Normandy Battlefields Tour - Sword Beach and the British Airborne Sector

Bayeux, France

On this Normandy Battlefields Tour, you will visit the famous site of Pegasus Bridge, captured just after midnight on D-Day by elements of the 6th Airborne Division.You will visit the Hillman Bunker complex. Found a couple of miles inland from Sword Beach, the fortifications that made up the Hillman complex are just outside the village of Colleville-Montgomery, known prior to 1944 as Colleville-sur-Orne. It was here on the June 07, the Germans finally gave up to the 1st Battalion of the Suffolk Regiment. The different bunkers, used as a German command post, are now cared for by the Association of the Friends of the Suffolk Regiment. Your minivan holds a maximum of eight passengers, and a small group tour is the perfect way to get to out-of-the-way places in one day.

The Commonwealth Military Cemeteries are sadly present in numerous villages and towns in Normandy. They can be different in the size but the emotion stays the same, each grave has flowers, sometimes photographs and letters are laid down by relatives. You will also read the touching epitaphs chosen by parents, brothers and sisters or children.

Visit Sword beach where 28,000 soldiers including 177 Free French soldiers, came ashore to start the liberation of Western Europe. They were the only French soldiers to be involved in the assaults on D-Day.

Next on to the Merville Battery Museum. The men of the 6th British Airborne Division under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Otway were tasked with the capture and destruction of the guns strategically situated to fire on the landings taking place three miles further west on Sword Beach. These men were missing equipment, ammunition and lacked communications. Also, despite the reinforcements that were meant to arrive during the attack not turning up, this small group of determined British soldiers managed to succeed in their D-Day mission, and this gun battery today remains as a museum to the testament of the courage of these men.

USD $76.36

Traveler Reviews

Review by: Anonymous	August 2010
Olivier was a knowledgeable and enthusiastic guide who is generous enough to share his extensive knowledge with his clients. If you have longer, consider doing a full day tour. Or, if you have a specific request, do ask for a personalised private tour.

Review by: Margaret D, United Kingdom	May 2010
We had a very interesting afternoon in which we were taken to a range of places. Well beyond our expectations and despite the threat of bad weather we managed to keep mainly dry. Our guide was excellent and made us feel comfortable enough to ask a whole range of questions which he answered in detail.

Review by: Laurel M, Australia	October 2009
The tour was very thought provoking! Our guide was knowledgeable and helpful an excellent survey of the beaches, highly recommended.

Review by: LAUREL M	October 2009
The tour was very thought provoking! Our guide was knowledgeable and helpful an excellent survey of the beaches, highly recommended.

Review by: Wickham D, United Kingdom	September 2008
Our guide, a charming young French woman with excellent English, arrived promptly at the hotel. The tour packed in a lot in a short time with visits to Pegasus Bridge, Ranville Cemetary, Hillman and Sword Beach. At each stop her detailed knowledge made for a most informative and enjoyable experience.

Review by: WICKHAM D	September 2008
Our guide, a charming young French woman with excellent English, arrived promptly at the hotel. The tour packed in a lot in a short time with visits to Pegasus Bridge, Ranville Cemetary, Hillman and Sword Beach. At each stop her detailed knowledge made for a most informative and enjoyable experience.

Review by: Gary H, United Kingdom	August 2008
Excellent trip, the driver knew everything that he could about this and was able to answer all of our questions.