Battle of the Bulge.

We'll start our Bulge tour by heading east out of La Gare de L'Est in Paris on the bullet train, direction Luxembourg, the tiny nation sandwiched between France, Germany and Belgium that is better known in modern times as a tax haven for the wealthy but during WWII found itself at the crossroads of this famous military engagement between a desperate Wermacht and a tenacious Allied force led by the Americans.

PATTON

First we'll visit the burial site of General George S. Patton. Patton played a crucial role in this battle and wanted to be buried among his men. The American Military cemetery here is an appropriate tribute in its solemnity to our soldiers.

Most of the shooting during The Bulge took place on Belgian soil, and there are several secondary roads in the Ardennes Forest and its environs that are well marked for American visitors to understand the events of December, 1944 into January, 1945. We'll take our time in our comfortable motor coach to stop and learn along the backroads of eastern Belgium.

The Bulge was the largest single battle ever fought by the American Army. Hitler threw everything he had into this last counteroffensive, and the size and intensity of the attack caught our forces by surprise in what turned out to be an unusually bitter cold winter. Hitler’s goal was the port city of Antwerp, to split the Allied forces in two; he came up well short!

The German attack started on December, 16th, 1944 and it was initially successful. We'll visit Malmedy, where on the second day an SS Panzer Division lined up captured Amercan soldiers (more than 100) and machine gunned them in cold blood. Only a small number survived the massacre. We’ll visit this solemn site and our American Memorial at Malmedy, Belgium.

BASTOGNE

"NUTS" defiantly proclaimed General McAuliffe from his base in the now famous small town of Bastogne when asked to surrender to superior German numbers and firepower. Plenty to see in this now peaceful town, whose residents gratefully remember the incredible American courage and sacrifice!

McAuliffe and the "Battered Bastards of Bastogne" held out heroically for 7 days, when elements of General Patton's Third Army fought their way to Bastogne to relieve the 101st.

As small as it is on a map, Bastogne was a crucial logistical crossroads that Hitler needed if his plan to reach and capture Antwerp was to succeed. Our victory in The Bulge came at a heavy cost: nearly 20,000 Americans died in this battle that lasted one month. We'll get a comprehensive view of the battle at the Battle of the Bulge Museum at Deikirch. Hitler's gamble was lost, as the American forces cut off German supply lines and the German forces literally ran out of fuel for their tanks and transport vehicles. It was on to Berlin!

It was called Operation Overlord. It was, in fact, a battle to determine whether man would live in freedom or be condemned to live under the regime of national socialism of Adolph Hitler.
We'll retrace the battles of that strip of coastline in lower Normandy, only 54 miles wide but chock full of American and allied gallantry. We'll visit the hallowed ground of the D-Day Beaches, where in 1944 our young men, from every corner of our glorious nation, braved murderous odds to throw back the Wermacht and liberate not just a nation but all humanity. The freedom of mankind was in the balance. Our young men, side by side with our British and Canadian allies, stormed ashore that fateful day in June, 1944. We'll retrace their steps and finish by paying homage and respect at the site where our countrymen were interred.

We'll start in Ouistreham, which we know as Pegasus Bridge, where British paratroopers slipped undetected through the midnight darkness to surprise the German defenders and capture this strategic bridge, thus confounding the eventual German ability to call for the heavy weaponry stationed further north near the English Channel.

The War Memorial Museum in Caen is a splendid visit for military historians as it lays out the events, in video, photography and sometimes rare audio, that drew the world into the first and then the Second World War.

OMAHA BEACH

You'll see a Higgins Boat that took part in the landings, along with tanks---American, British and German----both intact and some having taken direct hits. The amphibious tanks that were designed to be an integral part of our landing on Omaha are still there to observe.

The hallowed ground of our cemetery in Colleville on the bluff above Omaha Beach will be an emotional focal point of our itinerary in Normandy. It needs no description here. Recently, a visitors' center was added next door. It is a worthwhile visit and sets the stage in one's mind and heart for what you're going to see as you exit the building and walk the gentle slope up to the cemetery.

