I am 61...for glasgow but now live in vancouver b.c....my English teacher at St thomas aquinas was edward wallace....I was a mediocre student....he read journey s end by r.c. Sherriff. ...it was like he had been there...it affects me to this day....he explained every line....3 days in ypres before the he'll that was coming....the humour, the sadness....it's still with me....now I can get the play on youtube....thank you big ED....a very talented man.
Apart from being one of the most fascinating videos I've ever watched on RUclips, this is one of the most surprising in that I have NEVER heard of Butte Dr Vauquois. This must be the most unique historical sites on the entire western front, yet I have not seen it mentioned on any of the WW1 documentaries I've watched in recent years. Great video! Well done!
Practically no one has heard about it, mostly because it was a total embarrassment for the French that they couldn't dislodge the Germans for four years... it only happened when the Americans took the peak in 1918 with 3500 guns and 20,000 men
@@DavidWilliams-hv7so The level of destruction along the Western Front during the four years of constant shelling and mine explosions is quite shocking.
This has to be one of the most shocking sights of war. What a waste of human energy, the lives lived and died here , the unbelievable suffering on both sides. A scar to remind us the futility of war.
a waste indeed.. because the decision makers back then wanted power and glory... isn't it still the same now? what did we learn as a human race from all these millions sacrificing themselves.....
Many thanks for this Steven. I'm a translator and am doing a piece from French into English about the Butte de Vauquois. Your video helped me understand what happened there and was a beautiful reminder about the folly of war.
All my great grand fathers (the four of them then) were soldiers in WWI, two on the French side. They’ve all survived but one got a piece of his skull replaced by a metal plate (died 20 years later of Subsequent poisoning) and another ended up crazy after having been sent back a third time to the front after as many wounds, two of them headwounds, the last one having brought him so close to death that it was only because of the bubbles of air in his bloodied nose that those who found him realized he was still alive.
Yes, thank you Steven for this aerial video. My grandfather like so many others went "Over the Top" on September 26 and made good progress advancing around the butte that morning in the fog (lost like everyone else) following the pre-dawn bombardment, digging in for the night near the village of Véry. A second night dug in, past Cheppy, and his battle ended on the morning of the 28th advancing up a hillside from a shell burst. His story to us as kids was that possession of his company's signal flags allowed stretcher bearers to locate him amidst the carnage and, withdrawn from the battlefield and removed to hospital, he walked with a limp and cane and metal oozing occasionally from his lower leg for the rest of his life, thankful to be alive and committed to doing good with the life he was given.
@@StevenUpton14-18 Interesting Steven. I did feel the exact same way upon visiting the cemeteries on the Somme and Passchendaele. But for whatever reason, I did not feel that way upon visiting Verdun. It felt as though the ghosts there refused to die...
@@armanzbahrani291 - Yes, Verdun seems to feel somewhat different. One reason might be that the land was never reclaimed after the war. They just planted trees and left it.
When I was working in Aachen - Veersen and Essen during the 90s I noticed something different straight away - no birds, flying or on the ground. This started to become notable as soon as we got to the Rhur Valley nearing Kruups steel . Eerie to say the least when you've come from somewhere full of bird life .
At one time steel production was associated with beehive coke furnaces. Toxins from the coke production killed plant life and sickened animal life for miles around. This was up to 1900 or so. Maybe a different kind of pollurion.
Thank you for the nice series.I just finished reading another book on Verdun battles.I had never realised how important Vauquois was.I've been reading history for over 40 years and had never known much about this hill, seeing it brings it all together.
By far the best series of videos covering WW1 battle locations and historical highlights. You have done an outstanding job covering this topic and the footage is spectacular. Even better is your choice of lesser known locations and events and informative narration. Thank you for sharing these videos. its interesting that the craters do not have any of regrowth of the surrounding forest unless it is kept that way intentionally by park caretakers.
When seen like this from above, it show's the futility and waste of that terrible war and what is most shocking is that it didn't stop the 2nd one 20 years later. It was actually the cause of the 2'nd one. Great video's , thanks for uploading.
Mr. Upton I miss your videos so much. It is so good to see one on WWl very enjoyable and the music will put you in the mood for many more. Thank you so much.
I will be in Germany next week starting to film again. I am going to the 'Dams' where the WW2 dam busters mission was. In September I will be back on the Somme to get more footage for more WW1 films.
I find this video so representative of the futile struggle of the combatants during WW1. The entire ridge resembles an enormous trench as a result of the 500 or so mines that were detonated during the conflict. It is truly horrific to think 8000 souls were vaporized in this small piece of real estate. Thank you for honoring their memories with such beautifully done video presentations. I hope to see more of your productions in the future, they are some of the finest posted on you tube.
The shadows in the trenches really help to pick them out. Even a ground view doesn't give that sense of scale. Great video, informative and fascinating.
Thank you for recommending the video Steve, great work. I still wonder in amazement at the horrors of what we, as a species, do to each other, and this is a prime example of the atrocities of war.
This video is so surprising to me. I rate it as one of the top 10 of 2019, largely because I, personally, have never even HEARD of Butte de Vauquois and I have seen A LOT of videos, including well-funded BROADCAST DOCUMENTARIES about WW1, including those specifically about sappers and underground mining and explosions; AND, if that were not enough to set this video apart, I've seen so much somber, "From the Air" footage of the remnants of that ghastly conflict -- with never a mention of this important archaeological site! Hopefully, this is just the intro to an in-depth (pardon) study. Kudos to you, @Steven Upton, for bringing this to light in a visually arresting style, and for surprising this jaded video watcher!
