The Last German WWII Attack - Operation Potsdam 1945
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- Опубликовано: 9 сен 2020
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In late April 1945, the German 12th Army launched a daring attack at the Soviet forces encircling Berlin in an attempt to create an escape route west for trapped soldiers and civilians. It was the last full-scale German offensive of WWII.
Dr. Mark Felton is a well-known British historian, the author of 22 non-fiction books, including bestsellers 'Zero Night' and 'Castle of the Eagles', both currently being developed into movies in Hollywood. In addition to writing, Mark also appears regularly in television documentaries around the world, including on The History Channel, Netflix, National Geographic, Quest, American Heroes Channel and RMC Decouverte. His books have formed the background to several TV and radio documentaries. More information about Mark can be found at: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Fe...
Visit my audio book channel 'War Stories with Mark Felton': • One Thousand Miles to ...
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Disclaimer: All opinions and comments expressed in the 'Comments' section do not reflect the opinions of Mark Felton Productions. All opinions and comments should contribute to the dialogue. Mark Felton Productions does not condone written attacks, insults, racism, sexism, extremism, violence or otherwise questionable comments or material in the 'Comments' section, and reserves the right to delete any comment violating this rule or to block any poster from the channel.
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Thumbnail: Royston Colour
At this point I'm surprised they even had fuel to run the tanks.
They probably used captured Soviet fuel or the germans diverted fuel to the offensive
GUMMRUCHK . Germany was produced more synthetic oil in 44 than in anytime war years, prior. One of Albert Speer’s successes. As for Hitler’s army, well at the beginning of May 45 he had command of roughly ten million soldiers.
It’s naive, maybe even stupid, to suggest Germany wasn’t a force in 45. They just weren’t a force to propel three empires attacking them on three fronts.
@@mattkierkegaard9403 - Fairy tales...
At this point I’m surprise that they didn’t give up the war sooner
I think late war German armor ran on meth -- same as the troops!
Amazing content, My grandfather was a survivor of this operation having been pulled out of officer training to join the Scharnhorst Div, he said at the end the older guys were holding the flanks so that the young guys could get out to the Americans, Very sad waste of life....
So many stories of bravery and sacrifice that went unrecorded.
@@chandrashekharmenon3709 and in Germany censored
@@Mike-gw1gf So sad that people today have to bear the burden of history's legacy.
@@chandrashekharmenon3709 Exactly Menon! Some for lack of witnesses or simply no time to award anything. Happens in all wars sadly. One man gets an Iron or Knights Cross, another gets nothing for doing a similar act of bravery.
That is incredible to hear such a story from a person not only there but also your grandfather!
Imagine you are a newbie and put in a unit with battled hardened soldiers who fought and survived throughout entire eastern campaign.
The forgotten soldier by guy sajer
@@liveleaky7571 years ago... I read a book re the memoirs of a German tanker. Fresh out of training school... shipped straight to the Eastern Front. Arrived at night and was immediately placed in a Panzer IV as the loader. Didn't even get to meet the crew as the unit was heading into a dawn attack. Nine straight hours of intense combat until he was able to introduce himself to the rest of the crew.
@@jerryjeromehawkins1712 witch book?
@@jakehammon8631 hey Jake... man I wish I knew. I was in a car wreck years ago. Went through tons of books while healing for a few months. Let me look online... if I can find the name I'll let you know dude.
🍻
That is what my then 17 year old grandfather experienced in France of 1944.
Mark's ability to pronounce names never ceases to give me a greater appreciation of his dedication to get everything done as well as is possible. Bravo!
Es ist nicht so schwer junge...😅
@@Bigsky1991 any other history channel would have absolutely battered the pronunciation of the names in here
It definitely separates him from the huge pack of amateurs trying to narrate other history videos. Most of them are awful. Mark is not.
Looks eerily similar to the Soviet BTR-60, doesn't it? (6:08)
immer geil wenn letue darüber reden wie gut sie die musik von Back finden
@@Bigsky1991
“Hurry up, we're waiting for you
Men of the 9th and civilians too”
Yeah yeah, i was waiting for that reference
Nice found the reference
Dispossessed, surrendering to the weeeeeeeeest....
Ich verstehe Ihre Bedenken, Mohnke, aber Wir mussen da auch eiskalt sein. In einem Krieg wie diesem, gibt es keine Zivilisten.
What's that reference?
I met Wencks Chief of Staff Colonel Reichhelm years ago doing an interview for a documentary on Keitel. He told me about that crazy midnight meeting in a hut out in the woods and how Wenck always caught Reichhelms eyes during Keitel’s speech telling him that the Fieldmarshal’s orders are madness.
