Nazi Germany launched the Ardennes Offensive - its last major operation on the Western Front - a brutal battle that took place in bleak winter conditions and was a major turning point in the Second World War described by Prime Minister Winston Churchill as "undoubtedly the greatest American battle" of WW2 was one of the war's bloodiest conflicts.  It resulted in approximately 75,000 Allied casualties The battle also caused between 80,000 to 100,000 German casualties and the deaths of 3,000 civilians.  British and Canadian soldiers fought German troops in bitterly cold conditions in the Ardennes Forest region of Belgium and Luxembourg with some using white bedsheets to camouflage them in the snow.  the battle didn't go as Hitler had planned Buoyed by Nazi Germany's success in 1940 when they were victorious during the Battle of France Hitler believed his troops could successfully complete his latest mission in the Ardennes region with ease five months after the Allied success on D-Day Hitler believed an attack on what he perceived as a weak point in the woods of Belgium – a 60-mile front on American lines with six temporarily weakened American divisions defending it – could break the strong alliance between Britain and the United States.  would allow Germany to concentrate its efforts and resources on fighting the Soviet Union.  He also wanted German personnel to cross the River Meuse quickly to capture the key port of Antwerp a key supply route for Allied forces.  they faced a significant challenge due to a shortage of fuel caused by Allied attacks on the country's synthetic oil industry.  To ensure they had enough fuel to reach Antwerp they needed to include the capture of Allied fuel depots in their strategy.  Hitler's plan depended on several critical factors for it to be successful – fuel the month-long battle between 16 December 1944 and 25 January 1945 became known as the Battle of the Bulge because of its impact on the Allied frontline.  German ground forces were being constantly hampered by Allied air superiority.  Hitler's plan relied on bad weather keeping Allied fighter jets and bombers that dominated the skies grounded so they couldn't delay the start of the offensive codenamed Operation Watch on the Rhine.  German forces launched an effective 90-minute surprise attack on the US Army's 110th Regiment.  Later in the day, a German V2 rocket hit Cinema Rex in Antwerp including 296 Allied service personnel from Britain making it the deadliest rocket attack of the war at the Baugnez crossroads near Malmedy in Belgium 113 American soldiers of Battery B of the 285th Field Artillery Observation Battalion surrendered to the 1st SS Panzer Division of the Sixth Panzer Army commanded by Colonel Joachim "Jochen" Peiper following a brief battle After the American prisoners were disarmed they were lined up in eight rows and then fired upon by machine guns held by SS troops Eighty-four soldiers died that day during what became known as the Malmedy Massacre.  A few dozen survived by pretending to be among the dead or fleeing the scene into nearby woods A vital part of Hitler's plan was to capture St Vith in eastern Belgium by 18 December as it was the location of a vital road junction but US troops fought valiantly and defended the city for five days.  Bastogne was a crucial location for Hitler having been liberated by Allied forces just three months earlier.  Seizing control of the Belgian town again would free the way for German forces to move swiftly to Antwerp the town of Bastogne found itself encircled by German troops with the 82nd and 101st Airborne holding their ground When they were encouraged by German forces to surrender Brigadier General Anthony McAuliffe famously responded on 22 December with a typed-up note British soldiers from the 21st Army Group were called in for support.  Tank crews from the 7th Armoured Division who were supposed to be on a break quickly made their way to the Ardennes to engage the German tanks.  relying on bad weather to ground Allied aircraft worked started to fail when weather conditions began to improve.  At last Allied aircraft could attack the German supply routes obliterate tanks and drop vital supplies to Allied troops in locations such as Bastogne.  Allied numbers had increased to 500,000 from different nations slowing down the German advance significantly.  the lack of fuel was making Hitler's plan almost impossible Several fuel depots German troops were depending on had been destroyed by soldiers of the Red Ball Express predominantly black personnel who worked to supply the frontlines.  including paratroopers from 6th Airborne Division and soldiers from the 53rd (Welsh) Division US troops launched fierce counterattacks that succeeded in pushing back the line to where it was before the offensive began The bulge was removed and Hitler's plan had failed.  Germany found itself vulnerable and open to attack.  This newfound weakness created an opportunity for the Soviet Union which seized the moment to advance a substantial 300 miles into German territory when it launched their major offensive against the Nazis in January 1944 Please select at least one newsletter to subscribe to: Richard was into his 90th decade when I met him in the apartment he shared with his wife Their son had suggested that he had lived an interesting life Richard was born in Germany but left it when his father had saved enough money to bring his wife and son to Chicago Richard grew up amid the 1930s economic collapse that shattered the lives of many He helped his parents by gathering produce from among the fruit growers near Chicago and selling it to other families Richard didn’t like Chicago and escaped it by hitching rides with truck drivers who hauled livestock to the stockyards was upended when Japan and Germany declared war which he managed from afar after his son volunteered for military service Richard boarded a ship bound for southern France The trip across the Atlantic was ruined by seasickness that affected many others It was comfortably warm in southern France but bitter winter came when his unit moved north where the Allied lines were breached by a German attack The Battle of the Bulge — as it became known — was among the coldest in U.S history and Richard’s unit was ill-fitted for the weather The men selected shoes and clothing from a discarded pile on a small Belgian town’s Main Street Severe frostbite was common among the troops as both sides took ground and lost it back Bad weather prevented Allied planes from flying Allied planes helped turn the tide and the Allied advance pierced the German border helped residents gather in assigned places The road he took on a spring morning was littered with bomb craters and dead horses Richard came upon two young women just ahead of him who were walking to town The chance meeting produced an everlasting love “I fell in love with her even before I saw her face,’’ he said Her mother did not take kindly to Americans in uniform Her son had been lost on the Eastern Front troops she encountered confiscated butter and eggs from the farm Dating an American in uniform would be scandalous to her friends and neighbors He also risked violating rules that barred U.S but she warmed up to the man courting her daughter They held hands on a bench beneath a Linden tree which legend has it that a kiss under a Linden tree would create lasting love and because the wasn’t considered official by U.S authorities they married again when they returned to the U.S The young couple faced a big decision that once made changed their lives Richard’s dad had a good job with Chicago’s largest electricity supplier the farm his dad watched over while he was in the service was still there Gisela and their infant son soon left for Minnesota Given that Richard lacked experience farming as did a vocational agriculture teacher who offered winter classes for veterans each veteran received $160 a month from the federal government The farm grew and their son eventually took over followed by their grandson It was enough for the young couple to survive and expand the farm with milk cows and chickens The farming operation grew and their son and eventually their grandson replaced them Richard’s age has reached beyond his 100th year just as the lindens they planted on their farm decades ago have grown tall and strong Mychal Wilmes is the retired managing editor of Agri News This sourdough library is hidden inside a baking corporation's research center 105 sourdough starters and counting are stored and fed in a long-term project to research and preserve bread biodiversity.  