Battlebus conundrum

You've already figured out you can't do Battlebus because they require you to be staying there the night before.

Here are the websites of some of the other tours, these are the ones recommended by Rick Steves (in addition to Battlebus, I mean):

www.victorytours.com (from Bayeux only)
www.memorial-caen.fr (from Caen only)
www.ddaybattletours.com
www.overlordtour.com (based in Bayeux)

Brad: Here's a detail that may matter to you in picking a tour (and you may already know this, but if you don't): the 82nd dropped into the well west of the D-Day Landing Beaches, at the base of the Cherbourg-Carentan Peninsula, roughly around Sainte Mere Eglise.

As you probably know, unfortunately the plans went awry and the 82nd and 101st paratroopers were dropped all over the place.

Anyway, I mention this historical detail (and apologize if you already knew it) in case you want to try for a tour that would include the airborne landing areas for the 82nd (and the 101st).

If a tour description only says something like "D-Day Landing Beaches"--then it might not include the initial area of operations of the 82nd, which, as I mentioned, is well west of the D-Day Landing Beaches.

And you want to end up seeing the American Cemetery above Omaha Beach, where ten thousand brothers in blood are laid in honored rest.

Brad,

A few suggestions for you. First of all, you might contact BattleBus and explain the circumstances to them. If you can guarantee that you'll be in Bayeux by 08:00, perhaps they'll agree to add you to the tour (however if you're not there at departure, you'll probably forfeit your tour money).

The BattleBus American highlights tour does cover St. Mere Eglise (it's the first stop as I recall) and tour members are provided some free time to visit the Airborne Museum, which is housed in two buildings (the roof is shaped like a parachute). Incidentally, Pvt. Steele (82nd Airborne, I believe) is STILL hanging from the Bell Tower!

If you did take a tour with them and Dale is your Guide, he was in the British Army so can provide more of a "military" perspective, which is something that not all of the other tour companies can offer.

In the same circumstances, I'd probably find a cheap Hotel in Bayeux for the night of the 7th, and "ditch" the Hotel in Paris (you'd still have to pay for it of course).

Good luck!

Here is a lovely B&B in Bayeux that would be perfect for a birthday evening if they have an opening, Hotel de Sainte Croix:

http://www.hotel-de-sainte-croix.com/english/html/acces.html

Brad - Elwood at D Day Battle Tours is fantastic! He lives in Ste Mere Eglise and his website is listed in Kent's post. I highly recommend his tour.

Looks like you will have a car, so would you be willing to drive to the sights yourself? I'm not a big fan of the tours, so we drove around the D-Day Beaches ourselves using mostly Rick's guidebook as well as a good map. It was really fun and educational, and you could have a lovely lunch picnic over the bluffs to celebrate your birthday.

I didn't realize you'll have a car. If you buy a good, detailed book of what happened, that guides you to locations you can find with a map or GPS, then you're ready to go. I have one here that I bought at the Caen Museum, it would help you get to the initial drop zones of the 82nd (all over the place around Ste Mere Eglise), then working your way east over to the Landing Beaches, ending perhaps at the American Cemetery above Omaha Beach, because the view from the ledge above the beach has you in the German machine gunner positions slinging hot lead down onto the initial assault waves as their landing craft stopped short of the beach and disgorged their sea sick loads of young guys into the murderous stream of fire directed down upon them from above--many members of the first and second assault waves now lie in the cemetery above. Visiting the Cemetery, as a cap to your day's self-tour, will leave you crying and proud of your Brothers in Arms whose struggles here (as Lincoln said) consecrated this ground.

Brad,
There is a museum devoted to paratroopers of WW2; The Deadman's Corner Museum at Saint Comte du Mont near Carentan. My highschool friend's dad has his effects displayed at this museum and I will be going in Sept.If you have a car you should be able to drive there. There is a website..just google Dead Man's Corner Museum