For more than two and a half years the Allies planned and gathered their military strength to launch a decisive amphibious invasion of northern France. In anticipation of the invasion, Hitler stockpiled reserves in the Atlantic Wall defenses, determined to keep the Allied forces at bay. General Dwight Eisenhower set the invasion into motion with the simple words “OK, let’s go.” In the early minutes of June 6, 1944, Allied paratroopers and gliders descended from the night sky. Behind them, an initial force of over 130,000 servicemen from the Allied nations crossed a choppy English Channel aboard an armada of more than 5,000 ships. Their destination was Normandy, and their successes and their sacrifices were forever etched in the world's history.
Only a fraction of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II are still alive today. To remember them and honor the sacrifices they made, we have three trips planned to the Normandy beaches next year: an in-depth land tour, a big sea cruise ship and a river cruise. Take a look at the offerings below, and join us next year to commemorate the 75th anniversary of D-Day. For our complete 2018-19 tour line-up, see http://travel.alumni.ucla.edu/tours/2018.
Regards from Westwood,
Christel Aragon
Director, Alumni Travel
FEATURED
Celtic Lands featuring the 75th Anniversary of the D-Day Landings May 28 – June 7, 2019
Cruise aboard the exclusively chartered, Five-Star small ship Le Boréal from Glasgow, Scotland to Wales, Ireland, France and England, with guided excursions at each port of call. By exclusive arrangement, walk the hallowed beaches of Normandy, France, with Dwight David Eisenhower II, grandson of General and President President Dwight D. Eisenhower.
D-Day: The Invasion of Normandy & the Liberation of France June 19-26, 2019
Cross the same hedgerows traversed by paratroopers trying to eliminate the German gun batteries firing on their brothers trying to make landfall. Experience Normandy through the eyes of French Resistance participants, The National WWII Museum’s expert battlefield guides and the oral histories of the brave soldiers who fought the war that changed the world.
Seine River & Normandy Passage featuring the 75th Anniversary of the D-Day Landings
June 30 – July 8, 2019
Cruise the Seine River from Paris to Honfleur on the exclusively chartered MS Renoir. In Normandy, visit the Caen Memorial Museum, regarded as the premier World War II museum in France. Continue to Omaha Beach, where U.S. forces valiantly advanced across the heavily fortified shoreline under devastating fire to overcome German troops.
Teofilo Ruiz, who was born in Cuba and lived there until close to his nineteenth birthday, received his doctorate from Princeton University and has taught at many universities, including the University of Michigan and Princeton. He served as UCLA History Department chair (2002-05) and chair of the Department of Spanish and Portuguese (2008-09). A medievalist and early modern historian, Ruiz was selected by the Carnegie Foundation as one of the four Outstanding Teachers of the Year in 1994. The author of 14 books, he received the prestigious 2007 Guggenheim Fellowship and the Distinguished Teacher Award at UCLA. In 2012, Ruiz was selected as the Senior Research Lecturer at UCLA and received the National Humanities Medal from President Obama. With 14 past tours, Professor Ruiz is
the most popular and beloved lecturer traveling with UCLA Alumni Travel. This will be his third visit to Cuba with UCLA Alumni Travel. Join Professor Ruiz on our Cuba’s Cultural Heritage tour, Feb. 2-9.
WELCOME HOME
Travelers enjoying the spectacular setting of Ha Long Bay, Jan. 13-28, with Professor George Dutton, Center for Southeast Asian Studies.
Join us for our Journey through Vietnam trip in 2019!
