WWII German Mass Grave discovery at Villeneuve-Loubet - Exhumation, identification, causes of death
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- Опубликовано: 30 сен 2024
- A forgotten mass grave containing the bodies of 14 German soldiers was discovered by a local student in a forest near Villeneuve-Loubet, southern France, in 2006. The bodies were exhumed in colaboration with the German War Graves Commission. A long investigation then followed to find out who these soldiers were and the circumstances of their death. This video summerizes the results of the investigation and identification process.
The German soldiers were members of Reserve Grenadier Bataillon 372 who had been killed in combat against members of the First Special Service Force (Black Devil's Brigade, consiting of both American and Canadian soldiers) on August 26th 1944, with artillery support from the 602nd Pack Field Artillery Battalion.
All the events and people from this video can be found described in much greater detail in the book "Autopsy of a Battle, the Liberation of the French Riviera", by Jean-Loup Gassend. The book contains a report of the excavation, numerous first hand accounts of the battle by 1st Special Service Force veterans and local residents, as well as some German sources about the battle.
The author of this video is always searching for information, documents, photos, witnesses and witness accounts from Operation Dragoon and the fighting in the Cannes, Grasse and Nice area. If you have any information, please contact me at: jean-loup@gassend.com
For more information:
division148.bl...
autopsyofabatt...
battlefieldarc...
We are still trying to contact the families of several of the soldiers found in this grave or who were present during the battle:
Allied
-Blackman Henry F 12183647 NY NY
-Bostrom Rodney W. 6858990 Vergas MN
-Boyle Walter B O-1175649 Sumter SC
-Brewster Jack H. 35012461 Ashtabula OH
-Crawford William H Passaic NJ
-Dodson Gerald L. 20734657 1915 Lyons Kansas
-Dyer Forrest L. 39384998 1917 Schatz Montana
-Erickson Carl 39025991 39025996 1906 Mammoth Utah
-Ibsen John H. 36368070 1912 Chicago IL
-Mothersell Don D. 20909552 Modesto CA
-Parker Maurice A 6154272 Lewiston Main
-Roach John D. 16125481 Detroit Mich
-Winchell Richard W. 32852974 Fort Anne Wash
Germans
-Konrad Blaschitsch / Blašić, 20.1.1926 in Gieshübl Klopce Slov. Bistrica
-Otto Forberger, 12.08.1925 in Kukele Zwittau
-Krafczyk Alois, 7.5.1926, Königshütte
-Josef Krzyzowski, 26.1.1925, Wyrow Kr Pless.
-Josef Lössl, 02.08.1909, Komotau / Raudnitz
-Hubert Pilch, 25.08.1926, Kattowitz
-Anton Kozik 1.1.1926 Kobielitz Pless
-Emil Prachowski / Praszowski 14.9.1919 Radlin Rybnik
-Josef Scholtyssek / Szoltysek 29.5.1926 Bismarckhütte
-Hauptmann Erich Heß 22.2.1901 Breslau
-Max Baron 31.3.1919 Ratibor
-Adolf Tann Tchorz 9.10.1912 Ostrosnitz
-Gerhard Pusch 15.10.1914 Sagan
-Otto Schöps 16.4.1914 Hartliebsdorf
-Norbert Negwer 7.10.1911 Ober-Neuland Neisse
-Hans Stange 10.8.1920 Oberhausen Düsseldorf
-Rudolf Werner 12.3.1914 Leimeritz Sud. Gau
-Siegfried Schön 17.7.1913 Johnsdorf Römerstadt
-Max Grehl 3.8.1912 Cosel
-Rudolf Danjek 30.7.1921 Söhle Neu-Ziethen
-Niedlich Hans 19.5.1893 Neusaltz Freistadt
Reserve Division 148, under General Otto Fretter-Pico, consisted of:
-Reserve Grenadier Regiment 8
-Reserve Grenadier Bataillon 7
-Reserve Jäger Bataillon 28
-Reserve Grenadier Bataillon 164
-Reserve Grenadier Regiment 239
-Reserve Grenadier Bataillon 327
-Reserve Grenadier Bataillon 372
-Reserve Grenadier Bataillon 444
-Ost Bataillon 661
A Crocodile Tear Productions documentary
World War II - Operation Dragoon anvil - Champagne Campaign - exhumation - helmets - identification tags - dog tags - battlefield archaeology - forensic archaology - forensic pathology -excavation - Wehrmacht - FSSF - 1st Special Service Force - First Airborne Task Force - metal detecting detector - digging - Invasion of southern France - 1939 - 1945 - Reserve Division 148 - Otto Fretter-Pico - General Robert T Frederick - anthropology - genealogy - ancestry - ID tags - Massengrab - Canadian army - American - Erkennungsmarken - First Special Service Force - Spearhead - The Devil's Brigade - The Black Devil's Brigade - 602nd Pack Field Artillery Battalion - D-Day Invasion - August 15th 1944 - forensic investigation - Cagnes sur Mer - Roquefort les Pins - Côte d'Azur - Villeneuve-Loubet - la Colle sur Loup - gunshot wounds - shrapnel fragment wounds - WWII - F. K. Robinson Vancouver 5-2 FSSF - forensic archaeology - 602nd Pack Field Artillery Battalion - problems with German ID tag coding - decoding identification tags - DNA identification - digging up - Katowice - Kattowitz - Regiment Schlesien - Silesia Poland - Volksbund - Bundesarchiv - WASt - German helmets - miliaria collection - glider troops - Grenadier Ersatz Bataillon - Gren.Ers.Btl.372 - Stamm.Kp.G.E.B.372 - oberstleutnant
There's another thing this research does that is very important to me and the work I do. WWII was so large in scale that it's hard to fully grasp. We talk about millions dead here, millions dead there, and, like Stalin said, we get lost in a soup of numbers. When we find these soldiers, we see their bones: they become real. We see the wounds on their bones and it's a story cemented in place. We see the helmets with holes in them lining up with the holes in some of the skulls and it really packs a punch. I work hard to make WWI and WWII personal so we know who these people were as people not statistics. We see the soldiers in pictures and then in the ground and the full impact of war (as best we can) is brought home. "I am this man, I had family, I died here." The day we stop crying for all the men/women/children who died, were maimed, were displaced, is the day we lose the most precious piece of our humanity. God bless you for making this. God bless all of you who share your stories!
