COMMEMORATIVE AIR FORCE: 80TH ANNIVERSARY OF D-DAY TOUR
80th Anniversary of D-Day Tour
Click here to register or learn more!
Commemorating the 80th anniversary of the D-Day invasion in 2024, the Commemorative Air Force (CAF) and Stephen Ambrose Historical Tours are again offering a special tour to friends of the CAF. This is the only tour specifically designed for the CAF and includes special aviation related activities that may not be offered on other historical tours.
Tour cost is $6,900 per person (based on double occupancy).
DAY 1 - May 30 - Overnight Flight to London
Book your overnight flight to arrive in London the following day.
DAY 2 - May 31 - London
Guests arrive by 10 a.m. at London Heathrow and make their way to the tour's city hotel. We will depart around noon for a half-day tour of London, including the Churchill War Rooms. An evening welcome reception and dinner will follow at the Royal Air Force Club.
DAY 3 - June 1 - London
Day 3 will be a full day at the Imperial War Museum Duxford. It served as a base for many of the Spitfire and Hurricane pilots during World War II. Several American C-47 transport aircraft are planning to journey to Europe in 2024. We will have an opportunity to meet up with them in Duxford. There are fly-overs scheduled, along with the chance to sit in Spitfires and Lancasters.
DAY 4 - June 2 - Coastal England
Goodbye London, Hello coastal England. We will visit several sites: Battle of Britain Bunker and Greenham Common, the airfield from which CAF's famed That's All, Brother, the aircraft that led the main aerial invasion, departed 80 years ago.
DAY 5 - June 3 - Normandy
Retracing the steps of so many Allied troops during the invasion, we cross the English Channel by water on Brittany Ferries, arriving in Normandy just after lunch. We will then see a few sites before our first night in Normandy.
DAY 6-9 - June 4-7 - Normandy - 80th Anniversary of D-Day
Four full days in Normandy will include visits to all of the American sites, as well as some British, Canadian and even German sites to give guests the full picture of the Battle of Normandy. The days will likely include frequent aerial displays of aircraft flying over the historical sites.
June 6, 2024 will be the anniversary ceremony at the American Cemetery. This will be a full day activity.
DAY 10 - June 8 - Paris
After checkout from our Normandy hotel, we will have a full day of aviation on our way to Paris. This includes the D-Day Wings Museum CaenCarpiquet and the Paris-Le Bourget National Air and Space Museum of France.
DAY 11 - June 9 - Home
Breakfast, then transfers to Paris CDG airport. For guests taking the optional post-tour extension, you will take the high-speed train to Brussels.
Optional Post-tour Extension: Operation Market Garden and Battle of the Bulge
DAY 11 - June 9 - Brussels
Extension guests continue the tour to the Netherlands where we start the exploration of Operation Market Garden. Sites include the famous "bridge too far," drop zone of Easy Company Market Garden, and Airborne Museum “Hartenstein.”
DAY 12 - June 10 - Lanzareth
We start our study of the Battle of the Bulge in Lanzareth where the main thrust of the German forces came in. Sites include: the Ardennes, Dragon's Teeth at Aachen, Malmedy Massacre Memorial, and several more locations.
DAY 13 - June 11 - Luxemborg
Battle of the Bulge sites continue as we move south to Luxembourg, including the NUTS! Museum, Bois Jacques, and other 101st sites.
DAY 14 - June 12 - Frankfurt
Before departing Luxembourg, we will visit the American Cemetery, final resting place of Gen. George Patton. Our last night is near Frankfurt, where we will have a farewell dinner and commemorate the sacrifice of the Allied troops from 80 years earlier.
DAY 15 - June 13 - Home
Breakfast, then transfers to Frankfurt FRA airport.
Costs & Payment Information:
Tour Costs
$6,900 per person double occupancy
$1,000 single occupancy supplement
($800 is a tax-deductible donation to support CAF activities related to the 80th anniversary of D-Day. Tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.) *Note: This price does NOT include trans-Atlantic flights.
Optional Post-Tour Extension (Compiègne to Frankfurt)
$2,000 per person based on double occupancy
$400 single occupancy supplement if rooming alone
Payment Terms
$1,000 deposit - Due at registration to hold your seat
50% - August 1, 2023
Balance due - December 31, 2023
Cancellation and Refund Deadlines
• $1,000 deposit - refundable up to August 1, 2023, minus a $100 per person admin fee • Cancellation after August 2, 2023 - You will forfeit your deposit. • Cancellation after December 31, 2023 - You shall be responsible for fifty (50%) percent of the tour cost. • Cancellation after February 28, 2024 - You shall be responsible for the total tour cost. • For guests who made payments by credit card, the 3% credit card processing fee incurred during your original payment(s) will also be withheld from the refund. • Cancellation must be communicated by email. • Travel insurance may protect you in some cancellation situations.
Payment Options
You have two options: • Credit Card- call our office to give us credit card info, 504-821-9283. The 3% credit card processing fee incurred during your original payment(s) will also be withheld from any refund. • Check by mail, sent to SAHT, P.O. Box 19354, New Orleans, LA 70179 If you make all payments by check, we save on credit card processing fees and will add a $100 per person discount to your reservation. If you intend to make all payments by check to get this discount, let us know so we can add the discount to your reservation immediately. Please send in $1,000 per person for the deposit; the discount comes off the final payment of the grand total.
Included with Tour Price
- Professional historian and tour manager with group for the full tour
- Three- and four-star accommodations
- Rooms with private bath or shower, hotel taxes, porterage and service charges
- Touring by private first-class air-conditioned motor coach
- 7 breakfasts, 5 dinners and a Welcome Reception
- Channel crossing to Normandy via ferry
- All entrance fees to museums and attractions, including ground tours of GAF aircraft. Rides on GAF aircraft may be available for an additional fee
Not Included with Tour Price
- Trans-Atlantic Flights
- Travel Insurance
- Soft Drinks and alcohol at group meals
- Several lunches and dinners will be on-your-own, but you will have lots of walkable options for these meals
- Gratuities for ground staff
Questions?
Stephen Ambrose Historical Tours: Office: 504-821-9283 info@stephenambrosetours.com We are located in New Orleans (central time zone) and available 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. on weekdays. Mailing address: SAHT - P.O. Box 19354, New Orleans, LA 70179
