and D-Day to Hitler's Eagle's Nest Normandy, Battle of the Bulge, Final redoubt June 4-16, 2012 An unbridled passion for teaching Americans about their nation’s heritage and the role our heroes played motivated the late Dr. Stephen E. Ambrose to develop a series of historical tours. As America’s premier historian, Eisenhower biographer, founder of the National D-Day Museum in New Orleans and author of 22 historical books, his goal was to take people to where they could experience history. Beginning in 1979 he chose to lead tours to the places that spoke to his heart. Whether visiting Omaha Beach with D-Day veterans paying homage to their fallen brothers or tromping Civil War battlefields, Dr. Ambrose sought to enlighten, entertain and educate. Stephen Ambrose Historical Tours continues to preserve his legacy and expand the carefully conceived and executed itineraries inspired by his life’s work. From the staging areas in London to the Siegfried Line, the D-Day to the Eagle’s Nest tour will showcase the GI’s view of the campaign to liberate Europe. Day 1 – Monday, June 4 • Flight to Paris Day 2 – Tuesday, June 5 • Normandy Arrive Charles De Gaulle in the morning, meet SAHT representative and drive to our hotel in Normandy. Please contact our office to discuss flight arrival times so we may coordinate with the other guests. Dinner reception. Day 3 – Wednesday, June 6 • Normandy We will spend the morning at Omaha Beach where the Americans took the German fortifications after a fierce fight. Losses were especially high in the first wave of landings. Today the American Cemetery stretches along the bluff. We will study the battlefield, traverse the beach, analyze the maps and imagine the courage that saved our freedom that day. We also will pay our respects (at the thousands of crosses and Stars of David) to the deceased. Pointe-du-Hoc is a sheer cliff some forty meters high where the elite Ranger Force scaled the German breastworks on D-Day. We will spend part of the afternoon there, trying to fathom how they did it. Late afternoon we will visit Ste-Mere-Eglise, taken by the American Airborne on D-Day, and hear the stories of the veterans who took it. Day 4 – Thursday, June 7 • Normandy After breakfast, our tour begins where the first shots of the Normandy invasion were fired, at the crucial Pegasus Bridge. Then we will pass the British and Canadian Beaches: Sword, Juno and Gold on the way to Arromanches. Here are still “Mulberries,” large flotation devices used to create an artificial port for the landing. There is then a viewing of the film The Price of Freedom at the Cinema Circulaire 360. It is a blend of present day photography with information from the archives of war correspondence. From here we proceed to the heavy gun emplacements at Longuessur-Mer, the battery against which HMS Ajax scored the most accurate (and perhaps the luckiest) hit of the war. We will see the evidence that remains. Day 5 – Friday, June 8 • Paris Arrive in Paris early afternoon. This is a free day for exploring the city and its many wonderful sites such as the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, Notre Dame, the Tuileries gardens and Les Invalides, which houses Napoleon’s Tomb. and historical representations of the military operations in the Ardennes from the American, German and civilian perspectives. Free afternoon and evening in Paris. We will drive to Bastogne, and tour the Bastogne Museum. It relates the history of the Ardennes Battle through photos, maps, weapons, equipment and uniforms. In Bastogne we will visit General Anthony McAuliffe’s headquarters. This is the place where the 101st Airborne and elements of the 10th Armored Division held off fifteen German divisions for six days in December 1944. From there we travel to the impressive Mardasson Memorial, which represents the gratitude of the Belgian population for the liberation of their country by the U.S. Army. Day 6 – Saturday, June 9 • Luxembourg After breakfast, we depart for Reims, the city of coronations and champagne. It was in Reims, France, at 2:41a.m. on May 7, 1945, that German General Alfred Jodl signed the unconditional surrender of all German forces on all fronts, the first of two documents that ended the European phase of WWII. Visit to the Musée de la Reddition (the Surrender Museum) dedicated to this event. After the museum, we stop at Verdun on the way to Luxembourg. World War I on the Western Front was largely trench warfare—a four-year stalemate where millions of soldiers were killed or wounded. The Battle of Verdun, lasting from February to December 1916, was the longest and largest single battle in world history. In planning for the Second World War, senior generals on both sides were determined to avoid the futile slaughter of trench warfare. The tour continues to Luxembourg. This small country with winding valleys, rivers, verdant plateaus and towering castles is a charming stop along the way. Day 7 – Sunday, June 10 • Luxembourg We drive north to where the Battle of the Bulge began. En route we stop at the Malmedy Memorial that commemorates one of the worst atrocities committed against prisoners of war in the European Theater of Operations during WWII. Standartenführer Joachim Peiper of the 1st SS Panzer Division ordered the slaughter of 88 unarmed American soldiers. This SS division had a fearsome reputation and Peiper was known as a man who would let nothing stand in his way. Our next stop is the medieval market town of Clervaux with its imposing castle in a narrow valley surrounded by dense forests. We will enjoy a brief stroll through its city square. A Sherman tank remains here as tribute to the presence of the Allied forces. We then head to the city of Wiltz, which was at the center of intense fighting between American and German forces in 1944. At our stop in the village of Dahl, we hear the story of the valiant actions of U.S. Army Sgt. Day Turner of the 319th Infantry. He commanded a nine-man squad that held a critical flank position against the German attack. He was awarded the Medal of Honor for his acts of heroism and bravery. We visit the actual farmhouse where Turner repelled repeated enemy assaults for more than four hours. Day 8 – Monday, June 11 • Luxembourg We start our day with a drive to Diekirch to visit Le Musée National D’Histoire Militaire. The museum is primarily dedicated to the Battle of the Bulge, and is filled with amazing artifacts After lunch, we visit the Bois Jacques forest and view the remaining foxholes, and the Easy Company memorial. Returning to Luxembourg City, we visit the Luxembourg American Cemetery in Hamm. The 609th Quartermaster Company of the U.S. Third Army established