My wife and I are strongly considering booking a tour covering WW1, Western Front, that covers US involvement.
The only thing I've located is:
https://stephenambrosetours.com/tour/wwi-tour/
which has the added plus of visiting the Waterloo battlefield.
There are a number of trips that are 5-7 days long that hit the WW1 highlights, mostly focusing on UK & Commonwealth involvement. This trip looks really interesting, but before I book it I would like to know if any of you know of any alternatives.
The biggest plusses of this trip are:
1] It covers US involvement in WW1
2] Covers the other major WW1 sights
3] Has a day trip to Waterloo
4] is in September-October when it is not so blasted hot and is not at the height of tourist season.
If anyone has any other alternatives I would love to hear about them.
Thanks!
I would recommend just renting a car, staying at B&Bs you find along the way, and upgrading your phone service to cover Europe so you can get Google maps.
Google maps and street view covers France very well.
If it were me, I would definitely see these places specific to the US experience:
1) Sgt York's fight at Chatel Chehery
http://grogheads.com/forums/index.php?topic=22994.0 (http://grogheads.com/forums/index.php?topic=22994.0)
2) The "Lost Battalion" site, 77th Liberty Division
https://www.google.com/maps/@49.2514266,4.915062,3a,51.1y,191.47h,63.46t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sT0E6hC9rYlVx0uJ4IsKE6A!2e0!7i13312!8i6656 (https://www.google.com/maps/@49.2514266,4.915062,3a,51.1y,191.47h,63.46t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sT0E6hC9rYlVx0uJ4IsKE6A!2e0!7i13312!8i6656)
http://grogheads.com/forums/index.php?topic=22990.0 (http://grogheads.com/forums/index.php?topic=22990.0)
3) Montfaucon, the "little Gibraltar taken by the 79th Division" also where the Meuse Argonne memorial is
http://grogheads.com/forums/index.php?topic=22976.0 (http://grogheads.com/forums/index.php?topic=22976.0)
4) Fismes and Fismette, one of the few house to house fights in WWI
http://grogheads.com/forums/index.php?topic=22824.0 (http://grogheads.com/forums/index.php?topic=22824.0)
5) The Rock of the Marne, where the 3rd Div held back the Ludendorff Offensive:
http://grogheads.com/forums/index.php?topic=22624.0 (http://grogheads.com/forums/index.php?topic=22624.0)
https://www.google.com/maps/@49.0826788,3.5303375,3a,75y,96.14h,83.16t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1swxABD1dBE6VMJ94py6CJYQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656 (https://www.google.com/maps/@49.0826788,3.5303375,3a,75y,96.14h,83.16t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1swxABD1dBE6VMJ94py6CJYQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656)
6) Croix Rouge Farm, where the old 4th Alabama (renamed the 167th Infantry) charged through MG fire to take the fortified farm.
http://grogheads.com/forums/index.php?topic=22685.0 (http://grogheads.com/forums/index.php?topic=22685.0)
https://www.google.com/maps/@49.1328954,3.5219004,3a,45.2y,218.03h,93.85t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s-3vddEK7Jxa3FlAXY_FXwQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656 (https://www.google.com/maps/@49.1328954,3.5219004,3a,45.2y,218.03h,93.85t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s-3vddEK7Jxa3FlAXY_FXwQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656)
7) Landres et St. Georges where the Rainbow Division's Fighting Irish charged another Marye's Heights. Wild Bill Donovan and Father Duffy.
http://grogheads.com/forums/index.php?topic=23020.0 (http://grogheads.com/forums/index.php?topic=23020.0)
8. And finally Belleau Wood, the famous words of Gunnery Sergeant Dan Daley (two time Medal of Honor winner) urging his men into heavy German machine gun fire; "Come-on you sons of bitches, do you want to live forever?"
https://www.google.com/maps/@49.078517,3.2924474,3a,75y,187.68h,88.6t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sX1H0y23ckgNmQ95XNQuEAA!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo0.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3DX1H0y23ckgNmQ95XNQuEAA%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D68.27121%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i13312!8i6656 (https://www.google.com/maps/@49.078517,3.2924474,3a,75y,187.68h,88.6t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sX1H0y23ckgNmQ95XNQuEAA!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo0.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3DX1H0y23ckgNmQ95XNQuEAA%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D68.27121%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i13312!8i6656)
While at it, I would catch Stonne, where the French taught the Germans what a heavy tank could do to medium and light tanks in 1940
https://www.google.com/maps/@49.5503696,4.9250264,3a,77.9y,301.46h,79.87t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sjBHVsSOufN9woaC-3qpKrg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656 (https://www.google.com/maps/@49.5503696,4.9250264,3a,77.9y,301.46h,79.87t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sjBHVsSOufN9woaC-3qpKrg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656)
I would also take in Verdun, and probably Mars-La-Tour (Franco-Prussian War)
BTW, a great set of free references (US Army Center for Military History Commemorative Pamphlets) for the US experience in WWI is at:
https://history.army.mil/html/bookshelves/collect/wwi-cb.html (https://history.army.mil/html/bookshelves/collect/wwi-cb.html)
Cool! Take plenty of pics!
ArizonaTank - that was a very helpful list. We signed up for the Stephen Ambrose tour which hits a lot of the places that you suggest. But the readings and other information will be very helpful to make the trip better.