TOUR #6 Neptune Tour – Two Days Tour

Pegasus Bridge is a bascule bridge (a type of movable bridge), built in 1934, that crossed the Caen Canal between Caen and Ouistreham. Also known as the Bénouville Bridge after the neighbouring village, it was, with the nearby Ranville Bridge, a major objective of Operation Tonga in the opening minutes of the invasion of Normandy. A gliderborne unit of the British 6th Airborne Division, commanded by Major John Howard was to land, take the bridges intact and hold them until relieved. The successful taking of the bridges played an important role in limiting the effectiveness of a German counter-attack in the days and weeks following the invasion. In 1944 it was renamed Pegasus Bridge in honour of the operation. The name is derived from the shoulder emblem worn by the British airborne forces, which is the flying horse Pegasus. In 1944 it was renamed Pegasus Bridge in honour of the operation.

The area code-named Sword Beach occupied an 8-km (5-miles) stretch of the French coastline from Lion-sur-Mer on the west to the city of Ouistreham, at the mouth of the Orne River, on the east. In many ways Sword Beach was the key to success in the Normandy landings. It was the nearest beach to Caen , the capital of the area and the prize that would need to be taken to allow a breakout. The plan was to land the 3rd Infantry Division ("Monty’s Ironsides"), who would then link up with 6th Airborne Division on the Eastern Flank. The 3rd Division would be assisted in the landings by Lord Lovat’s 1st Special Service Brigade, which also included French commandos. Their opposition would be units from the German 716th Division, with 21st Panzer Division located in the Caen area – a possible major threat if tanks arrived to block the invasion.

The 177 Frenchmen of the 1st Batallion of Fusiliers Marins Commandos landed there on 6 June 1944. The French under Commandant Kieffer were integrated to the N°4 British Commando. They were granted the honour to set foot on Normandy soil in the first wave. The Commandos left about fourty casualties on the beach and moved inland. Commandant Kieffer was wounded but went on with his troops. Troop 1 suffered losses in front of the casino strongpoint. They obtained support of a tank of the 13/18th Hussars of the 27th Armoured Brigade. The German blockhouse was neutralized Ouistreham was liberated at the end of the morning.

Monument symbolizing the sacrifice of the Free French combatants on 6 June 1944. Several steles are dedicated to the French Commandos who died in the fighting and a small monument is dedicated to Commander Kieffer.

From 08:30 hours the second wave of assault units landed, being commando's of the 1st Special Service Brigade under the command of Lord Lovat. First to land were No. 4 Commando and 177 Free French Marines of No.10 (Inter Allied) Commando, led by Commandant Philippe Kieffer, both units tasked with heading east and capturing strong points in Ouistreham. In addition, 41 Royal Marines Commando headed west to Lion-sur-Mer to link up with the Candians from JUNO. Thirsty minutes later the rest of Brigadier Lord Lovat's brigade landed and lead by Piper Bill Millin playing "Road to the Isles" headed east with the objective of linking up with the 6th Airborne at Benouville (Pegasus Bridge).

Sword Beach was the codename for a landing area for the Allied invaders on the coast of Normandy during D-Day on June 6, 1944. The area was assigned to the British Second Army. Stretching 8 km from Ouistreham to Saint-Aubin-sur-Mer it was the furthest east of the landing points and around 15 km from Caen. The landing site was divided into four zones - Oboe, Peter, Queen and Roger (west-east). The landing was concentrated in Queen Sector to the east of Lion-sur-Mer. The key objective was to quickly reach and capture the key town of Caen and the nearby Carpiquet aerodrome to the west. Landings began at 0725 when the 3rd Division landed in Peter and Queen...

On 6 June 1944, 21st Panzer-Division was the first German armored formation to be launched in a counter-attack against the Allied landings in Normandy. After getting as far as the coast, the division was forced back. However its action on D-Day held up British troops' attempts to capture the city of Caen for a whole month. It was almost wiped out in the British offensive west of Caen on 18 July 1944, but fought on in the hedgerows before retiring eastwards across France.

