British SectorRéf Tour : # D2From the port of call in Le Havre, go back in time and visit the great Norman battlefields of the Second World War to understand the key events of Operation Overlord. Your guide will welcome you to the port of call.
Tours are private, but if you want to share yours with some other participants, you can look on the website like www.cruisecritics.com Pick-up/drop-off locations: Le Havre port of call
Pick-up time/drop-off time: 8.30am/5:30pm
Duration: 9 hours
Rate for 1 to 7 pax : 1100€InclusionsGuide/driver lunchGuide/driver lunch
ExclusionsTrain tickets
Entrance fees or tasting fees, unless mentioned
Gratuities for the driver/guide
Meals and drinks, unless specified
Personal insurance and expenses
DescriptionPégasus Bridge – Cafe Gondrée – Ranville War Cemetery – The Artificial harbor of Arromanches (Mulberry B) – Gold Beach – The German battery of Longues-sur-MerExplore with your licensed driver-guide the details of Overlord operation and discover key British D-day sites and the different divisions (Infantry, Navy, Airforce, Support) involved in the landing of Sword and Gold areas. During that highly personalised tour, your guide will give you some full explanations to better understand what went wrong and what went right for each battlefield site. By the end of your visit, you will understand the strategic choices for the Allied invasion of Normandy and you will feel that you have proudly fulfilled your duty of remembrance by paying tribute to all those young men who sacrificed themselves to save France, Europe and the world.
The day will start by the visit of Sword sector with the most emblematic site, Pégasus Bridge. The movie The Longest Day made it famous thanks to its bagpiper crossing the bridge over the Caen Canal. You will also discover a Memorial in honour of the men of the 3 gliders that realized a fantastic landing in a tiny space. On the other bank, you will observe the first house liberated in France called Café Gondrée.
Then, you will pay tribute to the 2.563 men who died fighting for freedom in the Ranville War Cemetery devoted mainly to the 6th British airborne division. You may honor among those young soldiers, Den Brotheridge, considered to be the first Allied soldier to be killed, Robert Bobby who died at 16 years old or Emile Corteil burried with his paratrooper dog.
The late morning will conclude with a visit to Sword Beach and a lunch break before continuing on to Gold Beach where the 50th Infantry Division landed. Your guide will explain you the key facts of the success of the Battle of Normandy thanks to the construction of the artificial port of Arromanches (Mulberry B) and you will see the remains of it.
The tour will end in another stunning location used for the movie The Longest Day with the famous scene of this German officer who saw from his command post thousands of Allied ships arriving from England. The Longues-sur-Mer artillery coastal battery covering Gold and Omaha beaches includes a firing command post and four casemates, 3 of them still housing a 150 mm artillery piece. This element of the Altantic wall is the only place with the guns still in place in Normandy. Your guide will give you some full explanations about the construction of the Atlantic wall.