Do you have any Video of these encounters or perhaps know information that doesn’t already exist online?
Interesting...
That's awesome
I met Wencks Chief of Staff Colonel Reichhelm years ago doing an interview for a documentary on Keitel. He told me about that crazy midnight meeting in a hut out in the woods and how Wenck always caught Reichhelms eyes during Keitel’s speech telling him that the Fieldmarshal’s orders are madness.
If you look for the doc Hitler‘s Warriors Keitel you will find parts of the interview. The production is now more than 20 years old.
Mark! I love watching these every weekend! Im a 53yr old Englishman, but my Maternal Grandmother was German. She was from a Town in Germany called Einbeck, Central Germany, and was also in the German Land army during WW2. Her 2 Brothers, were both in the German Wehrmacht in WW2 and I met them both on family visits as a kid in the 1970s. One was involved in the invasion of Poland in 1939, and after the War was a POW in Leicestershire England. The other Brother fought on the Eastern Front and lost the lower half of one leg through frostbite. He was captured trying to cross the Harz Mountains not too far from Einbeck, hoping to be captured by the British or Americans. He didnt make it, the Russians captured him and he remained a POW in Russia well into the 1950s. they both survived the War, although none of them are here today. I watch these clips and think of them though, and wonder if either of them were invoved in your Clips of History. Thank you so much for these interesting clips Mark!
This is the facts that matter. Thank you.
greetings to you and your grandmom, i am from the harz, not that far from einbeck
@@Kay2kGer I know the Harz mountains well! The Brocken etc! Braunlage etc!
@@Kay2kGer My Grandmother and her Brothers are no longer here, but in March 2019 my Wife and I visited Einbeck and the Harz mountains. A beautiful part of Germany! All the very best to you!
@@terrysparrow2648 thank you. may they rest in peace.
the small town of bad grund :) glad you think its beautiful here :)
I’ve seen that poor German radioman at 8:36, fighting all over Europe, professor Felton. Please get him some reinforcements.
At least give him some cough syrup, he's got to have a sore throat from all that yelling.
This has to be, RUclips’s best military history channel.
By far.
Too bad he's been caught plagiarizing on several occasions for his vids.
@@CaveJohnsonAperture He is a doctor after all. Its not plagio. Its inspiration!
What about ww2 in real time?
@@roel9535 Woah thats a pretty good one
Roel WWII sometimes has noticeable errors in videos from outdated sources and sometimes have problems with showing bias.
It almost sounds as if Wenk really, really, didn't want his army captured by the Russians.
Well, honestly no one want to be sent to the gulag
@Findlay Robertson and why do you consider them to be scum, you racist?
Can you blame him..
@Findlay Robertson The Germans went to war to exterminate the Russian peoples almost entirely and killed tens of millions of them in the process. Given that context, they were treated extremely well by the Soviets.
@@igorblack3641 10:17 There you go, Igor.
Mark Felton deserves his own tv show, he’s far more informative and entertaining than any historical channel.
Who the hell still watches TV? You're such a boomer..
Back in the middle 80s, I worked with a gentleman who was a Nazi “boy soldier”. At 13 years of age he was taken from his mother, and conscripted into the army. He was the last male alive in his family, his father and brothers already killed on the Eastern front. He was given a rifle and put on the line facing the oncoming Americans and told it was his duty to fight and die. His mother had taught him how to say. “I surrender”, “Babe Ruth” and “God bless America”. The first American soldier to come into view saw a rifle fly up out of the ground and the words “I surrender” and his war was over. The Americans then fought their way into the village and rescued his mother, knowing when word got back, she would be executed. He and his Mother lived out their lives in the USA.
Nice personal story Glenn...
Thanks for sharing this story
Thanks for sharing Glenn. It's these little bits of history that flesh out the 'larger story". I'll never know them but I'm glad the boy soldier and his mother survived.
@S S -----they will care, when the "outing" of people like you done is correctly, SchutzSchizo-StaffelZoid.
@albert speer-bear traitors? No. Survivors from a moronic leader in Hitler.
Last time I was this early Steiner's attack was still going to happen.
DAS WAR EIN BEFEHL!!!!
Anytime now..
@@timgrok9982 der Angriff Steiner war befehel!
I bet this was Fegeleins fault as well
He will save Berlin.
Still waiting for Steiners attack ...
