The Event

Provisional Itinerary – H4H 4x4 European Rally 2010

Saturday 19th June 2010 - Day 1 - England, 'Prelude to Invasion' – 144Km (90 Miles)

1200hrs at a secret location in North Wiltshire we assemble at the ex-Headquarters of part

 of the invasion preparation.

After visiting Aldbourne, Wiltshire (home to Easy Company, 101st Airborne Division – famed

 by the ‘Band of Brothers’ book and television series) we engage 4-wheel drive and traverse

 the off road byways of Salisbury Plain (a WWII training area – and still in use by today’s

 armed forces as a major military training ground). We will call at the Help for Heroes offices

 at Tidworth thence travel onto Portsmouth, and time allowing; will visit the D-Day Museum

 and Southwick House, Headquarters for Supreme Commander Dwight D. Eisenhower

during the invasion. We board the overnight cross-channel ferry to Caen.

Overnight - Brittany Ferries 'Portsmouth-Caen' Route

Sunday 20th June 2010 - Day 2 - 'Fortress Europe' - 40Km (25 Miles)

At Caen we visit Pegasus Bridge and its museum, followed by a coastal drive to Arromanches. Situated on the Normandy coast, famous for the D-Day landings, Arromanches is not only perfectly located to visit other battlefield sites of Normandy but is home to a fascinating museum and impressive 360 degree, 9 screen cinema, showing wartime footage.

An early finish today – with an option to visit the 360 degree museum.

Overnight - Arromanches

Monday 21st June 2010 - Day 3 - 'Moving Inland' – 233km (145 Miles)

To St-Marie du Pont, Utah Beach then St. Mere Eglise – the first town liberated by allied forces. Then on to Carentan, the Norman town that was one of the Allies’ earliest objectives. We will see the site of Easy’s battle as they entered the town on June 12 and the square from which General Maxwell Taylor presented awards to his men for their performance during the invasion. In the afternoon we head to an off-road centre and return to Arromanches early evening.

Overnight - Arromanches

Tuesday 22nd June 2010 - Day 4 - 'Remember September' – 718Km (449 Miles)

An early start and a drive to Eindhoven, Holland after which we follow “Hell’s Highway,” the route followed by the British XXX Corps as it attempted to reach its embattled 1st Airborne Division, Arnhem,

Overnight - Arnhem

Wednesday 23rd June 2010 - Day 5 – 'Operation Market Garden' – 150km (94 Miles)

We will visit the Airborne Museum at Oosterbeek to pay homage to the men who fought in Operation Market Garden, the largest airborne operation of the war.

A 4x4 scenario is planned for the afternoon after which we will visit the famous bridge over the Rhine; the objective of Operation Market Garden.

Overnight - Arnhem

Thursday 24th June 2010 - Day 6 - 'The Battle of the Bulge' – 334Km (208 Miles)

Back into Belgium, this time for a special visit to the Francorchamps Spa Museum. Our destination is Bastogne the site of an epic eight-day stand against the Germans in December 1944.

Overnight - Bastogne

Friday 25th June 2010 – Day 7 - 'The Bois Jacques and Beyond' – 134Km (83 Miles)

Friday starts with a visit to the Battle of the Bulge Museum and General Anthony McAuliffe’s headquarters during the siege. The afternoon will find us at Bois Jacques, Halt Station and Easy Company’s foxholes overlooking the village of Foy. We conclude our WWII tour of the Bulge.

Overnight - Bastogne

Saturday 26th June 2010 Day 8 - 'The Last Patrol' – 422Km (263 Miles)

From Bastogne we head south into Alsace, France; an area famed for its wine and Maginot Line fortifications.

After that, the journey passes through Haguenau, the site of some of Easy Company’s final battles and several daring patrols thence into Germany and the beautiful Schwarzwald (the Black Forest).

Overnight – Calw-Altburg in the Black Forest

Sunday 27th June 2010 - Day 9 – 'The Atrocity of War' – 456Km (285 Miles)

We move on from the Black Forest. On April 29, 1945, as they advanced towards the Bavarian Alps, the allies liberated a satellite of the Dachau concentration camp at Landsberg.

We will visit Dachau, site of some of the most nefarious acts against humankind during the war. Our goal approaches as we travel south-east through Bavaria routing along the scenic Alpenstrasse and arrive at our destination – Berchtesgaden.

Overnight - Berchtesgaden

Monday 28th June - Day 10 - 'The Eagle’s Nest' – 25Km (16 Miles)

Our final day of the rally ends at Adolf Hitler’s Alpine retreat at Berchtesgaden, where we will visit the Eagle’s Nest and the remains of the vast Nazi Party complex liberated by American Forces in May 1945.

Evening – Meal, prize giving and farewells

Overnight - Berchtesgaden

Tuesday 29th June 2010 - Day 11 – Decamp and onward travel

Help 4 Heroes ~ H4H European Rally ~ 4x4 Rally ~ Team Cobra ~ Help 4 Heroes ~ H4H European Rally ~ 4x4 Rally ~ Team Cobra