I’m at the penultimate stop on this tour — the Belgian Cemetery of Houthulst. This cemetery contains the remains of Belgian soldiers from the great push in September 1918. The war had at most six weeks left, but no one knew that. The Germans had launched a major offensive in the summer of 1918 closing to within 30 miles of Paris. About this time the Americans arrived to strengthen the defenses and to begin an offensive push. The result was the German army began to retreat. The woods around this cemetery, about five miles from the Ijzer River and the front, was where the Germans had set their artillery as well as the Long Max, a railroad based huge gun that could fire missiles up to 40 miles. This area was one of the key objectives of the allied offensive in the north in order to silence the guns. That goal was achieved in early October 1918 by the Belgian Army under the direction of the French. Almost 1900 soldiers from that battle
are buried here.

Also buried here, at the back of the cemetery forming a backdrop, are 81
Italian soldiers who, as prisoners of war, died in a German labor camps in
the region.

It has stopped raining! On to the last stop — an old windmill, the Van
Couillie Mill.

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