Panzers in Normandy
About the tour: Panzers in Normandy
- Campaign: World War 2 (WW2)
- Campaign Dates Covered: Jun 1944 - Aug 1944 (What's this?)
This tour will cover the following key events
- Operation Overlord - 6 June 1944Commonly know as the D-Day Landings, Operation Overlord saw the successful invasion of the German occupied Western Europe druing WW2. The operation involed Allied troops landing on five beaches in Normandy and launching a surprise attack on the Germans.
- Operation Epsom - 28 June 1944The purpose of the operation was to outwit the Germans and take control of the occupied city of Caen. Despite two days worth of fighting, in June 1944, securing the British a position on the River Odon, a powerful German counter attack saw the British withdraw.
- Battle of Caen - 7 July 1944The battle of Caen saw the Anglo-Canadian troops attack the Germans in another attempt to gain control over the city of Caen. After an air strike and fierce battles faught over two days, on July the 9th Caen was in Allied hands.
- Operation Goodwood - 18 July 1944Often reffered to as the largest tank battle in British history, the battle saw the Allied forces attempt to capture the rest of Caen. When the batte ended, Caen was free from German control but was mostly left in ruins.
- Operation Bluecoat - 30 July 1944Part of the offensive in the Battle of Normandy, Operation Bluecoat was launched in the attempt to secure the road of Vire Junction and Mont Pincon.
- Operation Totalise - 8 August 1944The operation saw Allied troops attempt to break through German defences to the south of Caen. The plan was to lure the German army into Falaise where the Allied forces could trap and attack them.
- Battle of Falaise Pocket - 12 August 1944This battle was the decisive part of the Battle of Normandy. Falaise has gone down in history for being known as th place where a complete German army was wiped out during WW2. The Canadian, Polish, British and American armies trapped the Germany army in Falaise and launched a successful attack.
Tour Introduction
On this battlefield tour, we spend time in Normandy exploring the role of German and Allied Tanks in Wolrd War 2. We begin with a visit to the British D-Day beaches as we visit Gold Beach and Juno Beach before we take a look at the use of tanks inland post D-Day. We then head to Saumur where we see the spectacular French Tank Museum. Home to more than 880 tanks, you’ll discover that many of them were used in Normandy. As the tour comes to an end, we spend a day looking at the American use of armoured division and we start at Omaha Beach. We move onto La Cambe after a visit to the Omaha Beach museum.
Tour Includes
- 4 nights hotel with continental breakfast
- Specialist Battlefield guide
- Convenient local joining points
We offer flexible payment options
Once you have booked your battlefield tour either online, or by telephone (), you have the flexibility of how you pay off the remainder of your balance. You can -
- Use our balance payment facility online to make and track your card payments. You can pay as much as you want up until your final due date or pay it all, the choice is yours.
- Send payments via online banking.
- Send payments via cheque.
- Call us and make a card payment, either a small amount or as lump sum until your final due date.
Our contact and online banking payment details will be on your confirmation invoice to remind you of your choices.
Tour Itinerary
For customers living outside of the UK, if you want to make a booking you will need to provide a UK postcode on our online booking system. If you are not able to provide a relevant UK postcode then you can enter the postcode for London Victoria Coach Station – SW1W 9TP. You should then be able to proceed to complete your booking.
If you do encounter a problem then you can speak to one of our friendly advisors who will be happy to help.
Please Note : After completing your booking, a member of our Customer Service team will be in touch to make sure everything is okay.
Either e-mail our Reservations Department or call on 01709 830 333 and they will check to see whether you can visit a particular cemetery on any of our Battlefield Tours, if we are not able to fit it into our itinerary then you could take some time out of the tour and do this independently by taxi or public transport.
For the 80th Anniversary Year of the Battle of Normandy, we are pleased to offer a new version of this popular tour examining armoured warfare from the beaches to the bocage, along with a visit the world renowned collection of tanks and armoured vehicles at Saumur.
Day 1
Local departure by coach, then to Normandy for a four-night stay.
