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Today is May 8. That means that it's Victory in Europe (or "V-E") Day. On May 8, 1945, the Allies accepted the unconditional surrender of German forces, ending the war in Europe. This officially ended Hitler's Third Reich in Germany.
When one studies World War II history, one always learns about fighting in North Africa, storming the beaches of Normandy, & the eventual capture of Berlin. For the most part, what seems to be missing is what happened between the time the Allied forces entered France in June 1944 & took Germany in April/May 1945. From September 1944 until the spring of 1945, Allied forces were in the Limburg region of the Netherlands pushing toward the German border. On September 14, Maastricht was the first Dutch city to be liberated by the Allied forces. In the ensuing weeks, Aachen, Germany was captured by the US First Army. Until December, US forces advanced toward the Roer River in western Germany. However, on December 16, the Battle of the Bulge took place, which stopped the Allied advance for one month. Throughout the spring of 1945, the US took the Ruhr region of Germany & ultimately advanced to northern Germany. The advance through
Mourning woman statute
The statute is supposed to represent a mother mourning the loss of her son. The statue portrays the woman with 3 doves & a new shoot rising from a war-destroyed tree. the Netherlands resulted in Allied penetration into Germany, ultimately hastening the end of the war.
In order to "celebrate" V-E Day, I headed to the Netherlands American Cemetery in Margraten. 8,301 American soldiers are buried in the cemetery, including 40 sets of brothers. The only other American war cemetery I have been to is in Normandy (which I thought was quite impressive); however, the cemetery in Margraten is equally as humbling. As you enter the cemetery, you're greeted with a plaque that says "Here we & all who shall hereafter live in freedom will be reminded that to these men & their comrades we owe a debt to be paid with grateful remembrance of their sacrifice and with the high resolve that the cause for which they died shall live." There is a reflecting pool in the Court of Honor, which is surrounded by a wall with the names & information of 1,722 missing soldiers. The wall says "Here are recorded the names of Americans who gave their lives in the service of their country & who sleep in unknown graves." Among these names is a Raymond Kurtz (from Kansas) & a Don Neff (from Ohio). (Kurtz is my
The grave of an unknown soldier.
The names of 1,722 soldiers missing in action are also inscribed on the walls flanking the Court of Honor. surname, & Neff is my mother's maiden name. While I knew that neither of my grandfathers died in the War, I thought it would be interesting to see if anyone that shared the same last name unfortunately met his fate here.) Raymond Kurtz was a Private First Class in the Army Parachute Regiment & died on September 21, 1944. (This is when the front lines were in the region). Don Neff was a Second Lieutenant of the Army Bomber Squadron & died on December 16, 1944 (when the US troops were advancing toward the Roer River). I stopped at the visitor's center to see if anyone was buried in the cemetery with the same last name as me. It turns out that there is an Albert Kurtz III (of Illinois) who died on April 12, 1945 (very close to the end of the war!) buried in the plot. He served as a Second Lieutenant of the US Army 15th Tank Battalion 6th Armored Division. While I don't think I'm in any way, shape, or form related to Raymond, Don, or Albert, it doesn't change the fact that I felt as if I was somehow connected to them.
Before I
There are 8,301 headstones in the cemetery.
There are 8,122 Christian soldiers & 179 Jewish soldiers buried here. This includes 40 sets of brothers, & 6 Medal of Honor recipients. left, I stopped in the visitor's center to sign the guestbook. While in there, I started chatting with the man who worked at the cemetery. He's a Dutch citizen, but he really knew his American World War II history. We ended up talking about genealogy (because I told him that I was looking for people with the same last name as me). He told me that he had spent some time searching his family's history, & he can trace his roots back to the 17th century. That's incredible! It was clear that I was shocked by how far he could go back, & he said that it's hard for Americans to trace their European roots so really genealogy can only go back 5 or 6 generations. He told me that he was surprised that I spelled my last name the way I did, & that the name wasn't changed when my family immigrated. I guess "Kurtz" is the very German spelling (since it starts with a "k" instead of a "c" & kept the "z" at the end instead of an "s"). Maybe someday I'll actually trace my lineage as far back as I can.... that seems like a good
Chapel
The Dutch people presented the cemetery with a golden royal crown that is surrounded by tiny lights, symbolizing the sky. retirement project. (Keep in mind that I haven't even started a job, & I'm already making plans for when I retire. hahaha).
While I was in the visitor's center, an elderly gentleman from California came in. He was an American Army vet who served in Operation MARKET GARDEN in the Netherlands (where airborne & armored forces seized key bridges in the region to advance into Germany). He told me that his company had to fight for 192 days straight, & he had a lot of friends buried in the cemetery. He came to the cemetery 5 years ago on V-E Day, but he thought he should make it back to Europe while he still could. It's interesting to think that the war ended 65 years ago, yet this man was able to recall so many details about his experience. It truly goes to show that the war changed his life, & it's something he has had to live with every day for the past 65 years. I was absolutely astonished by the fact that the man had to be in his 80s (figuring if he was 18 in 1944, he would be 84 years old today) & he traveled
Farmland
The cemetery is very relaxing, & is located in the middle of some farmland. back to Europe alone to visit the graves of his comrades. It's pretty touching if you think about it...
At noon, the memorial tower clock rang out. Following the chimes, the tower played "Grand Old Flag" & "America the Beautiful." Considering up until that point, the place was absolutely silent, it was very moving. The general atmosphere of the cemetery is very somber - it's in the middle of some farmland, there's no noise from traffic, & occasionally you'll hear a cow mooing. It's truly a relaxing final resting place for some of America's bravest soldiers...
Happy V-E Day! God bless America!
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Heather
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I really enjoyed your V-E Day post, and found all the historical info really interesting. I loved the Netherlands, and learned so much while I was there. My blog is looking for travel reviews, photos, etc, to share. If you have the time, check it out at dirty-hippies.blogspot.com, or email us at dirtyhippiesblog@gmail.com. Continued fun on your travels! Heather :)