The Church Tower that Became a Paratrooper's Nightmare | Sainte-Mère-Église
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- Опубликовано: 4 окт 2024
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During World War II, a team of paratroopers embarked on a daring mission to plant a bomb on a church steeple in occupied France. This video tells the incredible story of their bravery and skill as they navigated through enemy territory, facing incredible odds to complete their mission. Through archival footage and expert interviews, we delve into the planning and execution of this high-stakes operation, and the impact it had on the war effort. It's a gripping tale of heroism and sacrifice that will leave you on the edge of your seat.
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#Paratrooper #ChurchSteeple #WorldWarII #Mission #Daring #Bravery #Skill #OccupiedFrance #ArchivalFootage #ExpertInterviews #Planning #Execution #HighStakes #Operation #Heroism #Sacrifice #GrippingTale #WW2 #MilitaryHistory #WarEffort #Paratroopermission #WW2paratrooper #Paratrooperhistory #WW2history #Warheroes #Militarytactics #WW2tactics #WW2operations
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Each man that dropped that night has a story to tell. No one story is more or less important than the other. This is just one of thousands that has actually been told.
They are all hero's to me.!
I disagree completely. Remembering individual stories is important as it helps remember that they were all human beings who had their own experiences and thats far easier to relate too. I can't relate to the battalion as a whole and their objectives or achievements, but I can imagine being scared and vulnerable just trying to stay alive.
Absolutely agree. There's the overall story, but that's comprised of thousands of individual stories. It's a travesty that so many of those individual stories have been lost.
It seems they're missing the trees for the forest....
So I visited Normandy and have been to Sainte Mere Eglise. I can agree Steels story is relatively unimportant but if you are going to Normandy for WW2 history it’s not hard to find. The beaches are loaded with monuments praising the brave efforts of all that came ashore. I have also visited the cemetery near Omaha beach. Amazing BTW. Most people I tell don’t know that’s American soil. My point is if you take a trip to Normandy seriously and visit all of the historic spots and educate yourself the church steeple story will fit itself into the proper context. No need to remove it. Bottom line, if you want to put the story in the proper historical context tell the bigger stories. Be part of the solution not part of the problem.
Most people don't know its American soil because it isn't. Its an american world war II grave on foreign soil. America really have a problem with taking people lands in anyway possible. Sheesh
@@Nozylatten When I visited we were told that it was US soil. That may be how the French volunteers who tend the graves feel. It’s an amazing site to see regardless as well as a better site then a parachute on a church
If you don't learn your history, you are doomed to repeat it. He should know that.
I enjoy your channel very much. But I think you might be missing the point here. Yes many people will be drawn to see the Paratrooper on the steeple. But once there, SOME OF THEM will learn more. And after that a smaller number will be captivated by the significance and the sacrifice of the conflict - and go on to deeper learning through books etc.
I have never stepped foot in war I have never been close to it and I'm happy for it, I feel the biggest reason I have not had to brave the dangers of war are because of individual men like the parachutist on the church, sure George Patton Eisenhower and a few other individuals had a little bit to do with the war but for mine money the war was won by individuals hanging from parachutes for other great deeds that I know I don't have the guts to do, leave him alone and let this gentleman have his glory and letting be recognized or what he is a individual hero just one among many and if I was a veteran I would have been proud to have him represent me by hanging on a church steeple, the reason a lot of reasons we are not a communist Nation right now and we need to thank them and meditate on their deeds everyday..
I actually think that this is a VERY important aspect of the events and should be shared. Every single story that’s able to be shared should be shared!
I remember this from the Longest Day movie, in the movie the part was played by Red Buttons ??? Thanks for keeping history alive.....
In his opinion it did not happen? Yes there are countless thousands of individual actions that contributed to the overall effort in each individual battle or skirmish. He offered no proof or evidence this incident never occurred yet he said in his opinion that it did not happen. What a bold opinionated statement to make.
Very interesting. Love learning new historical stuff.
My question is how did they get the real guy down and how did they get the dummy up on that roof?!
