A trip to Bastogne, Belgium

On Saturday, June 21 we joined two Des Moines engineers visiting Josh's John Deere factory for a day trip to Bastogne, Belgium, site of the Battle of the Bulge. This was a pivotal battle in WWII, late in the war in Dec 1944 and Jan 1945. German troops made a final offensive attack but American forces held them off and eventually defeated them, against the odds. Many lives were lost, including about 19,000 Americans.

The Ardennes area (the region surrounding Bastogne) contains many farms and small villages, and seems peaceful now. But, many old tanks, tank turrets, and memorials are reminders of the war. There were also many American flags, and it felt good to be an American there. A small museum details the battle, and we took a car tour through the countryside that stopped at a series of memorials in various villages that were affected by the war. I could see foxholes in the woods by the road as we drove by.

Here we are in front of a tank in Bastogne's centrum.

A large memorial in the shape of a star lists all 50 states around its perimeter, in honor of the Americans who died in battle.

You can climb to the top of the memorial for a good view of Bastogne (on the right) and a big gravel pit (on the left).

One of the nearby villages contains a huge cemetary of German soldiers who died in the battle. Identical gravestones cover many acres, and each gravestone marks three graves.

Here, three John Deere engineers assess a tank turret and contemplate using similar technology on their new sprayer.