Normandy Tour
Hello troops.
I thought I would mention that I just came back from touring Normandy with my two brothers and two of my nephews (ages 30 and 27).
We hired a private guide, Gary Wright of Pegasus Normandy Tours, who drove us around in his 9 passenger Mercedes Van for 6 days. He was fantastic. He was extremely knowledgeable and very well prepared with maps, pictures and other documentation. I can't speak highly enough of him and if ever you want a most excellent Normandy adventure I would strongly recommend Gary as a guide.
Gary is from Lincoln England and was very personable and a good (English) sense of humor.
I remember one moment on Day 1, we were near where Dick Winters took the battery at Brecourt Manor and a group of sheep came around the corner, stopped and looked at or should I say, beamed right in on us and started walking toward us (I figure they were thinking we would feed them). Gary, seeing we were distracted by the sheep and interrupting his narrative of the assault, says with a straight face "Oh, those are carnivorous sheep of Normandy." I put a big grin on my face but when I saw my two nephews carefully backing up I burst out laughing.
There were many laughs on his tour.
According to the website:
http://www.pegasusnormandytours.com
tours should last from 9am to 5:30pm.
Perhaps it was our enthusiasm or our working knowledge of the battle or maybe, and I hope this is the case, he was enjoying himself with us, that we did not get back to the hotel until closer to 7pm every night. About 10 hours a day in touring. There always seemed to be one more stop before heading back.
We stopped so many places and was taking so many pictures of bocage, dirt roads, open fields, beaches, buildings that I knew I would forget what was what and where so Gary said he would send the itinerary.
With this and a time/date stamp for each pic file we can remember and relive what we saw.
I'll start another thread with pictures of the different sites we visited (if anybody is interested) but just wanted to post this to get things started
Below is our itinerary for the 6 days of touring
Hi Ted
It was great to meet you all and it was a thoroughly enjoyable week.
Please find below the list of all places we visited. Hopefully it will inspire some good reading in the years ahead - made easier and more interesting by the fact that you now have a good idea of the terrain.
All the best
Gary
Day 1 - US Airborne Sector
Tour briefing
Ste Mere-Eglise - 82nd A/B 505 PIR
La Fiere - Drop zones T, O, N 82nd A/B
Cauquiny - 325 Glider Infantry Reg - Capt Rae - Church
Cauquiny - DeGlopper Medal of Honor (325 Glider Infantry Reg.)
Amfreville - 82nd Airborne Timmes Orchard
Lunch - Ste Mere-Eglise
Marmion Farm - E Company 101st Airborne action - Forrest Guth - later used by the war correspondents
Foucarville - German POW work camp
Beuzeville au Plein - Lt Thomas Meehan III C47 crash site and monument
Brecourt Manor - Winters gun emplacement - Band of Brothers (E Co 506th PIR 101st Airborne Div)
Major Dick Winters Monument
Saint Marie du Mont - Church - Village - Red Ball EXPRESS - 1st village liberated in US sector
Angoville au Plain - Drop Zone D & 101st A/B 501 PIR Medics Church (Bob Wright & Kenneth Moore) & 506 PIR HQ (Lt Col Bob Sink)
Day 2 - Omaha & Utah Beaches
Colleville-sur-Mer - US Military Cemetery
Omaha Beach - Dog Green/White Sector - US 29th Infantry Division/US 5th and 2nd Rangers - German Strongpoint WN70
Omaha Beach - Dog Green Sector - US 29th Infantry Division Monument - German Strongpoint WN72/88mm Gun Emplacement
Pointe du Hoc - US 2nd Rangers
Grandcamp Maisy - Frank Peregory Medal of Honor Memorial (US 29th Div)
Lunch en route
Hiesville - General Maxwell Taylor 10st Airborne HQ
Hiesville - Chateua de Colombieres - 101st Airborne Field Hospital
Utah Beach - Exit 2 - La Madeleine - US 4th and 90th Divisions - General Teddy Roosevelt Jr
Utah Beach - WN10 - Les Dunes de Varaville - Planned assault area
Utah Beach Exit 1 - Poupeville - Gen Taylor and Lt Col Ewell and Lt Mabry (US 4th ID)
La Cambe German Cemetery
Day 3 - British 6th Airborne Sector
Pegasus Bridge - Major John Howard - 2nd Ox & Bucks Light Infantry in gliders - First action of D-Day
Merville Battery - 9 Para Bn - Lt Col Terrence Otway
Lunch - Café Gondrée - 1st House liberated - Mme Arlette Gondrée
Amfreville - Commando and 6th Airborne positions - 1st memorials in Normandy
Le Plein - Madame Saulniers Farm used as aid station for British Commando units.