In St. Vith, Belgium, Karl De Smedt has overseen the sourdough library since 2013 and a tree-branch design covers the ceiling The starters on the shelves are leavened naturally with living yeasts and bacteria from their home environments When part of the starter is added to flour and water and baked Until commercial yeasts became popular 160 years ago most bread worldwide was made with starters Depending on the microbes in the ingredients each starter has the potential to produce a uniquely flavored loaf and others were gathered based on their histories like recent additions that De Smedt sourced from the descendants of Yukon gold miners Those starters were carried into harsh environments to make bread and flapjacks for hungry miners they have a cushy spot in the Sourdough Library The Atlas Obscura Podcast is a short, daily celebration of all the world's strange and wondrous places. Check out this episode about the Sourdough Library The Sourdough Library is not open to the public if you reach out to Karl De Smedt on social media (his Instagram is the_sourdough_librarian) this sculpture celebrates Darwin's groundbreaking contributions to science and his deep connection to his birthplace this piece of bread is Europe's oldest surviving formed bakery product This restaurant's specialty is "a major enigma for food historians." This bakery sells traditional Māori sourdough One of the world's largest collections of rare medical texts and ephemera A Frankenstein blend of science and art allows one tree to produce 40 different types of stone fruit When that Allied “Blitzkrieg in Reverse” brought the European war’s front line to Germany’s doorstep that autumn 7th Armored Division—a troubled outfit Clarke had quickly whipped into shape But, instead of relaxing in Paris, at 2:30 p.m., Dec. 17, 1944, Clarke was on the top floor room of a school in St. Vith, Belgium, a town controlling a vitally important crossroads in the northern sector of the Ardennes Forest region of France the beleaguered and overwhelmed commander of U.S 106th Infantry Division defending this sector of the Allied front line the men used binoculars to observe swarms of German infantrymen backed by panzers approaching the town’s eastern outskirts Jones’ dire assessment of “losing his division” was unfortunately on target When the German offensive began at 5:30 a.m. the 16,000 infantrymen of his untested 106th Division had held their assigned 22-mile-wide front-line sector — including the Schnee Eifel high ground east of St Vith which included part of the German Siegfried Line (West Wall) defenses — for only four days D-Day anniversary marked by dwindling number of veteransNow bent with age a dwindling number of WWII veterans joined a new generation of leaders on the shores where they landed 80 years ago.Soon two of Jones’ three infantry regiments (422nd and 423rd) were surrounded and cut off by the rapidly advancing Germans 19 in the largest surrender of American troops in the European Theater.  Clarke’s situation when he took command of St Ordered to the Ardennes early that morning Clarke’s CCB had traveled 80 miles south over frozen roads the last few miles pushing their way east through roads clogged with U.S Only a portion of Clarke’s tankers and armored infantrymen had reached St Here are your most likely courses of action: With overwhelming German numbers of troops and tanks pouring off of the Schnee Eifel and threatening to engulf St Vith as your unit barely trickles into the town establishing a fortified perimeter which can be strengthened by more of your units as they slowly arrive could turn the town into an island of resistance thereby blocking the Germans from capturing the crossroads this would mean that your defenders would inevitably be surrounded and cut-off this is the exactly the defense the 101st Airborne would adopt at Bastogne Vith into “defensive zones/sectors,” within which you would create teams of tanks-infantry to carry out an active mobile defense giving up terrain and fixed defensive positions in order to prolong your defense of the St Vith overall area as long as possible thereby delaying the enemy offensive’s main attack as long as possible.This is the tactic you successfully used in winning the September 1944 Battle of Arracourt the largest American tank battle of the war prior to the Battle of the Bulge With the inevitably impending surrender of the 106th’s two full infantry regiments on the Schnee Eifel there seems no reasonable chance your much smaller combat command (brigade equivalent) can possibly stop the German main attack and deny them full use of the St you know that the remainder of 7th Armored Division (CCA and CC Reserve) under your division commander is forming on the west bank of the Salm River obstacle the tactically prudent decision is for you to withdraw your CCB west behind the Salm River while you still can adding your combat command’s strength to Brig Hasbrouck’s gathering force for the presumed planned Allied counterattack The 7th Armored Division prepare to move up after having given artillery support to the infantry in their battle for high ground near St Army/National Archives)What is your decision General Clarke?Even before Allied intelligence soon confirmed it Clarke’s combat experience convinced him this thrust toward St Vith was the German main attack — it overlapped and paralleled the Ardennes’ “classic invasion route,” the Losheim Gap Since the “impenetrability” of the rugged Ardennes region was primarily due to its primitive road network whoever controlled the roads and crossroads controlled the Ardennes more importantly, controlling the area surrounding — the few but vital road networks would delay any rapid German advance through the Ardennes Clarke’s stunning September 1944 victory at Arracourt in which his brilliant mobile defense of that area by his outnumbered combat command defeated two panzer brigades and major elements of two panzer divisions (Clarke lost 55 tanks/tank destroyers; Germans lost over 200 panzers/assault guns) gave him a virtual “blueprint for victory” at this similar combat scenario at St 7th Armored Division conducted a brilliant mobile defense of St Hasso von Manteuffel’s Fifth Panzer Army for a critical week during the Battle of the Bulge Although Clarke relinquished the town of St his unit controlled the overall area until Dec 23 when it was ordered to withdraw behind the Salm River Historian Russell Weigley judged that “more than any other of the many defensive stands in the Ardennes … it was the battle of St Vith that bought the time required by Allied generalship to recapture control of the [Bulge] battle.” Although the heroic Siege of Bastogne (Dec 1944) is the most remembered of the Battle of the Bulge engagements the 101st paratroopers successfully defended the besieged town against the Germans’ supporting attack; Clarke’s defense of St Vith blunted and fatally delayed the enemy main attack Clarke summed up what it took to persevere and win at St Vith: “The job of a commander in a battle when attacked by an overwhelming force is to prevent the confusion from becoming disorganized and to eliminate command and staff inertia so that the reaction to crises can be swift and effective.” This story originally appeared on HistoryNet.com He attended Newark City Schools and ran cross country setting records at