![]() ![]() As you can see on my picture, the monument is very clean, with names and history of the company on the plates. This memorial was made posible by Tom Hanks. When you follow the road between Bastogne and Foy, you will find alongside the road a memorial for the 101 Airborne Easy Company, the Band of Brothers. The Band of Brothers Memorial in Bastogne/Foy: made possible by Tom Hanks It was a very harsh time which I’m glad these war heroes underwent, and a lot of respect for these situations is in place. The shallowness of the foxhole also made it possible to take cover of falling trees and branches during artillery fire.īut imagine that you need to spend hours, even days and nights in these foxholes during an icecold and snowy winter. They were spread along the edge of the forest, making it possible to move from one to another. The foxholes are shallow pits where you can lay in, taking cover but also able to easily aim and shoot over the edge. Some are original, some are freshly made during official reenactments (with members of the Easy Company during remembrances in Bastogne). You can see on my pictures that you can still find traces of them. The way they dug themselves in is a tactic called ‘foxholes’. This way, they could fire at troops crossing from one part of the forests to another and keep an eye on the roads. They chose positions on the edge of forest and fields. With a shortage of ammunition, suitable winter clothing or strategic plans, the 101 Easy Company dug themselves in. 101 Airborne Easy Company (Band of Brothers) in Bastogne & Foy: foxholes It was the task of the 101 Airborne Easy Company (Band of Brothers) to defend this region, together with other allied companies. Knowing that tanks and army trucks were the core of this offensive/counter offensive, it is clear why Bastogne was a highly important target for armed forces on both sides.īastogne, and the nearby village of Foy, and the forest around these towns, needed to be defended against the incoming German forces. The city was important for both Allied and Nazi forces, because the city is the crossroad for no less than 7 roads that connects you through the whole region. You find the city of Bastogne in the middle of the Ardennes region. The winters are very hard in this part of Belgium with heavy snow and temperatures that drop below -10° Celcius. The Ardennes lay in the south of Belgium and its characteristics are rocky mountains and pine forests. After D-Day and the failed Operation Market Garden in the Netherlands, the German army tried to strike back during the Battle of the Bulge that took place in the Ardennes. First things first: what happened with the 101 airborne Easy Company (Band of Brothers) in Bastogne and Foy?įor those who have not seen the (incredibly good) HBO serie Band of Brothers, let me explain what happened.ĭuring the winter of 1944, the city of Bastogne was in the middle of a strategic battle that was decisive for the Second World War. I will tell you all about it in this article. We also made a walk through the surrounding forest to find the relics of the real Band of Brothers. You probably saw the episodes that depict this in the serie Band of Brothers.īut did you know that you can still visit these forests and see, even find, traces of Easy Company? Together with some friends, I paid the city of Bastogne a visit. soldiers of the 101st Airborne Easy Company dug themselves in, in the for them unknown forest of Bastogne in Belgium. ![]() It was during the winter of 1944 that the U.S. ![]()
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