Breville - Church ruins
Breville Ridge - Drop Zone N (DZ-N)
Chateau St Come - 9 Para/1 Canadian Para/Black Watch/Ox & Bucks action
51st Highland Division Piper Memorial
Le Mesnil Crossroads
Varaville Bridge - Sgt Baillie
Varaville - Canadian 1st Para Battalion Memorial and Drop Zone V (DZ-V)
Robehomme Bridge - Lt Inman
Bures - Juckes Bridge - Capt Juckes
Bures - Railway Bridge - Lt Forster
Troarn Bridge - Major Roseveare
Day 4 - British & Canadian Beaches
Creully - Chateau de Creullet - Montgomery's 21st Army Group Headquarters
Creully - 4th/7th Royal Dragoon Guards Memorial - DD Tanks & Chateau de Creully BBC HQ
Reviers - Neolithic Barrow Fort
Beny-sur-Mer - Canadian Military Cemetery
Periers Ridge - Overlooking Sword Beach - route of 21st Panzer Division counter-attack on D-Day
Periers Ridge - Royal Norfolk Regiment Monument - Belvoir Farm
'Hillman' Strongpoint - Colonel Ludwig Krug's HQ taken by 1 Suffolks
Lunch - Hermanville-sur-Mer
Sword Beach - Queen White - Hermanville - Assault area of British 3rd Infantry Division & Memorials
Sword Beach - Lion-sur-Mer - AVRE Tank (Petard Mortar) & Memorials for 41 Commando and Roosevelt
Juno Beach - Courselles - Nan Green sector - Regina Rifles assault & DD Tank Memorial
Juno Beach - Mike Red & Green Sectors - Royal Winnipeg Rifles/Canadian Scottish & AVRE Tank Memorial & Cross of Lorraine & Polish Memorial
Gold Beach - King Green/Red - Sector La Paisty Vert - Mont Fleury Battery Stanley Hollis VC action
Gold Beach - Asnelles/Le Hamel - British 50th Infantry Division/231 Brigade assault - view of Mulberry Harbour
Gold Beach - Arromanches Mulberry Artificial Harbour - view from cliff top - Radar Station position
Day 5 - Various
Longues-sur-Mer - Gun battery original coastal guns
Cristot - Sunken lane CSM Stan Hollis VC action against 12SS
Audrieu - Chateau - HQ 12SS Reconnaissance Battalion - Scene of executions
Audrieu - Monument to the murdered
Putot-en-Bessin - Monument in the village to the Canadian units - Royal Winnipeg Rifles and Canadian Scottish
Bretteville L'Orgueilleuse - Regina Rifles/12th SS Panzer Division/knocked out Panther tank and destroyed church
Rots - 46 Commando Memorial
Rots - Canadian Scottish/Chaudiere/Fort Garry Horse Memorial & Passage Leon Gagne (married the bakers daughter)
Rots - Church square - tank battles with 12th SS
Abbey d'Ardennes - 12th SS Panzer/25th Panzer Grenadiers Regimental HQ - Kurt Meyer - Canadian prisoners executed 7th (plus other dates) June 1944.
Lunch at Bretteville-sur-Odon
Hill 112 - 43rd Wessex Division v various SS units 1/9/10 and 12
Villers Bocage
Tilly-sur-Seulles - British Cemetery
Day 6 - The Falaise Pocket
Cinthaux/La Jalousie - Michael Wittman tank battle & death (101 Heavy Panzer Battalion) & Operations Totalise & Tractable
Hill 140 - Worthington Force - Fog and 12SS Panzer Division
Grainville-Langannerie - Polish Military Cemetery
Falaise - William The Conqueror birthplace & castle
Trun - 4th Canadian Armoured Division HQ
St Lambert-sur-Dive - Memorial stand and viewpoint over 'The Gap'.
