mbest

We are World War II buffs who will visit Germany in October. Any suggestions for great places or museums to visit re WW II history? Most interested in German miltary history - not much interest in the Holocaust sights. Thanks!

Marc David Miller

Where in Germany are you touring?

Maira

Have you been to Normandy? There is more German artillery in Normandy than anything we saw in Germany, which now that I think about it, if there was, the German tourism office certainly isn't advertising it much..... Well, if you are not interested in Holocaust-associated sights, you'll probably may not be interested on Eagle's Nest in Berchtesgaden, right? I believe WWII in Germany is so associated with the Nazis, and there are some restrictions associated with the display of the zwastika (sp?). Again, I am definitely rambling here, Mirriam (a very nice poster from Germany) could definitely answer this for you. I suggest you seek out her advice or write a note to the German Office of Tourism.

Ann

You certainly should visit the American cemetery in Luxembourg, just across the border from the city of Trier and enroute to Lux City. It's where Patton is buried and has a map monument with a visual overview of the battles that took place from the Rhine westward. You would probably also like the Museum of Naitonal Military History in Diekirch, Luxembourg, just below Vianden in the Ardennes. It commemorates the Battle of the Bulge, and all exhibits have English trnaslations. Without knowing your itinerary, it's hard to go much beyond that. Both sites in Lux should be of interest to you and are right on the German border. Have a good trip.

ingrid

Check out http://www.central-news.com/Emp/HistoricalTours.htm for historical tours. You might find good suggestions for sites to visit. <BR> <BR>Also, the German Historical Museum in Berlin http://www.dhm.de/index.html <BR> <BR>Also try "Museums of Military History" at http://vl.musehen.de/milit/index-e.htm <BR> <BR>Good luck!

Russ

The small town of Irrel, just northwest of Trier in western Germany along the old Westwall line, has an underground fortification you can visit, one of many that were built along the line. It's open Sunday afternoons. <BR> <BR>There is also an excellent WWII museum not terribly far from there in the supports of the old Remagen Bridge, the site of the first American crossing of the Rhine, in Remagen on the Rhine north of Koblenz. <BR> <BR>If you want, send me an e-mail and I'll look at some of the materials I brought home from my recent trip there for visiting hours on the days you'll be in the area.

Doug

Go to Berchtesgaden to see Hitler's berghof ruins. Also you can see remains of bunkers, SS barracks and other Nazi honcho's homes. There are even tours up to the Kehlsteinhaus (Eagle's Nest) which was a special mountain retreat Bormann built for Hitler. Ask for directions at your hotel. There are lots of guidebooks available. To find some of the ruins you'll have to traipse off the beaten path a bit.

Gaia

http://www.shoah.de/shoah/se/kriegsgeschichte.htm <BR> <BR>http://www.info-germany.de/museen.html <BR> <BR>I did not believe it myself, but this is all that I have found. <BR> <BR>

Jan-Erik

You can visit Laboe. That is near Kiel in the north of Germany. <BR>You find ther the last WWII U-Boot of the german Kriegsmariene (navy).It is possible to go inside of the U-Boot and see everything. Very intressting. This u-Boot attaked the convois to England in the north atlantic. <BR>

Russell

Definitely do consider visiting the Nazi rally grounds in Nuremberg. We did so a couple of years back and found it to be the most satisfying part of our two-week trip through Germany. We spent three and a half hours with John Jenkins, a Welshman who is one of several dozen guides working through the local historical organization. It's found at http://www.geschichte-fuer-alle.de/. The site is in German, but if you search through Google, you can get a direct translation of what they are all about. We faxed them to set up this "tour" and had all subsequent communication in English. Highest possible rating. Also did the WWII sights tour offered by Berlin Walks, which meets most mornings at the Zoo station That covers key Nazi points of interest in the eastern part of Berlin and ends at the site of Hitler's bunker. Definitely on the list of places to visit.

Duncan in the UK

One of the best places to see German military history is the Channel Islands - the only part of the UK to be invaded by Germany. My family and I went to Guernsey in 1991 and visited a museum, which showed what a family room would have looked like when the Germans were running the island. We also visited a military hospital which was underground and very damp but very interesting. The islands are very friendly, but if you are on Guernsey, you have to get used to the maximum speed of 30 miles per hour and you may not get fuel on a Sunday.

Maira

If you type Germany on the search field at the following website <BR> <BR>http://www.geocities.com/Pentagon/7087/index.htm <BR> <BR>You'll get tons of info on WWII sites in Germany.

Paul

While Jan-Erik maybe correct about the last U-Boat in Europe being situated in Laboe. There is also the U-505 in Chicago - http://www.msichicago.org/exhibit/U505/U505home.html . If anyone cares.

kk

An outstanding, very helpful, factual thread! I've seen some of these places and now have learned about others. Many thanks. kk