12 May 2027: The American Sector (B/L)
We leave the reception of our hotel at 08:30 to begin exploring the battlefields.
Our first stop of the day is Angoville-au-Plain, where Kyle and Ian will tell you about the American Airborne drops and the actions of the 101st ‘Screaming Eagles’ Airborne Division before taking you to the church where they will share the story of the two medics, Robert Wright and Kenneth Moore.
We continue to Brécourt Manor where Kyle and Ian will tell you how Lieutenant Dick Winters and the men of ‘Easy’ Company of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, the Band of Brothers, destroyed the German guns.
From Brécourt we head toward UTAH Beach where the US 4th Infantry Division came ashore, stopping off at the Richard Winters Leadership Memorial on the way. At UTAH Beach, Kyle and Ian will discuss the seaborne landing of the 8th Infantry Regiment and the actions of Brigadier-General Theodore Roosevelt Jr whose personal valour, courage and leadership on D-Day led to the award of the Medal of Honor.
We then head for Sainte-Mère-Église, the first town liberated, where Kyle and Ian will discuss the exploits of the 82nd ‘All American’ Division before heading to La Fière, the bridge and causeway that had been briefly in American hands on D-Day. That was changed by a moment of indecision, and a three-day epic struggle to break out across the base of the Cotentin Peninsula ensued. Here we discuss the many actions that took place, including that of Private First Class Charles DeGlopper who posthumously received the Medal of Honor.
When then return to Sainte-Mère-Église for lunch at the Brasserie Artisanale de Sainte-Mère-Église.
Following lunch, we head to Pointe-du-Hoc, the cliff-top German Coastal Artillery Battery that was assaulted by Lieutenant Colonel James Earl Rudder’s 2nd Ranger Battalion.
We then head for the western end of OMAHA Beach at Vierville-sur-Mer where Kyle and Ian will discuss the landing by the US 116th Infantry Regiment of the 29th Infantry Division and shed some light on the opening scene of Saving Private Ryan. It is then on towards St Laurent-sur-Mer to discuss the landings of the US Rangers and tell you how they got their motto “Rangers lead the way”.
We continue to the eastern end of OMAHA Beach to discuss the landing by the US 16th Infantry Regiment of the 1st (Big Red One) Infantry Division. There we explore the area and Kyle and Ian will tell the story of 'Bloody OMAHA' and how the ‘Big Red One’ fought their way off the beach.
Our final stop of the day is the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial where we visit the Memorial to remember those Americans who died and have no known grave and the Cemetery to pay our respects to the fallen.
Our first day touring complete, we return to our hotel and the evening is spent at your leisure either in the hotel or the local area.