Juno Beach was the code name of one of the five main landing sites of the Allied invasion of the coast of Normandy on D-Day during World War II. It was situated between Sword Beach and Gold Beach. It is also known as the Canadian beach, as it was assigned to the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division. Juno Beach stretched from Saint-Aubin-sur-Mer on the east to Courseulles-sur-Mer on the west. Nan Sector. Two assault companies of The Queen's Own Rifles were to land and take Bernières, a small beachfront resort town. Two companies of The North Shore (New Brunswick) Regiment was assigned to capture St-Aubin, another resort town. DD tanks of the Fort Garry Horse was to support both groups, with Le Régiment de la Chaudière from Quebec in reserve. Nan Red Sector is where we will give you information about the German defences near a bunker in which a 50 mm caliber canon still guards the access of the village. This is where the North Shore Regiment and Duplex Drive tanks of the Fort Garry Horse landed

On Nan White, Bernières-sur-Mer, we will stop at the Cassine Bunker for more explanation and sites of interest like pillboxes, the seawall, the House of the Queen’s Own Rifles of Canada, the rue du Régiment de la Chaudière and the House of the British and Canadian reporters. This sector saw the Queen’s Own Rifles of Canada losing more than 100 men within few minutes. Tank crews of the Fort Garry Horse suffered losses too.

Lunch is not included in our fee.

Courseulles-sur-Mer, Nan Green, is the spot where a DD tank lays as a tribute to Canadian tanks units which landed on D-Day. This Sherman tank spent some 27 years in the salted water as it sunk on D-Day and was recovered by the REME in 1971. Here the Regina Rifles Regiment and tanks of the first Hussars landed.

The next stop is near Cosy’s bunker which saw a fierce fighting and high Canadian and British casualties on D-Day. The Royal Winnipeg Rifles and the Canadian Scottish Regiment landed on Mike, suffering, high losses. Next to it, stands an AVRE Churchill tank used as a monument to pay tribute to the men of the 79th British Armored Division which supported the Canadian on the 6th of June.

Admiral Sir Bertram Ramsay was responsible for Operation "Neptune", the naval contribution to the invasion of Normandy, and the greatest amphibious operation in history. Ramsay initially established his headquarters in Arromanches but then moved them to a house in Ver-sur-Mer.

The Green Howards came ashore D-day on Gold beach being part of the 50th division. Their task was to cut the Bayeux to Caen road, secure the Arromanches port and to take the battery of Longues sur Mer from the rear. The division had to link up with the Americans from Omaha Beach to the west at Port-en-Bessin, and link up with the Canadians from Juno Beach to the east. With B and C Companies leading the advance to Crepon (A and D behind them) the Green Howards came under heavy fire from the village. The battalion commander, Lieutenant Colonel Hastings, ordered B and C Companies to push on towards Villiers-le-Sec while A Company was kept in reserve. D Company was to clear a route through Crepon without getting bogged down by pockets of German resistance.

Not far from Ver-sur-Mer, the battery of Mont-Fleury, comprising four Russian 122-mm guns, was still under construction in June 1944. Its casemates, which had not yet been completed, were being built according to new time-saving methods which consisted of erecting parallel walls of breezeblocks in order to obviate the need for wooden formwork. Iron rods were then placed between the walls and the space was filled in with concrete… The 50th Infantry Division Northumbrian suffered a lot of casualties in this sector.

The beach was to be assaulted by the 50th Division between Le Hamel and Ver-sur-Mer. Attached to them were elements of 79th (Armoured) Division. The 231st Infantry Brigade would come ashore on Jig Sector at Le Hamel/Asnelles and the 69th Brigade at King Sector in front of Ver sur Mer. Number 47 (Royal Marine) Commando, attached to the 50th Division for the landing, was assigned to Item sector.