❤thank you very much for the work that you all do. What a fascinating and sad tale that is brought to us through your amazing research. A south african fan.❤
Poland is strewn with millions of mass polish citizens graves executed by Germans, Russians and Ukrainians and no-one cares, especially Germans & Russians & Ukrainians😢
Descansen en paz....
........È STRAMALEDICA, CHI E CAUSA DI GUERRE E CARESTIE. Non trovi mai pace, né da vivo né da morto chi incita, favorisce, e FINANZIA GUERRE TRA NAZIONI.
Well said my friend....well said
The same can be said of WWI soldiers. My paternal great grandfather was listed missing in action at Ypres in October 1914 when his position was overrun by the Germans and his name appears as such on the Menin Gate.
My parents attended the Centenary Memorial of the battle and while there had a professional researcher go through records and he was found through German records in a German mass grave along with 2 others of his unit and 18 German soldiers uncovered in 1956 while rehabilitating fields for farming. The German and Belgian authorities overseeing the exhumation had his body and that of the two other men of his unit reburied in a Commonwealth graveyard. One was identified by his rank insignia while he and his companion were buried as unknown soldiers. It is known that he is one of the unknown soldiers due to the excellent records in German archives on the original burial for that particular battle and the further detailed recording carried out on the later exhumation.
His British service records had been destroyed during bombing in WWII.
It is thanks to people like you that families like mine can have closure after so long.
Germany is where people think Germany is... The idea has died too
So many young men never got to grow old and experience life… so sad.
Hitler condemned his own people.
17... that's so young... That's still a kid, not even a young man :/ imo
Non solo, non hanno vissuto, non hanno nemmeno procreato figli, così hanno disintegrato due generazioni, un vero genocidio premeditato dalle elite che comandano il mondo, per loro soldi , armi, industrie farmaceutiche , le vite non hanno valore per loro! Che orrore la guerra è inaccettabile che ancora oggi 2024 ci siano guerre e orrori nel mondo 😢
Your content I believe is what something like RUclips should’ve been intended for. This work you do will outlast any of us… you’re creating records of history that likely didn’t exist before.. I hope you take great pride in this.. you deserve it.
Bitte Deutsch sprechen
Not everyone speaks German. English are also appreciative of their work and have sympathy for the lost@@Gerhard-lb1vd
@@Gerhard-lb1vdThis is on English language YT. Not many German speakers around here.
@Gerhard-lb1vd
Sie sollten wie alle anderen im Internet einen Übersetzer verwenden, anstatt zu erwarten, dass die Leute Ihre Sprache sprechen.
Thank you for going the extra miles to make sure those you exhume are indentified.
You’re doing fantastic work. It’s heartbreaking to see these young boys used in war.
It's so tragic seeing the face of a 17 year old that died a day before turning 18. The other pictures showing how much a boy gets turned into an old man by 'seeing the elephant' is breathtaking. It reminds me of photos of American Civil War soldiers 'before' and 'after' in which you can see a marked difference of someone that lost their innocence by seeing things that would haunt them for the remainder of their days. As usual, great video and detective work.
As a U.S.Army Soldier myself and being overseas in these areas and seeing mass Graves in many places . All Soldiers deserve to be buried in a place of Honor and to be known where they rest for the family....or to also to be brought home to a family Cemetery...I commend and Salute you and the others who help bring these Soldiers home ....
Beautifully said.
thanks (from Fr)
Genocides.
Danke für eure sehr wichtige Arbeit nichts darf vergessen werden ,denn viele elend und Trauer hatt dieser Krieg mitsich gebracht.Leider geht das Sterben von so vielen jungen Menschen weiter ,es ist eine wahre Schande
Of you forgot to mention the genocide of over 34 million you have done ! And 11 million in Dresden when the Americans bombed with phosphor bombs all the cities! Not Russia USA did it ! You are not our friends you are the exact opposite ! The truth is already exposed, and the genocide the Americans did to the Germans ! They use Sherman women for years as their sex slave and raped children and women ! Truman Plan! Hooton Plan! The time is NOW the USA gets what they deserve which is their own created Karma ! Nothing good ever came out of this not godly America. 140 nations showing the I its states the middle finger and bricks is crushing the USA war mongers.
RIP to all soldiers who died in WW2 🙏
Thank you for doing this. Soldiers that died in combat have to be handled with respect regardless of the army to which they belonged. A boy who dies at 17yo was truly not to blame for the conflict, but was a victim.
