Click here for this week’s European Volksmarch schedule.
Camp Elsenborn after-action report: After a couple of weeks of wonderful walking weather, May 18 was a bit of a disappointment. The fog and mist was clinging tightly to Elsenborn Ridge and a steady breeze was blowing.
But the weather did not seem to affect the many walkers who came to enjoy the camp’s annual open day. Soldiers from the Belgian army staffed the control points as well as many displays and activities. We saw an assortment of military vehicles, an F-16 jet, an unmanned aerial vehicle, and a field weather station.
We also visited the Truschbaum Museum, which documents the camp’s history from the late 1800s to the present. A good portion of the museum is dedicated to World War II and the Battle of the Bulge. There were several dioramas displaying uniforms, weapons and equipment from both sides of the conflict. In front of the museum is a small section of "dragons teeth" that has been dug up and placed on display.
Having driven past Monschau, Germany, to get to Camp Elsenborn, we were pleased to see a booth set up by the Historische Senfmühle. We have been to Monschau many times, but never seemed to have time to visit the mustard mill and museum. After trying a few samples, we bought jars of honey poppy-seed mustard and the limited-edition 125th anniversary mustard. Now we are planning our meals around anything that tastes good with mustard. For more information, go to www.senfmuehle.de; there is an English link.
The day before, Bob went to a small town outside Ettlebruck, Luxembourg, to meet his friend Jean. After a morning of walking around the hilly area where the U.S. 318th Infantry Regiment fought during the Battle of the Bulge, Jean took Bob to the small town of Perlè, Luxembourg, to see the 385th Bomb Group Museum. There they met Roger Feller, who founded the museum and gives tours. The museum is actually a memorial to 18 U.S. airmen who died following a midair collision of their B-17 bombers above the town. A 19th aviator who died in a later crash is also honored.
At 2 p.m. on June 8, the museum will celebrate its 10th anniversary. Air Force personnel from across Europe will converge on Perlè to pay tribute to the aviators who died there. In addition to a flyby and a wreath-laying ceremony, everyone attending will be given a rose to place at the monument.
Across the street from the monument is the Café Roder, which was a U.S. hospital during the Battle of the Bulge. A new plaque on the building recognizing this fact will be unveiled during the ceremony. For more information about this museum or the 10th anniversary ceremony, visit www.385bg.com or e-mail rofeller@pt.lu.
A street sign near the monument has IVV directional markers showing that two permanent IVV walks pass through Perlè. The only walk Bob can find in the Perlè area is the 14-kilometer permanent trail that starts at Rombach. If you have more information on the permanent IVV trails in Luxembourg, please drop us a line.
• The four-day walks at Rodenbach, Germany, continue through Saturday. You can walk five or 10 kilometers Thursday and Friday starting at 5 p.m.; Saturday the walk starts at 4 p.m. and also has a 20k trail. The finish time is 10 each night.Don’t get back too late, because the traditional Dutch food and souvenirs might be gone. This walk is close to the Kaiserslautern Military Community.
• Monday is the beginning of the 22nd International Summer Evening Walk Series at St. Odiliënberg, Netherlands. The hosts, W.V. Roerdal ’87, will provide different evening through the end of August. If you have been part of sponsoring a walk, you can appreciate the amount of work required. These folks are providing a different walk every week for 13 weeks! Our hats are off to them because this is a tremendous amount of work. The walks start between 4:30 and 7 p.m. The start hall is at Den Zwarten Berg.
E-mail volksmarch information to two.walkers@yahoo.com. Mail brochures to Bob and Lorraine Huffaker, CMR 460, Box 278, APO, AE, 09703-0278.