Truly an incredible video. I have watched many videos on WWI and this one of the most somber and poignant for me. Knowing that I am seeing the actual craters where a village and 8,000 soldiers were evaporated puts a chill over me. For some reason, to some extent, I can feel the fear and apprehension of those who fought and died there. For me, this simple and elegant video captures the ultimate futility and madness of war. Thank you for the video.
Thanks again Steven, I took two of my boys there in 2018, unfortunately as I’m now a wheelchair user I couldn’t access it myself, so your superb video gives an excellent view. Thank you also for the facts and figures.
Thank your so much for bringing these wonderful videos of history. Your work is the finest. Please bring more of them. So enjoyable to watch them and learn. Makes me wish I could be there to take part in these wonderful takings. Thanks again
I've only found your videos this autumn (2019) as a result of searches for anything about the Somme -- they are wonderfully well done and thank you so much! On a practical note: are there any regulations re. flying camera drones over sites in France? I think there are quite strict regs there re. metal detecting -- tougher than in UK -- so just curious to know!
Thank you for watching. In Belgium you cannot fly over private property. In one of the Messiness mines films where I do I asked for permission. The home owner was very willing to allow it. So far whilst filming in France I have tried to do it at times when there are very few people around and they are all in open countryside. Since 1 Dec 19 to fly in the U.K. you have to be registered.
@@StevenUpton14-18 Ah, interesting stuff... and I didn't know about the change in regs in UK. Thank you so much for providing the info, and so quickly!
There is an Australian movie, Beneath Hill 60, which depicts the mining under the enemy, I remember watching it a few years ago but I didn't realise how much devastation the mining caused. 60 tons of explosive must have been a massive task. Your drone footage gives a new perspective of the horrors both sides endured in the war. Thank you for sharing. Lest we forget.
Thank you for watching. Beneath Hill 60 is a good film. I have filmed Hill 60 and other craters in the Ypres to Messines area. You will find it on my channel.
Your videos make me angry in a way that no war documentaries do. I've tried to explain it here, but I delete it after each attempt because it doesn't capture the sentiment. Thank you so much for doing these videos Steve. They've very important.
Thank you for watching. I like to read about a particular battle or location and then visit it. Standing on the actual ground where these events took place helps me to understand.
I like your work, Steven. My GGrandad and numerous uncles were vets of this war. It is rather terrifying to consider what happened in those terrible trenches.
My great grandfather Jacob Andrews fought in the Canadian military during WWI. He was a Cpll in the 25th battalion. He fought at Vimy and several other major battles the Canadians took part in. We still have his distinguished conduct medal he received for leading his Lewis Gun section into enemy trenches and taking out an MG and its crew. And so the story goes he met the King when he was visiting injured soldiers at a hospital behind the front. It's crazy to think that if anything else had gone differently, my great grandfather might have died. And that MG crew might have lived, and I would have never existed, and somewhere out there there would be some German great grandsons talking about their relatives in the great war. What a terrible war. I'm so glad our people are no longer enemies. Never forget what a crime war is.
While stationed in Germany with the USAF I had the oppurtunity to visit this place and we were given tours of both the German and French tunnels. This place is a testament to the insanity that was the first World War.
@@StevenUpton14-18 no worries been going around western front areas over 35 years, really interesting to have aerial overview, seen so much more than a squaddie in a ditch, Ypres areas difficult to visualize a salient,with all the rebuilding,Verdun trees planted everywhere, Somme not much difference from July 1st 1916 front line area.
hi Steven, fantastic footage, we visited the Verdun region in June 16, cant wait to return. regarding the shimmer i expect you already know this but incase you dont, i think this is due to gimble shake, i have read it can be fixed by a gimble callibration within the DJI go app. do you use a flight plan or is it all down to fly by sight and great editing? i myself am just getting into drone flying with the Phantom 3 adv, and a Mavic Pro.
Thank you for your comments. I will be back at Verdun next week and hope to get some filming done. Regarding the shimmering, I was not aware that you could calibrate it out. I find that it does not happen very often. I always fly manually, never tried pre-programming a plan.
Fantastic videos, sir. I would love to tour these battlefields and wanted to for some time. Unfortunately, I still haven't seen much. Your videos really are a treat for an amateur historian such as myself. Thank you.
Thank you for watching. I do not know if they still have tours, but I have seen videos on RUclips. I believe that there are over 15 miles of tunnels, many are still unexplored.
Yes, Micheal, they still have tours there. It's a group of french people called "Les amis de Vauquois". My son an me had the chance to visit the tunnels two weeks ago. You see, the reason for our visit is that my grandfather died just there in Vauquois in autumn 1915 and - although I'd been in the region a couple of years ago, I hadn't seen it ever before. Be sure, I've been and I still am deeply impressed.
@@klausbosbach9690 It's an incredible place. We also went thru the Verdun area and in both areas there's just this atmosphere that makes you contemplate what these men both French and Germans experienced and suffered. It humbles me. I'm in the process of trying to research my Grandmother's brother. In 1917 he had just graduated from the Episcopal seminary and volunteered for the army when the United States declared war. Instead of going in the army as a chaplain he declared that he couldn't minister to the men until he knew what they were experiencing. He entered the U.S. Army as a lieutenant in the infantry was killed some where in France. So sad as my grandmother would not talk very much about him. I would very much like to know what his unit was and where he lost his life. I always wonder how his life would have influenced my family if he had survived.
