WWII Battlefields

June 3-14, 2011

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

Day 1: June 3 - Depart the USA
Meet your tour escort and fellow travelers in New York/JFK. Our transatlantic flight departs at 11:20 pm.
Meals: In-flight Meal Service

Day 2: June 4 - Paris, France
Arrival at the Charles De Gaulle Airport is around 12:30 pm. After clearing customs we are welcomed by our professional tour director, Fredric 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! On our way to the hotel we drive along Paris’ most famous street, the Champs-Élysées, and we see the Place de la Concorde, Pont Alexandre III, considered the most beautiful bridge in Paris, and the Eiffel Tower. Tonight we enjoy a delicious welcome dinner in our hotel followed by brief introductions.
Meals: Welcome Dinner with Wine

Day 3: June 5 - Paris / Normandy
Departing Paris for the Normandy Beaches we travel via Guyon La Roche, where Germany’s General Rommel had his headquarters during the war, then past Monet’s home with its flower gardens, as we make our way towards the westernmost of the five landing beaches – Utah Beach. Lunch break is in the quaint city of Saint-Lô. We continue on, via Carentan, to Saint-Côme-du-Mont, known as “Dead Man’s Corner”, where the 101st Airborne Division encountered the Green Devils (the German paratroopers of the 6th Fallschirmjäger Regiment). Saint-Mère-Église, the first village liberated by the 82nd Airborne early on the morning of June 6, 1944, is our next stop. 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. Our final destination is Utah Beach, where we visit the Museum at La Madeleine where our WWII veterans will be presented with a “Certificate of Appreciation” for their service. We overnight in Saint-Lô.
Meals: Buffet Breakfast, Dinner

Day 4: June 6 - Normandy
Today’s excursion takes us to 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, most of whom lost their lives in the D-Day landings and ensuing operations. On the Walls of the Missing, in a semicircular garden on the east side of the memorial, are inscribed 1,557 names. Rosettes mark the names of those since recovered and identified. There will be time to visit the Information Center to view films and the displays, and if you wish, you may walk down to the beach.

In Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer we stop briefly at the monument, which marks the spot where most of our troops landed, and then we proceed to Pointe-du-Hoc, to 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 66 years ago with the bombed out pillboxes, where German gun positions stood. This spot really tells a story! En route we also stop at the German military cemetery in La Cambe and in Bayeux. Near Arromanches we see the remains of the 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. Tonight, enjoy dinner on your own in one of the quaint French restaurants. (Schedule may change on June 6th since there may be a possibility to attend a ceremony in honor of our veterans who landed on Normandy 66 years ago.)
Meals: Buffet Breakfast

Day 5: June 7 - Normandy / Reims
Leaving Normandy this morning, we travel towards Compiègne via Rouen, known for the Rouen Cathedral, which contains the tomb of Richard the Lionhearted. The Compiègne 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 WWII. See the place still furnished, as on the day of May 8, 1945, when General Eisenhower and the Allies received the unconditional surrender of the German Wehrmacht. A lovely dinner awaits us at our hotel tonight.
Meals: Buffet Breakfast, Dinner with Wine

Day 6: June 8 - Reims, France / Luxembourg City / Liege, Belgium
Our first destination today is Luxembourg City, which was Omar Bradley’s 21st Army Group Headquarters, as well as General Patton’s 3rd Army Headquarters during the war. We visit the American 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 and Museum, 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 to 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 was a favorite of our travelers last year. The museum contains countless items related to the war, many of them found on their farm. Marcus and Mathilda have invited us to join them for a meal on their farm. What a special treat this will be! After this delightful visit we make our way to our hotel in Liège.
Meals: Buffet Breakfast, Dinner at M&M’s farm

Day 7: June 9 - Battle of the Bulge Sites
Joining us for the day is Henri Mignon, 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. Houffalize, St. Vith, Stavelot, Malmedy (with the site of the Massacre), and other places our veterans request to visit will be included. We return to Liège with dinner included at the hotel.
Meals: Buffet Breakfast, Dinner

