U.S. forces were involved in six months of serious fighting from May to November 1918; by Armistice Day, 11 November 1918, there were two million Americans in France - as many as there were to be in 1944. Their tales of Belleau Wood, Chateau Thierry, St Mihiel, Meuse-Argonne and the Hindenburg Line are inspirational still, after nearly a century, and this 3-day (2-night) suggested itinerary covers many of the most famous locations.

Day One - the St Mihiel sector
- After a night in Canterbury, or a 40 minute train journey from London to Ashford - 35 minute Tunnel crossing in our car, then 3 hr 45 minute drive from Calais.
- Meet at Lille station (1 hr 30 from London St Pancras) - 3 hr 15 min drive
- Pickup from Paris - 3 hr drive*

Arrive St Mihiel (south-east of Verdun) mid-afternoon: tour taking in the American Monument (September 1918 battle), and the network of preserved trenches (in the woods) - barbed wire, concrete and shell holes remain, accessible on short walking trails through the woods. 40 minutes north to our hotel in a village north of Verdun (2 nights).

Day Two - Meuse-Argonne:
Vauquois, Varennes, Sgt York, ‘Lost Battalion’, U.S. Cemetery
A tour of the Argonne area (20 miles west of Verdun) taking in Vauquois, site of a hilltop village destroyed by underground mining in 1915-16 (massive overlapping craters remain: spectacular views), Chatel-Chery and Sgt York, the 28th Division Memorial at Varennes, the ‘Lost Battalion’ marker in the woods, and the U.S. Cemetery at Romagne - the largest U.S. military cemetery in Europe.

Day Three - Verdun 1916:
Fort Douaumont, Trench of Bayonets, Fleury Museum
1 hr 45 minutes west to Belleau Wood (where the Marines made their name) and nearby Chateau Thierry, where U.S. forces stopped the German advance to the Marne in June 1918. After lunch in Chateau-Thierry, the options depend on your destination:

- 3 hr drive to the Channel Tunnel. On the way there will be time for a 1 hour visit to the Hindenburg Line near St Quentin: US 27th & 32nd Divs. Memorial - tour the site of September 1918 battle, fought alongside British & Australian forces. Back in the UK we will put you on a high-speed train to London, arriving there around 7.20 p.m.
- Lille Eurostar station: as above, but 30 minutes shorter drive
- Drop-off in Paris - tour U.S. sites in Fere-en-Tardenois area (Quentin Roosevelt crash site & memorial; American Oise-Aisne Cemetery & Memorial) before heading back to Paris - 90 minute drive*

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Do get in touch to discuss details and possible dates.

* Options from Paris by high-speed train:
If you are staying in Paris, take the high-speed train from Gare de l’Est - we would meet you at the new Meuse TGV station, which is just over an hour from Paris; this station is only a half hour drive from Verdun. A day trip would give around 7 hours to see the Meuse-Argonne sites (Day Two above).

See also:
World War I Tours

Above: The "Kronprinz's Shelter" in the Argonne forest
Below: The memorial marker for the 'Lost Battalion' (October 1918)

Detail from US Memorial at Sommepy (Champgane)

Looking out over the Meuse-Argonne battlefield