We are a small group interested in history who met while playing online games. Once in a while we visit historically important places together. We did so in 2004 going to Bastogne, Belgium, to take part in the celebrations of the 60th anniversary of the successful defense of Bastogne in the Battle of the Bulge. This had been a great opportunity to not only visit the museums and other sights in and around Bastogne, but also meet and talk to several veterans from both sides.
10 years later, in 2014, we returned for the 70th anniversary.
We started the first day with visiting the Bastogne Barracks, which is operated by the Belgian army and normally is only accessible through free guided tours. Apart from museum-like exhibitions, it also features a vehicle restoration center. Here, army experts and volunteers restore historical vehicles to running order. Some allied vehicles and tanks were paraded in the barracks, and several more were on static display in the restoration center. One WWII tank not related to the western front, a heavy Russian ISU-152, was also shown driving around the center – an impressive sight and very memorable sound. This tank unfortunately broke down later on and had to be towed away by a modern recovery tank Bergepanzer 2. Here is a gallery with some impressions:
This is also the place where the U.S. 101st Airborne had their headquarters and their acting commander General McAuliffe famously replied “Nuts!” in response to a German demand for surrender.
[More photos to be added]