Pointe Du Hoc

© Content, itineraries and tours copyright Battlefields by 4x4 LLP (Registered in England and Wales - Reg OC398338) Terms and Conditions

2017

D-Day   in   English   but   known   as   Jour   J   in   France.   The   6th   of   June   1944,   Operation Neptune,   the   Allied   invasion   of   Normandy,   was   to   be   and   remains   the   largest seaborne   invasion   in   history,   and   then   Operation   Overlord   saw   more   than   three million allied troops were in France by the end of August.  Alarmed    by    the    raids    on    St    Nazaire    and    Dieppe    in    1942,    Hitler    ordered    the construction   of   fortifications   all   along   the   Atlantic   coast,   from   Spain   to   Norway, to     protect     against     an     expected     Allied     invasion.     He     envisioned     15,000 emplacements   manned   by   300,000   troops,   but   due   to   shortages,   particularly   of concrete   and   manpower,   most   of   the   strongpoints   were   never   built.   As   it   was expected   to   be   the   site   of   the   invasion,   Pas   de   Calais   was   heavily   defended.   In the   Normandy   area,   the   best   fortifications   were   only   concentrated   at   the   port facilities at Cherbourg and Saint-Malo. The    decision    to    undertake    a    cross-channel    invasion    in    1944    was    taken    in Washington   in   May   1943,   and   the   Normandy   coast   was   chosen   as   the   site   of   the invasion.   The   Americans   were   assigned   to   land   at   Utah   and   Omaha   Beaches,   the British    at    Sword    and    Gold    Beaches,    and    Canadians    at    Juno    Beach.    In    the preparatory   phase   the   Allied   Expeditionary   Air   Force   undertook   over   3,200   photo reconnaissance   sorties   from   April   1944   until   the   start   of   the   invasion,   and   an appeal   for   holiday   pictures   and   postcards   of   Europe   announced   on   the   BBC received over ten million items. Along   a   front   of   50   miles   an   airborne   assault   from   1,200   aircraft   preceded   an amphibious   assault   involving   1,213   warships,   4,126   landing   craft   of   various   types, 736   ancillary   craft,   and   864   merchant   vessels.   Nearly   185,000   troops   crossed   the English    Channel    on    6    June.    The    men    landed    under    heavy    fire    from    gun emplacements   overlooking   the   beaches,   and   the   shore   was   mined   and   covered with   obstacles   such   as   wooden   stakes,   metal   tripods,   and   barbed   wire,   making the   work   of   the   beach   clearing   teams   difficult   and   dangerous.   Casualties   were heaviest   at   Omaha,   with   its   high   cliffs.   At   Gold,   Juno,   and   Sword,   several   fortified towns were cleared in house-to-house fighting. Using   a   well   equipped   campsite   just   meters   from   the   edge   of   Gold   Beach   you   will experience   the   same   sand   and   tides   that   bore   witness   to   horrific   casualties   on the   first   day   of   the   invasion,   but   gave   the   allies   a   foothold   on   the   European mainland. We   will   travel   along   the   length   of   the   invasion   front   keeping   away   from   the routes   used   by   those   who   are   unable   to   venture   further   than   the   roadside.   We will   see   the   side   of   Normandy   that   has   changed   little   since   the   advancing   soldiers made their way across and through the lanes and farmland. From   the   high   cliffs   and   gun   emplacements   at   Pointe   Du   Hoc,   past   the   remains of   German   gun   batteries   to   the   long   shallow   beaches,   such   as   Arromanches which   still   have   the   remains   of   the   Mulberry   Harbours   sitting   on   the   sand   we   will visit   many   of   the   evocative   and   sometimes   emotional   sites   that   now   show   little sign of the horror experienced by those young Allied soldiers 73 years ago. To   book,   click   on   the   link   for   your   chosen   date.   We   only   require   a   £100   deposit per   vehicle   or   full   payment   if   the   tour   is   less   than   eight   weeks   away.   Eight   weeks before    the    tour    we    will    send    you    a    balance    request    and    invoice.    Once    the balance   is   paid   we   will   send   you   an   information   pack   including   meeting   places, times, booking references etc

JUNE

4-7

LAND ROVER MONTHLY SPECIAL ANNIVERSARY TOUR

D-Day Festival Tour