D-Day Landings 85th Anniversary Tour

Breakfast.

Today we follow the path of the American soldiers who stormed Omaha Beach on D-Day—from the Rangers' daring cliff assault at Pointe du Hoc, through the deadly beach sectors at Vierville and Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer, to the cemetery overlooking the battlefield.

Pointe du Hoc, the spectacular cliff-top position between Omaha and Utah Beaches where before dawn on D-Day, the 2nd Ranger Battalion scaled 100-foot cliffs under enemy fire to destroy German artillery believed capable of threatening both landing beaches.

Although the guns had been moved before the invasion, Rangers located and disabled them inland before successfully defending the position against German counterattacks. Walk through an extraordinary landscape of bomb craters, bunkers, and observation posts that remains largely unchanged since 1944. The Ranger Memorial and enjoy the panoramic views over the English Channel.

Omaha beach and the Vierville Draw, which was one of the key routes off the beach. German defenses overlooking the draw inflicted devastating casualties on the first assault waves. Despite the chaos, small groups of soldiers gradually fought their way up the bluffs, outflanking defensive positions and opening routes inland.

Standing on the beach today provides a powerful appreciation of the challenges faced by the men landing under intense machine-gun, mortar, and artillery fire.

Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer Draw, one of the most fiercely contested sectors of Omaha Beach. This area was attacked by units of both the 1st and 29th Infantry Divisions. The draw offered a direct route inland but was heavily defended by German strongpoints commanding the beach. Many of the most intense fighting of the morning occurred here as American troops sought to break through the coastal defences.

American Cemetery, overlooking Omaha Beach. Established on land liberated shortly after D-Day, the cemetery contains the graves of 9,388 American service members who gave their lives during the Normandy campaign and broader operations in Europe.

Box lunch. Dinner at hotel. 

Breakfast.

We take part in the American ceremony at the US Normandy Cemetery and remember those who gave their lives for our freedom. Full information will not be known until early 2029.

Box lunch. Dinner at hotel. 

Breakfast. 

A full-day tour of the U.S. Airborne sector where American paratroopers and infantry landed on and behind the beaches on D-Day.

In the early hours of 6 June 1944, paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne Division descended around the town of Sainte-Mère-Église. Spend time in the town square and visit the nearby Airborne Museum, which contains aircraft, gliders, personal equipment, and detailed exhibits explaining the airborne landings.

Brécourt Manor, the site of one of the most studied small-unit actions of D-Day. Here, a group from Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, led by Richard Winters, attacked a German artillery battery that was firing on troops landing at Utah Beach. Despite being heavily outnumbered, Winters and his ‘Band of Brothers’ successfully neutralized the guns.

The assault at Utah Beach, the westernmost of the five D-Day landing beaches where due to currents and navigation errors, the first waves landed about a mile south of their intended position. Brigadier General Theodore Roosevelt Jr. of the 4^th Infantry Division famously responded, "We'll start the war from right here."

Finish the day in Carentan, a key objective linking the Utah and Omaha beachheads. Following the airborne drops, troops of the 101st Airborne fought through flooded fields, causeways, and fierce German resistance to capture the town. Stop just outside the town at Dead Man's Corner, named after a disabled American tank that remained at the intersection during the fighting.

La Cambe German War Cemetery is the largest German military cemetery in Normandy and serves as the final resting place for more than 21,000 German soldiers who died during the Battle of Normandy in 1944.

Lunch on own. Dinner at hotel.

Breakfast

Today we drive along the British and Canadian sectors of the Normandy landings.

Begin at the heights overlooking Arromanches-les-Bains. See the remains of Mulberry B, the artificial harbour constructed by the Allies immediately after D-Day..

The British Normandy Memorial overlooking Gold Beach. Opened in 2021, the memorial commemorates the more than 22,000 servicemen and women under British command who died during the Normandy campaign in the summer of 1944.

Gold Beach, the British landing sector assigned primarily to the 50th (Northumbrian) Infantry Division.

On D-Day, British troops landed here against strong German defences.

Juno Beach, where troops of the Canadian 3rd Infantry Division faced fierce resistance, particularly around Courseulles-sur-Mer. Despite heavy casualties, they achieved some of the deepest penetrations inland of any Allied force on D-Day.

Sword Beach, the easternmost British landing beach, assigned to the British 3rd Infantry Division, supported by commandos and special service units, including Lord Lovat and his personal piper Bill Millin.

Drive to Paris, arrive Gare du Nord station at approximately 18:00 hrs.