How the GIs exported Thanksgiving

the 75th anniversary Thanksgiving commemoration

In September of 1944 American forces liberated Luxembourg, which had been occupied by the Germans for nearly four years. The country quickly became a destination for troops awaiting the arrival of replacements for their depleted units and those in need of a break from combat.

The local population was filled with gratitude, inviting soldiers into their homes, offering food and drink, and trading services like sewing and laundry for “C” rations. Those rations - corned beef, hash, cereal - made their way on to locals’ tables.

When late November rolled around the GIs were greeted with the news that the Army was planning to provide a traditional turkey dinner to front line troops. Villagers watched in awe as trucks rolled in laden with frozen or live turkeys, potato flakes, cranberry jelly and other fixings.

Throughout the area where Luxembourg bordered Germany, field kitchens and mess halls came alive with the smell of frying turkey. The GIs had their dinners piled high in mess kits and feasted in barns, village squares, and pretty much anywhere they could find a good seat. For their part the locals supplied a strong drink distilled from plums.

Unfortunately within a few weeks the German counter-offensive known as the “Battle of the Bulge” broke out and that area of Luxembourg was particularly badly hit. But after the war was over Thanksgiving managed to stay on the local calendar as a remembrance of that day in 1944. (With geese typically substituting for turkeys.)

In the 1970s frozen turkeys could be found on supermarket shelves which helped keep the tradition alive. In 2004 there was a 60th Anniversary commemoration which “re-enacted” Thanksgiving of 1944 which included American veterans who had been there on that day. More recently they held the 75th anniversary commemoration (see picture).

The story of Thanksgiving in Luxembourg is a good reminder of the spirit of the holiday and the strong bonds that can develop when breaking bread together.