Got a question for you sir! Was Steiner the one who was referred to by his troops as "Papa" Steiner? Thanks! I may be confusing him with another?
he will come
might be Rolf Harris in charge.. falling down laughing
He could have used a witcher or two :)
@@billcallahan9303 There was a SS-oberstgruppenfuhrer Paul Hausser who had several commands in his career. He was called by his troops "papa" or "papa Hausser" because he always took the best care he could for his soldiers.
Is that the one you meant?
"You're the only one who can save Germany"....no pressure!
Not at all XD
The absolute gold standard of historical videos.
I learn more from these videos than I do from my Uni professors
@Aethelstan of England ????
@@ProvidenceNL hes right
@@ProvidenceNL he's saying they don't indulge us in the details of battles and only care about shoving the politics down our throats. Hope this translation helps:)
@Aethelstan of England yes I'm sure fiercely elitist instructions such as Harvard, Cambridge, Oxford, St. Andrews, the Russel Group Unis, Ivy League Colleges & others are all secretly Marxist indoctrination centers.
@@big_slurp4603 They are.
An officer who knows when it's time to disobey orders deserves all the respect whatever virtues of the soldier may say.
The best time to disobey any order given by Nazis is the moment you can do so without immediately dying. Every Nazi officer shares culpability.
They all should have disobeyed orders the first time they were ordered to commit an atrocity
A lot of people realized Adolf was delusional by that point in the war.
@@partygrove5321that is true, but it also true that the british and the americans also committed atrocities... should they also have surrendered? My point is, in war, armies commith crimes regardless of who is the "good guy" and who is the "bad guy". Of course the 3rd reich committed some of the worsts crimes, but they weren't alone, and in the end there were good men in the Wehrmacht, just like there were nazis supporters... i haven't heard almost anyone complain about japan's crimes in china during ww2, and those few that know about it describe those atrocities to he as bad, and in some case worse, than what the nazis did
The Nazis atrocities were magnitudes greater than any other army like letting 3M USSR POWs die in captivity @@willghezzi
Sometimes I'm afraid that RUclips will go down and we will lose this very good quality content.
About WW2, I believe Mark Felton is now better than TV channels specialised in History. :)
That was one of the best bits of history I have ever seen. It's wonderful the way you have mapped the places and then the events and the people at the centre of those events, then chose the perfect stories that really brought us in to *feel* what it must have been like to be there.
It just doesn't get better than this. Fantastic.
„Es bleiben im Raum: Keitel, Jodl, Krebs und Burgdorf.“
@Jonathan Williams Das war ein Befehl! Der Angriff Steiners war ein Befehl!
Wer sind Sie, dass Sie es wagen, sich meinem Befehl zu widersetzen? So weit ist es also gekommen? Das Militär hat mich belogen! Jeder hat mich belogen, sogar die SS!
Die gesamte Generalität ist nichts als ein Haufen niederträchtiger, treuloser Feiglinge!
Nichts als FEIGLINGE, VERRÄTER, VERSAGER!!!
Die Generalität ist ein GeschMEIß des deutschen Volkes! Sie ist ohne Ehre!
Sie nennen sich Generale, weil sie JAHRE an der Militärakademie zugebracht haben, nur um zu lernen, wie man Messer und Gabel hält. Jahrelang hat das Militär meine Aktionen nur verhindert. Es hat mir jeden nur erdenklichen Widerstand in den Weg gelegt.
Ich hätte gut daran getan... vor Jahren alle höheren Offiziere liquidieren zu lassen, wie STALIN!
Ich war nie auf einer Akademie. Und doch habe ich allein, allein auf mich gestellt, ganz Europa erobert!
Verräter...
VON ALLEM ANFANG AN BIN ICH SO VERRATEN UND BETROGEN WORDEN!
Es war ein ungeheuerer Verrat geübt am deutschen Volke!
Aber alle diese Verräter werden bezahlen. MIT IHREM EIGENEN BLUT WERDEN SIE BEZAHLEN! SIE WERDEN ERSAUFEN IN IHREM EIGENEN BLUT!
...
LOL!
Ich bin einen Englander... und ich verstehe!
Hahahaha! I don't speak German but I immediately know where this line came from lol!
@@lex1945 Definitely should've liquidated all of his senior staff like what I did!
xoxx
soz you lost the war
@@josephstalin6549 Hahahaha! Great one, Comrad Stalin!
I have to say. Wenck has my respect. That was a valiant effort for sure!
A valiant effort for sure but futile, as I am sure Wenck recognized.
Seems like he wanted to save as many civilians from the Russians as he could. Berlin was out from beginning.
Considering what the Soviets did to German civilians, this was indeed a valiant action.
