History group to reenact stand at Luxembourg City
Nearly 65 years to the day after the start of the Battle of the Bulge, members of the Tri-State Living History Association will bring to life one of its little known events: the Army's 4th infantry division stand at Luxembourg City in World War II.
The living history event takes place from 1-5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday on the grounds of the Arlington Heights Historical Museum, 110 W. Fremont St. Admission is free.
Visitors will find the encampment much like the ones the soldiers lived in as they fought in bitterly cold temperatures during December 1944 as Allied forces fought to retake Europe from the Germans, with authentic equipment, weapons, radios, field items and gear.
Their two-day stand begins Saturday morning with a breakfast they prepare for the area's World War II veterans in their authentic field kitchen.
"That's the real reason we do this," says Eric Taubery, an administrator at Grant Community High School in Fox Lake, "to see that these guys get the recognition they're due, and to teach a new generation about their heroics."
Blair Schoell, a 2002 Prospect High School graduate and Grant Community High School history teacher, plays the role of squadron leader.
"The 4th's stand at Luxembourg City and stopping the advance around the southern flank is largely overlooked by historians," Schoell says. "Had they given in, the entire Allied line could have been at stake of being overrun by the Germans.
"Their stand allowed (Gen. George) Patton to advance north from his headquarters in Luxembourg to relieve the 101st Airborne at Bastogne."
As well as mock soldiers, the encampment includes desks, tables, maps of Luxembourg and the Bastogne region of Belgium, communications equipment including radios and a small medical unit. Christmas music from the 1940s will be playing on a phonograph.
"Their record of 299 days of combat - including 199 fought consecutively - can be rivaled by few divisions," Schoell says.
Museum officials have booked the group for the last three years, saying the living history event offers a front-row look into an important battle during World War II.
"There are so many educational components," said Cathy Robertson, museum program coordinator, "that will fully immerse the community into the front lines."