ABOUT “WILD BILL” GUARNERE
AND “BABE” HEFFRON

After being wounded in the Bois Jacques during the Battle of the Bulge, Bill spent many months recovering from his wounds. He then returned to his old neighborhood in South Philadelphia. “Babe” Heffron also returned to South Philly after his discharge in 1945. Both men settled into their civilian lives and raised their families. They were both active in veterans’ affairs and both acted as consultants to the HBO production of Band of Brothers. To their astonishment, they both became international celebrities following the worldwide acclaim of the show. They are both terrific and lively men who share a lifetime of close friendship and a great sense of humor. Cristy and Ray Pfeiffer – the owners of Historic Tours, Inc. often found themselves acting more as talent agents rather than Tour Directors during the 2004 and 2006 tours! Bill and Babe are beloved all over Europe and spend countless hours patiently signing autographs on books, hats, flags, etc. During the tour, Bill and Babe will sit right behind the Tour Director’s seat at the front of the bus so they can use the microphone to share their many stories with our tour members. Bill and Babe share the tour guiding responsibilities with Ray and now after two highly successful tours, they work smoothly as a team. They also will make many on-site presentations such as at Brecourt Manor and at the Bois Jacques. Be sure to bring any videos, DVDs, books, etc. that you would like Bill and Babe to autograph.

ABOUT HISTORIC TOURS

2007 marks the 25th Silver Anniversary of Historic Tours, Inc. and once again Historic Tours, Inc. – will operate our tour. “America’s Most Respected WWII Tour Specialists”, Historic Tours has been operating WWII commemorative tours since 1983 and has had the honor of operating tours for many prestigious veterans organizations, some of which include: 4th Armored Division Assn. (4 tours) the Yankee Division (26th I.D.) Veterans Assn. (4 tours), 741st Tank Battalion Assn. U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation (4 tours), 20th Armored Division Assn. (2 tours), 13th I.R. Assn., 28th I.R. Assn. 2007 will be the third year that Historic Tours will be operating WWII commemorative tours for the History Channel. Historic Tours has also operated 6 tours for America’s most prestigious history magazine Forbes’ American Heritage Magazine. Tour Center, Inc. is the reservations office for Historic Tours. Cristy and Ray are able to provide their tour members with many unique experiences, which cannot be found with other tour companies. They are highly regarded by thousands of WWII veterans and their families, and also by many mayors and other high-ranking officials in Europe and the United States. They have personally guided over 8,000 Americans in Europe and in the South Pacific.

ABOUT TOUR CENTER, INC.

Tour Center, Inc. is a full service travel agency located about 5 minutes from the Lincoln Tunnel in Secaucus, New Jersey. Tour Center is owned and operated by Vietnam veterans Phil and Guido Papa. Phil served in the 101st Airborne in Vietnam. Tour Center, Inc. handled the reservations for our two previous Easy Company WWII commemorative tours.

ABOUT OUR TOUR DIRECTORS

Two outstanding WWII tour specialists – Ray and Cristy Pfeiffer – the owners of Historic Tours, will personally direct our tour as they did on the 2004 and 2006 tours. Together Cristy and Ray have 50 years of combined experience in guiding Americans on WWII commemorative tours in Europe. Ray is a U.S. Navy Vietnam-era veteran. Ray served aboard USS Terrebonne Parish (LST1156) and USS Robert K. Huntington (DD781) in the 6th Fleet and the Atlantic. He and Cristy live in Normandy during the tour season and in Florida during the winter. Ray is the Tour Director of choice for the US Embassy in Paris and is their number choice to guide Congressional and White House tours of Normandy. Ray has guided Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert (R IL) and Joseph Hagen – Deputy Chief of Staff for Security to President Bush. Ray also was chosen as the Tour Director for Congressmen Jack Murtha (D-PA) and David Obey (D-WI) following the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Normandy American Cemetery Visitor Center. They proposed the construction of the US Navy Normandy Monument which was taken on as a mission by the Naval Order of the United States and the monument is scheduled for dedication on June 5, 2008.

DAILY ITINERARY
Meals indicated by:
AB – AIRLINE BREAKFAST,
BB – BUFFET BREAKFAST, L- LUNCH, D- DINNER
A TOTAL OF 22 MEALS IS INCLUDED
A total of 22 meals is included

SEPTEMBER 2007
4 (Tue) D – Departure Day: Tour members will meet in Philadelphia and join Bill and Babe for the overnight flight to Paris. Dinner and drinks will be served and a movie will be shown.

