We're home now after the very successful completion of Phase 1. Back to our day jobs and now refining the plan for Phase 2 which starts on Monday 29 September to Tuesday 07 October. There are still seats available for this unique and epic journey.

To give you a flavour of what we achieved in Phase 1 here's a summary by numbers:

15 days in Europe, 13 days of driving 1,075 miles of 13/18 Royal Hussars' combat route across France, Belgium, and Netherlands. 39 acts of remembrance at 36 cemeteries and 3 memorials for the 164 fallen of the 13/18H & 15/19H we honoured. 4 Mayor's receptions, 11 hotels. 150 gallons of fuel drank by our 80 year old jeeps and only 1 quickly repaired breakdown. All bar four of the 36 day seats were filled by 19 guests (Including three from the serving regiment) who had a unique experience following in the tank tracks of our forebears and remembering their individual sacrifice.

The auction is open for Phase 2, don't miss out on this epic experience, enter the auction, buy a seat. Join us in Sep & Oct as we retrace 13/18H's route in the closing six months of WW2: the initial attempts to break the Siegfried Line, clearing west of the Rhine, fighting in the Reichswald, crossing the Rhine and the final slog into Germany and to Bremen and VE Day.

The full programme is on the website. Don't miss out.

We now have all the wreaths and remembrance crosses we'll be laying as we visit over 40 cemeteries and memorials to the fallen of the 13th/18th Royal Hussars and the 15th/19th Kings Royal Hussars (the antecedent regiments of The Light Dragoons). That's nearly 200 graves to be visited between Sword Beach and Arnhem. Everyone of our soldiers will be remembered.

We'll be back in September and October to complete the second phase to remember those who fell in the bitter fighting of the final seven months of the war

Our support van has had its tour branding applied, and we think it looks excellent. Thanks to Mark and Tradewind Graphics for all their help with our tour. Mark and his team rightly sit on our list of principal sponsors for all the hard work and time they have put in too our branding, marketing etc. Thanks Mark, a real friend.

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This weekend we had a final admin / prep day. We checked over our jeeps, vans and trailers, and loaded up the spares, tools, workshop kit we'll need to deal with the inevitable breakdowns along the way. With only 4 days before we set off for the ferry to Normandy to start our epic military grand tour. Our admin is just about sorted, but I'm sure we'll have some last minute flaps to keep us on our toes. We can't wait to get on with it now, and also meet all the guests who'll be travelling with us too. It'll be a great experience

Our wreaths and crosses arrived today from the Royal British Legion factory. 45 wreaths for the memorials and cemeteries we'll visit on our tour, and nearly 200 crosses to place on the graves of the fallen 13/18 Royal Hussars and 15/19 King's Hussars who we'll be remembering.

The Light Dragoons Regimental Association has paid for these wreaths as part of their support to D-Day to VE Day. It's very much appreciated.

There are still some seats left on Phase 1 of our tour, joins us on the unique event. We depart in a month. Be part of it.

Yesterday we visited Jeffrey Engineering in Smarden, Kent to collect the long list of spare parts required to keep our 80-year-old jeeps on the road while we’re over in Europe. We worked on the principle of “if you’ve got it in the support van, you won’t need it”, therefore we’ve covered most mechanical breakdown scenarios to keep the show on the road. 

Nick Jeffrey took us on a tour of his workshop and the projects he currently has in hand for various customers. Nick has over 30 years experience working on  Jeeps and we were amazed by his depth of knowledge and the workshop and machining facilities he has to undertake just about every element of a complete jeep renovation, from engines and transmission to chassis and bodywork. Very impressive.

Diehard Jeep “Spotters” will notice the photos of the rare Willys MLW-2 (Jungle Jeep) . Only two were produced as prototypes for use in the South Asia theatre. None survive however Nick has reproduced this excellent example from photographs and magazine articles. A real triumph that Nick plans to get on the road this year. 

https://jeffreyeng.com/

And you can't visit the Tank Museum without taking in the 13th/18th Royal Hussars' opposition in Northwest Europe. The mighty Panther and Tiger tanks, and the Germany Army's work horse, the Panzer III. Luckily for the allies what they lacked in firepower and protection they made up for in sheer volume and logistic support to sustain the pressure on German defensive operations

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The Sherman Firefly with its 17 pounder main armament the first allied tank to match the Tiger. 13th/18th Royal Hussars had one of these in each troop of Shermans.

This Firefly is marked as Guards Armoured Division, the tank of Sgt Robinson 2 Bn Grenadier Guards, the first tank to cross the Rhine at Nijmegen during Operation Market Garden.

13/18H also fought in this operation supporting of 43rd Wessex Division. We will visit the battlefield during our tour D-Day to VE Day.

At the TM is a rare example of the DD Sherman which the 13th/18th Royal Hussars swam onto Sword beach on DDay.

