Hello Dear Readers,

It's your old pal Pvt. Pat “Murph” Murphy from A.I.M again writing up my report for our latest A.I.M outing, "In the footsteps of the 82nd Airborne Division February 23rd 2008" (following the tracks of the 505 PIR and 551PIB) in the Ardennes, Belgium.

Some of you may have read my previous reports and will know that I like to try and write a report which tries to give the reader a taste of what a WW2 G.I. might have written in a letter home. Having thought about this on my arrival home I felt on this occasion I would prefer out of respect for the men and women who never made it back to write about my experiences on the trip from a personal perspective.

I hope that at the end of this report you might spare a moment and reflect on the experiences of the troops on both sides of the conflict as well as the civilian population that were caught in the middle. I apologize in advance to all those who organized and participated in this event if I don't mention your name or the name of your group. I am a newbie on the re-enactment front and still getting to know all of you but all of you have my thanks and respect.

MURPH.

The Journey

So, Thursday 21st of Feb. 2008 and A.I.M members Sgt Johnny COSTINO (aka, “The Hustler” ) and Private Daniel “Jonah” BARRELL along with myself met up with the tour group in Little Tey farm, Essex to embark on what was for us a new dimension in re-enactment.

We were welcomed aboard the event by T5 Lloyd Richards and packed our gear was packed onto the coach to head to Dover in order to catch the ferry for Calais. I know that most of us had already spent a full day at work or travelling so the prospect of travelling all night was slightly daunting although tempered somewhat by the excitement we were all feeling. At Dover our group was met by yet more re-enactors from other groups which span the entire re-enactment community. Names too numerous to mention but "Curle" is one that sticks in my mind for some reason! The old girl was headed back to the roads and fields of Europe.

I must admit to feeling a little apprehensive mainly due to the fact that I had heard some rumours about how difficult the march could be and I did not want to let myself or anyone from the group down. It became clear from the start though, that I was not the only first timer but many of the group were old hands back for their fourth or fifth march. The age group ranged from 16 years up to past caring.

Our journey was uneventful and untroubled despite the revelation from Dan Barrell that on every previous European coach tour he was on mysterious things happened to previously sound and roadworthy vehicles. Unexplained breakdowns and tyre blow outs and other strange goings on. Dan could offer no explanation for this but Sgt COSTINO looked towards me with an expression on his face which was a mixture of mirth mixed with maybe a little fear! Our coach made it in one piece but Dan would get to work his voodoo magic before the trip was over, more on that later.

On first impressions the landscape of Belgium appeared to be a flat and well tended and I was thinking that this march might not be so tough after all. Various road signs such as "MONS" passed us by which echoed of previous events and looking at the terrain you could understand how it was that armies favoured the ground. Clear fields of view and straight roads which stretched uninterrupted for mile after mile.

We attended our first destination at AMS Military Sales about 8am, an hour early it turned out and the proprietor was still tucked up (in bed so it seemed). On the stroke of nine though the first six members (six at a time only apparently) were admitted to a re-enactors Santa's Grotto. The more experienced members who had previously visited no doubt went straight for items they had already planned on purchasing, others like myself just wandered around in a bit of a daze looking at what amounted to interactive E-BAY. Sadly the prices reflected the E-BAY experience also. I made do with some shelter half tent pegs and a cloth bag to keep 'em in, a snip at 24 Euros, I must be mad!

We pressed on pausing only to refuel on the first of many service station coffee stops. Many of us were by now feeling the effects of a long night travelling and the bus quieted down as we caught up on sleep. Dan proved himself to be a skilled motorized sleeper; apparently many years spent commuting to work has given him the ability to sleep soundly as the wheels turn beneath him.

The sites

We arrived at one of the main points of our visit, the US ARMY memorial at Baugnez to the "Malmedy Massacre". The history of this event is well documented and to this day the subject of controversy. The area now has long since lost the scars of war and is just another crossroads in a prosperous looking town. We viewed the field in which the bodies of the men were found after the event and made our way across to the memorial where together we stood in formation as members of the group laid a wreath.
Normal life continued around us but we stood in silence for a minute to show our respect. What struck me most was the fact that the men who died were not special forces or from an elite unit, just regular Joes by all accounts. I tried to imagine how one minute you could be driving in a convoy with your buddies all around you only to be confronted by an armoured column and within minutes be facing execution with no chance of escape or defending yourself.

The new Museum at Baugnez completed in 2007 is a must see for anyone visiting the site and contains numerous thoughtful and well presented exhibits which manage to bring the visitor back in time. Haunting images of the soldiers living together and getting on with their difficult lives prior to the Bulge Battle peer back at you from the numerous period photographs. Much of the museum is dedicated to personal items found or donated since the war and also two interactive studios re-create the sounds and look of the Ardennes campaign.

Our party left Malmedy somewhat subdued but eager to continue to explore the region.

The countryside was really breathtaking and atmospheric with low lying cloud and mists moving across dense pine forests. I was getting a clear feeling that we were truly in Bulge country and every hill (yes there are hill's there, quite a few in fact!) seemed to be steeped in history. I fully expected to see lines of German Infantry appear from the tree line at any moment. To this end we visited a site the name of which escapes me which was the scene of a German ambush on a US Cavalry Unit. The German Soldiers having successfully completed the attack helped themselves to badly needed rations from knocked out US vehicles.
A display board at the roadside where it happened shows the photographs taken soon after the event. A grubby and exhausted German Soldier peers into the camera lens as he grabs what he can before moving on. This photograph perhaps serves as this man's memorial.

 

We made our way from here to a surprise visit to a new Army Surplus Warehouse near to a town called Hotton I think. At this location amongst other items a spare wheel for a Sherman Tank was purchased! The "Hustler" COSTINO managed to pick up a mint condition 5 in1 ration box for a reasonable £20, despite the sales assistant proclaiming, "But Monsieur, the box is empty!" Johnny was not deterred by this surprised shop keeper and completed the sale following which he proudly displayed said item to all of us, who stood looking in amazement much as you might expect us to look approvingly at a new born baby.

I might start keeping some old cornflake boxes in my loft for the next sixty years instead of paying into that pension fund. ( P.S. Mrs COSTINO if you are reading this report I mean the other Johnny COSTINO on the trip, not your one who already has enough empty ration boxes for a whole company).