Muse des Chasseurs a Pied: Charleroi Belgium

This is a military museum in Charleroi Belgium (Av du Général Michel 1/B, 6000 Charleroi, Belgium). Translated the museum name is The Museum of Foot Hunters. Charleroi is a city that the 75th infantry used as a Command post at the start of February 1945. It is possible 1st Lieutenant Arthur Thorspecken could have reported to this city to join the C-Company troops heading to the Netherlands.

The U.S. 75th Infantry Division was in the Charleroi area of Belgium in February 1945, after operations in the Colmar Pocket and during their advance into the Netherlands. Soldiers received showers and clean clothes there before resuming their journey to engage in fighting along the Maas River in the Netherlands. This period served as a valuable pause, allowing the troops to rest and refresh after intense fighting. The stop in Charleroi was a transition point, where soldiers were equipped and organized before advancing to the next phase of operations. It would be an ideal time for 1st Lieutenant Arthur Thorspecken to join the troops as a replacement.

The Museum of Foot Hunters is located in the barracks of Corporal Trésignies in Charleroi, a Belgian hero of the First World War who was a militiaman of the 2nd Regiment of Foot Hunters, killed during an offensive against-the Belgian army at Burned Bridge in Vilvoorde Belgium.

Unfortunately this museum was closed when I got to it. My research showed that there were some sections of the museum devoted to WWII history. High school students were running around the block the whole time I was sketching. Some of the girls stopped running and formed a conversational clutch walking at a brisk walking at a brisk pace. A repairman parked his repair truck right in front of me, so I only focused on the half of the scene that I could see. Luckily my sketch outlasted his repair work and I filled in the areas his truck had been blocking.

It seems amazing that a corporal would have such a luxurious villa in the city center. So did 1st Lieutenant Arthur Thorspecken walk past this building? It is possible, since the building certainly pre-dates 1945.