February 14, 2024 • 11 mins
Explore the Ardennes region of Belgium through the lens of WWII's Battle of the Bulge. From the landscapes of La Roche-en-Ardenne to the historic grounds of Bastogne, Darley Newman uncovers the pivotal roles these locales played in one of the war's most significant conflicts. Through conversations with local expert Martin Cugnon, listeners gain firsthand insights into the bravery of American soldiers, especially the 101st Airborne Division, who defended Bastogne against overwhelming odds. Visiting the Bastogne War Museum and nearby foxholes and woods portrayed in the Steven Spielberg's "Band of Brothers," Cugnon paints a vivid picture of wartime hardships and sacrifices, emphasizing the importance of remembering the past. Through engaging storytelling, Travels with Darley invites listeners on a journey where history comes alive, offering valuable lessons from the echoes of the past.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
If you're a fan of military history in visiting battle sites, or have seen the Steven Spielberg movie
(00:06):
Band of Brothers starring Tom Hanks, you might like to travel to Bastogne in Belgium. In this podcast,
I'm taking you on location in the Ardennes region of Belgium to La Roche en Ardenne, a strategic location
during World War II's Battle of the Bulge, and to Bastogne, where history is brought to life at
battle sites, a memorial in museum, and in the woods. It was the worst winter that in years
(00:33):
in Belgium, so they were a knee-deep in snow during most of the battle in frozen ground. They had to
dig in in the woods. Sometimes more difficult to just withstand the weather conditions and the
fighting. It's the Travels with Darley Podcast where traveling with the locals is a window into
history, culture, cuisine, and why being curious about the world can be so rewarding. Thanks for
(00:55):
being curious with me, and listening to this podcast. Please subscribe and check out other global
journeys with me through my PBS and streaming series, also called Travels with Darley.
Just a few miles away from the Luxembourg border in Belgium, we're learning about history at Bastogne,
(01:20):
where US troops from the 101st Airborne Division and the 10th Armored Division,
were isolated and surrounded by German troops during World War II. They didn't give up,
even during brutal winter conditions. Steven Spielberg's Band of Brothers is based on the
experiences of Easy Company, one division from the 101st. Today, a museum and monument honoring the
(01:45):
American soldiers who were wounded or killed during the Battle of the Bulge, invites visitors from
around the world to pay tribute to the men who lost their lives here. Martin Cugnon, an expert
from the Bastogne War Museum, walks with me over to the Battle of the Bulge monument, also known as
the Mardasson Monument, built in the shape of a five-pointed star, representing the American army.
(02:08):
It's dedicated to the friendship and ties between Belgium and the United States.
Construction of the side started in 1946. It's finished in the 1950s, which was pretty annoying for those
who were building the side. In 1946, they were only 48 states in the United States.
And then they had to add in Alaska and Hawaii.
(02:31):
They had to add Alaska and Hawaii where they killed. So it's why it stands in the middle.
Whereas the other states stay more or less in alphabetical older, all around the star and the
center of it. So it was a big problem at the time. 1950s, they said, "Okay, let's find some space for
those two extra states." So they decided to welcome them in? Yeah, welcome them in, of course, they
(02:56):
needed to, but you know, represent every, what they will to represent each and every state on
the sides of the memorial and also each and every unit that fought in the battle, so that you have
on the outside. That's a five-pointed star as you have on the American flag and as you have on the,
you had at the time on the vehicles, on the tanks and on the jeeps, which were a big symbol of
(03:18):
the liberation for the Belgian people. That's why they wanted to keep this shape for the memorial.
And why did they choose to build the memorial here on this spot?
Well, it's basically a hill, so you have a good vantage point all around for the battlefield.
So when you go up the memorial, you can see each and every village where they were fighting
(03:40):
and also the lines and where the divisions were. So it's basically because it's a vantage point.
Then also the memorial took the name Mardasson because it stands on Mardasson Hill is the name of the
place. And we have some kind of commemoration here. Yeah, you have a stone in the middle with a
quote in Latin telling that the Belgian people remember the Americans liberators and the year 1950
(04:07):
when it was finished. And I would imagine that a lot of Americans come to visit this site.
Quite a lot of Americans. It's difficult to tell how many because it's not a base site, so you go
there freely. But we see a lot of Americans especially when you have memorial days.
So when we go up to the top of this, we'll really have a 360 degree view of it. Yeah, you have a 360 view
(04:30):
of all the battlefield. The only problem is at some point you have the trees that grew a bit too
tall, but you see the whole battles, you know, of course, with maps on each point. This is neat.