Işte Ben var ya ben bu savaşlardan nefret ediyorum boşu boşuna bu kadar insan öldü boşu boşuna bu kadar millet öldü bir sürü insan kemikleri bulundu Kim bilir daha bulunmayan bir sürü insan kemikleri var hep boşu boşuna öldüler Toprak için ya Toprak için savaştılar bilmem ne halen de savaşlar devam ediyor Biz ölürsek bile bu savaşlar Böylece devam edecek Yazık ya hepsi ana baba kuzuları yazık bir insan kolay mı Dünyaya Geliyor ya bir insana bakmak öyle kolay mı bir çocuğu büyütmek öyle kolay mı Ben Anne olduktan sonra anladım ya kim bilir ne zorluklarla Anneleri onları büyüttüler babalar onlar büyüttüler belki açlık bile çektiler kim bilir neler gördüler neler çektiler ya bakıyorum yazık günah ya hepsini Kurşun sıkılmış geçenlerde yine gösterdiler Bir askerin ya Kurşun sıkmışlar ayaklarına kemiklerinde hep Kurşun izleri ya bu insanlar mecbur mu mecbur mu bu ölmeye😢😢
Now the 17-year old boy is in Valhalla
@@MikezonaZona be carefull , valhalla is another name for hell... the king of the earth is ah shatan the accusor. Untill the Son of man, Lord of lords and of hosts comes back...
@@YllmazDalgaSakin ol abla
@@frederickpile3599Your wrong on that account of Valhalla . look it Up Heaven ,Where all Good warriors go into the Hall of Hero’s
I respect you for your thorough research to have these brave soldiers identified and treated with dignity! Rest in peace!!
This is just a wonderful study of an unknown soldier's burial - families have received information about their dead relatives.
Silesians feel themselves as Silesians, not Poles. (similarly Basques or Catalans are not Spaniards and Bretons do not feel French). The Silesians live at home, that is in Silesia. They've always lived here. The fact that Silesia is now in Poland does not automatically make them Poles, but only citizens of the Polish state. In Silesia, every family knows who is a Pole, a German or a Jew (although most feel simply Silesian). They have long been fighting for official recognition of their ethnic identity and autonomy (this was promised to them after the First World War in exchange for joining the Polish state).
It was only after 2004 (after joining the European Union) that Poland had to agree to install in Silesia bilingual nameplates of towns (in Polish and German), but it has problem with such nameplates at Silesian railway stations. Silesians are also allowed to commemorate only those Silesians who opted for Poland (despite the fact that outstanding artists, engineers, poets, composers, all associated with the history of Germany, lived and worked here for half of millennium). The current government often accuses the Silesians of being so-called "V column" and "hidden German option" (i.e. potential traitors to Poland). The Poles cannot forgive them not only for the fact that the ancestors of the Silesians served in the Wehrmacht or the SS, but also that they previously fought alongside the Prussians (especially Frederick the Great) and that in the Middle Ages they fought on the side of the HRE Emperor and the Teutonic Order. This justifies the refusal to recognize their autonomy.
Recently, government subsidies for Silesian schools have been suspended, so that the German language is not taught there (other minorities, Russians, Ukrainians, Lithuanians and Jews, and even Gypsies have no problem with such subsidies and can freely teach their own languages and dialects).
Also the local Silesian dialect (similar to Polish and Czech with German elements) is not welcomed and ridiculed. According to the current government, there is no such thing as Silesians, there are only Poles.
As far as surnames are concerned, they do not indicate national affiliation. It should be remembered that in the Middle Ages there were no surnames, these began to appear only in the eighteenth century and originated from occupations, local geographical places, nicknames , etc. In a multicultural and multilingual area (located on the border of Poland, Germany, Czechia and Galicia) the surnames were specific and reflected the complex history of this region. So, there are ethnic Poles with purely German surnames and vice versa. In Silesia, the larges group of surnames come from the local Silesian dialect.
Tacitus wrote that in the first century Silesia was inhabited by a multi-ethnic league dominated by the Germanic tribe Lugii, and Vandals and also the Silingi- hence the Indo-European prefix "SIL" appearing in the name of Silesia) Later some Slavic tribes came, hence the separateness of Silesia and its slowly Slavization.(Historically, Silesia was separate from Poland).
The current language of eastern (Upper) Silesia is a mixture of Polish and Czech with German elements. The language of central (Opole) and western (Lower) Silesia was a collection of entirely German dialects with Slavic elements (after World War II, all these dialects died out, over 98% of the population was forced to move to Germany, only Upper Silesians remained, because after WWI they agreed to join their territories to Poland).
The issue of serving in Hitler's army was a cause for shame and discrimination against Silesians (for obvious reasons - the great crimes of the Nazis during the war) - especially in the communist era. So many Silesians hid it or cut themselves off from this "German" past. (In Poland until today there is a proverb "Slazacy nie Polacy" - "Silesians are not Poles"). Admitting that someone feels German required more courage than admitting (in a strongly Catholic country like Poland) that someone feels gay. Nevertheless, it is in Silesia that the largest group of Poles who admit to German origin live, the overwhelming majority of the rest consider themselves as Silesians (data from the last census) - although they fully recognize Polish statehood and do not seek to separate Silesia from Poland. (It's just about the autonomy they were promised).
Besides, the Nazis started recruiting true Polish volunteers only in the second half of 1944, out of desperation. They knew that the Poles feared the Soviets and were ready to offer them anything in exchange for slowing down the Soviet offensive. They only managed to recruit less than 10,000 (but only to fight on Polish soil), which did not change anything. Most of them deserted anyway. During the war, Poles collaborating with the German army were sentenced to death by the Polish resistance movement. So-called Volksdeutsche were considered traitors and socially excluded. In Silesia, the situation was different.
