Small group battlefield tours are a great way to immerse yourself in history and learn a little European culture at the same time. At Knee Deep Into History (KDIH) we strive to bring the WW1 and WW2 battlefields of Western Europe to life while introducing American clients to a bit of European culture. It’s time to make history more interesting than a high school history lesson. Put on your hiking boots or trekking shoes and get knee deep into history with us! Here’s a brief description of what you can expect on a KDIH tour.

Battlefield Touring Activities

First and foremost, our small group battlefield tours are designed to tell the story of a particular battle by getting participants into the field. This means spending relatively more time where an action took place and relatively less time in museums and visiting memorials.

Where and when possible, we incorporate walks of moderate length and duration into our tours. These walks allow participants to gain an appreciation for the intensity of combat during the events that occurred there. For example, the Meuse-Argonne Sector and St. Mihiel Salient of WW1 are chock-full of the remains of German defensive positions, trench lines and No Man’s Land that the American Doughboys had to overcome. It is a bit harder, but not impossible, to find visible remains in the faster-moving WW2 battles.

Photographing trench remains in the St. Mihiel Salient of WW1

KDIH Tour guide Markus Klauer explains the German advance against the 99th Infantry Division during the Battle of the Bulge.

We also rely on a variety of tools to put each story into the appropriate context of the battle and, ultimately, the war. These tools include then and now photos, first person accounts and maps. Then and now photos have proven to be amazingly popular with clients, as it helps them “see” a battlefield 80 – 100 years later. They also are used to show the geographic changes that have occurred over the last several decades.

Then and now photo of Apremont-sur-Aire, taken just across from the tour hotel

First person accounts are also great to help clients “see” a battlefield. For example, in the Ypres Salient (WW1) we visit the Gravenstafel Ridge and listen to Will R. Bird’s excellent account of an unsuccessful trench raid that his unit participated in the night of 2-3 November 1917. We then visit some of his deceased comrade’s graves in Commonwealth cemeteries and memorials to the missing in the Ypres Salient. In the Hürtgen Forest (WW2) we listen to Lt. Paul Boesch’s spell-binding account of the 121^st Infantry Regiment’s assault on the Village of Hürtegen.

Just one of the excellent biographies we use in the field.

Finally, maps can also help participants “see” the action. This is true whether one is looking at official trench maps of WW1 or hand-drawn maps by an officer or NCO present during the action. This is especially helpful when the trench lines of WW1 have reverted to farmland, as is the case in the area shown in the map below.

French map showing WW1 trenches around Seicheprey, France

Commemoration Activities on a Battlefield Tour

Equally important to most participants on a small group battlefield tour is the inclusion of commemoration activities—especially when tour participants are walking in the footsteps of a loved one who died during the war. Commemoration activities can include spreading poppy seeds at or gathering soil from the spot where a soldier fell, as well as wreath-laying, grave rubbing and participation in flag-lowering ceremonies at military cemeteries. The advantage of a small group tour is that, with advance notice, we can build many commemorative activities into the itinerary!

Wreath-laying is a popular act of commemoration on a small group battlefield tour.

Grave rubbings provide tour participants with a memento they can take home.

There wasn’t a dry eye in the group when Karen Z. read the last letter written by her great uncle, just days before he died.

Cultural Activities on a Battlefield Tour

We realize that even die-hard history buffs need an occasional break from the battlefields. Therefore, on our longer small group battlefield tours we incorporate a few cultural activities. Champagne or Calvados tastings are extremely popular. We also visit historic landmarks, such as the Bayeux Tapestry in Normandy or historic churches. And we build in some time for shopping or general sightseeing. We are also opportunistic with regards to other cultural activities such as commemoration concerts, street fairs, etc. For example, our December 2024 80^th Anniversary Battle of the Bulge Tour will feature a visit to Trier, Germany’s Christmas Market right before the holidays.

Inspecting local champagne grapes before a champagne tasting on a battlefield tour

Cultural activities include visits to churches. This 16th century altar is attributed to French sculptor Ligier Richier. It sits in a church amid the WW1 battlefields.

A Break in the Action

Participants can expect to be in the field from 9:00am to around 5:00pm. This is followed by two to three hours of down time, allowing participants to rest, relax, catch up on communications, etc.

