WWII Battlefields
June 2 - 13, 2012
August 7 - 18, 2012

Day 1: Depart the USA

Meet your tour escorts and fellow travelers at the 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 has been conducting our WWII Battlefield Tours for years. We board our air-conditioned luxury motorcoach and make our way into the City of Lights… Gay Paree… Paris! We transfer to the hotel and the balance of the afternoon is yours to rest or to enjoy the amenities of our hotel and its surroundings. Tonight we get acquainted with our fellow travelers during a delicious welcome dinner at the hotel. Meals: Buffet Breakfast, Welcome Dinner with Wine

Day 3: Paris

Paris is there for us to explore today. We drive along Paris' most famous street – Champs-Élysées, see the Arc the Triomphe, the Place de la Concorde, and the Pont Alexandre III, which is considered the most beautiful bridge in Paris. We stop at Tracadore Square with the best photo op of the Eiffel Tower and the Eiffel Tower area. We enjoy an inside visit of the beautiful Opera house, with its magnificent painted ceilings, gilded auditorium and massive chandeliers, and, right in the heart of Paris, the Cathédral de Notre-Dame. The history of Paris and Notre-Dame are inseparable. The cathedral, founded in the 12th century, changed as Paris has changed and many soldiers prayed here before going off to war. We also visit the Hôtel national des Invalides, commissioned in 1670 by the Sun King as a veteran’s hospital and retirement home for soldiers with disabilities. The building houses the Tomb of Napoleon Bonaparte and the Musée de l’Armée, the military museum of the Army of France. We will also drive by the Louvre and other important sights. Meals: Buffet Breakfast

Day 4: 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 continue on towards the landing beaches of Normandy via Caen and 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 Fallschirmjäger Regiment, early on the morning of June 6, 1944. Our next stop is Sainte-Mère-Église, 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 5: Normandy

It has been 68 years since D-Day. Today 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 Wall 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. 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. Next we visit Pointe-du-Hoc, the area where Col. James Rudder’s 2nd Ranger Battalion climbed the 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! Our final destination is Utah Beach with a visit to the Museum at La Madeleine. Here our WWII veterans will be presented with a Certificate of Appreciation for their service 68 years ago. 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 6: Normandy / Reims

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. Our journey takes us to Rouen and then we continue on to the Compiègne Forest, which was the scene of fierce fighting during WWII, and also the place where the Peace Treaty of WWI was signed on November 11, 1918. Late afternoon we arrive at today’s final destination, Reims, where we visit 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. Dinner is on your own tonight. There are many quaint restaurants just a few steps from our hotel. Meals: Buffet Breakfast

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

Today’s first destination is Luxembourg City, which 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 and we spend time on McAuliffe Square in Bastogne, where a M4 Sherman tank that belonged to the Thunderbolts sits. On our way to our final destination we drive through Houffalize, Baraque de Fraiture (Band of Brothers), Vielsam, Trois-Ponts, and La Geize. We overnight in Aachen, Germany. 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 conclude the tour in 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 over the past years. The museum contains countless items related to the war, many of which were found on their farm grounds. We return to Aachen tonight. Meals: Buffet Breakfast

Day 9: Aachen / Remagen Bridge / Heidelberg

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 Kaub we continue on to charming Heidelberg where we enjoy dinner at our hotel. Meals: Buffet Breakfast, Dinner

Day 10: Heidelberg / Dachau / Munich

Before departing Heidelberg we drive past “Patton Barracks”, the place where General Patton died on December 21, 1945, then journey on through Germany’s beautiful countryside to Dachau where we visit the Concentration Camp Memorial. The camp opened in 1933 and served as a model for the many others that followed. It was liberated by American Forces on April 29, 1945. Located just outside the city of Dachau, it cast a dark shadow over a previously respected artist’s town. Upon arrival at the camp we walk up the “Path of Arrival”, visit the rebuilt barracks, and see the crematory. A short movie will also be shown. After this sobering visit we make our way into Munich, our home for the next two nights. Meals: Buffet Breakfast, Dinner

Day 11: Munich / Berchtesgaden

Today our journey takes us to Berchtesgaden, located in the southern-most part of Germany, where we visit the Kehlsteinhaus, also known as “Eagle’s Nest.” The building is literally on top of the Kehlstein Mountain and was part of the Obersalzberg complex built by the Nazis. It was a birthday present to Hitler, intended to be a retreat for him and a place to entertain visiting dignitaries. Hitler rarely visited the place, but his mistress, Eva Braun, is said to have loved it very much. After the war, the building was used by the Allies as a military command post until 1960, and now serves as a restaurant. There is time to have lunch and enjoy the spectacular view from this lofty place.

Bavaria and beer – a very close relationship, therefore we include an interesting and entertaining “brewery experience” at the Aying Brewery. The brewery was founded in 1876 and is now one of Europe’s most advanced micro breweries. Discover the secret of their award winning beer specialties, brewed according to the Reinheitsgebot (Germany Purity Law) adopted in 1516, a provision still enforced to protect the consumer. Watch the brewing process from the all-natural ingredients, of water, hops, and malt, to the finished product. We enjoy a specialty beer tasting and conclude with an original Bavarian dinner.  Meals: Buffet Breakfast, Farewell Dinner with Beverages

Day 12: Munich, Germany /Return to the USA

We transfer to the Munich Franz-Josef-Strauß international airport for our transatlantic flight home. We will arrive back in the U.S. on the same day. Meals: Buffet Breakfast, In-flight Meal Service