In the footsteps of the Second World War, we have compiled commemorative formulas with visits and walks along the memorable and historical battlefields and extermination camps.
The Second World War was the biggest and deadliest war in history, involving more than 30 countries. Inflamed by the invasion of Poland by the nazis in 1939, the war continued for six bloody years until the Allies defeated Nazi Germany in 1945.
The invasion beaches of D-Day.
In the early morning of 6 June 1944 - a day that would come to be known as D-Day - over 150,000 soldiers landed on the Normandy beaches with code names Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword (from west to east). That morning, the largest Allied invasion in history broke through the defences of the Atlantic Wall, paving the way for the Second Front and contributing to the final defeat of Hitler's Third Reich.
The evacuation of Dunkirk, codenamed "Operation Dynamo", was the evacuation of allied soldiers during the Second World War from the beaches and the port of Dunkirk, in the north of France, between 26 May and 4 June 1940.
Hardefoort / Casemate - La Plaine au Bois Site - Barn of Massacre - Esquelbecq
Bunker des Eperleques - Fort de Mimoyecques - La Coupole - Secret Nazi bases V2 / V3. Atlantic Wall - Todt Battery - Dunqerque
In the quest for world domination, the Nazis built some of the biggest and deadliest pieces of military hardware and malevolent technology in history.
Extend your stay:
Boulogne-sur-Mer: It is a unique place. If you take the time to explore its maze of streets, you cannot remain unmoved by its diversity. One could almost say that there is not one but several Boulognes-sur-Mer.... The low-lying part of town lives to the rhythm of the fishing port and its commercial district. The old centre, atop the cliff, takes you through two thousand years of history.
Nausicaá: Europe's largest aquarium: Listen to the call of the ocean.
Beautiful, rich, mysterious, but also so fragile. Your ocean experience starts here!
Located on the Côte d'Opale between Calais and Boulogne-sur-Mer, the Grand Site des 2 Caps is a protected natural area remarkable for the diversity of its landscapes.
It owes its name to two caps located 10 km apart as the crow flies: Cap Blanc-Nez, 134 m high, which offers panoramic views of the Pas-de-Calais strait and the English cliffs, and Cap Gris-Nez, the closest point of the French coast to England.
The U-boat bases in France were the home port of the most famous U-boat flottillas from 1940 to 1944 :
- Lorient U-boat base : 2nd and 10th flottillas. Built by the Germans between February 1941 and January 1943, the Keroman U-boat base was designed to house thirty U-boats and their crews. Once the war ended, this unique site in the world became the main base of french diesel powered submarines before being finally closed in 1997.
- St-Nazaire U-boat base : The St-Nazaire U-boat base was built between 1941 and 1942 by more than 4600 workers of the "Todt Organization". The construction of the base required more than 313,000 cubic meters of concrete. The bunker could accommodate giant XXI submersible with its 14 cells (8 dry docks).
- La Rochelle U-boat base : La Rochelle was the home base of the 3e U-Flotilla, which officially moved in from Kiel in October 1941. The base is located a few kilometers west of La Rochelle, inside the commercial port of La Pallice.
- Bordeaux U-boat base : 12th flottilla (+ italian submarines). The bulding of the protective bunker started In September 1941, to protect the submarines from the bombings. On october 1942, Bordeaux beacame the home base of the 12th German flotilla and the u-boat bunker became operationnal on january 17, 1943 when the U-178 entered the bunker for refit.
https://www.uboat-bases.com
The American war machine can hardly adapt to the characteristic hedge landscape of the Cotentin peninsula: the Bocage.
This maze of small meadows and hollow roads, enclosed by dense hedges, is ideal for guerrilla-like actions.
The Americans, who were keen to advance as quickly as possible, found themselves in an almost impenetrable and confusing landscape, with an enemy armed to the teeth behind each hedge.
Battle of the Bulge "Different from the usual offer"
Also called "Battle of the Bulge" (16 Dec 44 - 16 Jan 45), the last major German offensive on the western front in World War II.
