warfields of France

My historian buff husband is keen to visit a warfield of France. Are there any that can be reached in a day-trip from Paris?

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Mine too. After doing some research I%26#39;ve decided to book a trip there with Parisvision. It is worth the money for the convenience.

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Hi Suzanne

Can you please provide details of how long it takes and where I can find out more? thanks again

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The one mentionned in that post about Paris Vision tour is surely the one going to the D-Day landing beaches of Normandy, on a one-day tour. For the Picardy 1st World war near Albert (it might be this one you are interested as you are Australian) it is better to hire a car in Amiens and then drive around. But i think also some tours are organised in English so maybe you could ask the Tourist office in Amiens.

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Do a search. Raphy gave details about this on another thread.

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Near Calais, you can see the German V-1, V-2 and V-3 sites.

Over in Verdun, you can see the Ossuaire de Douaumont. You are discouraged from walking on this warfield because it%26#39;s still littered with unexploded ordinance. The %26quot;crawl-space%26quot; of the Ossuaire has windows all around it so you can see what a pile of bones of 160,000 men looks like.

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Also around Verdun are a couple %26quot;ghost%26quot; towns that are relics of that battle.

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Nearer Paris, we had a holiday in Compiègne a few years ago and went to the Clairière de l%26#39;Armistice at Redondes. There is a small WW1 museum and a railway carriage on the site where the First World War Armistice was signed. It was a rainy day and very evocative ... the war to end all wars :-(

On its own, it%26#39;s probably not worth a trip from Paris, and it%26#39;s about 7km outside Compiègne, but interesting if you%26#39;re in the area.

Raphy, is the museum you mentioned the one where you can walk through trenches?

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Hello please,

France has battlefields from many wars..........You might want to zero in on which war. Besides the ones mentioned theres also.......Waterloo, the Maginot line, Bourgoine (sp), Paris itself and many others. Some are very interesting and many are within easy reach of Paris.

Almost the whole countyside from the D Day beaches of Normandy to just outside Paris were battlefields during World War 2, as well as many cities and areas to the south/west/north of Paris. There are many markers along roads and in cities, pointing out battles, especially of WW2.

Your husband might enjoy the exhibits, especially the newer World War 2 one in Invalides, behind Napoleons tomb. And of course the Arch of Triump is a huge memorial of Frances wars.

All are sad reminders, in my opinion, of how humans never learn.........

Bea

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Diz, i think i remember mentioning the beautiful museum in Péronne%26#39;s medieval castle about the different French and German propaganda, uniforms, riffles etc...but you do not have trenches there.

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Diz - the Museum where you can walk through the trenches is in Beaumont-Hamel, just East of Albert (which in turn is east of Amiens). It is the Newfoundland Memorial and looked after by the Department of Veterans Affairs, Canada.

French Canadians staff the Museum and thus are fluent in both English and French.

It is very close to the Monument of the Missing in Thiepval.

For those who haven%26#39;t been there it is an incredible experience, very moving, it brings history to life. There are three main graveyards there but the guide states:

%26quot;this whole site is a war memorial and, effectively should be treated accordingly; the remains of many men, never recovered, still lie here%26quot; Parts of the site are inaccessible because there are still unexploded armaments there.