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“I cherish the memory of a question my grandson asked me the other day, when he said: ‘Grandpa, were you a hero in the war?’ Grandpa said, “No. But I served in a company of heroes.” – Dick Winters, Band of Brothers

[Quoting from a letter Mike Ranney wrote to him]

Program Wednesday March 17, 2021

On Sunday the 9th of September 2001, HBO aired the first two episodes of Band of Brothers. This World War II miniseries produced by Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg that dramatizes the real-life 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment’s “Easy” Company during World War II. Production costs totaled at about $12.5 million per episode, which made it the most expensive TV miniseries ever created at the time and would go on to be regarded as one of the greatest television series ever created, noted for its powerful recreation of some of the most iconic battlefields of World War II. During this amazing live show we will interview family members of the veterans of the Easy Company and actors of the series. Reg Jans will start the live show with a short presentation about the Easy Company in Bastogne.

8:00 – 8:30 PM UTC + 1: Presentation Easy company during the Battle of the Bulge (Bastogne)
Historian and guide Reg Jans is an enthusiastic Belgian guide whose grandfather was injured during the Second World War. After his death, Reg decided to delve into the history of the Battle of the Bulge. He main interest is the battle of Bastogne. Today he offers a large number of guided tours through his website. During this online presentation, he will take you to the story of the easy company during the Battle of the Bulge in December 1944 and January 1945. His impressive tours can be booked through his website.

8:30 PM – 9:00 PM UTC + 1: George Luz Jr. and Chris Langlois (Interview about their father and grandfather)
Guest George Luz, Jr. shares stories about his father, George Luz, who was a paratrooper with the Easy Company, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment.  Author Chris Langlois, is the grandson of 506th Easy Medic “Doc” Roe. He has captured the story of Easy Company in a book called; ‘How Easy Company Became a Band of Brothers‘. This illustrated story book will immerse students and adults alike in the stories of ordinary men who courageously volunteered to join the elite paratroopers. We will discuss the experiences of the men of Easy Company who fought with them during WWII, and the training, toil, camaraderie and sacrifices of this storied unit that was immortalized by Stephen E. Ambrose in his best-selling book, Band of Brothers.

09:00 PM – 09:30 PM UTC + 1: Interview with Peter Youngblood Hills (Sgt. Darrell “Shifty” Powers) and Matthew Leitch (Floyd Talbert)
Staff Sergeant Darrell C. “Shifty” Powers was played by Peter Youngblood Hills, and Staff Sergeant Floyd M. Talbert was played by Matthew Leitch. During this live stream we will discuss the experiences filming the series and how the actors look back on the entire Band of Brothers series. Some more secret guests will join. We will update the program regularly.

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Various commemorations and events around the Battle of the Bulge have been canceled. We don’t want to let this momentum pass by and that’s why we want to look back on this 76th anniversary together with Battlefield Experience, Bastogne & Ardennes with an online livestream.

Program Wednesday February 9, 2020

8:00 – 8:30 PM UTC + 1: Presentation Battle of the Bulge part 2 by historian Reg Jans
Historian and guide Reg Jans is an enthusiastic Belgian guide whose grandfather was injured during the Second World War. After his death, Reg decided to delve into the history of the Battle of the Bulge. He main interest is the battle of Bastogne. Today he offers a large number of guided tours through his website. During this online presentation, he will take you to the last phase of the Battle of the Bulge in December 1944 and January 1945. His impressive tours can be booked through his website.

8:30 PM – 9:00 PM UTC + 1: Interview with World War II veteran Harry F. Miller.
Harry F. Miller enlisted in the U.S.Army at the age of 15 and soon found himself part of the 740th tank battalion attached to the 82nd Airborne Division. On December 16, 1944 the Germans began what we call today “The Battle of the Bulge.” Harry’s battalion proceeded to Sprimont, Belgium, where tanks would be issued. So after piecing together three M4 Sherman tanks and an M-36 Tank Destroyer, they were off to Stoumont, Belgium to attack the Germans. “Everyone was scared,” Harry remembered. “Their eyes were bugged out.” And it was inside one of those tanks that Private Miller, on the job for all of one month, passed heavy 105mm shells to a gunner. Click here to hear the full story of Harry F. Miller.

09:00 PM – 09:15 PM UTC + 1: The Moestroff “Festa bridge Memorial” by Roland Gaul
On January 18, 2020 a bridge in Moestroff was named “Vincent Festa”, this in honor and remembrance of a young Private First class of the 8th Infantry Regiment (4th Infantry Division) killed shortly after the crossing. During this live stream, guide Roland Gaul will tell more about Private First class Vincent J. Festa and General Patton’s 3rd Army’s counterattack on the southern shoulder of the “Bulge” in very difficult climatic conditions.

