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Day 1 Dunkirk
We make our way from Lille to Dunkirk to find out all about the Dunkirk Shield. Operation Dynamo, the evacuation from Dunkirk, is one of the most celebrated military events in British history. For over six months the two armies had faced each other across the Franco-German border, but after the German offensive in May 1940, the Allied armies were split, nearly trapping the BEF without any hope of escape. Instead, the BEF was able to fight its way back to Dunkirk, where troops were rescued by a fleet of small ships. En route, we see remnants of the Maginot Line in Cassel, the site of Le Paradis Massacre, where the Norfolks were executed by the SS after surrendering, and the barn in Esquelbecq where the Warwicks met a similar fate. (D)
Day 2 Dieppe & Bayeux
We visit sites connected with the Dieppe landings of 1942, which involved British, Canadian and American units. Operation Jubilee had as objective to capture and hold an established port to gauge the German response. Highlights today include visiting the landing sites of No. 3 and No. 4 Commando and Blue and Green Beach, where the Canadian Regiments suffered great losses. We continue to Bayeux to our overnight accommodation. (B)
Day 3 Arromanches, Gold, Juno & Sword Beaches
We spend time covering the British and Canadian landing and dropping zones. Gold, Juno and Sword Beaches, each with their own reminders of epic events: the Mulberry Harbour in Arromanches, Pegasus Bridge, Cafe Gondree (the first house to be liberated), Merville Battery overlooking Sword Beach and many other places of interest, including Divisional and Unit Memorials where we will pay our respects, make for a full program. (B, D)
Day 4 – Normandy Beaches
Our final day will be spent covering the American involvement, visiting Utah and “bloody” Omaha Beaches, with its sheer cliffs at Point du Hoc and Colleville Cemetery, containing the remains of nearly 10,000 servicemen. A stop at Ste Mere Eglise, where paratrooper John Steele got caught on the church steeple and home to the Iron Mike Memorial to the US Airborne Forces, brings us to the end of our visit. We leave Normandy behind for our return to Lille. (B)
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