Ex-Para here. We we taught if suspended at height to open the reserve chute and climb down. Did Steele have a reserve? I keep reading the Germans cut his lines and lowered him by rope. How ? There doesn’t seem to be a definitive answer anywhere 🤷♂️
The reason the German Paratroopers got "shot out the sky" during their invasion of Crete as you correctly pointed out is because the British had broken the Enigma code the Luftwaffe used and knew when, where and how the Germans would be coming. Pretty easy to shoot guys in parachutes when armed with such knowledge. Hitler was so horrified by the casualties that he never used his airborne troops in a major way ever again. Of course he didnt know the reason and assumed the surprise value of paratroopers had run its course and didnt make sense anymore.
A similar thing occurred during the Allies ill fated Operation Market Garden in Holland in September of 1944. The Germans found a copy of the entire battle plan to be executed by the Americans and British which Included landings by paratroopers for 3 days. The plans were found on day 1 so the drops the following 2 days were disastrous, especially for the Polish Airborne than landed on day 3.
Thanks again John in Chicago
It's not the original Soldier's fault but those or propagated it and pushed it beyond the norm.
Why do you show a Marine when you 1st mention John Steele?!Anyone there have a basic knowledge of the military services?
Hey man you gotta include the astounding victory the German paratroopers had in the low countries in May of 1940, Denmark or Belgium. Can't remember off the top of my head. Operation Neptune's jump was abysmal no one landed right. Jimi hendrix was in the 82nd airborne. I JUST WANT TO SAY, I LOVE YO UR SHOW ITSREALLY IMFORMATIVE
The story humanizes the stories of many by the telling of one. No one can escape thought of "What if that was me?" I believe that individual stories makes context for the larger stories. Even movies like SPR tell individual stories so that the larger narratives can be better appreciated.
That Marine complete with Eagle Globe and anchor was certainly not private Steel.
It's pretty funny, a guy gets stuck on a church for 2 hours and everyone was like "Wow! What a hero!" and he's like "Dude, I'm just a barber" everyone is silent for 3 seconds and erupts in cheers anyway
What is odd is that the story about the 82 drop on St. Mere Eglise is no mention that "F" Co. 506 landed there before the 82nd even jumped.Fought off the Germans ,headed for their objectives.I knew a lot of them.
With respect to visualizing WW2 history, I found the little plaques on the walls throughout Paris and London to be far more impactful than the grandiose monuments. Stroll down a street in Paris and there, above the sidewalk, is a small sign stating the name and date of a person killed there by the Germans. In London, a small blue plaque stating that at this spot 41 soldiers were killed by a bomb. And so it goes.
Learn something new every day
For all of the comedy Red Buttons did, I still remember him in The Longest Day, lol...
I hope they still teach the lessons of WW2 history class.
So much is being forgotten.
John Steele is buried here where I live in Metropolis, Illinois and John is buried here at the Masonic cemetery in 1969 from throat cancer in Fayetteville N.Carolina.
I don’t think they are being disrespectful of the usage of the paratrooper. It’s good to keep the history alive. That whole town is a historical site.
Ex-Para here. We we taught if suspended at height to open the reserve chute and climb down. Did Steele have a reserve? I keep reading the Germans cut his lines and lowered him by rope. How ? There doesn’t seem to be a definitive answer anywhere 🤷♂️
You should do a video on the 101st airborne and their significance to world politics and history. They continue to this day and are very active.
13:25 hey everybody look at the British guy standing in front of a French church complaining about an American paratrooper.
No he’s not. Stop exaggerating. He’s talking as a historian.
I know the story of John Steele and his episode is very controversial as to whether it actually happened or happened as depicted in The Longest Day. After watching several RUclips videos on this I recalled watching the Cronkite/Eisenhower interviews from the 20th D Day Anniversary Documentary. There is a discussion between Ike and the wife of the WWII mayor of Ste Mere Eglise. She would appear to support the “popular tale” of the John Steele “saga”. Again, I have no clue as to the veracity of the story but it at least appears plausible from this interview or perhaps she was influenced in her own memory by the depiction in the movie. Who knows!
If you read this which I doubt you do. If you're going to get the opinion of someone about an event in France maybe you should get a local who was from the place that was liberated instead of some British gentleman who has no emotional ties to it.
