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Beyond Band of Brothers
By: Jan Shaughnessy

Since I am retired Air Force I have a great interest in military history.  My husband Bill, also prior Air Force,  is a military history buff.  We had often talked of visiting Normandy someday.  So last November at the NACTA conference when I learned a new company PROCOM Consulting Llc., was offering a FAM trip to visit WWII sights, I jumped at the chance to go.  The tour called Beyond Band of Brothers, retraces the path of the 101st Airborne Paratroopers "Easy Company" during WWII.  It is based on the HBO ten-part  mini-series Band of Brothers, produced by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks.  The tour starts in England outside of London, and visits France, Belgium, Holland, Luxembourg, and Germany.  Beyond Band of Brothers is a great opportunity for agents looking for a niche market.  It will appeal to clients who are serving in the military or have served, military history buffs, or family members of WWII veterans. 

Big Ben

Pre Tour
The Beyond Band of Brothers FAM was from March 19-29, 2009.  I flew into London one day early and stayed at the Strand Palace hotel.  Having heard London Gatwick wasn't as congested as Heathrow, I flew into Gatwick and took the Gatwick Express from the airport to Victoria Station.  From Victoria station I purchased a 24-hour Underground pass and took it to Covent Garden station where it was then an easy walk to the Strand Palace.  I found the Underground easy to use, as are most Undergrounds, tubes, etc. in other European countries.    The Strand Palace had a restaurant/bar and included breakfast. The rooms were small but adequate.  The hotel provided internet for a  fee.  It  was conveniently located by the Thames river, restaurants, and shopping.  It was an easy walk to the famous sights of Big Ben, Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, the London Eye and museums.   A quick ride on the Underground to Knightsbridge station took me directly to the famous Harrod's department store.  Harrod's is worthy of spending a whole afternoon exploring this fabulous store.  Warning, you may need a map to find your way around the 4.5 acre store with one million square foot and 330 departments.  It is one of the largest department stores in the world along with Macy's in New York City.   I had been to London once before and had seen the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace and some of the other sights.  While I only stayed one night pre-tour on this trip, I would recommend allowing at least two or three days to get a good flavor of this fabulous city.     

The Tour
Day 1 - Everyone on the tour had been instructed to meet Thierry Cornet, Tour Manager for PROCOM, at the Heathrow airport at noon time.  Once everyone arrived we gathered our belongings and were transfered to a luxury motor coach for a 1 1/2 hour ride to Swindon, England, where we checked in at the Marriott Hotel.  We had a few hours to freshen up and grab a bite to eat or drink in the hotels restaurant/bar.  Some agents took advantage of a dip in the indoor pool or tried out the equipment in the gym .  We then met for an introduction and video presentation of the  tour,  and met other members of the PROCOM team.  Steven Graning, Operations Manager, and Thierry, would be our escorts throughout the history tour.   (Side note:  The Beyond Band of Brothers tour offers a unique opportunity for companions who aren't interested in the history tour.  I'll talk more about that later).  Our orientation was followed by an introduction to the Marriott hotel team which included a "mocktail" and cooking demostration, which required participation from us the agents.  I don't think this will be part of a regular clients itinerary.  We then preceded to the hotel's restaurant for a bountiful buffet dinner which included salads, soups, pasta, salmon, chicken, lamb, steamed fresh vegetables, and desserts of chocolate cake, cream cheese cake, and fresh fruit.  Part of the tour program includes PROCOM showing the Band of Brothers segment that correlates to the area we will be visiting next.  The first segment was shown after dinner at the hotel.  All other segments would be shown on the motor coaches closed circuit TV, which helped pass the time between traveling to destinations.

