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.
This tour date is 27th September to 1st October 2023
You are accompanied by a tour leader to ensure that your tour runs smoothly.
This is a coach tour and your tour guide is Lt General Jonathon Riley.
The cost is £1,500 per person which includes coach, ferry and Eurotunnel, accommodation, breakfast, museums and your guide, but not food and drinks. Please note that we usually quote on the cost of a single occupancy in a single room as we wish to be open with the all-inclusive costs. A discount of 10% is available for bookings with two people sharing a room.
TO SECURE YOUR PLACE TO PATTON IN EUROPE, PLEASE GET IN TOUCH OR PAY A 10% DEPOSIT ON THE BUTTONS.
Your Guide
Lt-General Jonathon Riley.
A former Commanding Officer of 1st Royal Welch Fusiliers, General Officer Commanding British Forces in both Sierra Leone and Iraq and Deputy Commander of NATO forces in Afghanistan
General Riley, is a military historian with 27 published books and visiting professor at King’s College London’s Department of War Studies.
Itinerary
Day 1
Meet at Portsmouth ferry dock, board the coach and catch the overnight ferry to France. A very good dinner with wine is available on board and there will be cabins are available.
Day 2
We follow the Third Army’s attack west into Brittany, then head south, turn east toward the Seine, and finally north, assisting in trapping several hundred thousand German soldiers in the Falaise Pocket between Falaise and Argentan.
Day 3
We will visit the site of the tank school at Bourg, a small village close to Langres where during WW1 Patton received the first ten tanks on March 23, 1918. In the post, Patton trained tank crews to operate in support of infantry, and promoted its acceptance among reluctant infantry officers. After lunch we will visit the site of the Battle of Saint-Mihiel, his first engagement and then onto the town of Cheppy were he was wounded.
Day 4
Then onto Metz where Patton’s offensive came to a halt on August 31, 1944, as the Third Army ran out of fuel. We will visit the site of the Battle of Metz where both sides suffered heavy casualties.
Day 5
We visit Bastogne and follow the route of Patton’s relief force that liberated this important town and its cross roads. Then onto Patton’s grave at Luxembourg American Cemetery and Memorial.
