Carentan – part 4

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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.

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More books on The Bulge

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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 with QR-code from 'The Battle of the Bulge in 50 Photos'.
Sample page of the book with the QR-code to see the location today

Read my other posts related to The Battle of the Bulge

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WWII movies this summer

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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!

More about ‘Pressure’ on IMDB

La Bataille de Gaulle

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.

More about ‘De Gaulle: Tilting Iron’ on IMDB

Lucky Strike

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:

More about ‘Lucky Strike’ on IMDB

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!

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Book review: Snow and Steel

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Best Battle of the Bulge book. Period.

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.

Stay tuned for more WW2 book reviews!

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Photos Ranger memorial in Maiori, Italy

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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.

Maiori church entrance near Ranger monument
Maiori church interior near Ranger monument
Ranger photo exhibit in church
Plaque for US Rangers on Maiori war memorial
Display of US items in Amalfi hotel

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.

Read the original post here

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My grandfather and Howard, the black GI

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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!

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Rare color film of 17th Airborne glider troops preparing for Operation Varsity

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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!

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The Georges-Henri Club in Brussels – 80 years ago

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Charles Cassells contacted me because he had seen my various posts and the article about GIs in Brussels, and he had his own research he wanted to share.

I was very excited about this. Charles has been digging into the traces of the US 6th Armored Division. After a very long tour from Normandy, Brittany, through France, the Ardennes, Alsace and Germany, the troops visited Brussels for R&R.

One of the leave centers they visited was the George-Henri Club. This was the Royal Institute for the deaf and blind, very close to where Charles used to live in Brussels. The archivist from the Brothers of Charity confirmed this and were kind to send some photographs. The building on avenue Georges Henri, place de Groof, has not changed a lot, but the Brothers are no longer there.

Read whole story + see photos

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On the trail of the 106th Infantry Division at Saint-Vith

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A bit of an unfamiliar theatre of the Battle of the Bulge is the area of Saint-Vith, right near the German border. As I needed to be in Gouvy, which is nearby, I decided to do a small battlefield tour, tracing the path of the 106th.

The 106th Infantry Division – the “Golden Lions” – were an inexperienced unit who had just arrived in the Schnee-Eiffel and Sain-Vith area at the German border, relieving the 2nd Infantry Division.

What soon followed is one of the most heroic delaying actions by American forces in the Bulge. Two regiments were soon surrounded at Schönberg and had to surrender. This was the second largest Allied surrender in the whole of the ETO: 4.000 men (of whom 200 would die in captivity).

The remaining force dug in at the Prümerberg, just East of Saint-Vith, and successfully held up the Germans for a few more days. Until they too risked being surrounded and were forced to withdraw in the direction of Vielsalm.

Only on 23 January 1945 did the Allies manage to recapture the town, after the so-called “Second battle of Saint-Vith”. The town was completely in ruins, which is why and then-and-now comparison photos are impossible.

That’s the really short version. I won’t attempt to go into all the details here. Below, I have listed some websites that have been helpful in preparing my visit.

The East Cantons of Belgium are the most beautiful and quiet parts of the country. You won’t meet nearly as many tourists as around Bastogne, Houffalize, Vielsalm, etc. One of the sources I found was a university paper of a land survey conducted at the Prümerberg site in 2008. Sadly, now 17 years later, the prediction of the academics that the traces would quickly disappear due to mechanized forestry proved to have come true. You can still clearly see a pockmarked forest with many dips, but they are generally quite shallow. Still, walking the ground will always give you a better appreciation of the battlefield you are studying.

Photos are from top to bottom: Monument US POW’s 106th Infantry Division – Schönberg, Memorial 168th Engineer Combat Battalion – Saint-Vith, Memorial Lt. Eric Fisher Wood – Meyerode, Memorial 106th Infantry Division – Saint-Vith – TracesOfWar.com, Memorial 2nd Infantry Division – Sankt Vith, plaques at the park at the Pulverstrasse in Saint-Vith, and craftsman-made monument at Burg Reuland.

Useful links about the battles at Sain-Vith:

Day-by-day account of the battle: https://www.battle-of-the-bulge.be/sankt-vith-december-10th-15th-1944/

Always useful to find WWII points of interest nearby: https://www.tracesofwar.com/search.asp?q=saint+vith

This site also links to a 55min. video with Generals Hasbrouck and Von Manteuffel: https://alchetron.com/Battle-of-St.-Vith

The academic paper about Prümerberg etc.: https://www.researchgate.net/figure/a-Map-of-the-Prumerberg-study-site-St-Vith-Belgium-showing-location-and_fig2_276312143

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Book review: Battle of the Bulge, Vol. 1

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I finally finished the first volume of the Battle of the Bulge series from Stackpole that I bought in June.

After a tour of the Northern flank of the Bulge in May 2024, I wanted to learn more about this part of the battle. The Losheim Gap is actually where the main thrust of the German force occurred. It is here that the ‘Battle Babies’ from the 99th Infantry Division, and also the 2nd Infantry Division held the American defensive line against the Kampfgruppe Peiper, with the 1st and 12th SS Panzer Divisions.

In this book, the author Hans Wijers goes into incredible detail about the events that lead up to the initial German invasion of the 16th of December 1944, and what’s really only a few days until the panzer armies were stopped. But these were days of hard fighting by inexperienced troops. They fought valiantly in the bitter cold and against a much stronger enemy. Thanks to them, the Germans were held up long enough, and prevented from reaching their objective of the Meuse river. Reinforcements would finally arrive, and the battle was to last for more than another month until the Germans had surrendered, died or retreated.

Operation Greif is explained in more detail and personal accounts than I have yet read in other books. The confusion of running into enemy troops wearing American uniforms, speaking English, and driving American jeeps and Sherman tanks had a profound effect on the course of the battle. The scale of the operation was widely exaggerated, as one could no longer be sure of who was a real GI.

The role of the German Fallschirmjäger and Operation Stösser are explained well, which is an aspect of the battle that really speaks to ones imagination.

I enjoyed this book. It has everything you would want to know about this under-credited part of the battle, but it’s a bit hard to follow. The maps are tiny and scant. I actually bought another book in Dutch about the Battle of the Bulge that has good color maps of how the battle evolved.

Next up: Vol. 2: Hell at Bütgenbach / Seize the Bridges

Battle of the Bulge - The Losheim Gap

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