The European Dining Experience

Bridging cultures is another one of KDIH’s core philosophies. European multi-course dinners tend to start later (at 7:30 or 8:00pm) and last longer (two to two-and-a-half hours) than American dinners. Thus, they provide an excellent opportunity to talk about events of the day, share information and ask even more questions to the guides. When the opportunity presents itself, we will invite special guests to join us for dinner. These can include ABMC superintendents and their families, key members of local historical associations or well-known authors and guides.

Participants had the opportunity to talk to Verdun historian Christina Holstein during this 2022 dinner.

On this 2021 Ardennes Tour we were fortunate to have a mix of American and German participants.

(To be clear, continental breakfasts are provided at the hotel, and we generally eat box lunches in the field to save time. In addition, our vehicles are stocked with fruit, snacks, soda and water, allowing clients to re-charge their batteries in the field.)

All of this in an ever-changing Environment

Tour guides have to wear many hats, and keeping up with the changes of a battlefield is one of them. New monuments and markers are unveiled. In rare instances soldiers are found and their remains are reburied. Restaurants and hotels open, change ownership or close. Good tour guides need to modify the itineraries of the small group battlefield tours they offer to take advantage of these changes. There is a wonderful story of closure behind this Brother in Arms Memorial in the Ypres Salient that is told in this blogpost.

One of the newer memorials in the Ypres Salient is this Brother in Arms memorial.

I often use this Venn diagram to illustrate that creating an engaging and inspiring small group battlefield tour requires so much more than just understanding and explaining historic events.

Small group battlefield tour guides need to know more than just history.

What our Clients Say About our Battlefield Tours

In closing, I want to share a handful of testimonials from recent clients.

This week has been a dream come true for me. Thanks to the meticulous preparation and execution of the two of you. I truly feel as if I was walking in the footsteps of my grand-uncle in WWI and of my dad in WWII, seeing what each of them was seeing, and trying to imagine what each of them might have been thinking and feeling during their respective wartime experiences. I couldn’t have asked for a more meaningful experience ant the way the two of you embraced my entire family made the experience even more magical and memorable for me. I can’t thank you enough!

John (aka Jack) Decker

June 2023

You have both far exceeded my expectations on this trip. I have been on many tours all over the world and know how they should be done and you two have surpassed them all. The time you both put in to personalize the trip details was extraordinary. The most thrilling part for me was sharing this experience with all of my brothers. We have never traveled like this all together and I was not sure how that would work out. Thanks to you two, it was fabulous. And to have Aidan and my grandson, Jake, as part of this is the thrill of a lifetime. They will never forget this experience.

Thank you!

Bill Decker

June 2023

On behalf of the men, women and horses of the Second Company Governor’s Horse Guard we can’t thank you enough for your professionalism, organization and friendship on this tour. Being able to walk in the footsteps of our unit and men during the Great War has been a tremendous experience. However, visiting the cemeteries and honoring our fallen has been very emotional and the highlight of this journey.

With kindest regards and admiration.

Capt. Paul Mazarra and Others

23 April 2023

What a well-conceived and well-managed expedition!

The route was efficiently planned and you provided appropriate context to make things clear when we were out of sequence. You offered the right level of detail for a general audience, while being able to discuss more detail and bring in the perspective of others. To a degree, we all discovered the Yankee Division together.

There were many highlights—places I’ve long wanted to see; memorable cemetery visits and wreath-layings; a feel for rural France. The group worked well together and enjoyed each other and you were catalysts to just the right degree.

Merci beaucoup! And I hope to be able to travel with you again.

Andy German

23 April 2023

Putting it all Together

We are pleased to offer a variety of small-group, all-inclusive, battlefield tours covering the WW2 battlefields of Normandy, the Ardennes, the Hürtgen Forest and Operation Market-Garden, as well as the WW1 battlefields of the American Expeditionary Forces, Verdun, Flanders Fields and the Somme.

History is more than just learning dates, facts and figures in a high school classroom. Whether you want to retrace a relative’s service or just learn more about a particular battle, get knee deep into history and to join us on a battlefield tour. There is still time to reserve a space for 2024!

Please visit our website for our 2024 tour schedule, our tour philosophy and additional testimonials and more.

The infamous dragons teeth along Germany’s Westwall

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.