My Passion for D-Day, Modern Languages & History

The extremely complex Allied Operations of Overlord and Neptune – from which we borrow our NormandyONtour name – consisted of so many intricate D-Day plans, including the creation of Ghost Armies; ingenious moments {Hobart’s Funnies}; the late addition of Utah & Sword beaches; ‘chance’ events & encounters and their outcomes, accompanied by many instances of sheer luck. I have studied WW2 History through English, German and French languages, analysing the events which led up to WW2 – as well as the main events during and after – and so have come today to hold a fairly broad perspective. However History shows us that Hitler’s Absolute Evil and insanity were bent on destroying a larger part of Humanity – and that he almost ‘succeeded’.

Thus to defeat him would require a meticulously organised plan, carried out by a massive international group of individuals, working steadfastly together. It was a plan that would unavoidably demand a massive loss of human life, both among the Allied military, the occupying German enemy forces, as well as the French and other western european civilian populations.

The ‘Business’ of Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno & Sword Beaches

Over the years my travels have taken me to many wonderful places. However, today in my work, I get to stand in the most awe-inspiring places of all: Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword Beaches.

During my career as a D-Day Guide I have, in the past, worked for some of the biggest D-Day ‘fast-food’ tour companies in the region. So the idea of D-Day as a ‘business’ has never ever sat well with me. I’ve seen how it works, and decided to leave it behind in 2018…

Today at NormandyONtour (ONTour), we offer a very ‘different’ kind of Tour Service for all of our clients (*please refer to our Homepage for info). It has taken years of hard work to get to this point – and as you will undoubtedly be aware, every good ‘battle plan’ takes years to formulate. There are many ‘dry runs’, ‘pratice missions’, dreaded ‘unforseeables’ (Covid!) and “yes”, some failures along the way too…

D-Day itself took place on June 6th 1944, but when Germany declared war on the West on September 1st, 1939 (Poland), the Allies’ plans for an invasion had already begun taking shape. Over the years that lay ahead, they would develop & deploy many strategies to drive the Wehrmacht out of Europe. The ‘failed’ plans thus became precious lessons learned.

But it was to take a massive failure in capturing a vital deep-sea Port – at Dieppe in August 1942 – before The Allies finally turned their attention to a possible amphibous beach landing and began solidifying an invasion plan that ‘could’ perhaps work – given the right preparations (a long 2 years); with the right team-members (SHAEF with ‘Ike’ at the helm); a common goal – a united front – and not to mention, heaps of fearless daring, new ‘thinking’, revolutionary creations (Hobart’s ‘Funnies’, P.L.U.T.O, Mulberry Harbours, Ghost Armies…), truck-loads of faith, the very BEST of men, and obviously the correct ‘conditions’ on the day were paramount to success too. And that almost failed at the very last minute too…

It was indeed a plan so risky – since it was comprised of just so many ‘levels’ of intricate, yet broad-reaching webs (all of which were spun without a single PC or laptop!) – that it was virtually bound to fail and ‘Ike’ knew this only too well when, with a heavy heart, he wrote his letter to the troops on the eve of The Landings.

At the final count, on D-Day alone, there were 10,000 Allied casualties, with 4,414 confirmed dead. He was right then to anticipate a huge number of casualties.

Today, living in France as a Scot, and running my ‘business’ as a French Tour Operator;  registered French Chauffeur and official member of both ‘The Normandy Interpreters & Certified Guides Federation’  and ‘The Federation of Normandy Guides Conférenciers‘ – I have conducted ‘general’, ‘specialized’ and ‘customized’ guided tours of the D-Day Beaches; their associated historical sites and landmarks, as well as guided Cultural Visits in: Spanish, French, German, Japanese and in my mother-tongue, English.

Today I feel it’s an absolute pleasure to be of service TO clients (as opposed to simply running a ‘fast-food €-business’ FOR them, or merely for profit).

Our standards of service and Quality-of-Service promise (and “no-quibbles-refund“) are for ALL passengers, regardless of age, background, nationality, race, or whether: Veterans & their families, students & academic institutions, soldiers, pilots, business-people, D-Day enthusiasts, actors, world famous musicians, entertainers, housewives or holiday-makers…)

At ONTour every Tour is special, as is every client. And meeting client’ expectations is our duty. But surpassing them – sometimes discreetly – is our daily goal! So no two tours on board are alike – no two days the ‘same’ (or as stated on our Homepage: It’s not just ‘more of the same old’). It is a heartfelt privilege to share in – and indirectly be a part of – clients’ experiences of this awe-inspiring landscape.

NB: Except for obviously narrating the day’s touring as we go from site to site, we don’t actually do a lot of ‘talking’ at the individual sites – so you won’t see our guides standing for 20 minutes reciting the D-Day Guide’s Bible (then giving clients only 5 minutes to grab quick snaps). Instead, we prefer to let the sites speak for themselves. As guides, we simply present stunning visual materials to help provide a context to what’s being visited, accompanied by a brief commentary, prior to ‘setting clients loose’ to explore by themselves and absorb…nobody actually remembers what a guide says anyway! What clients do remember however, is their direct experience.

It’s also a great privilege and honour to get a chance to meet War World 2 Veterans, who have proudly served their countries and they still return yearly – sadly in diminishing numbers – for the D-Day Anniversary Remembrance on June 6th.

Click pics to expand…