The war crimes of SS officer "Joachim Peiper"
The Malmedy Massacre or Baugnez Massacre was a war crime committed by a German unit, the Kampfgruppe Peiper, in December 1944.
The Schumannseck was the scene of the most murderous fighting of the Battle of the Bulge.
The site preserves traces of the fighting that took place there from 27 December 1944 to 21 January 1945.
Friedbusch trail: Through the most rugged landscape of the 'Eislék', this untouched memorial pass leads to one of the largest and intact earthen bunkers of resistance fighters from the 1944 occupation period.
Chenogne massacre was a war crime
Places of horror during WW 2.
A shocking tour full of betrayal, executions and madness in the wake of Nazi barbarism.
Plunge into the hell of the Waffen SS "Das Reich" who was responsible for the massacres of Tulle and Oradour-sur-Glane in June 1944. A shocking tour full of betrayals, executions and madness in the footsteps of the Nazi barbarism.
La "Résistance" the "Maquis" as a secret army has played an important role in destroying the critical infrastructure of the Germans in the preparation of D-Day. The Maquisard terrorized the German occupier and the Vichy regime in France wherever possible.
The massacre of Oradour-sur-Glane took place on 10 June 1944. The village was enclosed that day by the first regiment of the SS-Panzer-Division "Das Reich" and eventually destroyed. In this robbery, 642 people were murdered. Only six people survived the massacre.
Battle Hürtgenwald & Remagen
After the capture of Aachen battles broke out in the area south of Aachen that was to be called Battle of the Hűrtgenwald. From September 1944 to February 1945 there was heavy fighting here.
From this area in March 1945 took also the advance to the bridge of Remagen place (operation Lumberjack).
A journey of discovery in the footsteps of evil.
The rise, ideology, barbarism and collapse of Nazism.
1/ NS-Ordensburg Vogelsang is a former training camp of the NSDAP, near the Belgian border in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. The 'Vogelsang' complex trained the smartest young people who would later become the leaders of the Third Reich.
2/ Wewelsburg in North Rhine-Westphalia. In 1934 the SS acquired the castle because SS headmaster Heinrich Himmler wanted to establish a school for SS leadership. Later, Wewelsburgsburg was one of the main focal points of Himmler's SS cult mythology.
3/ Bergen-Belsen: "A city of the living dead".
The camp was one of the larger concentration camps within Germany. Bergen-Belsen was located about 60 km northeast of Hanover. It was populated by a large number of Jews who could no longer work, as well as forced labourers and later prisoners from the concentration camps in the east. Anne Frank and her sister Margot ended up in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp.
4/ Buchenwald concentration camp: In 1937, one of the major Nazi concentration camps was established in Buchenwald, on the Ettersberg near Weimar in Thuringia. Buchenwald remained one of the most important camps in the history of the Third Reich, with numerous sub-camps. Buchenwald was not in itself an extermination camp (like Auschwitz), but the prisoners were starved to death, mistreated and worked to death in the camp quarry and the adjacent weapons factories.
5/ Mittelwerk V-1 / V-2 Rocket factory, Nordhausen - Dora concentration camp: The underground factory for the production of V-1 and V-2 rockets on the southern border of the Harz near Nordhausen and the adjacent concentration camp where the forced labourers who built the rockets were housed in Dora-Mittelbau camp.
6/ Nuremberg: The Nazis considered Nuremberg to be the "most Germanic city in Germany" - a classic example of a city rich in Germanic and imperial history; the Nazi hierarchy made Nuremberg the city for Nazi festivities. From 1933 to 1938 the NSDAP held its annual meetings in Nuremberg that brought hundreds of thousands of people to the city to watch the nationalist and militaristic extravaganza.
7/ Babenhausen Kaserne
Ghosts of nazi soldiers and witches haunt this old barracks in Hesse Germany. In the Babenhausen Kaserne there are stories about everything from soldier clad uniforms floating around as well as phone calls from a woman talking backwards.
