One Day American Airborne Tour
One Day American Airborne Tour _______________________________________________________________________________________
American Airborne Tour in general:
On this full day tour of the American Airborne sector, you will visit the most important sites:
Sainte-Mère-Église, La Fière and Cauquigny, Sainte-Marie-du-Mont, Brécourt Manor, Angoville-au-Plain, Dead Man's Corner and the Carentan Causeway.
Along the way and on site, you will hear how the largest military operation in history was planned and prepared, what units were involved, what their objectives were, and how victory was achieved.
Locations we will visit on this day:
Sainte-Mére-Èglise
Capturing and holding the town became a major objective of the 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, on D-Day. The town, with a population of 1,200, strategically situated on the main N13 highway to Cherbourg and only a few miles away from the coast was a major transportation hub on the Cotentin Peninsula; no fewer than five roads ran through it, and the German telephone line along the French coast also passed through it. Control Sainte-Mère-Église, and you control the Cotentin Peninsula, the American planners said. Sainte-Mére-Èglise is considered the first town liberated by American troops in France, and played an important role in the classic war movie "The Longest Day".
During a visit to the famous church and square, you will learn about the unfortunate paratroopers dropped over SME (including the famous story of John Steele) and the fierce fighting between the German garrison and the American paratroopers.
For a small additional charge, you can visit (without me accompanying you) the excellent Airborne Museum in the town square. Some of my clients prefer not to visit the museum (a visit easily takes 60-90 minutes) and would like to spend more time at other sites we will visit later in the tour. This is entirely up to you.
Note:
If you are interested in Portuguese civilian casualties during the fighting at Sainte-Mère-Église and the Battle of Normandy or in the participation of sons of Portuguese immigrants in the Battle of Normandy, please visit the cool and interesting website of my friend Antonio Frageiro
La Fière
The bridge over the Merderet creek at La Fière was one of two important crossings over this small waterway that had to be taken by the 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, along with the causeway that led through flooded terrain to the tiny hamlet of Cauquigny. This battle resulted in the award of a Medal of Honor, one of two Medal of Honor awarded to the 82nd Airborne Division in Normandy.
From our vantage point next to the famous Iron Mike monument you'll have an outstanding view of the battlefield as you hear about the three-day battle that went down in the historiography of the Battle of Normandy.
Cauquigny and Medal of Honor recipient Charles DeGlopper
Cauquigny, a small hamlet at the western end of the causeway of La Fière, was the scene of fierce battles during the battle for La Fière.
We will visit the church of Cauquigny to see the stained glass windows commemorating the battle and pay tribute to Private Charles DeGlopper, who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroic self-sacrifice in saving the lives of his comrades.
Bocage - Hedgerow Country
The Normandy hedgerow landscape, called Bocage, particularly prevalent in the American sectors, made the advance against the German defenders very difficult and costly.
You will see typical examples of the Norman Bocage hedgerows and hear how the Germans turned many of these hedgerows into formidable defenses and what solutions the Americans developed to overcome them.
Sainte-Marie-du-Mont
The unusually shaped bell tower of the beautiful church in Sainte-Marie-du-Mont served as a landmark for many paratroopers on D-Day. However, it was also used by the Germans as an observation post with a clear view of Utah Beach and the landing of the US 4th Infantry Division.
During a brief stop at the church square, you will hear about the fierce fighting in this small rural town that was finally liberated on the morning of June 6, 1944.
Brécourt Manor
At Brécourt Manor, the famous attack by a small group of men from Easy Company, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, led by 1st Lieutenant Richard Winters, resulted in the destruction of a German artillery battery shelling Utah Beach.
You will hear about Dick Winters' skillfully planned and executed attack, detailed in the television miniseries Band of Brothers, which is still presented and taught at the West Point Military Academy as an example of a successful attack by vastly outnumbered troops.
Angoville-au-Plain
This small hamlet was the scene of fierce combat and changed hands several times. In the church of Angoville-au-Plain, one of the greatest legends of the Battle of Normandy was born.
Hear the remarkable story of two brave and committed American medics of the 101st Airborne Division who saved the lives of many of their American comrades, but also treated Germans and a 13-year old French boy. We will visit the church to see the beautiful stained-glass windows and the traces of the battle still visible in the church.
Dead Man's Corner – Carentan Causeway
Here a two-story building was turned into an advanced command post and aid station of the German Fallschirmjäger-Regiment 6 (6th Parachute Regiment) on D-Day and, after its capture, was taken over by American paratroopers. From here the men of the 502nd Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, attempted to capture the strategically important town of Carentan but suffered enormous casualties on the causeway until they finally succeeded.
Hear the story of Dead Man's Corner, Purple Heart Lane, the bayonet charge, and the costly fighting that ultimately led to the capture of Carentan.
For a small additional cost, you can visit (without me accompanying you) the D-Day Experience / Dead Man's Corner Museum. Most of my clients prefer not to visit the museum (a visit easily takes 60-90 minutes) and would like to spend more time at other sites we will visit later in the tour. This is entirely up to you.
Tour summary:
Tour title:
One Day American Airborne Tour
Tour price:
350 EURO
Start:
09:00 a.m.
End:
06:00 p.m.
Duration:
9 hours
Lunch break:
Tour includes 45-60 minutes lunch break, price not included
Pick-up/drop-off location:
Place Quebec, Bayeux, or, in order to save 40 min travel time at the Office de Tourisme/Formigny (which allows one additional stop during the tour)
Please note:
The suggested itinerary does not include time for a museum visit. If you would like to visit a museum, the itinerary can easily be adjusted to accommodate such a visit. However, since a museum visit easily takes 60 to 90 minutes, we will not be able to spend as much time as originally planned at other locations.