World War II European Tours

Memorial Day was this week and in a few days we’ll note the 80^th anniversary of D-Day, the Allied invasion of occupied France that within a year would lead to the surrender of Germany and the end of World War II in Europe.

            Because of that special date, 2024 will be one of the biggest for WWII-related tourism in Europe, which has been on the rise in the last decade or so. As more and more veterans of the war pass away, modern Americans want to connect with the Greatest Generation by visiting the beaches and fields and towns where they fought against tyranny.

            In the fall of 2022, my husband and I visited France, and the most memorable day of the trip was our visit to Normandy, the northern region where American, British, Canadian and French troops came ashore on June 6, 1944. Fighting their way inland against heavy German resistance, the Allies sustained horrendous casualties, but within a few weeks they’d pushed the enemy out of Paris and then from France altogether.

            It was a beautiful fall day as we journeyed by bus through Normandy’s small towns and hedgerow-lined fields. The bus was filled with our traveling companions from our Avalon river cruiser; after this outing, we would meet the boat in the coastal city of Le Havre and then go back upriver on the Seine to Paris. The mood was upbeat and relaxed, as we’d had a fine cruise so far and anticipated yet another day of good weather and interesting sights.

            We got a lot more than we bargained for.

            From the cliffs of Pointe du Hoc, which U.S. Army Rangers climbed under fire in a desperate mission to take out enemy gun emplacements, to the vast reaches of Omaha Beach itself, we saw where the men—most of them barely out of high school—risked everything for their families back home and for future generations, for us. Many of us shed tears when we visited the Normandy American Cemetery, where long rows of white crosses represented nearly 10,000 Americans who made the ultimate sacrifice in the campaign.

            The whole experience was emotional, humbling, but also uplifting. We saw many French schoolchildren on tour, learning first-hand about the men who came here to restore liberty to their great-grandparents. My husband said, “Every American schoolkid should come here.” And while that might not be practical, groups of Americans are making good use of WWII-themed tours that will take them to Normandy and the sites of other battles, along with staging areas in England.

            Fans of the TV series Band of Brothers can follow in the footsteps of Easy Company with Band of Brothers Tours, offering 9- and 11-day all-inclusive tours that take you from Normandy all the way through the Battle of the Bulge sites of Belgium, into southern Germany to the Dachau concentration camp and to Hitler’s “Eagles Nest” hideaway in Austria. Other companies like Overlord Tours offer shorter trips to various sites where visitors can really dig into the history of the campaign.

            Perhaps one of your own ancestors fought in Europe. If you’re ready to retrace his footsteps, give us a call. It’s sure to be one of the most memorable trips you’ll ever take.