The Witch Tower - This witch tower in Babenhausen can have a connection to the other strange paranormal rumor that goes around in the old barracks.
The rise and fall of Hitler's Berlin
Visit historic sights in Berlin related to the darkest chapter of German history.
Learn all about the rise and fall of the Nazis and the Tragic consequences of the Holocaust.
The horrors of the Nazis are reflected in Sachsenhausen concentration camp.
Seelow Heights: Explore the forgotten and untouched battlefields where the most brutal fighting of World War II took place.
Treason, persecution, deportation and torture.
Dossin barracks , Fort Breendonk.
Invasion, resistance, defence, survival during the Second World War.
Hitler's headquarters in Bruly-de-Pesche. Called the Wolfsschlucht and still bears the traces of Hitler's residence.
The broken bridge in Bohan and resistance camps in Vresse.
The Yvoir Nazi tunnel.
Invasion and occupation of Poland - Total war experiences.
German troops invaded Poland on 1 September 1939, triggering the Second World War.
As German troops invaded and occupied Poland, the regime's racial and anti-Semitic policies became more radical, ranging from persecution to genocide of millions of Jews.
Discover "The Eastern Front": was the scene of fighting in Central and Eastern Europe during World War II, from 22 June 1941 to 9 May 1945. It is notorious for the many lives it claimed and the inhumane way in which the war was fought. Events such as "Operation Barbarossa" are considered the decisive battleground of the entire Second World War.
1: Moscow - Volgograd/Stalingrad - Kursk - Moscow
2: ** St Petersburg - Moscow - Volvograd/Stalingrad - Kursk - Moscow
The Eastern Front was the name of the war scene in Central and Eastern Europe during the Second World War, from 22 June 1941 to 9 May 1945. The front is known for the many lives it has claimed and for the inhumane way in which the war is fought. Operation Barbarossa is one of the most significant attacks on the Eastern Front. It is considered to be the most decisive battlefield of the entire Second World War.
Almost the entire territory of Poland was affected by war, so you can find war locations almost everywhere. The experiece tour through World War II includes some of the most important sites and gives you the chance to learn more about those tragic times.
You will visit Warsaw and Krakow, Auschwitz and Lambinoice, Riese Complex in Lower Silesia, Miedzyrzecz and Hitler’s headquarters known as Wolf’s Lair.
Live a total WW2 war experience in the most affected country. The Nazis established several large labour and death camps, command bunkers, defence works, underground shelters and rocket launching platforms in Poland.
Warsaw - Masuria - Wolf's lair - Mamerki / Nazi HQ land forces - Lesniewo / U-boat locks - Gdansk / Westerplatte - Bydgoszcz / Exploseum - Poznam - Leba / Nazi rocket testcenter - Miedzyrzecki / Fortified region - Osowka - Walim - Wroclaw - Auschwitz / Birkenau - Krakow.
Dep: 10/06 - 16/09
The Czech Republic is a very fascinating beautiful country with a very rich and turbulent history, breathtaking nature, a vibrant culture and a beautiful capital Prague. But also the lesser known Bohemian interior is a pearl! But the Bohemian territory has often been the cradle of wars, dictatorships, European conflicts and imposing religious wars in the past. We offer you a fascinating and interesting immersion in the 'dark periods' of the Czech Republic!
The Invasion of Italy
German defensive line of the Italian Campaign of World War II
How Malta Survived The Second World War.
In July 1943 the Allies landed on Sicily and freed part of southern Italy. Mussolini surrenders. The Germans did not accept it. During four months bloody battles took place in the mountains around Cassino, between Rome and Naples, in which about 75,000 soldiers were killed. The Allies finally win. At the beginning of June 1944 they liberated Rome.
Palermo - Catania - Turin - Messina - Salerno - Monte Casino -Grand Sasso - Anzio - Rome
Gothic line reinforcements
The only substantial part of Nazi Germany's immense defence line through northern Italy that is still largely intact today.
