One of my father's first posts after boot camp (1942) was guarding the train tunnels at Donner Pass in Truckee, California. He was told they were worried about sabotage of the tunnels shutting down the railroads. He said guarding the tunnels on Donner Pass in snowstorms was not pleasant work, but much better than being in North Africa or the Philippines!
@@bumpedhishead636 Naw, I’d rather be at one of those pacific island where it was a bloodbath….your father was a very lucky man indeed. What never gets talked about after wars is the collateral damage done to the souls of the men that fought them. Many live lives of quiet desperation in a pool of booze or pills trying to forget the hell they were apart of.
@@morganfreeman5260I don't think the availability of definitive numbers regarding a historian's subject matter has any bearing on how good that historian is. I think ToldInStone is a history professor at Michigan, I consider TIS and Mark Felton to be the best history RUclipsrs in their chosen field 🤷♂️ I don't see why we need a pissing match between the two
@Mark - The Frenchman Bay landing was on Hancock Point, a few miles inland from Bar Harbor, ME. I still can't believe a UBoat came that far up Frenchman Bay! On that night in November 1944 29yr old Mary Forni was coming home from playing cards with friends around 11pm. It was snowing lightly when she turned down Hancock Pt Rd and noticed two men in trench coats walking towards her headlights.... fast forward to Sept 2003 and I "intruded" on Mary's privacy in her driveway on Hancock Pt Rd on a late summer afternoon. She offered to tell me the whole story if I would carry some of her groceries into her house which I gladly did. She not only told me her story buy also showed me the place where the spies landed with the rubber boat. GREAT STUFF, thanks Mark!!!
I worked at FBI records for awhile scanning old files. Hoover became connected back in 1911 or so when police in Clarksburg, WV caught 2 misbehaving and suspicious Italian travelers who had a thick handwritten book with a list of names and contact information around America for lots of people and some pages of writing. The book was written in Italian Upon translating it and grilling the prisoners it was forwarded to the US Dept of Justice AG Wickersham and given to J Edgar for followup. It turned out the book was a list of every member of the Black Hand inside the US and what their employment position or status was. Although FBI records had several letters from Clarksburg, WV before 1914 referencing the book and asking about it's veracity, I never saw any letters of reply. Early in WW2 Hoover and US Naval Intelligence negotiated a deal with Lucky Luciano and some others that in return for keeping the NYC and East Coast docks free of Nazi saboteurs the FBI would not interfere in other East Coast mob activities. Several previously pro-Nazi longshoremen and union leaders then had accidents or disappeared and the docks ran smoothly under mob management. Also the mafia provided information and assistance to the Allies regarding Italy. After the 1947 Havana, Cuba mob conference the new focus became communists and a similar deal was struck regarding events in Las Vegas.. During the time of Lucky Luciano J Edgar Hoover became a regular attendee and better at the horse race trackin Upper Marlboro, MD,, He became widely known he was a very shrewd better of horse races as he would often make large bets on very improbable to win horses against long odds, but often win large sums of money. Although his skill at the race track was written about in newspapers, none of those reporters bothered to notice a possible connection between the miraculous wins at the track and who the true owner of the horse track was. Hoover continued to bet at the Upper Marlboro racetrack until the early days of President Kennedy.
Unless you had a photo of him wearing a dress like the mafia had, he publicly stated there was no commission. Until Appalachia meeting happened he had to admit there was a national crime syndicate.
Hoover also took credit for operations he knew nothing about. Read "Hitler in Los Angeles, how Jews foiled nazi plots against Hollywood and America" by Steven J. Ross.
My dad was with 101st Yankee division. Before they went south to train his company guarded the beaches in Maine. While on duty he was approached by a couple telling my dad they worked for the Red Cross. they asked him about how many troops and positions there were so they could bring coffee to the unit. He went back to the O.D. ran the names with the Red Cross and found that couple didn't work for them. A platoon was sent out but couldn't find them.
Always interesting stuff! The last two concerning Goring’s bling I found very interesting as the WW2 collectors market for German military materials (helmets, metals, daggers, guns ect ect) have gone through the roof.
