THE BATTERIES OF
LONGUES-SUR-MER
The Atlantic Wall was a system of fortifications built by Nazi Germany, which extended along the Atlantic coast of Western Europe. The batteries of Longues-sur-Mer are a classic example of the pattern that was used for the Atlantic Wall.
Come and discover the four casemates of these batteries and the 152 mm German naval guns behind the control bunker. This site has been very well preserved to this day as a Memorial of the war.
You will cross the Port of Port en Bessin secured by the 47th Royal Commando Unit, which became an important petroleum port. Port en Bessin was the geographic boundary between the American and British sectors.
TOUR # 3 OMAHA / BAND OF BROTHERS FDT
This tour is a half day condensed version of our regular Omaha Tour, conducted in the morning portion of this tour, and a corresponding half day condensed tour of the famous Band of Brothers - “Easy Company” tour, conducted in the afternoon portion of this tour. This Tour is intended for our clients who only have a day to spend in Normandy, and want to visit the most prominent and well known sites of the Invasion. This is a very interesting tour, it will provide you with a memorable overview of this historic event.
MORNING: Longues-sur-Mer Battery – Omaha Beach - American Cemetery of Colleville – Pointe du Hoc.
AFTERNOON: Sainte-Mère-Eglise - Sainte-Mère-Eglise Museum - Crash of the C47 # 66 at Beuzeville-au-Plain - Marmion’s farm - Utah Beach - Brecourt Manor – Angoville-au-Plain - Drop Zone D - Carentan
OMAHA AND THE WN
Here we will see many WN’s - (wiederstandnest- meaning German weapons strong point emplacements) from Sainte-Honorine-des-Pertes to Vierville.
We will visit some of these strong points, which were the better-defended German Positions along Omaha. We will stop at WN 62 and WN 65 in Fox Green and Easy Red sectors of the American landing, and WN 73 in Dog Green at Vierville.
This beach assault was a difficult assignment, given to US V Corps (General Gerow) whose Force O was made up of the 1st Infantry Division, 29th Infantry Division, the Rangers and several attached Units.
SAINTE-MERE-EGLISE
Sainte Mere Eglise is one of the most memorable places depicted in the famous movie: The Longest Day. This tour will show you the famous church tower upon which the American paratrooper John Steele landed and became entangled as he parachuted into Normandy on June 6th. An actual mannequin of Steele has been hung with parachute on the church tower to commemorate his courageous jump.
Although Sainte-Mere-Eglise was the area where the 82nd Airborne were schedule to jump and land, the first paratroopers who landed here were instead, members of the 101st Airborne Division. Several groups of the 101st Division, landed here, miles away from their Drop Zone, and instead, mistakenly landed on top of this village. "Easy Company", for the most part was also misdropped southeast of the town with some men landing in the center of the Village. "Dog", "Easy" and "Fox" Companies belonging to 2nd Battalion 506th PIR were also to jump at around 1:00 a.m. on DZ "C", near Sainte-Marie-du-Mont. Instead, due to all of these missed drops, Sainte-Mere-Eglise was officially the first town liberated at 4:30 AM on the day of the Invasion.
AMERICAN CEMETERY OF COLLEVILLE-SUR-MER
This Cemetery, extends over 172.5 acres, and is one of fourteen permanent American World War II cemeteries constructed on foreign soil.
It contains the remains of 9387 servicemen and women killed for our freedom. The American Cemetery of Colleville conveys an unforgettable feeling of honor, peace and serenity.
POINTE DU HOC
Located on a cliff 8 miles west of the Cemetery, this monument was created by France to honour elements of the 2nd Rangers Battalion under the command of LTC James E. RUDDER which scaled the 100-foot cliff.
Admiral Hall’s Intelligence officer remarked: "It can’t be done. Three old women with brooms could stop the Rangers scaling that cliff!".RUDDER replied to General BRADLEY: “Sir, my Rangers can do the job for you".
LUNCH BREAK
(not included)
SAINTE-MERE-EGLISE MUSEUM
Here you will see an actual CG 4 Waco glider, a C-47 transport plane, and a number of historical military artifacts which have been professionally displayed to commemorate and honor the D-day invasion.
A film comprised of archive material is available to visitors retracing the mission and footsteps of the many paratroopers who landed in Normandy. This museum is one to see in any D-Day tour!.
UTAH BEACH
This is the place where the successful landing of the American Ivy Division (the 4th Infantry Division) occurred under orders of General Barton and General Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. with others in the first attack wave at Utah Beach.
