This is the ‘holiday slideshow’ of my experience of Nuts Weekend in Bastogne, and I’ve deliberately picked a diverse mix of images because I have lots of conflicting thoughts.
Bastogne celebrates – with bells on – the sacrifice made by the Allied soldiers of the Second World War, and you’d be hard-pressed to find a town so thankful for the effort made to liberate it. – The shops were adorned with artwork. Entire families were cheering in the streets. The museums and memorials were packed with visitors, etc.
Plus, the surviving veterans who came to Bastogne for the 80th anniversary of the battle were treated – quite rightly – like rockstars for the weekend. One highlight was seeing the veteran Dennis Boldt throwing walnuts from the town hall balcony with the King & Queen of Belgium and meeting veteran Don Sloane at the Bois Jacques unexpectedly!
But whilst it’s refreshing to see the Second World War remembered with such vibrancy, the celebrations – for me – tipped over into carnival mode at times. With dancing girls and seriously drunk folk stumbling around the streets.
Plus, the hundreds of normal people I saw (including families with young children) who dressed-up as soldiers felt at times like the Second World War equivalent of a Star Trek convention. – I just couldn’t get over the fact that a lot of the people dressing up weren’t from Bastogne itself (but rather France or Holland), and how when they went down the highstreet in a convoy of vehicles everyone was cheering like they were the veterans…
Reenactors are a dedicated bunch, sure, and they are a vital source of history in their own right when you ask them questions about the uniform, the equipment, or the tactics, etc. But I was a bit unsure what to think about seeing people dressed up as Wehrmacht soldiers wearing Swastikas on their uniforms. Every now and then, they would shout, “Raus!” and “Schnell!” to play the part, but otherwise, they just spoke French to each other.
It felt a bit odd, especially as I live in Germany, where this would definitely NOT be allowed, and once again, I asked myself: Why would you role-play as the baddies?…
Nonetheless, great weekend overall, and so so special to be a part of the 80th anniversary celebrations.
(This is a repost from Instagram from December 20th, 2024)
