A special moment in a field in Bastogne. On 27 December 1944 a C-47 Skytrain named Stardust crashed near the trees to my rear after safely releasing a towed glider with emergency supplies. As I explain in my book, Those Who Hold Bastogne, the town’s defenders were still lacking in everything even after the arrival of Patton’s Third Army a day earlier. The crew members survived the crash and paratroopers from the 101st Airborne Division hurriedly pulled them from the wreck that was leaking fuel. My friend and fellow battlefield guide, Reg Jans, recently managed to acquire an original set of headphones worn by the Stardust crew at the time of the Bastogne crash. Here he has parted with this prized possession just long enough to allow me to pose with the original headphone set at the former crash site.
