World War II Battlefield Tours – 2010 (cont.)

The tour list gives the full index of all of our battlefield tours, pilgrimage tours and war graves tours for both World War I, World War II and other notable battles and conflicts. Expanded details of all battlefield tours are also available in our brochure, contact us for a copy.

World War 2 – Dambusters Raid and Colditz Castle

Led by Robert Owen, 'Official Historian 617 Squadron Aircrew Association'

5th – 10th August

6 Days, 5 Nights

£590.00

This tour takes us across France, Belgium and into Holland where we spend our first night.

The next day we visit Rheinberg Cemetery in Germany to pay our respects to Flt. Lt. Hopgood and four of his crew members who perished in the Dambusters Raid. We then visit the Dambusters crews interred in Reichswald Forest Cemetery and hold our Service of Rememberance, before visiting the crash site of Lancaster A/JB piloted by Flt. Lt. Astell, and the local town museum.

The next day sees us at the immense Mohne and Eder Dams, both successfully breached by the Barnes Wallis Bouncing Bomb, so accurately dropped by the team led by Wing Commander Guy Gibson and for which he was to receive the Victoria Cross. We also visit the crash site of Flt. Lt. Hopgood, before we travel through the beautiful German countryside to our hotel.

The next day sees us in the quaint old town of Colditz dominated by its inspiring and infamous castle and divided by the River Mulde. We then have a guided tour of the Museum rooms within the Castle to see the artefacts so cleverly used to plan and facilitate the daring escapes from the Castle, We have a lunch break in Colditz.

The following day we continue the tour, returning through Germany before visiting the Arnhem area for a tour, and paying a visit to Oosterbeek Cemetery in Arnhem, and spending the last night in our hotel there.

En-route home the following day, we visit the Bergen op Zoom Cemetery to see the last resting place of Pilot Officer Burpee and crew who perished on the raid before finally visiting the grave of Guy Gibson VC and his navigator Jim Warwick who lie in Steenbergen Cemetery. We also see the Dambusters Memorial so proudly erected in the town by the townsfolk.

World War 2 – Berlin Special

7th – 13th October

7 Days, 6 Nights

£680.00

After a morning departre from the UK this tour travels through France, Belgium and into Holland where we spend our first in the Eindhoven area.

On the second day we travel along the Corridor 'Hells Highway' up to Nijmegen and Arnhem covering the story of 'Operation Market Garden', 'A Bridge Too Far' in the company of Lt.Col.(Rtd.) Tom van Soest. We spend the night in our hotel in Arnhem.

The next day we visit the Belsen Concentration Camp, before arriving at our hotel in the Helmstedt area.

We then travel to Berlin where we visit the Oder River at the point that the Russian Forces crossed. We follow the Battle of the Seelow Heights, visiting the museum and memorial, before following the Russian advance into the heart of Berlin and the capture of the Reichstag building.

Next day we visit Checkpoint Charlie, the remains of the Gestapo Headquarters, see the remains of the old Berlin Wall, Alexander Platz, Old East Berlin, Unter den Linden, the Brandenburg Gate, the site of Hitler’s Bunker, the Victory Memorial, the Plotensee Memorial and the Olympic Stadium. We end the day at the Berlin War Cemetery, before returning to our Hotel at Helmstedt.

Next day we travel back to Arnhem. On this tour there are options to visit Reichswald Forest, Hanover, Becklinghem Soltau, Munster Heath, Sage, Kiel, and Hamburg cemeteries.

The last day sees us visiting Oosterbeek Airborne Cemetery, Arnhem before making our way to Calais for the afternoon ferry home.