Credits.
I would like to thank the following people who helped me a lot making this story:
Eddy Monfort: On February 9 I emaild Eddy, thé authority in the Battle of the Bulge, and specifically in this region. Within an hour I had a very enthusiastic response from Eddy and later he sent me valuable photos of Manhay and Grandmenil. These photos are from veterans and local residents. Eddy wrote an earlier book (La Bataille des Carrefours) and at this moment (April 2009) he is working on a new book. It describes the events around Langlire.
Robert F. (Bob) Kauffman: It was an honor meeting a veteran and then especially one who's all over my website. Bob learned me, that a soldier is a human being. Bob and I still have contact. His sense of humour and his storys will never be forgotten by me and my family.
"Team Dogtag": On my invitation a number of people searched this region with metaldetection devices. The purpose of the search is to find the positions of the Americans in this region. Thanks to Nick, Corné, Jarco and Jan I found many positions during two days, creating a clear picture of the Battle of Grandmenil.
Because of a found dogtag (See also: Jans Dogtag) we decided to name the group Team Dogtag. .
An extra "Thank you" to Nick, who bought a book for me "Company L, 289th Infantery in Combat", which includes some very special photos of the battle in Grandmenil and a Roll Call. Merci to Corné who gave me the book of John Tolland (the battle in the Ardennes 1944) as a gift.
Jan Heykoop: Jan is part of Team Dogtag. Jan supports me in my quest for material, helped me with military terms and is still visiting and helping me, looking for new tracks. Jan found a dogtag on March 14 and went in search of relatives. It provided a wonderful story for this site.
Family H. Holtzmann: Speciale dank aan de famillie Holtzmann, Chicago, die toestonden dat ik materiaal van hun vader, Henry Holtzmann, mocht gebruiken voor deze website. Many thanks to the Holtzman family, Chicago, which allowed me to use material of their father, Henry Holtzmann.
Jim Feierabend: Jan Heykoop has contact with Jim Feierabend, a veteran of 291th infantery regiment, 75th division. This remarkable man of 85, knows much about the battle. I appreciate his stories and his endless humor.
Rudy Poppe: Rudy has a huge website with many stories and especially photos of the Battle of the Bulge. Rudy sent me some photos on this region. More about Rudy's site: click HERE.
Finally, a "Thank you" to Dad van Benthem, which translated French texts for me; Dad Konings who teached me a lot on military terms and strolls around the neighbourhood, Dennis from Haarlem, who gave me some nice photos.
Another big credit to Marco, who sent me a signed dollerbiljet from Joe Cicchinelli, veteran of the 551st PIB, which has been stationed in Manhay.
Finally I would like to thank, the, mostly, anonymous soldiers, who fought here in this village for our freedom. These men, often young and inexperienced, were "only" doing their job.
Thanks to the testimonies of these men, it was possible to build this website.
Thank You!
