NUTS WEEKEND 2023
For the 79th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge, the Bastogne War Museum welcomes you to commemorate the sacrifices made by the men and women who fought for our freedom.
The NUTS WEEKEND 2023 will take place on 15, 16 and 17th December 2023 at the Bastogne War Museum.
Program
Friday December 15:
- 3pm: Arrival of David Marshall (84th Infantry Division). To be confirmed.
Saturday December 16:
During the day in the “Nuts Reenactment Camp”:
- Reenactment activities in a large US military camp (presence of around a hundred military extras):
- From 9.30 to 6pm: Catering, refreshment bar and musical ambiance (bagpipe player)
- From 9.30 to 6pm (inside the museum): Animation on the life of civilians at the time
- 10am: flag raising
- 11am: demonstrations and explanations in the “Field Hospital” (Period Nurses)
- 13pm: drill exercises
- 14pm: weapons demonstrations and blank shots
- 15apm: re-enactment in the “Headquarter” (role play)
- 16pm: weapons demonstrations and blank shots
- 17pm: flag lowering
During the day in the museum:
- Demonstration and learning of decryption of the Enigma machine
- Signing session of authors of the Battle of the Bulge (Christian Dujardin, Roger Marquet, Pascal Heyden, Michiel Janzen, Xavier Van Daele, etc)
- Exchange for books and historical documents
- 10am to 1pm: signing session of 4 American veterans (three of whom are back in Europe for the first time since the Second World War)
- Ed Cottrell (48th Fighter Group)
- Ernest Mogor (76th Infantry Division)
- Joe Picard (552nd Field Artillery Battalion)
- William Savage (75th Infantry Division)
Sunday December 17:
During the day in the “Nuts Reenactment Camp":
- Reenactment activities in a large US military camp (presence of around a hundred military extras):
- From 9.30 to 4pm: Catering, refreshment bar and musical ambiance (bagpipe player)
- From 9.30 to 4pm (inside the museum): Animation on the life of civilians at the time
- 10am: flag raising
- 11am: demonstrations and explanations in the “Field Hospital” (Period Nurses)
- 12pm: re-enactment in the “Headquarter” (role play)
- 1pm: weapons demonstrations and blank shots
- 2pm: flag lowering
- 3pm: tidying up of the camp and military parade
Morning in the museum:
- Unveiling of a new “Donation of the month” window
- 13.30 to 16.30: Meet & Greet with 3 Belgian veterans and a survivor of the Ravensbrück concentration camp
- André Liégeois, 98 years old (1st Battalion, Company C: Brigade Piron)
- Xavier Verzin, 99 years old (1st Belgian Field Regiment – RHQ Company)
- Raymond De Moor, 99 years old (4th Belgian Rifle Battalion within the 9th American Army)
- Julien Nyssens, 100 years old (former artilleryman in the Queen Battery of the 1st Belgian Field Regiment: Brigade Piron)
- Anne Megens, 99 years old (resistance fighter until 1943 then deported to the Ravensbrück concentration camp)
During the day in the museum:
- Demonstration and learning of decryption of the Enigma machine
- Signing session with Hugues Wenkin
Please note: the activities are free to access but a ticket is required to visit the museum.