5 (Wed) AB,D - Paris Airport: Breakfast will be served before arriving at Charles de Gaulle International Airport. Tour members will be met by our Tour Directors Ray and Cristy Pfeiffer and check into the new Dorint Hotel in Roissy near Charles de Gaulle International Airport outside Paris. The afternoon is free and you may choose to stay with Bill and Babe and simply relax at our hotel. Alternatively you may join Ray as he guides a city sightseeing tour (no extra charge) of beautiful and historic Paris. Ray will point out and explain the well-known sites such as the Arc d’Triomphe, the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame Cathedral, etc. However he will also explain the long American role in Paris, which is known as the “Birthplace of America”. He will point out sites related to John Paul Jones, Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson. Ray will also make presentations on the occupation of Paris and the role of American forces during the Battle of Paris. We’ll return to our beautiful hotel and have our Welcome dinner where Bill and Babe and other veterans will be recognized and folks may introduce themselves.

6 (Thu) BB, D – Normandy: FFollowing the first of the hearty buffet breakfasts, which we’ll enjoy, daily, we’ll depart for Normandy. On the way Bill and Babe will use our bus’s microphone to share the first of many war related experiences. Our Tour Directors will relate modern French history and the events leading up to D-Day including the Battle of the Atlantic, “Operation Fortitude” – the Allied deception plans and the air war in Europe. We’ll stop for lunch on the highway and then check into the Novotel Centre Hotel in charming Bayeux We’ll visit the charming and historic fishing harbor of Port-en-Bessin where the British 47th Royal Marine Commando engaged the enemy in fierce combat. The now beautiful town became an important Allied “PLUTO” port – Pipeline Under The Ocean. A visit will also be made to the Undersea Wrecks of D-Day Museum. This unique museum features DD amphibious tanks of the 741st Tank Battalion, which were salvaged from the waters off Omaha Beach after 45 years. Dinner tonight will be at our hotel.

7 (Fri) BB,L,D – Normandy: Our first stop will be the Normandy American Cemetery where Bill and Babe will lead all of our veterans in “Hoisting the Colors” on the huge flagpoles featured in Saving Private Ryan. We’ll conduct a private wreath laying ceremony and experience a thorough briefing on the European Theatre of Operations and the Normandy Campaign. Stops will be made at the graves of Easy Company casualties. We’ll also visit the new Normandy American Cemetery Visitor Center. This is the first major change at the cemetery since the cemetery was dedicated in 1956. The Visitor Center will be opened officially on June 6, 2007. Following lunch Ray will lead us on a detailed tour of “Bloody Omaha.” We’ll walk on the beach as Ray relates the desperate struggle and the landing scenes in Saving Private Ryan will be described. We’ll visit the E-1 and D-3 “Draws” . We’ll also visit the infamous “D-1” or “Vierville Draw” featured in Saving Private Ryan. We’ll wind up our day with a unique VIP event that Historic Tours has never offered to tour members before and our Tour Directors are certain that tour members have never experienced on any tour. Dinner will be at our hotel.

8 (Sat) BB,L,D - Normandy: Our first stop will be to recall the heroic efforts of the 502nd PIR as it struggled to take the Carentan Causeway and “The Battle of The Cabbage Patch”. It was on the causeway that Lt. Col. Cole earned the Medal of Honor for leading his men on a desperate bayonet charge to seize this vital roadway which is known as “Purple Heart Lane”. Our next stop will be the new Dead Man’s Corner Museum where the role of the 101st Airborne in the battle of Carentan is honored. We’ll stop at Angoville-au-plain where we’ll visit its ancient church to view the stained glass windows honoring two medics of the 101st. We’ll also talk of the role of the 506th in the bloody battle for the town. We’ll explore Utah Beach and visit the Utah Beach Museum followed by lunch at the unique Roosevelt Café. We’ll continue to Brecourt Manor where we’ll visit the site of the enemy artillery, which was assaulted by members of Easy Company. This attack is demonstrated to this day as part of the curriculum at West Point. Charles de Vallavielle, who today owns Brecourt will host us. Bill Guarnere will relate the actions for which he received the Silver Star. We’ll have lunch at the unique Roosevelt Cafe on Utah Beach. We’ll be hosted to a private VIP reception in Ste. Marie-du-Mont (all veterans of Normandy will be given commemorative medals). We’ll continue on to visit the magnificent “Iron Mike” Monument", at the battle site at la Fiere built by the French to honor all of their paratrooper liberators. We’ll also visit Ste. Mere Eglise (where Bill will show us exactly where he landed – miles from his DZ). We’ll return to our hotel for dinner.