Littlecote House

Day 2 - After breakfast we left the Marriott at 9:00AM for Littlecote House about a 20 minute ride outside of Swindon.  The Littlecote House was used as a headquarters during WWII by Colonel R.F. Sink, Commander of the 506 parachute infantry regiment, part of the 101st Airborne U.S. Army.  It was here the 101st Airborne trained and waited for the invasion of Normandy, D-Day June 6, 1944.  Other staff officers were also housed in Littlecote, and the enlisted men were housed in huts close by on the grounds.   Littlecote is used as a hotel today.  We visited many areas of Littlecote House that were used during the war.   We visited the Library, which was Col Sink's office and The Chinese Room where he made visitors wait until he was ready.  Today the Chinese Room has 200 year old wall hangings.  The Great Hall, which served as a dining room during the war and houses artifacts today.  It still has the old stone fire place where soldiers sat reading or chatting about the day.  Upstairs is The Long Gallery which served as a ball room for socializing and dancing.  Opposite the Long Gallery is a stair case, which lead to rooms used by the officers.  The stair case was made with 500 year old solid oak and has been in Littlecote 500 years, making the wood 1000 years old.   We also toured a haunted bedroom, the Chapel room where services lasted four hours, the billard room, and the stables.  A small museum in Littlecote is dedicated to the 101st Airborne and holds many artifacts from the war.  Many were found in the Kennet Valley surrounding Littlecote House.  The highlight of our morning at Littlecote House was getting to visit and speak with three witnesses of WWII.  These witnesses are survivors of the war.  Rose, a young woman during the war cut the soldiers hair. Another witness was a young boy of nine during the war and remembers the planes flying over, while Monica was engaged to an American soldier who was killed on D-Day.  www.kennetvalleyatwar.co.uk   

Rose

After leaving Littlecote House we traveled to Portsmouth, England where we ate a late lunch at the Waterfront Brassiere enjoying a choice of calamari or french onion soup, fish cake or fussili with pesto, and brownie with ice cream.   After lunch we had about six hours free time to shop and explore Portsmouth.   We then went to the port at Portsmouth where we waited to board our Brittany Ferry to Caen, France.   The port parking lot was packed with cars and tour busses waiting to board the ferry.  I was amazed at how many cars and busses the ferry could hold, and how orderly and quick everything went when they started boarding.  While we waited on the tour bus we watched another segment of the Band of Brothers.  Our ferry "Mont St Michel" left at 10:30PM for Caen.   I was very impressed with the ferry.  I felt like I was on a regular small cruise ship.  Our tour included an assigned small twin cabin with private bath.  Other passengers that don't opt for a cabin on the eight hour passage across the English Channel, have to stay up all night.  Many camped out in community rooms.  The ferry had a movie theatre, a cafe style restaurant, a large bar lounge which was over run with teenagers enjoying the music, and one of the largest gift shops I have ever seen on a ship.  The selection was better than the gift shops I've seen on major cruise lines, and the prices were better.   I took the opportunity to stock up on my favorite chocolates Toblerone and Droste. 

Day 3 - Wakeup call was at 5:30AM for the whole ferry.  You didn't have a choice as the intercom system made an announcement throughout the whole ferry.  Breakfast was scheduled for later once we got off the ferry.  I had a quick coffee in the cafe and we arrived in Caen at 6:30AM.   Disembarking the ferry was quick, and by the time we walked off our motor coach had already been unloaded too.  We were taken to the Mercure hotel for breakfast, and we would return there later after our days tour.  Our morning was spent at the Dead Man's Corner Museum in Carentan, France.  The 101st Airborne Paratroopers were the first to land on French soil in the early morning of June 6, 1944.  They had been ordered to take the city of Carentan which was being held by the Germans.   Only one road was available to Carentan for the American tanks coming from the East city of St-Come-du Mt.  The first tank to reach the intersection was hit by a German rocket as it turned toward the road to Carentan.  The body of it's driver hung on the turret for days as the war raged.   The corner became known as Dead Man's Corner and the road leading to Carentan as Purple Heart Lane.   www.paratrooper-museum.org

Purple Heart Lane

After our morning at Dead Man's Corner Museum we had lunch in the French country side at a lovely B&B and Equestrian farm called Le Grand Hard.  www.legrandhard.fr   Our lunch was pre-arranged and consisted of beef with sauce, potato, asparagus pate, and a tart berry pie for dessert.  It was a beautiful sunny day and strong coffee was later enjoyed outside in the courtyard.  No one wanted to leave the beautiful setting we were enjoying, but it was time to leave for a visit to our first of the Normandy beaches.   Five beaches were utilized by the US and allied forces during the war.  The Americans landed on Utah and Omaha, the British on Gold and Sword, and the Canadians on Juno.  Our tour took us to Utah Beach today where we visited the museum, walked the beach, and toured the grounds where you can view tanks, artillery guns, and several monuments honoring various divisions and regiments that fought on Utah beach.  It is here you can view the only monument in the world dedicated to the U.S. Navy.  It was just inaugurated September 27, 2008.  Dinner this night  at the Mercure was a buffet featuring pork and fish.

