THE PATTON MUSEUM IN ETTELBRUK, LUXEMBOURG

After the Germans had been repulsed on all fronts in the Ardennes, Patton advised Eisenhower and his staff to allow him to attack the Germans at the shoulder of the bulge in the south and that the British attack in the north where they were positioned near Holland. Like at Falaise in Normandy this would have caught the German army in a pocket which could have been closed entrapping them. Again the allied command refused Patton's request, mainly on Montgomery's advice.

The allied forces then proceeded to push the Germans back from the tip of the bulge and it took them over a month to regain the positions they held before the battle. In the meantime the Germans were able to extricate a lot of their men and materiel to be used against the allied forces in the fighting in Germany.

There is no doubt that Patton was often frustrated by his superiors who just couldnt, or would not, see the larger picture. I believe that Patton was probably the greatest allied general in WW II but his great failure was that he could not understand the politics and the media, and this eventually led to Eisenhower sacking him.

Patton was a soldier's soldier, a natural commander of men and a true professional military leader.

If any of you did not know it Patton is the hero in Luxembourg

In the town of Ettelbruck there is a huge monument of Patton which stands on the main road as well as a Sherman tank.

The Patton Museum in Ettelbruck is in honour of its namesake. A lot of personal details and documents relevant to Patton’s career and life are on display

A great tribute to a great soldier

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This concludes our World War II trip to Normandy and Belgium

After I get home I intend making up photo albums which I will put on the net for you to see

I hope that this blog has been of interest to you. It has only but scratched the surface of the events of D – Day and The Battle of the Bulge.

For me it has been a marvelous experience which I shall forver remember. I am pleased that one of my lifelong ambitions to visit this area and to pay homage to those brave men who sacrificed their all for us that we could live in a free world

When I have fully digested what I have seen and have focused my thoughts and impressions I will do one more posting and will inform the followers of this blog when I do so.

In conclusion I thank Charlotte for her invaluable assistance and support she gave me on this trip – I know it was a huge sacrifice for her. I also somehow think that she also came to enjoy the trip and has also realized the immensity of the events.

Oh yes – a special thanks to Sadie the Lady who resides in my GPS. Sadie mostly gave us spot on directions and instructions fulfilling our navigational needs and like all women kept constantly nagging YOU ARE OVER THE SPEEDLIMIT.

Thank you Sadie