Testimonials

  December 3, 2016
We hired Edwin Popken of Battlefield Discovery Tours to act as our guide while visiting the Ardenne region of Belgium in late October of this year. ... read more I was interested in tracing the footsteps of my Uncle who fought in the “northern shoulder” of the Battle of the Ardenne Forest (Battle of the Bulge) in 1944 and 1945 with the 2nd Army Division. From reading about this part of WWII I had only sketchy ideas of the geography and terrain of the area and the names of the towns and battle areas were familiar but in a fragmentary way. Edwin was able to bring all this together by providing us a detailed tour of the areas where the 38th FAB would have been positioned throughout this campaign. The thoroughness of his knowledge about military history and this particular battle area was invaluable in bringing the fragmentary aspects of the battle engagements during that time into a meaningful whole. There is NO possible way (even with extensive reading and studying) that we could have found these locations and understood the movements of this Division, Regiment, and Battalion without Edwin’s expert guidance. Communicating with him before our visit was invaluable and he was responsive and thorough in his answers to my emails. He designed a tour SPECIFICALLY for us and understood the kinds of information that would be not only of great interest but also of great personal meaning to us.
We hired Edwin for a one day tour but felt we could easily have extended that to two or three. Edwin picked us up at our hotel in Malmedy and this worked perfectly. We were driven to all the sights in Edwin’s car. The day was full; we saw amazing sights and locations that only an experienced guide could bring us into and the accompanying historical information was thorough and excellent. We cannot say enough about the quality of the experience, the attention to detail of the tour, the personal nature of the tour, the ease and promptness of our communications with Edwin, the overall value of the day we spent, and the amazing experience of the bringing to life of what we had only read about. If you are looking for a guide to military sites during the course of the Second World War, we highly recommend that you will have the good fortune of hiring Edwin.

  "You must see the ground to understand the battle." Military historians have been saying that forever. This tour was the epitome of understanding the Market Garden Operation. The roads, the... read more vast vistas of farmlands where the landings took place, and the "single roadway" in and out of the entire campaign are a "must" to understand the entirety of this battle. Edwin was an outstanding guide who was as thorough and as detailed as I could have ever hoped. I think the most fascinating part of my trip was the Arnhem portion and the many insights Edwin presented on the "lay of the land" and how it affected so much of the battle for that bridge, not to mention the many personal soldiers stories he relayed during that time. Edwin was wonderful and I am thrilled to have gotten the opportunity to have spent my trip with such a wonderfully knowledgeable historian........he's.......NOT, "just a guide"! John Friscia

  Hello Robin,

Thank you for this review and your very kind comments and feedback. It was my pleasure to work with you and your unit. Hopefully we'll meet... read more again in future.

Best,
Edwin

  I have recently spent three most enjoyable days (November, 2015) in the company of Edwin on a private tour of the entire "Market Garden" route and battlefields. ... read more Edwin proved to be a most informed and knowledgeable guide. It is quite apparent that he has not only absorbed the published writings on "Market Garden" but has had recourse to many primary sources too. He is able to pull together so much information and convey it in a highly articulate and approachable manner. From corps to sectional, and, even individual actions, Edwin is a clear guide as to events. He can relate the tactical aims of the campaign as well as personal stories as the operation occurred. His enthusiasm for, and understanding of, the subject is remarkably clear.
I had originally intended to undertake the tour alone but I am so gald to have had Edwin alongside. His local knowledge meant we could see a huge amount and I saw some sites which only someone with the knowledge Edwin has could have directed me to. I previously had a good appreciation of "Market Garden" but seeing the geography, terrain and the physical remnants of battle - troop emplacements, battle scars - really brought the subject alive. With Edwin's informed, intelligent and articulate commentary I feel I have a better understanding of the campaign though Edwin's greater knowledge has propelled me to do more in-depth analysis too - surely the sign of a worthwhile tour!. Edwin is also extremely engaging socially and it was a great pleasure to spend time with him otherwise. On the basis of my experience I am highly likely to undertake another diffferent tour with Edwin and can only recommend him most highly.

  Spent two days with Edwin in August looking at the Canadian contribution of Operation Veritable on day one and Operation Plunder (Crossing of the Rhine) on day two. Firstly I... read more would state that both of these operations deserve much more time to explore fully. They were such large operations and lost behind events such as Normandy and Arnhem/Market Garden. The troop numbers were huge and I am the first to admit that I did not fully understand the magnitude of both operations.
Edwin Popkin from Battlefield Discovery is by far the best guide in Europe for these operations. His knowledge and delivery brings to life those fateful events from so many years ago. You walk the ground, witness the events and have such an understanding what these men went through to remove the evil which stood in front of them back in 1944/45. I could not recommend this company enough. If you are a small private party, like us or a large corporate entity, Edwin and his team at Battlefield Discovery should be your go to guys. We will certainly be booking again in 2023.