@ Michael Whyte During our visit of the Verdun area we came to the Amercan Cemetery of Romagne-sous-Montfaucon where we met a veteran of the US Army in the late afternoon on thursday 22 nov. He told us a lot about the US invasion in 1918. Sorry, I have no address, but I remember his name: Walter Benjamin. Probably you find his address, you should try to contact him.
@@mwhyte1979 Hello Michael, probably you will find some information in this publication: www.abmc.gov/sites/default/files/publications/AABEFINAL_Blue_Book.pdf
Having recently become a devout fan ( I am planning a lifetime desired trip to all the Western Front) I am wondering if you have original trench maps and a geographical location map ? Absolutely admire and respect your productions.
I have over 800 trench maps covering the British sectors on iPad and iPhone. Using GPS I can see exactly where I am on them. Have a look at: www.greatwardigital.com
The most astonishing to me about these battlefields, is that these beautiful old landscapes with their deep scars still is the final resting place for thousands of soldiers. It's a both disturbing and humbling thought to have in the back of your head when you see these images. A cemetery, but left to it's own device as it was too much to handle when peace finally came.
Most of your videos are thought-provoking, but the scars on this one location really show the insanity of the conflict. Five hundred mines in one location, it boggles the mind.
Great video.. You have a good narration voice. Perhaps you should make some asmr videos to also train a constant tone and frequency, which makes it really pleasant for the listener. Then you can start making some sound-book money
Then again, the small unique features of a voice gives character. Hmmm... But I could definitely imagine listening to Baskervilles Hound on the train. Good choice of music composition. Is that a newer piece? It sounds familiar but I haven't heard of Kevin MacLeod, till now
Thanks for this impressive video Steven, I was there April 2019, such a sad sight. It is said that this hill was the worst sector on the whole western front. Well worth the visit.
@@TayebMC - I am not aware of tours. But I hope you are correct. I have seen some good RUclips films from inside the tunnels. I did read that they have not been fully explored.
You are doing a brilliant job with your videos I am myself researching about the battle of loose in France my great great uncle lost his life in the 1st battle buy our own gas on the 25 the September 1915 he was only just turned 17 years old and a member of the 1 Battalion RWF and it has been a big debate in our family for many years what his Job was sorry about going on about my family and thank you for your very inspiring and emotional videos
Astonishing. The sheer effort and man hours that went in to trying to blow each other off the hill shows the desperation of trying to break the deadlock of trench warfare.
Just watched this video and found it very sobering. I have taken a greater interest in World War One; your videos are very educational and create a deeper connection to the events that had to be hell on earth during their time.
A thought provoking film Steven, I want to say so much after watching this but I cant find the words without becoming political. A superb use of the drone footage and an excellent description.
I've been there. It's really cool. We practically stumbled upon it. We were following the historical markers. You can go into the tunnels. They're lit up. Right by the monument is an entrance you can go into and they're still a lot of barbwire there
Thank you Steven. Your videos are some of the best analysis of battlefields I've seen. I do have a question about this battlefield. The mine craters are at the top of the hill, which I gather would have been no man's land. Why weren't the mine craters on the sides of the hill, where the apposing armies were presumably concentrated?
Thank you for watching. Good question - I believe that when the mines were detonated they were directly under the opposing sides trenches or strong points. After detonation both sides fought for control of the far lip of the crater. In many cases, due to counter-attacks, they had to retreat to their near lip and dig in. I think what we see here is the later case where each side ended up defending their own respective near sides of the craters. As the land became more and more cratered, no mans land was as you see it now, a series of big holes that were impossible to capture. It then became easier to stage attacks elsewhere. Please note that the above is supposition by me, and if inaccurate, my error entirely.
Most British tourists go to Ypres and the Somme; however, other than cemeteries there is not a lot to see. I have visited virtually the whole of the Western Front and there is far more to see in the French part, mostly off the tourists routes. Have a look at the two videos I have done on Massiges; there is nothing like this to see in the British sector.
unbelievable, imagine being a soldier, deployed there, you know that there has been 20 mine detonations before, you can see the craters around you, in fact, you are actually sitting in one. Just that fact would make it mentally a terrible experience, knowing that at any moment, 100 m2 could dissapear just like that, with you in it. Absolutely crazy, sitting on top of a bomb at the age of 18, and being told to hold and stay there.
It just does not bare thinking about, the stress they must have been under waiting for the next one. And you can't decide to leave. You own side would shoot you if you did.
@@StevenUpton14-18 I live closeby these places. Even been part of the 19ème groupe de chasseurs regiment that fought in Verdun 100 years ago and later commanded by quite a famous general. I wish for anyone to visit these places with their own eyes and emotions.... also and maybe surprisingly the german cemeteries with the david cross of jewish german soldiers who died for their countries in the first war and were later persecuted by the nazis... horrible irony. Thks again for the videos.
Thank you for watching. In all of these first world war sites there are bodies found whenever they excavate. Some 50% of those killed have no know graves. They are still on the battlefield.
As someone who cannot travel due to health reasons and is on the other side of the planet but wanted to see ww1 battlefields to pay my respects thankyou very much
@@anvilbrunner.2013 - due to most of the Western Front being static for long periods mini was a common practice by all sides. In this 500 metre stretch there was over 500. Along the whole front it was thousands. Some are still there packed with explosives slowly decaying. One big one went off in 1951.
