Second World War

Based in Bedford where much of the SOE training took place we visits include the Intelligence museum, RAF Tempsford and a full day at Bletchley Park.

From 1945 to 1989 – the Blockade and Airlift, the Berlin Wall and life in the city during these years. Cold war sites and museums.

What happened to the men who fought to the end in France 1940? We look at the defenders of Boulogne and Calais, the men who held the perimeter around Dunkirk with their French allies and the ill-fated 51st Highland Brigade.

Operation Overlord, the great Allied invasion of North West Europe: the beaches, landing zones and battle areas. The men who fought there and the memorials to their courage.

One of the most controversial actions of the Second World War. With Colonel Graham Dunlop, we go to the beaches and cliffs where the Canadians and Commandos fought and died, to discover what happened 70 years ago.

This journey of pilgrimage and remembrance includes visits to Treblinka, Majdanek and Auschwitz and the old Polish cities of Warsaw, Lublin and Cracow.

Studies the ferocious and ultimately successful Russian resistance to the German 6th Army in the winter of 1942-43.

The heroic but ultimately disastrous airborne assaults at Nijmegen, Arnhem and Driel; XXX Corps' costly advance and the aftermath.

The historian, John Ellis, described the Cassino battlefield as a 'vile tactical puzzle', and it is only by walking over the ground that we can begin to understand why these hard-fought battles in early 1944 became such a protracted and difficult phase of the Italian campaign.

In this 70th Anniversary year we look at the high point of the Axis advance towards Cairo and the battles of General Montgomery's 8th Army. We study the battlefields of Alam Halfa and First and Second Alamein, take a drive into the desert and consider the importance of Alexandria.

Based in the beautiful countryside of South West France, this tour explores some of the experiences of occupation and resistance. With Martyn Cox who has interviewed many resistance fighters and who knows the area well.

70 years ago Singapore and Hong Kong were parts of the far-flung British Empire. Our look at some of the events of 1942 will include the fall of Singapore and Changi museum; the Lyemun batteries and museum and the Gin Drinkers Line, with time to appreciate two of the most vibrant cities in Asia.

The Argentinean invasion of the Falkland Islands in April 1982 provoked shock and outrage. Such an attack had seemed inconceivable and although many people in the United Kingdom knew little of the Falklands or where they lay, there was an immediate determination that the islands be liberated.

Looks at Hitler's last gamble in the West in December 1944. We follow the Panzer advance through the Ardennes, study Kampfer group Peiper, the horror of Malmedy, the encirclement of Bastogne and the allies 'recovery battles.'

Visits battlefields where British members of the International Brigade fought including Madrid, Guadaljara, Jamara, the Ebro and Barcelona.

Introduction to the 2nd World War in North West Europe including Dunkirk & St Valery, Dieppe and the beaches and battle areas of Normandy.

This tour begins in Gdansk and covers the opening days of the war, the Wolf's Lair and takes a new look at Warsaw. Also time to learn something of Poland's tumultuous history and rich culture.

Hitler's fateful decision to invade Russia in June 1941. We study the defence of Moscow, the Siege of Leningrad and visit the Napoleonic battlefield of Borodino. Superb museums; complex and fascinating history.

The Battles fought by the allies against German divisions in central Italy following Mussolini's downfall. We look at the landings at Salerno and Anzio and study the bitter fighting for the Monastery on Monte Cassino.

OPERATION OVERLORD, The great Allied invasion of North West Europe; the beaches, landing zones and battle areas, the men who fought there and the memorials to their courage.

The heroic but ultimately disastrous airborne assaults at Nijmegen, Arnhem and Driel, XXX Corps' costly advance and the aftermath. Discusses all aspects of the battle and includes some walks and commemorations events.

Visits some of the airfields, museums and memorials of East Anglia, 'home' to airmen from the RAF and the USAAF. Includes Duxford and Mildenhall.

Based at Christ Church in Oxford this tour is a mix of lectures, discussions and visits to Bletchley Park, the Intelligence Corps Museum as well as a 'behind the scenes' look at this splendid Oxford College.