Walk in the footsteps of the WWII "Mighty Eighth" heroes on the Roger A. Freeman Heritage Tour - "The Mighty Eighth." This is a historically immersive travel experience offered by the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force.
Join us on our upcoming tour as we visit heavy bomber bases, fighter group airfields, and select sites that are off the beaten path. Our tour offers a unique opportunity to delve into the "Mighty Eighth's" legacy while allowing you to explore all that this beautiful country has to offer on your own.
Our tour will then move to France to explore the museums, beaches, and historic sites of Normandy. The tour will take our group to all five landing beaches and the historic sites of the D-Day Invasion.
Our tour package is an offering like no other of it's kind!! If you have ever dreamed of seeing the historic sights of the Eighth Air Force, WWII Great Britain and the Normandy Beaches, this is truly a trip of a lifetime!
MacDonald House - Windsor (6 nights), The Angel Hotel - Bury St. Edmunds (3 nights), Grand Hotel de Luxembourg - Bayeux, France (6 nights), Hilton Garden Inn - London Heathrow Airport (1 night).
All meals will be provided, with the exception of three dinners and three lunches on free days.
All Museum admissions and tariffs will be paid to include a special "Behind the Glass" tour of the Churchill War Rooms.
All guide fees are included in the tour package.
Exclusive Roger A. Freeman Heritage Tour luggage tags will be sent to you prior to your departure.
Airfare is not included with the tour package price to allow our guests more opportunites for trip extensions, the use of airline miles and better personal time flexibility.
Day 1 - Thursday, October 9, 2025 - MacDonald House
Participants will arrive at Heathrow Airport – London where they will be met by a representative from the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force with signage and be taken by a private car to the MacDonald Hotel - Windsor.
You will have the opportunity to explore the village of Windsor after check-in prior to a cocktail reception & welcome dinner, where you will meet the other tour participants and have the opportunity to ask any questions you might have about the itinerary.
Day 2 - Friday, October 10, 2025
Our morning will begin with a visit to Bentley Priory - Headquarters of Royal Air Force Fighter Command during the Battle of Britain in the Summer / Fall of 1940. Our group will have a private tour of this amazing and historic building that housed Air Marshall Hugh Dowding and his staff during the "Blitz."
Following lunch at the Crown and Treaty Pub - Uxbridge, the day will continue with a private museum guided tour of the Battle of Britain Bunker at RAF Uxbridge. The command bunker at RAF Uxbridge was the main center of communication for the Royal Air Force Fighter Command during the crucial days of the Battle of Britain.
The day will conclude by returning to the MacDonald Hotel - Windsor for the evening, where a casual dinner will be served.
Day 3 - Saturday, October 11, 2025 - RAF Debden / Bury St. Edmunds
Participants will depart Windsor and travel to the country village of Rickling Green for a delicious lunch at the Cricketer's Arms Pub.
Following lunch, a tour of RAF Debden, a principal airbase during the Battle of Britain, that was turned over to U.S. Eighth Air Force Fighter Command. Now an active British Army installation, the tour will be permitted on base for a tour of this historic Eighth Air Force landmark, with a drive down the wartime runways where Fourth Fighter Group Spitfires, Thunderbolts, and Mustangs once operated.
The day will conclude with check-in at The Angel Hotel in the village of Bury St Edmunds with a free evening to explore on your own or with other participants.
Day 4 - Sunday, October 12, 2024 - St. Andrew's Church / Old Buckenham / Hethel
The day will begin with a drive to St. Andrews Church in the village of Quidenham. This beautiful church was built in the 15th Century, where we will view the "airman's window", which is duplicated in the Chapel of the Fallen Eagles at the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force.
We continue to Old Buckenham, the home of the 453rd Bomb Group. Flying the Consolidated B-24 Liberator, the 453rd Bomb Group flew in the Eighth Air Force, Second Air Division. Eighth Air Force historian, Mr. James Cleary, will be our host as we tour the excellent Eighth Air Force Heritage Museum, followed by lunch at a local pub, The Gamekeeper, before continuing to Hethel.
Following lunch, the tour will visit the 389th Bomb Group Museum at Hethel. This amazing museum pays tribute to the airmen of this famous B-24 Liberator bomb group, the "Sky Scorpions."
Dinner will be at the Angel Hotel in an exclusive dining room called the Vault.
Day 5 - Monday, October 13, 2024 - Framlingham Airfield Museum / 100th Bomb Group Memorial Museum - Thorpe Abbotts.
The tour will head to Framlingham/Parham Airfield Museum, where we will visit the restored control tower that now houses a first-class museum. This airfield served as the wartime home of the 390th Bomb Group.
