Band of Brothers road trip

[monzer]

"Today, and as you read this, you are en route to that great adventure for which you have trained for over two years.

Tonight is the night of nights.

Tomorrow throughout the whole of our homeland and the Allied world the bells will ring out the tidings that you have arrived, and the invasion for liberation has begun.

The hopes and prayers of your dear ones accompany you; the confidence of your high commanders goes with you. The fears of the Germans are about to become a reality.

Let us strike hard. When the going is tough, let us go harder. Imbued with faith in the rightness of our cause, and the power of our might, let us annihilate the enemy where found.

May God be with each of you fine soldiers. By your actions let us justify His faith in us.”

Colonel Robert Sink, Regimental Commander, 506th P.I.R, 101st Airborne Division.

Seemed a good opener for this trip. This was the letter given to the 101st Airborne just before taking off from England on D-day. It is also featured in the 1st episode of Band of Brothers which I have just watched.

I doubt my arrival in France was as dramatic as the soldiers' featured in this show. I'm not sure they were allowed to drink Heineken and I don't think they had the data allowance to watch Aberdeen destroy Motherwell 4-1 at home. Alas, I am here and ready to start this Band of Brothers themed trip.

Ferry was docking around 10pm so didn't want to go too far before getting some sleep. I parked outside the Pegasus Bridge Museum 10 minutes from the Port. The museum is obviously on my list of things to see, being in Northern France, however it is not really Band of Brother heavy in the way of details.

I had a quick look around the current bridge when I arrived and did the museum today before cycling along the canal to the Le Grande Bunker - Museum of the Atlantic Wall in Ouistreham. From what I understand the British took a few days to realise the importance of this bunker and must have believed it was either civilian or knew it was military but thought it was already deserted.

5kg of explosives later and Over 50 German soldiers surrendered to Lieutenant Bob Orrell and three of his men from the Royal Engineers (9th Field Company, 3rd Beach Group).

Interesting place and when you get to the top of the structure you really get an idea of it's purpose.

Just a few pics of Pegasus Bridge Museum as it has been featured a lot on here before...

And a few pics from the Bunker Museum....

Hope that's enough to whet your appetite. Hopefully be sticking to the B of B theme from now on in. Feel free to come along on this journey with me. I'll be watching the show again as I go so if you have seen it before, you will know how special it is and if you haven't seen it before then please do watch it, I don't know another TV show that leaves such a mark on you. I know Sky show it and you can get it on Prime and other platforms.

Episode 1: "Currahee"

In 1942, Easy Company jump trains at Camp Toccoa under First Lieutenant Herbert Sobel, a strict disciplinarian who goes out of his way to find fault with his men. The company is shipped to England in September 1943, and as training progresses, Sobel's inadequacy as a leader in the field becomes evident. Now-Captain Sobel fabricates a dispute with Lieutenant Richard "Dick" Winters, and gives him the option of accepting unwarranted punishment, or trial by court martial. Winters surprises Sobel by rejecting the punishment and chooses the court martial. These factors lead Easy's non-commissioned officers to resign en masse. Colonel Robert Sink, the regiment's commander, reassigns Sobel to command a parachuting school for non-infantry personnel. With new leadership, Easy Company prepares for Operation Overlord.

The ending of this episode is a masterclass on how to set the series up for what's to come.

That it for tonight, more tomorrow night or the day after. Currahee!

 

[suavecarve]

Enjoy this trip. I m going to enjoy reading it and will probably bring watch the series for the first time very shortly.
Just read the thread for the first time and note you have your bikes with you.
Unsure if Malmedy is on your itinerary but I am also unsure if it is BoB related but definitely Battle of the Bulge related. Aire at the train station and vennbahn voie verte runs from there. Monument out of town.
Enjoy

 

[mackeellan]

Great thread. Looking forward to following you.
If a series was made about the intimate lives of our airborne soldiers, in the same way, it would balance the realities more.
Good luck with this very interesting thread.

 

[Cliff D]

I'm really looking forward to following your tour and vicariously revisiting all of the places I went to many times as a tour guide. I had the privilege and honour of accompanying many groups of Normandy and Arnhem Veterans over the years from D Day + 40 onwards. It was very sad to see fewer and fewer veterans at the commemorations as each year passed. My last working visit to Normandy was for the 75th anniversary in 2019, which was rather special. Enjoy all of your visits and safe travels.

