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Last Days of WW2
Eighty years ago, the campaign in the North West of Europe came to an end, as units of the British and Commonwealth forces fought their final battles from the Netherlands onto German soil. In this fascinating tour, we look at some of these forgotten battlefields of 1945, visit the British war cemeteries in western Germany, and discuss how the discovery of Nazi crimes at places like Bergen-Belsen led to our understanding of the horrors of the Holocaust.
Tour Includes
- 6 nights hotel with continental breakfast
- Specialist Battlefield Guide
- Convenient local joining points
7 days from £999pp
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Inbound Travel
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Itinerary
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Local departure by coach or Door-to-Door service, then to Holland for a two-night stay.
Our tour begins in the Hertogenbosch area, looking at the battle that took place here in the autumn of 1944, following Operation Market Garden. We follow the story of the 53rd (Welsh) Division troops who captured the town.
We then discuss the static nature of warfare in the Netherlands in the winter of 1944/45, and move up to the area north of Arnhem where the Canadians fought in 1945. Here, visit Canadian memorials, the Canadian War Cemetery and its visitor centre at Holten, and look at where the Canadian fighting was at its most fierce in April 1945, which led to the liberation of the Netherlands the following month.
We also take time to visit the Memory Freedom Museum at Nijverdal, established to perpetuate the memory of the Second World War.
Includes Breakfast
Key Visits
We depart the Netherlands and travel into Germany, following the advance of men from the 21st Army Group and the British 30 Corps as they took the war onto German soil. We see the battlefields around the Ems Canal, following the advance of British tanks in 1945 and the fighting at Lingen.
The day ends at Sage War Cemetery, where some of the earliest British casualties of WW2 lay alongside the dead from the final weeks of the war.
We then continue to our hotel in Bremen for a two-night stay.
Includes Breakfast
Key Visits
Today, we look at the end of the war in Germany in May 1945, visiting the large Becklingen War Cemetery where some of the final casualties of the conflict in the West are buried; among them, Edward Charlton VC of the Irish Guards. He was the last Victoria Cross of the war in Europe.
We then visit the German Panzer Museum at Munster, a world-renowned museum with a major collection of tanks and armour from WW1 to modern times.
Later, we visit Lüneburg Heath and see where Bernard Montgomery took the surrender of German forces in May 1945, visiting the memorial.
Includes Breakfast
Key Visits
This morning, we visit Bergen-Belsen. A former Prisoner of War Camp, it became a Concentration Camp and work camp, and was the first one reached by British troops in 1945. For many veterans, it was a defining moment of the war where they understood what it was they had been fighting for.
We see the Visitor’s Centre, walk the site of the camp, and see the memorial to Anne Frank who is one of the most-known victims of the Holocaust, having been the voice for so many who died under Nazi tyranny.
Later, we visit Celle War Cemetery to see the graves of the men who fell in this area in 1945. Then, at Hannover, we discuss the air war over Germany in 1945, visiting the impressive Hannover War Cemetery where the men of Bomber Command are buried.
We then continue to our hotel in the Hannover area for an overnight stay.
Includes Breakfast
Key Visits
We travel across the ground where British forces advanced in 1945 and visit Munster Heath War Cemetery. Set in a wooded area, we find some of the final casualties from the fighting in this area in the last days of the Second World War.
We then continue to the Reichswald Forest War Cemetery, the largest British and Commonwealth Second World War Cemetery in Europe with over 7,500 graves.
Later, we look at the Battle for Arnhem in 1945, seeing the Arnhem War Museum which tells the story of the whole war in the city.
We then continue to the Arnhem area for an overnight stay.
Includes Breakfast
Key Visits
Return home.
Includes Breakfast
Accommodation
You will stay for two nights at the Van der Valk Zaltbommel, two nights at the Dorint City Hotel Bremen, one night at the Wyndham Hannover Atrium, and one night at the Hotel WICC, Wageningen near Arnhem.
Wyndham Hannover Atrium
Featuring contemporary architecture and interiors, plus a dramatic, light-filled atrium, this 4-star hotel sits on the edge of the peaceful Eilenriede Forest in Hannover. Expect comfortable bedrooms and a bright and airy restaurant.
Hotel Facilities
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General
- English Speaking Staff
- 4 Star
- Bar
- Restaurant
- Lift
Room
- TV
- Hairdryer
- Non-Smoking Rooms Available
- Telephone
- Shower or Bath
- Free Wifi
Service
- Safe Box in Reception
- Bureau de Change
- Room Service Available
- 24 Hour Front Desk
- Iron at Reception
- Laundry Service
Food & Drink
- Vegetarian Meals
- Gluten Free Menu
Transport
- Bus Stop Nearby
Hotel
- English Speaking Staff
- Bureau de Change
- Bar
- Restaurant
- Lift
- WiFi Available
Silver Service Coach
More than simply your method of transport, Silver Service offers a coach with added comfort and facilities, such as deluxe reclining seats with leather headrests, an onboard entertainment system, and a spacious rear lounge so you can socialise with your fellow passengers.
Silver Service Features
- Specially designed reclining seats, with leather headrests, footrests and extra legroom.
- A spacious rear lounge where you can relax, socialise and get to know your fellow passengers.
- Our onboard entertainment and satellite navigation system makes your journey fly by.
- Free personal headphones mean you can tune into the music channel, listen to the radio or watch DVDs being played by your crew.
- Personal tables so you can enjoy your refreshments in comfort as you take in the passing scenery.
Departure Dates
