8-day BULGE ANNIVERSARY

Passengers are greeted at the Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris and transferred to their hotel in Bastogne, Belgium, followed by an orientation dinner where you get to know your fellow passengers. The ideal site to start with will be the excellent 101st Airborne Museum with a briefing about the Battle of the Bulge and remembering the fighting spirit of the soldiers who fought heroically to stop the German forces. The introduction to the operations would not be complete without a stop at the Diekirch National Military History Museum of Luxembourg. We will then explore the northern arc of the Bulge by visiting the site where the Germans launched their offensive from behind the dragon’s teeth of the Siegfried Line. We will follow the advance and demise of SS Colonel Joachim Peiper’s battlegroup (Kampfgruppe Peiper) to the site of the Malmedy massacre and pay witness to the atrocities committed by SS troops. At the December 44 Museum of La Gleize, you will have the rare opportunity to see an actual King Tiger tank.

Our study tour will continue with a battlefield tour of Bastogne visiting sites such as the Patton Monument, the foxholes of Bois Jacques, the town of Foy and the graves of the two Belgian nurses known as the Angels of Bastogne. The immersive Bastogne War Museum and the adjacent Mardasson Memorial shows the everyday struggle of the occupied Belgian citizens and keeps the memory of the nearly 80.000 American soldiers who paid the ultimate price or got wounded for the liberation of Belgium. We participate in the official celebrations of the anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge including military parades and wreath-laying ceremonies. Eventually, the “throwing of the nuts” from the balcony of the town hall brings the commemoration to a heartfelt culmination. We cross borders to Luxembourg to pay our respect to the fallen soldiers, among them many 101st paratroopers and General S. Patton at the Luxembourg American Cemetery.

The festivities will continue in Bastogne with servicemen parading and military vehicles rumbling through the streets. This will be combined with a visit to Bastogne Barracks to learn more about the armored vehicles, artillery pieces and equipment used by the Allies and the German forces during the Battle of the Bulge. On the last leg of our journey, we visit one of the world’s smallest countries, the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg which was occupied by Germany during both world wars. On a walking tour in the center of Luxembourg City we get to experience the heart and iconic landmarks of this vibrant capital. Before traveling to Paris, the festive Christmas market serves as the perfect end to a highly memorable tour. The next morning, after saying goodbye, the Passengers are brought to Charles de Gaulle Airport for their return flights.