On 12 May 1942, Lieutenant Alfred Langbein was landed @ St. Martin's, New Brunswick, Canada from U-213. He surrendered to Canadian authorities in 1944 when he ran out of funds. He spent the remainder of the war as a POW & eventually returned to Germany. On 9 November 1942, Lieutenant Werner von Janowski was landed @ New Carlisle, Gaspe, Province of Quebec, Canada from U-518. He was captured by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police & ended the war as a POW. His Kreigsmarine uniform, personal effects & transmitter are on display at the Canadian War Museum @ Ottawa. Since Canada has long been a part of North America these landings should be included in this discussion. - Courtesy of George Kush, UE, CD, Fort Macleod, Alberta, Canada.
@@hoodatdondar2664 Wandering Canada picking up odd jobs here & there across the country. There was also an attempt by escaped German POW's to rendezvous with a U-boat along the St. Lawrence River, but if memory serves, though the U-boat waited the POW's they were intercepted by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
I read a story about some German spies that were put ashore in Canada. And being dimed out by the smell of their clothing, which (just like American Submarineers in WWII) reeked of the smell of diesel oil and, of course, strong BO. They were in a hotel, as I remember, and the clerk was suspicious and called the RCMP..
East Coast Canada reporting. On the north coast of New Brunswick, which has a long history of international seamen and smugglers U boat crews would occasionally drop by remote villages and buy supplies and visit pubs. The locals thought nothing of it until military intelligence caught wind of it and put a stop to the practice. There was a German spy who gave himself up in St. John NB. And my buddy told me that his grandfather as a young boy saw a sea launched German plane with markings fly over the interior of Nfld. It took him a week to get back to civilization and phone to inform the authorities as he was out on an extended hunting trip to feed his family.
According to family lore my great uncle who was a ww1 veteran, stopped two Nazis saboteurs from entering a power plant in western Pennsylvania in 1943. He was a hired security team member who encountered these spies breaching a perimeter fence line, ordered them to halt, when they did not comply they were shot. Such goes the story and while I can’t confirm its validity it was a part of my childhood memories.
Americans will learn about the time the enemy landed saboteurs on their soil and come out thinking the government officials trying to protect them were the bad guys. Incredible.
@Mark, when I worked offshore in Louisiana, I heard a lot of WW2 stories of U-Boats being spotted and sunk in the Gulf of Mexico, even heard a story of a U-Boat being spotted up the Mississippi River and possibly being helped by some local Cajuns. On our boat, there was a copy of "Rise of the Cajun Mariner" which may have briefly touched on the subject. Not a whole lot of people wanted to talk about it in detail because those families were still around the area and hold a lot of influence.
There WAS extensive U-Boat activity in the Gulf of Mexico and quite a few ships were sunk, some within sight of shore. The Cajun story sounds like a lot of baloney. Cajuns were of French descent so wouldn’t have any sympathy for Germany.
@@jon9021 Cajuns are descendants of French Canadians who fled Canada when the English took over. They may have a longstanding grudge against the English but their connection to France was more than two centuries old. Their connection to Germany was nil.
@@Heike-- Yes, the English Expelled the Acadians from Canada and the fled to Louisiana. After the American Revolution, the Tories who collaborated with the English were expelled and “fled” to Canada. Such is the circle of life when one group conquers the other. Some of my Scotch-Irish ancestors were Jacobite’s and were forced to flee Britain. My Calvinist French ancestors, the Huguenots, were forced to leave or die. They “fled” to America.
@@kerry9125 Also: Hillary: Here's $10 million from donations to the Clinton Foundation to support political corruption and unconstitutional acts. FBI: We will require $30 million.
@@quad1000 Please enlighten me how the FBI betraying these Germans who sang like canaries to them, and all the other shenanigans the FBI pulled is the same as as being a flat earth nutter? Cause anyone with a brain can see the Earth is round. But anyone with a brain would not just blindly trust a government agency. Let alone a 3 letter security agency. So enlighten me, oh wise one, why we should trust the FBI?
Dr Felton: there was very interesting event in Wilmington NC during WW2 when a U Boat bombed an Ethyl Dow plant. An area south of Wilmington is known for the Confederate States’ last blockade and led to the Battle of Fort Fisher. But there was certainly German U Boats who bombed a munitions plant that disrupted the war effort. Would LOVE a proper story on that event
No kidding man, thats one hell of a story, and id certainly love to know more about this too... i used to live in Wilmington years ago, but actually have spent most of my life about 45 minutes north-northeast of wilmington (in jacksonville, nc) which began as a small camp back in the very early 1940's & originally as well as ever since, used to primarily train marines, and a few sailors too, in amphibious landings, operations & warfare in general. And also concerning wilmington... it's been the permanent home for "the showboat" better known as the Battleship USS North Carolina (BB-55) since she was saved from the scrapyard several decades ago, and she is now an absolutely incredible museum ship, docked/moored on the far shore of the Cape Fear River, right across the river from historic downtown Wilmington.