@@anvilbrunner.2013 - There was a British army engineer who investigated this issue and they dug up one of the mines at Vimy Ridge. It was still packed with explosives with the detonators in place. It was directly below a main road. So dangerous they had to leave it. There was a documentary made about it.
Thank you for that touching bit of pictorial history. Its so sad to see that as a species, we have learned only how to kill one another more efficiently.
Thank you for watching. I have visited both locations several times; I am not sure that you are correct. The problem is that there is more information about Vauquois and many of the tunnels are still open. Whereas Eparges seems to have fewer visitors. Whenever I have been there it has always been deserted.
![Felix "Unfair" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Oswujxm2Ag0/mqdefault.jpg)
I am 61...for glasgow but now live in vancouver b.c....my English teacher at St thomas aquinas was edward wallace....I was a mediocre student....he read journey s end by r.c. Sherriff. ...it was like he had been there...it affects me to this day....he explained every line....3 days in ypres before the he'll that was coming....the humour, the sadness....it's still with me....now I can get the play on youtube....thank you big ED....a very talented man.
Thank you for watching.
54 from Glasgow and in Van BC 🤷♂️. Pretty funny. I remember them reading wilfred Owen at school about the mustard gas.
Apart from being one of the most fascinating videos I've ever watched on RUclips, this is one of the most surprising in that I have NEVER heard of Butte Dr Vauquois. This must be the most unique historical sites on the entire western front, yet I have not seen it mentioned on any of the WW1 documentaries I've watched in recent years. Great video! Well done!
I agree on all points. VERY informative!
Indeed. Astounding.
Practically no one has heard about it, mostly because it was a total embarrassment for the French that they couldn't dislodge the Germans for four years... it only happened when the Americans took the peak in 1918 with 3500 guns and 20,000 men
Thank you for watching. I came across it quite by accident, never having read about it.
Thank you for watching. I came across this place quite by chance whilst taking some back roads between Reims and Verdun.
These are among the most sobering films I have ever seen. Your work is so important, never take it down.
Thank you for watching.
@@StevenUpton14-18 this is the most staggering images of the waste of WW1.
@@DavidWilliams-hv7so The level of destruction along the Western Front during the four years of constant shelling and mine explosions is quite shocking.
This has to be one of the most shocking sights of war. What a waste of human energy, the lives lived and died here , the unbelievable suffering on both sides. A scar to remind us the futility of war.
Thank you for watching.
a waste indeed.. because the decision makers back then wanted power and glory... isn't it still the same now? what did we learn as a human race from all these millions sacrificing themselves.....
Obviously not a good enough reminder as in just a few years we had a Second World War such a waste.
Wars are necessary!
It was not futile for the Ruling Elites of England and France and their banker masters who wanted to destroy Germany.
Many thanks for this Steven. I'm a translator and am doing a piece from French into English about the Butte de Vauquois. Your video helped me understand what happened there and was a beautiful reminder about the folly of war.
Thank you for watching. This is a very moving place. It is believed that there are the remains of several thousand soldiers under this hill.
''Slay the ram of pride instead'',
but Abraham would not so and slew his son
... and half the seed of Europe
... one
... by one.
Wilfred Owen.
All my great grand fathers (the four of them then) were soldiers in WWI, two on the French side.
They’ve all survived but one got a piece of his skull replaced by a metal plate (died 20 years later of Subsequent poisoning) and another ended up crazy after having been sent back a third time to the front after as many wounds, two of them headwounds, the last one having brought him so close to death that it was only because of the bubbles of air in his bloodied nose that those who found him realized he was still alive.
Thank you for watching and sharing your family history.
Alsaciens?
Dunkerquois
You’re welcome, Steven (sorry for the late reply!)
Yes, thank you Steven for this aerial video. My grandfather like so many others went "Over the Top" on September 26 and made good progress advancing around the butte that morning in the fog (lost like everyone else) following the pre-dawn bombardment, digging in for the night near the village of Véry. A second night dug in, past Cheppy, and his battle ended on the morning of the 28th advancing up a hillside from a shell burst. His story to us as kids was that possession of his company's signal flags allowed stretcher bearers to locate him amidst the carnage and, withdrawn from the battlefield and removed to hospital, he walked with a limp and cane and metal oozing occasionally from his lower leg for the rest of his life, thankful to be alive and committed to doing good with the life he was given.
I cannot say ’Amazing’ too many times when watching this. Thank you so much for this, extremely high quality stuff!
Thank you for watching.
I really enjoy your excellent videos, Steven. Please keep them coming. They are very much appreciated.Thank you.
Thank you for watching. I do not think I will get another done this year. But I have plans for many more.
Thanks for watching. More to come next year.
Harrowing.
The human despair and pain at such a site, must leave a terrible sadness in the air.
Thank you for watching. On visiting the cemeteries I always get a feeling pf peace.
@@StevenUpton14-18 Interesting Steven. I did feel the exact same way upon visiting the cemeteries on the Somme and Passchendaele.
But for whatever reason, I did not feel that way upon visiting Verdun. It felt as though the ghosts there refused to die...
@@armanzbahrani291 - Yes, Verdun seems to feel somewhat different. One reason might be that the land was never reclaimed after the war. They just planted trees and left it.
When I was working in Aachen - Veersen and Essen during the 90s I noticed something different straight away - no birds, flying or on the ground. This started to become notable as soon as we got to the Rhur Valley nearing Kruups steel . Eerie to say the least when you've come from somewhere full of bird life .