Dankeschön, thank you for your very interesting historical background and analysis. All in all a very sad development😢
Amazing research and video. I did not know there were so many unmarked burials. In hindsight, that is a little naive of me. Your research and exhumations give recognition to these men, even if unidentified. It’s like saying « We see you. You were here. You are human »
German alone lost about 4000000 soldiers. In summer of 44 the lost alone more than 1000000 and in march 45 1000000 in Poland. I don't know how many of them had just been put in an unmarked grave if they get any grave. But I guess that the russians in advance didn't put to much effort in that. Next interviews with soldiers having this job reveals that not all of them were interested in finding dogtags or wallets to identify the body because sometimes the body was such in a mess that it was to discusting to check the body. I know for sure that germans soldiers regarding russians soldiers find then underhuman and often didn't care at all. So I guess there in total will be at least 1000000 - 2000000 unmarked graves in europe alone. Then there is the asian areas...
What a marvellous job you did the whole team… bringing those soldiers out and identify them giving them a proper burial but most of it… informing the loved ones that they fallen relative have been found… ahhh I watched this video with such a satisfaction and happiness within myself that no matter where they come from we must never ever forget them… CONGRATULATIONS to each and everyone who worked hard to put this together…🙏
Amazing video. I subscribed as a result. I am a retired police officer and amazed at the amount of investigative work you did. Thank you. I am very interested in history and videos such as this.
It feels good that those people are found and not forgotten after all those years
Finding dead nazis is the best bro I agree.
Fantastic work mate, as a ex soldier myself, the very least every service man or woman deserves is to be identified and give a proper burial no mater their nationality..well done again dude...keep up the excellent work!
Wasn't till I started to watch your videos that I realized how deadly shrapnel really was in war and actually seeing the trauma it caused really drives it home
It is horrible stuff usually causing around 80% or so of the casualties.
I noticed in quite a bit of your videos that majority seem to be from shrapnel.
It blows my mind how long it took for simple steel helmets to be replaced with something that provided more protection and how even these were an improvement for many countries after world war 1.
Same here. I was amazed at how deadly shrapnel actually is.
@@MrNobody-bv4ec You are lucky that your mind was only blown in a symbolic way.
Many of the soldiers had their minds blown physically by these shrapnel fragments.
Really eye opening.
You’re a saint sir for locating these missing soldiers and bringing them home. Your videos and research put into them is amazing. God bless you.
Thank you very much for bringing closure to the families and burying the soldiers with honor.
You are a man of honor, along with those who assist you in bringing PEOPLE home to there families.
Clearing up facts and resolving fiction.
Being the grand child of ww2 dutch soldier, my Opa served in the 113 infantry.
I dont have any stores of his service.
Although he and my Oma part of the dutch underground .
And lived through it, till bringing my father and his siblings to the US in 1957.
I hope many people watch and learn the value of what do, shair, guide and teach.
Blessings to you and families whom you assist in answering what Happened.
Thank you for your detective work bringing back loved ones and giving closure to relatives. My grandfather was from Annaberg Silesia and fought in that war but somehow survived. This could easily have been him in one of these graves but we got to keep him until his 94th birthday.
Tobias, "This could easily have been my then soldier grandfather, but we got to keep him until his 94th birthday".
I am almost sure you don't mean what you're saying (?)
??? . . .
you are a truly wonderful person .
Incredibly interesting and makes them live again . I was a soldier in 1970 in VN. I still think about it all the time .
My uncle was lost over Anzio never to be seen again, all these years later I can still see the tears
In Italia curiamo e rispettiamo i morti di wualunque paese😢❤
He was murdered by the American commanding General. The Americans landing unopposed. There was not a German soldier between the beach and Rome by the General refused to move forward. He gave the Germans time to organize and attack.
Thank you very much for your research. Those killed in the war were not forgotten but as you have shown they were brothers and fathers not nameless entities. Most interesting video!
such a sad labour...you're gracious to undertake it...mille mercis, copain
Thanks to Hollywood and not knowing any better, it would not be unheard of for someone to say, "Who cares about these "NAZIs"?. Giving them their story back and identity is so important. For my family, they were enemy soldiers. Ironically, they could also be kin and brother. Obviously, they weren't all NAZIs, if any were. They were somebody's sons, brothers, cousins, loved ones. They deserve to have their stories told, their families told. They were young men who had bigger hopes that being thrown in an unmarked and unvisited grave. RUHE IN FRIEDEN.
Plenty of people post the "who cares about nazis" on my videos...
People of all IQ levels are allowed to comment.
@@CrocodileTear I'm nit sure if you're deliberately missing my point or if i was unclear. I was addressing the common misbelief that German Soldier = Nazi. Most Wehrmacht soldiers had no interest in NAZI politics or disagreed. That didn't excuse them from serving or dying.
@@guymontag9577 I didnt miss your point. I am confirming that that comment is posted regularly on my videos
My grandpa was in the Korean war and sometimes late at night he would sneak into the living room where us grandkids were watching MTV, underneath covers on the couch and we'd have to yell for grandma "GRAMMA! GRAMPA IS ROLLING ON THE FLOOR LIKE HES HUNTING US WITH A RIFLE!!" she came running yelling at him "Go back to bed, the wars over". It was frightening and a strange memory but just imagine how he felt. RIP Bertrum St. Elmo Smith of Muskegon Michigan. Unfortunately he became a drunk and eventually was hit by 2 cars as he walked back from the liquor store.
Really terrifying that these things haunt you for life.