@@fridolfmane1063
No turning over to the Soviets is well known. The Americans and Soviets met up at a town and turned over every prisoner they had to the Russians. They knew many were trying to escape their crimes.
@@MorrowMatty "Considering what the Soviets did to German civilians," .... WHAT ? And you know, what germans did to russian civilians before ... right ?
Total war, totally terrifying. God knows how anyone managed to survive this carnage.
Hands down, the best history channel I have come across. Well done! Keep up the good work sir.
A history professor once told me:
"As doctors in our field, we learn that nothing in history is unavoidable, fated or preordained...except German counterattack."
Loetz Collector nothing is certain in life besides death, taxes, and a German counterattack
Your history professor could not have said it better
Loetz Collector
A certain Month Python sketch about the Spanish Inquisition could be rewritten for the German Counterattack...
I met Wencks Chief of Staff Colonel Reichhelm years ago doing an interview for a documentary on Keitel. He told me about that crazy midnight meeting in a hut out in the woods and how Wenck always caught Reichhelms eyes during Keitel’s speech telling him that the Fieldmarshal’s orders are madness.
The Germans were truly magnificent soldiers.
I first read of this more than sixty years ago and got a first hand description from an uncle who was a downed B24 gunner moving west after escaping from a Stalag. His description of the Soviet atrocities are beyond polite conversation. Let’s say the imagery reminding me of the closing scene of the Spartacus movie.
My uncle was invited , with many other Allied airmen in the area, to move to the west and make first contact with the US forces, informing them no German would fire except to protect their civilians and wounded.
Having lost two family to the Nazis in that war, I hold no empathy for the Nazis but few among this leadership were anything but professional soldiers, making one gallant last stand. A remarkable video. Thank you. . .
Joseph Picogna - you should let us know what your uncle told you. Real history is a precious commodity and will be lost if people who saw it or who heard it first hand do not pass it on.
@@PeterPaul175 this is very true unfortunately, would also love to hear it. I believe we probably have only 5 years now before all ww2 fighting vets are gone. Such a wealth of knowledge lost, never to be learned from.
PeterPaul175 Thank you and so: my uncle Mario was a tailgunner on a B 24 liberator, which he always referred to as a flying coffin. He was the first to tell me that the flight manual contained the phrase “prone to catch fire when hit “.
Apparently, he was close to the end of the second tour when he was blown clear off an otherwise destroyed B 24, On route to the Ploiesti oil fields. He remembered it was a low level run and the chute barely had time to deploy. He was captured shortly there after and I do not know what Stalag he was sent to but it was made by Luftwaffe personal.
He reported no abuse as did other relatives of ours who survived concentration camps. The decision to escape was made because they were starving, eating little better than the guards, basically the peels from the potatoes. Many of the camp guards were being removed to be formed into Luftwaffe infantry units and so he and three others escaped easily. I remember he told me a few days later the rest of the camp left because the guards had disappeared, they all rendezvoused and made their way west trying to reach lines of the American army. Twice they were strafed by P 47 and typhoon aircraft, losing a few POWs each time.
They were halted crossing a road being hailed by emplaced 12th Army personnel.
My uncle said they thought they would be shot as escaped prisoners but instead were offered captured US army rations and water. They were told it would be safer to proceed west with an element from the army headquarters staff to “bring a message to the Americans “. That was , “no firing unless fired on, we are bringing our wounded and civilians to the US lines”. He and the other POWs were freed as soon as contact was made, they were not required to return with the Germans. He spent almost 2 months in the hospital requiring recovering from malnutrition. He never spoke of his ordeal except to me and then after I was commissioned.
Joseph Picogna - Many thanks for sharing that.
Joseph Picogna There are websites dedicated to WWII POW camps with lists of prisoners, barracks and personnel. Camps were segregated by rank so most likely he was in a camp with others of the same. My father in law was a waist gunner on a B-17 that was shot down and was sent to a camp in Austria with others who were non-coms, and enlisted (stalag XVII-B) the officers from his crew that were captured were sent to stalag luft I.
The fact that the Germans still fought so valiantly on home soil in the face of certain defeat and capitulation is note worthy and admirable.
They fought from cowardice - they fought because they were afraid of Hitler. |Simple as that
@@amblincork Hitler was not a threat any more. They fought to save German civilians and to free the 9th army, Sherlock.
@@amblincork Rubbish. The fought to save civilian lives at the end of the war.
@@amblincork You commented from ignorance.