both Wilson Junior High and Newark High School Leslie was working for the Pennsylvania Railroad Company when he was inducted into the Army on Jan. 19 He received his training at Camp Atterbury He was attached to the 422 Infantry Regiment with the 106 Infantry Division They were just too painful for him to remember and discuss through the regiment histories and the recollections of others that served with him in New York Harbor and set sail for Greenock they arrived in Scotland and were then put on trains heading south to Fairford they stayed in Quonset huts on an estate with a huge Manor House they left their camp at Fairford and headed to South Hampton they were placed on a boat and crossed the English Channel landing at Le Havre Leslie and the rest of the 422 then marched with full field packs 12 miles in a heavy downpour and mud to trucks waiting to take them to Camp J-67 near Saint Laurent They stayed in pup tents in the mud and the rain at Saint Laurent until Dec. 7 when they were loaded onto trucks for their trip to the front they were to relieve members of the 2 Infantry Division on what was supposed to be a quiet portion of the line — a good place for troops with no combat experience “the sight of miles and miles of destroyed German war material burned and dumped into the ditches gave us some indication that we were changing from training to the real thing We began to sense the war in the faces of the old women and men as our convoy moved through the gloomy forests around Malmady and Saint Vith Bastogne was just another town as we moved on jammed together like sardines in a can under the Schnee Eifel’s (snow mountains) cold gray skies.” On Dec. 8 for our barracks bags had not caught up to us yet traveled 12 more miles in trucks to an area along the top of the Schnee Eifel mountains near Schonberg Private First Class Raymond Leslie and the rest of the 422 were now the left-wing of the 106 Division They were unaware that a major German offensive was about to be unleashed Doug Stout is the Veterans Project Coordinator for the Licking County Library You may contact him at 740-349-5571 or dstout@lickingcountylibrary.org 'The Germans had attacked through Belgium, and we were there to do something about it' Arthur Jacobson was seeking cover in the snow behind a tank moving slowly through the wooded hills of Belgium's Ardennes That was when he lost his best friend and Bazooka team partner to sniper fire "Those were his last words."  The recollection of his worst day in the Battle of the Bulge still haunts him three quarters of a century later during the first return of the 95-year-old to the battlefield.  President Donald Trump is fanning the flames of trans-Atlantic discord the pristine-white rows of thousands of grave markers over the remains of U.S soldiers in cemeteries on the former front line hark back to the days when Americans made the ultimate sacrifice for a cause across the ocean.  The fighting in the bitterly cold winter of 1944 was unforgiving to the extreme.  What Jacobson didn't know then was that he was part of the battle to contain Nazi Germany's desperate last offensive that Adolf Hitler hoped would become his version of the Allies' D-Day: A momentous thrust that would change the course of World War II by forcing U.S thus freeing Germany to focus on rapidly advancing Soviet armies in the east "WE WERE THERE TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT" The Battle of the Bulge "is arguably the greatest battle in American military history," according to the U.S Such perspective came only later to Jacobson "They really didn't tell us anything," he said "The Germans had attacked through Belgium and we were there to do something about it." over 200,000 German troops counter-attacked across the front line in Belgium and Luxembourg smashing into battle-weary US soldiers positioned in terrain as foreign to them as it was familiar to the Germans.  the Americans blunted the advance and started turning back the enemy for good setting allied troops on a roll that would end the war in Europe less than five months later.  This battle gained fame not so much for the commanders' tactics as for the resilience of small units hampered by poor communications that stood shoulder to shoulder to deny Hitler the quick breakthrough he desperately needed Even though the Americans were often pushed back they were able to delay the German advance in its crucial initial stages The tipping point was to come later.  a handful of returning veterans like Jacobson will be feted by an ever grateful local population for their bravery dignitaries and some government leaders will gather in Bastogne "It will be a great day,"" said Belgian Vice Premier Koen Geens driven on by Hitler's hated SS troops he said: ""We are capable of the worst and of the best.""  deaths in the month-long battle are estimated in the five digits The Americans suffered at least 80,000 casualties including more than 10,000 dead while up to 12,000 were listed killed among some 100,000 German casualties shot in the neck by a German sniper on Jan Last Tuesday Jacobson went to greet Duffer for the first time in 75 years — at the Henri Chapelle U.S cemetery in the northern part of the battle zone flag being lowered and was presented with it in recognition of his valor.  After D-Day and the draining Normandy drive allied troops sweeping across the continent believed the worst was behind them.  George Patton was moving eastwards toward Germany and Hitler had to keep an increasingly bleary eye on Stalin's Soviet armies advancing on the Eastern Front "The thought was that Germany was on its knees and could no longer raise a big army,"said Mathieu Billa director of the Bastogne War Museum.  Hitler believed Germany could turn the tide and centered on regaining the northern Belgian port of Antwerp with a push through the sparsely populated Ardennes.  The 120-mile (170 kilometer) dash seemed so fanciful that few of Hitler's own generals believed in it Allied intelligence heard something might be afoot VIII Corps daily note said that "There is nothing to report." troops retreating amid word that SS troops were executing their prisoners — like at Malmedy where 80 surrendered soldiers were murdered in a frozen field.  night temperatures outdoors dropped as low as -20 Celsius (-4 Fahrenheit) ""You had to dance around not to freeze to death," he said Daytime saw the constant fear of sniper fire.  some were oblivious to the soldiers' plight "My family sent me a necktie," Jacobson chuckled "I sent a letter back: 'I don't need a necktie'." the German effort pushed its limits as Antwerp remained well out of reach and troops ran out of ammunition Even the weather turned against the Germans allowing the all-powerful allied air force to pound the enemy.  Nowhere was that tipping point more visible than in the southern Ardennes town of Bastogne troops were cut off for days with little ammunition or food.  McAuliffe of the 101st Airborne received a Dec 22 ultimatum to surrender or face total destruction he offered one of the most famous — and brief — replies in military history: ""Nuts.""  Patton's troops broke the encirclement And so it went with the Battle of the Bulge too troops gaining momentum after Christmas.   