St Lambert-sur-Dive - Major David Currie VC Memorial - South Alberta Regiment
St Lambert-sur-Dive - German 20mm Flak gun
Lunch at my private 'Restaurant de la Mort' at Moissy - The Ford - last exit route - The Corridor of Death
Chambois - Polish battle - General Maczek and meeting point of US 359th Infantry Regiment (90th Division) and the Poles - Memorials
Vimoutiers - Rommel's crash site
Vimoutiers - Tiger Tank
The Mace (Maczuga) - Hill 262 North - Polish 1st Armoured Division positions - Polish Memorial
Boisjos Farmhouse - HQ and aid station for Polish 1st Armoured Division
Montormel - Memorials and view over the pocket/gap
Chambois/Fel - German surrender - POW's brought to this position (through archway)
Hill 129 - US 359th Infantry Regiment positions
Hill 114 - von Richtofen German Memorial
St Lambert-sur-Dive - Bridge over River Dives and position of knocked out Panthers
Le Chateau d'Aubry - Mauser K98 in the tree
Torpedo Junction - US 359th Infantry Regiment Artillery zero point
Tournai-sur-Dive - 105mm Gun in garden and strafing on buildings
Tournai-sur-Dive - Church & M3A1 Half Track
Tournai-sur-Dive - Memorial for L'Abbe Launay and Negotiation of Surrender at Morellec Farm
89 stands!
-- Gary J Weight
Pegasus Normandy Tours
T. +44 (0)1522 501814
M. + 44 (0)7980 018312
M. (France). +33 (0)677 46 76 25
UK Fax +44 (0)705 347 2838
US Fax +1 509 272 0689E. information@pegasusnormandytours.com
http://www.pegasusnormandytours.com
The Carnivorous Sheep of Normandy
Gary had a trunk full of maps and pictures,
Fantastic.
Gary at Brecourt Manor
(See they are more than just green fields)
Hello troops.
I thought I would mention that I just came back from touring Normandy with my two brothers and two of my nephews (ages 30 and 27).
We hired a private guide, Gary Wright of Pegasus Normandy Tours, who drove us around in his 9 passenger Mercedes Van for 6 days. He was fantastic. He was extremely knowledgeable and very well prepared with maps, pictures and other documentation. I can't speak highly enough of him and if ever you want a most excellent Normandy adventure I would strongly recommend Gary as a guide.
Gary is from Lincoln England and was very personable and a good (English) sense of humor.
I remember one moment on Day 1, we were near where Dick Winters took the battery at Brecourt Manor and a group of sheep came around the corner, stopped and looked at or should I say, beamed right in on us and started walking toward us (I figure they were thinking we would feed them). Gary, seeing we were distracted by the sheep and interrupting his narrative of the assault, says with a straight face "Oh, those are carnivorous sheep of Normandy." I put a big grin on my face but when I saw my two nephews carefully backing up I burst out laughing.
There were many laughs on his tour.
According to the website:
http://www.pegasusnormandytours.com
tours should last from 9am to 5:30pm.
Perhaps it was our enthusiasm or our working knowledge of the battle or maybe, and I hope this is the case, he was enjoying himself with us, that we did not get back to the hotel until closer to 7pm every night. About 10 hours a day in touring. There always seemed to be one more stop before heading back.
We stopped so many places and was taking so many pictures of bocage, dirt roads, open fields, beaches, buildings that I knew I would forget what was what and where so Gary said he would send the itinerary.
With this and a time/date stamp for each pic file we can remember and relive what we saw.
I'll start another thread with pictures of the different sites we visited (if anybody is interested) but just wanted to post this to get things started
Below is our itinerary for the 6 days of touring
Hi Ted
It was great to meet you all and it was a thoroughly enjoyable week.
Please find below the list of all places we visited. Hopefully it will inspire some good reading in the years ahead - made easier and more interesting by the fact that you now have a good idea of the terrain.
