WWIi

https://www.imagetours.com/tour/world_war_ii_memorial/itinerary
https://www.worldwar2tours.com
https://www.trafalgar.com/en-us/tours/t/wwi-and-wwii-battlefields

You can do it yourself, probably focusing on Normandy, Belgium (Battle of the Bulge), Germany (lots of sites to visit) and perhaps Poland (also, could include sites in Italy like Anzio, Monte Casino and Sicily.

We used my father’s letters and the “yearbook” his regiment published after the war to plan our itinerary. We covered his locations in two trips. He was in the Third Army, Gen. Patton. Normandy, Burgundy, Lorraine, Belgium, Germany…..Perhaps those “yearbooks” are available in a library if not online.
The views from Eagle’s Nest are incredible. The huge elevators that went up inside the mountain to Hitler’s cottage at the top made us realize how paranoid he was. These elevators could hold several huge trucks.

No Second World War tour is complete without a visit to the Museum of the Second World War in Gdansk, Poland, the single best WWII museum in Europe.

Are you looking at a military history (US military) or a full picture trip? If the former, the listed general locations are great. If looking for a bigger picture, you should include Berlin and Auschwitz at a bare minimum--probably Warsaw and Amsterdam, too. But it sounds like you are mostly looking for a US military tour.

I can speak to the Eagle's Nest--it's got pretty views, but the house itself is not that exciting. Hitler himself was only there briefly a few times--most of his time was spent at the Berghof. The photos and videos you see of him enjoying his mountain retreat are the Berghof, not the Eagle's Nest. It's cool to visit, especially if you are in the area and the weather is nice, but from a historical perspective it isn't that great. But there is a lot to see and do in the area.

Since you have a keen interest in WWII sites, there is a web site you should check out as you do research for your trip. The site known as thirdreichruins.com has contains many photos of places that were taken during or just after the war. For comparison it then has photos of the same places taken more recently. Hope this will be of help to you.

I did a WWII research tour in 2018 for a historical novel set in WWII Poland. Even as an American, I think the epicenter of the war was in Poland. Like someone else mentioned, the new WWII museum in Gdansk is the best WWII museum in Europe. Then, there is Krakow which has nearby Auschwitz, Schindler's factory museum, the Jewish area of Kazimierz, and the Museum of the Polish Home Army. Krakow wasn't destroyed in the war like Warsaw was, but Warsaw's history is so important. Krakow is such a charming city, so there are many other things to see.

Historians will tell you that considering the percentage of population lost during the war, Poland suffered the most. It got slammed by both the NAZIs and Communists.

Another site with then/now pictures is www.tracesofevil.com . It's more centred around Munich and Germany as the teacher who runs it lives in Munich. It's fairly cluttered but the photos are from before the war and direct overlays for a powerful contrast and a show of how mundane evil can look.

These are amazing and very helpful suggestions!! I love hearing from
People who have been there and the recommendations are amazing.
Thank you all!

Does it have to be a site? I greatly enjoyed the Imperial War Museum in London and even sat in its library for a morning and was supplied with several books I was interested in.

Hi,

What is your primary area of focus in this self guided tour? US sites, British, German, Canadian, French or Soviet sites as regards to military cemeteries, museums, memorial plaques, , battle field memorials.

Army museums and tank museums are also in Warsaw, Vienna, Prague, Budapest, Helsinki, London, and more esoteric ones in Germany located in various towns and cities.

It all depends on what you are focusing on to see, how much time you're devoting to this and your depth of interest.