Abwehrschlacht im Huertgenwald.

A few weeks later I visited the Eifel again with the well known "Aru-Ed" overhere on this forum and a friend of him.
The first day we found some small stuff, a US spoon, small caliber ammo, American button, razor blade, stainless steel canteen cup which was badly out of shape, some US eyeshields and other small stuff.
The next day would be better. After a long walk we came out on a forest with many foxholes, while I was digging up some ammo in a foxhole I dug up a US Army toothbrush! After a while I found another stainless steel canteen cup in better condition. After a while and a bit further into the woods I found an M1 Garand oilcleaner, and with that an stainless steel messtin. At the end of the day I found a very interesting foxhole, after a while I pulled another stainless messtin out, and I couldn't believe my eye's, in the messtin layed another US toothbrush, it was still in it! And it would be even better in the same hole I found another US toothbrush!!! While is was digging some ammo out. Three in a row, on the same day! And I had never before found a US toothbrush in all those years I am searching...
A weekend to remember.


Vieuws of the Schnee-Eifel.





Aru-Ed (on the right) and his friend making soup. Pretty scary yeah!



The first messtin.



A total vieuw of the stuff I found.



The oilcleaner.



The toothbrushes, very nice in detail. Unfortunally no personal marking. Only some kind of "V" on the yellow one.










Regards,
Nick

 

Hi, good to see you're back with some nice finds again. They are in good condition too, especially the toothbrushes.

 

Very nice stuff and toothbrushes, how deep down were those items?

 

That happens with me and Heineken!

Nice photos Nick! Those toothbrushes are in real good shape!!

 

The first and 3rd toothbrushes lay on a depth of ca. 10 cm?
The messtins layed pretty deep, about 30 a 40 cm's.

 

Nice photos as always! I wish I could do this someplace but I think I need a liscensce.

 

u guys are lucky as hell. would love 2 visit ww2 battlefields like this (kursk is a favorite) but live in californis. bein 16 doesnt help either. i was born on the day rommel killed himself though so thats kinda cool

 

Yeah thats cool... I guess?...

 

Last weekend on a night-trip with Aru-Ed this nice findings came up:

2 German gasmasks.



M1 Garand bayonet.





And an M1 Garand grenade launcher.

 

Very nice finds, especially the grenade launcher.

 

Hey Nick! Great stuff!
Thanks for posting!

 

woah thats awesome!. very nice finds!

 

Here a series of Then and Now pictures made in the early stage of the Battle of the Bulge. In the area near the German/Belgian border. Mainly on positions of the US 99th Inf.div.

All then pictures where taken last Saturday. I'll hope you enjoy.

The first location of my trip was the village Faymonville, east of Waimes.
On the 16th of January the 1st Inf.div. liberated the village from the German 3rd Fallschirmjäger Div.





The next location was Bütgenbach. This picture was taken in front of the church, men of the 9th of 99th Inf.div. seen witch stockpiles of supplies.
Which they hardly needed over a few weeks... The picture was taken in November, 1944.





Eisenhower, Craig (9th Inf.Div.) en Bradley in front of a house in Bütgenbach, November 1944.





A few hundered meters away along the road from Bütgenbach to Berg this picture was taken of a destroyed bridge. Along the road members of the 26th Inf.regt, of the 28th Inf.div. are moving towards Bütgenbach.
Over 2 days they will take positions near Bütgenbach to repell the units of the 26th SS Pz.Gren.Rgt., of the 12th SS Pz.Div. `Hitlerjugend`.





Elsenborn, this Weasel which belongs to the Dakota Aid Station of the 393rd Inf.regt. is moving towards Wirtzfeld.









In the village Wirtzfeld units of the 372nd Field Artillery Battalion are pulling back towards the Elsenborn ridge, with the 277 Volksgrenadiere Div. and the 12th SS.Pz.div. on their heels. An M10 tank destroyer is covering the retreat.