By 9 June, just 3 days after D-Day, two harbours codenamed Mulberry "A" and "B" were constructed at Omaha Beach and Arromanches, respectively. However, a large storm on 19 June destroyed the American harbour at Omaha, leaving only the British harbour which came to be known as Port Winston at Arromanches. While the harbour at Omaha was destroyed sooner than expected (due to it not being securely anchored to the sea bed), Port Winston saw heavy use for 8 months—despite being designed to last only 3 months. In the 10 months after D-Day, it was used to land over 2.5 million men, 500,000 vehicles, and 4 million tonnes of supplies providing much needed reinforcements in France.

The Atlantic Wall was a system of fortifications built by Nazi Germany, which extended along the Atlantic coast of Western Europe. The batteries of Longues-sur-Mer are a classic example of the pattern that was used for the Atlantic Wall. Come and discover the four casemates of these batteries and the 152 mm German naval guns behind the control bunker. This site has been very well preserved to this day as a Memorial of the war. You will cross the Port of Port en Bessin secured by the 47th Royal Commando Unit, which became an important petroleum port. Port en Bessin was the geographic boundary between the American and British sectors.

Here we will see many WN’s - (wiederstandnest- meaning German weapons strong point emplacements) from Sainte-Honorine-des-Pertes to Vierville. We will visit some of these strong points, which were the better-defended German Positions along Omaha. We will stop at WN 62 and WN 65 in Fox Green and Easy Red sectors of the American landing, and WN 73 in Dog Green at Vierville. This beach assault was a difficult assignment, given to US V Corps (General Gerow) whose Force O was made up of the 1st Infantry Division, 29th Infantry Division, the Rangers and several attached Units.

This Cemetery, extends over 172.5 acres, and is one of fourteen permanent American World War II cemeteries constructed on foreign soil. It contains the remains of 9387 servicemen and women killed for our freedom. The American Cemetery of Colleville conveys an unforgettable feeling of honor, peace and serenity.

Located on a cliff 8 miles west of the Cemetery, this monument was created by France to honour elements of the 2nd Rangers Battalion under the command of LTC James E. RUDDER which scaled the 100-foot cliff. Admiral Hall’s Intelligence officer remarked: "It can’t be done. Three old women with brooms could stop the Rangers scaling that cliff!". RUDDER replied to General BRADLEY: “Sir, my Rangers can do the job for you".

Lunch is not included in our fee.

Sainte Mere Eglise is one of the most memorable places depicted in the famous movie: The Longest Day. This tour will show you the famous church tower upon which the American paratrooper John Steele landed and became entangled as he parachuted into Normandy on June 6th. An actual mannequin of Steele has been hung with parachute on the church tower to commemorate his courageous jump. Although Sainte-Mere-Eglise was the area where the 82nd Airborne were schedule to jump and land, the first paratroopers who landed here were instead, members of the 101st Airborne Division. Several groups of the 101st Division, landed here, miles away from their Drop Zone, and instead, mistakenly landed on top of this village. "Easy Company", for the most part was also misdropped southeast of the town with some men landing in the center of the Village. "Dog", "Easy" and "Fox" Companies belonging to 2nd Battalion 506th PIR were also to jump at around 1:00 a.m. on DZ "C", near Sainte-Marie-du-Mont. Instead, due to all of these missed drops, Sainte-Mere-Eglise was officially the first town liberated at 4:30 AM on the day of the Invasion.

Here you will see a clear view of the inland areas that were flooded by the Germans and the marshes of Merderet. This is the place where many of the 82nd Airborne were located under orders of General Gavin to resist the counter attacking Germans and guard two strategic bridges for the defence of the town of Sainte Mere Eglise.

Charles Neilans DeGlopper (November 30, 1921 - June 9, 1944) was a United States Army soldier who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor , the highest award of the U.S. military, for his heroic actions and sacrifice of life during the World War II Battle of Normandy. A Grand Island, New York native, DeGlopper was the only soldier from the 325th Glider Infantry Regiment to be awarded the Medal of Honor. He was also the only World War II soldier from the 82nd Airborne Division of the United States Army to receive the award for action during the Battle of Normandy campaign.

