WWII Battlefields
SOLD OUT June 3-12, 2011

This is a 10 day tour.
Custom-designed by WWII Veteran Dr. Brooks Ranney and his wife, Vi. Join us on this outstanding tour featuring the major highlights and battlefields of Normandy, Northern France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Rhineland in Germany. The tour is geared to accommodate the WWII veteran population. Everyone is welcome on this tour.

Day 1: Depart the USA

Meet your tour escorts and fellow travelers at Newark International Airport for an early evening Trans-Atlantic flight
Meals: In-flight Meal Service

Day 2: Paris, France

Upon arrival at the Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris we are welcomed by our professional tour director, Fred Rothschild, who conducted many of our WWII Battlefield Tours in past years. We board our air-conditioned luxury motorcoach and make our way into the City of Lights... Gay Paree... Paris! Our lunch stop will introduce you to wonderful French pastries and coffee before we begin our city orientation tour. Sights include Paris' most famous street - Champs Elysees, Place de la Concorde, the Opera House, Les Invalides, Cathedrale Notre Dame de Paris, Palais du Louvre, Pont Alexandre III, which is considered the most beautiful bridge in Paris, and Tracadore Square with the best photo op of the Eiffel Tower. Tonight we enjoy a delicious welcome dinner at the hotel followed by brief introductions. Meals: Buffet Breakfast, Welcome Dinner with wine

Day 3: Paris / Normandy

Departing Paris for the Normandy Beaches we travel via Guyon La Roche, where German General Rommel had his headquarters during the Normandy Invasion. We pass Monet's home with its flower gardens, as we make our way towards the five landing beaches of Normandy. Lunch break is in the quaint city of Caen. We continue on via Carentan to Saint-Côme-du-Mont, with a visit to Dead Man's Corner. Here the 101st Airborne Division encountered the Green Devils, the German paratroopers of the 6th Fallschirmjager Regiment, early on the morning of June 6, 1944. Our next stop is Saint-Mere-Eglise, the first village liberated by the 82nd Airborne early on that same morning. A mock-up of the paratrooper, whose parachute got caught on the church steeple, can still be seen today. Step into the church and see the stained-glass windows depicting the paratroopers. Tonight enjoy a wonderful dinner at our hotel in Saint-Lô, our home for the next two nights. Meals: Buffet Breakfast, Dinner with Wine

Day 4: Normandy

Today we celebrate the 67th anniversary of D-Day. We visit the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial near Colleville-sur-Mer situated on a cliff overlooking Omaha Beach and the English Channel. The cemetery contains the graves of 9,387 of our military dead. On the Walls Of The Missing, in a semicircular garden on the east side of the memorial, are inscribed the 1,557 names of our missing soldiers. There will be time to visit the new Information Center to view the films and displays. If you wish, you may walk down to Omaha Beach. We will attend a short ceremony there this morning. Lunch is awaiting us at L'Omaha Restaurant in Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer. There will be time for a stop at the monument, which marks the spot where many of our troops first set foot on Normandy. Time permitting, we may visit a special little museum located nearby. Our final destination is Utah Beach and a visit to the Museum at La Madeleine. Here our WWII veterans will be presented with a Certificate of Appreciation for their service 67 years ago. At 3:00 PM we all attend the dedication of the newly expanded museum where our WWII veterans will again be guests of honor. Enjoy dinner on your own in one of the quaint French restaurants this evening… there are many near our hotel in Saint Lô. Meals: Buffet Breakfast, Lunch with Beverage

Day 5: Normandy / Rouen

Today's first visit is at the Military Cemetery in La Cambe, a final resting place for German soldiers. Unlike the white cross marking the grave of an American soldier here you will see groupings of five small black crosses marking the gravesites. We continue on to Pointe-du-Hoc, and visit the area where Col. James Rudder's 2nd Ranger Battalion climbed these treacherous cliffs that fateful day, June 6, 1944. The area is unchanged from the time our troops left it 67 years ago with the bombed out bunkers, where the German gun positions were placed. This spot really tells a story! Near Arromanches we visit the site of Mulberry "B" Harbor, which became known as Port Winston. This Mulberry Harbor was used to land over 2.5 million men, 500,000 vehicles, and 4 million tons of supplies. A movie at the cinema informs us about the building of the harbor during the first days of the invasion. Since our tour includes all five beaches, we continue driving eastward to the British and Canadian beaches of Gold, Juno and Sword. Our last visit today is at the Pegasus Bridge, which was desperately needed as a supply line for the Germans.
The successful taking of the bridge was a monumental victory for the Canadian Airborne. Tonight we stay in Rouen, famous for its Cathedral and the place where Joan of Arc was burned at the stake. Meals: Buffet Breakfast, Dinner

