WW2 Normandy D-Day Pointe du Hoc, Omaha Beach, Normandy American Cemetery, Overlord Museum

Your driver-guide will pick you up early in the morning directly at your hotel location in Paris. You will travel to the Normandy beaches aboard a comfortable and air-conditioned minivan (7 participants max). Expected time for being pickup at your hotel: From 06:10 am till 06:30 am

This journey of one day in Lower Normandy will embarks you in the footsteps of the brave allied soldiers who fought for our liberty so far away from their homelands. Operation Neptune was the codename of the largest military' seaborne and airborne invasion for D-day ever organized. Logistics, infrastructures, air forces supremacy were the keys success and enabled the allies to win the battle of Normandy. During that day, you will discover not only one of the most important episodes in modern history (so well related in the movies « Saving Private Ryan » and «The Longuest Day») but also beautiful countrysides (known as « le bocage ») in one of the historical' oldest and greatest region of France

With your driver-guide you will travel to the Normandy beaches in an air-conditioned minivan. Once you arrive in the Calvados county in Normandy, you will stop at “The Pointe du Hoc”, 100 feet high cliffs between Omaha and Utah beaches. In mid 1943 the german TODD organisation set up 6 long range artillery guns (155mm caliber) housed in concrete bunkers and facing the english channel above the cliff. In fact, "Pointe du Hoc" was one of the thousand german stronghold positions of Hitler' project to build a wall of defense along the coast in Europe. Known as « The Atlantic Wall » and which consisted to build bunkers, guns battery and beach obstacles network along the coastline, from the spanish border to Norway in order to prevent any allied invasion. In June 6, 1944 at 07h10 am  225 US Rangers aboard barges landed just below from the cliffs and began to scale them using ropes in order to stormed the guns emplacement and then destroy them all. Blown up concrete bunkers, bombs craters and traces of the battle are still visibles today.

Leaving the cliffs at pointe du Hoc, at just 3 miles away you will plunge directly in history and tragedy of D-day when the driver will ride along the coastal road facing «Omaha beach » which is stretching 6 miles long. In June 6, 1944 at 06:36 am the first wave of american soldiers who did belong to the US 29th Infantry Division landed there just in front on the german bunkers . Once they rushed out from the landing crafts, then they had to run in the open through 500 meters among the beach obstacles before to reached and take cover along the sea wall. Sadly few made it... To commemorate their bravery and sacrifice,severals war monuments were erected there directly on the sand of the beach after the war. WN72 Omaha beach (photo stop on the spot) Located in Vierville-sur-Mer, France, on Omaha Beach, the National Guard Monument sits on the spot (WN72) where the 29^th National Guard Division broke through German defenses on D-Day, June 6, 1944. The monument and the original bunker which it sits atop are maintained by NGEF to preserve the legacy and pay honor to all National Guardsmen who have fought in the European theater.

At Easy Green sector, two monuments were erected after the war and still stands facing the beach : Monument « Signal of the Liberation » (photo stop on the spot) This Monument commemorates the landing of the Allied Forces on June 6, 1944 on Omaha Beach, and the liberation of Europe. Two frescoes can be seen on either side of the monument, one dedicated to the 1st US Infantry Division, the other at the 116th Regimental Combat Team of the 29th US Infantry Division Monument « The Braves » (photo stop on the spot) A monumental work by sculptor Anilore Banon which pay tribute to the courage of Allied Forces soldiers. There you will have a bit of time to walk along the beach and maybe grabb a bit of sand to fill in a tiny glassed container as a souvenir to bring back home.

The guide is now taking you to visit the beatiful maintained American Cemetery in Colleville sur Mer which overlooks Omaha Beach nearby. The 180 acre site contains 9,387 perfectly aligned white crosses and a memorial chapel which adds the finishing touches to this moving scene, allowing visitors to reflect on the price of war. While walking along row upon row of white grave headstones, your historian guide will share with you stories of soldiers who fought in the vicinities and then were awarded for gallantry the highest miltary decorations. On the Walls of the Missing, in a semicircular garden on the east side of the memorial, are inscribed 1,557 names. Rosettes mark the names of those since recovered and identified. The memorial consists of a semicircular colonnade with a loggia at each end containing large maps and narratives of the military operations; at the center is the bronze statue, “Spirit of American Youth Rising from the Waves.” An orientation table overlooking the beach depicts the landings in Normandy. Facing west at the memorial, one sees in the foreground the reflecting pool; beyond is the burial area with a circular chapel and, at the far end, granite statues representing the United States and France. In 2007, the Normandy Visitors Center opened. The $30 million visitor center was dedicated by the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) on June 6, 2007 during the commemoration of the 63rd Anniversary of D-Day.

Overlord Museum chronicles the period of the Allied landing until the liberation of Paris. The collection was collected by someone who was both a witness to the conflict and involved in the reconstruction of Normandy. Personal items from individual soldiers and armoured fighting vehicles from the six armies in Normandy will be presented as a series of reconstructions showing over 35 vehicles, tanks and guns.

Arromanches is remembered as a historic place of the Normandy landings and in particular as the place where a Mulberry harbour artificial port was installed. This artificial port allowed the disembarkation of 9,000 tons of material per day. It was on the beach of Arromanches that, during the Invasion of Normandy immediately after D-Day, the Allies established an artificial temporary harbour to allow the unloading of heavy equipment without waiting for the conquest of deep water ports such as Le Havre or Cherbourg.The port was commissioned on 14 June 1944. This location was one of two sites chosen to establish the necessary port facilities to unload quantities of supplies and troops needed for the invasion during June 1944, the other was built further West at Omaha Beach. The British built huge floating concrete caissons which, after being towed from England, then had to be assembled to form walls and piers forming and defining the artificial port called the Mulberry harbour. These comprised pontoons linked to the land by floating roadways. One of these ports was assembled at Arromanches and even today sections of the Mulberry harbour still remain with huge concrete blocks sitting on the sand and more can be seen further out at sea. Some key figures: by 12 June 1944 more than 300,000 men, 54,000 vehicles, 104,000 tons of supplies had been landed.

Once there, we will take a break for lunch in a local restaurant or you will just decides by yourself of your own choices of meals (own expense). While eating, just take a look in direction of the sea. Off shore you will see the impressives vestiges and some of the wrecks remains  of the artificial Harbour (known as « Mulberry Bridge B ») all built and set up by the allied engeeners within a couple of days after the Normandy landing operation on the 06th of June 1944. Logistics, infrastructures, air forces supremacy were the keys success and enabled the allies to win the battle of Normandy

During the return drive to Paris you will have time to relax aboard the minivan before to be dropped off at your hotel location in the evening (between 08:00 pm till 09:00 pm).