Mates the germans did fight for saving each german life civilian or military. I think that they stopped to fight for Hitler since they lost East Europe and the dream was almost finished when they lost Paris later France and saw the rush attack for Germany by USA but especially USSR
Another fantastic production, Mark! Thank you for informing us on battles that somehow slipped by the writers of high school history books. And the footage is incredible. Awesome stuff!
I am consistently blown away by the quality of your videos. Keep up the amazing work!
✅✔✔✅✔
About the time my great grandfather disappeared never to be found.. leaving behind my great grandmother and 7 young children
Whoa
The same guy made i never met my grandfather. Have you ever thought about that?
@@dekipet how do you mean the same guy
Far to many families around the world had the same misfortune.
@@binaway yeah.. but so close to the end..
Thank goodness we never had to fight a war like this. When you feel like moani'g about life look at these poor souls
Dr. Mark, I feel I say this for almost all of your videos: I have never heard of this last-ditch effort. Thank-you for bringing it to us.
Downloaded game to support the channel. Appreciate your work, Mark 💪
Much appreciated!
A year ago I played the 100player world map as Germany and they have a great starting area so basically expanded making allies and then turning on each other in true Byzantine fashion...
Well the UK and I eventually took all Euro Africa Asia and then finally the epic nuclear war over Africa vs the Americas and my eventual German landings in the East Coast US...
It was like almost a month long game. If you micro manage and read the unit details u can beat anyone. Eg: armored cars win easy vs infantry on open plains. But infantry can kill tanks in city easy. Subs vs bb wins but you better avoid that destroyer....
Im suprised to see the famous face shooter in here
@@MarkFeltonProductions Blimey, does this mean that the Nazis can win?
A history professor once told me:
"As doctors in our field, we learn that nothing in history is unavoidable, fated or preordained...except German counterattack."
Commanders: "How many counter-offensive do you want?"
Hitler: "Yes."
I see a fellow Malaysian!
Hi im from indonesia
@@frostwyrm96 me too
:D
Wenck:That is madness my lord, our men is too weak to make an offensive!
Hitler: Dew it!
with no doubt one of the MOST interesting channels on YT. As a german I have to say, what we got tought in school doesn't nearly bring as much info as you do in few minutes. Respect and thanks. Oh and Congrats to 1Mil subs
Thanks! 😃
I remember when I was watching this channel at 300k subscribers. Really love your channel I've been watching for a long time! Keep up making ww2 videos!
I remember hitler saying "wenck will come" over and over again in the movie downfall. So this is what hitler was waiting for.
Great film. I saw a documentary of the making of " Downfall " where a scene technician was setting up, and Bruno Ganz ( as Hitler ) walked through in uniform and character on the set and everyone stopped what they were doing.
They were spooked. Then they got back to work. Ganz is my favorite late war portrayal of Adolf losing his noggin. Brilliant actor.
I can almost imagine that scene with the film crew makes me laugh. Yup bruno ganz for me is the best potrayal of adolf i've seen so far
Ganz made it impossible to anybody after him to do a serious Hitler in a movie. It was hard before, but after "Der Untergang", it's impossible.
wenck had more sense...
@@drvee1983 Do you know the name of that documentary? You've piqued my interest and I'd like to see that documentary, the film Downfall was awesome.
Awesome channel great videos gonna sub.
Good boy
Odin the German Shepherd I like your channel and sub😺
@@TheOriginal_BigMac
Just fyi, girls sub too...😉 as you likely know.
My (French) parents were children and lived in Tunisia during WWII.
I heard their war stories my entire life. They were so touched by their experiences.
My Dad was a boy of 11 to 14 during the war, when Canadian and American pilots visited his parents's farm at "Le Kef".
An Allies airforce base was nearby and my Dad's 5 pretty teenage sisters were probably the only girls in the area...
So, they had many visiting Spitfire pilots who brought nice treats like chocolate etc.
My Dad recounted how once, a pilot crashed landed his damaged Spitfire on the farm.
My Dad was the first one to arrive at the scene.
The pilot, thankfully, jumped out of the wrecked Spitfire uninjured.
The plane was toast.
The pilot promised my Dad the altmeter and began taking it off the dash when a jeep drove up. The pilot was reprimanded... no way was that important piece of equipment going to that kid...
My Dad was heartbroken...
So, to make him feel better, they gave him the small back tire!!!
Of course that didn't make things much better but my Dad was polite and never said it out loud... lol... poor little Yves...
He ADORED those brave men and they are the reason I am a proud Canadian today!!!
My Mom had a completely different experience...
She lived in Tunis which was occupied by the Germans.
The city was bombed by the Allies.