After the fighting ended on 28 January 1945 eventually leading to the Nazi surrender and the end of the war in Europe But his war was ended by a March 2 mortar blast which seriously injured his leg and killed three other soldiers hospital offered him a kind of deliverance despite the pain "I used to wake up at night in the hospital I'd dream about having to move out at night," he said 'let's move out to another position.' And I'd wake up," he said "and look around and see where I was and then smile to myself and go back to sleep." AP photojournalist Virginia Mayo and videojournalist Mark Carlson contributed to this story Will you support our work?All of our content is free And we have hired more Native journalists in the past year than any news organization ─ and with your help we will continue to grow and create career paths for our people Support Indian Country Today for as little as $10 Is there a better way to wake up on a spring morning than to know you'll soon be sipping coffee and breathing in the delicious aroma of bacon or (insert your favorite brunch smell here.) Well we highly suggest making a reservation soon is a popular day for dressing up and gathering for brunch and many Erie restaurants go all out with special menus and buffets and cocktails and more feel free to email details to jgeisler@timesnews.com and this story can be updated While some restaurants are still making their Easter Sunday plans More: Where to look for Easter egg hunts, Easter Bunny events around Erie this year Altered State Distillery featuring acoustic tunes by Oliver Burdo from St More: Altered State Distillery adds chef, full kitchen service. What they serve Bay House, 8 Sassafras Pier, walk-ins welcome; Brunch menu served daily, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Mondays through Saturdays; Sundays, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.; 814-413-7440. Make reservations by phone or on OpenTable.com Beechwood Golf Club Calamari's Squid Row $17 for children 5-12; free for 4 and younger Cloud 9, 25 E. 10th St., will be offering Easter brunch, 11 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Reservations highly recommended. Parties up to eight. Seatings limited to 1 1/2 hours. Adults, $56; children, 5-9 $22; children younger than 5 eat free. Make reservations online at exploretock.com/cloud9erie/ Colony Pub & Grill Brunch is $33.99 for adults; $14.99 for ages 4 to 12; and 3 and younger eat free The Cork 1794 Favorites from the regular menu and a few special dishes Firebirds Wood Fired Grill, 680 Millcreek Mall, serves brunch every Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. For reservations, call 814-864-1599 or visit opentable.com Julius Lavery Brewing Co. Luminary Distilling, Eatery, Fuhrman's Cider Mi Scuzi Easter Sunday: Full menu as well as favorite features from 11 a.m Oliver's Skunk & Goat Tavern Favorites from the regular menu and a few special dishes available Two45 Waterfront Grille Buffet is $50 for adults; $25 for children 12 and younger VooDoo Brewery Erie Eggs will be hidden throughout the pub April 16 to 19 with great specials There will be eggs hidden for kids to find and redeem for candy as well as golden eggs for adults to discover with more adult-appropriate prizes The buffet is $20 for adults and $10 for kids 10 and younger Find more events and submit your own for free at GoErie.com/calendar Contact Jennie Geisler at jgeisler@timesnews.com. Find her weekly newsletter at https://profile.goerie.com/newsletters/erielicious/.  (This story was updated to add new information.) in Food & Drink, Libraries, Travel | May 4th, 2020 Leave a Comment There’s 15-year-old Pre­cious from the Nether­lands… And Bub­ble from Aus­tralia Yeasty Beasty Methuse­lah Housed in iden­ti­cal jars in a muse­um-qual­i­ty refrig­er­at­ed cab­i­nets these her­itage starters have been care­ful­ly select­ed by librar­i­an Karl De Smedt who trav­els the world vis­it­ing bak­eries and learn­ing the sto­ries behind each sam­ple that enters the col­lec­tion As De Smedt recalls in an inter­view with the Sour­dough Pod­cast, the idea for the muse­um began tak­ing shape when a Lebanese bak­er reached out to Puratos a hun­dred-year-old com­pa­ny that sup­plies com­mer­cial bak­ers and pas­try mak­ers with essen­tials of the trade The man’s sons returned from a bak­ing expo in Paris and informed their dad that when they took over they planned to retire his time-hon­ored prac­tice of bak­ing with fer­ment­ed chick­peas in favor of instant yeast Wor­ried that his prized recipe would be lost to his­to­ry he appealed to Puratos to help pre­serve his pro­to­cols While fer­ment­ed chick­peas do not count as sourdough—a com­bi­na­tion of flour and the result­ing microor­gan­isms this mar­riage gives rise to over time—the com­pa­ny had recent­ly col­lect­ed and ana­lyzed 43 ven­er­a­ble starters pro­duc­er of what Horace called in 37 B.C so good that the wise trav­el­er takes a sup­ply of it for his onward jour­ney.’” Thus was a non-cir­cu­lat­ing library born Each spec­i­men is ana­lyzed by food micro­bi­ol­o­gist Mar­co Gob­bet­ti from the Uni­ver­si­ty of Bolzano and Bari A col­lab­o­ra­tion with North Car­oli­na State Uni­ver­si­ty biol­o­gists Rob Dunn and Anne Mad­den revealed that sour­dough bak­ers’ hands share dis­tinct microbes with their starters More than 1100 strains of microor­gan­isms have been record­ed so far the starters are tak­en out of the fridge and fed with a com­bi­na­tion of water and some of their flour of ori­gin year­ly quan­ti­ties of which are con­tributed by their bak­ers (The pan­dem­ic has De Smedt work­ing from home, but he inti­mat­ed to The New York Times that he intend­ed to make it back to feed his babies or “moth­ers” as they are known in sour­dough cir­cles.) #72 from Mex­i­co feeds on eggs #100 from Japan is made of cooked sake rice #106 is a vet­er­an of the Gold Rush. Their con­sis­ten­cy is doc­u­ment­ed along a line that ranges from hard to flu­id Each year, De Smedt expands the col­lec­tion with starters from a dif­fer­ent area of the world The lat­est addi­tions come from Turkey and are doc­u­ment­ed in the mouth­wa­ter­ing trav­el­ogue above Reg­is­ter your starter on Quest for Sour­dough here If you haven’t yet tak­en the sour­dough plunge, you can par­tic­i­pate in North Car­oli­na State University’s Wild Sour­dough Project by fol­low­ing their instruc­tions on mak­ing a starter from scratch and then sub­mit­ting your data here And bide your time until you’re cleared to vis­it the Puratos Sour­dough Library in per­son by tak­ing an inter­ac­tive vir­tu­al tour or watch­ing a com­plete playlist of De Smedt’s col­lect­ing trips here via Atlas Obscu­ra How to Bake Ancient Roman Bread Dat­ing Back to 79 AD: A Video Primer An Archive of Hand­writ­ten Tra­di­tion­al Mex­i­can Cook­books Is Now Online 400 Ways to Make a Sand­wich: A 1909 Cook­book Full of Cre­ative Recipes Ayun Hal­l­i­day is an author, illus­tra­tor, the­ater mak­er and Chief Pri­ma­tol­o­gist of the East Vil­lage Inky zine.  Her cur­rent starter, Miss Sour­dough, was brought to life with an unholy splash of apple cider. Fol­low her @AyunHalliday by | Permalink | Comments (0) | We’re hop­ing to rely on our loy­al read­ers rather than errat­ic ads. To sup­port Open Cul­ture’s edu­ca­tion­al mis­sion, please con­sid­er mak­ing a dona­tion. We accept Pay­Pal, Ven­mo (@openculture), Patre­on and Cryp­to! Please find all options here. We thank you! XHTML: You can use these tags: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <s> <strike> <strong> Open Culture scours the web for the best educational media. We find the free courses and audio books you need, the language lessons & educational videos you want, and plenty of enlightenment in between. ©2006-2025 Open Culture, LLC. All rights reserved. Sourdough may be the world's original leavened loaf Though today most bakers use commercial yeasts for thousands of years people relied on starters nourished by wild yeasts and local bacteria which fermented over a period of days to produce a living Bakers would spoon out a little at a time to add to new mixtures of flour and water before shaping their loaves; mothers would pass on the blobs to daughters beginning new families; immigrants and travelers would pack the starters to bake bread in new lands the sourdough starters in kitchens around the world represent a legacy of baking history De Smedt travels the world to find areas with robust sourdough traditions where commercial yeast often hasn't survived in rugged conditions After he airmails the starters in special kits back to Belgium scientists analyze them to document their unique combinations of microorganisms more than 800 