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July 20-31, 2025
July 20-31, 2025
Day 1/ July 20, Sunday
Depart DTW for CDG
Day 2/ July 21, Monday
Arrive at CDG airport in Paris. Our coach will take us on a tour of Paris prior to arriving at our hotel. Welcome dinner at the hotel.
Day 3/ July 22, Tuesday
Early morning departure for Normandy, a 2-3 hour drive.
Visit Pegasus Bridge, the location of the British Glider assault, led by Major John Howard of Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry (the “Ox & Bucks"), during the early morning of June 6, 1944. Their mission was to land by surprise in Horsa gliders and secure two critical bridges between Bénouville and Ranville over the Orne River and Caen Canal. Tour the battleground and the museum.
Visit Arromanches, the location of Mulberry floating pier and artificial harbor. Lunch is provided by tour.
We then travel to see the German gun emplacement (the only ones with the guns still in place) and bunkers at Longues-sur-Mer.
We then travel to nearby Bayeux and check into our Normandy hotel. Group dinner at our hotel in Bayeux.
Day 4/ July 23, Wednesday
Begin with a walking tour of Ste. Mere Eglise. Visit inside the church and view the stunning stained glass windows honoring the U.S. paratroopers. Your historian will recount the events that occurred during 82nd Airborne’s drop on the morning of June 6, 1944.
Visit the Airborne Museum, which honors the operations of both the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions.
Lunch on your own in Ste. Mere Eglise.
Travel to La Fiere along the Merderet River, the scene of the desperate and legendary fight by the 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment (PIR), along with other elements of the 82nd Airborne to capture the causeway and bridge at the Merderet River to keep the Germans from advancing to the beachheads and also provide a strategic foothold for the soldiers coming in off the beaches to move southward across the Contentin Penninsula. The nearby statue of “Iron Mike” honors the men of the 82nd Airborne and, down the road, a statue honors Charles DeGlopper, the only paratrooper of the 82nd Airborne to earn the Medal of Honor in the Normandy campaign. Across from Iron Mike, we’ll enjoy the brief reception at La Fiere Manor, a B&B located on the site of the battle.
Afterward, we’ll visit the impressive memorial to the 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment, take a brief walking tour of Amfreville, and visit Timmes Orchard, where elements of the 507th Parachute Infantry made their heroic stand against repeated attacks during the battle of La Fiere. In nearby Picauville, we’ll visit an interesting memorial remembering the 5 C-47 transport planes shot down on D-Day.
Dinner on your own in Bayeux with plenty of options from which to choose.
Day 5/ July 24, Thursday
The day begins with a visit to Pointe du Hoc, situated on the far western end of Omaha Beach. This fortified German artillery position threatened the American landings and was assaulted by elements of the 2nd Ranger Battalion, led by Col. James Rudder, by scaling the 100ft. sheer cliffs.
We then depart for Utah Beach and explore the 4th Infantry Division’s landing beach and the German bunkers and gun nests down around Causeway #3. We then move to Causeway #2 and visit the many memorials erected in the vicinity. We then make a visit to the Utah Beach Museum. Lunch on your own at the Roosevelt Cafe across the road.
Moving inland from Utah Beach, we’ll pause at the Richard Winters Leadership Memorial. This memorial recognizes all units that participated in D-Day, particularly the junior leadership that saved the day on so many occasions during the initial landings.
Afterwards, we’ll visit Brecourt Manor and walk the ground where 1 st Lt. Winters and members of Company E, 506th PIR, knocked out a German artillery battery firing on Utah Beach. We’ll then stop briefly at nearby Ste. Marie du Mont. This town was a primary objective of the 101st Airborne on D-Day.
In the tiny hamlet of Angoville au Plain, we’ll go inside the 11 th century church, which served as an aid station where two medics from the 501st Parachute Infantry, Robert Wright and Kenneth Moore, treated over 80 wounded from both sides plus one Norman child. Blood stains of the wounded soldiers are still visible on the pews. Dinner with the group at the hotel.
Day 6/ July 25, Friday
The day will begin with a visit to Vierville sur Mere and the Western sector of Omaha Beach. We’ll continue to the Normandy American Cemetery to honor our soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice in the fight to liberate Western Europe. The group will visit specific gravesites and learn about the lives of several of these soldiers. There will be time to descend to walk along the Easy Red sector of Omaha Beach, where elements of the 1st Infantry Division came ashore on D-Day. The tour provides lunch at the Big Red One Museum.
Departing from Normandy, our travels will lead us northeast toward Belgium and Holland. Stops will be made periodically to stretch our legs. Driving time from Colleville-sur-mere to Eindhoven is 6 hours, 15 minutes/ 639 km.
We arrive at our hotel in Eindhoven, the Netherlands. Dinner with the group.
Day 7/ July 26, Saturday
The day will begin with a leisurely walking tour of the city of Eindhoven, stopping at locations where the 101st Airborne entered the city and liberated it on September 18, 1944, including several bridgeheads the 101 st Airborne were tasked to seize.
Lunch on your own in Eindhoven.
In the afternoon, we’ll visit the drop zones and battlegrounds of the 501st PIR, located around Veghel and Eerde. The stops will include the windmill at Eerde and Heeswijk Castle.
We then return to Eindhoven for dinner on your own, with plenty of restaurants from which to choose.
