This small Normandy village was in the thick of the parachute drops and fighting on June 6, 1944. Today, it’s famous for the story of John Steele, who still hangs on the church bell.
Jeep tour in the footsteps of the 82nd Airborne in Normandy
The 82nd Airborne Division played a key role in the early hours of Operation Overlord, inland from Utah Beach. This 2-hour jeep tour immerses you in the history of the “All American” paratroopers of June 6, 1944, who were dropped to neutralize German attacks and secure strategic axes inland. Aboard the jeep, we guide you through the remote areas where these men held out against the enemy between June 6 and 12. An immersion in the battlefields where the 82nd Division fought to liberate Normandy.
Itinerary
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Sainte Mère Église
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Neuville-au-Plain
Liberated by the 2nd Battalion of the 505th PIR, commanded by Lt-Colonel Benjamin Vandervoort, played by John Wayne in the film “The Longest Day”. Among the soldiers killed in this village was a certain Robert Niland, whose story inspired the film “Saving Private Ryan”.
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Pont de la Fière and Iron Mike monument
Located on a strategic site defended by 82nd Airborne division, preventing the Germans from counter-attacking after D-Day.
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Drop zones
Over 6,000 American paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne were dropped on 3 drop zones on the night of June 6, 1944, spread between Sainte-Mère-Église and Chef-du-Pont, behind Utah Beach.
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Hill 30
Release point for the 82nd Airborne Division and 508 Regiment. For almost 6 days, it became one of the most isolated battlefields in Normandy. Without evacuation or supply, Thomas Shanley’s paratroopers fought hard to liberate the area in 1944.
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The Wall of Remembrance
Created in 1984 by Lucien Haley, honors the names of the men who fought to liberate Port Fiollet between June 6 and 12, 1944. Many veterans of the 82nd Airborne Division visited the site to pay tribute to their fallen comrades.