All the best
Gary
Day 1 - US Airborne Sector
Tour briefing
Ste Mere-Eglise - 82nd A/B 505 PIR
La Fiere - Drop zones T, O, N 82nd A/B
Cauquiny - 325 Glider Infantry Reg - Capt Rae - Church
Cauquiny - DeGlopper Medal of Honor (325 Glider Infantry Reg.)
Amfreville - 82nd Airborne Timmes Orchard
Lunch - Ste Mere-Eglise
Marmion Farm - E Company 101st Airborne action - Forrest Guth - later used by the war correspondents
Foucarville - German POW work camp
Beuzeville au Plein - Lt Thomas Meehan III C47 crash site and monument
Brecourt Manor - Winters gun emplacement - Band of Brothers (E Co 506th PIR 101st Airborne Div)
Major Dick Winters Monument
Saint Marie du Mont - Church - Village - Red Ball EXPRESS - 1st village liberated in US sector
Angoville au Plain - Drop Zone D & 101st A/B 501 PIR Medics Church (Bob Wright & Kenneth Moore) & 506 PIR HQ (Lt Col Bob Sink)
Day 2 - Omaha & Utah Beaches
Colleville-sur-Mer - US Military Cemetery
Omaha Beach - Dog Green/White Sector - US 29th Infantry Division/US 5th and 2nd Rangers - German Strongpoint WN70
Omaha Beach - Dog Green Sector - US 29th Infantry Division Monument - German Strongpoint WN72/88mm Gun Emplacement
Pointe du Hoc - US 2nd Rangers
Grandcamp Maisy - Frank Peregory Medal of Honor Memorial (US 29th Div)
Lunch en route
Hiesville - General Maxwell Taylor 10st Airborne HQ
Hiesville - Chateua de Colombieres - 101st Airborne Field Hospital
Utah Beach - Exit 2 - La Madeleine - US 4th and 90th Divisions - General Teddy Roosevelt Jr
Utah Beach - WN10 - Les Dunes de Varaville - Planned assault area
Utah Beach Exit 1 - Poupeville - Gen Taylor and Lt Col Ewell and Lt Mabry (US 4th ID)
La Cambe German Cemetery
Day 3 - British 6th Airborne Sector
Pegasus Bridge - Major John Howard - 2nd Ox & Bucks Light Infantry in gliders - First action of D-Day
Merville Battery - 9 Para Bn - Lt Col Terrence Otway
Lunch - Café Gondrée - 1st House liberated - Mme Arlette Gondrée
Amfreville - Commando and 6th Airborne positions - 1st memorials in Normandy
Le Plein - Madame Saulniers Farm used as aid station for British Commando units.
Breville - Church ruins
Breville Ridge - Drop Zone N (DZ-N)
Chateau St Come - 9 Para/1 Canadian Para/Black Watch/Ox & Bucks action
51st Highland Division Piper Memorial
Le Mesnil Crossroads
Varaville Bridge - Sgt Baillie
Varaville - Canadian 1st Para Battalion Memorial and Drop Zone V (DZ-V)
Robehomme Bridge - Lt Inman
Bures - Juckes Bridge - Capt Juckes
Bures - Railway Bridge - Lt Forster
Troarn Bridge - Major Roseveare
Day 4 - British & Canadian Beaches
Creully - Chateau de Creullet - Montgomery's 21st Army Group Headquarters
Creully - 4th/7th Royal Dragoon Guards Memorial - DD Tanks & Chateau de Creully BBC HQ
Reviers - Neolithic Barrow Fort
Beny-sur-Mer - Canadian Military Cemetery
Periers Ridge - Overlooking Sword Beach - route of 21st Panzer Division counter-attack on D-Day
Periers Ridge - Royal Norfolk Regiment Monument - Belvoir Farm
'Hillman' Strongpoint - Colonel Ludwig Krug's HQ taken by 1 Suffolks
Lunch - Hermanville-sur-Mer
Sword Beach - Queen White - Hermanville - Assault area of British 3rd Infantry Division & Memorials
Sword Beach - Lion-sur-Mer - AVRE Tank (Petard Mortar) & Memorials for 41 Commando and Roosevelt
Juno Beach - Courselles - Nan Green sector - Regina Rifles assault & DD Tank Memorial
Juno Beach - Mike Red & Green Sectors - Royal Winnipeg Rifles/Canadian Scottish & AVRE Tank Memorial & Cross of Lorraine & Polish Memorial
