68 V i s i t www.theculturalexperience.com C a l l 0345 475 1815 Second World War D-Day Landings & Paris Breaching the Atlantic Wall 26 – 30 June 2018 5 days with Dr Simon Trew Activity Level 2 Essentials Return Standard Premier Eurostar, 4 star hotel, buffet breakfast, 3-course dinner with drinks each evening, all entrance fees and expert guide throughout. Tour price: £1495 Single supplement: £165 Deposit: £150 Price without train: £1345 D-day and the advance on Paris signalled the beginning of the end of the Second World War. The 6 June and the days that followed it have given birth to some of the most heroic stories from the war, which have inspired authors and film makers ever since. It took the allied forces around three months after landing in Normandy to liberate Paris, which was famously spared total destruction by von Choltitz after the Nazi commander of the city refused Hitler’s order to raze it to the ground. . Day 1 - Outward travel. Depart London St Pancras by Eurostar to Paris and thence to Caen by coach. Check-in to our hotel for 4 nights. Day 2 - The British Sector. To Pegasus Bridge, the site of the British glider-borne assault, followed by the fight for the Merville Battery. Continue to La Riviere and Gold Beach to follow the exploits of 69th Infantry Brigade and learn how the only D-Day VC was won. What was it like to parachute in the night skies above Normandy or land by glider directly onto Pegasus Bridge at Ranville at midnight? Find out what it was like for Colonel Rudder's Rangers to scale the cliffs at Pointe du Hoc, or wade ashore with American soldiers struggling through the surf at Omaha alongside renowned war photographer Robert Capa? At the surviving German coastal battery position at Longues Sur Mer, hear how terrified German gunners duelled with fearsome battleships from the Atlantic Wall. Fighting for Paris may have been brief, but it was brutal. How was the German Panther tank, photographed burning at the Place de la Concorde, actually knocked out? What happened at the German Headquarters of the Commandant of Paris in the streets by the Hotel Meurice around the corner? This is the story of D-Day to Paris described through the eyes of the British, American and German soldiers who fought these desperate battles. This fascinating tour is led by military historian Dr Simon Trew of Royal Military Academy Sandhurst who combines his academia with the practical experience of guiding British Army officers around Normandy. Day 3 – The British and American Sectors. We visit the site of the US airborne landing at Ste Mere Eglise and the La Fiere causeway, scene of a desperate four-day struggle to establish control over a critical crossing of the River Merderet. After a brief stop at Utah Beach we visit Port-en-Bessin captured by 47 RM Commando and the German battery with its extant guns at Longues sur Mer. We end our day in Bayeux. Day 4 - The American Sector. We visit the German battery at Pointe Du Hoc, an area preserved as it was in 1944. Then on to several sites at Omaha Beach before ending our day at the American National Cemetery and memorial at St Laurent. Day 5 - Liberation of Paris. Drive to the French capital and discuss its Liberation, visit scenes of intense fighting and many iconic city sites. Return to London on Eurostar. Landing at Juno Beach “Well organised, clearly experienced and willing to go above and beyond to ensure a positive experience."