Battle of the Bulge Monument

About

The Battle of the Bulge Monument, formerly called the Mémorial du Mardasson (in English Mardasson Memorial) is a war monument in memory of the Battle of the Ardennes. It is located on the Mardasson Hill, northeast of the Belgian city of Bastenaken, at the time the centre of the battle. The Mémorial du Mardasson was realized at the initiative of the Belgian-American Association, an association that wants to honor the memory of the many young Americans who have died here.

The monument was inaugurated on 16 July 1950 and stands for the lasting friendship between the Belgian and American people, who fought shoulder to shoulder for the victory in this Ardennes offensive in December '44 - January '45 and the decisive role it played in the liberation of Bastenaken. The monument also commemorates the heroic resistance of the American soldiers of the 101st Airborne Division. They were surrounded by German troops during the offensive.

Their leader, General Anthony McAuliffe, who had to surrender, would have replied "Nuts." With this refusal, American General George S. Patton Jr. was able to disarm the city and thus the last German attempt...