Agreed. I'm sure to a lot of the French, every one of those guys were heroes.
I LOVE YOUR CHANNEL!!! Thank you for making videos about history that is “little known”! Edit: spelling 🙄
I tend to think Steele represents paratroopers in general, a lot of them have interesting stories (ex 82nd Airborne)
My son took my wife and I there when we visited him in France
It’s a nice story
It's odd how current military operations manuals warn against revisionists being dangerous and a threat.
I guess they had different replicas of Steele over the years. They had one hanging from the church when I visited in 2004.
How dare there be a fun little story we like to remember. The average Joe don't care about more complex manoeuvres of the whole group. They want a soldier's simple story, a fun one at that. That is what this is. Drama queens.
101st forever!
Why do you have a photo of a Marine in the beginning of the video
The picture you're showing is a marine. He was an army paratrooper...
Pegasus Bridge gets forgotten British gliders were 1st in
Ohhh is that how history works? erase the story from peoples minds to focus on the thing THIS historian wants us to focus on.. ya ok gl w/ that
Hold on wait a minute. When did the US Marines become paratroopers in the European theater of war in WW2? Did some Marines transfer over?
So the last guy in the film called Private John Steele a liar!
Um, you said he was 82 Airborn and that's US Army but at the beginning, you show a picture of a US Marine?
A little over the top my fellow English man
On his WW2TV RUclips channel, Paul Woodadge and the historian Marty Morgan discuss the John Steele story at length, coming to the conclusion he expressed to you there in Ste Mère.
That was Red Buttons tower.
The reason why this story has gotten so widespread is because it's odd.
Steele is wearing a Marine Corps emblem on his cover. No Marines fought in Europe in World War 2. I do not understand why you have such a hard on for this guy. Rewriting history, perhaps? Everyone has an opinion, some people have an angle; what is yours?
Marines did serve in the ETO but were in small numbers serving in specialized units.
Socash. my Son just outed me saying I was a Fanboy of your channel....
Yea, imo blue shirt guy is a clown. He's trying to gatekeep history by downplaying the the importance of inspiring symbols and the things about history that sparks curiosity and gets people excited to learn.
Fir- third!
Hi
If you remove it nobody would go to the church or area. So I say leave it up
"Pedistool"???
👎 grumpy old man
The pretentiousness of this episode, end of this fellow that you're talkin to, I think his name is Paul, is just kind of icky. At a time when people are not even remembering the war, you think that anything that draws to the attention of the sacrifice of these men, would be praised. I know it's a tourist trap. I live in Florida, I understand these things. But we're talking about a generation that thinks of the American Civil War was fought in the 1940s. I'm 35 years old, I'm part of this generation that is so stupid.
Whoops🪂⛪🙀
9:55 - Ryan, do better! debuted = deh-byood NOT deh-byoo- dead
I was a paratrooper of the 82nd in the '80's. We are mission first, those men had big brass ones and the fact that he hung there helpless would have been a personal mark of shame. People are celebrating a man, not doing his mission, bringing further shame.
These people are money hungry, and the fact that it is a church, should bring shame to them.
It's free do with it as you will.
The only option he had was to play dead until an opportunity to get down was presented. The second he would have yelled out, he would have been killed. After being a prisoner and escaping, he still saw combat. Don’t think the man had anything to be ashamed of.
@@dishsoap1 You are absolutely correct, that he had nothing to be ashamed of. However, you do not understand the mindset it takes to do a job like that. I was hurt on a parachute jump in '85 while with the 82nd. I still feel guilty, because I did not pull my weight in a peace time exercise. Oddly enough we were copying this very action, because congress wanted to see it. A lot of us were injured on this very exercise '85, '86 and '87 before they finally quit.
It would have been torcher for him to have to hang there watching his brothers die, he would have been ashamed there were no actions he could take, he was a professional soldier and could do nothing.
Your view point really has little value if you do not understand his mindset. If you are a paratrooper, I'd like to know your experiences, to better understand your mindset on this issue. If you are not a paratrooper, you now know the mindset of one who is, not currently practicing.