At one time steel production was associated with beehive coke furnaces. Toxins from the coke production killed plant life and sickened animal life for miles around. This was up to 1900 or so. Maybe a different kind of pollurion.
Thank you for the nice series.I just finished reading another book on Verdun battles.I had never realised how important Vauquois was.I've been reading history for over 40 years and had never known much about this hill, seeing it brings it all together.
Thank you for watching. If you get the chance to visit, it very impressive.
I have read extensively about WW1 - but nothing has visualised the sheer scale of the conflict in the way your aerial videos do. Thank you
Thank you for watching.
“It is well that war is so terrible, or we should grow too fond of it” - Robert E. Lee, 1862.
Robert Tomkie ...Yet here we are...
Thank you for watching.
i never understood that quote... still don't
Nice work, drone photography has just opened up a whole new world of understanding of these battlefields, I believe.
Thank you for watching.
Another excellent effort with outstanding results Steven. To say war is hell is quite the under statement.
Thank you for watching.
By far the best series of videos covering WW1 battle locations and historical highlights. You have done an outstanding job covering this topic and the footage is spectacular. Even better is your choice of lesser known locations and events and informative narration. Thank you for sharing these videos. its interesting that the craters do not have any of regrowth of the surrounding forest unless it is kept that way intentionally by park caretakers.
Thank you for watching and your encouraging feedback. Some of these areas are preserved battlefields. the is why there are no trees growing in places.
When seen like this from above, it show's the futility and waste of that terrible war and what is most shocking is that it didn't stop the 2nd one 20 years later. It was actually the cause of the 2'nd one. Great video's , thanks for uploading.
Thank you for watching.
That's because they cocked this one so bad they thought they needed a second try. Careful what you wish for, you just might get it.
Nice one Steven. Beautifully shot and narrated. As always.
Thank you for watching.
Mr. Upton I miss your videos so much. It is so good to see one on WWl very enjoyable and the music will put you in the mood for many more. Thank you so much.
I will be in Germany next week starting to film again. I am going to the 'Dams' where the WW2 dam busters mission was. In September I will be back on the Somme to get more footage for more WW1 films.
Captured the mood and solemnity of the place most effectively. Good video .
Thank you for watching.
Thank you for educating us on the horrors of trench warfare. Really well done.
Thank you for watching.
I never even heard of mines until your videos. Thanks for keeping the memory of the these men alive.
Thank you for watching. There were thousands along much of the Western Front.
I find this video so representative of the futile struggle of the combatants during WW1. The entire ridge resembles an enormous trench as a result of the 500 or so mines that were detonated during the conflict. It is truly horrific to think 8000 souls were vaporized in this small piece of real estate. Thank you for honoring their memories with such beautifully done video presentations. I hope to see more of your productions in the future, they are some of the finest posted on you tube.
Thank you for watching.
Thank you for posting your video(s) and for keeping WW1 history alive.
Thank you for watching.
I've been there 12 years ago,it really impressed me.
Nice vid Steven.❤
@@richardlaan1221 - Thank you for watching.
The shadows in the trenches really help to pick them out. Even a ground view doesn't give that sense of scale. Great video, informative and fascinating.
Thank you for watching.
Thank you for recommending the video Steve, great work. I still wonder in amazement at the horrors of what we, as a species, do to each other, and this is a prime example of the atrocities of war.
I hear you. when you stand at a place like this, it just blows you mind trying to think what it would have been like at the time. Unimaginable!
This video is so surprising to me. I rate it as one of the top 10 of 2019, largely because I, personally, have never even HEARD of Butte de Vauquois and I have seen A LOT of videos, including well-funded BROADCAST DOCUMENTARIES about WW1, including those specifically about sappers and underground mining and explosions; AND, if that were not enough to set this video apart, I've seen so much somber, "From the Air" footage of the remnants of that ghastly conflict -- with never a mention of this important archaeological site! Hopefully, this is just the intro to an in-depth (pardon) study.
Kudos to you, @Steven Upton, for bringing this to light in a visually arresting style, and for surprising this jaded video watcher!
Thank you for watching.
This is really exceptional, and a great backdrop to books like "The Myth Of The Great War" and "The Great War And Modern Memory"... keep 'em coming!
Thank you for watching.
@@StevenUpton14-18 any way we can go galoomphing over the battlefields together in the near future?
@@eviloverlordsean Email me steven@s-upton.com
In France they say, only the V from Vauquois is left.
Meaning the V shaped scar when you view the hill from the west.
Thank you for watching.
Truly an incredible video. I have watched many videos on WWI and this one of the most somber and poignant for me. Knowing that I am seeing the actual craters where a village and 8,000 soldiers were evaporated puts a chill over me. For some reason, to some extent, I can feel the fear and apprehension of those who fought and died there. For me, this simple and elegant video captures the ultimate futility and madness of war. Thank you for the video.
Thank you for watching. It is a very somber place to stand and think there was once a village there.
Another well shot, narrated and produced video. Fascinating. Well done, thank you, I really enjoy them.
Thank you for watching.
Thanks again Steven, I took two of my boys there in 2018, unfortunately as I’m now a wheelchair user I couldn’t access it myself, so your superb video gives an excellent view. Thank you also for the facts and figures.
Thank you for watching.
With the passage of history you forget how savage World War 1 really was.
Thank you for watching.