Day 8: June 10 - Liege, Belgium / Remagen Bridge / Heidelberg, Germany
Leaving Liège, we drive along the west side of 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 suddenly collapsed on March 17, 1945. Pontoon bridges were built to carry the military traffic over the Rhine River. Today we see the remaining bridge abutments, which now house a Museum. If you wish, you may walk around the back side of the abutment and on the remaining portion of the original railroad 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, castles, and unbelievably beautiful sights along the river banks. Disembarking in Oberwesel we travel past Mannheim, where the car accident that paralyzed General Patton happened on December 9, 1945, and on to Heidelberg, today’s final destination.
Meals: Buffet Breakfast, Dinner

Day 9: June 11 - Heidelberg / Dachau / Munich
Before we depart Heidelberg we drive past “Patton Barracks”, the place where General Patton died on December 21, 1945, and we pass the church where his funeral service was held. Continuing on, we journey through Germany’s countryside to Dachau, just north of Munich, where we take a guided tour of the Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial. The Concentration Camp was opened in 1933 and was liberated by American Forces on April 29, 1945. Walk up the “Path of Arrival” for prisoners, visit the barracks that have been rebuilt, and see the crematory. After this sobering visit we make our way into Munich where we stay the next two nights.
Meals: Buffet Breakfast, Dinner

Day 10: June 12 - Munich / Eagle’s Nest, Berchtesgaden / Munich
Today we depart early, since we travel to Berchtesgaden, located in the southern-most part of Germany, where we visit the Kehlsteinhaus, also known as the “Eagle’s Nest.” This chalet-style building is literally on top of the Kehlstein Mountain and was part of the Obersalzberg complex built by the Nazis. The Kehlsteinhaus was a birthday present to Hitler, intended to be a retreat for him and a place where he could 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 it serves as a restaurant.

The Kehlsteinhaus is reached by a four-mile stretch of road built in 1939. The last few hundred feet from the road to the building are linked by a granite tunnel and an elevator which takes us up to the top. In the main room, notice the red marble fireplace, a gift from Mussolini. Walk around the property and enjoy the beautiful scenery surrounding this lofty vantage point.

Returning to Munich we stop at our hotel to freshen up before our visit to Munich’s picturesque pedestrian zone in the city center. Stroll along the Marienplatz or shop for that last minute souvenir before our delicious farewell dinner at the famous Ratskeller Restaurant, located next to the famous Glockenspiel. During our farewell dinner and program, we include a last toast to all the veterans on our tour.
Meals: Buffet Breakfast, Farewell Dinner with Wine

Day 11: June 13 - Depart Munich / Return to New York
Our transatlantic flight departs from the Franz-Josef-Stauß Airport in Munich at 12:55 pm and arrives back in New York/JFK at 7 pm. For passengers unable to establish a connecting flight home on the same day, we arranged transfers and an overnight stay in a hotel near the airport.
Meals: B, In-flight meal service

Day 12: June 14 - Arrive at Home
Transfer to the airport for your flight home.

Rupiper Travel & Tours reserves the right to make minor adjustments to the itinerary if necessary

WE ARE PROUD TO HONOR OUR WWII VETERANS WITH A $200 DISCOUNT

PRICE INCLUDES
International airfare from New York/JFK (excluding taxes)
Surface transportation by deluxe motorcoach
Superior 3 and 4 star hotels with private bath
Air-conditioned hotel rooms except in Saint Lô
Meals as indicated
Three dinners with drink package (wine, mineral water, coffee or tea)
One piece of baggage handling per person
Admissions paid to sites mentioned in itinerary
American tour escort throughout
Professional English-speaking tour director and local tour guides

NOT INCLUDED IN PRICE
International airline taxes
Roundtrip airfare from your home gateway to New York
Meals not listed in itinerary, bottled water, coffee or beverages at dinners
Tips to the motorcoach driver, local tour guides, and tour director
Passport, travel insurance, and all items of personal nature

CALL 1-888-414-4177 For PRICING

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Kim Sawatzke