My step grandfather (still alive and had his 87th birthday this week) in russia had to live through german occupation as a kid and often told me about the hunger he experienced. Even to this day 80 years later he has a habit of hiding food. These mental scars haunt you for life.
The futility of war so many young lives taken, i thank you for the time and research that you did, you brought these young men back to life, thank you.
Outstanding work, especially for the families of those killed.
Very interesting! I cannot imagine how those young boys deaths affected their families. My son's are those ages. Unimaginable! This discovery speaks volumes. What brave men.
But for having had rheumatic fever as a teenager, any one of these men could have been my father, And I would not have been born, luckily for me, in a great country, Canada. How absolutely tragic that they lost their Ives and, for some of them, even their identities, all for the ‘glory’ of war. Thank you for all the videos you make, you give form to something that is passing out of living memory, something that many of us alive now have no idea how horrible and brutal the experience of war is. May even the unidentified be remembered for their sacrifice, albeit in a false cause. War is hell, something we should never forget. You help us remember, and I hope you never lose your passion for showing the world what war is really like. Many thanks to you for your time and energy spent bringing these men home after so many decades. ❤️
A brilliant job. These guys were mostly like the Allies. Young men, conscripted by their Country, ultimately to die in a foreign land. Well done for restoring them to their families.
Thank you for your outstanding work and dedication to the humanity of the dead. Being an American artilleryman it was of great interest to me that this grave contained mostly those killed by shrapnel. Artillery the world over is known as the King of Battle due to the fact that most casualties in recent warfare (in the last 275 years or so) have been from artillery.
It's hard to separate the system that these soldiers served, we think of them as Nazis, and some were hard core Nazis, others were just I suppose doing their duty, almost 80 years later , they're just causilties, I won't judge , that's God's job
Amazing work sir but damn their ages 18,22,19,23 it’s so sad didn’t even get a chance to live I hate war
Wenn man sich jetzt fragt was in der Ukraine mit den gefallenen Russischen Soldaten geschieht . ( teilweise von fahrenden Russischen Krematorien verbrannt ) und dann nur als Vermisst gemeldet werden. Nur wenn der Soldat als gefallen gemeldet wird, wird auch die versprochene Entschädigung gezahlt. Fragt man sich ob da nicht eine Absicht hinter steht.
Such amazing research! Body 1 & 4 are so haunting, smiling carefree photographs with the fascinating backstory juxtaposed with the tragic remains left in an otherwise unmarked pit grave. I wonder about the survivors did they ever think of returning to collect their comrades, seek them out or mark their resting place
The Germans pulled out and lost numerous prisonners. It wasnt clear who had died and who had survived. I have since found out that the company commader of the 7th Co Btl 372 wrongly listed 4 other soldiers as dead on that day, but who were in fact POWs, like the Alois Wühr case shown in the video.
The bodies were buried by local civilians and to my knowleadge no German soldiers or POWs ever came back to the area to try to mark the grave. The family of Franz Guder/Ficker did come back looking for the body after the war, but were not told about the grave by the people they met at Villeneuve.
In any case, this was a training unit of soldiers mostly from Poland, so there was very little "esprit de corps".
Nothing short of fantastic work, I salute you.
They can finally go home. ruhe in frieden kameraden.
Two things. I stand in awe of your efforts, its matters no more but to the families and a lot to them. 2nd thing. Dont trust your helmet just keep your head down. Thanks
Fantastic! Though enemies of US troops. They also had families, loved, ones, and a life. All stories that needed telling. Thank you to you and your mates.
After watching one of your other recent uploads it saddens me to think just how many of these poor souls have not been identified or even misidentified.
Fantastic job! This is true history...I have to say what you are doing for these souls is unmeasurable and top notch research!
Silesia/Schlesien had not been occupied, it belonged to German heartland before WWII. German people living there were send away by Sowjet state, as Polish people from eastern Poland were forced to leave eastern Poland for the former eastern Germany, western Poland today,
Grenade = Granate in German, shell means Hülle or shrapnel / Schrapnell, if you want.
Are you trying to tell me that according to you Ganatvolltreffer means "direct hit by a handgrenade"?
Whermact ID disks were initially made from corrosion resistant aluminum, but as the war progressed, non ferrous metals like aluminum become much more critical to war production, so late in the war they used cheaper and more plentiful material like iron and steel, thus the illegible disks.
Wow, I never knew that. I remember years ago going to a gun show and seeing a booth selling old war memorabilia. One thing that really bothered my Dad who was a vet himself, was seeing a large glass jar filled to the top with German dog tags selling for $2 each. I do remember some were light weight and clean while others were heavier and rusty. Who knows if they were of dead soldiers or men who simply made it out tossed them in a jar
❤️❤️❤️ thank you for not forgetting all this man's... I was born on 1975..I been had a dreams about the war...since I had 5... interesting about where's all the body..see a few documentary,then movies and now videos...the are lot job but beautiful to know then people like you try to find them ❤️🙏🏻
I’m American so sad these young men died in such a brutal way my father was in Vietnam and will not speak about it so sad and here we go again with the Russian Ukraine war when will we learn thank you for your efforts to find lost souls god bless you
Super recherchiert ! Unglaublich ! Absolut Top-Arbeit ! Danke !
When you look at the description, almost all the soldiers buried here are from the eastern areas of Germany which are now part of Poland, or from the Sudetenland in what is now the Czech Republic. That's crazy and sad. RIP Helden.
Great work! Sudetenland and greater Silesia are not within the borders of post-WWII Germany, but were in 1944.
