![]() The tank, called “Barracuda”, was under command of Staff Sgt. The main square is now named Place General McAuliffe, and there is a statue to honour the acting commanding officer of the 101st throughout the siege.Īlongside this statue is the most photographed monument in Bastogne, a M4A3 Sherman tank that had served in the 41st Tank Battalion, Company B of the 11th Armored Division. ![]() For a the visitor, this therefore makes it a great place to explore, but one that needs more than one day (which regrettably I didn’t have!). It was defended throughout by the 101st Airborne, along with Combat Command B of the 10th Armored Division who became encircled in the town. Bastogne was central to the fighting, it’s network of 11 hard-topped roads providing essential routes for tanks through otherwise heavy countryside. The town itself remains one large museum to the Battle of the Bulge, 16 December 1944 – 25 January 1945, which is otherwise known as Le Bataille des Ardennes. This was further immortalised in Stephen E Ambrose’s Band of Brothers, which focused on the story of Easy Company, 506th PIR, 101st Airborne, and the subsequent HBO TV mini-series that was a global success. Unsurprisingly, much of the town is given over to the tourist trade, and in particular the story of the 101st Airborne. ![]() Recently I was able to spend a day in Bastogne in Belgium tracing some of the history of the Battle of the Bulge.
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