Have you read Bruno Friesen’s book “Panzer Gunner”? Friesen was a Canadian born German whose parents elected to immigrate to Germany (the family was from a German enclave in Russia). He was a young teenager at the time. Before he completed his apprenticeship as an electrician he was conscripted into to Wehrmacht and because of his electrical training assigned to the Panzer Corps ending up as a gunner on a Jgdpz IV. He elected to return to Canada, but it took several years. After retirement he became a docent at a museum that had a Jgdpz IV. How many had similar fates from families that decided to immigrate to Germany during that period?
Wilfried Strik-Strikfeldt is another: A Baltic German, he immigrated (read: was deported) from the USSR after the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact allowed the “repatriation” of ethnic Germans from the Baltic States. Due to prior military service, he was mobilized into the Heer, and was put in charge of convincing Russian POWs to join Andrey Vlasov’s collaborators due to knowing Russian. His requests to boost recruitment among Russians as well as cut back on the brutality of the occupation were all but ignored by the OKW, and the idea was only taken up by the SS near the end of the war. He wrote a book in 1970 about his experiences called “Against Stalin and Hitler: Memoir of the Russian Liberation Movement”. He died in 1977 in Southern Germany.
Are you kidding? When I got the notification that Dr. Felton had posted a new video, I was all over it like a bum on a baloney sandwich! I love Dr. Felton’s videos!
True. It also reinforces the fact that nobody loves a traitor. Turncoats will generally find neither trust nor love nor sympathy from any side, even if they think they are doing the right thing.
Noteworthy that these plots failed not due to effective American counter espionage, but poor personell choices on the German side. The performance of the Abwehr seems a bit lacklustre at times.
There's absolutely no way (zero) to confirm what you just stated. No way to prove that. Germans were very sophisticated and feints occurred all the time
@@tegbolddos I would consider the facts presented in this very video evidence to the claim that the Abwehr was at times subpar. (Plus for example the fact that they couldn't figure out that even the navy's four wheel Enigma was broken.) I would even go so far and require you to provide evidence that the Abwehr was in fact good.
Honorable mention: there was an escape of German POWs in Phoenix,AZ. They planned to use a man made raft and float down the Salt river (I believe ) from a map they stole. Once they reached the river, they were disheartened to find out that it was dry, a typical Arizona river. It would be interesting to follow up on this Dr.Felton.
There's a similar story in the midwest where the germans just turned themselves in once they saw a map of the united states and realized how far they were from the east coast.
Yes, they were U-Boat men interned at Papago Park north of Phoenix. They obtained a gas station map, and seeing the little blue lines on it, assumed they were viable waterways. They even built home-made Klepper folding boats -- in full view of the guards, who assumed it was just a hobby project. The many ''washes'' or arroyos on the map are dry gulches for the most part - except in the Monsoon Season, when they are raging torrents from flash floods... A tunnel was dug from under their barracks out to a spot outside the camp perimeter. When they emerged, they saw how impossible the kayaking plan was and broke into groups to exfiltrate thru the desert. Eventually all the Germans were recaptured. Local legend is that the leader was in the last group. They wound up in Downtown Phoenix with just enough money for a full dinner at a Chinese restaurant. The guards, tipped off, patiently waited until they got their furtune cookies and paid their bill. When they came out, they were taken into custody.
@@HootOwl513 The guys had been in the pitch black filthy desert for so many days that they were covered in dirt and had trouble adjusting to the lights in the restaurant. They kind of stood out.
Ah the legendary Horseshoe Curve. It was one of the main thoroughfares of the Pennsy and a major freight route to New York City. During the war the Pennsy and other railroads moved huge oil trains coast to coast, to avoid the Uboat danger at sea. As well the Pennsy moved thousands of soldiers in military trains from points west
It is still worth a visit today. The viewing area is a National Park. Major traffic is NS coal trains, the length that stretches around both sides of the curve is impressive. Regretfully there are only 3 tracks now in use, not the original four.
