My Father was a Combat Engineer who went ashore on Utah beach on D-Day so while I do want to see the entire area I want to focus on his experience.. St. Mere Eglise and Carentan are a particular interest.. I've done a lot of reading and study about the invasion and aftermath.. considering a half day tour to get an overview and then seeing the area on my own.. would really like a tour that assumes a good basic background of the history not just a Cliff notes sort of overview thank you for any help
Would you consider a private tour? It is possible that you could arrange one that is really tailored towards your father's unit. A couple of years ago, I took the two day American Experience tour with Battlebus and it was a fabulous experience. My tour guide was Dale Booth; his knowledge was extensive. It was really one of the best tours that I have ever taken anywhere; I've never taken any tour that was as powerful, memorable, and moving. The guides in that company had done many special tours for Veterans as well as WWII research. The Battlebus company no longer exists, but several of the guides do their own tours. You might look and see if either of these is of interest to you: Dale Booth's site is here www.daleboothnormandytours.com The former owner of Battlebus has this company: www.ddayhistorian.com
On a 2008 Rick Steve's tour our day guide for D day beaches was Nigel Stewart. I do not have his contact information, but he is a local guide and he is excellent!