Let me tell you about this lovely little Belgian city called : La Roche. Nestling in a leafy setting on the banks of the Ourthe River, La Roche, the Jewel of the Ardenne, has a fascinating past, a wealth of history, legends, and even a ghost. We know the La Roche area was already inhabited in Neolithic times, 20 centuries before our own era. The ancient Belgæ built an oppidum (hill fort) on this rocky outcrop, where the castle now stands. In 57 BC, Ardenne like Gaul had to submit to the yoke of Rome. A fortlet was built to replace the oppidum. Excavations in La Roche have found coins dating from the time of Emperor Domitian (AD 81-96) and Constantine II (AD 337-340). Taking advantage of the decline of Rome, the Franks, a Germanic people, invaded our country in the 5th century. Under the Frankish occupation in the 8th century, Pepin of Herstal turned the Roman fort into a hunting lodge. The first castle was built in the 9th century and was at its peak between the 12th and 17th centuries. In the following century, faced with attacks from the French, the castle was turned into a fortress. After 1721, a slow decline set in. A proposal to restore it was made in 1744, but never came to anything. Abandoned and neglected, the castle fell into ruin. Excavation started here in 1995, projected to finish by the end of 1999. There is a project afoot with plans already drawn up for a partial reconstruction.
The 7th Armored Division was activated on Mar 1 1942 at Camp Polk, Louisiana and moved Sep 15 1942 to the IV Corps Louisiana Maneuvers. It returned to Camp Polk on Nov 9 1942, arrived then Mar 11 1943 at the Desert Training Center for the #2 California Maneuvers, was transferred Aug 12 1943 to Fort Benning, Georgia and arrived at Camp Myles Standish, Massachusetts on Apr 22 1944.
The 5th Armored Division was activated at Fort Knox Kentucky Oct 1 1941 and was moved on Feb 16 1942 to Camp Cooke in California. On Aug 14 1942, it participated in the Desert Training Center Armored Corps California Maneuvers and returned to Camp Cooke Nov 19 1942. On Mar 17 1942, the Division moved to the 2nd Army #1 Tennessee Maneuvers and arrived at Pine Camp New York Jun 24 1943. It moved then to Indian town Gap Mil Res Pennsylvania Dec 8 1943; staged at Camp Kilmer New Jersey during Feb 1944 until departed New York POE on Feb 11 1944 and arrived in England on Feb 24 1944. The 5th Armored Division landed in France Jul 25 1944, crossed into Luxembourg Sep 2 1944 and into Belgium Oct 5 1944. The Division, finally, entered Germany Dec 1 1944, returned to Belgium Dec 24, to Holland Feb 5 1945 and re-entered Germany Feb 25 1945. Sent back to USA, the 5th Armored landed in New York Oct 10 1945 and was inactivated at Camp Kilmer New Jersey Oct 11 1945.
