Normandy Tours.
All of my Normandy tours are accompanied by their own personalised itinerary, an individual guide book. All my itineraries and routes are designed so that you will see as much as possible of interest to you. More details and prices are available upon request. If you are looking for something different, please do contact me.
Whilst visiting Normandy battlefields is my main work, clearly it's not everyone’s glass of Calvados or cup of coffee. If you require a souvenir, a snack or shopping this can be sandwiched into the schedule. You could even cram in a croissant!
Whichever Normandy tour you choose, you will find it a worthwhile experience. Just sit back, relax and enjoy the tour!
Here is a sample listing of some of my current Normandy battlefield and history tours. I am constantly researching and uncovering new stories for these tours and keeping up to date with recent discoveries. More tours are being added all of the time. If you fancy something different to what is listed below ....please ask!
Bloody Omaha
We start the
day at Les Cambres German Cemetery, the last resting place of over 21300
soldiers killed in the battle of Normandy. We take the opportunity to explore Gary
Stearne’s excavations at the Maisy Battery. Since 2004, Gary and his son Dan, have been
gradually unearthing a rather
intriguing story.
We travel to the famous Pointe-du-Hoc. Here we will hear the amazing story of Colonel Rudder and US 2nd Rangers; their assault on the battery and their eventual destruction of the guns. There will be opportunity to enter several of the bunkers and gun emplacements.
OMAHA beach. There are so so many sad stories of sacrifice associated with this the most difficult of landings on D-Day. We shall examine the beach and its defences and how they were overcome by small actions. We will look at the landings of the US 29th Division and their battle off the beach at Vierville Draw and Les Moulins. We learn of the bloody sacrifice of one 'Blue Ridge Mountain' community. We explore the German Strong-point WN62, where we hear of the human cost of the battle from both sides. We then visit the American War Cemetery at Colleville-Sur-Mer. Here some 9387 US service personnel are buried. Our visit concludes with the daily flag lowering ceremony.
Operation Perch & Villers-Bocage
This tour explores the British battles which formed part of Operation Perch during the week 7-14 June 1944.
We visit the battlefields south of Bayeux and the road to Tilly-Sur-Seulles. We take look at the legendary tank action at Lingevres, where 5 tanks were damaged or destroyed by 5 shots from a single Sherman tank.
We pursue the British 7th Armoured Division 'The Desert Rats' who encountered a 'Tiger' on the loose in and around Villers-Bocage, with catastrophic consequences.
Dieppe 1942 Operation Jubilee
To commemorate the 75th Anniversary of the 1942 Dieppe raid I put together a rather special, single day tour. We consider the Canadian, British Commando, US Rangers and covert operations which took place on all five beaches in and around Dieppe on 19th August 1942.
We look at both the successes and the failures of this mission and the lessons we should have learnt from it.
This can be a single-day tour or a weekend, depending upon your travel requirements.
The Suffolk Regiment in Normandy. - 2-day tour.
The Suffolk Regiment in Normandy. - 2-day tour.
Canadian Battlefield Tour 2018
The first part of our tour follows the Queen’s Own Rifles of Canada from their landing on Nan White beach, Bernieres-sur-Mer, to their costly battle at Carpiquet Airfield. At Beny-Sur-Mer Canadian War Cemetery we stop and examine some of their soldier’s stories.
The Longest Day - Long weeked or mid week break
This is a short general interest tour which is ideal for a long weekend or mid-week break. It is designed to fit around your ferry crossings. In just two full-days touring we visit many of the key D-Day sites.
We take a look at: Pegasus Bridge and the action of the 6th Airborne. The Hillman and Morris Bunker complexes. Le Grand Bunker at Ouistreham and Sword beach. Bayeux and Arromanches artificial harbour. Omaha beach and American Cemetery. Pointe-du-Hoc and The exciting excavations at Maisy Battery. Sainte-Mere-Eglise and Utah Beach.
Operation Totalize - 1-day tour.
At the conclusion of the Normandy campaign in August 1944, the battered remains of the German armies were trapped in the 'Falaise Pocket' and desperately trying to escape. We look at the Polish struggle for survival against the odds on Montormel. We visit Chambois,Trun, Falaise, Ecouche and Lambert-Sur-Dives.
Operation COBRA - 1 day tour.
We follow the US First Army in this decisive
armoured action. Starting with
the massive carpet bombing between St Lo and Periers, we chase South, hot
on the heels of the US armored divisions. Making for Marigny,
continuing on to Coutances, pausing at Pont-de- la-Roque, and reaching
into the Roncey pocket. Advancing on to Avranches in the
afternoon before breaking out into Brittany at Pontaulbault...
We follow the US First Army in this decisive
armoured action. Starting with
the massive carpet bombing between St Lo and Periers, we chase South, hot
on the heels of the US armored divisions. Making for Marigny,
continuing on to Coutances, pausing at Pont-de- la-Roque, and reaching
into the Roncey pocket. Advancing on to Avranches in the
afternoon before breaking out into Brittany at Pontaulbault...
The Roncey Pocket July 1944
Advance to Avranches - Battle of Mortain. 1-day tour.
Advance to Avranches - Battle of Mortain. 1-day tour.
‘One of the most significant small unit actions of the Second World War’. Eisenhower.
This tour examines the failed German counter-attack of August 1944. It was Hitler's last throw of the dice in Normandy. An all out German armoured counter-attack, aimed at stopping the American advance at Avranches. A story of the 30th U.S. Army division's desperate struggle at Mortain, holding back the 1st and 2nd SS Panzer divisions. It was also a relatively unknown success story for the RAF Typhoon squadrons.
Black Swans - The 1st Polish Armoured Division - 1-day tour.
Black Swans - The 1st Polish Armoured Division - 1-day tour.
This one day tour follows the tragedies and triumphs of the
1st Polish Armoured Division, as they fight in the final phase of
the Battle of Normandy.
We trace the tank tracks through operations Totalize and Tractable; chasing the German army into the ‘Corridor of Death’, capturing Chambois and closing the Falaise pocket. Finally, we follow the Polish in their ferocious fighting for freedom in a desperate battle at Mont Ormel.
Breaking Through the Bocage
- Operation Bluecoat -
Breaking Through the Bocage
- Operation Bluecoat -
The Normandy in a Nutshell. - 4-day tour.
The Normandy in a Nutshell. - 4-day tour.
This is a chronological tour exploring Battle of Normandy in the British Sector.
We start by looking at 'Hitler's Atlantic wall' on Sword Beach. We visit Le Grand Bunker, Pegasus Bridge and Café Gondree. Ranville cemetery and the headquaters bunker Hillman and Morris gun battery.
We retrace the tracks of the troops inland in the British sector. Starting with the Mulberry Harbour at Arromanches and the gun battery at Longues-Sur-Mer. We visit the Bayeux Commowealth War graves Cemetery and learn of some of the stories of those buried there. We look at the Wessex division's battle in Operation Jupiter - Hill 112. We finish the day with a Victoria Cross action by crossing the Orne river at Grimbosq.
Operation Bluecoat- A very large British operation involving the 3rd Infantry division and the 27th Armored brigade. We follow their painful progress from Caumont to Vire.
On the Final day we follow the British/Canadian/Polish forces attempts to breakthrough to Falaise, in August 1944. We examine operations Totalize and Tractable. Finally we look at the closing of the Falaise pocket at Trun and Chambois, and the capture of the remaining German forces in Normandy.
Longues-Sur-Mer Battery
