The French Resistance in Eastern France is a six-day tour exploring SOE and French Resistance activity in the east of France and Lyon area. It is possible to link this tour with our other SOE and Resistance tours around the Lyon area.
This tour begins at Natzweiler-Struthof which was the only concentration camp in France during WWII and where many men and women from both the SOE and Resistance were interred after their capture. We visit clandestine drop zones, maquis camps, villages and sites of sabotage. In Lyon we visit many sites including the Gestapo Headquarters, Montluc Prison and trace the footsteps of Jean Moulin. We also visit the orphanage at Izieu where the infamous Klaus Barbie was involved in the deporation of the children and staff; this led directly to his charges of crimes against humanity at his trial in Lyon decades later.
We venture into the Jura region on our way between Natzweiler-Struthof and Lyon and also to The Vercors mountains where the magnificent scenery belies the bitter engagements that took place. It is in the Vercors where the heaviest battles were fought between the Resistance and the Germans and where horrendous reprisals on the civilian population took place.
We visit places where the famous SOE agents Virginia Hall and Richard Heslop (Xavier) operated under the most dangerous of situations which with one slice of bad luck would have meant interrogation, torture and almost certain death.
Like our other resistance tours we visit many sites and hear of bravery, treachery, derring-do and love…it really is a rollercoaster of emotion. This is truly an unforgettable tour.
As with some of my other tours I’m afraid I no longer put detailed itineraries on the internet because other companies and guides have been stealing them so please contact me for further details.
What can one say about the tours I have been on with Gary? It's hard to summarise without writing a short novel however I think that every day spent with Gary on the tours I did with him was well beyond what I thought I was going to get. Everyone says the same thing, well thought out, planned informative etc. It truly is.
I managed through Gary to live a life time ambition to go where I had read about, where I had seen on TV and be transported back in time. As I have European heritage, I have always had a strong interest in this time of Europe's history so I flew from NZ to do this and spent six days of my 25 days in Europe with Gary on the Peiper, Bastogne and then Normandy tours. The ability to be taken and shown what Gary showed me, to hear the stories never written but that have been told to Gary by those that were there and from his own research and book was beyond anything I had expected.
What have I been left with? A trip of a life time, more photos and stories than I every thought possible and a deep respect for all those who fought, lived, died and survived during 1930's through to the 1950's from all nations. Gary also has followed up with information and photos referring back to the areas we visited etc so to me this goes well above and beyond a typical tour. That Gary takes time to personalise your tours for you is amazing.
Gary I can't say enough about your tours. They really are fantastic and I would recommend them to anyone. Thank you.