Posted 12 years ago
Militarist
(288 items)
To commemorate the siege of Bastogne during the famous Battle of the Bulge some brass plaques were made by a foundry in Couvin, Belgium. The basic design features two giant military figures towering above a Bastogne city view. The figure on the right is a German soldier offering surrender terms to American General McAuliffe depicted as a typical American with his hands in his pockets. McAulliffe as we all know eventually replied “Nuts” to the puzzled Germans. That famous word “Nuts” is displayed between the two figures below the “Screaming Eagle” patch of the 101st Airborne division. The parachutes in the background are purely symbolic since the American troops got to Bastogne in trucks. The type I version illustrated here is what I call the unfinished version because that is what it looks like to me. The type II version has a much more finished look stippled fields and an engraved border. The type III version is much more refined and octagonal in shape.
Just who made these plaques remains a mystery. Reportedly they were made by casting the brass from the old shell casings left over from the battle. Some veterans claim that these plaques were awarded to them for their service in the battle. If so these plaques were presented by grateful village officials or civilians to any random GI’s that were available at the moment. I say this because my father was with the 101st throughout the entire battle and then continued on into Germany with the rest of his unit. He never saw any of these plaques until I gave him one in the early 1970’s.
Considering the number of these plaques that I have seen over the years at shows and on the internet I know that they are not rare. They are also not an official award of any kind. They are neat pieces of history.
Do you have an Octagon Battle of the Bulge plaque?
Respectfully
John
Yes I do. I own all pictured above.
Sorry none of the above are for sale. Anyone who wants one go to google search for it on the "shopping "tab and keep watching ebay. Be patient and get a nice one at a fair price.
I fully Respect your not wanting to part with them. It's Fantastic to have all 3 types, and it keeps your Father's Memories and Legacy alive. Thank you again for your help. Accept my apology if I offended you in any way.
Respectfully
John
Not a problem John, I consider your question a compliment. Fred
Good day Fred,
Just wanted to let you know one of the searchers contacted me, and found
the Octagon plaque. He attended a show and I'm good to go. Again, Thank
you again for sharing, and especially your Father's service.
Respectfully,
John
Good going!!
Hi.
I have one the original first one in your picture. It came from my uncle. He just passed away Nov 02. He said it was awarded to him and that they were made from left over metal from the war.
Thanks Bayoulune. That confirms the story that these were made from old artillery shells that were laying around. Did your uncle say who gave him his and when? My guess would be that the local Bastogne Mayor gave these out to the Americans in Bastogne circa April 1945.
My father passed away in 2007, but it wasn't until my mother passed away last year that I found my father's ribbons, photos, medals, etc from WWI. In it was one of the octagonal plaques (but it did not have "Airborne" inscribed). Thank you for posting this info so that I could identify it. My father's papers indicate he was in Bastogne and several other battles, but he was not one to talk about his war times. Perhaps now I will be able to identify more of the pieces/metals I've found. Thank you all so very much.
Thanks IsleGal, if you have your dad's papers you may find his discharge papers which would include his DD-214. This would list his years in service, battle credits and a listing of his earned medals and ribbons. One word of caution though, often there are errors on the form due to the flood of men leaving the service after WWII and the over worked typists trying to fill out all those forms. Also at that time many of the medals only existed as ribbons since the medals had not yet been designed and manufactured .