 

[monzer]

Episode 2: "Day of Days"

On June 6, 1944, Easy Company parachutes into Normandy, but is scattered and many land miles away from their designated drop zones. Most of Easy reconnects, but its company commander, Lieutenant Thomas Meehan, is missing. Winters assumes command and successfully leads a group in destroying German artillery emplacements firing on Utah Beach from Brécourt Manor. Winters also discovers a map of all German artillery emplacements in Normandy. A number of Easy's men earn combat decorations for their part in the attack, including Winters, who is awarded the Distinguished Service Cross.

Watched this episode last night as I was parked up in Sainte-Mère-Église. I can't even imagine what was going through the minds of the men on these planes, especially nearing their drop zones after the German Triple A fire was in full effect. The D-day experience at Dead Mans's corner tries to recreate this in its C-47 simulator and although they have done a fantastic job here, I couldn't help but think the soldiers must have been petrified.

Back to episode 2 and Richard Winters finds his company scattered all over the place. He landed just outside Sainte-Mère-Église and I went down for a look. Although it is just a field with nothing to signify it's importance I took a few minutes just to take it in. He lost his weapon on the jump so only had his knife, he had lost the rest of his men and could hear German gunfire all around him.

This is the field where Winters landed...

He eventually reunited with most of his men and after getting their bearings they made their way to their original objective but came across a small convoy of German military, probably being sent to reinforce their comrades after the enormity of the invasion was finally realised. Winters and his men took out this convoy and took any weapons and supplies off the dead soldiers.

This is the junction where the ambush took place:

After regrouping it was back to business and Winters found himself leading an attack on a German battery raining shells down on Utah beach and as Brecourt Manor (where the battery he attacked is located) is private property with no visiting allowed I went to the nearby Batterie d'Azeville to get a feel for what they may have been up against.

A concrete maze with the sole purpose of supporting the big 105mm guns raining down shells on Utah Beach. Easy parking and about 8 euro entry lets you walk the undeground tunnels and bunkers with a little audio guide to use along the way.

I was a bit shocked to get to the actual gun casemates to discover the Germans had pointed the big guns in the wrong direction....

I thought the sea was the other direction but I'm willing to admit I may have lost my bearings a bit down in the tunnels.

The below picture with the range and arc of this particular battery shows just how important these emplacements were for the Germans and how important it was for the men on Utah beach that Winters destroyed them....

It was a text book assault on a fixed location and one that is still demonstrated at West Point today.

Some more pics of this place....

Nearby is the Richard Winters memorial...

The Easy Company memorial including the name of 1st Lieutenant Thomas Meehan (mentioned in the 1st paragraph) whose plane took a direct hit on 6th June leading to the taking over of command by Winters....

and if you are quick you don't even need to jump out the van to grab a pic of where they set up their first command post just along the road....

So many museums in this area that are worth visiting. Some, like the Airborne museum in Sainte-Mère-Église have had a lot of money invested in them and are extremely well organised...

The body of an American tank commander lay half sprawled out the turret of his tank for 4 days in a ditch after they were hit by a German Panzerfaust. The men started referring to the junction as the corner with the dead man and then simply 'Dead Mans Corner'.

The museum that is now based here has also had a lot of money spent on it and is well worth a visit. Especially if, like me, you are basing your tour around Band of Brothers as they have Major Winters kit on display here.....

The eagle-eyed amongst you may have noticed the name on the helmet along side Winters' kit. Joe Toye was a Sergeant in Easy company and features heavily in the series. He badly injured his hand when it got caught up in his parachute chords on the jump. He suffered light wounds in the attack on the battery mentioned above when 2 grenades landed right next to him. One was a well aimed German potato masher and the other was a not so well aimed American grenade fumbled by someone close by. He was wounded again in Holland and lost a leg in Bastogne. I'm sure we will be referring to him later in the series.

Some more pics from the Dead Mans Corner museum and experience....

The view from the house looking down the road where so many men were killed....

Bought me a few of these to save on gas in the motorhome.....

Could do with a few of these to keep me going through this mini tour.....

The Normandy Victory Museum is another worth visiting with some pretty good displays. Interesting gift shop but I thought better of testing customs on the way back....

There are also lots of smaller museums all around the area. The D-Day Collins Museum is one of these and I'm glad I went as I found the kit worn by another soldier featured in the series here. The owner of the museum bought the kit of Denver Randleman aka 'Bull' off ebay before Band of Brothers was released. Worth a small fortune now...

That's me for now I'm parked near Utah beach but it's blowing Le Hoolie outside so doubt I'll be venturing far..... Episode 3 coming shortly.









**sorry about the thumbnails at the end, hate doing this stuff on my laptop!!!

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[mackeellan]

Humbling!

 

[mackeellan]

Interesting and enjoyable thread, thanks

 

[monzer]

Quick question... What actually is involved at the Last Post in Ypres? Just this moment arrived but it is absolutely mobbed. Do I need to get close or what?

