By December 1944, the Allies were on the gates of Hitler’s Reich on both the eastern and western fronts. The harsh early winter weather and stiff German defenses had slowed the advance but ultimate victory seemed certain. At that moment, the Fuhrer unleashed his largest offensive in the west. Three powerful armies crashed through the Ardennes Forest in Belgium and Luxembourg and threatened to split the Americans and their British allies. The ensuing month-long campaign, fought in desperate circumstances, turned a challenge into an opportunity, and an opportunity into a triumph.

This Essential History Expeditions WWII Battle of the Bulge in Ardennes tour will visit iconic sites in the (today) beautiful rugged terrain of the Ardennes, from the Losheim Gap to St Vith, from Elsenborn Ridge to the American paratroopers’ heroic stand at the pivotal crossroads at Bastogne to Patton’s gravesite among his soldiers and many others. Spectacular natural vistas, quaint towns and villages, fields and forests among the mountains all add to the journey. The Battle of the Bulge takes its place in the pantheon of great American battles because of the critical nature of the objectives, the incredibly demanding physical circumstances, the tough fighting enemy and the unstinting response to all of these from the GIs of the Greatest Generation.

For those travelling to the Battle of the Bulge tour the Belgian Ardennes from the Normandy D-Day tour, we will depart by bus on Friday, June 23rd, following the coastal route with a stop at Agincourt in the Pas de Calais to commemorate the 602nd anniversary of that famed battle where Henry V proclaimed his love for his ‘Band of Brothers.’