Day 2 - Sword Beach to Bayeux
We begin our look at armoured warfare in Normandy on Sword Beach, examining the use of specialist tanks on the beaches, the run-in shoot of British gunners, and the advance to the Hillman Bunker system, where we visit this important strongpoint. We then look at the 21 Panzer Division counter-attack on D-Day and then move into the battlefield area around Caen looking at the Canadian armoured units which fought the tanks of 12 SS Panzer Division. Here we see the battlefields, the memorials and the Ardennes Abbey. After lunchtime in Bayeux, we look at the tanks on display here and then visit the German Cemetery at La Cambe to discuss Michael Wittmann who is buried here. Later we look at the armoured battles around Lingèvres and followed the Sherwood Rangers tanks on the battlefield around Tilly and Point 103.
Included meals: Breakfast
Churchill Tank at Bayeux (7)
Key Visits
- Churchill Tank at Bayeux
- Sword Beach
- La Cambe
- Hillman Bunker Site
- Tilly War Cemetery
- Ardennes Abbey
Day 3 - Saumur Tank Museum
A long but rewarding day as we travel south to visit the superb French Tank Museum at Saumur. This is France's main museum of armoured fighting vehicles and covers WWI to the present day. Among the more than 200 tanks found here, many were used in Normandy and among them are a Panther tank, Tiger I and Tiger II as well as Allied Churchills and Shermans. We have plenty of time to explore this rich collection before returning to Normandy.
Included meals: Breakfast
French Tank Museum, Saumur (2)
Key Visits
- French Tank Museum, Saumur
Day 4 - Operation Bluecoat to Breakout
This morning we follow the British armoured Brigades in Operation Bluecoat as they advanced through the Bocage countryside. We visit the isolated graves of two British tank commanders, see the Museum of the Piercing of the Bocage in St Martin, and examine the fighting at Hill 309 before visiting St Charles de Percy War Cemetery. After lunch, we look at the breakout from Caen following Operation Totalise, and the advance of the Canadian Worthington Force in August 1944. We walk some of the ground where Michael Wittmann’s final battle took place, visit the Bretteville Canadian War Cemetery and finish our tour at Vimoutiers to see the only Tiger tank remaining on the Normandy battlefields.
Included meals: Breakfast
Tiger Tank at Vimoutiers (4)
Key Visits
- Tiger Tank at Vimoutiers
- Cahagnes Isolated Grave
- Museum of the Piercing of the Bocage
- St Charles de Percy War Cemetery
- Bretteville-sur-Laize Canadian War Cemetery
Day 5
Return home.
Included meals: Breakfast
Pre-Tour Reading
A selection of related books for pre or post tour reading.
- Badsey, Stephen - D-Day: Omaha Beach (History Press 2011)
- Lefevre, E. - Panzers In Normandy: Then & Now (After The Battle 1983)
- Reed, Paul - Walking D-Day: Battlefield Guidebook (Pen & Sword 2012)
- Zaloga, Steven J. - Armoured Attack 1944 (Stackpole 2011)
- Zaloga, Steven J. - Operation Cobra 1944 (Osprey 2001)
Passenger Information
The Tour
The Panzers in Normandy tour follows the story of Armoured Warfare in the Normandy campaign from D-Day through the Bocage to the breakout battles in Normandy. As part of it we will also visit the impressive collection of tanks at the Saumur Tank Museum.
Foreign Currency
The Panzers in Normandy tour takes place in France and therefore you will only need the Euro. You are advised to get Euros – in cash – in advance of your tour, as most banks in France do not provided currency exchange services.
What to Bring
The weather in Normandy can be changeable, and it is advisable to bring sensible clothes and always pack a jumper and waterproofs. Good, stout shoes are essential – remember this was once a battlefield and most of the time we are in rural France! Walking boots are ideal. In warm weather always bring a hat and sun cream, and it is advisable to have a supply of water.
Specialist Battlefield Guides
All of Leger’s battlefield tours are accompanied by specialist guides. Their individual in-depth knowledge of warfare will be informative, as well as enhance your overall experience, as they recreate a fascinating perception of the history and factual events of each battle. Discover the actual catalysts for war, the strategies employed and the final, inevitable outcomes, as well as experiencing the emotional human side of the front line.
Please note: On certain tours, you may get tour guides other that the ones listed below.
Hotel
If you prefer, then you can join the tour at the hotel. To do this, we will require a copy of your passport for identification purposes and you must advise us at the time of booking.
No reduction will be given if you should choose to do this.
All hotel rooms benefit from private bathroom facilities.
