Cruise Germany’s Elbe River, tracing the trail of the Allies in World War II
World War II buffs can learn more about their favorite subject on an eight-night river cruise from Berlin to Prague, Czech Republic, on the Elbe River with the National World War II Museum.
Among the lecturers aboard will be military historians and authors Antony Beevor, James Holland and Alexandra Richie. They will focus on the historic meeting of Soviet and American forces near Torgau, Germany, in 1945, which hastened the defeat of Germany.
Along the way, passengers will visit the German towns of Dresden, Wittenberg, Torgau as well as the Czech capital.
The tour, called East Meets West: The Link-Up on the Elbe, begins May 14, aboard the newly launched Elbe Princesse.
The April 25, 1945, meeting of the Western Allies and the Soviet Union on the Elbe followed many hard-fought battles in World War II.
The Soviets came from the East after a long battle in Stalingrad, while American forces fought in Normandy, the Hürtgen Forest and the Ardennes to cross the Rhine and push west toward Berlin.
The tour is one in a series sponsored by the National WWII Museum. The New Orleans-based museum features exhibits, multimedia experiences, artifacts and first-person oral histories about the war. In addition, it has online collections and offers virtual field trips, webinars and educational travel programs.
Other upcoming tours include:
Easy Company: England to the Eagles Nest, Sept. 2
Rise and Fall of Hitler’s Germany, Sept. 18
Soldiers and Spies, Oct. 12
D-Day Invasion, multiple dates
Victory in the Pacific, March 16
Heroes and Legends, From Normandy to the Scottish Highlands, July 17
Rates for the Elbe river cruise start at $4,995 per person, double occupancy, and include accommodations, meals, beverages, two receptions, fees and gratuities.
Info: National World War II Museum, (877) 813-3329, Ext. 257
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