点评:Given my interest in European history (esp. World War 2), I decided to join the 2 day Tucker battlefield tour during my solo trip to Europe. With 20 yrs of being a battlefield guide in the area, Richard is extremely familiar with the terrain. He gave a very unique prospective on why the Germans were successful in breaking through French defense in Sedan in 1940 using maps, the historic military deployment, and the fortifications around the Sedan area to justify his reasoning. I always want to understand why something happens in a certain way and Richard was very patient in making sure I understood the situation before providing additional information.
I also want to give credit to Roger who was the guide in the fort (Ouvrage) of La Ferte. He is truly an expert on the design and layout of the fort. For example, he was able to explain how this Ouvrage is different from the other Ouvrages in the Maginot Line and how this might’ve contributed to its loss during the German assault. Lastly, I appreciate how the tour also touched on lesser known area such as the Battle of Stonne in which the French fought the German to a standstill in 1940. The tour also went into the Meuse-Argonne offensive, which was a large WWI American offensive to break the Hindenburg Line.
翻译:鉴于我对欧洲历史(尤其是二战)的兴趣,我决定在独自一人前往欧洲旅行时参加为期 2 天的塔克战场之旅。理查德在该地区担任战场导游已有 20 年,对地形非常熟悉。他用地图、历史军事部署和塞当地区周围的防御工事来证明他的理由,从非常独特的角度解释了为什么德国人在 1940 年成功突破了塞当的法国防御。我总是想了解为什么某件事会以某种方式发生,理查德非常耐心地确保我了解情况,然后再提供更多信息。
我还要感谢拉弗特堡垒 (Ouvrage) 的导游罗杰。他确实是堡垒设计和布局方面的专家。例如,他能够解释这座 Ouvrage 与马奇诺防线的其他 Ouvrage 有何不同,以及这可能如何导致它在德国进攻期间被摧毁。最后,我很欣赏这次旅行还涉及了一些鲜为人知的地区,例如 1940 年法国与德国决一死战的斯通讷战役。这次旅行还参观了默兹-阿尔贡攻势,这是第一次世界大战中美国为打破兴登堡防线而发动的一次大规模攻势。