"Ardennen Poteau 44" Museum - Recht (Belgium)

14th Cavalry Group US Memorial - Recht (Belgium)

106th Infantry Division "Golden Lions" US Memorial - St Vith (Belgium)

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 December 18, 1944, very early in the morning, the American "14th Cavalry Group" had gotten in an ambush of the German "Kampfgruppe Hansen" on the road between Poteau and Recht. Propaganda movies were made by the Germans shortly after those fights and the numerous photos are often used as typical photos from the Battle of the Bulge. The displayed Sherman M4 (105) is dedicated at the memory of S/Sgt Truman Van Tine, 40th Tank Bn, 7th Armored Div, seriously wounded in action at Poteau on December 18, 1944. The official website of the museum stands here

Technical information

According to this website the German vehicle displayed at the museum in Poteau is NOT an SdKfz 251/1 but a "germanized" postwar Czech OT-810 (late version).

Location information

The Museum is located at Poteau village in the city of Recht near Vielsalm (Belgium). It is a military-historical museum about the Battle of the Bulge (winter 1944 - 1945), situated in the middle of the former battlefield of Poteau, a small village in the Belgian Ardennes.
The museum offers the possibility to make a tour around the former battlefield of Poteau to the spot of the ambush with an American M5 halftrack and/or a German SdKfz. 251 halftrack. It takes about 20 minutes and includes a short halt with some explanations on the ambush.
The 14th Cavalry Group US Memorial (18th - 32nd Reconnaissance squadrons) is located in the Poteau'44 museum while the 106th Infantry Division is located nearby in St Vith (Belgium).