@@StevenUpton14-18 You've opened my eyes to World War 1. Never knew anything about "mine warfare" under trenches
@@magicalminis597 that is why they called us aussie's diggers , because of the mining boom in Australia 1890s many were skilled in building tunnels .
The acne scars of civilisation. A beautiful and moving tribute. Thank you.
Thank you for watching.
Thank your so much for bringing these wonderful videos of history. Your work is the finest. Please bring more of them. So enjoyable to watch them and learn. Makes me wish I could be there to take part in these wonderful takings. Thanks again
Thank you for watching. I will be doing some more filming next month, weather permitting. I am going to Hill 70 near Loos.
Beautifully filmed, music and commentary Steven
This is an amazing place. If you get the chance, go.
Another superb video of history!
Thank you for watching.
Thank you Steven for doing this keep it up, lest we forget
Thank you for watching. We will remember them.
Veramente bel video, anche la musica appropriata. Grande Steven.
Thank you for watching.
I've only found your videos this autumn (2019) as a result of searches for anything about the Somme -- they are wonderfully well done and thank you so much! On a practical note: are there any regulations re. flying camera drones over sites in France? I think there are quite strict regs there re. metal detecting -- tougher than in UK -- so just curious to know!
Thank you for watching. In Belgium you cannot fly over private property. In one of the Messiness mines films where I do I asked for permission. The home owner was very willing to allow it. So far whilst filming in France I have tried to do it at times when there are very few people around and they are all in open countryside. Since 1 Dec 19 to fly in the U.K. you have to be registered.
@@StevenUpton14-18 Ah, interesting stuff... and I didn't know about the change in regs in UK. Thank you so much for providing the info, and so quickly!
I once went down into la boiselle and this obviously reminds me of that. Thanks Steven, great video.
Thank you for watching.
There is an Australian movie, Beneath Hill 60, which depicts the mining under the enemy, I remember watching it a few years ago but I didn't realise how much devastation the mining caused. 60 tons of explosive must have been a massive task. Your drone footage gives a new perspective of the horrors both sides endured in the war. Thank you for sharing. Lest we forget.
Thank you for watching. Beneath Hill 60 is a good film. I have filmed Hill 60 and other craters in the Ypres to Messines area. You will find it on my channel.
so a hill and a village is more important than all those lives. i cannot understand that
fantastic video
Thank you for watching. You can't look at this hill in isolation from the rest of the war. The French believed that evicting the invader was worth it.
Your videos make me angry in a way that no war documentaries do. I've tried to explain it here, but I delete it after each attempt because it doesn't capture the sentiment. Thank you so much for doing these videos Steve. They've very important.
Thank you for watching.
Amazing view, only possible with a drone, fantastic video, thanks again. Never forget, history matters
Thank you for watching.
Very well done once again, these are great videos. Visiting these places in person must be quite sobering.
Thank you for watching. I like to read about a particular battle or location and then visit it. Standing on the actual ground where these events took place helps me to understand.
I like your work, Steven. My GGrandad and numerous uncles were vets of this war. It is rather terrifying to consider what happened in those terrible trenches.
Thank you for watching.
My great grandfather Jacob Andrews fought in the Canadian military during WWI. He was a Cpll in the 25th battalion. He fought at Vimy and several other major battles the Canadians took part in. We still have his distinguished conduct medal he received for leading his Lewis Gun section into enemy trenches and taking out an MG and its crew. And so the story goes he met the King when he was visiting injured soldiers at a hospital behind the front. It's crazy to think that if anything else had gone differently, my great grandfather might have died. And that MG crew might have lived, and I would have never existed, and somewhere out there there would be some German great grandsons talking about their relatives in the great war. What a terrible war. I'm so glad our people are no longer enemies. Never forget what a crime war is.
Thank you for sharing. It does make you think.
Awesome series Steven.
Thank you for watching.
Thank you for this. It's all so fascinating. I keep coming back to a quote that I can't place. "It had become an industrial process in reverse".
Thank you for watching.
While stationed in Germany with the USAF I had the oppurtunity to visit this place and we were given tours of both the German and French tunnels. This place is a testament to the insanity that was the first World War.
Thank you for watching. I was in the Royal Air Force.
Properly impressive presentation bloke.
Thank you for watching.
been there, just a series of massive joined up mine craters, seen nothing that sums up futility of war in such a relatively small area
Thank you for watching.
@@StevenUpton14-18 no worries been going around western front areas over 35 years, really interesting to have aerial overview, seen so much more than a squaddie in a ditch, Ypres areas difficult to visualize a salient,with all the rebuilding,Verdun trees planted everywhere, Somme not much difference from July 1st 1916 front line area.
@@louisgunn From the air you can get a far better idea of the lie of the land.
@@StevenUpton14-18 have often thought i'd love to go up in a tethered observation balloon at Mametz and Hawthorn ridge
@@louisgunn These are places on my "want to film" list.
8 thousand people desintegrated, lost for ever, for a hill top.
Thank you for watching.
hi Steven, fantastic footage, we visited the Verdun region in June 16, cant wait to return.
regarding the shimmer i expect you already know this but incase you dont, i think this is due to gimble shake, i have read it can be fixed by a gimble callibration within the DJI go app. do you use a flight plan or is it all down to fly by sight and great editing? i myself am just getting into drone flying with the Phantom 3 adv, and a Mavic Pro.