9:15 PM – 9:45 PM UTC + 1: Interview with World War II veteran Chet Rohn
Chet Rohn was a machine gunner on a 1/2 track in the 11th Armor Division of General Patton’s Third Army. He was part of the division that came to the relief of the 101st Airborne Division and other units in the Battle of the Bulge. Mr. Rohn, then a twenty-year old soldier, said that it was the coldest weather he had experienced. He was in a foxhole by himself and was ordered not to shoot unless attacked so he would not reveal his position. Click here to hear the full story of Chet Rohn.

9:45 PM – 10:15 PM UTC + 1: Interview with Andrew Biggio about the Rifle: Combat Stories from America’s Last WWII Veterans
It began when Andrew Biggio bought a 1945 M1 Garand Rifle, the most common rifle used in WWII, to honor his great uncle, a U.S. Army soldier who died on the hills of the Italian countryside. When Biggio showed the gun to his neighbor, WWII veteran Corporal Joseph Drago, it unlocked memories Drago had kept unspoken for 50 years. On the spur of the moment, Biggio asked Drago to sign the rifle. Thus began this Marine’s mission to find as many WWII veterans as he could, get their signatures on the rifle, and document their stories. For two years, Biggio traveled across the country to interview America’s last-living WWII veterans. Order Andrew Biggio’s book ‘The Rifle’ here.

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Various commemorations and events around the Battle of the Bulge have been canceled. We don’t want to let this momentum pass by and that’s why we want to look back on this 76th anniversary together with Battlefield Experience, Bastogne & Ardennes and with the 101st Airborne Museum “De Mess” in Bastogne with an online livestream.

Program Wednesday December 16, 2020

8:00 – 8:30 PM UTC + 1: Presentation Battle of the Bulge by historian Reg Jans
Historian and guide Reg Jans is an enthusiastic American whose grandfather was injured during the Second World War. After his death, Reg decided to delve into the history of the Battle of the Bulge. He main interest is the battle of Bastogne. Today he offers a large number of guided tours through his website. During this online presentation, he will take you to the German surprise offensive of December 16, 1944, which also became known as the “Battle of the Bulge”. His impressive tours can be booked through his website.

8:30 PM – 9:00 PM UTC + 1: Interview with 99-year-old American 101st Airborne veteran Jim ‘Pee Wee’ Martin.
Jim Martin, nicknamed Pee Wee because he was the lightest man in his regiment, is one of the paratroopers who was trained at Camp Toccoa in Georgia in the United States since the founding of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment. In the night of 5 to 6th of June 1944 he jumped over Normandy on D-Day. In the afternoon of September 17, 1944, he landed on the drop zone in Son. He participated in the liberation of Eindhoven and then fought in Eerde to keep the Corridor open. On December 16, 1944 he was transported over 100 kilometers to the Belgian city of Bastogne. The 3rd Battalion established defensive positions on the Northern Edge, where they had to endure the bitter cold and some of the most difficult fighting on the Western Front.

9:00 PM – 9:30 PM UTC + 1: Interview with 95-year-old American veteran Frank Sisson
At the age of 18 Frank Sisson enlisted in the army and was shipped to France, where he fought under general George Patton at the Battle of the Bulge and helped liberate the infamous Dachau concentration camp. This latest experience has haunted him for years and he still remembers his first sight of the inhumanity of the Third Reich.

9:30 PM – 9:45 PM UTC + 1: Interview with Helen Patton (Granddaughter of General George S. Patton)
Helen Ayer Patton is the granddaughter of General George S. Patton, Jr. and Brigadier General Willard Ames “Hunk” Holbrook. Her family’s military legacy spans 300 years. Like every member of the Patton family, Helen has done many wonderful things while also carrying the torch for her father and grandfather. From attending ceremonies to commemorate WWII anniversaries, to running the Patton Foundation, which helps returning troops and veterans in need.

9:45 PM – 10:15 PM UTC + 1: Live stream from the 101st Airborne Museum “De Mess” in Bastogne
The 101 Airborne Museum Le Mess in Bastogne is located in a beautiful historic building from 1936. The building has been completely renovated and restored to its former glory, while naturally retaining all its characteristic features. In the museum you will find beautiful shop windows with a lifelike decor and realistic-looking mannequins. These dioramas take you back to the cold winter of 1944-1945, when the Battle of Bastogne took place. The 101 Airborne Museum Le Mess is located in the center of Bastogne, 350 meters from the tank at the square. Look at their website for the current information.

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In december 1944 lagen de Amerikaanse troepen verspreid over een front van 75 kilometer in de Ardennen. Het gebied van de Ardennen werd beschouwd als een rustig front. Hierdoor werden hier Amerikaanse eenheden geplaatst die onervaren waren en tot rust moesten komen na de zware gevechten rondom het Hürtgenwald in Duitsland. Maar in de ochtend van 16 december 1944 werd deze rust bruut verstoord, de Duitsers zetten een grote verrassende tegenaanval in die de codenaam ‘Wacht am Rhein’ kreeg.