strains of yeast and bacteria have been found in the goo The microorganism samples themselves are stored in a freezer at -112°F to preserve them while the sourdough starters are kept in glass jars in the library at a more comfortable 39°F You might just be inspired to rise to the occasion and bake your own loaf © 2025 Minute Media - All Rights Reserved Sourdough may be the world's original leavened loaf \n[h/t Atlas Obscura] Want a Southern Tier community that knows how to throw a party for St Look no further than Hornell, where the embrace of everything Irish on March 16 will begin with the iconic St Patrick's Day parade in the morning and continue all day and into the late evening hours at nightspots The weather outlook for Saturday parade-goers is positive AccuWeather is predicting periods of sun for Hornell with temperatures climbing into the 50s In the leadup to the parade this week, Hornell Mayor John Buckley named former Hornell Housing Authority Executive Director Larry Vetter the grand marshal Here's what to look forward to in Hornell on March 16 Patrick Day parade is at 11 a.m.This will be Hornell's 35th St There is no official organizing body and participants do not have to register to take part Line up will begin at 10:30 a.m. on Genesee Street near Community Bank. Marching will begin at 11, with a route down Seneca, then east on Main Street, ending at The Main Place. The size of the crowd may be weather-dependent but count on a sea of green and rousing applause for emergency rigs youth and church groups and high school bands The grand marshal of the parade will be announced by the mayor's office later this month Hornell Area Transit buses will be available for seven hours to get people safely and conveniently around town with four buses on the streets during the expected busy period of 4 to 7 p.m Two or three buses will be available at all other times A large group of local businesses are sponsoring the buses and riders can get where they need for no cost more than 20% of city residents trace their histories back to Irish roots 28 Broadway Mall: Open to the public with no coverage charge 245 Canisteo St.: The public is welcome and drink specials will be offered Paddy’s Pub, 66 Broadway Mall: Stop by the homey Irish pub for traditional favorites like corned beef and cabbage, Reuben sandwiches and green beer. Other drink specials available. Eclectic indie rock band St. Vith performs from 8-11 p.m 55 Center St.: Serving Reuben sandwiches starting at 1 p.m More: What time does April 8 solar eclipse peak in the Hornell area? When, where to watch 66 River St.: It’s a 14-hour holiday marathon with Biggie’s open from 11 a.m Biggie's Tex-Mex Trailer with its build your own menu and signature Reuben quesadilla Biggie's barbecue truck available until 1:30 a.m 40 Park Drive: Try a Reuben pizza from the wood-fire oven Sprinkle This Cakery, 50 Park Drive: Don't forget to pick up some St. Patrick's Day sweets. Sprinkle This gets into the spirit with boozy infused treats for age 21 and over 60 Broadway Mall: Open to the public starting at 11 a.m More: Larry Vetter named grand marshal of 35th Hornell St. Patrick's Day parade. Here's why. 15 Seneca St.: Corn beef and cabbage and Reuben specials will be featured 126 Seneca St.: Shamrock shakes during March and 75 cents off on St Visit the Hornell Partners for Growth Facebook page for more places to go Follow Neal Simon on Twitter @HornellTribNeal To get unlimited access to the latest news please subscribe or activate your digital account today in the snow-covered Ardennes forest along the western front the Germans blasted away hope for a sooner-rather-than-later Allied victory during World War II the German Army launched a massive artillery attack that pummeled the Allied troops along an 80-mile front across Belgium the Allies struggled to hold off the advancing enemy troops but the Germans were able to break through In the more than five years since I've been profiling World War II veterans I've had the privilege of interviewing dozens of men who fought this battle Every year when the anniversary of the battle rolls around as the temperatures in the desert "dip" into the high 40s at night fighting back the enemy in sub-zero temperatures in a dense was a platoon leader for the 48th Armored Infantry Battalion "We were told to try to hold it for 24 hours We ended up holding it for three days — at a severe cost but the conditions — I can't imagine worse conditions Our winter uniforms were not all that great." Leslie's battalion was sent to the front lines to fight with Patton's 3rd Army They came under attack on their way to Belgium "We were going through the field and the Germans were all around us," Leslie said The enemy blasted the men with 88 mm anti-tank shells "One of them hit our tank and exploded — and we all got out of the tank as fast as we could." soon found himself back on the battlefield and we started off to Belgium — and we got hit again." The explosion lifted the tank off the ground and slammed it back into the earth "Then I went back to headquarters and got my third tank." He was in a new position — as bow gunner — when the tank approached a crossroads and 'Whap!' we got hit again in the side where I was sitting Shrapnel was just bouncing all around inside that tank." "The driver — he lost both feet — got out ahead of me and we crawled over to the church wall." They looked down the road and saw an anti-tank gun pointing their way Two Germans wearing white (snow) uniforms started walking toward the wounded men "The tank behind us saw them coming and opened fire with a machine gun." but the tank followed up with its big guns A month after celebrating his 20th birthday said his B-26 bomb group flew into some of the fiercest fighting conditions it would face during the war "The period of combat that I especially think about during the Christmas season was participation in the Battle of the Bulge," Swenson When the German Army broke through the Allied front lines suffering heavy losses while battling in the brutal cold of winter — without air support The grounded airmen waited for more than a week when finally the weather cleared enough for the Army Air Corps to take to the skies the group was getting ready to abandon its base in Clastres "We were preparing to evacuate because the Germans were getting so close," Swenson said You could have your uniform and a toothbrush." the fog lifted we were all very excited about the fact we were going to fly this mission." "The first mission that day for the 387th Bomb Group was to take out a 344-foot bridge over the Nette River at Mayen "Thirty-six of our aircraft set out to destroy the bridge about 25 ME-109s (German fighter planes) hurtled into the Marauder formation but that day all of our fighters were involved in ground support." Five B-26s were shot down during the mission; heavy flak knocked out the lead plane "I was flying wingman off the B-26 just behind it (the lead plane)," Swenson said "All of the aircraft but one in the flight behind me were shot down and the plane behind me had one engine destroyed." the Allies and Germans had suffered an estimated 175,000 casualties the Allies emerged victorious in the Battle of the Bulge The tide of the war in Europe had turned and the Allies were on their way to victory over the Germans was left for dead during the Battle of the Bulge and is one I want to share on the occasion of this anniversary Zelazny's story originally ran on Christmas Day 2011 Lorrayne Zelazny had been married just 10 days when her husband Joe Zelazny was shipped to England to prepare for the D-Day invasion of Normandy a member of the 1278th Engineer Battalion — attached to the 1st Army — landed on Omaha Beach 23 days after the first wave of invaders came ashore on June 6 Remnants of the bloody battle were scattered everywhere Zelazny was the leader of a 32-man platoon whose duties included clearing minefields The battalion pushed into Belgium in the winter of 