"Bucket list tours - Normandy" Topic
8 Posts
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Korvessa | 14 Jan 2019 5:20 p.m. PST |
So my wife had to confess she is planning on letting me go to Europe after I retire (in 2020). Among other things I want to to a Normandy tour. I really want to "walk where dad fought" so to speak. So that in addition to the beaches, I want to do an airborne tour. Because it's where my dad was, am more interested in the 82nd areas than the 101. Specifically the area around Timmes' orchard. Anybody have any suggestions? |
Brad Jenison | 14 Jan 2019 11:42 p.m. PST |
Get the Army Green books volume on the Normandy landings. They have great maps of where the Paratroops actually landed. St Mare Eglise had a fine museum in 1984 when I went there. Also the Center for Military History may be able to hook you up with actual topo maps for your dad's unit. Again they did that for me along with unit diaries for the time my unit was in the area. I was responsible for a trip of my unit's officers in 1984 comparing weapons positions then with maps current at the time was a real eye opener. |
skedaddle | 15 Jan 2019 12:39 p.m. PST |
We spent 4 days in Normandy – stayed in Bayeux in a vrbo. Bayeux makes a great base of operations for Normandy and is a cool town in itself. Renting a car is easy and driving around Bayeux is easy. That way you can spend as much time at a site as you want. The town is only about 10 – 20 mins from most of the landing sites. |
GROSSMAN | 16 Jan 2019 2:34 p.m. PST |
I am going on a river cruise to Normandy in September, and would be interested in the same info. |
French Wargame Holidays | 17 Jan 2019 3:50 p.m. PST |
Korvessa, make sure you do the Airborne Museum at Sainte-Mère-Église, Deadmans corner D-Day Experience museum, plenty of information about the 82nd there. make sure you set aside at least three days to look around. We conduct tours of specific D-Day and post D-day battles, we also have the opportunity to walk the battlefield then return and wargame the actions. Cheers matt Herce Salon de Guerre Mayenne France lhoteldeherce.fr |
Gerard Leman | 17 Jan 2019 6:12 p.m. PST |
We were there in May. We only did a little bit of the D-Day stuff because my wife an I are interested in a range of things, and she wanted to do other stuff too. We did, however, do the Pegasus Bridge museum, which is well worth the effort. We also visited St. Valerie-en-Caux, where about 2/3rds of the 51st Highland Division got nabbed by Rommel in 1940. If you have enough time, Mont St. Michele is great. The "scriptorium" (the museum that houses some of the book collection from the abbey) is in Avranches, where Patton broke out of Normandy. A little farther afield, Monet's house (now a museum) is in Giverny – a day-trip from Normandy. |
Oakley | 22 Jan 2019 5:28 p.m. PST |
I also second a visit to the museum at Dead Man's Corner and would add the museum in Bayeux is very good. If you are interested in the actions of the 82nd then I recommend a visit to Manoir La Fiere where some very fierce fighting took place and is quite close to Timmes Orchard. Little has changed since 1944 apart from the fields are no longer flooded and so it is easy to look at period photographs and stand where they were taken. Another suggestion, before you go Get a copy of Major and Mrs Holt's Pocket Battlefield Guide to Normandy Landing Beaches |
Scipio99 | 24 Jan 2019 12:26 p.m. PST |
There's some stones as a memorial in Alfreville. Understated and poignant. The most evocative site imho is Pointe du Hoc where the US rangers won an incredible victory. You can still see the smashed bunkers and the craters. |
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