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Operation Market Garden
4 Days / 3 Nights
Germany controlled most of Europe during the Second World War, including the Low Countries. On 17 September 1944 thousands of paratroopers descended from the sky behind enemy lines. Their goal: to secure bridges across the Dutch rivers in an attempt to liberate northwest Europe. Unfortunately, the bridge at Arnhem proved to be 'a bridge too far'. This tour will take you through Belgium and Holland, following the mighty struggle that would finally bring WWII to an end. Relive the drama that befell the British 1st and the US 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions and the 1st Canadian Army.
Available at any date for private groups of 2 – 15 people. Price available upon application. Rates are based upon vehicle and guide hire per day; groups of 7 - 15 would have a per person rate same/similar to one of our scheduled tours of the same length.
If you do not have a group of traveling companions and are still interested in this custom tour itinerary, you are welcomed to join a waitlist…
If you would like to check on or join a waitlist for this itinerary, please email us for full information: specialgrouptours@yahoo.com
This tour begins and ends in Lille, France. Lille is well connected via rail services, Eurostar trains from London and TGV trains from Paris and many other European cities. SGT is happy to assist you with securing rail arrangements. Please note that tickets are additional to this tour rate.
This tour departs from Lille Europe train station, Eurostar Terminal “Meeting Point” at approximately 09.30am.
TENTATIVE ITINERARY
DAY ONE - Antwerp
We depart from Lille, having collected those who are arriving by train this morning on the Eurostar from London, from the TGV from Paris and those who are staying with us from either our Weekends on the Western Front Battlefield tours, The D-Day Beaches tour or the Canadian Forging of a Nation tour.
From Lille, we follow the troops from the French border into Belgium. Join the Canadian Army in their struggle to push the German occupiers off the islands in the river delta, freeing the way into port. Experience the local sentiments for the liberators in Woensdrecht. Share the glory of the British and Polish forces when they liberated the city of Antwerp. Enjoy free time in this bustling city where we spend the night.
ACCOMMODATION: Antwerp
DAY TWO - Arnhem/Nijmegen
The U.S. 101st Airborne Division had its drop zone near Eindhoven and captured the bridges in Son and Veghel. Start your own Operation Market Garden along the corridor known as Hell’s Highway, with Arnhem the main target. At the CWGC cemetery, we pay our respects to mainly Canadians, who took part in the drive southwards from Nijmegen to clear the territory between the Maas and the Rhine.
ACCOMMODATION: Arnhem/Nijmegen
DAY THREE - Arnhem/Nijmegen
Relive the heart-wrenching disappointment that was the failure of Operation Market Garden. Discover the ongoing gratitude of the local population for the Canadians in Arnhem and beyond, when II Corps advanced into northern Germany, liberating Dutch cities on the way and putting an end to the starvation of the Hunger Winter of 1945.
ACCOMMODATION: Arnhem/Nijmegen
DAY FOUR - Lille
"War belongs in the museum" according to the National War and Resistance Museum in Overloon. In the museum we see a German Panther tank. Near the eastern border of Brabant the German defence, equipped with the latest armoured technology, had created a seemingly impregnable line. When the 7th American Armoured Division rushed in, they were decimated. British replacements, the 11th British Armoured Division, took the area inch by inch, and man-to-man. To the south of Venray, the village of Ysselsteyn is the location of the largest German war cemetery in the Netherlands. We end our tour in Lille.
Accommodation: Lille, London or Paris as you wish is not included in the tour package but is available for a supplemental fee.
Tour participants may either catch the train back to London or Paris, or stay overnight in Lille and join our weekend tours of the Ypres Salient/Somme battlefields.
Tour Pick-Up/Drop-Off:
This tour starts at 09.30 am; meet your Battlefield guide at 'The Meeting Point' in the Eurostar rail terminal, Lille Europe station. Full details provided at time of booking.
JOIN THE TOUR FROM LONDON OR PARIS:
Eurostar service is available London to Lille and the TGV train from Paris to Lille. Add rail tickets to your package (subject to availability,) the cost of rail tickets is separate from the tour price.
Please note: Some Paris trains arrive at Lille Flanders Station which is a 10 minute walk from the meeting point at Lille Europe Station. Please note which Lille station of arrival if confirming your own rail.
When using Eurostar, you are given a self-ticketing reference number that you use to get your ticket at the station of departure. We advise all tour participants to call us a day or two prior to departure to ensure they have the correct ticket reference as we do not have a representative at the station on the morning of departure.
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