Getting you information. Yeah, very special. Yeah.
Yeah, you'll see when we go further you also have a crypt for religious memorials over there down
(04:54):
the stairs over here and another memorial for the unwritten first airborne. That was built by a local
guy. So, yeah, you have also the story on each column telling from the start of from the number one
to the number 10, the whole Battle of the Bulge in English because it was a memorial to the Americans.
(05:16):
It says it tells everything about Bastonia and also a bit more about what happened around here.
Must be neat to work at a place like this and kind of hear some of the stories yourself first hand.
Of course, yeah, it was pretty neat, of course, to get to know those veterans. So in December,
(05:37):
I met two that I would never forget. He had Eugene Gilbress and Bobby Zummy, two veterans of the
101st airborne who fought in the area. I can remember Mr. Gilbress was shot in Norville just
after the surround the encirclement of Bastonia was broken when they tried to retake the village.
(05:57):
Took a bullet to his chest and the guy is still 92, is still standing and when he shakes your hand,
you know, is so strong. Where do we sign to be in that shape at that age?
Yeah, after you've gone through a battle like that.
No, I wouldn't want to. It was the worst winter that in years in Belgium,
(06:19):
so they were a knee deep in snow during most of the battle in the frozen ground. They had to dig in
in the woods. What it were not allowed to make some fire because they would be shelved by the germs.
So, you know, it was just freezing to death. So very, very hard for every part of the season.
Very, very harsh conditions, very hard. This was even sometimes more difficult to just
(06:42):
withstand the weather conditions and the fighting. And the fighting, they were so, you know,
soldiers were getting shell over and over again and they were fighting at very short distances.
You have witness accounts that you will see in the museum of people telling that there was a lot
of hand-hand fighting also in the villages when they needed to retake them. So it was a pretty nasty
(07:06):
war around here. It was a battle in which the United States lost more men than during the Normandy
landings and you have to go back to get iceberg. You have such a, you know, high number of victims in
a single battle for the United States. So it was a key historical point.
The names of all of the American units that were involved in the Battle of the Bulge
(07:30):
lie in the exterior columns. Martin and I climbed the spiral staircase to the top of the monument,
where visitors can take in a panoramic view of the surrounding villages,
woods, and countryside where the battles fought. Right in front of us you have
the Bois Jacques, so that's where the 506 of the 101st fought and other companies of course
(07:54):
and that's where you can still visit today foxholes that were dug at the time and still standing there
as for people to remember where the soldiers were standing at the time.
It's good to have places like this so we can remember this history. Yeah, I can remember it.
Not repeat it of course. Martin takes me down the road to visit the foxholes
(08:15):
that Easy Company men dug into the ground during the winter of 1944. It's here that travelers
get a deeper sense of how the battle played out. If you've seen Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg's
Band of Brothers, you may recognize these woods. So we're here in the Bois Jacques between the villages of
Foy and Bizory. It was where the Americans held up the Germans. Bizory was in American
(08:40):
hands whereas Foy had been taken by the Germans and they never left this place so they fought for
weeks here. So you have to imagine the American soldiers were lying in these foxholes that they had
to dig in the frozen ground to defend themselves from German fires and machine gun fire and not
(09:01):
to refile. And the Germans were just right over there? Yeah, they were a hundred yards away just waiting
for a time to attack the American line so you're on the front line right here. So not optimal conditions?
Not optimal conditions. Knee deep in snow was not so good equipment for the snow and it was pretty
(09:23):
difficult to them here. We head back over to the memorial to visit the Bastogne War Museum
where the story of the war is further personalized through a variety of interactive exhibitions.
This museum is maybe a bit less about facts and history but more about the story
for people to understand what war is and not to do those mistakes again.
(09:48):
Also in the Ardennes region, just a 30 minute drive from Bastogne, you can visit La Roche en Ardenne,
a strategic location during World War II's Battle of the Bulge. Walking through this city is like
walking through an open air museum with much history related to World War II and a medieval castle
of her looking this charming European city. Much of the city was decimated during the war
(10:12):
and walking around today scars of the past remain. I stroll along the river and stop to see an
M4A1 Sherman tank restored by the Belgian cavalry regiment and dedicated to the second and third
U.S. armored divisions who helped liberate La Roche en Ardenne in January 1945 during the Battle of
the Bulge. The Battle of the Bulge was Germany's last major offensive of the war and one in which
(10:37):
there were tens of thousands of American casualties. A small museum at La Roche en Ardenne further depicts
the battle and how it affected villages like this. It's meeting local experts and walking in
the footsteps of soldiers and the villagers and towns people in places like Bastogne and La Roche
en Ardenne that helps further bring history to life and helps us learn from the past and new.