POINTE DU HOC

The big guns at Longues sur Mer, the German radar installations, the landing spot of Churchill and deGaulle and Montgomery. Pointe du Hoc----considered by the war planners as singularly the most difficult of all D-Day assignments. See the cliffs where Colonel Rudder's Rangers took the Germans by surprise. See the craters left untouched since June 6th, 1944. Understanding the importance of the Mulberry Harbor is understanding one key reason we are free today! It's still there in the water. It's a sight to behold as we come up over the hill and see out in the sea the massive u-shaped structure. Below in the village we'll see the famous mechanical joint that made the whole Mulberry Harbor the engineering success that it was!

All along our 54 mile coastal drive we'll see dozens of German bunkers, blockhouses, and pillboxes. We'll finish in Sainte Mere Eglise, where a life-sized replica of Private John Steele still hangs from the church steeple. This is where our paratroopers came in just after midnight to cut off the German reinforcements that would have come down from the Cherbourg area. The Airborne Museum at Sainte Mere Eglise is one of the best and also contains a glider that our men used that night in battle.

"I will take my conservative American friends by the hand and show them the best that France has to offer. The beauty and charm of the City of Light. The Eiffel Tower, Les Invalides, Trocadero, Versailles, Les Champs Elysees, Le Louvre, L'Arc de Triomphe, Notre Dame, and one of my very favorites: Le Sacre Coeur. Paris is everything beautiful and enchanting you've ever imagined and more. It is, as most visitors agree, the most beautiful city in the world. We'll visit the city by motor coach but also take the time to pause, visit, stroll, and take in the sights and sounds of this magical city."
Ken Chase, your Conservative Tours host and full time Parisian guide.

What do say we start on Les Champs Elysees savoring a café "grand crème?" I would award a prize to the first person who can pass by a "patissierie" (pastry shop) without stopping to gaze in awe but I'd never actually have to award the prize because no one can resist the beauty. This is Paris!!! You will fall in love with this jewel of civilization the way I have time and time again.

EIFFEL TOWER

Have you ever phoned a loved one from the top of The Eiffel Tower? Now's your chance!

Would you like to see where the insurrection by the French Resistance fighters started in the heart of Paris (next to Notre Dame) against the Nazi occupiers? Did the Roman Empire make it this far north? Yes; it did, and you'll see the proof.

Paris is the quintessential walking city, and you'll have free time to stroll the medieval passageways near Saint Michel and the grand boulevards like the Champs Elysees. During our night tour of the city you'll see every jaw-dropping beautiful monument illuminated in a way that only Paris knows how: L'Opera, Place de la Concorde, L'Arc de Triomphe, Les Invalides, La Mairie, Notre Dame, Le Louvre, and of course, La Tour Eiffel.

THE IMPERIAL WAR MUSEUM.  LONDON

The Imperial War Museum in London is one of the very best for military aficionados. We'll take the Bullet Train from Paris to London in the morning, dedicate the whole day to the rather expansive Museum, and be back in the city of light by nightfall.

"Les Invalides" is the French equivalent of London's Imperial War Museum. It has recently seen the addition of the Charles deGaulle wing of the museum and for students of World War II it's a superb complement to all our other activities during this tour event on the Continent. It's a very large museum with many different eras covered in French military history and of course, also contains the casket---in full view---of Napoleon.

BULLET TRAIN

A visit to France, however, would not be complete without a ride on a genuine bullet train, known as the TGV. You will take the bullet train to London. You will also take the bullet train to Luxembourg City to start the Battle of the Bulge tour. We've also arranged an optional day trip to Reims, which is a beautiful small city that serves as the world headquarters of Champagne. We'll visit the caves to see how this special drink is made, and then we'll enjoy a tasting session of a world renowned brand, like Veuve Cliquot or Moet Chandon. Next we'll see a Roman arch that's as well preserved as the arch of Constantine in Rome itself! We're not done! We'll enjoy lunch at perhaps the best known restaurant in the whole country: Le Boulingrin, a bistro style diner right out of the 1920's. The manager, Denis, will take good care of his friends from America. He always does!

NAZI SURRENDER

Before we board the bullet train for our 45 minute shot back to the City of Light there is one more stop to make just around the block from the restaurant. We will visit the red brick school house that General Eisenhower used to convene the allied high command as well as the remnants of the Nazi regime, in the person of General Jodl, to accept the unconditional surrender of the Third Reich. The room has remained unchanged (giant wall map used by Ike, furniture, fixtures, etc.) since that historic day.

Bon Voyage!