Don't want bus loads of school kids to barge me out of seeing anything!

 

[Cliff D]

I hope you managed to get a good view of the ceremony. It is always crowded

 

[namwaldog]

Always a very moving ceremony. We must have been about half a dozen times as Margaret's Grandad, Anthony Barnes is buried nearby at Belgian Battery Corner.

During the Centenary years 2014-2018,
there was a tribute each night to an individial casualty of the war and that really brought it home!

Thanks for doing the thread

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[Jon Stewart]

There was a book called "Currahee" published in 1968. I might be wrong but I think that Band of Brothers was based on this book, maybe worth looking it up.

For instance, they never liberated any concentration camp.

This was added to the TV series, if I remember right.

 

[15edward]

The tv series was based on the book Band of Brothers by Stephen e Ambrose
He was an American historian who wrote a few WW11 books and biographies including Eisenhower

 

[monzer]

For instance, they never liberated any concentration camp.

This was added to the TV series, if I remember right.

The 101st Airborne Division, of which Easy Co is a part, are credited with liberating a concentration camp. Easy Co. themselves did not liberate it like depicted in the show. I am planning to visit Dachau to cover this episode as part of my trip.

 

[monzer]

I hope you managed to get a good view of the ceremony. It is always crowded

No not really, just too busy. The sea of phones going up in the air as soon as it started put me off also. And that wasn't just the schoolkids.

 

[Roby2008]

In the very early stages of planning a road trip based on the travels of the men of Easy Company in the HBO show Band of Brothers.

First stop would obviously be Normandy. In episode 2 Easy Company get scattered all over the place but eventually muster enough men to take out a German battery at Brecourt. Anyone been in this area and do you know if there is any kind of memorial or information?

Episode 3 takes place around Carentan with the battle of bloody gulch, again I am hoping there is somewhere close by to park up.

Operation Market Garden next and thinking about visiting Nuenen. Battle of the Bulge at Bastogne follows that and I am pretty sure there is plenty to see there. Foy in Belgium is the setting of episode 7 and episode 8 is in Haguenau.

Looks like there is plenty to see at the Kaufering concentration camp which Easy Company liberated in episode 9.

Last episode is Hitlers Eagles nest at Berchtesgarden and I am guessing this wont be particularly motorhome friendly Hopefully find a base close by to stop and explore.

Anyone been to any of these places and got any hints, tips or advice please. I am hoping 2 weeks will be enough

Berchtesgaden itself is nice, and the Kelstein Haus (Eagles nest) is well worth the visit. It is only 90 mins from me so we do it fairly often (usually just the town and Konigsee).
There is parking at the bottom of the town near the railways station, not for anything too big, we are 7m and that was enough, up in the town itself there is nothing.
For the Kelstein, there is parking by the bus station but it is limited and small, not MH friendly, and I personally would not go up to the bus station in anything bigger than 7m, I have done it more than once, it is steep and twisty (although somebody will have done it in an 8.5 m tag with a toad, probably). However, if you do do it, go past the car park heading for the scenic route and go under the bridge that goes up to the Kelstein, and 500m on the right is a large gravel parking area, dump the MH there, and walk back to catch the bus once you have done the Kelstein, which is worth it (try the Dampfknudel with vanilla sauce), which is bloody expensive by the way.
After that adventure, continue up around the scenic route for great views over Salzburg ( Toll to be paid, Scots and Yorkies beware), and as you turn to depart, there is a 3 level parking area that makes a great overnight.

For non BoB things, Konigsee, the Jenner Bahn and the Salt mine are all worth a visit,

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[monzer]

Episode 3: 'Carentan'

Easy fights in the Battle of Carentan and loses several men. Rumors begin to circulate that Lieutenant Ronald Speirs killed a group of German prisoners. Private Albert Blithe, who has been struggling with shell shock, is finally spurred into action by Winters during the Battle of Bloody Gulch. Several days later, Blithe is shot through the neck by a sniper while on patrol.

Episode 3 is the one that takes on the point of view of Private Blithe. A tad controversial this one not least because at the end of the episode it states he died in 1948 due to the wounds he suffered after getting shot in the neck by a sniper. (as depicted in this episode). He didn't, he survived until 1967 when he died in Germany still on active service. This is according to wikipedia so unsure of further details on this.

Elsewhere in the episode Easy Company get pulled off the frontline and gets a bit of R&R back in England. This is unfortunately cut short as they are needed back in France, much to the dismay of the soldiers.

