The Fall of France

THE FALL OF FRANCE 1940

A SIX NIGHT HOLIDAY | 29 APRIL 2023

On 10 May 1940, the day that Winston Churchill became Prime Minister in the UK, German forces launched their invasion of the Low Countries, by which they outflanked the heavily-fortified Maginot Line and entered northern France within weeks. By the end of the month the British Expeditionary Force was being evacuated from the beaches of Dunkirk in a seemingly miraculous endeavour, and the German army was on the Champs-Elysees by 14 June, where they would remain for four years. Join expert historian Hugh Macdonald-Buchanan on a journey through northern France to explore the remarkable course of events and the innovative tactics and technology which made the Fall of France one of the most dramatic events in military history.

the itinerary

Travelling by Eurostar from St. Pancras to Lille, we will be met by our coach for the drive to Reims, where we stay at the Best Western Hôtel Centre Reims. Hugh will introduce the tour before dinner this evening in a local restaurant.

This morning we will visit the site of the Battle of Sedan, where a combination of extraordinary air bombardment and a concentrated armoured attack by the Panzer divisions punctured a hole in the strong defensive front and enabled German forces to cross the Meuse River. We will also see the site of the tank battle at Stonne, where the French Second army made a fierce counter-attack, and the Maginot Line fortress, Ouvrage La Ferté, close to the Belgian border.

The site of the coronation of Kings of France for many centuries, Reims Cathedral is a magnificent landmark in the centre of the city and we will start this morning by visiting the Cathedral on foot. We will then continue to Eisenhower’s headquarters in Reims where the German surrender was signed in 1945.

Checking out of our hotel in Reims, we will drive north today to the site of the British counterattack at Arras. We will see the site of the British rearguard action and massacre at Ferme du Paradis, Bethune, before continuing to Lille, where we stay for the next three nights at the Hotel Hermitage Gantois.

Following the retreat of the British Expeditionary Force from France, today we shall start at the site of the sacrificial British rearguard action at Cassel. We will see the locations where a series of heroic rearguard actions were fought en route to the Dunkirk beaches. Only a third of the soldiers evacuated in Operation Dynamo were picked up from the beach itself; about 200,000 were evacuated off the East Mole, and today you can still see a concrete section of the mole.

We will visit a number of key sites in the Calais area today, including the site of Adolf Galland’s airfield at Audinghem, the massive German Batterie Todt on the coast, and the fascinating La Coupole Museum in the bunker designed for the V2 attack on Britain.

On our final morning in France we shall visit the site of the British rearguard actions around Ypres, before boarding the Eurostar in Lille for the journey back to London.

TOUR LEADER

HUGH MACDONALD-BUCHANAN

Hugh leads a variety of cultural tours in the UK and specialises in military history especially in Wellington’s Peninsular Campaigns 1808-1814, the Battle of Waterloo 1815, the Western Front 19141918 and the D-Day Landings 1944. Military walking tours in London include the London Blitz 1940-1941 (in the City of London), WW1 (in Whitehall and Westminster) and Britain’s Military History (in Whitehall). Hugh has led many small group tours for Kirker, as well as a variety of tailor-made itineraries private groups, students and charities.

TOUR INFORMATION

DEPARTURE DATE & PRICES

DATE PRICE SINGLE SUPP

29 April £2,546 £480

Our prices are per person, based on the shared occupancy of a twin/double room. Supplement for single occupancy as shown.

EUROSTAR DETAILS

Depart London St. Pancras 10.14, arrive Lille 12.54 Depart Lille 18.35, arrive London St. Pancras 19.13

WHAT WE INCLUDE

• Return Standard Premier (first class) Eurostar tickets • Six nights’ accommodation with breakfast • Four dinners • Two picnic lunches • All sightseeing, entrance fees and gratuities • The services of the Kirker Tour Lecturer