Privat Battlefields Tour i Argonne fra Paris i Van (2/7 rejsende)
Beskrivelse
Rejs med din egen gruppe (maks. 6 rejsende) og gå ombord med din "Régis"-chauffør og guide ombord på en komfortabel minivan med aircondition. Din guide Régis vil fortælle dig om de vigtigste begivenheder i Første Verdenskrig og de kampe, der fandt sted her i Argonne-skoven mellem 1914 og 1918. Ved "Main de Massiges" vil du gå midt i skyttegravene omgivet af hundredvis af shellhuller, der fremkalder en måne og apokalyptiske omgivelser Oplev de enorme minetragte på toppen af Butte de Vauquois og resterne af skyttegravene. Bestig de 200 trin af marmorsøjlen på det amerikanske monument Montfaucon, og beundre derefter udsigten over dalen, som var skueplads for den amerikanske offensiv i september 1918, på toppen. Besøg landsbyen Varennes i Argonne, hvor kongen af Frankrig Ludvig XVI blev arresteret Vis respekt for faldne soldater, mens du går gennem den største amerikanske militærkirkegård (14.246 grave) i Frankrig ved Romagne.
Turmuligheder
Rejseplan
Tyskerne trak sig tilbage fra deres tilbagetrækning i begyndelsen af september 1914, forankret på denne naturlige højde, som hver finger danner en bastion af denne naturlige fæstning. Det var på denne forhindring, at soldaterne fra den 4. franske armé, som deltog i modoffensiven efter det første slag ved Marne, mødte denne forhindring den 13. september 1914. Høj kampplads, denne strategiske position var skueplads for voldsomme kampe, der fandt sted her i Massiges-sektoren mellem 1914 og 1918. Antallet af dræbte, sårede eller savnede franske soldater anslås til 25.000 og helt sikkert lige så mange tyske soldater.
Monumentet vender mod frontlinjen af den 1. amerikanske hær om morgenen den 26. september 1918, da angrebet, hvis sejr det mindes, Meuse-Argonne-offensiven, begyndte. Dette varede indtil 11. november 1918 og tvang fjenden til at trække sig tilbage fra sin front. Den består af en dorisk søjle i solid granit, overgivet af en statue, der symboliserer Frihed, som dominerer ruinerne af den gamle landsby med mere end 60 meter. På væggene i foyeren er et indgraveret kort over operationerne, med en fortælling og en særlig hyldest til de amerikanske tropper, der gjorde tjeneste her. Mindesmærkets observationsplatform kan på bestemte tidspunkter nås via en trappe på 234 trin, hvorfra besøgende kan nyde udsigten over næsten hele den jord, der blev erobret under denne offensiv.
Hvis der er et sted, der ikke må gå glip af i Pays d'Argonne, er det denne kirkegård, der giver dig mulighed for at forstå, hvad amerikanere mener med "hukommelsespligt". Beliggende i Romagne-sous-Montfaucon, er Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery, med et areal på 52 hektar, den største amerikanske nekropolis i Europa. Denne nekropolis blev indviet i 1937 og har 14.246 grave af amerikanske soldater, der omkom under Meuse Argonne-offensiven fra 26. september til 11. november 1918. Mindesmærket i romansk stil og dets kapel dominerer kirkegården. Et kort, der forklarer Meuse-Argonne-offensiven, er indgraveret på en væg i loggiaen. På en anden væg er indgraveret navnene på de 954 amerikanske soldater, der forsvandt under Meuse-Argonne-offensiven. Inde i kapellet er toppene af amerikanske divisioner og højtstående hærenheder afbildet i glasmosaikvinduerne. På kapellets forvæg er der indgraveret navnene på de landsbyer og steder, hvor den amerikanske hær kæmpede.
Gennemse tusindvis af genstande fra den store krig på det uformelle Jean Paul Museum, som vil introducere dig til soldatens daglige liv. Bag hvert udstillet objekt er en personlig og bevægende historie. Hjelme, våben, kamme, mønter, bestik, lommeure går stadig tilbage i dag.... Jean-Paul de Vries har ledt efter og fundet disse genstande siden 1976. I sit museum udstiller han fund, der vidner om dette liv i skyttegravene. Hver genstand blev fundet inden for en radius af 4 kilometer omkring Romagne sous Montfaucon. Ved at vise soldaternes liv håber Jean-Paul de Vries at formidle krigens grusomhed.
Landsbyen er kendt for at have været stedet for arrestationen af Ludvig XVI og den kongelige familie, der forsøgte at slutte sig til tropper, der forblev loyale over for monarkiet baseret i Montmédy, Varennes blev besat af tyske tropper i begyndelsen af Første Verdenskrig. Landsbyen var på eller nær frontlinjen i det meste af konflikten. Varennes-en-Argonne var den første by, der blev befriet af amerikanske tropper under Meuse-Argonne-offensiven lanceret den 26. september 1918. Pennsylvania-monumentet i Varennes-en-Argonne: Beliggende på højderne af Varennes-en-Argonne, blev dette imponerende monument rejst og finansieret i 1928 af staten Pennsylvania (USA), til minde om de soldater, der døde under kampene i 1918 for at befri dette område. Dens terrasse byder på en storslået panoramaudsigt over Aire-dalen.