Gold Beach - King Green/Red - Sector La Paisty Vert - Mont Fleury Battery Stanley Hollis VC action
Gold Beach - Asnelles/Le Hamel - British 50th Infantry Division/231 Brigade assault - view of Mulberry Harbour
Gold Beach - Arromanches Mulberry Artificial Harbour - view from cliff top - Radar Station position
Day 5 - Various
Longues-sur-Mer - Gun battery original coastal guns
Cristot - Sunken lane CSM Stan Hollis VC action against 12SS
Audrieu - Chateau - HQ 12SS Reconnaissance Battalion - Scene of executions
Audrieu - Monument to the murdered
Putot-en-Bessin - Monument in the village to the Canadian units - Royal Winnipeg Rifles and Canadian Scottish
Bretteville L'Orgueilleuse - Regina Rifles/12th SS Panzer Division/knocked out Panther tank and destroyed church
Rots - 46 Commando Memorial
Rots - Canadian Scottish/Chaudiere/Fort Garry Horse Memorial & Passage Leon Gagne (married the bakers daughter)
Rots - Church square - tank battles with 12th SS
Abbey d'Ardennes - 12th SS Panzer/25th Panzer Grenadiers Regimental HQ - Kurt Meyer - Canadian prisoners executed 7th (plus other dates) June 1944.
Lunch at Bretteville-sur-Odon
Hill 112 - 43rd Wessex Division v various SS units 1/9/10 and 12
Villers Bocage
Tilly-sur-Seulles - British Cemetery
Day 6 - The Falaise Pocket
Cinthaux/La Jalousie - Michael Wittman tank battle & death (101 Heavy Panzer Battalion) & Operations Totalise & Tractable
Hill 140 - Worthington Force - Fog and 12SS Panzer Division
Grainville-Langannerie - Polish Military Cemetery
Falaise - William The Conqueror birthplace & castle
Trun - 4th Canadian Armoured Division HQ
St Lambert-sur-Dive - Memorial stand and viewpoint over 'The Gap'.
St Lambert-sur-Dive - Major David Currie VC Memorial - South Alberta Regiment
St Lambert-sur-Dive - German 20mm Flak gun
Lunch at my private 'Restaurant de la Mort' at Moissy - The Ford - last exit route - The Corridor of Death
Chambois - Polish battle - General Maczek and meeting point of US 359th Infantry Regiment (90th Division) and the Poles - Memorials
Vimoutiers - Rommel's crash site
Vimoutiers - Tiger Tank
The Mace (Maczuga) - Hill 262 North - Polish 1st Armoured Division positions - Polish Memorial
Boisjos Farmhouse - HQ and aid station for Polish 1st Armoured Division
Montormel - Memorials and view over the pocket/gap
Chambois/Fel - German surrender - POW's brought to this position (through archway)
Hill 129 - US 359th Infantry Regiment positions
Hill 114 - von Richtofen German Memorial
St Lambert-sur-Dive - Bridge over River Dives and position of knocked out Panthers
Le Chateau d'Aubry - Mauser K98 in the tree
Torpedo Junction - US 359th Infantry Regiment Artillery zero point
Tournai-sur-Dive - 105mm Gun in garden and strafing on buildings
Tournai-sur-Dive - Church & M3A1 Half Track
Tournai-sur-Dive - Memorial for L'Abbe Launay and Negotiation of Surrender at Morellec Farm
89 stands!
-- Gary J Weight
Pegasus Normandy Tours
T. +44 (0)1522 501814
M. + 44 (0)7980 018312
M. (France). +33 (0)677 46 76 25
UK Fax +44 (0)705 347 2838
US Fax +1 509 272 0689E. information@pegasusnormandytours.com
http://www.pegasusnormandytours.com
The Carnivorous Sheep of Normandy
Gary had a trunk full of maps and pictures,
Fantastic.
Gary at Brecourt Manor
(See they are more than just green fields)
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