(11:02):
I'm Darley Newman and I appreciate you taking the time to learn with me here in Belgium.
If you like to travel the world please subscribe to the Travels with Darley podcast where I take you
around the world with locals as the guides.
If you're a fan of military history in visiting battle sites, or have seen the Steven Spielberg movie
(00:06):
Band of Brothers starring Tom Hanks, you might like to travel to Bastogne in Belgium. In this podcast,
I'm taking you on location in the Ardennes region of Belgium to La Roche en Ardenne, a strategic location
during World War II's Battle of the Bulge, and to Bastogne, where history is brought to life at
battle sites, a memorial in museum, and in the woods. It was the worst winter that in years
(00:33):
in Belgium, so they were a knee-deep in snow during most of the battle in frozen ground. They had to
dig in in the woods. Sometimes more difficult to just withstand the weather conditions and the
fighting. It's the Travels with Darley Podcast where traveling with the locals is a window into
history, culture, cuisine, and why being curious about the world can be so rewarding. Thanks for
(00:55):
being curious with me, and listening to this podcast. Please subscribe and check out other global
journeys with me through my PBS and streaming series, also called Travels with Darley.
Just a few miles away from the Luxembourg border in Belgium, we're learning about history at Bastogne,
(01:20):
where US troops from the 101st Airborne Division and the 10th Armored Division,
were isolated and surrounded by German troops during World War II. They didn't give up,
even during brutal winter conditions. Steven Spielberg's Band of Brothers is based on the
experiences of Easy Company, one division from the 101st. Today, a museum and monument honoring the
(01:45):
American soldiers who were wounded or killed during the Battle of the Bulge, invites visitors from
around the world to pay tribute to the men who lost their lives here. Martin Cugnon, an expert
from the Bastogne War Museum, walks with me over to the Battle of the Bulge monument, also known as
the Mardasson Monument, built in the shape of a five-pointed star, representing the American army.
(02:08):
It's dedicated to the friendship and ties between Belgium and the United States.
Construction of the side started in 1946. It's finished in the 1950s, which was pretty annoying for those
who were building the side. In 1946, they were only 48 states in the United States.
And then they had to add in Alaska and Hawaii.
(02:31):
They had to add Alaska and Hawaii where they killed. So it's why it stands in the middle.
Whereas the other states stay more or less in alphabetical older, all around the star and the
center of it. So it was a big problem at the time. 1950s, they said, "Okay, let's find some space for
those two extra states." So they decided to welcome them in? Yeah, welcome them in, of course, they
(02:56):
needed to, but you know, represent every, what they will to represent each and every state on
the sides of the memorial and also each and every unit that fought in the battle, so that you have
on the outside. That's a five-pointed star as you have on the American flag and as you have on the,
you had at the time on the vehicles, on the tanks and on the jeeps, which were a big symbol of
(03:18):
the liberation for the Belgian people. That's why they wanted to keep this shape for the memorial.
And why did they choose to build the memorial here on this spot?
Well, it's basically a hill, so you have a good vantage point all around for the battlefield.
So when you go up the memorial, you can see each and every village where they were fighting
(03:40):
and also the lines and where the divisions were. So it's basically because it's a vantage point.
Then also the memorial took the name Mardasson because it stands on Mardasson Hill is the name of the
place. And we have some kind of commemoration here. Yeah, you have a stone in the middle with a
quote in Latin telling that the Belgian people remember the Americans liberators and the year 1950
(04:07):
when it was finished. And I would imagine that a lot of Americans come to visit this site.
Quite a lot of Americans. It's difficult to tell how many because it's not a base site, so you go
there freely. But we see a lot of Americans especially when you have memorial days.
So when we go up to the top of this, we'll really have a 360 degree view of it. Yeah, you have a 360 view
(04:30):
of all the battlefield. The only problem is at some point you have the trees that grew a bit too
tall, but you see the whole battles, you know, of course, with maps on each point. This is neat.
Getting you information. Yeah, very special. Yeah.
Yeah, you'll see when we go further you also have a crypt for religious memorials over there down
(04:54):
the stairs over here and another memorial for the unwritten first airborne. That was built by a local
guy. So, yeah, you have also the story on each column telling from the start of from the number one
to the number 10, the whole Battle of the Bulge in English because it was a memorial to the Americans.