Day 8/ July 27, Sunday
Today is devoted to the drop zones and battlegrounds of the 82nd Airborne Division. Heading north, our first stop is near the village of Grave and the bridge over the Maas River, now called the John Thompson Bridge in honor of the lieutenant who was principally responsible for its capture. This bridge was the longest span bridge in Europe and a significant objective of the 82nd Airborne. The capture of the bridge became the mission of the 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment. Landing on a nearby drop zone, the 2nd Bn., 504 th PIR, seized the bridge intact from both ends.
We’ll then travel over the Maas-Waal canal to Groesbeek and the Freedom Museum. This museum was dedicated by Gen. James Gavin, former commander of the 82nd Airborne, in 1984 and tells the story of the German occupation and the liberation by the Allies during Operation Market Garden.
Boxed lunches are provided by the hotel and picked up in the morning before the group departs. Lunches can be eaten in the Liberation Museum café as long as refreshments and desserts are purchased. We then travel to the city of Nijmegen and visit the site of the 504’s crossing of the Waal River. The Waal Crossing Memorial stands on the north shore of the river and marks the location where elements of the 504th and Company C, 307th Airborne Engineer Battalion, landed in small canvas boats. This assault, in conjunction with the 505th, made the capture of the two bridges at Nijmegen possible.
Continuing north, we’ll visit the headquarters of the 2nd Battalion, 506th PIR, known as Schooderlogt. This is the site of the iconic photograph of Major Dick Winters, taken during the Holland Campaign. We’ll visit a place known as “The Crossing”. This location was the subject of an episode in Band of Brothers, where a platoon from Easy Company, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, surprised and routed two companies of SS troops in October 1944.
Dinner on your own in Eindhoven.
Day 9/ July 28, Monday
Departing Eindhoven, we head south to visit the Netherlands American Cemetery at Margraten, the final resting place for many who were killed during Operation Market Garden. We’ll pause at several specific graves to learn about those who fought here in September 1944. Depart from Eindhoven at 0800 for Margraten (95.1 km/1 hour), arrive at 0900. Depart from Margraten at 1030 for Malmedy (50 minutes/60 km), arrive at 1130.
We then travel to Belgium. Just outside of the village of Malmedy on December 17, 1944, SS troops surprised a lightly armed American unit and shot 84 unarmed prisoners in a nearby field. The incident became known as the infamous “Malmedy Massacre.” We’ll visit the site where the massacre took place and its memorial at the crossroads. We’ll have lunch at 1230 in Malmedy, Au Petit Chef, a restaurant in Malmedy. Group lunch provided by the tour.
After lunch (1330), we visit the German defensive line built on its western frontier called the Siegfried Line. The characteristic “Dragons Teeth,” anti-tank barriers, can still be seen near Grosskampenburg, and we’ll take a look. Depart from Malmedy at 1500 for Grosskampenberg, Germany (35 minutes/45 km), arrive at 1540.
We will depart from Grosskampenberg for Bastogne at 1700 ( 60 minutes/ 56 km).
Arrive and check into the hotel at 1800.
Dinner on your own in Bastogne.
Day 10/ July 29, Tuesday
This day will be dedicated to exploring the historical sites around Bastogne and will begin with a visit to the Bastogne Museum, which opens at 0930. The museum will provide a good background of the Battle of the Bulge, especially what happened at Bastogne. Mardasson Memorial, the official United States Memorial for the Battle of the Bulge, is within walking distance of the Bastogne Museum. The several-story high memorial was dedicated on July 16, 1950. This memorial honors every U.S. State and unit participating in the Ardennes Campaign. We’ll visit this impressive memorial.
After we visit the Bastogne Museum, we’ll see the Bastogne War Rooms in the Bastogne Barracks. During the siege, the barracks were the headquarters for 101st Airborne Acting Commander Brigadier General Anthony McAuliffe. We’ll visit the room where he wrote his famous “Nuts” response to the German demand for surrender. The group will then take a walking tour to see the gravesites of Renee Lemaire and Augusta Chiwy, the two nurses who cared for the wounded soldiers. We then continue with a walking tour of the much-contested village of Foy. A few buildings remain and are recognizable, with bullet damage to their façade still visible.
A short ride will take us to the nearby Bois Jacques (Jack’s Woods), occupied mainly by the 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, and overlooking Foy. Here, we’ll walk among the fighting positions that are still visible. A short distance away is a memorial to Company E, 506th, who occupied positions in the Bois Jacques.
Lunch on your own at the Bastogne War Museum.
Returning to our hotel, an opportunity will be provided to explore Bastogne and shop or visit other historical sites and museums.
Dinner on your own, with many restaurants in and around McAuliffe Square.
Day 11/ July 30, Wednesday
Departing Bastogne at 0800, our destination will be the Luxembourg American Cemetery, located just outside of Luxembourg City. Buried here are many of the casualties from the Battle of the Bulge, as well as General George Patton. The German military cemetery at Sandweiler is not far away, which is worth visiting if time permits.
Driving distance to Luxembourg American Cemetery is 55 minutes, 94 km. Stop around one hour. Arrive at 0900, stop 1.5 hours. Depart at 1030.
Departing the Luxembourg American Cemetery, we’ll be heading toward Reims, France, with a stop at Verdun for lunch on your own. Depart for Reims at 1300. In Reims, we’ll visit the Museum of the Surrender (Musee de la Reddition), the site of the unconditional surrender of the German forces, ending World War II. We’ll arrive about 1420. We’ll stop for about two hours and depart at 1630 for Paris. The driving distance to Paris is about one hour, 35 minutes, 133 km. Arrive about 1800.
Farewell Dinner at hotel TBD
Day 12/ July 31, Thursday
Departure for CDG Airport, prepare for return flight to Detroit (DTW).
Itinerary may change.
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