Our Overlord Tour from 20-21 June 2017 to the American beach sectors of Operation Overlord on day one and the American airborne drops and battles in day two were simply a wonderful, amazing, informative, and emotional experience for all of us. It was an emotional visit for me especially after serving 11 years in the Army and attending airborne training. Those 126,000 brave men who stormed the beaches, climbed the cliffs and airdropped overland to destroy Hitler's Atlantic Wall and begin the liberation of Europe are true fearless heroes.
Our tour guys were superb. We had Rethro on day one of the beach landings and Pierre on the airborne areas of operations. No matter how many books read or documentaries or Hollywood movies seen, both Rethro and Pierre had an uncanny ability to bring these dramatic events to life with their clear, verbal, and enthusiastic descriptions and depictions.
As a former US Army artillery officer with a history undergraduate degree, I still learned interesting and fascinating facts from both Rethro and Pierre. More than just stating incredible and unfathomable facts, they both shared captivating stories about the men who fought in the greatest seaborne and airborne operation ever, thus, humanizing the key events of D-Day.
The only drawback to such great tour is not enough time to spend in the Airborne Museum in Sainte-Mère-Eglise which is notably difficult to cover one day while touring Omaha and Utah beaches as well as Pont du Hoc. Same goes for the D-Day Experience (Dead Man's Corner Museum) in Saint-Come-du-Mont for the day two airborne tour.
Overall, I would highly recommend these tours to anyone who wants to not only visualize the key sites during those historical days but also get unique perspective from guides who are well versed, and knowledgeable, moreover, can help you understand and greatly appreciate the struggles and personal stories these men endured to liberate Nazis oppressed France and safeguard freedom for all of us.
Eduardo Mercado
Tampa, Florida, USA