Final Days of World War II Tour – 70th Anniversary |

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Final Days of World War II Tour – 70th Anniversary

Destination: France, Germany
Duration: 8 days

Experience the final days of WWII and the dark and sobering past leading up to the Hitler’s Third Reich and Germany’s surrender. This emotional and thought provoking tour allows students to learn about the atrocities of the holocaust and the fierce battles that killed and wounded so many on the battlegrounds.

This tour also visits the key battlegrounds in Leipzig, Seelow Heights, and the final push by the Soviets into Berlin and the Battle of the Reichstag. Berlin offers many opportunities for study visits and includes the Gatow Luftwaffe Museum, Checkpoint Charlie, Reichstag and many more.

During the final days of the war, Dachau Concentration Camp and Bergen-Belsen Concentration Camp were liberated by American and British troops. 2015 marks 70 years of remembrance when these camps were liberated and gives visitors a chance to see the past reality of the Holocaust. .

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Sample Itinerary
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Example itinerary

Day 1

Evening: Departure from your school and overnight travel to France by coach. Arrival at Reims on the following morning.

Day 2

Morning: In the morning we visit the Reims Surrender Museum where the the Americans forces received a formal declaration of surrender in May 1945.

Afternoon:In the afternoon we travel to Lorraine where the Battle of Arracourt took place and manjy Amercican soldiers lost their lives there.

Evening: Check-in at hotel at Colmar followed by settling down period and overnight stay.

Day 3

Morning: After breakfast, the group follow the American forces and travel into Germany and the liberation of the Dachau Concentration Camp.

Afternoon: Explore the area and experience the sombering atmosphere at this site.

Evening:Evening arrival at accommodation near Munich, settling down period followed by overnight stay.

Day 4

Morning:After breakfast, the group travel to Nuremberg and see the city which saw heavy fighting in 1945 in the battle for the city.

Afternoon: In the afternooon, we depart for Leipzig on the trail of the fighting. Check-in at hotel in Leipzig.

Evening:Group settling-down period. Overnight stay.

Day 5

Morning: After breakfast we travel to the River Elbe and the historic town of Torgau where the Americans and Soviet forces met for the first time. The group will see the memorial to this improtant event.

Afternoon: After some time in Torgau, we travel to Berlin.

Evening:Evening check-in at accommodation followed by settling down period and overnight stay.

Day 6

Morning:After breakfast we set off to the River Oder to see where Polish and Soviet soldiers crossed into Berlin for their final offensive. The memorial to the first T34 tank to cross the river can be seen there.

Afternoon: In the afternoon, we travel to Seelow Heights and visit the war museum and the site of the Battle of Klessin and the Soviet cemetary located there.

Evening:Evening return to hotel for overnight stay.

Day 7

Morning: After breakfast we travel to the centre of Berlin where we will visit the the Soviet War Cemetary and the memorial at Treptower Park. The group will also see the museum at Karlshorst where the Germans capitulated on May 8th 1945.

Afternoon: Spend the afternoon with your group visiting Checkpoint Charlie or another Berlin sight.

Evening:Evening return to accommodation and overnight stay.

Day 8

Morning: After breakfast we will visit Bergen-Belsen and look at concentration camp that was liberated by the British troops in 1945 and final resting place of Anne and Margot Frank and countless more.

Afternoon: In the afternoon, we have a brief stop at Celle War Cemetery where many British soldiers are buried.

Evening:Travel back to the Port of Calais for Channel crossing back to England followed by travel to school. Return to will be in the morning hours of the next day.

Sights & places to see whilst on the Final Days of World War II Tour – 70th Anniversary

Reims Surrender Museum

The Museum of Surrender in Reims is near to the station in the city of Reims. It was here that on May 7^th 1945 at 2:41 a.m., the German General Jodl surrendered unconditionally to General Eisenhower and thus ending WWII in Europe.

Dachau Concentration Camp

This infamous death camp was the first to be opened by the Nazi in Germany and intended to hold political prisoners. During WWII it was enlarged to include forced labour and eventually to imprison Jews before them being executed. The camp was liberated by US troops in the spring of 1945.

Nazi Party Rally Grounds- Nuremberg

The Nazi Part Rally Grounds covers an impressive 11 square kilometres and is just southeast of Nuremberg. It was here that the Nazi Party held six rallies and where Adolf Hitler addressed his party and nation during the WWII.

River Elbe

The River Elbe is one of the major rivers in Germany and central Europe and during the WWII was a meeting point for American and Soviet forces.

Seelow Heights

Seelow Heights was the sight of the Battle of Seelow in April 1945 between the German defenders and the Soviet advancing soldiers. Getting past the German defences here meant that the Soviets would now be able to march on into Berlin.

Gatow Luftwaffe Museum

Located in an area of Berlin, the museum acts as an independent military department and commemorates the German Luftwaffe’s rich history in air battles. Admission to the museum is free and houses planes from both world wars.

Reichstag

Originally constructed in 1894 to house the German Parliament, this building was severly damaged several times during its history. First after a fire almost destroyed it and later at the end of World War II. Following the war, the building lay ruined and derelict for many years until re-unification of Germany in 1990 when it underwent reconstruction led by the British architect Norman Foster. Today, once again it is the meeting place of the German parliament.

Brandenburg Gate

This former city gate built as a triumphal arch is one of the most recognizable landmarks of Germany and leads to Unter den Linden, a famous boulevard which leads to the city palace. Throughout its history, the Brandenburg Gate has witnessed many historical events such as the Napolean’s defeat of the Prussians, Nazi Germany using it for processions, and the division of the city and it being used as a crossing.

Checkpoint Charlie

This is the best known Berlin Wall Crossing Point between East Berlin and West Berlin. This symbol of the Cold War is now part of an open-air museum called the Allied Museum.

The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe

This memorial in Berlin is for the Jewish victims of the Holocaust. The memorial is spread over 19,000 m2 with 2,711 concrete slabs arranged in an order to illustrate an ordered system which has lost touch with human reason.

Bergen-Belsen Concentration Camp

This concentration camp located in northern Germany was used during much of WWII to accommodate the Jews from other concentration camps. During the war, it was used to execute over 100,000 prisoners of war, and Jews until it was liberated by the British in 1945.