The Gothic Line ran from east to west along the peaks of the Apennine Mountains and was the last stronghold of the German troops in Italy.
The four battles for Monte Cassino in Italy took place between January and May 1944. Here the Allied Forces involved in some of the most bitter fighting of the Second World War, where steep mountain slopes and winter weather were combined with the German defenders’ determination and skill.
San Pietro infine - Mountain Sambucaro ( caves ) - Brunetti Palace - Monte Lungo - Liri valley - Rapido river - Monte Casino - Field hospital ( doctors house ) - Snake head ridge - Cavendish road - Rome ( The Sorate bunker )
The Islands' strategic location made it centre stage in the theatre of war in the Mediterranean: a key stronghold from which the Allies could sustain their North African campaign and from which they could launch their eventual attack on mainland Italy.
Malta became a base for Allied attacks on enemy ships plying supply routes to North Africa and on the Italian air and naval bases. In return the Islands were under constant attack, in a game of return fire.
Desperate times call for desperate measures, high risk commando and paratrooper mission were conceived and executed. Not all were successful but the skill and bravery of the troops involved is unbelievable.
Under Unusual Expeditions we experience 2 of the most daring raids in the European theater during World War II
In the "Trail of the Kidnappers" is an adventurous expedition that combines history, hiking and culture.
Operation "Gunnerside" was the second British plan during World War II to destroy the Vemork heavy-water plant.
Hitler's efforts to produce an atomic bomb were thwarted by a highly secret allied mission in 1943. A small group of men were sent to destroy a production facility nestled within a deep gorge in the Nowegian mountains. Their truly heroic and inspiring story demonstrates the highest degree of stoicism, resourcefulness, teamwork and determination.
Join us as we follow ski routes used by the Famous Team Of Norwegian Special Forces who attacked and destroyed the Heavy Water Plant in Vemork, Norway, thus stopping Hitler from developing Atomic and Nuclear weapons in WW2.
This Expedition is completely tailored for novice nordic skiers.
Death Railway Bridge - Hellfire Pass - La bataille de Prachuap Khri Khanwas / Unusual Bangkok
The historic bridge is a symbolic reminder of the harrowing cruelty suffered by the Allied POWs ( Prisoners of war) forced into service by the Japanese.
Riding the unfamous Death Railway section.
Hellfire Pass itself is a cutting on the former infamous Death Railway in western Thailand.
Phra That Cave-apart from the historically dark sites there are also some literally dark caves.
The Battle of Prachuap Khri Khanwas an early engagement of the Japanese invasion of Thailand in the Southeast Asian theatre of World War II.
Death Railway Bridge - Hellfire Pass – The Battle of Prachuap Khri Khanwas
Hellfire Pass trekking: Countless gorges had to be cut out of mountains to make way for this death railway.
Death Railway & River Kwai bridge: the construction of the Thai-Burma railway line and the bridge over the river Kwai was the most terrible project during the occupation of the Japanese during the Second World War.
Phra That Cave: the cave is very impressive, and especially dark.
The Battle of Prachuap Khri Khan: 33 hours of resistance. The Thai fighters who resisted an empire.
The invasion in December 1941 in the bay of Ao Manao came as a surprise for many Thai...
The forgotten drama of the Pekanbaru railway on Sumatra, built by prisoners of war under the Japanese occupation.
Under the yoke of the Japanese army they performed forced labour on the Burma and Sumatra railways.
Approximately 4000 Dutch, +/- 1000 British, Australians, Americans and New Zealanders (300 in total). Together with more than 120,000 Indonesian workers, called Romusha by the Japanese, were used as the most important workforce on the railways. They built dikes and cut passages through the jungle and along the ravines.. The degree of extermination of the local labour force was unfathomable, with reports at the end of the war estimating that only 16,000 survived.
So many years later, the scars of that past are still visible.
