Two Day American Sectors Tour (Utah and Omaha Sectors)
Two Day American Sectors Tour (Utah and Omaha Sectors)_______________________________________________________________________________________
Two Day American Sectors Tour in general:
On day ONE
of the tour of the American landing sectors, you will visit these important sites:
Sainte-Mère-Église, La Fière, Cauqigny and site of Charles DeGlopper's Medal of Honor, Utah Beach, Angoville-au-Plain, Dead Man's Corner and the Carentan Causeway.
On day TWO
of the tour of the American landing sectors, you will visit these important sites:
La Pointe du Hoc, several sites and German resistance nests on Omaha Beach and the Normandy American Cemetery.
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 day one:
Sainte-Mère-Église
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.
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 fierce 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 fighting 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 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.
Utah Beach
Utah Beach was one of two US landing sectors on D-Day, here the 4th Infantry Division landed and suffered the lowest number of casualties of all units landing on D-Day. Brigadier General Theodor Roosevelt, Jr. was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his courageous action on
D-Day at Utah Beach, which set the stage for the rapid advance inland.
You will hear about the factors that made the landing at Utah Beach such a success. We will visit the beach and a number of impressive monuments where you can pay tribute to the American units that made D-Day such a success here on Utah Beach.
For a small additional cost, you can visit (without me accompanying you) the excellent Utah Beach Museum, built on the very spot where American troops landed on D-Day. 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.
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.
Locations we will visit on day two:
La Pointe du Hoc
The Germans had deployed an artillery battery on this promontory that threatened the landings on Utah and Omaha Beach. Had the guns remained intact, they could have wreaked havoc among the landing forces, so they had to be eliminated at all costs. Despite major problems in the approach, 220 men of the 2nd Ranger Battalion under Lieutenant Colonel James Rudder scaled the cliffs and neutralized the guns.
You will see the huge bomb craters, the cliffs the Rangers scaled, and you will stand on top of German bunkers for a spectacular view of the coast. You will hear what happened on D-Day and in the days that followed, and how this daring force of U.S. Army Rangers came close to annihilation before reinforcements finally arrived.
Omaha Beach
Omaha Beach, one of the two American landing beaches, is probably the best known, but also the most infamous of the five landing beaches. It was here that the 29th and 1st Infantry Divisions were on the verge of defeat, suffering the highest casualties of any Allied force landing on D-Day.
At Omaha Beach, we begin our tour in the Dog Green subsector, the area depicted in the opening scenes of Steven Spielberg's "Saving Private Ryan".
You will visit large memorials and German bunkers, one of which still houses its deadly anti-tank gun. You'll learn why so many young Americans had to pay the ultimate price on the morning of D-Day and how, despite the initial chaos, leadership, bravery and determination led to ultimate success.
Tides and weather permitting, we will also walk the beach so you can get a sense of the sheer enormity of the task the Americans faced.
We will then visit several German resistance nests to learn more about the landing from the German perspective. This includes the largest German resistance nest at Omaha Beach, WN62, where you'll encounter impressive monuments, large gun casemates and the position from which a German machine gunner fired more than 12,000 rounds with his MG-42 on D-Day.
Omaha Beach - Normandy American Cemetery
The Normandy American Cemetery is the final resting place of 9,387 American service personnel, their white marble headstones are a stark reminder that freedom isn't free.
I will take you to some notable graves and you will have time to pay your respects to the women and men who made the ultimate sacrifice for the liberation of Europe. Our tour will end with witnessing the lowering of the Stars and Stripes and listening to "Taps", a bugle call sounded on honor of the fallen.
A very evocative moment that you will never forget.
Tour summary:
Tour title:
Two Day American Sectors Tour (American Airborne, Utah and Omaha Sectors)
Tour price:
700 EURO
Start:
09:00 a.m.
End:
06:00 p.m.
Duration:
9 hours each day
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.