On the road from Rocherath towards Wirtzfeld this Panzerkampfwagen IV was knocked out by M10 tank destroyers south of Wirtzfield.






While I took this picture I was quietly watched by an German eagle...



In "the Twin villages" (Rocherath/Krinkelt) I got my hands full of taking Then and Now's. Here a few.
This Panther was one out of six that was knocked out by 1st Lt. Parker from the 644th TD Battalion, he was rewarded with the Distinguished Service Cross for Gallantry for his action in Rocherath/Krinkelt.





The same location, in February 1945. After the battle.





Along the same road near the Church this Panther of SS-Hauptsturmführer Kurt Brödel (in front) and the Panther of SS-Oberscharführer Johann Beutelhauser where knocked out. They belonged to the 3.Komp. I Abt.SS.Pz.Rgt. 12. Of the 12th Panzer div. "Hitlerjugend".

 

This picture was also taken after the battle in January 1945. Showing the same Panthers.





A picture before the Battle in the Twin villages, these men of the 393rd Inf.regt. 99th US div. are posing in front of a house in Rocherath/Krinkelt. Hardly could they know that in a few weeks these "green" GI's would face battle-hardend SS troops.





A soldier of the 393rd Inf.regt. in front of his mount. Just before the battle.





US troops clearing up in January 1945.





Just east from Rocherath/Krinkelt you can find this road junction. In the early stage of the battle these German panzers where knocked out. Probaly by units of the 741th Tank Battalion.





A vieuw towards the woods where the German 277 VGD and 12.SS "Hitlerjugend" div. came from. Starting of from the Hollerather Knie area.



And another German Panther knocked out by Sgt. Stahsio Kempinski and crew of the 644 TD Battalion. This picture was put in scene a few moments after. Here you see Sgt. Bernard Cook taking a "prisoner".
The Panther (no.126) was knocked out on December 17th, 11.00 am.









After Rocherath I visited Honsfeld. Where these well known Battle of the Bulge pictures were taken. It was a very impressive quiet location.
Soldiers of the 99th Inf.div. and 14th Calvary div. where suprised by elements of the German 3rd Fallschirmjager div. that was moving in front of Kampfgruppe Peiper. American soldiers lay dead on the road and in the gardens of Honsfeld.





German soldiers taken boots from killed American GI's.





The writing of this picture sounds;
"With Honsfeld captured, a German kriegsberichter walks about the village, graphically recording the price the Americans paid trying to defend it on that cold winter's day of December 17, 1944. Face down in the snow and mud, American dead lie about the crossroads in the centre of the village. As if pointing the way to fate"...





Just a few meters further this picture was made of a few Germans and materiel abandoned by American troops. Note the 76mm gun that still lays covered for the weather elements, in the haste of the German attack the Americans didn't even had time to use it.





In Lanzerath this picture was taken of American prisoners moving to the rear, while a Tiger II is moving up te front. It belongs to the Schwere SS Panzer Abt. 501.





That was it for now.

Regards,
Nick

 

This thread is one of my favorite! Steady updates with photos and finds.
Excellent photos and information in these post, thank you.

 

Very nice Nick!!
Then and nows are my particular favorite!

 

You're welcome.

 

On my birthday I visited the Eifel once again with a friend of mine.
Not knowning that the Eifel was covered with 50cm's of snow...
Not having my tent with my only my sleepingbag and a poncho it was a cold night but a very impressive experiance. We visited the Eifel for 2 days, and I hardly found something, because of the snow...
Very awfull weather conditions but some nice pictures, that I would like to show you.

The place where I spend the night. I didn't drank beer, because I was affriad to have to pie in the middle of the night and to get out of my sleeping bag into the cold.





And here some other pics from that weekend...

 

Great Then and Now photos, Nick.

That must have been one hell of a cold night in the Eifel forest. Your sleeping bag must be very warm...

 

Very nice photos Nick!