Thank you for your comments. I will be back at Verdun next week and hope to get some filming done. Regarding the shimmering, I was not aware that you could calibrate it out. I find that it does not happen very often. I always fly manually, never tried pre-programming a plan.
Fantastic videos, sir. I would love to tour these battlefields and wanted to for some time. Unfortunately, I still haven't seen much. Your videos really are a treat for an amateur historian such as myself. Thank you.
Thank you for watching. I hope you get chance to visit them.
Was there in 1999. Do they still have tours of the German and French tunnels?
Thank you for watching. I do not know if they still have tours, but I have seen videos on RUclips. I believe that there are over 15 miles of tunnels, many are still unexplored.
Yes, Micheal, they still have tours there. It's a group of french people called "Les amis de Vauquois". My son an me had the chance to visit the tunnels two weeks ago. You see, the reason for our visit is that my grandfather died just there in Vauquois in autumn 1915 and - although I'd been in the region a couple of years ago, I hadn't seen it ever before. Be sure, I've been and I still am deeply impressed.
@@klausbosbach9690 It's an incredible place. We also went thru the Verdun area and in both areas there's just this atmosphere that makes you contemplate what these men both French and Germans experienced and suffered. It humbles me. I'm in the process of trying to research my Grandmother's brother. In 1917 he had just graduated from the Episcopal seminary and volunteered for the army when the United States declared war. Instead of going in the army as a chaplain he declared that he couldn't minister to the men until he knew what they were experiencing. He entered the U.S. Army as a lieutenant in the infantry was killed some where in France. So sad as my grandmother would not talk very much about him. I would very much like to know what his unit was and where he lost his life. I always wonder how his life would have influenced my family if he had survived.
@ Michael Whyte
During our visit of the Verdun area we came to the Amercan Cemetery of Romagne-sous-Montfaucon where we met a veteran of the US Army in the late afternoon on thursday 22 nov. He told us a lot about the US invasion in 1918. Sorry, I have no address, but I remember his name: Walter Benjamin. Probably you find his address, you should try to contact him.
@@mwhyte1979 Hello Michael, probably you will find some information in this publication: www.abmc.gov/sites/default/files/publications/AABEFINAL_Blue_Book.pdf
Great Video Steve, an appropriate piece of music to accompany it.
Thank you for watching.
Stunning. Thank you for your work on this subject.
Thank you for watching.
Having recently become a devout fan ( I am planning a lifetime desired trip to all the Western Front) I am wondering if you have original trench maps and a geographical location map ?
Absolutely admire and respect your productions.
I have over 800 trench maps covering the British sectors on iPad and iPhone. Using GPS I can see exactly where I am on them. Have a look at: www.greatwardigital.com
The most astonishing to me about these battlefields, is that these beautiful old landscapes with their deep scars still is the final resting place for thousands of soldiers. It's a both disturbing and humbling thought to have in the back of your head when you see these images. A cemetery, but left to it's own device as it was too much to handle when peace finally came.
Thank you for watching.
Most of your videos are thought-provoking, but the scars on this one location really show the insanity of the conflict. Five hundred mines in one location, it boggles the mind.
Thank you for watching.
Steve Upton? Were you the drummer for Wishbone Ash?
No.
Good Video,great work!Greetings from Germany.
Thank you for watching.
Excellent and interesting as always. Must have been horrible to fight there.
Thank you for watching. Imagine the stress of not knowing when or where the next explosion will be.
Great video..
You have a good narration voice. Perhaps you should make some asmr videos to also train a constant tone and frequency, which makes it really pleasant for the listener.
Then you can start making some sound-book money
Then again, the small unique features of a voice gives character. Hmmm...
But I could definitely imagine listening to Baskervilles Hound on the train.
Good choice of music composition. Is that a newer piece?
It sounds familiar but I haven't heard of Kevin MacLeod, till now
Thank you for watching. Not really interested in making money. I am just sharing my hobby. But thank you for your suggestion.
Thank you for watching. The music is from a RUclips free download.
Thanks for this impressive video Steven, I was there April 2019, such a sad sight. It is said that this hill was the worst sector on the whole western front. Well worth the visit.
Thank you for watching. There are over 20 kms of tunnels under the hill.
@@StevenUpton14-18: I heard there are organised tours of the tunnel system on the first Sunday every month. If so I will be going back.
@@TayebMC - I am not aware of tours. But I hope you are correct. I have seen some good RUclips films from inside the tunnels. I did read that they have not been fully explored.
You are doing a brilliant job with your videos I am myself researching about the battle of loose in France my great great uncle lost his life in the 1st battle buy our own gas on the 25 the September 1915 he was only just turned 17 years old and a member of the 1 Battalion RWF and it has been a big debate in our family for many years what his Job was sorry about going on about my family and thank you for your very inspiring and emotional videos
Thank you for watching. I am going to film at Loos in December.
Thank you for an excellent video and included explanation.
Thank you for watching.
Excelente video. Felicitaciones
Thank you for watching.
Thanks once again for a very clear, interesting video
Thank you for watching.
Astonishing. The sheer effort and man hours that went in to trying to blow each other off the hill shows the desperation of trying to break the deadlock of trench warfare.
Thank you for watching. They could not go around or over, so they tried to go under.
Just watched this video and found it very sobering. I have taken a greater interest in World War One; your videos are very educational and create a deeper connection to the events that had to be hell on earth during their time.
Thank you for watching.
Very well done.
Thank you for watching.