We will then depart for Thorpe Abbotts and the 100th Bomb Group Memorial Museum where we will have private access to see this incredible tribute to the 100th Bomb Group. The 100th Bomb Group is the featured unit in the Apple TV nine-part mini-series, “Masters of the Air.”
We will have a meal at a favorite pub of the 100th Bomb Group veterans during WWII, the Half Moon Inn, followed by a free evening after returning to the hotel.
Day 6 - Tuesday, October 14, 2025 - Cambridge American Cemetery (Madingley) - Duxford Air Museum
The day will begin with a tour of the Cambridge American Cemetery at Madingley. We will conduct an special commemorative ceremony at the cemetery exclusively for our group.
We will then visit the famous Duxford Air Museum, which houses an amazing collection of vintage aircraft. Lunch will be at your leisure and on your own. There are several eating spots located at the museum.
We will check into the MacDonald House - Windsor.
Day 7 - Wednesday, October 15, 2025 - Churchill War Rooms / St. Paul's Cathedral
The day will begin at the Churchill War Rooms beneath the National Treasury Building with a private tour that allows participants to go "behind the glass".
Lunch will be at Café Rouge and we will continue to St. Paul's Cathedral, which includes the American Chapel and the U.S. Roll of Honor.
Back to the MacDonald House for an evening dinner.
Day 8 - Thursday, October 16, 2025 - Free Day
Participants will have the day to explore the sites of the amazing city of London, or tour Windsor Castle on their own schedule.
Dinner will be at the MacDonald Hotel - Windsor.
Day 9 - Friday, October 17, 2025 - Southwick House - Portsmouth - D-Day Story
Our D-Day journey begins at the fabulous D-Day Story in Portmouth which tells the story of the city's contributions to the success of the Allied Invasion of Europe.
A private lunch at the Southwick Golf Club will be followed by a tour of Southwick House, General Dwight D. Eisenhower's headquarters during the Normandy Invasion.
We will then travel to Eastwell Manor House near Dover for the night and a quiet dinner at the hotel.
Saturday, October 18, 2025 - Travel Day to France
Our group will depart the MacDonald House - Windsor and head towards Dover where we will take the Channel Tunnel across to France. We will make our way to
our base hotel, the Grand Hotel du Luxembourg in Bayeux, France. We will make a lunch stop near Abbeville, France.
After a long day of travel, we will enjoy a relaxing meal at the hotel.
Day 11 - Sunday, October 19, 2025 - D-Day Experience - Bayeux, France
Morning tour of the "D-Day Experience" at "Dead Man's Corner" - Carentan.
The afternoon will allow our guests to explore the ancient city of Bayeux, France on your own.
Dinner will be on your own. Enjoy one of the many bistros and restaurants that are nearby the hotel.
Day 12 - Monday, October 20, 2025 - Airborne Museum St. Mere Eglise - Utah Beach - Brecourt Manor
Our D-Day experience begins at the superb Airborne Museum in St. Mere Eglise where we will explore the history of the 82nd Airborne and the 101st Airborne Divisions.
After delicious lunch at a nearby French bistro we will tour the Utah Beach Museum followed by a private tour of Brecourt Manor with the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment - "Easy Company" destroyed the German 105 mm guns on the morning of June 6th, 1944.
Our evening meal will be at the hotel.
Day 13 - Tuesday, October 21, 2025 - Pointe du Hoc - German Cemetery - Le Cambe - Omaha Beach
Our group will tour Pointe Du Hoc where the 2nd Rangers scaled the cliffs on the morning of June 6, 1944 to destroy the German guns embedded concrete bunkers.
We will then journey to the cemetery at La Cambe where the graves of 21,222 German war dead rest today.
After a lunch at a French bistro, we will explore the Omaha Beach and the Overlord Museum, finally ending our afternoon at the American Cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mere, the final resting place of 9387 American servicemen and women.
A special ceremony will held at the cemetery for our group.
Our evening meal will be at the hotel.
Day 14 - Wednesday, October 22, 2025 - Mulberry Harbor - Gold / Juno Sword Beaches - Pegasus Bridge
We will take a leisurely drive along the French coastline to see the remainder of the Mulberry Harbor. We will continue towards the city of Caen where we will see the German gun battery emplacements at Longues-Sur-Mere and the famous Pegasus Bridge Museum.
Day 15 - Thursday, October 23, 2025 - Travel Day back to England
We will take a leisurely drive along the French coastline to see the remainder of the Mulberry Harbor. We will continue towards the city of Caen where we will see the German gun battery emplacements at Longues-Sur-Mere and the famous Pegasus Bridge Museum.
After we cross the English Channel to England we will travel to the MacDonald House to enjoy our farewell dinner together.
Our guests will be driven directly to Heathrow Airport from the MacDonald House - Windsor in their own private car with a dedicated driver.
