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Full Day Tour of the British Battlefields and beaches |
Normal Itinerary
I usually commence at your hotel or B&B in Bayeux (or nearby) at 8.30am or 9.00am as you prefer and we will return around 5.30/6.00pm. In the morning we will concentrate on the Sword beach sector, the most heavily defended area of the Overlord Operation because of its links to the logistical and industrial hub of Caen, a city which is as important to the Germans as it is to the Allies.
After lunch we will visit the Gold beach sector which will be landed by the 50th Division of the British army on June 6th and is the sector where the Allied engineers will build one of the two Mulberry harbours put into operation
I usually commence at your hotel or B&B in Bayeux (or nearby) at 8.30am or 9.00am as you prefer and we will return around 5.30/6.00pm. In the morning we will concentrate on the Sword beach sector, the most heavily defended area of the Overlord Operation because of its links to the logistical and industrial hub of Caen, a city which is as important to the Germans as it is to the Allies.
After lunch we will visit the Gold beach sector which will be landed by the 50th Division of the British army on June 6th and is the sector where the Allied engineers will build one of the two Mulberry harbours put into operation
Pegasus Bridge
Ranville
Le Grand Bunker
Longues sur Mer
Arromanches les Bains
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Pegasus Bridge
The most audacious raid of Operation Overlord. Part of the mission for the 6th Airborne Division on the night of June 5/6th was the capture of 2 bridges over the crucial waterways, the Benouville bridge (later called Pegasus) on the Caen canal and half a mile to the East the Orne River bridge near the village of Ranville. The Coup de main is to be carried out by Major Howard and 180 men of the Ox & Bucks regiment. Their objective was to land in 6 horsa gliders shortly after midnight and capture intact those two bridges to prevent any German counter attacks from reaching "Sword beach" 6 miles to the North, where the 3rd Division of the British Army was due to land at 7.30 on the morning of June 6th. They were to hold these bridges until relieved - which is one of the most famous scenes in the movie - THE LONGEST DAY (filmed on location in Normandy in 1961). Ranville War Cemetery Less than a mile from Pegasus bridge is Ranville one of 18 Commonwealth War Cemeteries in Normandy and the first village liberated in France. The cemetery is the final resting place for 2564 soldiers, many of them belonging to the airborne forces who lost their lives in the first days of Operation Overlord and were buried by local people. Le Grand Bunker A German Observation post controlling the co-ordinates for the German guns within the sword beach sector and the incredible story of its' liberation and the capture of 50 German prisoners by 3 British soldiers. This concrete structure over several floors is one of the best preserved German positions in France. Hermanville sur Mer The site of the first British landing on sword Beach by the East Yorkshire and South Lancashire Regiments. History was surely made here! Mont Fleury The story of Stanley Hollis (Green Howards), the only man to be awarded the highest Commonwealth award for bravery, The Victoria Cross, on D-Day June 6th Arromanches Les Bains The site of Mulberry B - the amazing artificial harbour - one of Winston Churchill's ideas, where you will be able to see its' remains, truly one of the greatest feats of British engineering of the 20th Century. There are many other artifacts of war situated around the town. German Battery - Longues sur Mer Part of the Atlantic Wall, this is the battery most preserved in Normandy with the original 152mm guns manufactured by the Skoda Company in the Czech Republic. the guns are still in situ located on top of the cliffs between Omaha and Gold sectors, the battery was a threat on D-Day for both sectors and the Allied naval fleet. The site was liberated on the June 7th by 2nd Battalion Devonshire Regiment part of the British 50th Division. This itinerary is only a suggestion. Other locations can be included. If you have any questions please contact me. This full day tour costs 580 Euros (Total) for 1 to 7 people Tour Prices from other locations: Le Havre or Cherbourg - 900 Euros (Total) for 1 to 7 people Honfleur - 850 Euros (Total) for 1 to 7 people Caen - 620 Euros (Total) for 1 to 7 people |