We were at the Tank Museum in Bovington on Saturday at the Friends of the TM briefing day. I was there to raise the profile of our Grand Tour. Talking Tanks, what's not to like

Follow this link to the article: Swanage News article -

A few photos from yesterday’s 100 mile run out. A full program of WW2 sites, we didn’t get home until it was getting dark. Our trip included the old RAF Warmwell site, with the surviving buildings, the village memorial and the pilots’ graves in the local church, and its link to the Air Sea Rescue station in Lyme Regis. The 1940 defences against the threat of German invasion, searching out pillboxes, dragoons’ teeth and Home Guard huts. Long closed Army camps, military hospital sites, and requisitioned stately homes, first occupied by the British Army after their return from Dunkirk, and then by the US Army as they built up for D-Day, and for some finally becoming German POW camps. We visited the villages where many soldiers of US 1st Infantry Division (The Big Red One) were billeted and trained before they departed for Bloody OMAHA beach.

The highlight was a picnic on top of the hill at Winyards Gap, with its memorial to the men of the 43rd Wessex Division who gave their lives for the liberation of Europe. This memorial is a replica of that on Hill 112 in Normandy, made famous as the Division’s baptism of fire in July 1944, and which we will be visiting on 21st May on our D-Day to VE Day Grand Tour.

We had our second 100 mile run-out this week. Our three D-Day to VE Day jeeps went for a long drive around West Dorset visiting numerous sites of WW2 interest. From unit memorials, war graves and previously requisitioned stately homes, to evidence of the 1940 defence lines, disused airfields and derelict Army camps, both British and US Army. The map shows our route.

It's was chilly start on Wednesday morning but it to turned into a glorious spring day.

On Wednesday we were joined on Weymouth Esplanade by Bournemouth News and Swanage News for a photo shoot. News articles should go out locally next week and we hope the Bournemouth News photos will be picked up by the nationals to further raise awareness of D-Day to VE Day. The location was the D-Day departure point for the US 1st Division (The Big Red One) destined for bloody Omaha Beach and the US Rangers destined for Pointe du Hoc.

This is the route of our 100mile day. A full day out for us as we tested our jeeps after this winter's hibernation.

Weymouth to Cerne Abbas, then via Sherborne Old Castle to Henstridge Airfield to learn about it's WW2 role as a naval air station. Then off to Shaftesbury for lunch before meeting BBC Radio Solent at Compton Abbas airfield, another WW2 airfield, this one used for training, British, Canadian and American pilots.

Next stop Tarrant Rushton airfield to drive down the same runway from which the Glider-borne troops of Ox & Bucks Light Infantry took off for Pegasus Bridge, being the first troops to land on French soil on D-Day.

Finally Sturminster Marshall to look at evidence if the 1940 River Stour defence line before Wareham Quay and back home to Weymouth.

A great run-out.

The weather in Dorset was glorious on Saturday so what better excuse to take a run out to Portland Bill in the Willys MB to check the balance on its new set of tyres and also check the rear diff for leaks after last weekend’s work. All is good.

This jeep is now ready for our a “100-mile day” on Wednesday 26th February to give us all (man & machine) a proper run-out. If you see us in convoy around Dorset, give us a wave. We’re praying for dry weather.

More maintenance this weekend. This time replacing the rear differential half-shaft oil seals on Robert's (Sharky's) Jeep, as the nearside was leaking a small amount of hypoid oil into the hub. It was a relatively simple job that gave us the excuse to check the differential bearings and general condition of the crown wheel, pinion etc. All were found to be in very good condition. 

This jeep is now ready for our a “100-mile day” on Wednesday 26^th February to give us all (man & machine) a proper run-out. If you see us in convoy around Dorset, give us a wave. We’re praying for dry weather.

This weekend our jeeps were awoken from winter hibernation and after “first parades” and follow up maintenance we headed off for a very cold run-out around the Dorset countryside. The three jeeps we’re taking on D-Day to VE Day performed well and the minor problems we identified will be rectified in the coming weeks. In these photos you’ll see the Willys MB, Willys Slat Grill, and Ford GPW we’ll be using in Europe, and also a rare 6-wheeler Willys that also came out for a leg stretch. As part of our preparation programme we’re planning a “100 mile day” on Wednesday 26^th February to give us all (man & machine) a proper run-out. If you see us in convoy around Dorset, give us a wave. We’re praying for dry weather.

You could be a passenger in one of these Jeeps, following in the tank tracks of heroes and raising funds for a service charity as you go. We're looking forward to starting the journey with you in May!

The D-Day to VE Day Jeep Tour aims to raise £30,000 to support veterans and their families. The unique format of auctioning daily passenger seats has already generated significant interest from history enthusiasts and supporters of military charities.

The detailed mapping of Phase One of the D-Day to VE Day tour has been completed, incorporating over 40 significant historical sites and memorials. The route from Sword Beach to Arnhem has been carefully planned to follow the actual path taken by the 13th/18th Royal Hussars during the liberation of Europe, including previously undocumented locations identified through extensive historical research.