belvedere
On day three, we started at Castel d’Aiano, with a guide from the Museo delle Storie dalla Linea Gotica. This is in the direction of the battles of the 10th Mountain Division and where phase two of Operation Encore started. From the town, which also has a big monument to the 10th Mountain Division, we hiked up and around Monte della Spe.
Our guide Andrea and interpreter Laura, both from the museum, showed us the German trenches and the foxholes of the 10th Mountain troops, as well as soldiers from the Brazilian Expeditionary Force that had been funded by the US to fight with them. That’s a fascinating story in it’s own right. This mountain, as well as the surrounding ones, are now mostly covered by chestnut woods, but during the war, the hillsides had been almost bare. Along the way, they told us many stories of individual soldiers, as well as the impact that both the Germans and the allies had on the civilian population. After this rewarding tour, we visited the museum. Everything from the museum is from the local area: battlefield relics, donations from people in the area and from families of veterans, but also stuff rescued from the trash. Really amazing to see, especially for a militaria collector. If you have chance to visit this area, I really recommend you hook up with the museum for a tour!
Our interpreter Laura and guide Andrea10th Mountain monumentCommemorative cross at site of helmet findBrazilian foxholeMemorial to Medal of Honor recipientView from Monte della SpeEntrance to the museumThe museum outsideThe museum inside
So what did we do on day two? We stayed at Poretta Terme and relaxed at the spa. The 10th Mountain Division and the Brazilians were there in WWII, but we were there to relax.
I was a little behind on the Carentan series, with part 5 just having been published. But hey, it’s not like I didn’t already have dozens of books on D-Day. I keep hoping that Michel de Trez and his team start making similar books on the Battle of the Bulge.
Anyway, I got part 4 a few weeks ago and had a chance to go through it. It absolutely looks every bit as beautiful as the other volumes (as well it might for €75). To be honest, I mostly look at the photos, and then read the text that goes with it. The photos are certainly well made. The ones of original WWII rare paratrooper equipment, I mean. There’s a Simplex motorcycle, a hand cart, many M-1942 parachutist jump uniforms, and lots more. My own collection has always been inspired on the photos of collectibles in these books, and how they are displayed. What beats most other collections, though, is that here you can see objects with personal provenance. That is always so much more interesting and relatable.
A CRN-4 beacon in Normandy?
One thing that stood out to me in particular was the mention of the CRN-4 ‘BUPS’ beacon on one of the first pages. I am still confused about this, and I believe this is a mix-up. The CRN-4 is mentioned in several books and sources about Market Garden and The Bulge. This is the first mention of one in a book on Normandy. But never do these sources show any photos. See my article about why I think the CRN-4 is not the BUPS: AN/CRN-4 beacon used in Bastogne. I think I will have to ask Michel De Trez what he makes of this.
My prime battlefield interest, as you may know, is the Battle of the Bulge. And I keep reading books, often taken from the list of references in other books.
Operation Nordwind
One of these old books is ‘Operation Nordwind’ by Charles Whiting (Dutch translation). Unternehmen Nordwind was the name of the German operation that followed on to support their failing Ardennes offensive, calling for an attack South of the West Wall, into France. I have yet to read the book, so a review will follow later. If you can’t wait, there’s a very good article on Warfare History Network.
The second book in the picture is a Belgian publication called ‘The Battle of the Bulge in 50 Photos’. It’s a pretty book to look at, but it also has quite an original concept: it explains where certain famous pictures of the battle were taken, and also why. War photography was different then. It wasn’t just news gathering and recording history. Often, there was a propaganda aim behind it. On both the German and the American sides.
Scan the QR code to see this location today
The nifty thing about the photos that are explained in this book is the QR-code that comes with each of them. This will take you straight to that location in Google Streetview. And then you can start exploring.
Even though the title suggests it’s a picture book , there’s still a lot of text. I haven’t read everything yet, but I thought it was very insightful to read about Dinant. The explanation of a photo of the bridge with people fleeing the town can be traced on Google Maps.
Sample page of the book with the QR-code to see the location today
The Second World War is suddenly hot again in Hollywood, it seems. Unlike this summer, which is having a cool and wet start. So much the better for going to the cinema.
Pressure
The most anticipated release was “Pressure”. It won’t come out in theaters in Belgium until September 9th, but it promises to be a great WWII historical drama, focusing on the incredibly tense, true story of the 72 hours leading up to D-Day. It centers on the burden of leadership and the monumental weather forecasting decisions faced by General Dwight D. Eisenhower (Brendan Fraser) and meteorologist Captain James Stagg (Andrew Scott). Also starring Damian Lewis (Band of Brothers) as ‘Monty’. You’ll want to see that!
The IMDB score is 7.6, which is quite hight. I’m already looking forward to seeing it in September!
This is a two-part WWII historical epic around Charles De Gaulle. The first part, ‘Résistance’ is out now, the second part, ‘Liberté’ will follow on July 3rd.
Starring Simon Abkarian as Charles de Gaulle. The movie is in French (with subtitles). In English, it’s called ‘De Gaulle: Tilting Iron’.
Its IMDB score is 7.5, which is promising! I like the idea of a big French WWII blockbuster for a change. At least, this promises to be a very ambitious production.
Coming up in cinemas at the end of this month is a movie I should have anticipated most of all, as it’s set during the Battle of the Bulge. However, in spite of it’s promising cast including an ‘Eastwood’ and a ‘Hanks’ (sons of, both of them), this movie is likely to disappoint.
