Are you a WW1 or WW2 history buff looking for an awesome European travel adventure this year? Why not join a small-group military history tour and get knee deep into history?  KDIH specializes in small-group military history tours in Western Europe designed for avid history buffs who want to do more than visit museums and memorials. Our multi-day tours provide an in-depth look at a specific battle, including the leaders, soldiers and strategies. Our goal on each military history tour is to provide a balanced view of the events, putting each site visited into the context of the campaign or the bigger picture.

Our small-group tour concept offers participants a great opportunity to learn and to ask probing questions; it also provides flexibility to modify itineraries to meet client needs and interests. Tours are generally led by two guides, including myself. We are knowledgeable historians who have conducted research in multiple languages. Our guides are also Europeans or Americans who have lived in Europe for years, myself included. We have a strong local knowledge and culture base that helps Americans feel comfortable overseas.

Bridging cultures is an important philosophy; we select local three-star, family-owned and operated hotels and restaurants. On tours lasting more than a few days we include cultural events such as calvados or champagne tasting or a visit to an historic cathedral.

If the thought of a slow-travel military history tour intrigues you, we encourage you to look at our 2025 military history tour offerings. Check out our website for more details.

Members of the 2nd Company Governor’s Horse Guard (State of Connecticut) remember their unit’s fallen soldiers in WW1 through grave rubbings.

2025 Military History Tour Schedule–WW2

Ardennes “Battle of the Bulge” Tour, 2 – 8 July. (7 days / 6 nights)

Learn about Hitler’s last desperate gamble in December 1944 to achieve some kind of victory on the Western Front, allowing him to focus on the Eastern Front. Topics and geographies covered in this tour include the brave stand by many American units which slowed the offensive, the defense of Bastogne, and the furthest advances of units of Germany’s Fifth and Sixth Panzer Armies, including Kampfgruppe Peiper.

One of the cultural events on our December 2024 Battle of the Bulge Tour was a visit to the Aachen Christmas Market

Market Garden and Huertgen Forest Tour in Belgium, Netherlands, and Germany

Explore these two lesser-known battles of WW2. The first was an experiment in the use of Airborne troops in a failed attempt to accelerate the pace of victory. The second was a meat grinder that chewed up several American divisions because of the strong geographic defensive positions and stubborn German Army resistance at its border. In spite of Allied belief that Nazi Germany was almost finished neither battle ended the war in late 1944.

Visiting a Westwall bunker in the dense Huertgen Forest is very evocative.

Normandy Landings Tour, 4 – 9 Sept. (6 days / 5 nights)

Reflect on the massiveness of this invasion (men, aircraft, ships and deception) and explore each of the five landing beaches as well as the Airborne drop zones during this in-depth tour.

Normandy is always full of surprises. In June 2024 members of the Sherwood Rangers Yeomanry remember their fallen at the British Normandy Memorial on Gold Beach.

1944 Airborne Operations Tour, 16 – 21 Sept. (6 days / 5 nights)

Examine the role that Airborne troops played in three separate offensives during 1944: The Normandy Landings, Operation Market-Garden and the Battle of the Bulge.

During Market-Garden the 82nd Airborne Division crossed the Waal River on this site trying to capture the Nijmegen Bridge. The division’s sacrifice is well documented in the popular movie, “A Bridge too Far.”

The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich Tour, 2 – 7 Oct. (7 days / 6 nights)

Visit key sites of the early and final years of the Third Reich in Bavaria and Austria. From the famous parade grounds in the Fuehrer City of Nuremberg to the enormous concrete bunkers housing jet fighter factories, participants will experience a combination of idyllic towns and exclusive historical places.

Historic photo of Bavaria’s Landsberg Prison, where Adolf Hitler penned Mein Kampf.

Third Reich Underground Tour, 10 – 15 Oct. (6 days / 5 nights)

Gain insight into the action and reaction of late WW2 in this exploration Nazi Germany’s attempts to disperse its war industry in order to avoid Allied bombardments. Of course, this part of Nazi history was inextricably linked to concentration camps and other forms of forced labor, and it resulted in a horrific cost in human life.

