Important note
Photos provided on this website are not an endorsement of any political idea or of war. War is one of the most regrettable human activities.
All photos on this page are copyright Robert Mary and may only be reproduced with my express permission. You may contact me here
Historical information
On September 10 1944 La Roche is liberated by American troops who rebuild bridges (over the "Ourthe" river) destroyed by Germans. On December 20 Germans of the 116. Panzer move towards the city but they do not believe that bridges are secure and move towards the city of Hotton in order to cross the "Ourthe" river there, however the determined American opposition force Germans to come back to La Roche. There they crossed the "Ourthe" river via "Bailey" undestroyed bridge and were heading to Marche-en-Famenne. On December 26 Americans decided to bomb the city due to better weather conditions (114 civilians died). On January 11 1945 Scotsmen of the 51st Highland Division -preceeded by the recon armored units of the 2nd Derbyshire Yeomanry Regiment- entered the city of La Roche-en-Ardenne (replacing the 1st Black Welsh Battalion) with the tanks of the 1st Northamptonshire Yeomanry Regiment. Scottish and Welsh soldiers joined American troops of the 84th Infantry Division near the station. Scotsmen then liberated the villages of Hives, Hubermont, Mierchamps, Erneuville and Otho.
The official website of the museum stands here
Location information
The museum is located in La Roche (Belgium) near the church. This is the sole "Battle of the Bulge" museum in Belgium presenting a British dedicated section (including uniforms of veterans). The museum shows ninety machine guns, pistols and rifles (including Soviet weapons) as well as twenty military vehicles on 1.000 m².
The 1st Northamptonshire Yeomanry Regiment Memorial is located in La Roche above the "Ourthe" River just in front of the medieval castle.
Year of Visit : July 2006