9 (Sun) BB - Bastogne: We’ll cross into Belgium and drive to Bastogne. We’ll view Band of Brothers on our bus’s DVD player as we travel and we’ll stop for an independent lunch on the way. We’ll retrace the route of Patton’s Third Army’s drive to relieve the besieged men of Bastogne. Cristy and Ray are uniquely qualified to lead us on this route. In the 1980’s they guided four tours for the 4th Armored Division Association and they learned first-hand from the officers who led the attack how the mission was planned and carried out. We’ll visit the linkup point of the 101st Airborne and the 4th A.D (where two plaques were dedicated during the 1985 tour operated by Historic Tours) before checking into our hotel just off General McAuliffe Square. Tonight we can enjoy the cafes of Bastogne.

10 (Mon) BB – Luxembourg, Bastogne: We’ll cross into the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and visit the Luxembourg American Cemetery. We’ll have a private wreath laying ceremony and join Bill and Babe as they visit along the final resting places of their buddies from Easy Company and the grave of General Patton. We’ll return to Bastogne for lunch. We’ll trace the route of Easy Company’s epic stand during the Battle of the Bulge. We’ll visit the Bois Jacques and Halt Station. We’ll lay flowers at the new Easy Company Monument and then visit Easy’s foxholes overlooking the village of Foy. Bill and Babe will recount the horrors the company experienced during the shelling depicted in the Band of Brothers episode “The Breaking Point” It was here that Bill was severely wounded. Bill and Babe will bring us to the spots in the forest where they endured the terrible shelling by the German 88 mm guns. We’ll also visit the Bastogne Historical Center and the magnificent Mardasson American Memorial. We’ll be free for dinner.

11 (Tue) BB,L,D Netherlands: We’ll stop at the Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery in northern Belgium where we will lay a wreath to the fallen of Easy Company. We’ll cross into the Netherlands and also visit the Netherlands American Cemetery where Bill and Babe will also lay a wreath in memory of their fallen comrades. We’ll continue to the beautiful Dutch city of Eindhoven where we’ll have dinner at the fantastic Dorint Hotel.

12 (Wed) BB, L – Netherlands: We’ll be joined by our Dutch friends as we commemorate “Operation Market Garden” – the largest airborne operation in history. We’ll visit the Queen Wilhelmina Canal Bridge, which was seized by the 101st. This was the most southern bridge in the operation dubbed “A Bridge Too Far.” We’ll tour along “Hell’s Highway” where Easy fought many battles and we’ll visit “The Island” where the 506th PIR held defensive positions along the Rhine River. We’ll have lunch near Grave. We’ll continue to the bridge at Nijmegen, a major objective of the operation. We’ll visit the National Liberation Museum in Groesbeek, which honors the role of the 101st and 82nd Airborne Divisions. We’ll spend the evening with our Dutch friends and enjoy dinner on our own in beautiful Eindhoven.

13 (Thu) BB,D – Netherlands, Brussels Airport: We’ll have the day free to shop and explore fascinating Eindhoven. In the late afternoon we’ll drive to Brussels Airport where we’ll check into the Novotel Airport Hotel where we’ll have our Farewell Dinner.

14 (Fri) BB, L – Return to USA: Cristy and Ray will transfer us to Brussels Airport for our return flight to the USA. Drinks and lunch will be served and movie will be shown before we arrive in Philadelphia.

FEATURES

TOUR COSTS:

$3,999 PER PERSON BASED ON
TWO PERSONS SHARING A ROOM

$499 FOR SINGLES NOT WISHING TO SHARE A ROOM
INCLUDING ROUNDTRIP AIR FARE FROM PHILADELPHIA
SPACE IS LIMITED ON THE AIR, SO BOOK NOW!!

For a Land only price or add on fares from other cities,
call Tour Center at: 1-800-222-1170
SINGLE ROOMS ARE AVAILABLE AT AN EXTRA COST OF $499.00

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