Onder de dekking van bewolking en mist werd de aanval ingezet, hierdoor konden de geallieerden hun superieure luchtmacht niet inzetten. Met dit offensief probeerde Hitler de geallieerde legers uit elkaar te drijven. Hij wilde de Maasbruggen veroveren om daarna via Luik (Liège) door te stoten naar de haven van Antwerpen. Dit offensief kreeg ook door de geallieerden de naam; “Battle of the Bulge’.

Een Amerikaanse militair van de 101st Airborne Division heeft zich ingegraven langs een toegangsweg naar Bastogne.

De Slag om de Ardennen duurde zes weken, maar bereikte een hoogtepunt tijdens de Duitse belegering van Bastogne. Op 19 december 1944 arriveerde brigadegeneraal McAuliffe en de 101st Airborne Division in Bastogne, een paar uur eerder dan drie divisies van het Duitse Vijfde Pantserleger – 18.000 Amerikanen namen het op tegen 45.000 Duitsers. Bastogne was een strategische stad voor zowel de geallieerden als de Duitsers. De Duitsers wisten dat ze de stad Bastogne moesten veroveren om hun tegenoffensief te laten slagen. Aan de andere kant wisten de geallieerde legers dat om het Duitse leger met succes te stoppen en de overhand te krijgen, ze Bastogne ten koste van alles moesten verdedigen.

In de buitenwijken van de stad Bastogne verbleven de Amerikaanse militairen veelal in schuttersputjes met temperaturen tot -28° Celsius.

McAuliffe en zijn troepen en ongeveer 3000 burgers waren volledig ingesloten en de munitie en medische voorraden waren bijna op. De volgende dag stelde de Duitse generaal Von Lüttwitz, commandant van het XLVII Panzer Corps een ultimatum aan de belegerde Amerikanen: “Er is maar één mogelijkheid om de omsingelde Amerikaanse troepen te redden van totale vernietiging: dat is de eervolle overgave van de omsingelde stad.” Het officiële getypte antwoord van McAuliffe luidde als volgt: “To the German Commander. NUTS! The American Commander!”.

Het kerstbericht van Generaal McAuliffe. Klik om te vergroten.

Er volgden meer dagen van hevige gevechten, maar McAuliffe en zijn mannen hielden ondanks de zware verliezen stand. Voor de meeste omsingelde militairen zou er geen wapenstilstand zijn tijdens Kerst. Veel Amerikaanse militairen probeerden ondanks de hachelijke situatie toch Kerst te vieren. Voor de Amerikaanse militairen in Bastogne werden kerstdiensten gehouden door de leger kapelaan. Voor de militairen die Bastogne buiten de stadsgrenzen verdedigden, werd de kerst doorgebracht op het slagveld. Er zijn veel verhalen door veteranen gedeeld die beschreven dat Belgische gezinnen hen op kerstavond en eerste kerstdag in hun huis namen. Zoals een veteraan vertelt:

“We lagen in positie in de buitenwijken van Bastogne en we vonden een boerderij… Binnen waren een man en een vrouw, en een kleine jongen en een klein meisje. De vrouw gaf ons wat soep en wat zwart brood. We verbleven de hele nacht in deze boerderij. Buiten was de oorlog gaande en om de een of andere reden werd de boerderij nooit geraakt. We waren er op kerstavond. We zongen deze emotionele avond kerstliedjes met dit Belgische gezin. We zongen Jingle Bells en Silent Night. De woorden waren anders, maar de muziek was hetzelfde …. “

-Keith Davis (in een interview met de BBC Witness Podcast) 

Terwijl vijandelijke granaten op de stad Bastogne vielen, worden tijdens de kerstdienst van 1944 om middernacht kerstliederen gezongen door militairen van de belegerde 101st Airborne Division. Kort nadat deze foto is gemaakt, verstoorden Duitse bommenwerpers de kerstdienst.

Toen het weer verbeterde werden op 23 december 1944 vanuit de lucht de omsingelde troepen bevoorraad. Daarnaast was het weer voldoende verbeterd voor squadrons van P.47 Thunderbolts om de Duitse gepantserde troepen onder vuur te nemen. Ondertussen waren drie divisies van Generaal Patton’s Derde Leger onderweg vanuit het zuiden. Deze divisies hadden een ongelofelijke prestatie verricht door vanuit hun oostwaartse koers 90 graden te draaien en langs een front van 40 km naar het noorden te trekken. Helaas was de radioverbinding van generaal Patton slecht waardoor de Duitsers de troepen bewegingen van de divisies konden volgen en vertragen. Op kerstavond 1944 begonnen Duitse bommenwerpers met de eerste van twee aanvallen op Bastogne, maar op tweede kerstdag trok het 37th Tank Battalion eindelijk de stad binnen, de omsingeling was doorbroken.

Toen het weer verbeterde op 23 december 1944 werden er door de geallieerden medicatie en munitie gedropt.

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