If we discount the 700,000 men transported by Darius the Great in his expedition against the Scythians in 511 BC and the crossing of the Hellespont by Xerxes with two million men in 481 BC as exaggerations, then Operation OVERLORD was the greatest amphibious operation in history – and in any case Darius and Xerxes only had to worry about men and horses. On 6th June 1944, 8000 aircraft, 1200 warships and nearly three million men, all conspired to land over 133,000 soldiers and their tanks, vehicles and equipment, on a fifty mile stretch of beaches in the bay of the River Seine on one day; and by the end of June this had increased to 850,000 men, 150,000 vehicles and half a million tons of supplies.

But, of course, it was not enough just to land. The lodgement had to be expanded for the break-out and then a hard and bitter struggle against a well trained, led, and equipped enemy. And this was an exceptionally fine army, despite all the burdens the Germans were facing on several fronts. It possessed not only high morale, but qualities of flexibility and initiative unexpected by most of the Allied troops.

This tour examines the Normandy campaign from the initial airborne landings during the night of 5th-6th June – through to the fierce break-out battles around Falaise in August – to the conclusion of the Normandy campaign and the beginning of the war’s final phase. On this tour, we will pay particular consideration to the ground – always a major factor affecting commanders’ plans and sometimes overlooked by historians. With your Guide, we will examine selected battles in some detail, walking the ground and discussing the various options open to the opposing forces. We will be doing some long walks on this tour, and although a high-level of fitness is not required, you will need to be reasonably healthy to fully enjoy the experience.

ITINERARY
Day 1 (Friday): Depart Victoria Coach Station London 08:45 Dover - Calais ferry. Coach to Bayeux. Introductory talk on the ‘Background to the Normandy Campaign’. Dinner and Overnight 4 nights, at Hotal d’Argouges, Bayeux.
Day 2: ‘Land’ on SWORD Beach and follow the Lovat Scouts as they make their way inland to link up with the glider and parachute troops at Pegasus Bridge. Following lunch break in Arromanches, we will ‘land’ on GOLD Beach with 6th Battalion the Green Howards, storm the Mont Fleury Battery with CSM Stan Hollis (the only VC on D Day), and fight on to the radio station at Coulomb, which the battalion reached by last light on 6th June. Dinner and overnight in our hotel.
Day 3: Follow the US 82nd Airborne Division as they capture bridges over the River Merderet and the important communications centre of Sainte Mère Église. Following lunch break in Grandcamp Maisy, we will re-trace the US Rangers’ route as they assault Pointe du Hoc, and then on to ‘Bloody Omaha’ Beach. Dinner and overnight in our hotel.
Day 4: We follow 15th Scottish and 34th Wessex Divisions as they try to capture Hill 112 in Operation EPSOM (26th June-18th July 1944). Packed Lunch, and then Operation GOODWOOD (18th-21st July 1944), Montgomery’s attempt to draw the German armour onto the British flank to assist the US break-out from Saint Lô (Operation COBRA). An attack by three British armoured divisions down a narrow corridor against determined German defence in depth. An evening in Bayeux with dinner under own arrangements.
Day 5: Today we examine ‘the other side of the hill’ by following the 12 SS Panzer Division (Hitler Youth) in its break-out from the Falaise pocket (20th-21st August 1944). Lunch break in Rouen, Calais - Dover by ferry. Arrive 18:45 and London 20:30.