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Secret Army: Belgium in World War 2
On this fascinating tour, led by Head Battlefield Guide Paul Reed and WW2 author Dr Victoria Humphreys, we look at the story of Belgium in the Second World War and the so-called ‘Secret Army’, the Belgian Resistance, which was immortalised in the 1970s BBC Drama of the same name. With readings and history at all the main sights we bring this period of the Second World War to life.
Tour Includes
- 4 nights’ accommodation with continental breakfast
- 2 evening meals
- Two Specialist Battlefield Guides
- Travel Door-to-Door or Convenient local joining points
- Travel by Silver Service luxury coach with extra legroom
5 days from £699pp
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Itinerary
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Local departure by coach, then to our hotel in Belgium where we stay for four nights.
We begin our tour by looking at the Battle of Belgium in May 1940 leading up to the Belgian surrender, seeing the 1940-45 Museum close to the battlefields near Charleroi. We then visit the impressive Fortress of Huy, now a museum of Resistance and the Holocaust in Belgium during WW2. Here we examine how Belgium stood up to the German occupation and its population suffered. At Bruly we visit the unique chapel and memorial to the local Resistance Group, and see the ‘Hitler Bunker’ where Adolf Hitler sheltered during the Battle of France and which is now a museum to the Belgian Resistance and Escape Lines.
Includes Breakfast
Includes Dinner
Key Visits
Today we look at the occupation of Belgium by Nazi Germany and how the Holocaust affected the population in Belgium, and we travel to Fort Breendonk for an included visit. A nineteenth-century defensive fort, it was used by the Germans as a detention and later Concentration Camp, with over 3,500 prisoners passing through it. We have plenty of time to explore the site and hear the moving stories of those held here. In the afternoon we visit Kaserne Dossin. A former army barracks, thousands of Jews were deported to Death Camps from here during the war. It is now a national memorial and museum site to the Holocaust in Belgium.
Includes Breakfast
Includes Dinner
Key Visits
We travel to Leuven this morning to see the National Memorial to the Belgian Resistance, with some impressive statues depicting the Belgian resistance in WW2. Later we continue to Brussels and after lunchtime we have a walking tour of central Brussels looking at locations connected to the BBC ‘Secret Army’ series. Starring Bernard Hepton, the series told the story of a Brussels café at the heart of the local resistance cell. We visit the actual café used in the series and walk to some of the key sites which feature in the series, linking the fiction with the real stories of WW2. We will also visit the ‘Secret Army’ Memorial in Brussels, and Brussels Town Cemetery. We end the day with free-time in Brussels in the evening, where we have time for an evening meal, before returning to our hotel.
Includes Breakfast
Key Visits
Return home
Includes Breakfast
Accommodation
Hotel Horizon Ath Lessines
Providing modern guest rooms, the Horizon Ath-Lessines is situated in the area of Ghislenghien, close to the towns of Ath and Lessines.
Hotel Facilities
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General
- English Speaking Staff
- 4 Star
- Guest Lounge
- Bar
- Restaurant
- Lift
Room
- TV
- Tea and Coffee Making Facilities
- Hairdryer
- Extra Pillows and Blankets
- Safe Box
- Air Conditioning
- Fridge
- Non-Smoking Rooms Available
- Shower or Bath
- Telephone
- Free Wifi
- Iron or Trouser Press
Food & Drink
- Vegetarian Meals
- Gluten Free Menu
- Lactose or Dairy Free Menu
- Vegan Menu
Accessibility
- Disabled Rooms Available
- Wheelchair Access
Service
- Room Service Available
- 24 Hour Front Desk
- Gym
- Dogs Allowed on Request
Hotel
- English Speaking Staff
- Guest Lounge
- Bar
- Restaurant
- Lift
- WiFi Available
Silver Service Coach
More than simply your method of transport, Silver Service offers a coach with added comfort and facilities, such as deluxe reclining seats with leather headrests, an onboard entertainment system, and a spacious rear lounge so you can socialise with your fellow passengers.
Silver Service Features
- Specially designed reclining seats, with leather headrests, footrests and extra legroom.
- A spacious rear lounge where you can relax, socialise and get to know your fellow passengers.
- Our onboard entertainment and satellite navigation system makes your journey fly by.
- Free personal headphones mean you can tune into the music channel, listen to the radio or watch DVDs being played by your crew.
- Personal tables so you can enjoy your refreshments in comfort as you take in the passing scenery.
Departure Dates
