Exclusive for Mail on Sunday readers: Set sail for Dunkirk and Normandy with the D-Day Darlings and mark the 75th anniversary of VE Day with this stunning battlefield tour
This year sees the 75th anniversary of VE Day. On May 8, 1945, the whole of Europe celebrated the Allies’ final defeat of Hitler and the Nazi scourge.
This exclusive six- day trip offers readers the chance to discover the incredible true stories of heroism and sacrifice that helped to achieve that victory, as you take moving, expertly guided tours of the key beaches and battlefields in Normandy and Dunkirk.
You will commemorate the anniversary of VE Day itself with a special dinner in Caen, where you will also hear a fascinating talk by military historian Michael How.
The 1940s-inspired D-Day Darlings will perform wartime music during dinner on board Princess Elizabeth
In Dunkirk, you will enjoy a unique performance by the celebrated 1940s-inspired group the D-Day Darlings. Five of the Darlings, including lead singer Katie Ashby, will perform at a gala dinner on board Princess Elizabeth, a paddle-steamer that helped to evacuate Allied troops from the beaches of Dunkirk in 1940.
It will be a fittingly evocative climax of a tour designed to both illuminate and commemorate one of the most dramatic chapters in British history.
Reasons to book
Gala dinner with the D-Day Darlings
A highlight of your trip will be a special gala dinner held in an extraordinary venue: the historic paddle-steamer Princess Elizabeth, which was one of more than 700 private ships used to evacuate Allied troops from Dunkirk during Operation Dynamo. You will also enjoy a spellbinding live performance by the D-Day Darlings, whose wartime songs and costumes will help this unique evening capture the spirit of the 1940s.
Explore the D-Day beaches and Dunkirk
Your ship awaits: the paddle-steamer Princess Elizabeth will take guests on a journey from Portsmouth to Caen and Dunkirk
You will visit a number of fascinating battlefields during the tour, which will bring the horrors and heroism of the Second World War into sharp focus. These include many of the key locations of the D-Day campaign: Pegasus Bridge, Sword Beach, Omaha Beach and Arromanches-les-Bains, where you’ll learn about the extraordinary Mulberry artificial harbour that made the audacious D-Day landings possible. In Dunkirk, you will take a poignant tour of the beach that witnessed the dramatic evacuation of 340,000 British, French and Belgian troops in 1940, before discovering the true story of Operation Dynamo.
Your expert guide
You will be guided throughout your trip by military historian Michael How, who will share his knowledge and insights. He has led tour groups to many of the great battlefields of the First and Second World Wars, including Arnhem, Ypres, the Somme, Normandy and Dunkirk.
VE Day anniversary dinner
You will mark the 75th anniversary of VE Day itself with a memorable dinner at Le Mancel restaurant in the grounds of Chateau de Caen, where you will also hear Michael How give a fascinating private talk followed by a Q&A session.
Your itinerary
May 7 Ferry from Portsmouth to Caen
May 8 VE Day dinner in Caen
May 9 D-Day beaches
May 10 Arromanches and Dunkirk
May 11 Dunkirk and D-Day Darlings gala dinner
May 12 Return to London