In the early morning hours of D-Day, June 6, 1944, allied forces stormed the beaches of France, in hopes to liberate Europe from Hitler’s Germany. Nine nations, consisting of over 150,000 troops, assembled on the beach that day and were met with heavy resistance from the opposition, who were waiting on top of nearby cliffs. Many of the soldiers landed on the five beaches along a 50-mile stretch of the heavily fortified coast of France’s Normandy region. According to the National D-Day Memorial Foundation, 23,000 paratroopers from the U.S. and Great Britain were dropped by aircraft and gliders and more than 5,000 ships were used to support the attack. By daylight, the beach was under Allied control.
Within the next five days, the Allies brought over another 326,000 troops, 54,000 vehicles and 104,000 tons of supplies to the area for the military operation. Code-named Operation Overlord, the D-Day invasion is a historical moment, to say the least, and one of the largest amphibious military assaults in history requiring extensive planning. More importantly, it resulted in the Allied liberation of Western Europe from Nazi Germany.
2019 marks the 75th anniversary of D-Day and to celebrate the event, Prometour has put together a truly unique tour designed especially for French language teachers, history teachers, and any teacher really, who wants to educate their students on this special event. Discover the Dieppe Beaches, visit the site of the ill-fated 1942 raid and bear witness to the Atlantic Wall erected from 1942. There's so much to discover so we've customized a special 9-day, 8-night educational tour across the land of hope and glory – from the City of Lights to Rouen, and everything in between.
While it is important to remember D-day every year, along with the soldiers who gave their lives in battle, the 75th anniversary promises to be something truly special. In anticipation of large crowds and closed sites due to ceremonies, we encourage you to start planning today if you wish to visit the D-Day beaches and museums sometime before or after June 6th, 2019.
