D-DAY and the BATTLE OF NORMANDY 1944 – DIEPPE 1942 – VIMY RIDGE 1917
This 5-Day Tour covers from D-Day to D+84 for the Canadian forces during the Battle of Normandy and also the ill-fated assault on Dieppe in August 1942 plus the WWI site of Vimy Ridge – site of the Canadian actions during the Battle of Arras in April 1917. The photograph above captures the Canadian 3rd Infantry Division commander General Rod Keller and his HQ staff arriving into Normandy through Juno Beach on D-Day 6 June 1944.
Tour Itinerary
Day 1 – Normandy
Normandy Part I – Juno Beach on D-Day
St-Aubin-sur-Mer – Nan Red Sector
Tailleville
Bernières-sur-Mer – Nan White Sector
Courseulles-sur-Mer – Nan Green Sector
Graye-sur-Mer – Mike Red & Green Sector
*** Lunch in Courseulles-sur-Mer ***
Juno Beach Centre – Museum dedicated to the Canadian forces in Normandy
Airfield ALG B4 – learn about the participation of the Royal Canadian Air Force in Normandy
Beny-sur-Mer CWGC Canadian Military Cemetery
Day 2
Normandy Part II – The advance inland and battles against the 12SS “Hitler Youth” Panzer Division June 1944
Revièrs
Fontaine-Henry
Château D’Audrieu
Putot-en-Bessin
Le Mésnil-Patry
Norrey-en-Bessin
*** Lunch in Bretteville-l’Orgueilleuse ***
Bretteville-l’Orgueilleuse
Rots
Authie
Abbaye d’Ardennes
Day 3
Normandy Part III – Operation Atlantic & Spring – July 1944
Hill 67 – Verrières Ridge
Normandy Part IV – Operation Totalize – August 1944
Cintheaux
Bretteville-sur-Laize CWGC Canadian Military Cemetery
Urville-Langannerie – Polish War Cemetery
Normandy Part V – Operation Tractable and the Falaise Pocket – August 1944
Falaise
Trun
Tournai-sur-Dives
St-Lambert-sur-Dives
Le Château d’Aubry
Hill 129
Hill 114
Torpedo Junction
Moissy
Chambois/Fel
Montormel
Hill 262 North – The Mace (Maczuga)
Boisjos Farm
Vimoutiers
Rommel’s Crash Site
Day 4 – Operation Jubilee – Dieppe – August 1942
Dieppe – Red Beach
Dieppe – White Beach
Puys – Blue Beach
*** Lunch at Pourville ***
Pourville – Green Beach (including Lt Col Merritt’s VC action)
Dieppe – 1942 Museum
Dieppe – Canadian CWGC Canadian Military Cemetery
Day 5 – The Battle of Vimy Ridge – April 1917
Canadian Front Lines April 1917 – Start-Line
German Front Lines
Vimy Ridge Memorial
Exploring the many sites around the vast Vimy Ridge Memorial Park including
Trench systems and underground tunnels
The battlefield site including the cratered ground and Regimental Memorials
The Cabaret Rouge CWGC Military Cemetery (where in 2000 the unknown soldier was exhumed and repatriated to Canada)
Neuville St Vaast German Military Cemetery
Notre-Dame de Lorette French battlefield and Military Cemetery
You can also add days – for example if you wanted to add the Canadian Airborne in Normandy, The Somme or Ypres to the routing. I often run this tour to 7 days.
Occasionally, depending on planning, we would start at Vimy and work back the other way but these matters can be discussed later.
If family members were involved in either conflict I can also tailor the tour to focus on specific units, sites and areas of interest.
Please feel free to CONTACT me for additional information.
Highly recommend Pegasus Battlefield Tours and the 5 Day Canadian War Experience. Gary is extremely knowledgeable about all things war related. A great story teller as he made the Normandy area come alive with tales of battles long ago. He went out of his way to make it personal for our family by making sure we saw the beaches and towns our father and uncle were at in WWII. Seeing all of the war memorials and cemeteries was very sobering. The 5 days spent with Gary did not disappoint. I’d go again in a heartbeat if I could!