Selecting the right battlefield tour guide can seem like a daunting task. It takes more than a knowledge of historic events to build an unforgettable slow-travel battlefield tour experience for clients. Guides also need to have a knowledge of the culture and language, especially when a potential problem arises; and guides need to have a knowledge of the region and geography. A classic example of the former was the country-by-country easing of travel restrictions during Covid-19. Knee Deep Into History began operating tours in 2021, just as Covid-19 restrictions were easing. Having German tour guide Markus Klauer on the ground in Europe helped us to understand the changing requirements of each country and allowed us to run our first two tours that year. Likewise, having a knowledge of the region and geography helped us to identify lab testing centers so that participants could meet the Airlines’ testing requirements before flying home. The benefits of finding a tour guide(s) that has all three knowledge sets is illustrated in the Venn Diagram below.

Now for a brief introduction of Knee Deep Into History’s guides; and how they built their knowledge sets over decades.

American Tour Guide Randy Gaulke

Randy has been visiting the battlefields of WW1 and WW2 for 40 years and much of his knowledge has resulted from his European connections. Randy took his first tour with Lt. Col. Graham Parker of Flanders Tours in June 1986, while studying at the University of Hamburg in Germany. Through Graham Parker, Randy became a member of The Western Front Association, a UK-based association that studies the First World War. Through that group’s European Liaison Officer Randy became aware of the German group, Deutsches Erinnerungscommittee Argonnerwald or DEA. The DEA systematically explores the underground fighting tunnels of WW1, and Randy joined them on his first work weekend with the association in 1994. It was there that he met Markus Klauer. Since then, he has participated in several work weekends and has benefitted from making several European friendships through the association.

A very young Randy Gaulke (left) on his first DEA work weekend in 1994

Fast forward to 2014 and Randy restarted his https://meuse-argonne.com website, which focuses on the American Meuse-Argonne Offensive of WW1. In 2017 Randy quit his day job and spent eight months living and working in France in 2017-18 as a freelance guide during the Centennial of WW1. This really accelerated his knowledge base! His son’s interest in WW2 also drove Randy to build his knowledge of that war.

In addition to his Meuse-Argonne.com website, Randy has written two chapters in Ed Lengel’s “A Companion to the Meuse-Argonne Campaign,” and his assistance to several WW1 authors is acknowledged in their books.

Randy speaks English and German fluently and is proficient in French. He has lived in Europe three years in total.

German Tour Guide Markus Klauer

Markus served as a Bundeswehr (German military) officer until his retirement in 2018. His service time included a few years in an armored battalion, which helps him better understand the historic role of armor. Markus also lived in France more than 10 years and served in the combined Franco-German Brigade. This really helped Markus build a strong local knowledge and contact base, especially in Verdun, where Markus is the only German historian to work directly with the French National Forest Office [ONF]. In 2019, Markus received a medal from the Mayor of Verdun for his historical work with the city and the region. Here’s a link to the article.

Markus maintains a website and he has written five books—all in German—on various aspects of WW1 and he has been guiding tours since the late 1980s. Since his retirement in 2018 he has increasingly focused on WW2.

Markus speaks German, French and English fluently. Furthermore, his NATO experience required him to work in a multitude of cultural settings.

Tour Guides Randy Gaulke and Markus Klauer on a recon trip in Normandy, February 2022

Markus and Randy: Working Together Since 2018

In 2017 Markus was working as a historian with the German Konrad Adenauer Foundation to establish a walking trail on the Mort Homme portion of the Verdun Battlefield. For that project he wrote the text for 10 signs in German, French and English. Randy played a small role in proofreading the English portions.

Randy Gaulke and Markus Klauer standing in front of one of the ten sign panels

Randy and Markus offered their first tour together in 2018—a six-day tour of the WW1 AEF battlefields offered during the Centennial of WW1. They also organized a Meet and Greet Dinner in September 2018, which brough together American, French, German and Dutch historians.

Participants in the Sept. 2018 Meet and Greet Dinner. Photo by Dave Gaddis.

In 2021 Randy started Knee Deep Into History, working together with Markus to develop slow-travel tours that focus on both sides of the story and that help American clients bridge European cultures.

Randy Gaulke (L) and Markus Klauer (R) during one of our 2021 tours

Enter American Tour Guide Graham Gaulke

Twenty-seven-year-old Graham Gaulke first started visiting the battlefields with “Dad” at the age of 8, but after two decades of battlefield tours he has become an expert on WW2 in his own right. After graduating from high school in 2017, Graham took a gap year and lived in Europe for five months, logging many kilometers of travel in the pursuit of WW2 sites. After that gap year, Graham studied Webster University’s Leiden, Netherlands campus and this allowed him to continue his exploration of WW2-era Europe in his free time.

Graham’s passion since 2014 has been the exploration of Nazi Germany’s efforts to disperse their armaments manufacturing underground to avoid Allied bombardment. Of course, this topic is inextricably linked to the use of concentration camp and forced labor. As a result of his research, Graham has designed two tours for Knee Deep Into History: “Third Reich Underground: Rockets, Aircraft and More” and “The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich.” Photos of his underground research can be seen on his website: Graham Gaulke | Photography.

KDIH tour guide Graham Gaulke in the foreground on the Third Reich Underground Tour he designed

Graham is now living and working in Europe, including leading small-group and private tours for Knee Deep Into History. He speaks German proficiently and is perfectly comfortable bridging cultures.

Graham Gaulke at the Kehlsteinhaus (Eagle’s Nest) during the Rise and Fall of the Third Reich Tour, October 2025 (Photo by Laurie Gaulke)

Conclusion

Selecting the right battlefield tour guide and small-group tour is important. I hope that this brief introduction to our guides convinces you to get knee deep into history on a small-group battlefield tour with our company. See you in the trenches!

Yankee Division Tour Participants pose with Randy Gaulke and Markus Klauer, April 2023

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.