Naval Monument at Utah Beach

Day 4 - This is the day most of us had been anticipating.  After a buffet breakfast we were on our way to Normandy Beach and the American Cemetery.   In the Visitors Center computers are available to look up names of anyone buried in the cemetery.  It will tell you where to find their headstone by plot, row, and column.  I knew seeing the cemetery would be an emotional experience.  But nothing can prepare you for seeing 9,387 white Lasa marble headstones perfectly aligned with a back drop of Emerald green grass.  Bring some tissues.  Four women are buried in the cemetery, three Medal of Honor recipients, and 307 headstones are marked "Unknown".  Adjacent to the cemetery is the steep walkway down to Omaha Beach.  As I walked the beach of Omaha I envisioned what it must have been like for our soldiers sixty-five years ago.  I looked up at the steep incline I had just walked down, estimating it to be 100 feet or higher.  I wondered "How did our men ever climb that hill, laden with 60-80 pound back packs?"  There were no stairs or cement walkways back then. 

The American Cemetery at Omaha Beach

We enjoyed lunch this day at the charming French town Arromanches-les-Bains.  Our restaurant was right on Gold Beach which was one of the sites for the artificial man-made Mulberry Harbours during the war.  Remains of the Mulberry still sit on the beach and out in the sea.  Our lunch today was a choice of lamb or salmon with mashed potatoes, and the best Creme Brulee' I have ever tasted.    After lunch it was on to see the German battery where remains of the German large guns sit today.  Some fully intact untouched by bombs,  some not.  We then toured the Kieffer Commando museum in Ouistreham.  A museum to commemorate the French Green Berets who trained with the British, and invaded  Sword Beach on D-Day. 

Day 5 - After breakfast at the Mercure Hotel we boarded the motor coach for a long day traveling from Normandy through Belgium, to our next destination Nijmegen, Netherlands.  We watched several parts of the Band of Brothers movie this day.  We also watched testimonial videos of the Holland survivors we would meet the next day.  We were all pretty tired by the time we arrived at our hotel for the night, the Golden Tulip Val Monte.  But not tired enough to enjoy the delicious veal or salmon dinner provided that night. 

Day 6 - Our day started with a tour of the Nijmegen area.  One of the witnesses known as "Sergeant Major" rode the motor coach with us and narrated the history of the area.  Nijmegen, the area of Operation Market Garden was important in the liberation of the Netherlands from the Germans.  We then went to the National Liberation Museum (www.bevrijdingsmuseum.nl), where we enjoyed lunch and talking further with Sergeant Major.  She stated after the liberation they felt very happy.  "How could you be happy with so much loss and destruction around you?" we asked.  She replied "The family was now all together, no one was hurt, and we were free."

Sergeant Major

Day 7 - Today we traveled to the small neighboring country Luxembourg to visit the National Military Museum of History (www.luxembourg.co.uk/NMMH/) .  We spent several hours at this museum, but we could have spent all day.  The displays so life like in depicting the war.  I wanted to reach out and touch the deep fluffy snow, representing the harsh conditions our men endured as they waited in foxholes in the Ardennes forest near Bastogne.  We later went to the real forest and saw the original foxholes, which today are kept dug out for historical reasons.  We returned to Bastogne, Belgium for lunch and then visited the Mardasson monument and the Bastogne Historical Center to learn about the Battle of the Bulge.  One of the bloodiest battles of the war. 

Medics in Foxhole

 
A Real Foxhole in the Ardennes Forest

Day 8 - It was cool and raining this morning as we left Bastogne for the Luxembourg American Cemetery in Hamm.  It is the final resting place of General George Patton and several 101st Airborne men who died in the Bulge.   The graves contain the remains  of 5,076 brave American military.    Among the honored dead is one woman, an Army Nurse.   The Luxembourg American Cemetery is one of fourteen permanent World War II American military cemeteries on foreign soil.      After our time honoring the fallen soldiers of the Battle of the Bulge we traveled to Landsberg, Germany where we checked in at the Goggl Hotel, translated Rooster House.  Dinner this night at the hotel was a traditional German dinner of pork tenderloins,  spaetzle notch with mushroom gravy, and berries and ice cream for dessert.  Spaetzle Notch is a potato like noodle.  Everyone enjoyed dinner and retired early to rest up for our next day, which promised to be another day of emotion.

