Eight second world war sites in Europe to visit to retrace the Allied victory push
- From Sicily to the Normandy beaches, Gdansk and Berlin, see battlefields, cemeteries, and memorials – and enjoy the holiday destinations these places have become
- Rough Guides and the Liberation Route Europe Foundation have produced a guide book to commemorate the end of the conflict
To commemorate the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Europe, Rough Guides and the Liberation Route Europe Foundation have produced a guidebook combining historical narrative with places of interest that link the advance of the Western Allied forces in the closing stages of the second world war.
Besides a comprehensive roll-call of fortifications, battlefields, cemeteries, museums and memorials that will be of interest to military buffs and remembrance tourists, a number of locations featured in the book are as well known today as holiday destinations.
Sicily, Italy
The liberation of Europe began with the invasion of Sicily on July 10, 1943. The amphibious assault was the largest in history, until the Normandy landings 11 months later. In Sicily, British and Canadian forces encountered a strong German defensive line around the slopes of Mount Etna – the Battle of Troina was especially fierce.
These days, tourists base themselves nearby, in glamorous Taormina, a hilltop town that overlooks the Ionian Sea and the island of Isola Bella. Taormina’s ancient Greco-Roman theatre is still used, and Etna, one of the world’s most active volcanoes, provides an imposing backdrop.
Dorset, England