She recalled how a young woman she knew walked into the post office as it was bombed, nothing of the young woman was ever found...
When Mom was around 14 in 1941 I think, she went swimming in the Mediterranean Sea. She stepped on something soft and mushy... it was the torso of an American pilot... He must have been shot over the Mediterranean somewhere and part of his body ended up on that beach...
My Mom cried for that man her whole life...
She lived as a child with her Grandparents in an apartment in Tunis. They had a grand piano. Somehow, a top German officer learned of this... My Mom remembered this man arriving every week day morning at 8 am, sharp.
He would knock, my Great Grandmother, who loathed the Germans, would answer the door... The officer would politely "request" whether he could play for an hour, clicking his heels. My Great Grandma would let him in, her nose turned up and away from him, and direct him to the music room...
She would close/slam the door behind him a bit loudly... but politely... lol
Then as the officer began playing she would listen to him, at the door, as he was apparently a terrific pianist, but, my Great Grandmother would have rather died than admit it to him...
At 9 am sharp he would leave, thanking my Great Grandmother with a loud click of the heels...
I can't imagine...
My Mom also used to climb up on the roof and collect pieces of shrapnel with her cousin after bombings!!!
As I alluded, my parents' wonderful experiences with Canadian and American soldiers made them decide to immigrate to North America from France in the 60s.
I am so glad!!!
I hope that I didn't bore you, I, just wanted to share some old family stories...
Be safe James!!!
Isabelle Victoria British Columbia Canada
Ha! That's rich, coming from a German Shepherd...
There is so much historical gold in this channel. Drink lots of coffee, it's gonna be a late one.
I've never heard of this encounter. Thank you for sharing it with and I'd love to hear more about minor or unspoken of battles.
Fascinating video! Filled with lots and lots of information; names, dates, facts. Outstanding! Thank you Mr. Felton!
I'm here to thank Mark again - Thank you, sir!
"Comrades, you've got to go in once more, it's not about Berlin any more, it's not about the Reich any more." - Gen. Walther Wenck
Für das Volk, für Deutschland
the Soviets invaded this country at the beginning of world war I when they invaded Russia and you know killed the czar
@@joebrewer4529 It was Tsarist Russia that launched offensives into Eastern Germany during the early months of WW1, not communists. Not the Soviet Union. Furthermore, it was Serbian nationalist radicals who attacked Ferdinand, as he was of the Austro-Hungarian (Dual Monarchy)Empire that held dominion over these territories. Serbians were Slavs that had the support of Slavic Tsarist Russia, who was worried the Serbs would be subjected to annihilation and genocide if no larger power intervened on their behalf. Communists had nothing to do with early war. The nationalists were mostly anarchist ideologically if I remember correctly.
At this point they were fighting for survival, or fighting to save the civilians and other remaining soldiers trapped in the pocket.
It's for soon to be forgotten, obscure political prejudices that will increase casualties and prolong the horror. Oh, and for lies and idiocy.
Politics aside These men gave it their all in the face of defeat. True fighting spirit can't imagine what these soldiers went through.
Most german soldiers fought with honour. They were not ideologues or homicidal psychopaths, those were all in the SS, Gestapo and SA.
They were fighting at the beginning of the war to save Europe from communism and then at the end of the war to keep the Allies from raping and murdering Germans. I don't think they thought twice about it.
It's not just politics as the reason why we should never give these animals any credit for anything whatsoever.
@@jebus914 or so they were told. You do not make a pact with soviets at the beginning of the war and claim you’re starting it to fight communism. Germans wanted world domination, they saw Slavs inferior than them and wanted to dominate them, started with Poland… ended in defeat in Berlin.
@@devilsadvocate7389 Why did England and France not declare war on USSR when they invaded Poland?
Just amazing how you add so much in such a short time
Brilliant.
If anyone is interested in this time and period of the war there is a great book called 'The last Panther' it is most likely fictitious but it is about a Panther commander in the 9th army trying to make it to the 12th armies lines. highly recommend checking it out.
King of All Buttocks are you the King of my buttock or am I spared, your Hineyness?
Great book. I thought it was true
In reality it was a King Tiger breaking through in the Beelitz area.
@@dointh4198 is there a book on that?
@@joshwilson7295 I can give you several titles in German. However this breakthrough-story by the Heavy-Tank-Abt. 503 is well documented. You probably will find that in Le Tissier, Tony (2005). Slaughter at Halbe.
Usually I see these pop up in my mornings but a late night upload is very welcomed! Cheers for the quality, Dr. Felton!
