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The Band of Brothers trail - France, Holland, Belgium.

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  • 19-04-2007 12:41am
    #1
    Trotter
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,362 ✭✭✭


    Has anyone here visited any of the areas where Easy Company (the unit that Band of Brothers was written about) fought in the 2nd World War?

    Im after some bits and pieces such as info on where exactly the site of the Brecourt Manor guns are, where the foxholes at Foy can be seen etc.

    Maybe someone might have directions, or GPS co-ordinates from previous visits.

    Thanks in advance for any tips or help!


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    #2
    Mick86
    Closed Accounts Posts: 982 ✭✭✭Mick86


    Trotter wrote:
    Has anyone here visited any of the areas where Easy Company (the unit that Band of Brothers was written about) fought in the 2nd World War?

    Not specifically Easy Company's battlefields but I visited Normandy last year. The Museum at Utah Beach has a whole section dedicated to Easy and it's exploits. The site of the attack on the guns is actually not far from the museum. The Airborne Museum at St Mére Église is also worth a visit but Google it and check the opening times which vary during the year.


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    #3
    Hard Larry
    Closed Accounts Posts: 670 ✭✭✭Hard Larry


    Check out Google Earth too someone has marked all the spots on the maps in Normandy and the Hurtgen Forest...I didn't look at Holland so don't know if they're marked...the placemarks give links to websites about Easy Co. aswell


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    #4
    Guy:Incognito
    Registered Users Posts: 38,247 ✭✭✭✭Guy:Incognito


    Been thinking about similar myself. I'm heading over to visit my grandmother in Germany (right at the border of the Alsace region of France) and have decided to hire a car this year. Anyone know any good sites to visit that are within a days round trip of where I am? (although if something is good enough I could be persuaded to turn it into an overnighter). Want to get to one of the Concentration camps as well if I can, I havnt managed to go see one in all the years I've been going over (we went to one near Munich one year, bergen belsen iirc? , and it was closed cos it was Monday)


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    #5
    Hard Larry
    Closed Accounts Posts: 670 ✭✭✭Hard Larry


    Maginot Line and what remains of the Siegfried Line would be in the Alsace general area.

    I'm just guessing here from memory but I think you might be in around the Aachen and Hurtgen Forest areas...wouldn't be more than a couple of hours drive I'd imagine.

    TBH there'd be lots of historical sites from through the ages in the Alsace Region.

    I was on a trip around Flanders and the Somme last year...it was a great trip learned tons about WW1 and the Irish Units.


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    #6
    mossym
    Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 8,766 Mod ✭✭✭✭mossym


    i spent 3 days in bastogne 2 years ago visiting the area easy company fought. I found the area depicted in the snow episodes, where garnier and toy lost their legs. have pictures of the foxholes over looking foy.

    the town is a living monument to ww2. Every road in has turrets from sherman tanks pointing out on either side, signifying the yanks are still protecting the town. there are some cool museums as well, including a really big one with a memorial to the battle.


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    #7
    Fratton Fred
    Closed Accounts Posts: 26,567 ✭✭✭✭Fratton Fred


    Michelin do a road atlas which shows all the (or certainly Commonwealth) cemetries and memorials. Not sure if it is available generally, but you can get it from www.cwgc.org

    Any large cemetry, first or second world war is worth a visit, just to give an idea of the scale of death. When you read a lot of the headstones and realise that most died within a few days, it is unbelievable. Also, not sure how long a drive it would be, but Ypres (Ieper I think it is now called) in Belgium is worth a visit.


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    #8
    mossym
    Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 8,766 Mod ✭✭✭✭mossym


    try this

    http://www.amazon.co.uk/Best-World-War-Sites-Battlefields/dp/0972915079/ref=sr_1_4/026-8995226-5924414?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1177429578&sr=8-4

    it's how i found all the things i saw..be warned, you better be serious..you will be hiking through forests..


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    #9
    Trotter
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,362 ✭✭✭Trotter


    Fratton Fred wrote:
    Ypres (Ieper I think it is now called) in Belgium is worth a visit.

    Yeah I've done the WW1 trail already. Ypres is amazing, as are the cemeteries around it. The CWGC do an amazing job.
    mossym wrote:
    be warned, you better be serious..you will be hiking through forests..

    Thanks a lot.. Ah yeah, I enjoy hiking so I'd love to give it a shot.


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    #10
    Snickers Man
    Registered Users Posts: 5,301 ✭✭✭Snickers Man


    The cemetries in Luxembourg will give you an eye opener into the meaning of war. The American one is a typical US war cemetry. Immaculately kept, individual graves bearing the names, ranks and ages of the dead soldiers.

    The German one is a huge mass grave with a list of the kids contained within it. And they were kids. A lot of 16, 17 and 18 year olds. The country had been bled white and it was throwing its children into the front line to get slaughtered.


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    #11
    mossym
    Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 8,766 Mod ✭✭✭✭mossym


    given the circumstances they were quite willing to fight, despite their ages, but the point is made, a lot of young people who didn't deserve to die did...unfortunately


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