Arrive London
Welcome to London, a city steeped in culture and history. Settle into our hotel, located in the Kensington neighborhood of London. Tonight, meet our host, fellow travelers, and an expert WWII historian, who will be leading the tour, during a welcome reception and dinner featuring local specialties. (D)

London Sightseeing
The morning will feature key sites in London that figured prominently during the War. We then proceed to the Churchill War Rooms, the underground nerve center for Britain’s war effort. Later, visit the Imperial War Museum, which houses authentic examples of World War II weaponry, tanks, aircraft, and an exhibit of WWI trench warfare. The remainder of the day is yours to discover London as you please. (B)

Portsmouth
Depart London for Bletchley Park and visit the nerve center for intelligence, utilized in the Allied War effort, code name Ultra. Here we will see the place where the Enigma machine is housed and where the cyphers and codes of several Axis countries were decrypted during the war.

Later today, tour Southwick House, the advanced command post of the Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force. In the months leading up to D-Day in 1944, the house became the headquarters of the main Allied commanders, including Naval Commander-In-Chief Admiral Ramsay, Allied Supreme Commander General Eisenhower, and Army Commander-In-Chief, General Montgomery. (B, D)

Ferry to Normandy
After breakfast, we will board the cross-channel ferry and embark for Normandy as the troops did in 1944. Our first stop will be Sainte-Mère-Église, one of the villages where the American Airborne descended on D-Day. Here we will view and explore the iconic church where John Steele and his landing on the steeple are memorialized. We also visit La Fière Bridge where the 82nd Airborne Division successfully delayed a German Panzer counterattack against the Allied landing forces. (B, D)

Normandy
We will study The Longest Day at Brécourt Manor, where Lt. Dick Winters, with members of Easy Company, successfully silenced German artillery firing on American troops landing at Utah Beach. Next, visit Utah Beach, where the 4th Infantry Division landed, and the Invasion Museum, depicting their heroics. Finally, we will stop at Ste-Marie-du-Mont where the unique Renaissance-style steeple still stands as an observation post by the Germans. (B, Boxed Lunch)

Normandy
Proceed to the town of Carentan to follow the exact steps American Paratroopers took during the Battle of Normandy. We will also visit Pointe du Hoc, where Rudder’s Rangers scaled the cliffs to neutralize German heavy guns defending the expanse of beaches on D-Day. (B, Boxed Lunch)

Normandy
Our final full day in Normandy begins with a visit to Omaha Beach, where American forces landed, faced the strongest German resistance of the day, and incurred the greatest losses. We will walk the beach and visit some of the German defense fortifications. We explore these sands from the tide’s ebb to the distant dunes to understand the emotions of the young soldiers of the 1st and 29th Divisions as they approached the gates of hell. We will pay our respects at the American Cemetery with its 9,387 American soldiers’ graves stretching along the top of the bluff overlooking the beach and will be present at the evening flag-lowering ceremony. (B, Boxed Lunch)

Paris
Our day begins with a view of the battery at Longues-sur-Mer, a fine example of the great defenses that made up Hitler’s Atlantic Wall. We then proceed along the British Beaches to Pegasus Bridge, where the first shots were fired on D-Day. The British Sixth Airborne, led by Major John Howard with a miraculous glider landing, carried out a surprise attack that overtook this crucial bridge across the Caen Canal. We will arrive in Paris later this afternoon. The Allies, preceded by Free French troops, symbolically reclaimed the French capital from the Nazis in August 1944. Tonight, bid au revoir to your traveling companions as you enjoy a late dinner at the Eiffel Tower. (B, D)

Depart for Home
After breakfast depart Paris for the USA with fond memories of your trip. (B)