You know Mr. Felton. It’s a great start to the day when you wake up almost late for work, with the intro music to your videos playing in my head as I rush to get out the door before being late. Then, the music continues playing throughout the work day as I rush to finish everything before the final bell rings. Ah, finally home. Time for some history! VICTORY! Downloading the game as well. Thanks Mr. Felton!
Thank you for the details of each battle, mile by mile, nation by nation, house by house. Very facinating
. I just finished reading "Slaughter at Halbe" and they touched on this final offensive but left me wanting more information. Thank You, your timing never fails to amaze me...
This is a fascinating account skilfully told. Wenck definitely did his best to get to Potsdam, but he clearly wasn't going to see his army slaughtered needlessly. Obviously he had one eye on the post-war. Thanks for this Mark.
It’s amazing that it took the 3 most powerful, well equipped and manned armies to defeat one Nation.
It was about to beat the most powerful and best equipped nation of all!
@@Affenkatze77 Hi if it was not for the interfering British and Americans my army would have beat on the Ivans
@@sydneymartin6941 ,no I think it was more the Russian weather that defeated the Germans
@@Trajan2401 Hello to u Now I get somebody that agrees with me German psychology Tell people tell people what they don't want to hear an they tell u what u want to hear BRILLIANT
@@Trajan2401 The weather was just one factor, add on top of that the German logistical issues, the lack of oil, and the fact that they were greatly outnumbered by an enemy who could also quickly replace their vast material losses largely due to America and Britain sending them a lot of supplies and armaments. The fact was, the Soviets could afford to replace the vast manpower and material losses, while the Germans could not.
MARK!!! Very cool that you included the assault rifle footage around the 11 minute mark. Nice touch!
Haven't been subbed for very long but man I fell in love with your content. I've been binge watching them like crazy and I absolutely love how you tell the whole history without any bias. I'd love to see more about the eastern front like Kursk, Odessa, Leningrad, Krivoi Rog etc. You're definitely what the history Channel should have been, best hsitory channel on RUclips
Yeah, it would be nice if he covered those areas more.
as a child there was a neighbor of german extraction who told me of the effort to get to where the uS Army was.
I have known someone who fought on the Eastern Front. He was a farmer's son who served in the Whermacht. After imprisonment, he returned home in the 1950s. During the war and his imprisonment, he has seen terrible things from both sides. He was badly traumatized, nowadays it is called PTSS. The sad thing about the story, his father had fought in the 1st world war and did not want his son to go. Unfortunately he had to, was caputerd by the Soviets and deported to Siberia. He servived but many died.
With his experience he has forbidden his son to serve in the Bundeswehr
Soviets and germans were the real enemies. US saved thousands of nazis
I've learned more in five weeks than I did from my five years of lefty 1970s so called teachers. Mark's RUclips channel is a godsend. Thankyou Mark Felton.
These videos have been so awesome. Thank you uploading and sharing with us!
"Wenck will come. Wenck will come."
Where are Wenck's front lines?
When are they attacking?
Where is the 9th army?
Where will the 9th army break through?
@SittingMoose Shaman What of the 9th army? Your answer is flawed. You're on the list.
@@josephstalin6549 hey you little rat
@@josephstalin6549
96000+ German POWs were captured in the battle if Stalingrad and sent to Gulag while only 5000 of them being repatriated in late 1950s.
What a "great" "liberator"!
Let alone the massacre of Polish elite in Katyn forrest.
@wargent99
Why "millions" of Russian soldiers surrendered instead of defending their "Great" Soviet motherland?
2/3 high ranking generals were executed by NKVD under Great Leader Josef Stalin!
“See the Reich in flames, try to save Berlin in vain.
It’s a road through death and pain. On the other shore, it’s the end of the War.”
Another incredible video Mr. Felton. I'd love to see you do one on the Battle of the Bulge. I know it's well known but some of the stories are incredible.
Felton is an incredible resource - these videos are an educational treasure.
Mark Felton will catch you with your guard down time and again and blow your mind. Highly informative shelling with captivating material. Thank you!
8.45 in the netherlands .. some coffee and this ..perfect morning
That sounds really quite lovely. Any fog this morning?
@Claret Mug Happy hunting!!
@Claret Mug what's it like in Mississippi? Better than Oregon I imagine
I plan on visiting the Netherlands after the pandemic. I’ll buy coffee and we discuss Dr. Felton’s videos? It’s 12c at 2010 on the east coast USA.
@@kaptainkaos1202 I live near arnhem and right on the grebbelinie ..so I could show you around some sites if you like
Another fab insight into WW2 by Mark Felton. Very interesting stuff and I only had a chance to see a fraction of this stuff at the old Imperial War Museum in London back in the 1960's.