@@alanfike I think because of the geography. It is a "choke point," that would impair the US war effort for a longer period of time per KG of explosive.
@dannagy546 What the saboteurs planned to do was blow up the tunnels at Gallitzen, just west of the Curve itself, near the crest of the hill. Doing so would have shut down all traffic on the line.
My Dad's father, who I never knew, worked in WWII supplying wood to the POW camp located in Wakulla County, Florida. Dad, as a youngster then, sometimes accompanied him, and saw the German POWs. A few of those Germans remained here after war, becoming naturalized citizens and marrying local girls.
In the history of the FBI this was recorded as Hoover's victory over NAZI spies. Hoover a master manipulator of facts and events used this to further the FBI being involved in counter intelligence activities and amazingly having at least two high ranking KGB moles reporting to them rather than the CIA. Another great episode from Mark that inspires us to look deeper at these historical events.
There was an irish man , british pow , recruited by the germans, he was trained and dropped by parachute into ireland with 20k in british pounds, he turned himself in a few days later minus the money, he told the irish authorities he had been playing the germans for a ride home, in 1946 he opened a hotel in dublin, called the parachute hotel
Having been born and raised at the beaches in the Jacksonville, FL area, 5th generation, the story of the U-Boat landing at Ponte Vedra was one I heard often growing up. My grandfather was in Burma flying for the Army Air Corp at the time, but my grandmother and the rest of my family were still in the Jacksonville Beaches area during the War. It was no secret locally that U-Boats could/did patrol the coast, and there were nightly blackouts. Windows along the coast were painted black to prevent U-Boats from seeing coastal lights at night, including at the local high school in Jacksonville Beach (Fletcher High). The landing was reported on by local newspapers, and was common knowledge to those in the area after it happened. I am so thrilled you covered this unique, and often overlooked, moment in WW2 naval history from my home!
Excellent as always. One minor technicality. Newfoundland & Labrador only joined Canada in 1949. Prior to that they were a British colony under direct control of London.
FYI, the name King of Prussia is a German American town founded in the US Revolutionary war near historic Valley Forge. Two hundred years on it was the location of the shopping plaza shown (picture circa 1968). Today it is the 2nd largest shopping mall in the US by square footage and the largest by number of stores. I wish I knew about this guy in the 1970's as K of P, as called by locals was my teenage hang out.
In the early 1970s, I knew a musician who was apparently in the Canadian military intelligence. He told the story of a U-boot that was cruising off the east coast of Canada that was claimed to have sent men ashore in Trois Rivieres Quebec. One of the crew was an excellent trumpet player, and performed with a jazz group on at least one occasion in that city. The U-boat was later sunk, but among the debris from personal effects were theatre tickets sold in Canada. I have read some variations on this story so I think it may be an urban myth.
I would agree to the urban myth, to get to Trois-Rivières the Uboat would have to get past Québec-City where the St-Lawrence is very narrow and very well guarded. Before reaching that point, that were some almost infinite coastline to discreetly land a party of saboteurs or even trumpet players if needed.
There was a similar story about a U Boat captain attending the opera in Trinidad without being noticed in German propaganda broadcasts. While this was undoubtedly false, the fact that such stories were ever originated shows how much of an open season there was off the American seaboard!
The landing in Florida was my home town and I can confirm it IS local lore passed down the generations just like I hear you talk about in the UK. To this day I'm awed a U-Boat operated succesfully right off my home of all places. Thank you Mark Felton and fabulous staff; we love your videos! 😊
Most of it was pure incompetence by the US Navy’s part: We only adopted convoys in April 1942, when U Boats had practically paralyzed shipping since January! If you want to know more about this, read the book Torpedo Junction (published 1989) by Homer Hickam (yes, that one).
Read "Seizing the Enigma" and "Hitler's Spies" by David Kahn. Also, "Hitler in Los Angeles" how Jews foiled Nazi plots against Hollywood and America by Steven J. Ross. Hitler's Spies details all of the operations mentioned here along with the general failure of German overseas spy operations during the war.
"Blood and Banquets" by Bella Fromm, a real-life journal of the rise of the Third Reich I always thought would make a good mini-series, with a spy thriller ending, and it's all true. You will be on the edge of your seat the whole time.
