European Tours

Peninsular War Tour with Rifleman Harris

Although Wellington learnt his trade in India it was the Peninsular War which the then Sir Arthur Wellesley became a household name.

On this tour, Jason Salkey who played Rifleman Harris in TV series Sharp will be attending the whole tour giving you an insight into the filming and behind the scenes look of this highly regarded TV series.

Waterloo & Bruges Tour

The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday, 18 June 1815, near Waterloo in Belgium. A French army under the command of Napoleon Bonaparte was defeated by two of the armies of the Seventh Coalition: A British-led coalition consisting of units from the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Hanover, Brunswick and Nassau, under the command of the Duke of Wellington, referred to by many authors as the Anglo-allied army or Wellington’s army, and a Prussian army under the command of Field Marshal von Blücher, referred also as Blücher’s army. The battle marked the end of the Napoleonic Wars.

Loire Valley

This tour is a mixture of motoring and military history set in one of the most peaceful and beautiful parts of France.

We visit Chateaux, Vineyards, Le Mans and combat styled pistol shooting

Verdun and Champagne

The battle of Verdun was the longest and one of the bloodiest of the First World War. The Germans aimed to take the French out of the war by inflicting such huge causalities that they would be a spent force. This was to be done by goading them into committing more and more reserves which the Germans would destroy. However, it didn’t work out to plan as the Germans also had to throw in vast reserves as the carnage escalated.

RCF & RAF Tour

RFC & RAF Tour which traces the history of the RFC until the merger with the Royal Naval Air Service on 1 April 1918 to form the Royal Air Force. It covers the aircraft, the brave men who fought and died in aerial combat and the airfields in France.

Ypres & Somme Tour

This tour will be covering some of the main British battles fought on the Western Front, most notably the Battle of the Somme and the Battle of Passchendaele, which will include live firing of Lee Enfield rifles

HUNDRED DAYS OFFENSIVE TOUR

In this final offensives, the BEF had captured 188,700 prisoners and 2,840 guns which was only 7,800 prisoners and 935 guns less than those taken by the French, Belgian and American armies combined. Indeed, the war was over before the Americans became decisively engaged. Thus, it was the British Army that led the advance to victory and carried the major share of the fighting. In late 1918 the British Army was the most proficient combined-arms battlefield force in the world, bigger and better than it has ever been, before or since.

LORD GORT AND THE BEF TOUR

Field Marshal, 6th Viscount Gort, VC, GCB, CBE, DSO & Two Bars, MVO, MC.
As a young officer during the First World War he was decorated with the Victoria Cross for his actions during the Battle of the Canal du Nord. After serving as Chief of the Imperial General Staff, he commanded the British Expeditionary Force that was sent to France in the first year of the Second World War, only to be evacuated from Dunkirk the following year.

Allied Bombing Campaign Tour

Allied Bombing Campaign of Europe – This tour will be covering the Mohne and Eder Dams, Stalag Luft III  and Colditz as well as the cities of Hamburg, Berlin and Dresden. We will be visiting the Flak towers, air raid shelters and the effects of this bombing campaign.

Cassino Anzio Tour

The four Battles for Cassino has been compared to the great battles fought on the Western Front in WW1, due to the enormous losses, mud and difficult terrain. The landing at Anzio could have captured Rome and shortened the Italian Campaign but didn’t due to dithering Allied commanders. This tour covers the German Winter Line, the Battles of Cassino and the landing at Anzio in 7 days with noted historian Patrick Mercer.

Operation Market Garden

This tour will be covering both aspects of this operation. Operation Market was the airborne assault whilst Operation Garden was armoured attack along Hell’s Highway. Unfortunately, it was a badly planned operation and ultimately failed.

D Day and authentic shooting experience

This is more than your average military history tour. We look at the battlefield from various angles as well as firing the types of weapons used on D Day and seeing the beaches from the sea which gives a different perspective on the landings. We will also be covering both the American and British sectors including the paratrooper drop zones and the beach landings.

Battle of Aachen and Hurtgen Forest Tour

The Battle of Aachen was the first city on German soil to be captured by the Allies. The battle ended with a German surrender, but their tenacious defence significantly disrupted Allied plans for the advance into Germany. The Battle of Hürtgen Forest was the longest battle on German ground during World War II and is the longest single battle the U.S. Army has ever fought.

Battle of the Bulge Tour

The Battle of the Bulge, was the last major German offensive campaign on the Western Front during World War II. The offensive was intended to stop Allied use of the Belgian port of Antwerp and to split the Allied lines, allowing the Germans to encircle and destroy four Allied armies and force the Western Allies to negotiate a peace treaty in the Axis powers’ favour.

Crossing the Rhine Tour

Operation Plunder was a military operation to cross the Rhine on the night of 23 March 1945, launched by the 21st Army Group under Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery.

The First Allied Airborne Army conducted Operation Varsity on the east bank of the Rhine in support of Operation Plunder.

Ardennes Tour

This tour is a mixture of motoring and military history set in one of the most peaceful and beautiful parts of France. The motoring in the Ardennes is one of the highlights of this tour with picturesque villages and scenery. The area has a lot of military history due to its location on the German, Belgium, Luxembourg and French borders. This tour focuses on the Battle of the Bulge which was the last roll of the dice for Nazi Germany in the West and ultimately ended in victory for the Allies.

Patton in Europe Tour 

General George S Patton or ‘Old Blood and Guts,  commanded the Third United States Army in France and Germany. Patton’s colourful image, hard-driving personality, and success as a commander were at times overshadowed by his controversial public statements. His philosophy of leading from the front, and his ability to inspire troops with attention-getting, vulgarity-laden speeches, such as his famous address to the Third Army, was received favourably by his troops, but much less so by a sharply divided Allied high command. His emphasis on rapid and aggressive offensive action proved effective, and he was regarded highly by his opponents in the German High Command.

Great Retreat in 1914 Tour

Our tour begins with an overview of the British Expeditionary Force’s struggle against overwhelming odds in August 1914. By 27 August the BEF had been in constant combat for four days and was reaching its breaking point. German forces continued to pursue the weary Tommies leading to several bloody rear-guard actions. Today we will look at two of these: the last stand of the 2nd Royal Munster Fusiliers at Etreux and the fierce cavalry action at Cerizy.

Retreat to Dunkirk 1940 Tour

The tour follows the early weeks of the Second World War in North-West Europe as German armoured formations utilising the famed ‘Blitzkreig’ tactics smashed into British and French forces in France and Belgium, necessitating a withdrawal which eventually led to the beaches of Dunkirk and Operation Dynamo.

Battle Guide Peninsular War Tour

The tour follows the early weeks of the Second World War in North-West Europe as German armoured formations utilising the famed ‘Blitzkreig’ tactics smashed into British and French forces in France and Belgium, necessitating a withdrawal which eventually led to the beaches of Dunkirk and Operation Dynamo.