Fondation Pescatore: General Patton’s HQ

Late November 1944: Luxembourg had just given up its neutrality and instituted military conscription service, when three weeks later the ‘Bulge’ hit, and the German forces were again invading the Luxembourg Ardennes and the east of the Grand-Duchy. 

As General Patton repositioned his entire Third Army from the Metz and Saar regions by 20 December 1944, for counter-attacking north in the Ardennes, he needed a suitable Headquarters close enough to the front lines to direct the operations. His advance staff found the ’Pescatore Foundation‘ building in Luxembourg, large enough to accommodate Third Army’s Headquarters. 

General Patton moved in on 21 December 1944. As a high level of security was needed, the newly-created small Luxembourg army provided (together with American constabulary units) the bulk of security and guard duties. About 200 men of the ‘Grand-Ducal Guards’ under the orders of Lieutenant Aloyse Schiltz, former member of the Free French cadets and paratrooper agent, worked shifts and ensured the perimeter security of ‘Lucky TAC‘ until March 1945. 

When Third Army HQ were transferred on 27 March 1945 from Luxembourg to Germany, General Patton thanked Lieutenant. Schiltz for his unit’s important contribution and services by presenting him with a chrome-plated M1 carbine in a special presentation case. This  is now on display at the Diekirch National Museum of Military History. There were no security incidents during the presence of Third Army’s headquarters in Luxembourg.