Tracking the 137th Signal Radio Intelligence Company

Way back when this trip was a might-happen-someday dream, Bill and I got a copy of the history of our grandfather's WWII unit, the 137th Signal Radio Intelligence Company, from him. One of the members of the unit, Mr. Ed Ioanes, had written the two-volume history. Being a history buff, I found it interesting even before we decided to go on the trip; you can find a summary version of it here.

Once we started planning our actual trip, the unit history was invaluable. We were able to roughly map the path the unit had taken through continental Europe then sit down to figure out what we could cover in 9 days (not much!).

We talked to our grandfather during our visits and looked at his scrapbook from that time to work out what places and sights really stuck out to him, so we could focus on those. We also decided we would try to cover some important historical sites and museums on the way. But there was this feeling that we were probably going to miss some interesting buildings, or wander around aimlessly with the camcorder recording everything in sight (especially after a tasty beer).

And then, ta-da! I was able to get in touch with Mr. Ioanes by e-mail. He sent me a long, incredibly helpful and detailed message with suggestions including some specific buildings that may be of interest in various towns. Very cool.

So our itinerary is filling in... we have a car reserved (not a SmartCar, boo!), one more hotel booked (the Art Hotel in Aachen), and Bill's French is coming along nicely. Okay maybe not so much the last part.