Those fools posing with dead bodies of German soldiers make my blood boil.complete idiots.thank you for digging them up finding the bodies and bury the soldiers.for you guys low bow of respect
I used to live in a small town south of Chicago named Frankfort that had a great German restaurant. A WWII German sailor, who's name escapes me, knew the owner well. The bar was decorated with WWII German period firearms, photos, and military decorations. The sailor was on the Bismarck when it sunk and as a result a few weeks later his parents received a letter notifying them of his death. Obviously he was one of the 200 or so fished out of the water. When walking into the restaurant there was a glass case with an 8 x 10 black and white photos of the Bismarck, the sailor, and a photo copy of the letter sent to his parents advising of his death. On some Sundays he would come to the restaurant for lunch and sign photographs he would provide of his ship. Those who came to see him would talk with him and leave him 5 or 10 bucks.
Interesting. Please tell us if you remember his name
Excellent work and reports . Even though these men were german army . Each and every one of these lost soldiers deserve the respect and a burial service . Just as all other serving military around the world from all countries deserve the exact same respectful service burial . . Least we forget . Rip .all who were lost . . In all warfare around the world . .
What a bullshit.Silesia a was eversince German until it was ocupied by Poland ,first part after ww1 and the rest after ww2.My hole family is from there so I will know best.Typical for French who claim Elsass French since Napoleon stole this region from Germany too.
Napoleon stole Elsass from what?? From a country that didnt exist yet?
Indeed you are an expert.
@@CrocodileTear Elsass was a German country moron.The holy roman empire of German Nation exist over 1000 Years.Even charlemagne was German.
Vă felicit pentru toată munca ce o depuneți, sunteți adevărați oameni 🙏🙏🙏 !!!!
I love your videos because people need to remember how horrible these wars were. These bodies were mostly young men also. 17 to 30 maybe. Mostly 17- early 20s. There's so many dead that were literally just lost
-Sometimes I think that these soldiers on both sides may have committed war crimes. -That makes me feel less empathetic about them, but I know that this type of uncharitable thinking is wrong and unacceptable.
-RS. Canada
Only Upper Silesia belonged to Poland between the First and Second World Wars and had a mixed German and Polish population. Excellent detective work.
I am affraid my detective work was substandard regarding Silesia.
And when we see a soldier in a German uniform, we assume German. Work like this reminds people that every military is made of many ethnicities. German-clad soldiers like these men reiterate the use of conscripted men/boys that were not ethnic Germans. This is where WWII really gets personal in this video. We have a name, a photograph, a story of a 17 year old boy in a man's uniform, taken from Poland and sent to France where he died fighting for a country that enslaved his nation, dying in a war that ultimately liberated his nation, his family. What did he think about that as his unit roared west? What were his last thoughts? This research is one more step closer to healing some of the wounds of war.
Bless those poor German Soldiers. May their Souls RIP. So glad they were eventually discovered. Such terrible injuries. Sp sad. So glad this offered closure. So sad though they were discovered so many many years later
Verdade tessa
Jean: Have you been able to read any inscriptions on those religious medaillons at 12:17? Because I have seen those types of medaillons and crucifixes before. They usually belonged to soldiers from Oberkrain and Untersteiermark. So Body # 7 in my humble opinion very likely belongs to that first guy from your German list (Konrad B.). Unfortunately I haven't been able to find him in the casualty database, so either you transcribed his name wrong or he's not included in it. I was able to find that guy under #7 at 20:37, though. [.......] By the way I was reading an unpublished memoir by an artilleryman from 148th Res Div who was stationed in Cannes and Nice. He was captured in August 1944 and held in the "Nice gymnasium" (high school). One day he was told to go down into the basement, where he was ordered to remove bodies of executed French civilians. True story????
Those religious medals are very common finds. In this case we didnt see where they were from as the wallet was not opened.
What casualty database are you refering to regarding Konrad B.? He died of wounds as a prisonner of the Americans, so was not buried in the grave.
I would be very, very interested to read the unpublished memoire you refer to. Could you please contact me at the email adress shown in the video? Thanks.
@@CrocodileTear I'll contact you in the coming days.
My Grandfather's unit was here Thank you for posting this. Interesting to see where he was at yet at the same time sad to see what War does to people
Most interesting thing I've watched for a while, great work I can't believe they were able to figure exactly who they were and how they died and puttin that jigsaw skull puzzle back together at all blows my mind!!!
Lucky for you, your mind was only blown metaphorically, unlike that guy with the jigsaw puzzle skull
Fantastic detective work and really interesting video. I'm pleased for the families who've been reunited with their loved one's. They were just boys. RIP.
Outstanding research and follow up. This would mean so much to the families. I am very lucky that I had a lot of family fighting in various theatres but none were killed but I know if I had lost a relative reuniting him with his family would be priceless.
It is saddening that there were signs of looting, although totally unsurprising as my Uncle had been a war photographer in Europe and mentioned several times during his recollections that American soldiers were nothing more than common thieves and given half a chance would steal the teeth out of a smiling granny's mouth. He had zero respect for US soldiers having witnessed summary murder of POWs several times at Normandy and later in the war.
About the looting, the Germans also removed shoes, helmets, equipment, personal items, etc, from bodies before burying. And US graves registrations troops were instructed to do the same. Undamaged equipment was to be recycled, not buried.
The French civilians had been on rationing for four years by then, and shoes were a precious comodity. No reason to bury good shoes on the feet of a dead man.
