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
This private historic and educational museum dedicated to the 1st Infantry Division "Big Red One" and all the men and women who participated in the liberation of Belgium, has been created by Mathilde and Marcel Schmetz. George Ciampa, a US veteran of the 607th Graves Reg.Co., has set up a documentary on WW2 called "Let Freedom Ring" for high school students (a 80 minutes movie set up on August 9, 2006 based on testomonies of US veterans and civilians). Visits of the museum and US Military Cemetery of Henri-Chapelle are especially organized for veterans. Visits of the museum are limited to the first Sunday of each month or with rendez-vous (call +32 87 44 61 81) but the visit is systematically guided (multilingual).
Marcel Schmetz was
a schoolboy during the German occupation and subsequent liberation.
The museum occupies 650 square meters of his childhood house and
farm, where 110 American soldiers camped during three weeks, leaving
behind the material that would form the origins of the large collection
here.
Starting
with the Sherman tank outside, the focus is on American liberators,
but also includes rare, personal memorabilia, uniforms, Nazi flags, re-created
battle scenes, a large truck from the Red Ball Express with an African-American
mannequin at the wheel. Marcel
and Mathilde also organize remembrance ceremonies (housing also veterans
in their farm at any period of the year for free), such as last June
the 60th Anniversary of the liberation of the camps, which
they
took
completely in charge solving various kinds of organisational
problems (like transportation for instance).
Translation of the "Passe-Partout" newspaper (dated November 9th, 2005): The most American of the Thimisterians
In a farm of Clermont you will find one of the most complete collection of souvenirs from WWII. Thousands of items are kept to honor the sacrifices of these young Amercians who crossed the Atlantic to eradicate nazism out of Europe and in honor of all the other victims of this conflict. We are in the cavern of Marcel and Mathilde Schmetz, the "Remember Museum 39-45". Marcel and Mathilde Schmetz also called "the M & M's" inaugurated their private museum on June 12, 1994, on the 50th Anniversary of the landing in Normandy. By chance, 17 veterans from the 26th Regiment who were in Normandy attending homage ceremonies, came to Clermont to help inaugurate the new museum. This museum is the best way to show "the M & M's" gratitude and to do something with Marcel's collection, which has a more personal feeling. "Our specialty is that each item we expose has its own story, we know the person who used it. That makes the whole difference", says Mathilde Schmetz. This museum already starts with the bivouac of 110 soldiers from the 1st US Infantry Division, at the farm of Marcel's parents, after the liberation of Herve and Clermont on September 11th, 1944. Three weeks later the troops had to leave to go back to the front line. The soldiers abandoned all excess material just to load the war material on their vehicles. The Schmetz family preciously kept and still keep today the left over objects of those who liberated them from long years of hardship. Marcel's father was taken prisoner as a Belgian soldier after the battle of Belgium (in May 1940) and he spent one year in a German POW camp. Living on the new Belgian-German border changed by the Nazis, Marcel's school was then changed in a German speaking school. But besides its superb collection, which the couple shares every first Sunday of the month with visitors (and on appointment with visiting groups), when they organize guided tours in five different languages, the M & M'salso welcome American veterans on tour in the area. They organize also patriotic ceremonies to remember them. Unobtrusive and totally living their passion which they share with a maximum of people, Marcel and Mathilde deserve a recognition. On 16th of November 2005, they were nominated among eight candidates for the "Concours Meriterroires" organized by the society "Genius 2002" with the support of the Province of Liège, putting in the limelight activities of individuals who serve common purposes (they won a trip to Prague). But the Schmetz couple will specially remember this last October month. Their best American friend Bennie Zuskin from Hampton (Virginia) deceased from cancer caused by asbestos. Bennie liberated the region in September 1944 together with the C company of the 1st Army Division, the famous "Big Red One", he was 18 years old at that time, then he became honorary president of the museum and from the beginning a strong promoter of their project since he inaugurated the museum in 1994. He came back twice a year to visit his Belgian friends and the town of Clermont of which he was the only Honorary Citizen".
Marcel Schmetz received
in May 2007 the Medal
for Outstanding Public Service which is the second highest
award for a civilian granted by the US Secretary of Defense.
Henri-Chapelle
The
Memorial has been erected to the memory of the valiant fighters of
the 1st infantry division (“The Big Red One”) who for one
month prevented the troops of the German 6th Panzer Army from continuing
their advance towards the bridges of the River Meuse. They later took
part in the recapture of the area.
First Infantry Division World War II monuments are located in France, Belgium
and the Czech Republic. They follow the path of the Big Red One through the
war. They are all of the same design as the monument pictured here.
The 1st Infantry Division World War II monuments are located as follows:
Technical information
Having discussed with M. Schmetz, the tank is indeed a Sherman Firefly VC (a US tank modified by "Tommies") with US markings (this is explained as such in Belgian newspapers), the canon had to be reduced because the original canon was damaged and US markings were used because US troops and not British troops liberated the region in September 1944.
Location information
The museum is located in Thimister-Clermont (Belgium, just in the center of the triangle Aachen, Maastricht, Liège) near the US Military Cemetery of Henri-Chapelle.
Personal note
Following my visit I can state that the added-value of this museum is the guided visit providing information on "history of history", each item has its own story which is explained to the visitors (like the very sad story where a US veteran of the 26th Regiment of the 1st Infantry Division who took part in the liberation of the "Plateau de Herve" who visited the museum with his son, wanted to go back in Berlin after leaving Thimister willing to follow the trace of the girl he met there and married after the war, he finally reached Berlin but died there just when he arrived). The "M & M's" provide "tailor-made" visits for visitors at large and US veterans in particular. The museum is really huge containing many items, in a "hidden" farm so that no-one can suspect there's a large museum there. In a hangar next to the museum you will find vehicles like such as two dodges and a large truck transformed into a mobile cinema room.
This museum has its official website here, however paradoxaly it is better known in the United States than in Belgium, you can find a website referring to this Belgian museum here (enter the Museum section).
Year of Visit : August 2006 and January 2011