D-DAY AND NORMANDY TOUR
Operation Overlord was the code name for the greatest amphibious operation in history. The objective of this mighty undertaking was to liberate Europe from Nazi oppression. The Allied operations were organised on two main fronts. British and Canadians troops were detailed to capture the area between Bayeux, Caen and the sea by nightfall. The Americans were tasked with liberating Cherbourg. There were five landing beaches: the Americans taking Utah and Omaha; the Canadians landing at Juno and the British storming Gold and Sword.
The Irish Regiments, or their antecedents concerned in this mighty venture and subsequent opertaions were:
The Royal Ulster Rifles had the distinction of being the only unit in the British Army which had both regular battalions involved in the operation. The 1st Bn of the RUR was part of the 6 Airlanding Brigade of the 6th Airborne Division. The 2nd Bn of the RUR was part of the 9 Brigade, 3rd Division and landed by sea at 1000Hrs on D-Day.
The first Irish-affiliated unit to land in Normandy was 591 (Antrim) Parachute Squadron, Royal Engineers whose mission was, along with other airborne units, to capture the bridges over the Caen Canal and River Orne, the clearance of the Glider Landing Zones and to destroy the guns and equipment at Merville battery. The 6th Light Anti-Aircraft Battery (Co Londonderry), also known as the Coleraine Battery, landed on D-Day + 10 at Le Hamel, between the secured Juno and Gold beachheads and took part in the advance to Caen.
Itinerary
| Day 1 | You will be picked up at the airport and transported to your hotel. Rest of the day free to relax and explore the medieval city of Caen. |
| Day 2 | Following breakfast we will move to the British and Canadian area of operations. Our first visit will be to Merville Battery to discuss the British Airborne operation. We will then visit Pegasus Bridge, Pegasus Memorial Museum and the Café Gondrée. |
| Day 3 | We will start the day with a visit to Arromanches and view a presentation of the invasion in the 360 degree theatre. This will be followed by a visit to the Arromanches museum, situated close to the remains of the famous Mulberry Harbour. After lunch we will visit the German cemetery at La Cambe where, in an area of five acres, the bodies of 21,500 German rest. Following this, we will travel to the RUR memorial and the Bayeaux War Cemetery, the largest British military cemetery of the Second World War in France. We will have a short wreath laying ceremony before returning to the hotel. |
| Day 4 | Today we will cover the American sector. We will commence the day by visiting the American cemetery overlooking Omaha Beach featured in “Saving Private Ryan” The 170 acre plot contains over 9,000 perfectly aligned white crosses and Stars of David and nearby are memorials to the 1st and 29th Divisions. Following a visit to a local museum we will visit the Point du Hoc made famous by Colonel Rudder’s Rangers, raised in Carrickfergus, who stormed the vertical cliffs on the morning of 6th June. After lunch we will travel to Sainte Mere Eglise to see the famous church and Airborne Museum. |
| Day 5 | You will be collected from your hotel and transferred to the airport for your flight home. |
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September 2010 tour 16th-20th. Prices from £440.0 67th anniversary tour June 3rd to June 7th 2011
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THE ABOVE ITINERARY IS AN EXAMPLE AND MAY BE ALTERED IF CIRCUMSTANCE DICTATE