The best tour guide

[Martin King]

B.T.G. registered
IF YOU WANT ....... The best English guide in the Benelux.......
Call....Martin King
Steenbakkerijstraat 17,
2840 Rumst.BELGIUM.
Tel & fax 03/888-23-19
International 00/32/3/888-23-19
mobile.0476/725-824.
E-mail.ma...@skynet.be
20 years experience guiding tours in the following Cities.......... London,
Brussels,Antwerp,Amsterdam,Ghent,Bruges,
Luxembourg,The Hague,......................
and virtually everywhere in the Benelux area.Highly qualified historian and
advisor to various museums in Holland and Belgium.(References available)
Battlefield Tours also available... Waterloo 1815 the 100 days,The Somme
1916, Passchendale & Ypres 14 -18, The Ardennes 1944.Normandy D-Day. A true
gentleman,curteous,polite and in control.Vip's ,Tour
operators,Universities,Business groups.choose Mr.Martin King B.A.

Born 1959 Yorkshire, England.
Studied English,Modern languages,European History.Moved to Belgium in 1981.
Married to Belgian national.Two children.Enjoy Europe the right way,in the
company of a gentleman and a scholar.......there aren't many of them left.
For more information....call or fax telephone nr.above or E-mail.
marti...@skynet.be
Rates in Belgian Franks:Full day 5.200.Half day 2.600
No hidden costs

Brussels.
Belgian Cities don't come much more cosmopolitan than Brussels - capital of
Belgium, seat of the European Union and the North Atlantic Treaty
Organization, and a city with a 1,000-plus-year history.The Manneken Pis is
a Brussels landmark southwest of the Grand'Place, one of Europe's most
ornate market squares. Over the past several hundred years, groups have
contributed clothes for the Manneken, and visitors can see hundreds of those
outfits at the nearby Maison du Roi, a museum. Brussels, a metropolitan area
of about a million people, is in central Belgium in the Senne River valley.
It was inhabited by the Romans and later the Franks before developing into a
center of wool trade in the 13th century and becoming the seat of the dukes
of Burgundy in the 15th century.The Grand Place in the lower city began as
the market square for the trading town. Around it stand guildhalls and other
stately structures, including the Gothic Hotel de Ville, or Town Hall, and
the Maison du Roi. The Arbre d'Or, or Tree of Gold, is on the south side of
the Grand Place. It housed the House of Brewers, where Brussels' brewers met
from 1551 until the early 19th century when Napoleon ended their
association. The basement contains a brewery museum complete with free
samples. The twin-towered Church of St. Michael and St. Gudule, begun in the
13th century and finished in the 16th, features Gothic and baroque
architecture.
The more modern part of Brussels stretches east of the Grand Place and
features the Palais Royal, the Palais de la Nation (parliament building),
the Palais de Justice and the Opera House. The Musee d'Art Ancien (Museum of
Classical Art) displays one of the world's great collections of Flemish and
Dutch art.

Antwerp.
Antwerp is known for its diamonds and artists. Located on the Scheldt River,
55 miles from the North Sea, it is Europe's second-largest port and a major
center of finance, industry and, of course, the diamond trade.More carats
are cut and traded in Antwerp than in any other city, and the diamond
industry employs about 18,000 people. Antwerp also has a history of
producing artists (Rubens, Van Dyck, Jordaens, the Brueghels and
others).Europe's chief commercial city by the mid-16th century, Antwerp
declined after religious troubles with Spain brought war. The Spanish armies
of Philip II massacred 7,000 citizens and burned 800 houses in 1576. The
city was also heavily damaged by the Germans in World War I and World War
II, but many historic buildings survive.Antwerp (pop. 500,000) is the
largest Flemish-speaking city in Belgium, and its history is reflected in
its layout. The city is divided into the old city, which lies within
16th-century walls; the 19th-century city, which stretches beyond the old
section; and the post-World War II section. Dominating the port is the
Steen, a medieval castle dating to the ninth century that now houses the
National Maritime Museum. The home and studio Rubens occupied until his
death in 1640 have been restored.Rubens' tomb is in the Church of St. James,
which contains many works of art. Other churches of note are the Cathedral
of Antwerp, which has a 123-meter tower, and the baroque church of St.
Carolus Borromeus, the facade of which is believed to have been designed by
Rubens. Among other landmarks are the Town Hall, an example of Flemish
renaissance architecture; the Royal Museum of Arts; and the Museum of
Plantin-Moretus, which consists of 34 rooms in the famous printer Plantin's
house.