Day 6: Rouen / Reims

Our journey takes us towards Compiegne. The Compiegne Forest was the scene of fierce fighting during WWII, and also the place where the Peace Treaty of WWI was signed on November 11, 1918. Our next destination is Reims with a stop at the school building, which was Eisenhower's Headquarters during the latter part of WWII. See the map room still furnished as it was on May 8, 1945, when General Eisenhower and the Allies received the unconditional surrender of the German Wehrmacht. Since we are in champagne country, we conclude our day with a visit to one of the famous champagne cellars. A lovely dinner awaits us at our hotel tonight. Meals: Buffet Breakfast, Dinner with Wine

Day 7: Reims, France / Luxembourg City / Aachen, Germany

Today's first destination, Luxembourg City, was Omar Bradley's 21st Army Group Headquarters, as well as General Patton's 3rd Army Headquarters. We visit the American Military Cemetery where General Patton is buried, facing more than 5,000 of his fallen troops. Hear the bell carillon play our National Anthem as we gather at his gravesite. There is also time to visit other gravesites. On our journey to Bastogne, Belgium we stop at the star-shaped Mardasson Monument, just outside the city. On McAuliffe Square in Bastogne, where we have lunch on our own, sits a M4 Sherman tank that belonged to the Thunderbolts. We continue north, driving through Houffalize, Baraque de Fraiture (Band of Brothers), Vielsam, Trois-Ponts, La Geize, and finally Thimister-Clermont for a highlight visit to the Remember 1939-1945 Museum also called the M&M Museum, named after the founders, Marcus and Mathilda Schmetz. This museum has been a favorite of our travelers the past three years. The museum contains countless items related to the war, many of which were found on their farm grounds. Aachen, Germany is today's final destination. Meals: Buffet Breakfast, Dinner Buffet

Day 8: Battle of the Bulge Sites / Aachen

Joining us for the day is Michel Baert, our special step-on guide, who will lead us along the roads and through the villages, showing us the battlefields so prominently known as the Battle of the Bulge. We begin with the north shoulder of the battle along the Elsenborn Ridge, drive to Hollerath, known as Purple Heart Corner, and walk into the Ardennes forest, where you may still jump into one of the foxholes! We walk among the "Dragon's Teeth," the anti-tank defense on the Siegfried Line, and move on to St. Vith, Stavelot, Malmedy and the site of the Massacre, and other places our veterans request to visit. We return to Aachen tonight. Meals: Buffet Breakfast

Day 9: Aachen / Remagen Bridge / Frankfurt, Germany

Leaving Aachen we drive along the Rhine River to the site of the Ludendorf Bridge, in WWII frequently called the Bridge at Remagen. The bridge was captured by the Allied forces on March 7-8, 1945, establishing a bridgehead across the Rhine River. In an ensuing battle, the bridge was severely damaged and collapsed into the Rhine on March 17, 1945. Pontoon bridges were built to carry military traffic over the Rhine River. We see the remaining bridge abutments, which now house a museum. If you wish, you may walk around the back of the abutment and on the remaining portion of the original railroad track that traversed the Rhine. In Boppard we board a vessel for an enjoyable Rhine River cruise. Sit back and relax as we sail past hillside vineyards, charming villages, castles, and unbelievably beautiful sights along the river banks. Disembarking in Oberwesel we continue on to Frankfurt, our final destination. During our special farewell dinner and program, we include a last toast to all veterans on the tour. Meals: Buffet Breakfast, Farewell Dinner with wine

Day 10: Frankfurt, Germany / Return to the USA

Our transatlantic flight departs around noon for our return to Newark, NJ on the same day. Meals: Buffet Breakfast, In-flight Meal Service