The only Bloody Gulch related place I have visited was Purple Heart Lane which is on the road that leads up to Dead mans corner, featured previously. Bayonets were fixed here and as the name suggests there were a lot of injuries.

Back to 2025 and I left France trying to find somewhere in Europe not getting battered by wind. I don't plan my actual travelling so once I have set my destination in to my sat-nav I am simply following that. So when I started to see signposts for Rouen I got a major case of the heebie-jeebies.

Rouen - A place of mythical status on this forum. The low tunnel on the way through has apparently caught out many a motorhome driver where the only solution is to get the local genadarme to stop traffic to allow you the reverse of shame back on to the correct route.

I summoned up the courage of the men I have been following for this trip, put my big boy pants on and trusted my exemplary driving skills. I saw the big, red, dangly max height signs and avoided them. Job's a good 'un and didn't see what all the fuss was about.

Now I said I don't plan routes but I did know with Eindhoven being my next stop the natural route would have taken me near Ypres so given the significance I thought it would be rude not to stop by there and visit the Menin Gate. The last post was very humbling but for gods sake people stick your phones on silent then in your pocket until after the ceremony. Lovely, clean town and I would have liked to spend more time here but with only 2 weeks off work I had to crack on.

Before I left I caught sight of my reflection in a shop window and noticed I looked too much like a tourist so went to a nearby clothes shop to get something to make me look cool as f*ck. Mission completed...

The lovely owner of the shop seemed genuinely worried about the Trump Tarrifs, I don't know enough about them but to be honest I don't think Trump does either so I left it at that.

A few pictures of this lovely place, my camera isn't working so good and struggles with light levels so apologies for any blurred bits....

Laundry done and landed in Eindhoven. Till the next time troops.

 

[sylvester1954]

Not detracting from the BofB link, l found the battle sites inland (Breakout-from the beaches to Falaise) absorbing and definitely worthy of investigation. Particularly following the movement of the various tank regiments Operation Goodwood, Bluecoat, Epsom and individual sites at Tilly, Hill 112, Bourguebus ridge, Villers Bocage, St Aubin. Also looking deeper into the American sector at St Lo, Mortain and more!
Look up the book entitled The D Day Atlas, Anatomy of the Normandy Campaign by Charles Messenger as a very useful guide.
You will also find many more Commonwealth War Graves not as big as Bayeux but still magnificent in the care and respect of those who gave the ultimate sacrifice.

 

[monzer]

Episode 4: 'Replacements'

Replacements join Easy Company and struggle to be accepted by the veterans who fought at Normandy. Winters is promoted to captain. Sobel is the regiment's new supply officer. The company parachutes into the Netherlands as part of Operation Market Garden and liberates Eindhoven. During combat in Nuenen, the replacements integrate themselves with the company, but Easy is forced to retreat. Denver "Bull" Randleman is left behind. Wounded, he hides in a barn and engages in close quarters combat with a German soldier. He is reunited with the rest of the company the following day.

So I find myself in Eindhoven for the next chapter in this story. Beautiful day, blue skies with a gentle, dry breeze so I took the bike in to the town centre to find St. Catherine's Church. I thought the Spanish did urban cycle lanes well... wow this is how it should be done. So easy to cycle on it's no effort at all... that's my kind of exercise!

Anyway I found the church where the soldiers who liberated Eindhoven, including Easy Co. congregated. A magnificent building with a lot of displays inside going over the long and turbulent history of the buildings and the local area.

A few photos for you...

After this I went to the Wings of Liberation museum a few miles North of the city on the site of the drop zone for Operation Market Garden. One of the more basic museums which, as I have mentioned before, I don't mind but I did think the 12 euro entrance fee was a bit steep considering. Not a lot of English translations unfortunately but I think they do offer an audio guide.

Plenty to see though so skip down a bit if you aint in to military machinery...

They have a few sheds here full of this kind of stuff and in between them there is a small wooded area full of foxholes and a raised platform to look over on to the fields where Easy Company landed for the operation. The landing this time around went a lot smoother than their D-Day drop. It was several days and a few bridges later that the progress stalled and it was made clear that the war wasn't going to be over by Christmas.

Drop zone...

And the foxholes where they took shelter....

I was going to stay the night there but time is running away and I still have a long way to go so on I went to Nuenen. This was the area in which the fighting took place that integrated the replacements in to Easy Company.

Those who have seen it will also remember the scene where Bull gets injured and separated from the main group. I read the chapter of Winters' book that covers this today and the show is actually pretty factual. He did have to bayonet a German soldier in a barn and hide his body under the hay. He slept there until being found by his own men the morning after.

Lovely little town this but not too much to see so it was a short cycle up to the monument for a few pics and on the road again.

