Victory in Europe: Market Garden, the Bulge, Nuremberg, Eagle’s Nest

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days | nights

We are excited to announce our exclusive new tour, WWII: Victory in Europe. Join us as we follow in the footsteps of the Allies as they marched through Europe, traveling from Paris to Arnhem, Bastogne, Luxembourg, Frankfurt, Nuremberg, Berchtesgaden, and Munich. Along the way, you will learn about some of the key events in WWII history that led to the defeat of the Nazis, including Operation Market Garden and the Battle of the Bulge.

The Drive to Victory in Europe in WWII

Operation Market Garden, launched in Holland in September 1944, was to be a major Allied thrust across the Rhine River. An advance into Germany with the ultimate goal of seizing Berlin would follow. The key, according to British General Bernard Montgomery, was an airborne strike that would pave the way for the massed ground troops. Success meant securing the major bridges and roads and then sweeping into Germany. As with many battle plans, the enemy had other ideas. We learn where and how the Allies punched and the Germans counter-punched to a standstill. Market Garden was a bold move that failed. The Allies were unable to establish positions across the Rhine, nor open the right flank of the Siegfried Line, nor bottle up the German army in Holland.

The Battle of the Bulge was a reversal of Market Garden. This was the biggest battle on Europe’s western front as well as the largest ever fought by the American Army. The outlook on the Eastern Front was grim for the Nazis. The Soviet Army was steadily advancing toward Germany and Hitler gambled that a surprise attack in the west could split the Allies and crush their morale. It had worked in 1940 when he conquered France, why not now?

In December of 1944, Hitler sent an initial attack force of more than 200,000 men against 80,000 Americans in the Ardennes forests of Belgium. In the ensuing weeks of fighting, there would be well over a million troops and three thousand tanks involved. At snowy Bastogne, the surrounded American commander, Gen. Anthony McAuliffe refused the German demand for surrender with one word, “Nuts.” When the situation looked most desperate, the Third Army under Gen. George S. Patton arrived with a relief force of three divisions and turned the tide of battle.

In Germany, we see the Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: Nuremberg, the scene of massive Nazi Party rallies in the 1930s, and later the war crime trials of the perpetrators of inhumanity across Europe. At Berchtesgaden, Hitler’s Alpine retreat in southeastern Bavaria, we see how he and his henchmen were able to live in luxury while they built an evil empire on the backs and blood of millions of innocent people.

Why Travel on WWII: Victory in Europe Tour?

Our WWII: Victory in Europe Tour is the second half of our outstanding D-Day to the Rhine Tour. The first half, Operation Overlord, covers the planning and execution of the D-Day invasion. The second half, Drive to Victory, focuses on the Allied march through Europe, and the defeat of Nazi Germany. This is an ideal tour for people who have traveled with us on our Operation Overlord Tour, and for those who have already experienced Normandy or are interested in Operation Market Garden and the Battle of the Bulge.