(05:16):
It says it tells everything about Bastonia and also a bit more about what happened around here.
Must be neat to work at a place like this and kind of hear some of the stories yourself first hand.
Of course, yeah, it was pretty neat, of course, to get to know those veterans. So in December,
(05:37):
I met two that I would never forget. He had Eugene Gilbress and Bobby Zummy, two veterans of the
101st airborne who fought in the area. I can remember Mr. Gilbress was shot in Norville just
after the surround the encirclement of Bastonia was broken when they tried to retake the village.
(05:57):
Took a bullet to his chest and the guy is still 92, is still standing and when he shakes your hand,
you know, is so strong. Where do we sign to be in that shape at that age?
Yeah, after you've gone through a battle like that.
No, I wouldn't want to. It was the worst winter that in years in Belgium,
(06:19):
so they were a knee deep in snow during most of the battle in the frozen ground. They had to dig in
in the woods. What it were not allowed to make some fire because they would be shelved by the germs.
So, you know, it was just freezing to death. So very, very hard for every part of the season.
Very, very harsh conditions, very hard. This was even sometimes more difficult to just
(06:42):
withstand the weather conditions and the fighting. And the fighting, they were so, you know,
soldiers were getting shell over and over again and they were fighting at very short distances.
You have witness accounts that you will see in the museum of people telling that there was a lot
of hand-hand fighting also in the villages when they needed to retake them. So it was a pretty nasty
(07:06):
war around here. It was a battle in which the United States lost more men than during the Normandy
landings and you have to go back to get iceberg. You have such a, you know, high number of victims in
a single battle for the United States. So it was a key historical point.
The names of all of the American units that were involved in the Battle of the Bulge
(07:30):
lie in the exterior columns. Martin and I climbed the spiral staircase to the top of the monument,
where visitors can take in a panoramic view of the surrounding villages,
woods, and countryside where the battles fought. Right in front of us you have
the Bois Jacques, so that's where the 506 of the 101st fought and other companies of course
(07:54):
and that's where you can still visit today foxholes that were dug at the time and still standing there
as for people to remember where the soldiers were standing at the time.
It's good to have places like this so we can remember this history. Yeah, I can remember it.
Not repeat it of course. Martin takes me down the road to visit the foxholes
(08:15):
that Easy Company men dug into the ground during the winter of 1944. It's here that travelers
get a deeper sense of how the battle played out. If you've seen Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg's
Band of Brothers, you may recognize these woods. So we're here in the Bois Jacques between the villages of
Foy and Bizory. It was where the Americans held up the Germans. Bizory was in American
(08:40):
hands whereas Foy had been taken by the Germans and they never left this place so they fought for
weeks here. So you have to imagine the American soldiers were lying in these foxholes that they had
to dig in the frozen ground to defend themselves from German fires and machine gun fire and not
(09:01):
to refile. And the Germans were just right over there? Yeah, they were a hundred yards away just waiting
for a time to attack the American line so you're on the front line right here. So not optimal conditions?
Not optimal conditions. Knee deep in snow was not so good equipment for the snow and it was pretty
(09:23):
difficult to them here. We head back over to the memorial to visit the Bastogne War Museum
where the story of the war is further personalized through a variety of interactive exhibitions.
This museum is maybe a bit less about facts and history but more about the story
for people to understand what war is and not to do those mistakes again.
(09:48):
Also in the Ardennes region, just a 30 minute drive from Bastogne, you can visit La Roche en Ardenne,
a strategic location during World War II's Battle of the Bulge. Walking through this city is like
walking through an open air museum with much history related to World War II and a medieval castle
of her looking this charming European city. Much of the city was decimated during the war
(10:12):
and walking around today scars of the past remain. I stroll along the river and stop to see an
M4A1 Sherman tank restored by the Belgian cavalry regiment and dedicated to the second and third
U.S. armored divisions who helped liberate La Roche en Ardenne in January 1945 during the Battle of
the Bulge. The Battle of the Bulge was Germany's last major offensive of the war and one in which
(10:37):
there were tens of thousands of American casualties. A small museum at La Roche en Ardenne further depicts
the battle and how it affected villages like this. It's meeting local experts and walking in
the footsteps of soldiers and the villagers and towns people in places like Bastogne and La Roche
en Ardenne that helps further bring history to life and helps us learn from the past and new.
(11:02):
I'm Darley Newman and I appreciate you taking the time to learn with me here in Belgium.
If you like to travel the world please subscribe to the Travels with Darley podcast where I take you
around the world with locals as the guides.
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