One of my Ham Radio buddies was instrumental in capturing a German spy who had joined the U.S. Army and was in training. He received help from the camp commander and they searched his foot locker. Under a false bottom they found plastic explosives, which even the ordinance officer had never seen but had heard about, detonators, and time fuses, he told me. When the spy came back from the field training later that day, he was captured, and never heard of again. RIP Bill.
These "snippets" of history are so well done and are fascinating. It would be a wonderful read if you were to do an illustrated compilation of all your videos, starting from September '39 to September '45. I admit I am a casual follower of WW2, but my interest is growing, as are alot of young Americans. That would be a wonderful springboard for further study for people. For what it's worth I just wanted to share the thought. I watch every one you produce and will continue to do so. Thanks, Mark.
When I was at High school,-here in Sydney Australia,--I was 15-& I had a polish mate,-and I swapped him some Aussie Army badges-for these 3 German Badges--one was a Blockade runner,--one was for E-boat-the other was for(I think)-minesweeper,with the depiction of a Explosion on it---I had no clue then,about them-I used to collect Militaria--they are lost to time but i still remember "blockade runner"-most vivid !!
The story I read of the Canadian weather station was it was never 'found' until at a multination military conference a German officer asked what Canada had done with the weather station when they found it. The Canadian officer reported it up the line and only then was it located.
Dr. Felton, as soon as I saw this I immediately knew the “Horseshoe Curve” would be shown. I grew up in Altoona and to see this marvel in person is a treat. Altoona was a major hub for the Pennsylvania Railroad and was a primary repair shop for locomotives and railroad cars. Thank you, for your amazing content.
What a fascinating video! I have watched 100's of WW2 documentaries none as captivating as this! Keep it it up Dr Felton. There is still so much to learn from WW2.
Thanks for getting around to this, Mark. I read about some of this stuff as a kid re: the FBI. For some reason, I thought you'd already done it. Great job with the details that were left out of the books I read.
"The House on 92nd Street" I believe was loosely based on some of the events mentioned here. The upper east side of New York around 86th street was a center of German agent activity during the war. Read "Blood and Banquets" by Bella Fromm, a real story of a Jewish woman's escape from German agents after she fled to NY during the war.
I read about these folks when I was in elementary and junior high school more than 60 years ago. I knew some of this but the information in this video filled in the blanks and expanded my knowledge greatly. Thank, Dr. Felton for this. As always, great work.
I was born in St. Augustine, FL and local legend had it that the U-boat homed in on the town's AM station, WFOY, to find it's landing point in Ponte Vedra .
Mark, You truly do your homework. And from that you give all of us such a great and interesting history lesson. Thank you for all the enjoyment you bring….
My grandmother grew up on the coast of Maine and had stories of listening to U-boats becoming audible at night when they surfaced to charge their batteries with engine power.
Growing up on Floridas East Coast, I can still remember the U Boat lookout towers stationed along the beaches. Unfortunately a series of Hurricanes in the 1990’s removed what had remained of them. Somewhere I found a U Boat captains notes about Bethel Shoal, off the coast of Indian River County. A popular fishing location now. I have fished there. Eight miles off of Floridas coast. Great work On this video Mr. Felton.
Once again Dr. Felton you presented a story with so much detail in such a concise manner. I especially like the story after the stories. In particular Coldpaugh becoming a Boy Scout Leader. Obviously being a Nazi spy does not preclude someone leading impressionable young children. Historical gold!
I read Michael Dobbs book 20 years ago(Saboteurs) but I never tire of this story.I remember it caught my eye and I purchased it instantly at Barne's and Noble in Bowie,Maryland along with Wine and War by the Kladstrups which was under my arm. Both I highly recommend. The latter would make a great Felton Video as well.
One of my father's first posts after boot camp (1942) was guarding the train tunnels at Donner Pass in Truckee, California. He was told they were worried about sabotage of the tunnels shutting down the railroads. He said guarding the tunnels on Donner Pass in snowstorms was not pleasant work, but much better than being in North Africa or the Philippines!
Donner pass and snow...I can't see where that would ever be a problem.
@@JamesThomas-gg6il 🍖🥓🥩
@@bumpedhishead636 Naw, I’d rather be at one of those pacific island where it was a bloodbath….your father was a very lucky man indeed. What never gets talked about after wars is the collateral damage done to the souls of the men that fought them. Many live lives of quiet desperation in a pool of booze or pills trying to forget the hell they were apart of.
