Here's an interesting web site. ( moderators, my apologies if this is not the right place to post this)
http://pierreswesternfront.punt.nl/
http://pierreswesternfront.punt.nl/
Cool site...thanks
My first duty station was in Germany in the late 90's. I was fortunate enough to be able to visit a fair number of historical site. The Ardennes were.....wow, just wow. I had to explain the historical significance to some guys. My base, geiblestadt, was also a primary ME262 base. Walked through graveyards and saw headstones with death dates of 1914-18 and 1940-45. It was overwhelming for a history buff. On a side note, I've also been to serajavoe, and Babylon. Also went to Tunis, Tunisia, and saw the national memorial to our troops for the North Africa campaign. I count myself lucky.
Way cool - I envy you. If I could become independently wealthy, that's one thing I would do: spend months at a time in Europe, checking out old battlefields, Luftwaffe bases, etc.
Good old Uncle Sam paid for room and board, I was just smart enough to take advantage. I also talked to my German girlfriends grandmother. She was In her late 80's at the time, and she told me all about seeing the bombers, shellings, Russians, all sorts of stuff. My girlfriend lived in what was recently reunited east Germany. It was still cookie cutter communist looking at that time.
I'd love to talk with some of those WWII survivors, though there are few left. Made friends with a woman via Skype who was from the former East Germany (as was her husband, I think). She didn't elaborate much on it, just mentioned it after I told her I'd just seen the movie Der Tunnel. They now live just outside of Hamburg. I intend to visit Germany hopefully soon; don't know I'll see any of the cool stuff like the battlefields at all, but hope to one day. Just a trip there will be a good start.
My grandfather was wounded in WWI - I think in France. I wish I could have found out where he fought, but he died in '38 of a liver disease, and my grandmother has been dead for 20 years. When these old folks die, far too much dies with them. I'd like to visit the places like where he fought, where family immigrated from, etc.
Giebelstadt. I drank way too much then to remember alot about that place. I was transferred to HHB 8/43 ADA ( later TF843) for deployment to Saudi and Iraq in late 1990. Spent most of my time in FRG stationed in Giessen with 4/43. My only big regret was not traveling more when I had the chance, and visiting the places I should have.
I spent 14yrs out of 21yrs stationed in Germany, 4 tours. I did do some partying in the barracks, but spent most of my off time, and leave touring europe. Even visited the USSR Moscow five years before the wall fell, and Berlin on several tours prior to the wall coming down. Also did my time up on the border with 2/2ACR. I miss those days!! My last tour was after the wall was down and everything in europe was changing. My first tour was with 3/35AR-2/2ACR Bamberg Germany 1976 to 1980, 2/13Inf-4/6Inf Sandhofen Germany 1981 to 1984, 7thATC Grafenwoehr Germany 1985 to 1990, 59ORD/23ORD/191ORD/69ORD Several sites in Germany 1991 to 1995.
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