Knee Deep Into History Battlefield Tours

10/03/2024

A thousand thanks to the individual who told the story of Lt. Orvin E. Nelson by leaving the copy of a letter written to his wife on Christmas Eve 1944!!! Some history buff or family member left this set of documents chained together, somewhat protected in plastic sheets and placed under a bowl adjacent to the Hill 313 Marker.

Nelson was a Lt. in the 10th Inf. Regt., 5th Infantry Division. On Christmas eve he penned a letter to his wife while sitting in a jeep close to that spot. The papers state that he was wounded in Germany. A quick look on findagrave.com suggests that he died at the age of 75 on 27 April 1996 and is buried in the City of Mesa Cemetery, Mesa, AZ. His wife, Jeanette, died in 2014 at the age of 92. He received the Purple Heart and Bronze Star, but I have not looked into the action for which he was awarded the Bronze Star.

What a wonderful way to bring a little corner of France back to December 1944. More of us need to do this!!!

10/02/2024

Hill 313, Echternach, Luxembourg -- a Life Parable: You can just enter the woods 100 feet or so, and find a memorial marker up a small incline; or you can hike a few hundred meters up a steep hillside and see the foxholes and shell holes where the action took place in late December 1944.

Having named the company Knee Deep Into History, you should know my choice!

I spent my last full day in Europe exploring this area for a private tour in December, and it was a wonderful day!

10/02/2024

Battlefield tour tip of the day: Use a pair of dirty socks or underwear to clean the mud out of the rental car. This will eliminate a cleaning fee AND you'll have at least an additional ounce of free weight for rusty bits, chocolate, Champagne, etc.

09/28/2024

Sometime to look forward to... High speed rail between CDG and Paris. Great for those who stay at an airport hotel and who want to get into Paris.

09/28/2024

Today (Saturday) marks my 21st day in Europe. Time for another round of laundry before the last tour. Here's your travel tip: Using Google maps you can find the closest "Laverie" to your location. Many of these are now electronic, with instructions in multiple languages. Also, many of the hypermarkets--Cora, Intermarché, L'eclerc and Carrefour--either have laundromats outside or just inside their buildings. Doing laundry with the help of Google maps and Google Translate is easier than ever before.

09/27/2024

A few photos from the Waterloo battlefield, most taken from la Butte du Lion. This was the last stop of an 8-day private tour that covered Market-Garden, the Hürtgenwald and the Ardennes.

I'm not convinced that the Emporer likes standing guard outside of Brasserie Wellington.

09/23/2024

The story of 1st (Polish) Independent Parachute Brigade in and around Driel is one of the tragedies of Operation Market-Garden. Luckily, the story of this unit is told at Informatiecentrum De Polen Van Driel at the Maria Geboorte Kerk (Church) in Driel, Holland.

https://www.driel-polen.nl/en/informatiecentrum/

Again, atmosphere was provided by uniformed reenactors.

To be clear, the photo of the Polish graves was taken at Arnhem Oosterbeek War Cemetery, not at the church in Driel.

09/23/2024

We made a short stop at the Airborne Museum Hartenstein in Oosterbeek, Holland, which became Maj. Gen. Roy Urquhart's headquarters during Market-Garden. Again, atmosphere was provided by aircraft flying overhead and, at this location, pensioners from the Royal Hospital in Chelsea, London.

This hotel, like almost all of the "Oosterbeek Perimeter" was obliterated during the harsh fighting in Market-Garden.

09/23/2024

The Waal River crossing made by the 82nd Airborne Division on 20 September 1944 to capture the Nijmegen Bridge is just one of the many Market-Garden sites our private tour visited during its first two days.

We didn't attend any of the official ceremonies--because of time constraints. Nevertheless, military aircraft flying overhead, reenactors and military vehicles added to the atmosphere.

09/17/2024

Monday morning--the day after the official ceremony--we returned to the new grave for a quiet moment of reflection with Hamilton Coolidge.

Tour participants included representatives from the World War One Historical Association, the League of WW1 Aviation Historians and the Fight in the Skies Society.

We laid a small spray of flowers as a group and then each individual had the opportunity to lay a flower or two. No fanfare, like the day before; just a chance to pay our respects in a more private setting.