A thought provoking film Steven, I want to say so much after watching this but I cant find the words without becoming political. A superb use of the drone footage and an excellent description.
Thank you for watching and your feedback.
Well done, and do share your videos.
Thank you for watching.
I've been there. It's really cool. We practically stumbled upon it. We were following the historical markers. You can go into the tunnels. They're lit up. Right by the monument is an entrance you can go into and they're still a lot of barbwire there
Thank you for watching.
I can't wait to see more of your videos thank you again
Thank you for watching. Next one will not be until December.
I noticed that Nothing Grows inside of the Craters!
Thank you for watching. Just grass.
very informative , i hope nothing goes off under the motorway..
Thank you for watching. There are quite a number of unexploded mines across both France and Belgium.
Remarkably documented. Excellent detail especially the trenches. May they Rest in Eternal Peace. Pax Vobiscum.
Thank you for watching.
an big damage and still 104 years later you could see it, nice video o like it !
Thank you for watching.
Do we know if it was done in one go or one after the other??
Many mines over several years.
Thank you Steven. Your videos are some of the best analysis of battlefields I've seen. I do have a question about this battlefield. The mine craters are at the top of the hill, which I gather would have been no man's land. Why weren't the mine craters on the sides of the hill, where the apposing armies were presumably concentrated?
Thank you for watching. Good question - I believe that when the mines were detonated they were directly under the opposing sides trenches or strong points. After detonation both sides fought for control of the far lip of the crater. In many cases, due to counter-attacks, they had to retreat to their near lip and dig in.
I think what we see here is the later case where each side ended up defending their own respective near sides of the craters. As the land became more and more cratered, no mans land was as you see it now, a series of big holes that were impossible to capture. It then became easier to stage attacks elsewhere.
Please note that the above is supposition by me, and if inaccurate, my error entirely.
That makes sense. Thank you. What a truly hellish place it must have been.
Gréât vidéo , thank you
Thank you for watching.
In the UK we hear little or nothing about the French in WW1 apart from Verdun.
Most British tourists go to Ypres and the Somme; however, other than cemeteries there is not a lot to see. I have visited virtually the whole of the Western Front and there is far more to see in the French part, mostly off the tourists routes. Have a look at the two videos I have done on Massiges; there is nothing like this to see in the British sector.
Fascinating. Thanks for posting. 👊
Thank you for watching.
unbelievable, imagine being a soldier, deployed there, you know that there has been 20 mine detonations before, you can see the craters around you, in fact, you are actually sitting in one.
Just that fact would make it mentally a terrible experience, knowing that at any moment, 100 m2 could dissapear just like that, with you in it.
Absolutely crazy, sitting on top of a bomb at the age of 18, and being told to hold and stay there.
It just does not bare thinking about, the stress they must have been under waiting for the next one. And you can't decide to leave. You own side would shoot you if you did.
Been there...and the video still blows my mind.
Thank you for watching.
@@StevenUpton14-18 I live closeby these places. Even been part of the 19ème groupe de chasseurs regiment that fought in Verdun 100 years ago and later commanded by quite a famous general. I wish for anyone to visit these places with their own eyes and emotions.... also and maybe surprisingly the german cemeteries with the david cross of jewish german soldiers who died for their countries in the first war and were later persecuted by the nazis... horrible irony. Thks again for the videos.
Another sobering and beautiful memorial Steven.
Thank you for watching.
i see it there incradeble ,the tunnels and stil People in there
Thank you for watching. In all of these first world war sites there are bodies found whenever they excavate. Some 50% of those killed have no know graves. They are still on the battlefield.
slightly below 0 = ? slightly below 32`
I'm in Europe we use centigrade.
Very impressive video. What an expression of madness
Thank you for watching.
For those who died here in an obscure place, in a forgotten battle, for a small hill, a village, i say thank you.
Thank you for watching.
As someone who cannot travel due to health reasons and is on the other side of the planet but wanted to see ww1 battlefields to pay my respects thankyou very much
Thank you for watching. It is very encouraging to get positive feedback.
Yes educational; I'd never heard of it before. 8,000 soldier's were never found. How many died up there ?
Thank you for watching. It is estimated that as many as 14,000 dies here.
@@StevenUpton14-18 I imagined there would be a lot more. Still, it would've been an unnerving experience to be posted there. For both side's.
@@anvilbrunner.2013 - due to most of the Western Front being static for long periods mini was a common practice by all sides. In this 500 metre stretch there was over 500. Along the whole front it was thousands. Some are still there packed with explosives slowly decaying. One big one went off in 1951.
@@StevenUpton14-18 Amazing. Hopefully they're all decayed by now. Trench warfare was insane.
@@anvilbrunner.2013 - There was a British army engineer who investigated this issue and they dug up one of the mines at Vimy Ridge. It was still packed with explosives with the detonators in place. It was directly below a main road. So dangerous they had to leave it. There was a documentary made about it.
Thank you for that touching bit of pictorial history. Its so sad to see that as a species, we have learned only how to kill one another more efficiently.
Thank you for watching.
I think Eparges ridge saw more mine warfare than Vauquois but there was no village of course
Thank you for watching. I have visited both locations several times; I am not sure that you are correct. The problem is that there is more information about Vauquois and many of the tunnels are still open. Whereas Eparges seems to have fewer visitors. Whenever I have been there it has always been deserted.
Man, that's complete devastation trancended into an artwork.
Thank you for watching.
Very impressive - thank you Sir!
Thank you for watching.