George Patton's Grave

Day 9 - Today we visit two concentration camps, Landsberg, and Dachau.  We first were taken on a city tour of Landsberg.  Our tour bus drove by the jail where Adolph Hitler was imprisoned for other "political crimes" he committed in 1923.  It is where he wrote "Mein Kampf".    In the Landsberg area there were eleven concentration camps and eleven Jewish cemeteries.  Each cemetery is close to it's camp.  Cement markers are all that separate mass graves.  A few headstones have been placed by family members to remember their loved ones.  We visited one of the working camps which today is owned by a private individual.  It is in disrepair, overrun with tall grass and growth.  We see remains of the cement hutches the Jewish people were forced to live in.  As if that wasn't somber enough, our tour moved on to Dachau.  Dachau was a Nazi Concentration camp and was made up of the camp area with 32 barracks, and the crematorium area.  Not all concentration camps had a crematorium.  We are given a guided tour by a German woman who spoke excellent English.  The tour was emotional as she explained 200,000 prisoners were held at the camp, nearly one third was Jewish.  It is believed 25,613 died at the camp.  Many died from malnutrition, disease, or suicide.    Most of the barracks have been torn down.  The barrack that served as a jail remains, as do a few others.  The crematorium is the actual building.  it was a methodical process.  First the disrobing room, then the waiting room, the "shower room", the room where they piled the bodies, then the crematorium.  There's no way to describe it gently.  It was evil.  Some may say they would never want to see where such atrocities took place.  But it is history, and we need to understand it, so we don't repeat it.

Landsberg Concentration Camp

Dachau Crematorium

Day 10 - This was our last full day of the tour.  We had checked in late the night before at the beautiful Hotel Bavaria in Berchtesgaden, Germany (www.hotelbavaria.net).  It's beauty became even greater when I woke up this morning and opened the drapes to our balcony to see the snow capped mountain peaks of the Bavarian Alps.   Our morning was spent in Berchtesgaden touring the Obersalzberg museum (www.obersalzberg.de).   The museum houses artifacts, photos, and documents, of Hitler and the Nazi period.  We toured the bunkers below the museum where Hitler retreated to during the war.  The complex was bombed during the war and later used by the Americans as a recreation area.  We were unable to visit Hitler's vacation home Eagles Nest, due to it be early in the season and snow still blocking the road.  The normal tour in season will visit Eagles Nest.  The rest of our day was spent in Salzburg, Austria where we enjoyed a wonderful Wiener Schnitzel lunch and had plenty of free time for shopping and exploring Salzburg before returning to the Hotel Bavaria for our farewell dinner.   Dinner at the hotel was a German buffet and surprise entertainment, a German Oompah band complete with Lederhosen.

Bavarian Alps

Oompah Band

Day 11 -   Today was a very early 4AM wake-up.  Our transfer left the hotel at 5AM for our 1 1/2 hour ride to Munich airport.  We had seen and learned a lot of history the past ten days.  Everyone was glad we had the opportunity to witness what our brave military men and women endured to keep us free.

NOTES
The Beyond Band of Brothers tour is totally inclusive.  It included all hotels, meals including alcohol drinks beer or wine, all transportation, guided tour and entrance to all museums and sites.  The tour is not for handicapped.   The tour is fast paced and includes a lot of walking and stair climbing.  Some walking is on uneven pavement, cobblestones, long distances, and no pavement at all.  This is a new tour and PROCOM is making some changes based on the recommendation from the agents on our FAM trip.  They have already announced they will offer this eleven day tour in addition to some shorter tours.  One special note is PROCOM offers a unique opportunity for companions traveling with different interest.  They have a unique Companion tour which offers sightseeing and shopping in major cities of Amsterdam, London, Paris, Luxembourg, Munich, and Salzburg.  See their website for details on the Companion tour and other information on the History tour.  www.beyondbandofbrothers.com