Thanks Mark and every one of your uTube vids is great and must have taken lots of time to compile.
Another great video. One of my favorites. Action-packed detail.
Littarly this man has told me more about ww2 than any of my history teachers
@America goof.
It's comments like these that make me think the teachers have likely done a good job, though the 'student' is usually intending to disparage them. You're never going to learn the micro specifics in high school history that this channel shows because there's just not enough time to cover much beyond the basics. What a good teacher aims to do is instil a drive to self learn over a lifetime. If they don't help inspire you to be interested in history you're less likely to be here watching Dr. Mark Felton's channel.
Damn it, I now I have to watch this, just when I was about to to sleep
Yup but totally worth it
You can sleep when you're dead - Now fall in!
That is true a documentary by @ mark Felton, is always worthy of staying up
I like very much your videos Mr Felton!
Thank you very much!
I watch all of them.
My only one suggestion is: Could it be possible to record them in a high volume? It is very difficult to listen them, even at maximum volume.
To think that someone is putting these vids together as a hobby is pretty mind-blowing.
Sehr gut!
Thanks for a good video. Good to get new stories about the war. You have an amazing cool job and you are very good at it to. Take care!
Just got home from work....perfect timing!😁
Excellent, as always with all of your highly detailed and researched videos. Thanks.
i was in military basic training when this video was released. Mark Felton is the greatest historian on youtube! he blows my mind every time!
Awesome video, professional as usual.
This makes a nice companion piece to the 2004 film Downfall. It gives the 2nd half of the film context.
Another fantastic video telling stories we would,never otherwise hear - bravo
Excellent video, Mark. I just learnt about this story, it’s something incredible.
Last time I was this early, everyone was sent out of the room except for Keitel, Jodl, Krebs, and Burgdoff.
I met Wencks Chief of Staff Colonel Reichhelm years ago doing an interview for a documentary on Keitel. He told me about that crazy midnight meeting in a hut out in the woods and how Wenck always caught Reichhelms eyes during Keitel’s speech telling him that the Fieldmarshal’s orders are madness.
Thank you Dr Felton!
Keep doing all kinds of military history. subbed good work. Brand new military weapons videos are also great.
Loving your videos Mark. Unbiased, fair, accurate, educational, and entertaining. You're running the table. Subbed, shared, and hit that notification button. Keep it up.
Look how big you have become now Mark! Congratulations, almost 1 000 000 subscribers now!!
Wow I'm from Potsdam, I was only knowing that near my Grandmother's house a Flak station was.
I met Wencks Chief of Staff Colonel Reichhelm years ago doing an interview for a documentary on Keitel. He told me about that crazy midnight meeting in a hut out in the woods and how Wenck always caught Reichhelms eyes during Keitel’s speech telling him that the Fieldmarshal’s orders are madness.
Congratulations sure. You just found your soviet family lineage
Excellent video, as always, Mark!
Saturday morning, coffee and a Mark Felton video illuminating more about April 45. Life is grand.
I like this video a lot, looking forward to seeing the second video about the encircled 9th army
Every time I watch Mark Felton productions I just have to go off and play war thunder.
Great Channel Mark. Keep 'em coming.
Mark. I absolutely love your videos. Best documentaries
you've found a much appreciated niche Mark.
Early upload! Great start to the morning :) have a good day
Your best video this year Mark i'm hoping there's a book on this
wonderful content. happy someone is still making ww2 documentaries.
Ah, I thought this sounded familiar, as it's the story told by sabaton in their song, hearts of iron
Yeah, it's one of my favourite Sabaton song
Amazing song
Every time I hear Sabaton, I get an irrational desire to invade Poland.
Moist-Mike Doesn’t matter to the polish even if it’s 40-1 and be sure that Warszawo will walcz ....
@@mats7492 is that a hoi4 achievement reference I see?
Looking forward to the video about the 9th army :)
Me too.
I'm always very ineterested in the battles thet raged in the last year of the war.
Excellent footage and highly engaging Dr. Felton, keep up the excellent work :)
Very good Mark. Thank you for your work.
Incredible, this is the channel that just keeps giving!!! I can't understand why National Geographic have not given Mark a massive contract to produce for the channel
the ng channel has to cater to the average prole, not intellectuals and thinkers
"Ring of steel" paving the way for the Iron Curtain.
A mess of mixed metaphors!
Excellent. Dr F, your doco's are a treasure.
Amazing history, thank you for reviewing this operation!