1944 and fought in the early days of the Battle of the Bulge We were up above Martelange— the town was quiet that night." Zelazny took a wounded lieutenant back to where he could get get medical attention a jeep driver and a communications man and headed back to join his battalion The three men were captured while other American soldiers were gunned down on the spot But Zelazny and the men soon realized their fate would be no different than the others "They put us up against a wall and shot us "a German officer turned us over and realized we were still living." and we sat there watching them kill everybody." The bullet hit Zelazny's clavicle and came out under his arm He received no medical attention while he was a POW Those who were captured and not killed were sent to Stalag XII-A in Limburg "I went into confinement for 10 days," he said "I sat in a six-foot- by-six-foot room and waited to be interviewed." On the walls were the names of other men who had occupied that same space "He wrote every day before he was captured," Lorrayne said "The letters stopped arriving four or five days before I received the telegram My mother thought it was a letter from Joe wishing me a happy anniversary." 1945 — on the one-year anniversary of their marriage Lorrayne said she felt numb when she heard those words Zelazny and other prisoners were transported by box cars to Oflag 64 in Poland That's where they remained until the Russian Army started closing in on the German Army In February 1945 more than 1,500 prisoners were ordered out of camp trudged out in the snow wearing skimpy clothing in freezing temperatures They were thankful when they found dead horses along the way Zelazny and another officer decided they'd had enough "They put us on a train and sent us to Stalag III-A "I was there until early May when the Russians liberated the camp Zelazny and other officers walked 50 miles to the American lines but it was mighty nice to get there," he said Zelazny weighed 190 pounds before his capture; 105 when he was liberated Zelazny wanted to let his wife know he was alive and well before leaving France "I sent two telegrams from Le Havre letting her know I was coming home," he said Zelazny made it back to the states before his telegrams reached her Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page Contact General Enquiries: crack@crackmagazine.net Advertising: advertising@crackmagazine.net Family CC co Ground Work Simple Things Plinth Good Measure The Christmas Steps Information Jobs Diversity Policy Privacy Policy Terms of service Cookie Notice Landmrk Data An independent platform for contemporary culture Design and build by Plinth Meakusma has long distinguished itself in the international panorama of music festivals for its community-based approach and remarkable programming spanning the more uncharted to the legendary within contemporary experimental music Following a sold-out and stacked edition in 2022 the Meakusma crew announced a temporary pause from the four-day happening in Eupen – a bucolic town in east Belgium – to “reset some organisational aspects following the festival’s growth” the Meakusma Weekender – a smaller-scale event happening for the first time in the serenity of Saint Vith – saw Meakusma’s regular attendees in full force to support the event making the most of the last days of summer At at time where many music festivals worldwide acknowledge the need to re-think their structure in order to keep afloat in the current climate the continued trust and support of their attendees is pivotal One thing that makes Meakusma unique is a steady cluster of music workers – from journalists and agents to artists to label heads – who come back every year to listen “We were concerned that our usual crowd wouldn’t come to Saint Vith” worries vanished as familiar faces gathered in front of the Kino Corso a charming small cinema hosting live performances during the afternoons and early evenings Every day unfolded with soothing ease as concerts materialised in various locations around the town: from the bricked rooms and garden of Kuckuck the elevated ceilings of the Church of Saint Vitus and the lush views from the town’s historic Büchelturm tower Compared to the density of Meakusma’s pace in Eupen and the usual difficulty in seeing some performances because of overcrowded locations allowing participants to smoothly transit from one site to another allured by a wide-ranging musical offering from folk pyschedelia and fourth-world sonic immersions to ghettotech and deep house In a weekend filled with notable performances here’s five highlights from Meakusma Weekender 2023 Welcome back to Selections, a series of artist-curated playlists from those in the know. From 80s disco anthems to underground club classics, via Massive Attack, David Bowie, and Leigh Bowery’s own crew of creative collaborators, here are ten tracks to pull you into his strange, influential world. This is Cue Points, a series where DJs get granular with current tracks in their sets, giving us the low-down on what makes them work. Sónar Lisboa’s 2025 highlights included sets from Jeff Mills, Modeselektor, Josh Caffé, Bitter Babe, DJ Firmeza b2b Nick León and more. From Blackhaine to Colin Stetson, Stian Westerhus and Erland Dahlen’s band 10¹⁷ , look back on five key performances from this year’s edition of Ancienne Belgique’s annual BRDCST festival. Penelope Trappes takes over this week’s Sunday Mix with an hour of experimental sounds curated by candlelight in the week leading up to the release of her new album, ‘A Requiem’.  ​CategoriesCategoriesEnglishCLIMATERMI confirms July 2023 was exceptionally wet and gloomy 1 August 2023 July 2023 was a particularly wet and gloomy month in Belgium the Royal Meteorological Institute (RMI) confirmed on Tuesday in its monthly climate report holds the record for most rainy days since records began but 2023 was the wettest in recent history with 21 A total of 131.1 mm of rain fell last month much higher than the July average of 76.9 mm This makes it the third wettest month in the current 30-year reference period a summer that saw major flooding in Belgium and neighbouring countries The sun shone for a total of 185 hours and 26 minutes in the Brussels municipality of Uccle compared with 203 hours and 14 minutes in an average July but the last 10 were only half as sunny as normal there were no days with completely clear skies - only the fifth time this has happened since 1981 temperatures ranged from 10.7°C on 18 July to 32.1°C on 8 July The lowest temperature was recorded on 22 July in Saint-Vith Spectators sit in the rain at the Belgian Grand Prix in Spa on 28 July 2023 © KENZO TRIBOUILLARD / AFP Copy linkGet updates in your mailboxYour email addressSubscribeBy clicking "Subscribe" I confirm I have read and agree to the Privacy Policy rapid and high-quality information 24 hours a day from Belgium and abroad to all Belgian media not to mention entertainment and lifestyle our journalists and press photographers produce hundreds of photos and news stories Since the end of March 2022 English has been added as a language businesses and various organisations that need reliable information Belga News Agency also offers a comprehensive range of corporate services to meet all their communication needs www.belganewsagency.eu It is a priority for CBC to create products that are accessible to all in Canada including people with visual Closed Captioning and Described Video is available for many CBC shows offered on CBC Gem We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. 