Some hotels have tea and coffee making facilities. Please check the tour pages for more information or call our Customer Service Department on 01709 830333
Most hotels have a lift, please call our Customer Service Department on 01709 830333 for more information.
Some hotels have ground floor rooms. Please email for information on individual hotels or call our Customer Service Department on 01709 830333.
Your hotels will supply towels in your room.
We are unable to guarantee that the hotel will be able to meet your dietary requirements. We find that the majority of European countries do not generally cater for vegetarians and that the meal supplied may well be what everyone else is having minus the meat.
We will of course endeavour to arrange for a vegetarian meal at the hotel. We do however suggest that you advise us of your dietary requests at the time of booking and recommend that you speak to the receptionist on arrival with regard to your request.
You will stay for four nights at the 2-star Carline Caen, or the 3-star Ibis Falaise - Coeur de Normandie.
Travel Options
Departure times given for each region are approximate. Please check your travel documents to confirm the actual timings.
Front row seats can be reserved for £14pp (up to 6 days duration), £22pp (7 & 8 days duration) and £25pp (9 days duration and over) on all European tours. In addition to this seats on the second row can be reserved for £7pp (up to 6 days duration), £14pp (7 & 8 days duration) and £15pp (9 days duration and over). This offer is only available for bookings of two or four persons on the front row and is subject to availability. Guaranteed front/second row seats cannot be reserved on feeder journeys to/from the U.K. port. Children under 15 years cannot occupy a front row seat due to French Law. Central view seats are free.
Please note: On some coaches the legroom on front seats may be slightly less than that available on other seats due to the presence of a modesty board in front.
If your tour is cancelled for any reason and front/second row seats are not available on your new tour you will be refunded the supplement. No other compensation will be payable.
Alternatively, we can take seating requests on your booking. However, requests are not guaranteed. All seat numbers are confirmed on travel documents approximately 7-10 days prior to departure.
We guarantee that all passengers on the same booking will be seated together on the main tour coach. Seats on the transfer coaches to and from the U.K. port are not allocated.
Hot and cold drinks are served on the main tour coaches. Prices are approximately £1 or 1.25 Euro per drink. Prices will be confirmed by the driver. Drinks may also be served on the transfer coaches but this is not guaranteed.
Transfer vehicles are routed approximately 2-3 weeks before departure and will depend on where passengers are booked to travel from on any particular date as to which route is taken. If you require further detailed information regarding the route to the port you can contact our Customer Service Department on 01709 830333 two weeks before you are due to travel.
With regard to the route taken by the main tour coach, this is determined by the driver.
All main tour coaches have on-board toilets. Transfer vehicles to and from the U.K. port may not have on-board toilets. When non-British coaches are used on transfers and tours (air holidays only) an on-board toilet may not be available. However, comfort stops will be made during long journeys.
All coaches feature air-conditioning. Should the air-conditioning system break down for a period exceeding 12 hours, compensation will be awarded up to a maximum of £10 per fare-paying passenger per tour.
Depending on the location of your pickup point, you may be picked up by coach (not necessarily the on you are touring on), minibus, taxi, National Express or Megabus service. You may then be taken to another centralised pickup location or service station. We operate a passenger interchange at Stop 24 Services, where you will meet the tour coach you are holidaying on and then continue on with your outbound journey. Similarly, on the way home, you may also change transfer vehicles at another location, to take you to your final drop off point.
One medium sized suitcase per person, which should weigh no more than 20kg when full. We may refuse to carry larger or heavier cases. Hand luggage can be stored in the overhead racks aboard the coach.
It could be either - This will be confirmed in your travel documents.
When it comes to getting to the Battlefields, Leger Holidays make it easy, with a selection of travel options for you choose from.
Travel Extras
With an overnight stay or the option to meet us at the interchange, our travel extras allow you to create a travel experience to suit your needs...
Join coach at Interchange
+ Find out moreJoin your tour coach at the interchange.
On most tours if you’d prefer to join your tour coach at Stop 24 services, you can park your car in the car park which is accredited by the Park Mark safer parking scheme and is monitored 24 hours a day by CCTV. Payment for the parking is made on arrival using the self-service machines.
Excludes tours to Ireland and the U.K. and tours travelling via Brittany Ferries.