You will also find this analysis of ‘Lucky Strike’ by WW2 Wayfinder interesting to watch:
At the same time, we are also being treated to several new WWII documentaries on TV:
Het Verhaal van Nederland
I can recommend the show about WWII in Holland, which ran for 5 episodes in May. You can re-watch this NPO production online as well.
The storytelling concept seems to have been heavily inspired on Arnout Houben’s ‘Interview met de Geschiedenis‘. Personally, I am not really a fan of the narrator walking throuhg the set of re-enacted history. It’s more of a gimmick, really.
I did enjoy this episode about Marlene Dietrich, which was set during the Battle of the Bulge. At one point, she meets general Patton, played by the Flemish actor Gene Bervoets. Need I say more?
World War II with Tom Hanks
This new WWII documentary series started in History Channel on May 26. I have watched a few episodes. So far, it’s alright. It covers the whole war from the early beginning until the end, and feels very similar to previous documentaries. Nothing ground-breaking, except that they are planning for 20 episodes! Of course, it’s narrated by Tom Hanks, whose wise-sounding voice is always a pleasure to hear. More info on History Channel.
Speaking of Tom Hanks, ‘Mister WWII’ is planning the production of a sequel to ‘Greyhound’. This movie from 2020 starred Hanks as U.S. Navy Commander Ernest Krause as he led an Allied convoy across the Atlantic while being hunted by German U-boats. According to Hanks, the sequel will dig into a different but related question: what it actually means to survive. More info here.
So, there you have it. Plenty of WWII movies and shows to watch when it’s raining again!
It’s not like I hadn’t read any other books about the Battle of the Bulge before, but this one came recommended to me by our favorite battlefield guid Joris Nieuwint. It had been on my bookshelf for a while until I started it. At over 700 pages, it’s a serious book. But have to admit that once I started reading, I devoured it.
The author writes very engagingly and the book is extremely well researched. It has a great index and list of sources, which is very handy for future reference.
There’s a lot to like about this book, but generally speaking, I enjoyed the explanation about the wider context and significance of the Bulge. Especially the unit histories skip this entirely, and the older books about the Bulge in general also don’t deal with this.
I also found many anecdotes and details that I was not familiar with. Also quite a lot of myth busting. In particular, I have now become more fascinated than before with Operation Greif. So much so, that I am planning to make a display about it. But that’s for another time.
Following my post about the Rangers memorial in Maiori, on the Italian Amalfi coast near Salerno, I sometimes receive updates from people who went there. This week, James Speicher kindly shared some photos that should provide you with a better idea of what there is to see besides the monument at the boulevard on the waterfront.
The first 3 images are of the church in Maiori where you can visit a side room with numerous photos of US Rangers and Italian resistance. The 4th is of the plaque on the monument along the coast promenade. The last image is of a display case from a hotel in Amalfi.
Recent news about the removal of plaques commemorating black GIs at the Margraten American Cemetery really struck me. It is awful, and dumb, but also scary. These removed panels are now made out to have been some kind of protest against the Trump government. The truth is that everyone responsible for this is just hiding behind false arguments because they are afraid of their own president.
You can read all about it in the press, like this article on VRT News (photo courtesy of VRT News).
I am upset about this bigotry anyway, but especially because my own grandfather served together with a black GI at the end of the war. In this photo, you see Howard Hackett (left), who was a truck driver, and my grandfather Peter Joseph “Zef” Ramakers (right), who assisted the U.S. Army as a translator.
The two young men had their picture taken in a photo studio in Rheda, Germany.
I only got this picture of a picture from an uncle of mine last year. I didn’t know anything about this before. I did know my grandfather helped the allies in some capacity, and that he wore a uniform, but that’s all. I am still trying to find out more, but the archives of the Dutch “Ordedienst en de Binnenlandse Strijdkrachten” remain classified until 01/01/2027. So one more year.
Howard came from Jamaica, Queens in New York. He enlisted in July 1943. It says “negro” on his draft registration card. He was a stock clerk and still lived with his mother before he joined the army.
He survived the war, and I think he lived a long time afterwards, but I haven’t been able to find any conclusive details. The sources are sketchy and contradictory, as is often the case when doing this kind of research online.
Any help finding out more about Howard or his relatives, or about my grandfather’s service would be greatly appreciated!
Let’s honor all of these brave boys, black or white!
Last weekend I came across this ‘new’ video on YouTube. We see glider troops preparing their jeeps and artillery equipment before loading onto gliders and aircraft for Operation Varsity, which took place on 24 March 1945.
There is so much to see in this video that you have to watch it several times to pick up on everything. Some things that stood out for me:
A pile of paratrooper letdown ropes. Nobody wearing any 17th Airborne or other unit patches on their M43 jackets! They only wear arm flags, and the officers wear their ranks. At some point we see Major General William M. “Bud” Miley, who was the commander of the 17th Airborne from its activation on 15 April 1943 until the division’s inactivation on 16 September 1945. He also led them during Operation Varsity.
I also see yellow aerial recognition scarves with brown trimming.
The description below the video says that the footage was originally filmed by Lt. Col. George Stevens and the U.S. Army Signal Corps’ Special Coverage Unit (SPECOU). Thanks for putting this video on YouTube for everybody to watch!
