Meuse Argonne Battlefield Tours
Maarten Otte is a long term resident of the area and is a battlefield guide, amateur historian and author of several titles on the American Expeditionary Forces in the Great War, published by Pen & Sword Books in the UK. Specialising in the AEF, Meuse-Argonne Battlefield Tours offers morning tours, day tours and personalised ‘in the footsteps’ tours.
With Maarten as your battlefield guide, Meuse-Argonne Battlefield Tours offers a wide range of touring options. Using his intimate knowledge of the battlefield and of the sources, Maarten can explain the events that took place in the battlefield areas of the Meuse-Argonne, St. Mihiel, Verdun and the 1870 campaign of Sedan. He will show you well known sites, trenches, bunkers and memorials that are still visible as well as many others that are far less visited, a hundred years and more after those events took place.
The fee for a 2.5 hours long morning tour of, for example, Nantillois or Montfaucon, is €25 per person.
During a day tour you can not only visit the highlights of a particular battlefield, but also lesser-known sites. Anything is possible, including following the footsteps of individual soldiers. We are happy to put together a day tour in consultation with the client. The fee for an ordinary day tour starts from €200. Different rates apply for large groups and coaches/buses and may depend on the amount of research/preparation that might have to be done. Entrance fees for museums are not included in the price of the tours.
What to expect?
For each area only the main points of interest are indicated; each tour can be adapted to your requirements. All tours commence at our museum 14-18 Meuse-Argonne in Montfaucon d'Argonne.
Verdun:
This would include Ouvrage de la Falouse, the destroyed village of Fleury, the Ossuary, Fort Douaumont and the Trench of Bayonets.
The Meuse-Argonne:
The Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery, the Montfaucon American Monument, the Butte de Vauquois, Patton in the Argonne, Sgt. York’s Medal of Honor action and the Lost Battalion.
St. Mihiel:
Montsec American Memorial, Thiaucourt American Cemetery, remaining trench systems, German camps and bunkers.
Champagne:
Suippes, the Main de Massiges trench system, Semide, the Lange Max gun site, Blanc Mont, Ferme de Navarin and the crash site of Roland Garos.
Sedan 1870:
Sedan, La Dernière Cartouche museum, the Franco-German Ossuary, Floing (‘the last cavalry charge’) and various monuments.
A combination of tours is also possible: for example, a tour of Verdun in the morning could be combined with one of the Meuse-Argonne in the afternoon.
Reservations and information:
Mail: meuse-argonne1918@hotmail.com
Telephone: +33 (0)329 861987
Facebook: meuse-argonne battlefield tours
Books by Maarten Otte
