 Star of David + Latin
Crosses, H-C American Cemetery & Memorial , |
 Aerial View
of H-C American Cemetery & Memorial, |
 Medical Personnel
, Coll Co, 329th Med Bn, 104th Inf Div, | |
1/4 Ton 4 x 4 Trucks all pertaining to 104th Inf Div, |
|
Star of David + Latin
Crosses, H-C American Cemetery & Memorial , |
Aerial View
of H-C American Cemetery & Memorial, |
Medical Personnel
, Coll Co, 329th Med Bn, 104th Inf Div, | |
1/4 Ton 4 x 4 Trucks all pertaining to 104th Inf Div, |
|
As already stated, some of our Dutch members have a real
close ‘relationship’ with Veterans of the 104th Infantry Division (who
liberated their hometown) and have therefore striven to keep close contact, not
only by sending/receiving e-mail or regular mail, but also by welcoming and entertaining their American Liberators to their hometown, to their homes …
some facts :
first personal meeting with TW Vets took place May 17, 1992 . May 2 to 5, 2001 turned out to be a very ‘special’ visit .. . this fifth visit
of 18 TW Veterans (representing 413th Inf Regt + 414th Inf Regt + 415th Inf
Regt + 386th Fld Arty Bn + 329th Engr Cbt Bn + 104th Rcn Tp) accompanied by
families and friends (another 22 people), was indeed very ‘special’ and
‘hearty’, for they were accompanied to the Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery
(Belgium) and the Margraten American Cemetery (Netherlands) to honor their
dead, by a limited group of dedicated Dutch and Belgian followers (see other
webpages) . Visits to the neighboring cities (around Zundert) were arranged on
May 3 and 4, and the next day, the local authorities and the Dutch TW ‘friends’
had arranged for the official inauguration of a small “Timberwolf” monument in Zundert, a truly emotional event !
Another hearty welcome was arranged for the Timberwolves who visited Rijsbergen October 16, 1994, i.e. their second visit to the Netherlands (3 busloads of them) .
May 3, 1997 saw the third visit of the Timberwolves, and for that
special occasion, the Zundert Mayor was present, and a Base Camp was organized
with lots of WWII goodies (including vehicles, tentage, gear, and … GIs) . 21
Veterans + next-of-kin and followers were on site (including ex-members of the
413th Inf Regt + 414th Inf Regt + 415th Inf Regt + 387th Fld Arty Bn + 329th Engr Cbt
Bn + 804th Ord Lt Maint Co) .
On May 14, 1999 the Timberwolves returned for the fourth time and 17 Veterans took a tour around the
Zundert area .
Some single Veterans continued to pay sporadic visits to their historic battlegrounds, such as Jesse D. Costa
(I Co, 413th Inf Regt) on July 18, 2001 – Leo J. Thoennes (B Btry, 555th AAA (AW) Bn) from
August 17 to 19, 2001 – and Rip G. Rice (H&S Co, 329th Engr Cbt Bn) on October 4, 2002 .
Saturday, April 19, 2003 another TW Veteran, John R. Deane Jr (S-2 / 415th Inf
Regt) came to visit . A European Tour took place May 1 > 15, 2003 and brought
back yet more Timberwolves on a sixth visit to
Holland - 11 Vets (ex-members of the 413th + 414th + 415th Inf Regts + 329th
Engr Cbt Bn) accompanied by spouses, children, next-of-kin and friends visited
Zundert and other towns in the Brabant area on May 4 + 5, 2003 and while in Europe took the opportunity to honor
their lost buddies resting in the Henri-Chapelle and Margraten American
Cemeteries, on May 6, 2003 . This year, another TW Veteran, Ted SERY (C Co, 329th Engr Cbt Bn) also paid a visit to the Zundert area
from May 25 to 27, 2004 .
The TW Veterans returned to Holland for their seventh European Tour, October 21 to
24, 2004 . The group numbered 55 people among which 19 Timberwolf Vets ! Their program included a visit and a
wreath-laying ceremony at the Henri-Chapelle & Margraten American Cemeteries October 21; a visit to Zundert, Achtmaal, and other cities in
the region (including both TW Museums, the one run by Bart & Teun Oostvogels, and the other one owned by the Friends of the Timberwolves
Foundation) which took place October 22; a battlefield tour with WWII vehicles (KTR Liberation Route) on October 23; and another visit to
Standdaarbuiten and Oudenbosch (Brabant) October 24, all topped by a farewell supper the same day ...
 May 5, 2001 - Zundert, The Netherlands, Inauguration TW Monument  August 17 > 19, 2001 - Zundert, The Netherlands, TW Visit Leo J. THOENNES (B Btry, 555th AAA (AW) Bn)  June 30, 2002 - Achtmaal, The Netherlands, Inauguration Kees JACOBS' WWII / TW Museum  July 12 > 14, 2002 - Achtmaal, The Netherlands, TW RETREAT II, "Friends of the Timberwolves Foundation" (the Committee)  October 04, 2002 - Breda, The Netherlands - TW Visit Rip G. RICE (H & S Co, 329th Engr Cbt Bn)  May 01 > 06, 2003 - Zundert region, The Netherlands, TW European Tour, TW Veterans' group + next-of-kin & followers  May 25 > 27, 2004 - Zundert, The Netherlands, TW Visit Ted SERY (C Co, 329th Engr Cbt Bn)  July 17 > 18, 2004 - Achtmaal, The Netherlands, TW RETREAT III (scene taken during "mock battle")  October 21, 2004 - Margraten American Cemetery, The Netherlands, group of TW Vets  October 22, 2004 - Zundert Ceremony, The Netherlands |
… and more still :
With a view to foster and help
stimulate both interest and knowledge about the “Timberwolves” (aka 104th Infantry Division), our Dutch members
have established a local ‘Foundation’ dedicated to their Liberators, the
“Timberwolves”, official name “Stichting “Vrienden van
de Timberwolves” (i.e. Friends of the Timberwolves) . This Foundation
was set up on January 30, 2002 . It will not
only coordinate, with the local authorities, welcome and reception of TW Veterans in their hometown,
but one of its goals is to further promote and enhance the rôle of the
Timberwolves during the Liberation of this southern part of The Netherlands,
and knowledge about World War II in general . With respect to the 104th
Infantry Division, Dutch members (and later the “Foundation”) have twice
organized a WWII Base Camp in Achtmaal, in August 2000 and July 2002
respectively, under the name of “Timberwolf Retreat”, is there a better name to honor the “Timberwolves” … ? the Sarge
Another TW Retreat took place July 17-18, 2004
On June 30, 2002, Kees Jacobs (one of the founding members of the "Stichting") officially opened the doors to his "Military Museum"
(located in Achtmaal) in presence of the Zundert Mayor, VIPs, guests, Committee members of the Dutch TW Foundation, and several members of
"Strictly G.I." . After the inauguration, we had the opportunity to visit the place, and witnessed that the larger part of the Museum's
collection is dedicated to the "Timberwolves", it also contains a lot of period artifacts received from 104th Infantry Division
Veterans.