Hiking the Walpersberg, a mountain in Thuringia, Germany that housed Me 262 production underground and a runway atop the mountain

2025 Military History Tour Schedule–WW1

Doughboy Overview Tour, 11 – 18 June. (8 days / 7 nights)

Visit the key AEF battlefields including Cantigny, the St. Quentin Canal (27^th and 30^th Divisions), the Aisne-Marne, Oise-Aine, Champagne, Meuse-Argonne and St. Mihiel battlefields during this fast-moving look at America’s military offensives during the last six months of WW1.

Visiting the Champagne fields and tasting Champagne is always a popular cultural event.

Verdun Tour, 21 – 23 June (3 days / 2 nights)

Experience the horrific conditions on both sides of the line during one of the longest lasting and deadliest battles of World War 1. Verdun also stands as a symbol of Franco-German reconciliation, beginning with the September 1984 meeting of Chancelor Kohl and President Mitterrand.

Enjoying an afternoon refreshment beside the Meuse River in Verdun. On the opposite bank is a hotel that was once a French military Officer’s Club. The city’s beauty on a sunny day masks the horrors of 1916.

Meuse-Argonne and St. Mihiel Tour, 24 – 29 Sept. (6 days / 5 nights)

Get knee deep into history where KDIH founder, Randy Gaulke, and German guide, Markus Klauer, both got their start in the 1980s. These sectors of the Western Front still contain some of the best physical remains from the war. Both guides know this battlefield intimately.

The Meuse-Argonne and St. Mihiel woods continue to be full of remains from WW1.

Selected Testimonials from our 2024 Tours

Interested, but still not sure? Here are a few testimonials from 2024 clients:

“When Randy sent the 2024 brochure for KDIH Tours, I took one look at the 3^rd Reich Tour and said I had to do it. Well, it did not disappoint. It was Graham’s first tour, and he was a star. Everything was well organized, great hotels, great food and, best of all, superb tours and good conversation. Five stars all round and an extra one for Graham. Thanks to everyone.”

Christina Holstein, UK, on the Third Reich Underground Tour

Multi-course European dinners provide the perfect opportunity to reflect on the day’s activities.

“Randy, another wonderful expedition into the depth of WW1 history. Your [2-day] private tour covered everything I wanted to see and more, and you were more than happy to get covered in mud to help me find the secret sites.

The USAS group [Hamilton Coolidge Reburial Tour] was most congenial and knowledgeable, and again you got us to sites of significance.  Feeling like true adventurers—tramping back yards to find Lufbery’s crash site, making the full hike to the Quentin Roosevelt site, and engaging with the locals at Amanty and elsewhere.

The lodging and food always has a true French feel, and laughter abounds in the van, and surprise awaits around every turn. I look forward to getting knee deep into history over here again soon.”

Andy German, CT, on a two-day private tour and the Hamilton Coolidge Reburial Tour

Serendipity is having French-speaking guides when visiting a town. In this case, the Mayor of Amanty and his friend came out and showed us soldiers’ graffiti from WW1. Photo by Andrew German.

“Had a great time. Randy and Markus were tremendous and tolerated our sarcasm and one-liners. They picked excellent hotels, restaurants and were very accommodating when we needed to take a stop/break. I appreciated their preparedness and organization which allowed us to maximize our time on seeing the important sites that we didn’t want to mis. I would highly recommend Randy and Markus and look forward to booking a future trip.”

David DiSalvo, FL, on a multi-day private tour

The vans used on our small-group tours provide plenty of interaction between clients and guides.

“Outstanding. OUTSTANDING! Thank you Markus and Randy for an experience that I will NEVER forget! The personalization of the tour added a great element! I am moved by the stories of these men. The story of my grandfather’s unit was very emotional and a way for me to connect with him. THANK YOU! Going into the woods really set the stage and showed how “mysterious” the woods and war was and I appreciate you allowing us to get “knee deep into history.” I was able to experience history and see it come alive. I am very grateful for this experience and I assure you I will continue to research the Battle of the Bulge, specifically the 513^th PIR and the 17^th Airborne—my grandfather’s unit! Thank you for providing my family and I with a connection that we will always cherish. Thank you for such a unique view into history.”

Christopher Wegmann, LA, on the 80^th Anniversary Battle of the Bulge Tour

Tour participant Christopher Wegmann reads a first-person account of the 17th Airborne Division’s fighting at Dead Man’s Ridge, Flamierge, Belgium in early January 1945.

See you on one of our tours! À bientôt!

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.