Like to see the battlefields of the Great War?

[SMS]

So many battle sites to visit in Europe, and so little time. What amazed me during my drives through the countryside over there (I was on a travelling maintenance team and we'd spend days on the road all over) was how many small burial grounds there were. Little compounds in the middle of a farmers field with a British flag flying...or the seemingly randomly placed grave stones on the berm around the moat of a little town (the name escapes me) where British troops where literally buried where they fell.

One day I loaded up my car with a few gas cans (which caused the French border guards some concern) and drove from my home in Belguim to the Normandy beaches. All I had was a roadmap and a general idea where Normandy was. I found the beaches and Point Du Hoc and wandered around in amazement.

As dusk was settling in, I was still scrambling around bunkers near one of the beaches when I heard the tune of "America the Beautiful" drifting on the breeze from behind a long bank trees. I walked in that direction and poked my head through the trees just as the National Anthem started playing...Found myself at attention, staring at the big American cemetery. Turns out they were ending the day, like every day, with those songs. That was powerful.

 

[Perplexed]

As dusk was settling in, I was still scrambling around bunkers near one of the beaches when I heard the tune of "America the Beautiful" drifting on the breeze from behind a long bank trees. I walked in that direction and poked my head through the trees just as the National Anthem started playing...Found myself at attention, staring at the big American cemetery. Turns out they were ending the day, like every day, with those songs. That was powerful.

Great story! I've heard it's also a powerful emotion to be at the Menin Gate in Ypres, Belgium at 8 PM local time, when buglers from the local fire department close the gate to traffic. They then play "The Last Post." Every single evening.

 

[0311]

That's a really good link! Good photos! Made me want to step out there through my screen and drink a cup of coffee!!!

 

[Toujours Pret]

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.

Hey Brother- H Co 2/2 ACR '73'74

 

[kcatto]

In 1994 I backpacked through europe with 5 of my friends... we did this the summer after we graduated college... we bought eurail passes good for 90 days and we went to almost every significant place we could schedule a train or ferry to take us. we stayed in hostels and small pensions.. all together it only cost us about $3500.00 each meals, travel, food everything which is not to bad to be bumming around europe for 90 days... we went to Auschwitz, (Dachau, my grandfather was in the 45th and they were the first through there), One thing I did was try and visit all the places my grandfather fought in WWII, he had told me some things not much, but some things about his time in WWII.. Since he was my everything, and pretty much raised me from a kid. It was a nice way to reconnect with him mainly because he had passed away in 1991.... we went to normandy to omaha and utah beach, little did we realize at the time but we had to listen to a speech by pres. clinton. as it was the 50th anniversary of the D-day invasion.. seeing the president was not the highlight but we did get to meet several of the remaining soliders from D-day that could and did make the trip back for the memorial service. It was a once in a lifetime accident that was amazing....

 

[grwd]

In 1994 I backpacked through europe with 5 of my friends... we did this the summer after we graduated college... we bought eurail passes good for 90 days and we went to almost every significant place we could schedule a train or ferry to take us. we stayed in hostels and small pensions.. all together it only cost us about $3500.00 each meals, travel, food everything which is not to bad to be bumming around europe for 90 days... we went to Auschwitz, (Dachau, my grandfather was in the 45th and they were the first through there), One thing I did was try and visit all the places my grandfather fought in WWII, he had told me some things not much, but some things about his time in WWII.. Since he was my everything, and pretty much raised me from a kid. It was a nice way to reconnect with him mainly because he had passed away in 1991.... we went to normandy to omaha and utah beach, little did we realize at the time but we had to listen to a speech by pres. clinton. as it was the 50th anniversary of the D-day invasion.. seeing the president was not the highlight but we did get to meet several of the remaining soliders from D-day that could and did make the trip back for the memorial service. It was a once in a lifetime accident that was amazing....

cool! You NEED to post some of your photos from that trip
Are there a lot of memorials to ww1, in western europe, or is it mostly ww2 thats around? Ive only been to E.Europe, and not for sightseeing. Although I bet you could stay within 300 miles of the france-belgium border and see 90% of the battles of ww1!

 

[kcatto]

I wish I still had some photos... I moved to Australia in 1996 and moved back to oklahoma in 1998 and everything I owned was lost when my storage unit was broken into... they even took my old jackets and underwear I had there... along with 42 rifles 7 handguns and my big bear safe.... photos included.. the only things I did not loose were a few things I had stored at my mothers house...

As far as WWI memorials, I do not know I did not really pay attention as I was not to educated about the great war to end all wars then.... but we did get go along some of the Maginot line, and check out some of the old bunkers... Probably the coolest of all places was Anne Franks house in Amsterdam, and seeing her original diary in her own hand writting kept under glass there... we did not get to go all the way up in the attic as it is not safe they said but you could look up there with mirrors... and we did get to go up where they lived.... just like it was when they were there...