Utah Beach was the furthest west of the five beaches designated for the D-Day landings in June 1944. Located at the base of the Cotentin Peninsula, it was added by General Dwight Eisenhower to the original D-Day plan to ensure the early capture of the vital port of Cherbourg, at the north of the peninsula. Eisenhower realized that the Allied advance throughout Western Europe would require vast amounts of equipment and that the only major port that could handle this in the initial stages of the war was at Cherbourg.
BRECOURT MANOR
On D-Day, the 6th, of June, 1944, Easy Company of the 506th fought one of its most important battles at this location. In a field between Grand Chemin and Brecourt Manor, a ditch line (hedgerow) with trees bordered the property.
Spaced at intervals along that ditch, were 4 German cannon batteries consisting of 105mm guns. The guns were zeroed in on U.S. forces landing on Utah Beach, near Exit 2. Lt. Dick Winters of Easy Company led a small group of Easy Company men to this site, and systematically took out all four guns at this site, and was awarded the Distinguished Medal of Honor for this attack. Several other of his men were also awarded medals for their actions as well. It is said that the strategic tactics employed by Lt. Winters at this particular field are now taught at the American West Point Academy. Come and discover the field where Lieutenant Winters and a group of paratroopers instinctively led the attack on these batteries without elaborate plans or briefing, saving countless American lives on Utah beach. Permission to enter is exclusively permitted only to Overlord Tours.OVERLORDTOUR has obtained a very special permission to enter this farm.
DROP ZONE D
Our tour progresses next to the DZ "D". This was the area where Colonel Johnson of the 501st landed. From here, he launched the attack onto the lock of La Barquette.
ANGOVILLE AU PLAIN
A very moving place! Our tour here will first allow you to enter a 12th/13th Century church where two medics of the 506th, Bob Wright and Kenneth Moore took care of 80 German and American wounded for over 72 consecutive hours following the initial hours of the jump into Normandy.
Wright and Moore were honored by the residents of this small village by a Memorial, which you will see, and a recently installed stained glass window in this famous church in commemoration of their life saving efforts. You will enter into the courtyard of the farm where the colonel Sink, Commander of the 506th PIR, established his second CP. The "Easy Company" stayed here from June 7 to the attack of Carentan.
AT THIS POINT IN THE TOUR
We want to mention that time permitting, we can make some small changes in our tour at this, and other points. Due to the size of some groups, and the fact that some groups may want to stay in certain locations longer than others, we can adjust to or cancel 1 or 2 places to visit. Tour We also can add some other spots.
CARENTAN
In the first days of June 1944, Carentan was a key position between the two American landing beaches of Utah and Omaha
The Germans launched only local attacks, or they entrenched in their strong points. On 9 June, the Americans made little progress in front of Carentan, which was naturally protected by the river Douve in the west and the river Vire in the east. They encountered difficulty against a crack German unit, the paratroopers of the 6th Para Regiment, under command of Lieutenant-Colonel von der Heydte, and an eastern volunteers unit. On 11 June, the Americans launched several attacks both from the north and the south. On 12 June, after heavy shelling of the town, the paratroopers of the 101st Airborne Division renewed the assault simultaneously on three axis. They drove the Germans out of Carentan, and ended up clearing the city in the evening.
CRASH OF THE C47 # 66 AT BEUZEVILLE-AU-PLAIN
On June 5, 1st Lieutenant Thomas Meehan III boarded a C-47 to parachute into Normandy. Prior to the jump however, he had just been appointed "E" Company Commander, replacing Captain Sobel.
Meehan was in plane 66, along with the Company's staff comprised of 16 paratroopers. His plane crashed in a field at Beuzeville-Au-Plain. A tour of the site of this crash will enable you to see the monument erected in memory of Lt. Meehan, but also the field where the crash actually occurred.MARMION’S FARM
The very first newsreel of the airborne invasion in Normandy shown in movie theatres in the United States was filmed at this particular farmhouse.
Due to special permission given by the owner to our tour company, you will have the privilege of actually entering this farm, and being in the exact locations of many of the of the best known American press photographs taken during WWII at this site. Some of the photos show Stopka’ s task force displaying the first Nazi flag captured by the 101st Airborne Division.Many famous photographs in D-Day and WWII books were taken at this site.
OVERLORDTOUR has obtained a very special permission to enter this farm.