Also in the chapter of Richard Winters' book 'Beyond Band of Brothers' he mentioned how James Diel was shot and killed at the Zon Bridge. I wasn't expecting to see a photo of him literally 20 minutes after I had put the book down....

That's it for tonight. I'm up at Arnhem for the night and tomorrow will be my final day in Holland. A lot of vans here as park ups are pretty scarce here. Currahee!

 

[mackeellan]

Great effort, thank you

 

[monzer]

Episode 5: 'Crossroads'

Winters writes an after-action report on Easy's actions during a German counter offensive on the Nijmegen salient; he is troubled by the fact that he shot an unarmed, teenage Waffen-SS soldier during the battle. Winters is promoted to battalion executive officer, and command of Easy is given to "Moose" Heyliger.

Easy Company assists Lieutenant Colonel David Dobie of the British 1st Airborne Division in Operation Pegasus to rescue 140 of his comrades. The operation succeeds, and the rescued British troops celebrate with Easy. Heyliger is injured in a friendly fire incident, and command of the company passes to Lieutenant Norman Dike before Easy is rushed to Bastogne to fight in the Battle of the Bulge.

I couldn't see too many parking options round Arnhem today so I decided to only visit one museum and that was the Airborne museum just out of town in Oosterbeek. Very Brit orientated owing to Operation Market Garden and probably one of the best arms collections I have seen yet. I've always liked guns since I was little so it was fascinating to see so many different weapons from all countries on display here. Unfortunately due to them being in a glass display case along with my phone camera not reacting well with reflections I have no pictures of them.

There is also a floor of this old manor house dedicated to DNA and identifying fallen soldiers from graves that have been discovered. Really interesting stuff and I respect greatly the people who to this day are still carrying out this work.

I didn't take much photos here so I'll leave this section with quite a touching monument situated outside....

Another town that I would usually park up in for a few days to have a right look around but I don't have time for that unfortunately so it was on to the next stop and one that I've rather been looking forward to.

Fans of the show will remember in this episode where a patrol from Easy Co. are sent out to find and engage German soldiers in 'the island' area of Holland. This is where the land is cut off to the North by the Rhine and the River Waal to the South. Easy co. led by Richard Winters find a whole company of SS almost by accident after mounting a dyke that forms a small road, so common in these places. The Germans were taken completely by surprise and Winters describes it as a turkey shoot, picking them off as they ran.

I've always wanted to visit this place and although the area has the usual Dutch cycle infrastructure these days, the land still lies the same which allows you to understand exactly what went on here all those years ago.

This is the famous 'crossroads'. The road itself would have been there then, albeit a lot narrower and you can just about make out the steepish slope that runs down from each side of the road to the tree lines. This was the cover that the Germans placed too much confidence in....

View from behind my van, seen in the above pic....

There was guy metal detecting down in the ditches, I hope he found some great stuff.

There is also a memorial close by dedicated to the Airborne Division who fought in the area October and November 1944. I think the photos show how much of a natural defence the river is here.

I'm feeling like crap the last couple of days, just a cold but all the sneezing is giving me a sore head all the time so really can't be bothered driving so not sure when I will make it down to Bastogne. If I wake up tomorrow feeling a lot better I will just head down then.

Given Bastogne is the next episode I will leave you with this....

"Farthest from your mind is the thought of falling back, in fact, it isn't there at all. And so you dig your hole carefully and deep, and wait."

Currahee scrapbook of the 506 PIR

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[mackeellan]

Hope you feel better tmrw as Bastogne will be of the greatest importance to you.
I hope your journal is stored because it will be useful to many others in future.

 

[monzer]

The great European advance has stalled. Broke down 15 minutes from Bastogne. I'm no expert but sounds pretty terminal, this van won't be driving back to the UK.

I foresee an expensive week ahead

 

[15edward]

I’m very sorry to read this. All sympathy to you

 

[sylvester1954]

The great European advance has stalled. Broke down 15 minutes from Bastogne. I'm no expert but sounds pretty terminal, this van won't be driving back to the UK.

I foresee an expensive week ahead

Really sorry for you... always the nightmare when touring abroad..good luck

 

[mackeellan]

Hang on in there and good luck for a reasonable outcome.

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[Kannon Fodda]

Well that's crap. Just as your travels were getting interesting.

 

[monzer]

Well that's crap. Just as your travels were getting interesting.

These things happen, my own fault. I noticed a strange noise 6 days before my ferry. Thought it was exhaust but nothing wrong with that. Should have postponed the ferry but I thought if I can drive from Edinburgh to Portsmouth no problem then it must be something minor.