Bruges.
The origin of Bruges as a centre of commerce is closely connected with a
sequence of inundations, called the Dunkerque Floods, during which the
actual Zwin, a direct outlet to the sea, was formed by a storm in 1134.To
defend the Flemish coast against the increasing Viking incursions, the early
counts of Flanders built a series of strongholds which gave rise to cities.
That is how Bruges became a military fortress in Western Europe. At the same
time, it will become the centre of settlement, around which the coastal area
of Flanders will develop. The name Brugge could be derivative of the
Norwegian Bryggja which means landing-place.In 1089 Bruges became the
administrative capital of the County of Flanders.With direct access to the
sea, Bruges became a commercial centre with regular relations, not only with
the neighbouring countries, but also with regions in North, East and South
Europe. So the city reached its most flourishing-period in the 13th century.
It then look the lead of the Flemish Hanseatic League of London, obtained a
Kontor from the teutonic Hanseatic League and was a member of the Hanseatic
League of the Seventeen Cities. Italian cities, such as Genoa, Florence,
Venice, Pisa and Lucca built trade-houses here.In the 13th century, the
prosperous Country of Flanders was incorporated into the French crown-land,
but already in 1302 a revolt in Bruges led to municipal independence.The
marriage of Margaret of Male, daughter of the last Count of Flanders, to
Philip the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, in 1369 ushered in a new era, as our
county passed to the Burgundian State.When the dukes of Burgundy in the 15th
century made the Prinsenhof their favourite residence, numerous artists of
great fame came to live here. So Bruges became the art centre of the Low
Countries. And when Italian families of bankers settled down in the city, it
became the centre of the international stock-market as well. The end of the
15th century will mean the definite decline of the medieval splendour of
Bruges. The outlet to the sea had been constantly threatened by the silting
up of the Zwin. Flanders rose up against Maximilian of Austria in 1485. This
caused political instability which was detrimental to trade. Most foreign
merchants thought they had better emigrate to Antwerp and settle down there
permanently.The religious wars in the last quarter of the 16th century were
disastrous for Bruges and the surrounding country. The number of destroyed
monuments and art treasures cannot possibly be estimated.At the beginning of
the 17th century new outlets to the sea were thought of. The canal from
Ghent to Bruges was finished in 1624, and meanwhile, the digging of the
function canal to Ostend was started. This formed part of the extensive
project to connect the hinterland with the coast. A mercantile dock,
finished in 1665, crowned all the city's efforts. Accomodation works inside
the city allowed boats to sail through the town. As a result of the
invention of steamships and the fast evolution of tonnage, Bruges did not
meet the requirements of a sea-port any longer. At the beginning of the 20th
century, the city obtained a new access to the sea when the harbour of
Zeebrugge was constructed and the Baldwin Canal was dug (1895-1907). That
was the start of a new economic growth, which constantly increased after
World War II. Extensive works in the harbour area in the seventies and
eighties should make of Bruges a sea-port, able to enter into competition
with other sea-ports of Western Europe.Since 1971 Bruges has fused with
seven surrounding municipalities. So the population increased to 118.000
inhabitants and the city belongs to the five largest cities of Belgium.

Ghent.
Dating from the seventh century, Ghent is one of Belgium's oldest cities and
is noted for its many Medieval and Renaissance buildings. Centuries-old
guildhalls still stand, and narrow cobblestone streets remain as they were
hundreds of years ago. Gravensteen, the former castle of the counts of
Flanders that dates from 1180, is a major tourist attraction.The textile
industry prospered from the city's inception, and Ghent continues to serve
as Belgium's chief textile center, as well as its second-largest port. The
city, which lies at the confluence of the Lys and Scheldt rivers, is 30
miles inland, but two canals connect Ghent with the North Sea. A network of
smaller canals and streams within the city is spanned by more than 200
bridges. The Graslei is a beautiful waterfront dating to the 12th century.
The second-largest city of Flanders (pop. 489,000), Ghent also relies on
horticulture and market gardening. A major flower show, Les Floralies, is
held in Ghent every five years. The Ghent skyline is dominated by three
church towers: the St. Nicholas Church, the Belfry with its 91-meter bell
tower and a glockenspiels featuring 52 bells, and the Gothic cathedral of
St. Bavo. One of Christianity's great treasures, the painting "The Adoration
of the Mystic Lamb" by Hubert and Jan van Eyck, attracts huge crowds to St.
Bavo's.

