Our 2023 battlefield tour reviews are humbling and rewarding! The 2023 tour season included the 102nd Infantry Regiment and Yankee Division Tour in April 2023 and the Decker Family Tour in June 2023 as well as additional private tours led by Markus or Randy. The former had twelve participants, including four members of the Second Company Governor’s Horse Guard of the State of Connecticut. The latter also had twelve participants, including brothers, spouses, and four grandchildren! Given the size and client mix, we are extremely proud of the battlefield tour reviews we have received! However, because of the large number of reviews written in our little green book, we’re only going to publish a sampling of them on this page.

We are also pleased because the Yankee Division tour was set up as a fundraiser and it raised $3,100 for the Connecticut Heritage Foundation’s 2023 Digging Into History Program!

 

The 102nd Inf. Regt. / YD Tour Feedback

 

2023 Yankee Division Small-Group Battlefield Tour Participants at the Chemin des Dames.
2023 Yankee Division Battlefield Tour Participants at the Chemin des Dames

 

Dear Randy and Markus, 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 general audiences, while being able to discuss in more detail and bringing in the perspective of others. To a degree, we all discovered the Yankee Division together. Merci beaucoup! And I hope to be able to travel with you again! Andy German

 

High praise received in this battlefield tour review from the four members of the Second Company Governonr's Horse Guard of the State of Connecticut. Randy & Markus, on behalf of the men, women and horses of the Second Company Governonr'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.

Walking and photographing the WW1 battlefields in the St. Mihiel Salient during Knee Deep Into History's 2023 102nd Infantry Regiment and Yankee Division Small-Group Battlefield Tour
Walking and photographing the WW1 trenches in the St. Mihiel Salient

 

Another strong battlefield tour review from a member of the 102nd Infantry Regiment / Yankee Division Battlefield Tour. Randy, I don't have the words to express my appreciation and gratitude for this wonderful experience. It has given me great peace, and so much fun with the great folks on the tour. My best always, Karen Zimmitti.

The St. Mihiel American Cemetery was one of several cemeteries visited on our Yankee Division Small-Group Battlefield Tour
Karen Zimmitti reading a letter written by her uncle to his mother just a few days before his death

 

Praise for Knee Deep Into History's Yankee Division Tour, April 2023. Amazing time!!! New found appreciation for France, Europe, WW1 and alcohol (ha ha.) You brought a world 100+ years prior absolutely to life. It was vivid, impactful and genuine. I know I'll be back. Mitchell Rivers

Knee Deep Into History encourages bridging cultures. One way to do this is to visit a Champagne manufacturer and walk the vineyards.
When in Rome (or France) a Champagne tasting makes a wonderful cultural event

 

 

The Decker Family Tour Feedback

Decker Family bespoke tour feedback: This week has been a dream come true for me, thanks to the meticulous preparation and execution of the two of you. I truly felt as if I was walking in the footsteps of my grand-uncle in WW1 and my dad in WW2, seeing what each of them was seeing, and trying to imagine what each of them might have been thinking and feeling during their respective war-time experiences. I couldn't have asked for a more meaningful experience and the way the two of you embrace my family made the experience even more magical and memorable for me. I can't thank you enough! John Becker

Another positive battlefield tour review from a member of the Decker Family.

 

Walking from the Bois de Cunel to the Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery. PFC Garrett Leeker died in this field. Photo by John Decker.

 

Visiting the graves of loved ones is a key part of any Knee Deep Into History bespoke battlefield tour.
Remembering PFC Garrett Leeker, 38th Inf. Regt., 3rd Div.

 

 

This visit to the Westwall Museum Katzenkopf in Irrel, Germany was a key part of the Decker Family's bespoke battlefield tour.
Learning about the Westwall at the Westwall Museum Katzenkopf in Irrel, Germany. Photo by John Decker.

 

Getting knee deep into history crossing the Rhein River in the same location where the 87th Infantry Division crossed it in March 1945.
Crossing the Rhine River by ferry where the 87th Inf. Div. crossed it in early 1945.

 

 

50th Birthday Private Tour of Flanders Fields, the Somme and the Meuse-Argonne

 

The birthday tour included an above and below ground tour of Vauquois Hill.