This is the place where the successful landing of the American Ivy Division (the 4th Infantry Division) occurred under orders of General Barton and General Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. with others in the first attack wave at Utah Beach. Utah Beach was the furthest west of the five beaches designated for the D-Day landings in June 1944. Located at the base of the Cotentin Peninsula, it was added by General Dwight Eisenhower to the original D-Day plan to ensure the early capture of the vital port of Cherbourg, at the north of the peninsula. Eisenhower realized that the Allied advance throughout Western Europe would require vast amounts of equipment and that the only major port that could handle this in the initial stages of the war was at Cherbourg.

Today, St. Marie du Mont appears to be a typical Norman village. Here, Marshall Erwin Rommel, who was in charge of the Atlantic defenses, inspected them several times between January and May 1944. While evaluating and inspecting the German defenses, Rommel stayed in a 17th century manor situated at the Western entrance of the village. The gothic bell tower was a key reference point for the 101st Airborne General Maxwell Taylor who landed in the early hours of the Invasion spent the night regrouping misdropped soldiers.

Captain George Lage, surgeon of the second company of the 502nd Parachute Regiment, arrived here at Holdy with 30 other paratroopers on the first day of fighting. Not unlike some of the other men, the Captain had sustained an injury to one of his ankles. Here, slightly on outskirts of a designated drop zone, he quickly mobilized what men he could, and transformed a small farm house here, belonging to Monsieur Auguste Lay, into a critical aid station for the wounded. As you can imagine, the farmhouse was quickly filled with wounded men in need of the Captain’s help, and the life saving measures of those that attempted to assist him. Unbelievably though, while there attending to the wounded here, the Captain and others discovered that the aid station was located literally on top of a nearby German battery, disguised in total cammoflage along a nearby road, and manned by as many as 60 German soldiers, and four 105mm cannons, who were unaware of their presence while busy firing countermeasures to the attack! COME WITH US while we walk you through this site to relive-rediscover the courageous actions of the Captain and his small group of American Paratroopers, who singlehandedly stole this position from the hands of German control, wounding some 30 men, and killing 38 others!

The Division Hospital was establish at Château de Colombières, a large country house at Hiseville, a few yards north of General Taylor’s Division Command Post. The owners of the Château moved their personal belongings out and reserved one room for themselves. This was the first Allied Hospital to be in Operation in Normandy. It was under the command of Major Albert J. Crandall, Capt. C.O. Van Gorder, Capt. J.S. Rodda, and Capt. Saul Divorkin, anesthesiologist. This surgical team was the first airborne(glider)surgical team in the history of the U.S. Army.

This is the location of the Le Cauday’s farmhouse, which was the first Headquarters of General Maxwell Taylor, Commander of the 101st Airborne. General Taylor kept his Headquarters at this location for 8 days following June 6th, 1944.

General Pratt, 101st Airborne Division, was initially supposed to land and arrive on Utah Beach during the afternoon of D-Day. Prior to General Pratt's jump, however, General Maxwell D. Taylor persuaded Pratt to join the first wave of gliders to land in Normandy, instead. Pratt would have preferred to jump with his men but he had not completed the necessary training to qualify him to make a parachute jump at the time. Unknown to Pratt, his glider had been seriously overloaded and it crashed in a field. A plaque commemorates the crash. He was the first United States General to be killed in action during the D-Day Invasion.

A very moving place! Our tour here will first allow you to enter a 12th/13th Century church where two medics of the 506th, Bob Wright and Kenneth Moore took care of 80 German and American wounded for over 72 consecutive hours following the initial hours of the jump into Normandy. Wright and Moore were honored by the residents of this small village by a Memorial, which you will see, and a recently installed stained glass window in this famous church in commemoration of their life saving efforts. You will enter into the courtyard of the farm where the colonel Sink, Commander of the 506th PIR, established his second CP. The "Easy Company" stayed here from June 7 to the attack of Carentan.