In this article Knee Deep Into History is highlighting two 2027 battlefield tours because of their unique nature. The first is a Yankee Division (WW1) Tour. The second is a Monuments Men and Women (WW2) Tour.
Yankee Division WW1 Tour, 14 – 20 April, 7-days / 6-nights
During WW1 the 26th “Yankee” Division was a National Guard division consisting of units raised throughout New England and led by Maj. General Clarence Edwards. Edwards was loved by his troops; but was not viewed unfavorably by General Pershing and top leadership of the American Expeditionary Forces. On this tour participants will visit the division’s major battlefields and training grounds, including: the Chemin des Dames, Seicheprey and Apremont-la-Forêt, Belleau Wood, St. Mihiel Salient, Meuse-Argonne and Boucq. As always on a Knee Deep Into History tour, there will be time for discussing the friction that arose between the division and AEF leadership, comparing the division’s performance to other divisions and exploring the division’s casualties and replacement rate. We anticipate hosting a social and a then and now photo line-up at the Château de Boucq, a key YD headquarters, and meeting the Mayor of Seicheprey, a town forever written on the hearts of the 102 Infantry Regiment’s soldiers from Connecticut. If you’re a Yankee Division fan, or if you had a relative who fought in the division, this is the perfect tour for you.
Signal Corps photo of General Edwards and staff posing at the Chateau de Boucq
We’ll visit the temporary American Cemetery at Mandres, where soldiers killed in the Seicheprey Raid were buried.
Seicheprey Mayor, Gerard Andre, speaking with private tour clients whose great uncle was killed in the German Raid on 20 April 1918
Monuments Men and Women Tour, 9 – 16 September, 8-days / 7-nights
The second tour we want to feature is our Monuments Men and Women Tour. The tour begins in Paris, where we will learn about the art collection efforts and looting of the ‘Einsatzstab Reichsleiter Rosenberg’ (ERR) in France and Rose Valland’s efforts to track the works. The interplay between Rose Valland (curator at the Jeu de Paume Museum), her supervisor Jacques Jaujard (director at the Musèes Nationaux), and James Rorimer enabled the monuments men to locate key ERR storage facilities throughout Germany and Austria. The tour will visit a Parisian museum’s permanent exhibition of unreturned works of art.
After Paris, we will move northeast to Belgium, where we will visit Michealangelo’s Madonna and Child sculpture in Bruges and the Van Eyck masterpiece known as the Ghent Altarpiece. These two works were featured in the 2014 film, The Monuments Men. We’ll honor the two monuments men who were killed in action, Maj. Ronald Edmond Balfour (British) and Capt. Walter J. Huchthausen (American), by stopping at their graves in Kleve, Germany and Margraten, Netherlands, respectively.
The tour then follows the Allies’ advance through Germany and Austria in early 1945 and we will explore key ERR safekeeping sites and explain their significance; this includes above- and below-ground visits to the mines at Siegen and Heilbronn, Germany as well as Altaussee, Austria. (Note, we will not be stopping at the Merker’s mine, because that is covered in our Third Reich Underground Tour.) We will visit famous castles such as Neuschwanstein, and churches and monasteries that likewise served as art repositories. Finally, we will cover a few of the collecting points established by the Americans to facilitate the return of art and artifacts to their rightful owners. This small-group tour will be as unique as the real story of the Monuments Men and Women.
Memorial to the Kochendorf Concentration Camp in the Heilbronn Salt Mine–the same mine where Nazis stored looted art
Lt. James J. Rorimer, 7th Army Monuments, Fine Arts and Archives Officer inspecting looted jewelry and snuff boxes kept in Neuschwanstein Castle by the Nazis for safekeeping
Full 2027 Battlefield Tour Schedule
A full list of our 2027 battlefield tours can be viewed online. At the time of this writing, founder Randy Gaulke is in Europe for five weeks of tour guiding, so full tour brochures will not be available until early November. But please mark your dates now and reach out to Randy Gaulke if you are interested in a particular tour. We will send details as soon as they are available.
Or Hire KDIH to Design and Lead a Bespoke Tour
Because of our love of research and our deep European knowledge base, KDIH excels in planning and guiding bespoke (i.e. custom) tours for your family and friends, or for an historical association. For more information and case studies, see our bespoke tours page on our website.
If you have any questions, email Randy Gaulke at kneedeepintohistory@gmail.com. We look forward to getting knee deep into history with you in 2027!
2023 Yankee Division Tour participants visiting the famous quarries at the Chemin des Dames
 After decades of personal battlefield tours, Randy Gaulke quit his job as a financial analyst in Manhattan and spent eight months in France in 2017-18 as a freelance guide during the World War I Centennial.He subsequently founded Knee Deep Into History, with a philosophy of getting clients into the field on a small-group tour designed for the military history enthusiast. Equally important is the attempt to tell both sides of the story and to help Americans bridge cultures. Most tours are led jointly with European guides, including retired Bundeswehr officer and historian Markus Klauer. The groups enjoy family-owned European hotels and restaurants. Experience a military history tour that brings the battlefield to life! Learn more at www.kneedeepintohistory.com Slow Travel Tours is an affiliation of small-group tour operators who offer personalized trips in Italy, France and other European countries. |
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