Amsterdam..........
Famous for its youth culture, hash bars and legal Red Light District,
Amsterdam is in fact a gem of the ages: when the world celebrates the year
2000, Amsterdam will be cheering for its own 725th anniversary and justly
proud of its culture, landmarks and heritage that make it such a charming
place. \par Like Venice, Amsterdam is a city of canals, interlaced with
waterways plied by water taxis, barges, tour boats and floating markets. For
a cheap, if self-propelled, canal cruise, hire a Water Bike for a
peddle-it-yourself tour. Culture vultures, meanwhile, can climb aboard a
Museum Boat, which stops at seven locations within walking distance of
twenty museums. And for those eager to pick a bouquet of Dutch flowers,
there's the famous Bloemenmarkt, the Singel Canal's picturesque floating
flower market.Though infamous for its nightlife, in the daylight, the port
city is aswarm with an active cultural life. Street theater springs eternal
in the city's parks and plazas, while festivals year 'round enliven the
cityscape, from the Blues Festival in March to the Bloemencorso -- the
flower pageant -- in September.Museum-goers, meanwhile, have their choice of
some of Europe's finest galleries, from the grand Rijksmuseum, showcasing
Delftware porcelain and Dutch masters, to the light-filled Van Gogh Museum.
Only in Amsterdam would they mix their cultures high and low -- for this
city of museums also boasts the Hash Info Museum, the Sex Museum and the
Torture Museum. \par But the city's darkest days are recalled at the Anne
Frank House, the home where the young Jewish girl wrote her diary in 1942
while in hiding with her family from the Nazis. The Germans occupied the
Netherlands beginning in 1940, and the city was smothered by fascist rule
until the end of the war. Today, like its famous flowers, the city has
bloomed anew with a lively arts, culture and nightlife scene.

The Hague...................
Politics and pop culture swirl together in The Hague (Den Haag), the
Netherland's political capital. The business of the nation is conducted
here, at the parliament and various ministries, and the reigning monarch,
Queen Beatrix, calls The Hague home.But here, too, the nation's cultural
legacy is preserved in places such as the Koninklijke Bibliotheek, the
Netherland's national library. Even cyber-travelers can explore the marvels
of the library's collections at the glorious Hundred Highlights site, which
showcases illuminated manuscripts, early maps and other treasures.Modernity
has been both a blessing and a curse to this governmental capital. An urban
development movement has erased some of the city's charm, with the old
canals lost to new roads, and quaint, narrow buildings replaced by new
office structures. And unlike the sophisticated high-life of Amsterdam,
where the good times are king, the metropolitan sizzle of The Hague
sometimes fizzles in the drizzle of daily bureaucratic doings.Not that the
city lacks pleasures, both old and new. The famous Ridderzaal, in the center
of the Binnenhof Courtyard, still stands. Though once the home of the Dutch
Parliament, it's now been relegated to ceremonial occasions, but its
church-like architecture remains a popular tourist draw. And just behind the
Ridderzaal lies the palace-like Mauritshuis, the Royal Picture Gallery,
which displays works by Rembrandt, Vermeer, Rubens, Van Dyck and other Dutch
treats. And the nearby historic towns of Leiden and Delft provide plenty of
day-trip touring potential.The Hague also boasts several major science and
technology museums, including the PostMuseum, which focuses on
telecommunications, and the Gemeetemuseum (Municipal Museum) complex, which
includes the Popular Science Museon. The Municipal Museum also exhibits the
works of a Dutch painter who helped shape the face of modern art: The museum
boasts the world's largest collection of paintings by Piet Mondrian. As the
nouveau political capital of this old world land, The Hague blends the
everyday business of running a modern nation with the timeless touches of
wordly masters.

Luxembourg..........................
Since its origin as a Roman crossroads, Luxembourg has developed as a
multicultural society. Today, 32 percent of the Grand Duchy's 400,000
residents are foreigners, and its Deutsch and Franco cultural influences are
reflected in the native L\'ebtzebuergesch language, which has Germanic roots
while encorporating many French words.About 51 miles long and 36 miles wide,
Luxembourg's geography is divided in two. The hilly Ardennes region to the
north is where the Battle of the Bulge was fought during World War II. To
the south is "Gutland," typified by rolling farmlands and woods.Around
85,000 people live in Luxembourg city. Its architecture tells a history of
foreign invasions -- Spanish turrets are juxtaposed with Art Nouveau, and
skyscrapers built by legions of international bankers now occupy the
city.Like the Swiss, Luxembourgers have a legacy of neutral politics. Yet,
the country is a founding member of the European Economic Community. Though
small in stature, Luxembourg takes pride in its cosmopolitan society, having
appropriated some of the finer attributes of the continent and world at
large.