the cemetery on December 29, 1944 while Allied Forces were stemming the enemy’s desperate Ardennes Offensive. This is the final resting place of General George S. Patton. Sgt. Day Turner also is buried here. We will lay a wreath at the cemetery in remembrance of the sacrifices of those who gave their lives here in 1944 and 1945. The evening is free. Day 9 – Tuesday, June 12 • Frankfurt Our morning will begin by paying tribute to the many fallen at the American Cemetery in Hamm and General George S. Patton’s grave. Gen. Patton rests among his men in a cemetery as beautiful and moving in its own way as the one at Normandy. The afternoon holds a special treat as tour participants will venture on an afternoon lunch cruise along the Rhine River, with its spectacular scenery and landscapes. Finally, we travel to Frankfurt where we’ll enjoy a free afternoon in the city prior to a farewell dinner. At this last gathering, we will have an opportunity for reflection and good conversation about the tour. Day 10 – Wednesday, June 13 • Berchtesgaden We will continue our journey southeast towards Munich and begin our exploration of the final days of Hitler’s reign. We stop at Dachau, site of some of the most nefarious acts of and against humankind during the war. Dachau was the first camp of this kind and the model for all subsequent concentration camps. In total, over 200,000 prisoners from more than 30 countries were housed in Dachau. At least 30,000 are believed to have died: notably Jews, resistance fighters, clergymen, politicians, communists, writers, artists and royalty. Dachau was one of the first places to expose the west to Nazi brutality. Day 12 – Friday, June 15 • Berchtesgaden Today is a free day. You may choose to explore the charming walkable town of Berchtesgaden. Another option would be the hour train or bus to Salzburg, Austria. This city is well known as Mozart’s birthplace and home. In Salzburg and its environs, the movie The Sound of Music was filmed. Day 13 – Saturday, June 16 • Flight home We have an early morning departure from our hotel in Berchtesgaden for the Munich International Airport. Day 11 – Thursday, June 14 • Berchtesgaden The morning begins with a city tour of Berchtesgaden and Obersalzberg. We will have an overview of Hitler’s life, and the Nazi party’s take over and development of the mountain for Hitler’s Southern Headquarters. After our city tour, we will head to Hitler’s Alpine retreat and visit the Eagle’s Nest, built as a 50th birthday present to him from the Nazi party, as well as the remains of the vast Nazi Party complex. Perched at 6017 feet, the Eagle’s Nest and the road network leading to it were considered feats of engineering as they were completed in only 13 months time in 1937-38. Note: The road up to Eagle’s Nest is narrow and winding, and closes for inclement weather. BE L • $4,700 per person based on double occupancy. $800 single supplement $300 deposit required for this tour • • • • • • • 11 nights hotel accommodations 9 dinners, breakfasts daily Full time historian and logistical escort Land based transportation by motorcoach All entrance fees to attractions and museums Porterage, service charges and taxes Price: $4,700.00 per person, based on double occupancy. Price does not include airfare. Single Supplement: $800.00 per person NE TH UK D-Day to Hitler's Eagle's Nest Normandy GERMANY Frankfurt • • Luxembourg • Paris • AUS Berchtesgaden FRANCE Contact the Traveling Aggies at 979-845-7514 or E-mail: [email protected] www.AggieNetwork.com/travel SWISS LY A IT Tour operator is Stephen Ambrose Historical Tours. Toll Free 1-888-903-3329 www.stephenambrosetours.com and 2012 Registration Personal Information First Name____________________________ MI____ Last Name_________________________________________________________ Address_______________________________________________________________________________________________________ City_____________________________________________________State______ Zip________________________________________ Tel. (______) __________________________ E-Mail Address___________________________________________________________ If you are traveling with a companion, please furnish the following information First Name____________________________ MI____ Last Name_________________________________________________________ Address_______________________________________________________________________________________________________ City_____________________________________________________State______ Zip________________________________________ Tel. (______) __________________________ E-Mail Address___________________________________________________________ If you want to be paired with a roommate, please check the box. Double (1 Bed) Twin (2 Beds) If you wish to book additional companions, please attach the necessary information. Single D-Day to Hitler’s Eagle’s Nest JUNE 4 – 16, 2012 Tour price is $4,700.00 per person based on double occupancy. Does not include airfare. If you choose to room alone, an additional $800.00 charge will apply. Extra nights before or after the tour are available. Participants are encouraged to purchase airline tickets no sooner than 60 days before the tour begins to avoid airline cancellation penalties if a tour is cancelled or otherwise modified. Stephen Ambrose Historical Tours accepts no liability for the purchase of non-refundable airline tickets. In order to register for this tour, we require a deposit of $300.00 per person. This deposit is refundable up to 90 days prior to departure minus $50 per person administration fee. 50% of your balance is due 90 days before the tour; the remaining balance is due 45 days before depature. If paying by check, please return your check with this form. If paying by credit card, please check one of the boxes below. Note: Additional charges of 3% will apply. Visa Mastercard American Express Discover Cardmember Name______________________________________________________________________________________________ Card _______________________________________________3-4 Digit Security Code __________ Exp Date:______________________ Billing Address (if different than above)______________________________________________________________________________ Contact the Traveling Aggies at 979-845-7514 or E-mail: [email protected] • www.AggieNetwork.com/travel Tour operator is Stephen Ambrose Historical Tours. Toll Free 1-888-903-3329 • www.stephenambrosetours.com Please make deposit check payable to: Stephen Ambrose Historical Tours, and mail to: The Association of Former Students, 505 George Bush Drive, College Station, TX 77840-2918.
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