D-Day Battlefield Tour

General

At In the footsteps we recognise that many people want to tour the battlefields on their own. For them a coach tour is just too prescriptive, the number of people too much to handle and they may even find the thought of being in the company of strangers daunting. A smaller private tour in the company of an experienced battlefield historian/guide does not fit their needs either and they want to go it alone.

Up to now those who want to tour the battlefield under their own steam have had to spend days and weeks researching the locations to visit and the details of the battles that took place. They then had to cobble together an itinerary hoping that it tells the story of what happened before setting off on the journey hoping all will be okay. Now, however, that is no longer the case.

We at In the footsteps are building a series of apps designed to tell the story of some of the more prominent battles that have taken place. These apps are designed to enable their user to travel around some of the most important sites associated with the battles, navigating with the aid of a satnav, and having the story of what happened at the finger tips on their Smartphone. As a downloaded app, network connectivity is not a problem and the app will work anywhere so long as you have sufficient power in your battery.

In the footsteps of D-Day, 6th June 1944

This app covers the battles of D-Day, 6th June 1944 when the Allied 21st Army Group came ashore on the Calvados Coast of Normandy, France to begin the Liberation of Occupied Europe from under the yoke of Hitler's Nazi Germany. It will guide you around locations pertinent to the battle, including the main battlefield sites, telling the story of the momentous events that took place on D-Day, 6th June 1944. There are 30 locations to visit and they are best visited in the order listed, but can be visited in an adhoc manner if so desired. GPS co-ordinates are used to guide you to the locations and the sites included in this app are:

1 - Sainte-Mere-Eglise
2 - La Fiere
3 - Chef-du-Pont
4 - Heisville - the General Pratt Memorial
5 - General Maxwell Taylor's Headquarters
6 - Brecourt Battery
7 - UTAH Beach, La Madeleine
8 - La Cambe German Cemetery
9 - Pointe-du-Hoc
10 - Saint Laurent-sur-Mer
11 - Vierville-sur-Mer
12 - OMAHA Beach and the Bluffs
13 - Colleville-sur-Mer
14 - Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial
15 - Longues-sur-Mer Battery
16 - Arromanches-les-Bains
17 - GOLD Beach at Le Hamel
18 - Mont Fleury Battery
19 - Crepon
20 - Ver-sur-Mer
21 - Graye-sur-Mer
22 - Courseulles-sur-Mer
23 - Bernieres-sur-Mer
24 - Saint Aubin-sur-Mer
25 - Beny-sur-Mer Canadian War Cemetery
26 - Lion-sur-Mer
27 - SWORD Beach at La Breche
28 - The Field Marshal Montgomery Memorial
29 - SWORD Beach at Ouistreham
30 - Pegasus Bridge at Benouville

At each location, a narrative is included to give an overview of the events that took place and where pertinent the memories of some of the men who were there have been included to bring the story to life.

The time taken to complete the tour is dependent upon the user, but generally three-days should be sufficient to allow time to explore each location and visit the recommended museums.

We hope that you find it useful and that it gives you an overall appreciation of the events that took place. Your comments are appreciated, please email info@inthefootsteps.com.