Waterloo 1815.................
In 1814 Napoleon had been exiled to the Island of Elba, but escaped to
France in March 1815. Very quickly he managed to form a new army with which
he wanted to reconquer his lost empire. The first part that he wanted to
reconquer was Belgium and Holland. The European powers, at congress in
Vienna, mobilized their armies to defeat Napoleon. Two major armies made
their way to Belgium. The first one was an army consisting of divisions from
different countries (Belgian, Dutch, British) under the command of the Duke
of Wellington. The second army came from Prussia and was led by Marshal
Blücher. The armies already clashed before the actual battle took place.
Blücher and the Prussian army fought Napoleon at Ligny, a village north east
of Charleroi on the 16th of June. However, Blücher and his troops were
forced to retreat. A part of the army of the Duke of Wellington tried to
drive the French army back at Quatre Bras, the crossroads of the
Brussels-Charleroi and Namur-Nivelles roads. Also Wellington did not succeed
and he had to retire to the plains south of Waterloo where he waited for the
big confrontation on the 18th. Blücher managed to send a message to
Wellington that he would be able to join him on the battlefield at Waterloo,
but probably only later in the day. Napoleon thought that the Prussian army
had been defeated and that he would only have to face the Wellington troops.
On the night before the battle it had rained heavily and both the French and
Allied armies had spent the night in the mud and the pouring rain. The
troops of Wellington occupied the northern part of the plains of
Mont-Saint-Jean and were situated behind a sunken lane, which later proved
to be a strategic advantage for the Duke, because the French infantry and
cavalry kept fallen inside this sunken land and thereby hindering each other
to move further north. The battlefield was situated around three large
farmhouses . On the far left was the HOUGOMONT house, in the middle the HAIE
SAINTE farm and at the extreme right was the PAPELLOTTE farm. The French
offensive started at 12 0'clock when the farm of Hougomont was taken. Later
during the day heavy fights took place around the farms of Haie Sainte and
Papellote. By the late afternoon the chances for both armies were still
fifty-fifty. But, around that time the Blücher's troops started to arrive
coming from Wavre to assist the army of Wellington. By then, the French army
was surrounded by the two forces and could no longer withstand the joint
attacks of allied troops. By the beginning of the evening Napoleon had to
withdraw his troops from the battlefield and start the escape back to
France. Later, Blücher and Wellington met each other near the BELLE ALLIANCE
farmhouse and congratulated each other with the final victory over
Napoleon.On the 18th of June 191.300 soldiers fought one of the most
decisive battles in the history of Europe in only one day. The Wellington
army had 67.000 soldiers, Blücher's army 52.300 and Napoleon's army 72.000.
A total of 48.500 men fell or were severely wounded.After the battle, the
territory of the battlefield was given to the Wellington family by the newly
formed state of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands. Later several
monuments were erected in commemoration of the different army divisions who
fought the battle of Waterloo.

