Tour Details
The cost – includes breakfast, hotel accommodation, coach, museums and guide, although food and drinks are not included – is £2,500 per person.
A five-day, four-night tour focussing on the winter 1944 Battle of the Bulge where German Forces launched their last great offensive in western Europe in a desperate bid to break Allied lines, capture the vital port city of Antwerp and force the allies into a negotiated peace. This tour will explore the fighting from both sides of the wire including the route of ‘Kampfgruppe Peiper’, the incredible defence of Lanzerath and the ‘twin-villages’ and explore the siege of, and breakout from Bastogne which finally brought Hitler’s ‘last gamble in the west’ to an end.
Itinerary
Beginning our tour in the UK, we travel to France via Dover to Calais Ferry and onwards to the Ardennes where we reach the town of Bastogne. Here we set the scene of the North-West Europe Campaign as it was in late 1944. Checking in to accommodation and a relaxed evening meal completes our first day.
Kampfgruppe Peiper. Heading north from Bastogne we visit the northernmost sector to be attacked on the opening days of the German offensive and follow the route of the most infamous commander to take to the battlefield – Joachim Peiper. Throughout the day we consider the actions of his units as they met stubborn resistance on the Lanzerath Ridge, at Trois Ponts, Stavelot, Stoumont and La Gleize. This day’s touring also includes a visit to the site of the notorious Malmedy Massacre.
Race to Bastogne. Our third day focusses on the fierce, and much underappreciated US defensive actions which played such a key role in holding up the German advance towards the vital town of Bastogne and its crossroads. Moving from East-West throughout the day, we make a number of stops at sites where the attacking Germans were held up, often by much smaller yet determined American forces. We finish our day back at Bastogne to set the scene for the siege to come.
Siege of Bastogne. Our focus today is the famous Siege of Bastogne and the many iconic episodes which took place around the area. Visits include the sites related to the 101st Airborne where the iconic ‘Nuts’ response was given, a look at the medical situation in the town including a visit to the grave of nurse Renee Lemaire and the location where tanks of General Patton’s Third Army finally managed to break the encirclement and thus end the siege of the town.
Fighting Back. Our final day on the Battlefield sees a morning of visits to sites relating to the concerted effort by allied forces to push back German troops. Our key visit will be to the village of Foy where (amongst many others) men of the famous ‘Band of Brothers’ were involved in heavy fighting. Return to UK.