I know a guy who also was in a (U) Boot camp in 1942. In Kiel.
@@Bradydog-in7ut I wonder what the casualty rate of the return serviceman once back home was ( not able to deal with injuries or the horrors) ?
Nobody...no YT channel puts out content so interesting, thorough and accurate as Mark.
Toldinstone is a very good historian of classical antiquity who's content is in a similar style and quality to Mark Felton
Or tv
@@morganfreeman5260I don't think the availability of definitive numbers regarding a historian's subject matter has any bearing on how good that historian is. I think ToldInStone is a history professor at Michigan, I consider TIS and Mark Felton to be the best history RUclipsrs in their chosen field 🤷♂️ I don't see why we need a pissing match between the two
i mean the first story isnt real its a book
@Mark - The Frenchman Bay landing was on Hancock Point, a few miles inland from Bar Harbor, ME. I still can't believe a UBoat came that far up Frenchman Bay! On that night in November 1944 29yr old Mary Forni was coming home from playing cards with friends around 11pm. It was snowing lightly when she turned down Hancock Pt Rd and noticed two men in trench coats walking towards her headlights.... fast forward to Sept 2003 and I "intruded" on Mary's privacy in her driveway on Hancock Pt Rd on a late summer afternoon. She offered to tell me the whole story if I would carry some of her groceries into her house which I gladly did. She not only told me her story buy also showed me the place where the spies landed with the rubber boat. GREAT STUFF, thanks Mark!!!
Thanks for sharing
Moral of the story: Don't trust Hoover.
Dudes one of the biggest gangsters to ever live.
I worked at FBI records for awhile scanning old files. Hoover became connected back in 1911 or so when police in Clarksburg, WV caught 2 misbehaving and suspicious Italian travelers who had a thick handwritten book with a list of names and contact information around America for lots of people and some pages of writing. The book was written in Italian Upon translating it and grilling the prisoners it was forwarded to the US Dept of Justice AG Wickersham and given to J Edgar for followup. It turned out the book was a list of every member of the Black Hand inside the US and what their employment position or status was. Although FBI records had several letters from Clarksburg, WV before 1914 referencing the book and asking about it's veracity, I never saw any letters of reply.
Early in WW2 Hoover and US Naval Intelligence negotiated a deal with Lucky Luciano and some others that in return for keeping the NYC and East Coast docks free of Nazi saboteurs the FBI would not interfere in other East Coast mob activities. Several previously pro-Nazi longshoremen and union leaders then had accidents or disappeared and the docks ran smoothly under mob management. Also the mafia provided information and assistance to the Allies regarding Italy. After the 1947 Havana, Cuba mob conference the new focus became communists and a similar deal was struck regarding events in Las Vegas..
During the time of Lucky Luciano J Edgar Hoover became a regular attendee and better at the horse race trackin Upper Marlboro, MD,, He became widely known he was a very shrewd better of horse races as he would often make large bets on very improbable to win horses against long odds, but often win large sums of money. Although his skill at the race track was written about in newspapers, none of those reporters bothered to notice a possible connection between the miraculous wins at the track and who the true owner of the horse track was. Hoover continued to bet at the Upper Marlboro racetrack until the early days of President Kennedy.
More like: Always work alone.
Unless you had a photo of him wearing a dress like the mafia had, he publicly stated there was no commission. Until Appalachia meeting happened he had to admit there was a national crime syndicate.
You still can't trust the FBI!
Hoover also took credit for operations he knew nothing about. Read "Hitler in Los Angeles, how Jews foiled nazi plots against Hollywood and America" by Steven J. Ross.
My dad was with 101st Yankee division. Before they went south to train his company guarded the beaches in Maine. While on duty he was approached by a couple telling my dad they worked for the Red Cross. they asked him about how many troops and positions there were so they could bring coffee to the unit. He went back to the O.D. ran the names with the Red Cross and found that couple didn't work for them. A platoon was sent out but couldn't find them.
Thanks for sharing this story almost lost to history
Man that must have been terrifying knowing that there were active spies in the country..
I work for Norfolk Southern and go around Horseshoe Curve several times a week. I never thought I'd see it mentioned in a Mark Felton video!
