Pegasus

Ypres and its surrounding area were held by the British, French and Belgian armies in desperate battle after battle. The linchpin that halted the German advance to the English Channel, Ypres was once a great medieval city famous for its Cloth Hall. By 1918, the hall and the entire town had been reduced to rubble. Meticulously restored, the Cloth Hall now houses the excellent “In Flanders Fields” museum. 

After a visit to the museum and cathedral, walk the city ramparts to the Menin Gate, erected after World War I to commemorate the missing who fought at Ypres. After lunch, tour the Ypres Salient, held by the British Army throughout the war. Among the preserved trenches and bunkers lies the impressive Tyn Cot British Commonwealth Cemetery, as well as the moving Langmark German Cemetery. Close to town are the bunkers of the Essex Farm Casualty Station, where John McCrae, the author of the immortal poem “In Flanders Field,” served as an army surgeon. 

End at the village of Passchendaele, where perhaps the bitterest battle of the war took place in 1917. After dinner, you may want to return to the Menin Gate, where every night buglers play the Last Post in a moving ceremony

Juno & Arromanche

On July 1, 1916, Field Marshal Douglas Haig, the British commander, launched an attack along the Somme River to relieve pressure on the French fighting at Verdun. It was supposed to be a breakthrough battle, but ended as a prolonged conflict. 

For over four months the fighting raged at now-famous places such as Vimy Ridge, Thiepval and Beaufort-Hamel, and Mametz. Visit these and other sites along the Somme, including the Lochnagar Crater and Fromelles. Many of the troops who fought on the Somme were from the British Commonwealth, and memorials abound to the troops of South Africa, Canada, New Zealand and Australia, as well as Ulster and Wales.

After a picnic lunch, continue to the American Military Cemetery at Bony, where many of those who fought in this area are buried. 
Drive by the Riqueval Tunnel and discuss the American-British attack on the Hindenburg Line on Sept. 29, 1918. End the day in Reims, an attractive cathedral city in the heart of the Champagne region.

Omaha Beach

During the Battle of the Frontiers, the French and British armies were driven back to within 30 miles of Paris. In those desperate days of early September 1914, the German onslaught was finally contained at the Marne River. The Allies quickly counterattacked, and with the help of Gen. Joseph Galliéni’s “Taxi Brigade” — taxis commandeered to drive soldiers from Paris to the front — drove the Germans back across the Aisne River west of Reims. With one last effort, the combined French and British troops fought up to the Chemin des Dames, where they were halted until the end of the war. 

Visit key locations as you trace these dramatic events of the First Battle of the Marne. Enjoy a picnic lunch en route before returning to Reims for a visit to the 800-year-old Cathedral of Notre-Dame, known for its abundance of sculptured figures and its magnificent tapestries. Parts of the cathedral were severely damaged by German shellfire during the early days of the Great War, and restoration work is continuing even today. 

Utah Beach and airborne operations

In 1918, the Valley of the Marne again became a battlefield, with Americans fighting at Château-Thierry and Belleau Wood. Château-Thierry was one of the first actions of the American Expeditionary Forces under Gen. John “Black Jack” Pershing. The second battle marks the tide’s turning in favor of the Allies, but at great human cost. 

Visit the magnificent Château-Thierry American monument overlooking the Marne Valley: On one side of the monument are an engraved map and orientation table showing American military operations in the region and significant battle sites. After a picnic lunch, walk through the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery, and learn the history of this evocative resting place. 

On the hillside above the cemetery sits the lovely Romanesque Belleau Chapel, its walls inscribed with the names of more than a thousand Americans whose remains were never recovered or identified. Nearby is a German military cemetery, which presents quite a contrast to the American memorials. Return to Reims for an evening at leisure.

Operation Cobra

Today you will drive through the Meuse-Argonne region to the spectacular Pennsylvania Memorial in Varennes-en-Argonne. The massive Greek-style monument was erected by the state of Pennsylvania in honor of its sons who gave their lives in France. Visit the nearby Argonne Museum for a curator-led tour of its American weapons, uniforms and private collections. 

Stop by the Missouri First World War Monument at Cheppy, then continue on to the U.S. Meuse-Argonne Military Cemetery, the largest American military cemetery in Europe, with more than 14,200 war dead. 

Next up is Verdun, where from 1914 to 1918 France withstood the might of the German army. Explore the battered and sacred French battlefields and forts of the area, beginning with a visit to the Verdun Memorial and museum, along with the adjacent vanished village of Fleury-devant-Douaumont. Continue on to Fort Douaumont for a guided tour of the fortified bastion and the underground casements. Finally, visit the Douaumont Ossuary, which contains the remains of both French and German soldiers, before returning to Verdun.

Falaise pocket

In September 1918, Saint-Mihiel was a salient, a German-controlled area behind French lines. The attack at the Saint-Mihiel Salient, one of the first U.S. solo offensives in the war, was part of a plan by General Pershing to break through the German lines and capture the fortified city of Metz, relieving a threat of a German approach to Paris. 

The attack caught the Germans as they were retreating, and the battle was one of the most important and successful American campaigns in World War I. Under the leadership of General Pershing, later military leaders such as George Marshall, Douglas MacArthur and George Patton all made their mark. Meet with a Saint-Mihiel official to gain an understanding of what it was like to live through these great battles. At the majestic Montsec American Monument, view a bronze relief map illustrating the military operations that took place here. 

After a picnic lunch in the nearby town of Thiaucourt, captured by the U.S. Army’s Second Division during the Saint-Mihiel offensive, explore some of the small villages where fierce fighting took place. Return to Verdun for an evening at leisure.

Paris Liberation walking Tour

Today, you’ll return west along the Marne to visit the newly opened Musée de la Grande Guerre at Meaux, whose extensive exhibits will provide a unifying perspective on all that you have seen and experienced. Intended to put the Great War into historical and cultural contexts, the museum includes exhibits on the technological developments in such areas as artillery, camouflage, communications and equipment, including the use of chemical weapons, previously deemed too horrible to bring to action. 

Continue to Paris and visit the Lafayette Escadrille Memorial, commemorating the American expatriates who served with French forces before the United States officially entered the war. A director will welcome you to this oft-forgotten site, which highlights the story of these volunteers — America’s first combat pilots — who flew for France from April 1916 through the end of the war. This evening gather for a farewell dinner.

http://www.nytimes.com/times-journeys/travel/remembering-great-war-1914-1918/
http://www.nytimes.com/times-journeys/travel/a-century-after-the-great-war/