History of the Site
Prof. Stephen Ambrose, the preeminent WWII historian in the U. S. wrote an article on the Bulge for the Military History Quarterly in which he said: ...to the north, between Monschau and Losheim, the U.S.99th Inf. Div., newly arrived in Europe, and the 2nd Inf. Div....did not simply delay the German advance but stopped it along the critical point of the whole battle, Elsenborn Ridge. The low ridge...was the main objective of Sepp Dietrich's 6th Panzer Army. Elsenborn(Ridge) was the Little Round Top of the battle. Dietrich drove his units mercilessly, but he could not take it. In the vast literature of the Battle of the Bulge, Elsenborn Ridge always yields pride of place to the far more famous action ...at Bastogne. Everyone knows about the 101st Airborne at Bastogne; almost no one knows even the names of the 99th and 2nd Infantries. Yet it was along Elsenborn Ridge...that these two ordinary infantry divisions, largely out of touch with their commands, outnumbered 5 to 1 and worse, outgunned and surprised, managed to stop the Germans in their main line of advance. The Germans never did take the Ridge.
Introduction - This Site is dedicated to all the soldiers who saw action during a short period of bitter cold, heavy snowfall and furious fighting. This last battle on the Western front, named as "The Battle of the Bulge" or the "Von Rundstedt Offensive" is known all over the world, but still has his unknown stories. My Site is a collection of trips, stories and pictures. Here I retraced a history now more than almost 55 years behind us. Going through the old foxholes, dugouts, forests, and sometimes stepping into a building in which time has stood still, brings me back to this period. Even today you sometimes find the silent relics; a steel-helmet, a rusty gun - still in its former position as it was in 1944 - waiting for the times to come. I'm grateful that I still have the opportunity to talk and write with, and about, these heroes, and hope that these pages give them the credit they still deserve. Hans Wijers

My accounts of the different trips are related to the units stationed in the area of the Losheim Gap. Click on each item to see a short introduction to this unit and find your way through my trips related to this unit.

Footnote - [All my trips into the area to discover the old foxholes and trenches is in no way meant to destroy or plunder the historical sites. The re-discovered places by this time have already been emptied over the years. The pieces left behind, which I find during my trips, are NOT taken out of the woods, or from the historical sites, but from places or from people who most of the time describe it as rubbish, and are glad that someone is taking care of it. Too many times many of these relics are destroyed. All the pieces I refer to in my accounts are registered, noting from which area they come from, etc.]