Bygget på toppen af en høj, der overså den omgivende slette i 290 m højde, hvilket gør den til et observatorium og et vartegn for justering af artilleriild under Første Verdenskrig. I efteråret 1914 forvandlede tyskerne landsbyen til en veritabel fæstning. Franskmændene og tyskerne begravede sig selv i skyttegrave på toppen af bakken, som blev forvandlet af mere end 500 eksplosioner, landsbyen Vauquois blev totalt ødelagt. Fra februar til marts 1915 blev ruinerne af landsbyen voldsomt omstridt. Kilometer af gallerier (ca. 23) blev gravet forskudt på flere niveauer, op til 100 meter dybe, med det formål at trænge ind under fjendens lejr ved at forårsage så mange tab som muligt ved eksplosion af miner. I maj 1916 blev en enorm tragt skabt ved eksplosionen af en 60 tons mine, som dræbte 108 franske soldater. I september 1918 genvandt amerikanerne stillingen definitivt.
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Anmeldelser(7)
Excellent driver guide, with extensive knowledge, safe driving and a comfortable vehicle
I took the Meuse Argonne VIP trip with Régis. An ancestor fought and died during the offensive and is buried in the Meuse Argonne American Cemetery. Régis is very knowledgeable and enthusiastic, and tailored the well-planned, full-day itinerary to meet my interests. He continued to provide valuable follow-up information after the trip. There’s no way I could have done this on my own. I highly recommend Adrien Roads for your French battlefield visit.
We thank Regis our tour guide for the most memorable tour of the Meuse Argonne Region on September 14th. His personal tour provided such detailed information about the battle, the various monuments, and other interesting events that occurred in that area. My husband was elated to visit the town of Dombasle where his grandfather arrived when he served during the war. Walking the cemetery and visiting the church was sobering. Seeing the demolished church and German bunkers on top of the hill really put things into perspective. And then the finale was walking in the forest and seeing the trenches and craters where the shelling occurred. We spent 3 weeks in Europe touring many cities but we both concluded that your tour was one of the highlights of our trip. Thank you again!
This tour was a hybrid of Verdun, the Argonne and all things AEF. Regis was fabulous and extremely flexible, we corresponded for a couple of months to ensure that I would be walking in the footsteps of my grandfather. The tour took us all over the American and Franco/American Battlefields. I learned early on that if it was recommended by Regis - it was worth seeing and exploring. An accomplished English/French speaker, he was able to open doors that, for most, would remain locked. Regis also ensured that the history of France's Ancien Regime, Napoleonic era, and the Franco-Prussian War were liberally sprinkled throughout the tour to ensure that timelines leading up to the Grand Gurre remained intact. One of the highlights was to be taken to the Haute Chevauchée (High Road) where his uncle had fought and was wounded. For the AEF student, this was a rare treat as it, and its monument, are buried deep in the Argonne Forest. After walking the battlefields, the WWI American Monuments and Cemeteries were not to be missed, they are some or the most beautiful in the ABMC inventory. On a lighter note, the tour became uproarious when we found out that Regis was a bread, pastry, and dessert fan. Every gas stop contained at least two of the three. Last, he is a generous host, tremendously well informed, and fun. When you leave his tour, you are leaving behind a friend.
Pictures are stunning, not! Because we didn’t get the opportunity to take any! We booked this tour in Nov 2022, that’s almost an entire year ago. My husband has a relative buried in the WWI American Cemetery and much of our visit to France centered around this one tour. None of his family can afford to visit the grave site, so we are making this pilgrimage to his grave after being there for 105 years. Our guide called at 10:38pm before a 6am pick up to tell us he couldn’t come, because his car broke down. He stated he could not make alternative arrangements, had to take the car to the shop the day of our tour and we could go in a week or so. When you are leaving in two days that is not helpful. We then called the Viator help line in the Philippines, at first hesitant to refund our $848, there was no offer to make right on a less than 8 hour cancellation by the driver/guide. The very least they could have offered would be a reduction on the price of the two tours we had booked with them in Belgium, right? Then after almost an hour on the phone, and repeatedly asking to talk to a supervisor, the call center person hung up on us! Think real hard about using Viator, and if the tour in France goes through Adrian Roads - cancel now!
We understand the disappointment of customers regarding the cancellation of the tour. Unfortunately a mechanical breakdown with the vehicle’s engine occurred on Thursday evening (just the day before the tour), Having no other vehicle available the vehicle was dropped urgently the next day at the garage but the mechanic had to order parts to carry out repairs which took several days (the garage being closed on weekends). We also tried to contact other tour agencies but none had a vehicle and guides available to operate the tour... We asked customers the possibility to postpone the visit but customers could not because they left 3 days later... We then asked VIATOR to fully refund the customers what was done.. For the safety of our customers we cannot afford to use a vehicle with a confirmed engine failure. We sincerely apologize to customers for having to cancel the tour at the last minute due to a mechanical engine failure of the vehicle and for not having had time to find an alternative solution.
This is a must do when visiting Paris if you have an interest in WW1! Our guide helped us find my husband’s great grandfather’s grave at the Meuse Argonne Cemetery. He also took us to so many great places that weren’t even listed. We had a very full day and learned so much from our guide, Regis! He was very knowledgeable and very pleasant to spend the day with. Make sure to book with Adrian-roads.com. He also does Normandy tours. Next time we are in France we will take his tour. We did the Viking tour and his is just more personalized!
I did not know that a Pigeon Signal Corp existed! Regis, the Docent, is very very knowledgeable and is passionate about telling our military history. Let is not forget about World War 1. We cannot understand World War 2 without it! .