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However, if you would like to, you can change your cookie settings at any time British Broadcasting CorporationHome World Wars in-depth History A last ditch attempt to inflict damage on the enemy Robin Cross examines Hitler's decision to go on the offensive after identifying the soft underbelly of the Allies' military - the poorly defended 80-mile front in the Ardennes As World War Two was drawing towards its close the Western Allies were infected with the over-confidence that flowed from the sweeping victories they had gained four months earlier and that had carried them to the borders of the Third Reich They were confident that the war would soon be over American General Dwight D Eisenhower was also in relaxed mood to discuss the Allied manpower shortage problem and then play a few hands of bridge had been planning his last great offensive in the west And as Bradley arrived for his game of bridge reports were beginning to filter in of enemy activity in the Ardennes heavily-forested hills and steep-sided valleys in eastern Belgium and Luxembourg Bradley dismissed the reports as nothing more than details of localised fighting The Ardennes was not destined to be a quiet sector for much longer his headquarters at Rastenburg in East Prussia Hitler had spotted an opportunity to deliver a devastating counterstroke to his enemies at a moment and a location that the Allies had not anticipated Hitler had spotted an opportunity to deliver a devastating counterstroke .. when they had settled the fate of France in one day German armies would drive through the forest of the Ardennes to cross the River Meuse then sweep north to retake Brussels and seize the port of Antwerp the British Second and Canadian First Armies would be enveloped and destroyed The Western alliance against the Axis would collapse freeing Germany to deal with the mounting pressure being exerted on the Eastern Front by the Red Army It was obvious to me that the available forces were far too small - in fact no soldier really believed that the aim of reaching Antwerp was really practicable But I knew by now that it was useless to protest to Hitler about the possibility of anything.' Even the fanatically loyal General Sepp Dietrich one of the two armies tasked with the operation 'All Hitler wants me to do is to cross a river capture Brussels and then go on and take Antwerp And all this in the worst time of the year .. Hitler resisted all attempts by von Rundstedt to reduce the operation to a more modest scale which had pushed beyond the city of Aachen to the River Roer The Führer was now seeking what the German General Staff referred to as a 'total decision' The plans were drawn up in the greatest secrecy with Hitler obsessively controlling every detail the words 'Not To Be Altered' were scrawled across them in Hitler's spidery hand Rundstedt relinquished overall control of the operation to Field Marshal Walther Model and spent the greater part of the offensive reading novels and drinking cognac Dietrich and Manteuffel fielded 28 divisions In the armoured divisions were concentrated 1,250 of the 2,600 tanks and assault guns amassed for the Ardennes offensive a formidable force assembled in the narrow mist-shrouded valleys and thick forests .. Most of the armoured divisions had been brought up to strength but there was a significant shortage of fuel Only 25 per cent of the minimum required was available when Autumn Mist was launched the greater part of it held east of the River Rhine The Germans planned to make up the shortfall with captured American fuel the Allies had received a stream of tantalising hints about the German preparations These came from decrypted German messages sent on the Enigma enciphering machine the Allies were reading some of the messages in 'real time' But they interpreted the movement detected in the area of the Ardennes merely as an indication of the through passage of German formations predictably concentrating against Allied thrusts to the north and south of the region At first there was something approaching blind panic behind the American lines Scattered bands of US infantry wandered about the wintry forests fighting the Germans when they collided with them or trying to link up with larger formations a battle group of 6th SS Panzer Army captured 125 men of a US field artillery observation battery in the town of Malmédy and some two hours later mowed them down in cold blood there was something approaching blind panic behind the American lines It took four days for the Americans to pull themselves together On the northern shoulder of the German advance US V Corps had blocked the drive by 6th SS Panzer Army from which a valley road led to the River Meuse and Belgium to find his path blocked by US 7th Armoured Division On a windswept plateau 30 miles to the southwest the vital road hub of Bastogne was also denied to 5th Panzer Army by 101st Airborne Division Manteuffel was forced to bypass Bastogne as he pressed on for the Meuse General George S Patton was ordered to swing his US 3rd Army through 90 degrees and drive north to strike at the southern flank of the 'bulge' driven into the Allied line To prevent the swelling German salient severing communications between the troops of US 12th Army Group on the northern and southern sides of the 'bulge' Eisenhower also gave Field Marshal Montgomery The American troops besieged in Bastogne held out When on 22 December the Germans offered their commander either surrender or annihilation by massed artillery St Vith had been taken by 5th Panzer Army on 23 December but two days later Manteuffel's most advanced units were fought to a halt by US 2nd Armoured Division three miles short of the Meuse They were then subjected to a merciless pounding as they came to a halt By now the mist that had masked the German concentration and initial assault had cleared and Allied fighter-bombers ranged the battlefield the mist that had masked the German concentration and initial assault had cleared .. Bastogne was relieved by US 4th Armoured Division On 29 December Major-General FW Mellenthin on his way to join 9th Panzer Division near Houffalize in the centre of the salient 'The icebound raids glittered in the sunshine and I witnessed the uninterrupted air attacks on our traffic routes and supply dumps Not a single German plane was in the air and innumerable vehicles were shot up and their blackened wrecks littered the roads.' Autumn Mist had inflicted 19,000 casualties on US 12th Army But the cost to the German Army had been 100,000 men killed or wounded and 800 tanks destroyed - losses which could not be made up Autumn Mist had merely caused a hiccup in the Allied preparations to break into Germany while denying desperately needed reinforcements to the German Army on the Eastern Front A Soldier's Story by Omar N Bradley (Henry Holt Crusade in Europe by Dwight D Eisenhower (Doubleday The Other Side of the Hill by Basil Liddell Hart (Cassell Company Commander by Charles B MacDonald (Infantry Journal Press The Battle of the Bulge by Charles B MacDonald (Weidenfeld and Nicholson Panzer Battles by General FW Mellenthin (Futura War As I Knew It by George S Patton (Houghton Miflin Massacre at Malmédy by Charles Whiting (Stein and Day Robin Cross has written many books about World War Two including Citadel: The Battle of Kursk (1993) and Fallen Eagle (1995) He wrote the best-selling VE-Day Victory In Europe 1945 (1985) and collaborated with Dame Vera Lynn on the best-seller We'll Meet Again (1989) He is currently writing about the Eastern Front for a major new history of the war You're using the Internet Explorer 6 browser to view the BBC website. Our site will work much better if you change to a more modern browser. It's free, quick and easy. Find out more about upgrading your browser here… BBC © 2014 The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read more. This page is best viewed in an up-to-date web browser with style sheets (CSS) enabled While you will be able to view the content of this page in your current browser you will not be able to get the full visual experience Please consider upgrading your browser software or enabling style sheets (CSS) if you are able to do so Winner of the closing round of the World Rally Championship 2022 in Japan decided to get behind the wheel one last time this year he will in fact be at the start of the Spa Rally 2022 and moreover at the wheel of a spectacular BMW M3 E30 Gr.A!  