09/17/2024

New experiences and discoveries make this job great! Often, they come when one has to pivot from the same old plan for some reason. This happened to us last week on the Hamilton Coolidge Reburial Tour.

I didn't book a table at our hotel, the Best Western in Chateau-Thierry, because I didn't expect there to be a problem mid-week in September. However, they had a tour group that night. So... what to do for dinner?

I and my clients looked at options and we agreed to try "La Cave 204." It was situated at 19 rue Quentin Roosevelt and at the base of Hill 204, where the American Memorial is situated. With these two facts and good ratings, how could we not try it?!

It was a bit difficult to find, because it is situated in a residential area with narrow streets and tight parking. Nevertheless, it was a wonderful experience: The French cuisine and Swiss raclette was great. The ambiance was cozy, as it was situated in a potato cellar. The father, Richard, serenaded us with his saxophone. Our guy, Carl, played a little base too.

All in all, it was a memorable location that we would not have tried, if our "go to" restaurant had been open. Sometimes it's good to break out of the mold and try something new!

09/17/2024

The climax of the Hamilton Coolidge Aviation Reburial Tour was the reburial ceremony of Captain Hamilton Coolidge, 94th Aero Squadron on 15 September 2024. It was beautifully organized by the Mayor of the Village of Chevieres, the Family, the US Air Force and more volunteers and participants than I can name here.

The reason for the reburial was simple: Aire River erosion. In the early 1920s his parents purchased a portion of the field in which he fell on Oct. 27, 1918. Hamilton was buried in that field, but over the next 100+ years, the river edged closer and closer to the burial site, requiring action.

It was his mother's wish that he should be buried where he fell, in the tradition of early aviators. It was also her wish that the family and the town be forever intertwined. The new burial site is situated just outside the town cemetery. Back in the 1920s a fund was established to look after the grave and to maintain that relationship. For example, generations of village children received annual Christmas presents from the Coolidge Family.

Thus, more than 20 family members, most of the community, and representatives from today's 94th Fighter Squadron and Air Force officials in Europe attended the reburial ceremony, as well as scores of interested locals and history buffs.

The day began with his remains resting in state in the town church. After a short service outside the church, his body was moved via a WW1 wagon to the new burial site, with family members, military, dignitaries and everyone else joining in the procession during which a replica Nieuport 28 flew overhead. Following a second short service graveside, he was reburied with pieces of his aircraft and a flyover of American and French aircraft performed the missing man foundation. The day's events ended with a traditional French vin d'honneur. A beautiful ceremony and a chance to again remember and reflect on French-American amity--even in today's uncertain world. (The French weather cooperated too!)

The photos below show some of the beauty of the day.

Beginning in 2017 I have taken many clients to see his burial spot and I became acquainted with one of the family members when I lived in New Jersey. But this ceremony and all the related activities brought Hamilton to life for me.

09/17/2024

At the conclusion of the Hamilton Coolidge Reburial Tour three of us wandered into Paris to enjoy French 75s and other drinks at Harry's New York Bar; a famous hangout for American expats of all stripes before, during and after the war. After I few more French 75s, who knows what ghosts one might see there?!

By the way, Knee Deep Into History has put together a guide to WW1 American Expeditionary Forces sites in Paris. Contact me to receive a free copy.

09/09/2024

Enjoying a beautiful September day along the Meuse River in Verdun and trying a local beer. Amara is brewed in Vigneulles-les-Hattonchâtel.

For those really interested, here's a link to their website: https://brasserie-amara.fr/

I'm not a beer expert, so I will leave it to others to judge the quality. However, I do enjoy sampling and learning about local products while on tours.

09/06/2024

Off to Europe for the Fall 2024 tour season!

08/30/2024

Here is a blog about touring Normandy written by one of the other Slow Travel Tours operators. I hope you enjoy the read!

Normandy is a special place of remembrance, commemoration, and celebration… but offers much more beyond the D-Day sites.

07/27/2024

Come on out to the WW2 American Experience Museum's Military Weekend. See armor, vehicles, veterans, reenactors and, of course, Knee Deep Into History!