3 Guys, 10 Days, 4 Countries, 6 Battles

Three modern doughboys traveled through four countries (Belgium, France, Luxembourg, and Germany) to fulfill their male yearning to see the historic battlefields of northern Europe. Their 10-day trek focused on six battles: Verdun 1916 France 1940 Somme 1916 Normandy 1944 Ypres 1914-1917 Waterloo 1815 In the process, they built some historic memories.

Then and Now Cemeteries Wining and dining Verdun Fort Vaux

Battle Map

Campaign Diary

Sept. 7 (Thursday) - Depart

Continental #1847 3:30 pm - dep Reagan National (DCA) 4:47 pm - arr Newark Intl. (EWR) Continental #60 6:30 pm - dep Newark Intl. (EWR) 7:50 am - arr Brussels National (BRU)

Sept. 8 (Friday)

Arrived at Brussels on time and picked up our rental car , a Citroën Xantia diesel.

Drove to Verdun (160 miles). By 10 a.m. we had entered France; By 11:30 we had our first beer in France; By 1 p.m. we had checked into our hotel. All of which reminds one of the miracle of modern transportation.

Visited Fort Douaumont and The Ossuary. (See Verdun photos. )

Stayed at Hotel du Tigre

Sept. 9 (Saturday)

Used the morning to tour more sites at Verdun: the Memorial, the Bayonet Trench, Fort Vaux, and the Wounded Lion monument.(See Fort Vaux photos. )

Toured the impressive interior of Fort of Fermont on Maginot Line near Longuyon.

Drove to Vianden in Luxembourg, a charming town.

Overnight at Auberge de l'Our in Vianden. (See dining photos )

Sept. 10 (Sunday)

Tried to follow the path of German 1st Panzer Division during the Battle of France 1940. We had to drive five miles through Germany to reach the starting point. We traced their path through across Luxembourg and Belgium.

 

We ran out of time in Sedan and put "pedal to the metal" to reach the Somme.

Spent two nights at Avril Williams guest house.

Sept. 11 (Monday)

Toured some highlights of the 1916 Somme battlefield: Newfoundland Memorial Park, Thiépval Memorial, Ulster Memorial, and Lochnager Crater.

Visited the Australian Corps memorial at Le Hamel, scene of a 1918 offensive that included troops from the Illinois National Guard.

 

Sept. 12 (Tuesday)

Drove to Normandy (222 miles).

Visited Pegasus Bridge and lunched at the Gondrée Café.

Saw the Bayeux Tapestry.

Checked into Hôtel d'Arromanches for a three-night stay.
Compare historical photos to modern scenes.

 

Sept. 13 (Wednesday)

Toured St Mère Église and its airborne museum.

Visited Utah Beach.

Bill hiked from Omaha Beach to Pointe du Hoc.

Gil and Wayne visited the German cemetery at La Cambe.

Examined the German battery at Longues-sur-Mere.

 

Sept. 14 (Thursday)

Visited Omaha Beach and its American cemetery. (See cemetery photos )

Toured the British beaches: Gold, Juno, and Sword.

Some relaxation in Arromanches.

 

Sept. 15 (Friday)

Drove to Ypres. (250 miles)

Visited British cemeteries at Tynecot and Solferino Farm.

Went to the town of Ieper and saw Last Post at the Menin Gate.

Overnight at Varlet Farm, scene of intense fighting during the 1917 battle.

 

Sept. 16 (Saturday)

Saw the collection of relics at Varlet Farm.

Drove to Waterloo. (87 miles)

Arranged for our Sunday tour of the battlefield.

Checked into our B&B, Ferme de l'Hosté.

Spent the evening in Wavre, a Brussels suburb.

 

Sept. 17 (Sunday)

Our guide tooks us the scene of the battles leading up to Waterloo: Quatre Bras and Ligny. He then took us to Placenoit and Hougomont on the Waterloo battlefield itself.

Wayne and Bill climbed the Lion mound.

Took the train to Brussels, for a drink on the Grand Place and a farewell dinner nearby.

 

Sept. 18 (Monday)

Depart

Continental #61 11:15 am - dep Brussels National (BRU) 1:30 pm - arr Newark Intl. (EWR) Continental #319 3:30 pm - dep Newark Intl. (EWR) 4:46 pm - arr Reagan National (DCA)

Compare our diary to our planned itinerary.

Contact Information

E-mail addresses

Web addresses
potomac-nrhs.org
http://home.att.net/~w.holdsworth/

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Last revised: December 21, 2006.