At the base of this unexpected participation and which no doubt will delight all the fans it was the will of LifeLive to promote its new rally car rental department The company based at Saint-Vith has acquired two BMW M3 E30 Gr.A emanating from the workshops of the Dutch ‘sorcerer’ Mats van den Brand with the aim of offering a quality service according to the clients’ demands in 2023 And who better than Thierry Neuville in person to promote these new activities offered by LifeLive “The entire LifeLive team grew up alongside Thierry participating with him in several rallies in Belgium LifeLive Team-Manager explained. Today we are ready to put forward our competences in this field and it’s in Spa that we wish to prove our know-how they can but be delighted with the confirmation of Thierry Neuville’s participation. “We are obviously delighted to be able to count on Thierry’s presence in the name of DG Sport commented. Further surprises will be revealed shortly but let us wager that the fans will be more than over the moon with Thierry’s appearance in Belgium …” Entertainment will undoubtedly be in full swing in the heart of Spa assistances and everything that creates a rally atmosphere will be back in the city centre for this 2022 edition during the weekend of 3rd and 4thDecember.  A quick reminder moreover that the closure of the registrations is set to be Monday 21st November at 12.00hrs there is still some time … but nevertheless not much time to confirm their entry and be able to join Thierry Neuville and all the others at the start of the Spa Rally 2022… Cookies are absolutely necessary for the proper functioning of the website This category only includes cookies that ensure the basic functionality and security functions of the website These cookies do not store any personal information Cookies that are not particularly necessary for the functioning of the website and that are used specifically to collect the user’s personal data through analyses advertisements or other embedded content are called unnecessary cookies It is mandatory to obtain the user’s consent before placing these cookies on your website Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, (updated 8/1/2024) and acknowledgement of our Privacy Policy, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (updated 1/1/2025) © 2025 Advance Local Media LLC. All rights reserved (About Us) The material on this site may not be reproduced except with the prior written permission of Advance Local Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site YouTube's privacy policy is available here and YouTube's terms of service is available here Ad Choices The Battlefield 2042 Battle of the Bulge Easter Egg is not easy to complete Battlefield has a secret reward hidden for fans to collect Players can complete the new Easter Egg only on the map Battle of the Bulge in the Circle of Hell playlist they will earn a new Player Card Background but more on that later Read below to find out how you can complete the Battlefield 2042 Battle of the Bulge Easter Egg To complete the Battlefield 2042 Battle of the Bulge map Easter Egg you must perform three takedowns inside any circle of fire on the Battle of the Bulge map these fire circles are small and it is not always guaranteed that you'll be able to perform a takedown in those areas here's a simple strategy to complete the Battlefield 2042 Battle of the Bulge map Easter Egg easily: the Easter Egg will be complete and you will earn the secret reward Also read: Battlefield 2042 Circle of Hell: All rewards, duration, and more After completing the Battlefield 2042 Battle of the Bulge Easter Egg you'll earn the Sacrifice Player Card Background It shows a toy penguin sitting on top of a fallen soldier as a fire rages around them It certainly fits the Halloween theme and is a must-have for all players Read more: Next Battlefield might pose a threat to Call of Duty, and it's not what you think That covers everything that you need to know about completing the Battlefield 2042 Battle of the Bulge Easter Egg in the Circle of Hell event Do note that this event is a limited-time one in the game and will be concluding on November 26 For the latest Battlefield 2042 news and guides Are you stuck on today's Wordle? Our Wordle Solver will help you find the answer Your perspective matters!Start the conversation It is possible to see the best of their cities within three or four days A list of cities in Belgium is important for developing a travel plan Belgium is both a cosmopolitan and a provincial state It's one of the best places to learn about world history because the World War I was fought on there The country has a well-connected international airport making it possible for people to reach all the corners of the country from the capital within two hours the best way to get around the country is by train Our article will provide you with the list of states and cities in Belgium to help you develop a good travel plan Read also The name Belgium was derived from the Belgae tribes that resided in the northern part of a place known as Gaul around the third century BC the territories that currently form Belgium were part of the Roman empire The control and influence of the Roman empire over the territories decreased over the centuries The effect was that the lands were left isolated and the inadequate protection was an opportunity for the French and English to take control over the region the states were divided into small feudal states The famous counties that emerged included Duchies of Limburg and Brabant Flanders and Hainaut and the Prince-Bishopric of Liege which are the current provinces In Belgium, provinces are used for the state field. There are ten provinces in Belgium. The list below shows the provinces of Belgium ranked according to population size: Read also 15 of the most famous explorers of all time and what they did Below is a list of towns in Belgium and their provinces ranked according to population size. Read also Places to hang out in Accra: 15 of the coolest hang out spots in Ghana's capital Brussels is the capital city of Belgium. The capital city is the largest among the 19 municipalities within the Brussels-Capital area. The city acts as an administrative centre of the European Union. Consequently, the city has a population of 176,545 people and the total area covered by the city is 12.59 square miles. Brussels is home to important national offices and buildings such as the royal palace used by the king to carry out his responsibilities as the head of the government, the Prime Minister’s office, where the council of ministers often meet to discuss matters of the state and the Palace of the country that houses the Federal parliament. Also, the court of cassation, the council of the State, and the National Bank of Belgium are located there. READ ALSO: List of cities in Austria, size and population Read also What are some of the ancient towns in Ghana and their regions specifically on the southern part of the city's central hub visitors will enjoy the neo-gothic style surrounded by the Provincial Court Other places that you should visit are the impressive Saint John’s Hospital and the spectacular Gruuthuse Mansion the city of Ghent was considered the most powerful and the richest city in Europe This is evidenced by the imposing architecture of houses and churches in the area Ardennes is a right place for camping and hiking you should visit the rugged hills of Ardennes to see the tight forests The places also have friendly villages and castles The City is a good place to explore the Ardennes because of the fine sights Belgium is a place which many people dream of visiting medieval rooftops and even more indulgent chocolates The above list of cities in Belgium will help you develop a travel plan Every town in Belgium has something for you to enjoy during your trip to Belgium