@@CrocodileTear That is very true, I remember the tale of a downed German bomber being cut up and melted down by the local scrap metal merchant within days of it crashing. But my Uncle's words were something that stuck in my mind for many years and at roughly 13 years old the thought of someone pillaging a dead soldier unsettled me and the cut belt brought that back to me, probably looting the pistol and holster.
'Just visiting this planet' is a statement on T-shirt that I once bought. So true. But sometimes our visit is very short or rather: cut short..😢
this basically sums up german thinking: why make something simple when you can make it complicated...
You should learn to think for yourself instead of letting your indoctrination control your comments. Makes you appear foolish.
Low IQ people prefer simple....
Then as now the old men stay safe at home and talk up the war while the young men march to their deaths. Will we ever learn? Pointless and so sad.
So meany people died for this now. Sad.
Many years after WWII I discovered how much detail exists to document that war within USA archives. Frankly, I had no idea how much they saved. As organized as the Germans were I would be surprised if they didn’t have records, as well. This is a tremendous amount of work, but you should have great satisfaction that you have provided closure for several families. Thank you for your work.
23 years old in 1944. So long ago.
Never to grow old....
So many thousands on both sides.
R.I.P to all the soldiers German American French British Canadian Polish and Ukrainion
Il ne faut pas non plus oublier les soviétiques !
@@raynaldlahire2039 soiveticos no porque les gustaban violar las mujeres
So rip for your list of countries ? What about others? People if u don't know how to talk just shut up lol
Because this is embarrassing
@@masterofsiege7194 yea u mad🖕😁
@@masterofsiege7194 Non crétin ! Il n'y a rien d'embarrassant. Je connais très bien l'histoire et la géographie. Pas comme les débiles du net qui découvrent l'existence de l'Ukraine en février 2022.
No matter who they fought for they deserve to go home to thier families and friends
And now its all happening Again and Again in Ukraine ,Russia when will we ever learn all for WHAT ...For Nothing Nada Niet
Silesia ist not annexed it WAS german country Schlesien!! Thats Poland what was moved from Winston Churchill the bastard 200 km to the west.
What about Kattowitz?
@@CrocodileTear Kattowitz was often part of it also. There were a lot of changes during the centuries... - But anyway - with some ideas mutual appreciation and recognition it can be possible to live with different languages in one country, like switzerland and russia for exemple!
@@CrocodileTear I believe that Katowice was in the pre-WW1 German Empire, part of independent Poland between the wars, annexed to the Reich in 1939 and part of Poland since 1945. In that part of the world you went to bed in one country and woke up in another.
Absolutely fascinating.
It just shows how easy it was to misidenttify bodies , especially in the chaos of battle.
Grazie x il lsvoro che fai, anche italiani 😢 Spero siano stati rimandati a casa. ❤❤❤
I was born 15 years after WW2 ended. My father had been a German soldier, drafted at age 17 shortly before the end. I remember my relatives often talking about the war at family visits when I was a small boy. Many men had missing limbs, others had bullet or shrapnel wounds we could see under the shower in the swimming pool. It is hard to imagine the monstrous and senseless slaughter during these 6 years that killed 5,5 million young German men alone and wounded 2-3 times that number. We are an incredibly spoiled and pampered generation.
Indeed, and our pamperedness is a license for disrepecting elder generations.
My father was in the Royal Signals during ww2 Italy I think never talked about it, he had a German photo ID card but never spoke about that either.
Do you still have that ID?
I really appreciate the work it must have taken to get these results. I believe anything we learn about those who came before us is worth the time. Thank you-
im namen des vaters, des sohnes und des heiligen geistes sei dir vergeben, ruhe in frieden amen. 🇩🇪 🇦🇹 🇨🇿 🇵🇱 🇨🇦 🇺🇸 🇫🇷
Amen
Sir , what you are doing is extremely interesting , important and honorable work and I commend you for it ! It's amazing how you take every effort to identify these soldiers ! Thank you !
It was hrd enough sitting through this. How much more difficult would it be to have it all up close and personal. Good work sir.
You my friend are a great person, appreciate all your hard work and going the extra mile!
Always enjoy your videos..
It is totally shocking for me, that Germans, yes those pedant Germans, used such poor dogtags. I really cant believe it.
I made a whole video on the topic: what's your name soldier, that you can watch, though some of it overlaps what is in this video.
Good healthy young lads sent off into another European slaughterathon.
Little correction: Silesia was German already before the war except a part of Upper Silesia which became Polish after the First World War. The German parts of Silesia were annexed by the Poles after the war and its German population was deported. My mother was from Silesia and her whole family had to leave their home in 1946. Otherwise thank you for your work! Much appreciated!
Hi. Lets say we are both right. One of the soldiers came from Kattowitz, which was retaken by Germany in 1939: de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katowice
@@CrocodileTear However, to be in the army he had to have some German family ancestry (and be classified as Reichsdeutsch or Volksdeutsch). Descendants of German settlers lived throughout all Central and Eastern Europe and the Balkans.
@@charlesgrant-skiba5474 How do you define "German ancestry" when Germany was not even 100 years old at the time?
As far as I know the residents of areas annexed by Germany were considered German wether they liked it or not (and except with exceptions such as people the Germans didnt like).
In Reserve Division 148, that the soldiers in this video were from, the survivors and POWs clearly said that "70% of the soldiers are Polish" and that many dont speak German. Many POWs of the Division later served in the Free Polish Forces.