The Somme...................
The plan was for the British to attack from Serre in the north to Montauban
in the south. North of Serre, at Gommecourt, a diversionary attack would be
made intended to attract the German reserves. Here, preparations were
clearly shown to the Germans whereas on the other part of the front the
British tried to camouflage their preparations. The Germans, however, were
well aware that something was up. Their fortified positions were almost
everywhere on high ground overlooking the British positions so every
movement in daylight could be seen. The idea was that the artillery should
destroy the barbed wire in front of the German trenches and knock out the
defenders. Shortly before zero hour a number of mines would be blown and
then all the unexperienced British army had to do, according to their
superiors, was walk across no-man's land and occupy the deserted German
trenches. It was important that they should walk at a steady pace side by
side to keep order. To hold on to their positions and beat off German
counter attacks the soldiers had to carry an enormous amount of supplies
with them, ranging from barbed wire to munition and entrenching tools. The
officers assured their men it would all be a piece off cake.The opening
bombardment started on the 24th of June 1916. There were special guns
concentrating on the wire in front of the German positions, the heavy guns
concentrated on the deeply entrenched Germans and there were guns pounding
the supply routes and the second and third lines of defense to avoid
reserves being brought up. For 7 days the bombardment continued. Patrols
that crossed no-man's land reported that the wire was well cut in some
places, but there were also reports that the wire was not well cut, a
warning sign which would become oh so clear on the 1st of July. The Germans
suffered from the bombardment, but they were not cracked. Their deep dugouts
provided enough shelter for all shells except the very heavy ones, of which
there were just not enough. There were also many duds among the shells,
because mass production had only just started. Finally, on 7.30 on the 1st
of July, it was time for the attacking batallions to go over the top.The
opening bombardment started on the 24th of June 1916. There were special
guns concentrating on the wire in front of the German positions, the heavy
guns concentrated on the deeply entrenched Germans and there were guns
pounding the supply routes and the second and third lines of defense to
avoid reserves being brought up. For 7 days the bombardment continued.
Patrols that crossed no-man's land reported that the wire was well cut in
some places, but there were also reports that the wire was not well cut, a
warning sign which would become oh so clear on the 1st of July. The Germans
suffered from the bombardment, but they were not cracked. Their deep dugouts
provided enough shelter for all shells except the very heavy ones, of which
there were just not enough. There were also many duds among the shells,
because mass production had only just started. Finally, on 7.30 on the 1st
of July, it was time for the attacking batallions to go over the top .The
diversionary attack at Gommecourt had to be carried out under cover of a
smoke screen in no-man's land. Shortly before zero hour it was realized that
the wind blew in the wrong direction and that the attack had to take place
in full view of the surviving enemy. It proceeded anyhow and turned in a
complete failure. Enough German soldiers and guns had survived the
bombardment to welcome the British with a hail of machine gun bullets and a
thundering barrage. The few soldiers that survived the crossing of no-man's
land found the German wire almost uncut and were forced to retreat or were
killed at the spot. This was the story for almost the entire front line from
Gommecourt to Fricourt.
After the first waves had left their trenches and occupied the German front
line, it was the task of successive waves to follow them an carry on the
attack to the next line of German trenches. Because the first waves had
suffered so many casualties, the British front line trench and communication
trenches were full of wounded and dying. Colonel ... of the Newfoundland
regiment, which was in the second wave and ordered to occupy the village of
Beaumont Hamel, therefore chose to attack directly from the assembly trench
they were in over open ground to avoid being held up in the communication
trench. They were already under fire from the German machine guns before
they had reached their own front line. In the British wire, gaps were cut
through which the infantry had to pass. The German machine gunners had
already discovered these gaps and trained their machine guns on them. When
the Newfoundlanders tried to cross the gaps, they were shot one by one. Of
the 801 men who went into battle only sixty-eight unwounded men answered
roll call the next day. Afterwards it was said of the Newfoundland effort:
"It was a magnificent display of trained and disciplined valour, and its
assault failed of success because dead men can advance no further." July 1
in Newfoundland is still a day of commemoration and of mourning. One German
soldier near Serre, facing the Accrington Pals, later wrote to Martin
Middlebrook, who was collecting information for his book, "The First Day on
the Somme." "If only they had run," said the German, "they would have
overwhelmed us.
"Further south, at Mametz and Montauban, the attack did succeed. Here the
British were shoulder to shoulder with the French, who attacked successfully
along their entire front line. They used other offensive techniques which
they had learned at Verdun. They crossed no-man's land fast in small groups
so they were less exposed. The attack here was also more successful because
the opening bombardment had been more effective and the Germans didn't
expect an attack on that part of the front. The opening day of the battle of
the Somme ended with about 56.000 casualties for the British, from which
21.000 were killed and 35.000 wounded. 600 were taken prisoner. The
disadvantage of the use of Pals batallions became immediately clear. Whole
streets or villages were mourning because of the disatrous attacks their
boys with their local batallions made. It was the blackest day in the
history of Britain.
After the first waves had left their trenches and occupied the German front
line, it was the task of successive waves to follow them an carry on the
attack to the next line of German trenches. Because the first waves had
suffered so many casualties, the British front line trench and communication
trenches were full of wounded and dying. Colonel ... of the Newfoundland
regiment, which was in the second wave and ordered to occupy the village of
Beaumont Hamel, therefore chose to attack directly from the assembly trench
they were in over open ground to avoid being held up in the communication
trench. They were already under fire from the German machine guns before
they had reached their own front line. In the British wire, gaps were cut
through which the infantry had to pass. The German machine gunners had
already discovered these gaps and trained their machine guns on them. When
the Newfoundlanders tried to cross the gaps, they were shot one by one. Of
the 801 men who went into battle only sixty-eight unwounded men answered
roll call the next day. Afterwards it was said of the Newfoundland effort:
"It was a magnificent display of trained and disciplined valour, and its
assault failed of success because dead men can advance no further." July 1
in Newfoundland is still a day of commemoration and of mourning. One German
soldier near Serre, facing the Accrington Pals, later wrote to Martin
Middlebrook, who was collecting information for his book, "The First Day on
the Somme." "If only they had run," said the German, "they would have
overwhelmed us.
"Further south, at Mametz and Montauban, the attack did succeed. Here the
British were shoulder to shoulder with the French, who attacked successfully
along their entire front line. They used other offensive techniques which
they had learned at Verdun. They crossed no-man's land fast in small groups
so they were less exposed. The attack here was also more successful because
the opening bombardment had been more effective and the Germans didn't
expect an attack on that part of the front. The opening day of the battle of
the Somme ended with about 56.000 casualties for the British, from which
21.000 were killed and 35.000 wounded. 600 were taken prisoner. The
disadvantage of the use of Pals batallions became immediately clear. Whole
streets or villages were mourning because of the disatrous attacks their
boys with their local batallions made. It was the blackest day in the
history of Britain.

