I just got notice from Overlord Tours that they are cancelling our Tour 2 - Omaha/Utah beaches and transferring us to the Omaha/Band of Brothers Tour 3. Just wondering if anyone has any thoughts on the comparison between the two? I am a history buff, really loved the movie, Band of Brothers, but wanted to get to more of the larger events from the invasion than just one group/movie. In comparing the two, we would miss the following areas: La Fière – DeGlopper Action – Utah Beach – Sainte Marie du Mont – Holdy Battery and First Aid Station – La Colombière Hospital – Hiesville General Taylor Headquarter – General Pratt Memorial. Are these areas must-see? We only have the one full day in Normandy. And the kicker is this - the tour is June 10th, and I am betting I cannot get into another tour service this close to the day. Any suggestions? Advice? Thanks for any quick comments as we start our trip tomorrow.
Posted by
22 posts
Why did they cancel your tour as you booked it? We had a slight glitch with our tour that we were able to successfully resolve. Tours & guides are booked for weeks.
Posted by
OP
45 posts
They stated that they just received notice the tour guide is unavailable. I also just found out that by combining our Tour 2 with the existing Tour 3, the total attendees will be 8. Well, that is 8 out of a possible 16 for a full tour. And while I look forward to just 4 other people, now it is starting to smell a bit fishy that we were the only ones on the Tour 2, so they are combining. (Sorry, I hate to sound cynical.)
Posted by
Middletown, RI
1137 posts
I personally think the La Fière Causeway and Utah Beach are "must sees." That causeway battle was one of the bloodiest and significant battles in the D-day area, and it secured the Western flank of the landing areas. And the Utah Beach museum is my favorite museum in the area. I also think Sainte Marie du Mont is a nice little town, but it wouldn't take long to see stuff there. I'm a little surprised they would drop that town on a BoB tour, as the Brécourt Manor is in that town or extremely close (you could walk there from the square) and that battle was the main battle sequence in the actual D-day episode of Band of Brothers (episode 2). And there is a memorial to Easy company on the road leading to Brécourt that I am sure they will bring you to. Once you drive from the memorial to Brécourt Manor, you just keep going straight and you'll be in the town in literally 2 minutes.
I agree it is better to get a larger perspective of D-day than a singe unit's actions, but that very popular HBO series probably provides lots of customers for the local tour guides, and I'm sure it is a popular tour. However, you are right that it is probably too late to get any other good tour guide for that date (it is the day after the huge anniversary Airborne drop on the La Fière Causeway). Although I have never taken an organized tour Overlord tours is highly recommended. So I'd reach out and see if they'll reconsider their plans given that was what you booked (instead they went with what somebody else booked, squeaky wheel and all that). fwiw, I arrive in Normandy (Carentan) tomorrow morning, and leave the evening of the 9th. eight trip, and there is still new stuff to see.
Posted by
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
8293 posts
" ....... it is better to get a larger perspective of D Day than a single unit's action ..."
Of course, this is so true, just as it is important to remember that British, Canadian and Polish soldiers fought (and died) on the beaches, as well. Canadian troops for days, fought their way to Caen, and there is a part of the route that is still called "Chemin des Canadiens". Just a gentle reminder that D Day is important to a lot of people as well as Americans. We once met a young British couple touring France by motor cycle who stopped off in Normandy "to pay homage to our lads who died on D Day." I was extremely touched by that. They probably had dads, or grandads who had been there in 1944.