@@CrocodileTear Dear Friend, the fact that the modern history of Germany is usually counted from 1871 (when the second German Empire was created - this time without Austria, there was the so-called Lesser German option, the connection with Austria was called the Greater German option - this is what Hitler later called his country - Greater German Reich), doesn't mean Germany didn't exist before. The old German statehood dates back to 843 and started with the Treaty of Verdun - when the eastern Germanic Frankish state separated from the western part (later France). From this arose the Holy Roman Empire (962) which was a German state (despite the misleading name) and continued (at least theoretically) the traditions of the ancient Western Roman Empire (the Eastern Roman Empire was called Byzantium). In the fifteenth century, the name of this state was changed to the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation. The highest authority in this State (in theory) was the Emperor, who also always bore the title: King of Germany. This German state union also included other countries, such as the Kingdom of Bohemia, the Duchy of Moravia, the Duchies of Pomerania and also multiple duchies of Silesia (even some Italian Duchies, the Netherlands, etc. also were part of this Empire). Many of these lands separated over time (eg, Switzerland, Luxemburg), others changed affiliation (eg, Alsace, Lorraine). The German state was commonly called the Reich, because it consisted of many subordinate countries (medieval feudal hierarchy). Other European states had a different system of government - with one monarch concentrating all the power and one capital). The Reich had a different political structure (on top the Emperor, later Kings, Princes, Prince-Bishops, Counts, Free Cities, Hanseatic Cities - all interconnected, however, without a central authority and without a one capital city. The Emperor had limited powers and ruled fully only over the so-called Imperial Cities and over the Jews inhabited in the Reich). Many of the Habsburg emperors do not like such limited power and so they slowly began to accumulate some lands for themselves, which became a separate Empire - Austria). This lasted until 1806, when the victorious Napoleon liquidated this outdated country and created the so-called German Union. Later, Prussia led the rebellion against Napoleon and after many fights with many countries united most of the German lands (including Silesia and Pomerania) from which the modern German state was created in XIX century (although, as a punishment after World War II, Germany was divided and lost it many former historical territories, such as Silesia, Pomerania or East Prussia). In these areas, German settlers had lived for centuries and the population mixed with each other. You can also talk about modern Germany counting only from the unification in 1990, but this does not mean that there was no German statehood before. So, in many modern European countries people have German (Austrian) ancestors.
@@charlesgrant-skiba5474 What I am saying mate, is that the notion of nationality can be very vague, particularly at time periods when people barely had ID papes, lived in empires or regions that regularly changed hands, and spoke local dialects.
For these soldiers, many had polish names, spoke poor German, and their families are in Poland nowadays. That, to me, means is a sign they were more Polish than German, just like the conscripts from Alsace-Lorraine.
Fascinating and moving documentary! Good work!
Silesia was not annexed by Germany. In 1348, King Karl IV subordinated Silesia to the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation. Later it passed to Prussia and became part of Germany in 1871 when the German Empire was founded. After World War II was lost, Silesia was placed under Polish administrative sovereignty at the Potsdam Conference in 1945 and remained with Poland.
HOW CAN PEOPLE STLL GO TO WAR..AND KILL..OR BE KIlled ..look at this..young sons..dead..for NOTHING
An investigation for an unmarked WW2 German grave has no business being THIS detailed and painstakingly good!!
Hats off to you sir for bringing this piece of history back to life. Keep it up.
Poveri ragazzi, chiunque Essi siano stati 😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢
Very informative. Researching must have been exhausting. Closure is important, so I can only imagine how grateful these deceased soldiers' relatives were.
I'm so pleased that, when discussing the FSSF, you didn't resort to using that improper, silly nickname that was created for a 1966 sub-standard history book and subsequently made famous by the 1968 movie. It is almost impossible for amateurs to talk about the FSSF without blurting out that stupid nickname which never existed before 1966. There is absolutely no mention of it in any documents/histories prior to its invention in 1966. It makes me cringe every time it's used.
Kattowitz was from 1879 Prussian Kingdom, after WW1 was given to Poland 1922 during elections 44% Germans 56% Polish .
Sir, you are an excellent historical researcher, and humanitarian. Thank for producing & sharing these video of your work.
Thanks for your outstanding and incredible work. Salute to you. It’s so important for all generations to not forget what war is causing. All soldiers deserve coming home even after such a long time. R.I.P.
Wow, what great work they do. Good grief, to think your told a loved one is dead and they walk in the door alive. It happened tho didn't it. What great work and so so VERY IMPORTANT to the families and to history. Great story and keep up the good work. No matter who fought, they were human beings. God Bless you.
My grandfather fought with the 45th Thunderbirds Infantry Division. I overheard him telling his war experiences to an uncle. He said that many captured German prisoners never made past the "company cooks." He told my uncle that the cooks would execute them. My grandfather said both sides killed prisoners...
I dont think this happened at all as often as people think.
Did you mean kooks instead of cooks?
Very interesting historical information showing how violent war is and how so many young men died fighting this war.
It has to be rewarding to be able to give families closure after all of these years.
Thanks for sharing the results of your work.
It's a shame that my grandpa's not around he lived to be 94 but I was raised by world war II in Korean war vets . The Lithuanian side of my family rarely spoke at all ever of it especially around us children but when they had had enough liquor inside them you'd hear corpse and hear things. I'm 50 years old right now and I live in Vermont and I can promise you that the people I rub shoulders with and see out in society right now could not handle with the people in our forefathers went through and endured and survived and some didn't. From my perspective the society that I live in is nowhere near ready for what could happen in a mere 48 hours if things went bad
Absolutely fascinating and very moving. Your research and efforts to remember all these young men is ve3ry commendable. 'Lest we Forget'.