Passchendale & Ypres......................
For Ypres, the First World War signified the tragic low-point of its
history. Ypres lay surrounded by gentle hills and slopes at the centre of
the curved front line, the Ypres Salient. By the end of 1918 there were more
than one million dead, wounded or missing from the completely devastated
town. A real sledge hammer blow from which Ypres slowly but surely
recovered. The town has been recontructed in its original style and has
regained its economic power. Nevertheless, there remain silent memorials,
souvenirs of the deep wound that the '14-'18 conflict carved into the hearts
of the town and the region : authentic trenches in Sanctuary Wood, the daily
Last Post under Menin Gate, In Flanders Field Museum, life-sized
reconstructions of scenes from the war in the Hooge Crater Museum,
St.George's Memorial Church, 170 British military cemeteries, the bunker of
John McCrae, where he wrote the poem "In Flanders Fields", etc.

Normandy D-Day.Normandy D-Day..........................
During the first six months of 1944, the United States and Great Britain
concentrated land, naval, and air forces in England to prepare for Operation
Overlord, the assault on Hitler's "Fortress Europe." While the Soviet Union
tied down a great portion of the enemy's forces, the western Allies
marshaled their resources, trained their forces, separately and jointly, for
the operation, and fine tuned the invasion plans to take full advantage of
their joint and combined capabilities.
Before the invasion, the air and sea components played major roles. The
12,000 planes of the Allied air forces swept the Luftwaffe from the skies,
photographed enemy defenses, dropped supplies to the resistance, bombed
railways, attacked Germany's industries and isolated the battlefield. The
Allies' naval component was similarly active during the buildup. The navies
escorted convoys, patrolled and protected the English Channel, reconnoitered
beaches and beach defenses, conducted amphibious rehearsals and organized
and loaded a mighty flotilla to land the assault forces in France.
Meanwhile, the nine army divisions (three airborne and six infantry) from
the United States, Britain and Canada trained and rehearsed their roles in
the carefully choreographed operation. Rangers climbed cliffs, engineers
destroyed beach obstacles, quartermasters stockpiled supplies and
infantrymen waded through the English surf as each honed the skills
necessary for the invasion's success.

The Ardennes 1944.....................
The Ardennes Forest is an area of rolling hills where Belgium, France and
Luxembourg meet. In 1944 it was also the dividing line between the British
forces in the north and the American forces in the south.
In the last days of 1944, Hitler demanded a final German offensive. The goal
of the offensive was the Belgian port of Antwerp. To reach it, the German
army would push through the Ardennes in an attempt to split the American and
British forces.The German generals knew they could not reach Antwerp and
pleaded with Hitler for a more modest objective. But Hitler, who was one of
the greatest assets to the Allies' cause, once again refused to listen to
his best advisors. He insisted that the plan not be modified.The Americans
dubbed this the Battle of the Bulge. The stubborn defence of Bastonge made
by the American 101st Airborne Division (Screaming Eagles) deserves much of
the credit for stopping Hitler's last big push.

THE BEST TOUR GUIDE IN THE BUSINESS..........MARTIN KING