Footsteps of WWII · Belgium & Luxembourg
Bastogne Barracks (McAuliffe's HQ)
Headquarters · 19–26 Dec 1944
The story
In December 1944 the Heintz Barracks on the La Roche road housed the headquarters of the 101st Airborne Division. With its commander, Maxwell Taylor, away, the division was led by Brigadier General Anthony McAuliffe. On 22 December General Heinrich von Lüttwitz of XLVII Panzer Corps sent a written demand for surrender; McAuliffe's reply was 'NUTS!'. Bad weather prevented air resupply until 23 December, and Patton's Third Army reached the town from Assenois on 26 December. The barracks remained a Belgian Army site and since 2010 has been an interpretation centre, now run by the War Heritage Institute, with a workshop restoring armoured vehicles from the national collection.
What to look for
Visits take you to the 'Nuts' cellar, where McAuliffe's headquarters is reconstructed, then through renovated halls of Second World War vehicles and equipment. You may see restorers at work in the vehicle workshop and, on some days, engines being run.
Plan your visit
Tuesday–Sunday 09:00–17:00; closed Mondays and 1 Jan, 1 May, 1 Nov, 25 Dec. Adults €12, ages 6–18 and students €9, card only; free from 13:00 on the first Wednesday of the month. Guided group tours must be booked three weeks ahead. Check the website before you go.
Things change, so check opening times before you travel.
Nearby sites
- Bastogne War Museum · 1 km
- Mardasson Memorial, Bastogne · 1 km
- Bois Jacques foxholes, Foy · 3 km
- Recogne German war cemetery · 5 km
- Houffalize and its Panther tank · 14 km
- National Museum of Military History, Diekirch · 35 km
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