Military Tours United
Guided Military History Tours for Unity’s Donors
Welcome to the Official Page of Unity’s Military Tours United!
Thank you for exploring your options regarding learning more about the fascinating and important military history of Europe, via tours courtesy the Unity Party (please see this page regarding donation options and feel free to look throughout this official party site to learn more about the Unity Party).
Whether or not you’re a firm believer in destiny, God’s grace, good fortune, Elon Musk’s persistent and repeated belief that we’re in a simulation (perhaps you’re a character being played by a player in some version of Civ 77 who just expended resources to connect you with the perfect life-changing experience?) or a combination of all of the above possibilities, rest assured that today’s your day! The Unity Party’s Founder and Chairman Bill Hammons happens to have been born in Bad Kreuznach, Germany, happens to have returned to his first hometown after a 43-year absence, and Bad Kreuznach the hidden gem happens to be the perfect home base for anyone who’d like to learn more about the military history of Europe:
Bad Kreuznach itself was the site of major events during the Thirty Years’ War and World War I
Bad Kreuznach was the post of many occupying forces during the 20th and early 21st centuries, including the headquarters of Major Rich Hammons’ unit, the US Army 8th Infantry Division
Bad Kreuznach is smack dab in the heart of the Schengen Area, a fact which is not only good symbolism (the Schengen Area is somewhat synonymous with the European Union and thus Europe), but also has the added (practical) benefit of making trips to sites as diverse as Omaha Beach in France and Auschwitz in Poland equally hard-borderless accessible via car, bus, van or train (as also noted below, as of this writing, Germany and Schengen countries as a whole are increasingly tightening their border controls, and of course less time sitting at checkpoints means more time seeing the sights!)
Here’s a comprehensive list of military history tours that can be taken as day trips or overnight trips from Bad Kreuznach, Germany. These tours cover significant sites in Germany and nearby countries such as France, Belgium, and others.
Day Trips (Less than 2 hours travel each way):
1. Mainz and Wiesbaden (1 hour)
• Focus: Roman military history, World War II history
• Key Sites:
• Roman Mainz (Mogontiacum): Explore the remains of Roman fortifications
• Wiesbaden’s World War II history: Learn about the city’s role during the war and its reconstruction
2. Frankfurt (1.5 hours)
• Focus: World War II air raids and post-war occupation
• Key Sites:
• Frankfurt Historical Museum: Learn about the city’s destruction and rebuilding
• Römerberg and Sachsenhausen districts: Sites of reconstruction after bombings
3. Koblenz and the Rhine Valley (1.5 hours)
• Focus: Strategic significance during the World Wars and earlier fortifications
• Key Sites:
• Ehrenbreitstein Fortress: One of Europe’s largest fortresses, overlooking the Rhine
• Deutsches Eck: Confluence of the Rhine and Moselle rivers with military memorials
4. Saarbrücken (2 hours)
• Focus: Franco-Prussian War, World Wars I and II
• Key Sites:
• Saarbrücken Castle and its military museum
• Battlefields along the Saar River
Overnight or Weekend Trips (4–6 hours travel each way):
5. Verdun, France (4 hours)
• Focus: World War I
• Key Sites:
• Verdun Battlefield: Site of one of WWI’s longest battles
• Douaumont Ossuary and Fort Douaumont: Memorials and preserved bunkers
• Suggested Itinerary: Overnight stay to explore the battlefield and surrounding museums
6. Normandy, France (6 hours)
• Focus: D-Day during World War II
• Key Sites:
• Omaha Beach and other landing beaches
• Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial
• Caen Memorial Museum
• Suggested Itinerary: 2–3 days to cover the landing beaches and museums
7. Bastogne, Belgium (4.5 hours)
• Focus: Battle of the Bulge during World War II
• Key Sites:
• Bastogne War Museum: Interactive exhibits about the Ardennes offensive
• Mardasson Memorial: Honors American soldiers who fought in the battle
• Suggested Itinerary: 1–2 days
8. Berlin (5.5 hours)
• Focus: Nazi Germany, WWII and Cold War
• Key Sites:
• Berlin Wall Memorial and Checkpoint Charlie
• Topography of Terror Museum
• Soviet War Memorial in Treptower Park
• Suggested Itinerary: 2–3 days for an in-depth exploration
9. Munich (5.5 hours)
• Focus: Nazi rise to power and World War II
• Key Sites:
• Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site
• Documentation Centre for the History of National Socialism
• Feldherrnhalle: Nazi rally site
• Suggested Itinerary: 2–3 days
Longer Trips (7+ hours travel each way, multi-day trips):
10. Colmar and Alsace, France (7 hours)
• Focus: Franco-Prussian War and the World Wars
• Key Sites:
• Hartmannswillerkopf: WWI battlefield
• Ligne Maginot: Explore preserved sections of the Maginot Line
• Suggested Itinerary: 2–3 days to include the nearby wine route and museums
11. The Somme, France (7 hours)
• Focus: World War I
• Key Sites:
• Thiepval Memorial and Lochnagar Crater: Honors fallen soldiers
• Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland Memorial: Preserved trenches
• Suggested Itinerary: 2–3 days
12. Poland (Auschwitz and Kraków, 10 hours)
• Focus: Holocaust and World War II
• Key Sites:
• Auschwitz-Birkenau: The largest Nazi concentration and extermination camp
• Oskar Schindler’s Factory in Kraków
• Suggested Itinerary: 3–4 days to include Kraków’s Old Town
13. Normandy to Paris (10 hours via combined stops)
• Focus: WWII and post-liberation
• Key Sites in Paris:
• Les Invalides (Napoleon’s Tomb, Musée de l’Armée)
• Liberation of Paris Museum
• Suggested Itinerary: 4–5 days for both Normandy and Paris
14. Ypres, Belgium (5 hours)
• Focus: World War I
• Key Sites:
• Menin Gate: Daily Last Post ceremony honoring the fallen
• In Flanders Fields Museum
• Suggested Itinerary: 1–2 days
15. Dresden (6 hours)
• Focus: WWII bombings and Cold War
• Key Sites:
• Frauenkirche: Church reconstructed after WWII bombing
• Military History Museum
• Suggested Itinerary: 2 days
Additional Key Notes:
• Transportation: Most of these routes are accessible via train or car (travel via train has the benefit of reducing the likelihood of avoiding increasingly onerous border-crossing delays getting back into Germany, though of course large amounts/sizes of luggage, large sizes of groups, the practicalities of getting around sites and the flexibility that wheeled transportation naturally provides are taken into consideration; the prime considerations always remain safety, comfort and lack of hassle, in order to maximize the fun!
• Accommodation: Plan overnight stays at local hotels and/or guesthouses (which are chosen based on priorities such as hearty breakfasts and decent Wifi). Many sites, such as Verdun and Normandy, have nearby accommodations geared toward history-minded tourists.
• Local Guides: We won’t rule out hiring a local guide, especially if a site doesn’t permit outside guides.