Things I’ve learnt today.
My summer mesh jacket is rubbish in 31c heat.
The new Tiger overheat fans kick in when in traffic at boarder control and it’s like having a hairdryer on max on your inner thighs.
The roads in France, Belgium and Luxembourg don’t have potholes.
Don’t stop for a bush-pee in a lay-by which has a police car parked up at. Twice!
The house musician at Floreal La Roche does a good Elvis impression.
I must click the ‘has aircon’ filter when booking hotels.
Today was all about tanks and the Battle of the Bulge. Leaving at 7 for a 9:20 Le Shuttle from Folkestone, boarder control was understaffed and so slow. Not just the French but the UK side as well. So much so that I missed my booked train and got shunted onto the next one.
Once European, a quick blat down to Saint Ghislane for a refuel (E5 and iced latte), then onto tank 1.
‘In The Mood’ at Mons.
This is a Sherman M4A1 from the 32nd Armored Regiment of the 3rd Armored Division of the US Army, having entered Mons in September 1944 to liberate the city and was returned 75 years later after being restored in Germany, and sits outside the Mons Memorial Museum. Parking is a bit of a pig as it’s right in the city centre, so a quick photo from the opposite pavement had to suffice and a speed read of the plaque.
A long and twisty zoom over the top of Givet. Just set Calimoto for twisty and as usual it took me down some lovely roads and some that were concrete paved and a bit rough. But lovely never the less.
Passing through a pretty flowery village of Walcourt, there was a huge road closure sign. With a dubious diversion taking me up a farm track. Turns out the divert wasn’t that bad and it was due to a village sports match in the street.
I couldn’t work out the game and can’t be bothered to google it but it was like lacrosse but with baseball catching gloves instead of sticks. Small hard ball (like a golf ball) and the blokes were proper chucking it at the opposing players. Couldn’t hang around for long as I was blocking the road and a very large JCB tractor came up behind me. But it was interesting never the less.
Tank 2. Sherman M4A3-76 in Beffe. Known as Pickles.
This is a memorial to Task Force Hogan. This is proper Fury (the film) stuff. I was educated by a couple of Lycra clad cyclists who insisted on telling me the history of ‘their’ tank, although it was all written on the adjacent plaque. 22nd December 1944, Task Force Hogan repulsed multiple enemy attacks making there way east through enemy lines and ending in nearby Macouray on Christmas Day. Low on fuel and ammunition, and surrounded by three German armoured divisions, they scuttled their tank, making it useless to the enemy and the crew made their way back through the retreating enemy lines back to their allies. Pretty badass stuff.
Lovely smelling bbq joint adjacent but alas, not enough time. A cereal bar will have to do.
Onward just 15 minutes behind the front line to Grandmenil, where one of the tanks that surrounded Pickles was later destroyed. Tank 3 is a German Panther V. It’s ‘god-in-himmel’ huge! Germans really knew (and still know) how to do engineering right.
There’s no plaque of words here, just a frigging huge tank next to a roundabout. I parked up on the pavement and was taking photos and was wondering why all the cars were coming over the hill and slamming their brakes on. At this point I realised that my Tigger looks a little bit like a French/Belgian police motorbike and I was in a perfect speed trap position.
Cue funny John Cleese German walk just for the bants, much to the disgust of the neighbours.
Number 4 was not quite a tank but a freaking cannon. A M2A1 Howitzer to be precise. This bigass gun was a tank destroyer and artillery gun. It’s now a memorial to all American soldiers who fought at the Battle of the Bulge. It’s at the crossroads in Baraque de Fraiture to commemorate the battle who took place here from 19th to 23rd of December 1944. This crossroads is also known as Parker’s Crossroads. Major Arthur C. Parker was in command of the 589th Field Artillery Battalion, who escaped from the encircling of the 106th Infantry Division in the area.
When he arrived at this crossroads, he realised the importance of this strategic crossing, namely from here the only supply route to the Seventh Armored Division who were further east.
At the end the Americans had to surrender to an overwhelming force of the 2nd SS Armored Division, one off which was the next Panther tank later on.
Number 5 is alive! Actually not. It’s another canon but this is a German FH18 Schwere Kanon in Cherain. Again not much history and no plaque of words but it has suffered significant shell damage to the steel. Where the Germans excelled in tanks, their artillery is significantly crappier than the US guns.
Tank 6 at Houffalize. This is impressive and I wish I had more time to explore this town as it looks delightful. Loads of cafes and bistro restaurants and a real vibe going on. They have a restored Panther V from the 5th Panzerkorps battalion, that they dredged up from the river where it was found upside down after the bridge it was on, was blown up (possibly by the bigass artillery howitzer from earlier). It’s set on an impressive display with a little museum adjacent.
Tank 6.5. Not quite number 7, but I’ll take it anyway. Another American Sherman M4A3 tank, but half of it was missing! Like half the tank is just gone. At first I thought the Hailsham pikeys had nicked some of it for scrap but a quick google says the barrel of the tank exploded and obviously killed everyone inside. And blew the back of the tank off! The local vicarage save the remains and made it into a memorial.
Onwards to La Roche en Ardenne. I’m staying at Floreal hotel resort. It’s cheap and on the river and has a bar and after all these tanks, I’m tanking up on their locally brewed beer listening to their in-house live Belgian Elvis impersonator, who’s actually quite good!
And he’s just started singing Metallica. Life is good. Nothing else matters.
Check out my YouTube video of today.
Travel Dude 