Mark Felton videos are priceless
Love when you catch a Mark Felton drop within the first minute
13
They age well like a fine wine.
I agree %100.. I feel the same way..
It's no secret how great Mark Felton's channel is! Fascinating video, thanks Mark!
Always interesting stuff! The last two concerning Goring’s bling I found very interesting as the WW2 collectors market for German military materials (helmets, metals, daggers, guns ect ect) have gone through the roof.
On 12 May 1942, Lieutenant Alfred Langbein was landed @ St. Martin's, New Brunswick, Canada from U-213. He surrendered to Canadian authorities in 1944 when he ran out of funds. He spent the remainder of the war as a POW & eventually returned to Germany. On 9 November 1942, Lieutenant Werner von Janowski was landed @ New Carlisle, Gaspe, Province of Quebec, Canada from U-518. He was captured by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police & ended the war as a POW. His Kreigsmarine uniform, personal effects & transmitter are on display at the Canadian War Museum @ Ottawa. Since Canada has long been a part of North America these landings should be included in this discussion. - Courtesy of George Kush, UE, CD, Fort Macleod, Alberta, Canada.
What was he doing for two years??
Agree
What he do?
Hide til ran out of money?
@@hoodatdondar2664 Wandering Canada picking up odd jobs here & there across the country. There was also an attempt by escaped German POW's to rendezvous with a U-boat along the St. Lawrence River, but if memory serves, though the U-boat waited the POW's they were intercepted by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
I read a story about some German spies that were put ashore in Canada. And being dimed out by the smell of their clothing, which (just like American Submarineers in WWII) reeked of the smell of diesel oil and, of course, strong BO. They were in a hotel, as I remember, and the clerk was suspicious and called the RCMP..
East Coast Canada reporting. On the north coast of New Brunswick, which has a long history of international seamen and smugglers U boat crews would occasionally drop by remote villages and buy supplies and visit pubs. The locals thought nothing of it until military intelligence caught wind of it and put a stop to the practice. There was a German spy who gave himself up in St. John NB. And my buddy told me that his grandfather as a young boy saw a sea launched German plane with markings fly over the interior of Nfld. It took him a week to get back to civilization and phone to inform the authorities as he was out on an extended hunting trip to feed his family.
According to family lore my great uncle who was a ww1 veteran, stopped two Nazis saboteurs from entering a power plant in western Pennsylvania in 1943. He was a hired security team member who encountered these spies breaching a perimeter fence line, ordered them to halt, when they did not comply they were shot. Such goes the story and while I can’t confirm its validity it was a part of my childhood memories.
Murphy i Sabotatori facevano coraggiosamente e con determinazione il loro lavoro. ERANO VERAMENTE EROI. Hanno tutta la mia simpatia.
@@romsebrell710Utter nonsense.They were hopeless failures.
@@scottyg7284And Nazis too.
Like to know more
Homegrown or imported?
@@romsebrell710 I'm sure you are proud to support the Nat sees. With all of your simpatia.
The absolute shittiness of J. Edgar Hoover knows no bounds.
Americans will learn about the time the enemy landed saboteurs on their soil and come out thinking the government officials trying to protect them were the bad guys. Incredible.
FDR too
Agreed: He went back on his word, fraudulently took all credit, and... liked to wear dresses.
Both of them, and the federal government has only gotten worse since then.
Couldn’t trust the FBI back then and for sure can’t trust them today
@Mark, when I worked offshore in Louisiana, I heard a lot of WW2 stories of U-Boats being spotted and sunk in the Gulf of Mexico, even heard a story of a U-Boat being spotted up the Mississippi River and possibly being helped by some local Cajuns.
On our boat, there was a copy of "Rise of the Cajun Mariner" which may have briefly touched on the subject.
Not a whole lot of people wanted to talk about it in detail because those families were still around the area and hold a lot of influence.
There WAS extensive U-Boat activity in the Gulf of Mexico and quite a few ships were sunk, some within sight of shore. The Cajun story sounds like a lot of baloney. Cajuns were of French descent so wouldn’t have any sympathy for Germany.
@@lowellwhite1603a LOT of French collaborators…
@@jon9021 Cajuns are descendants of French Canadians who fled Canada when the English took over. They may have a longstanding grudge against the English but their connection to France was more than two centuries old. Their connection to Germany was nil.
@@lowellwhite1603 "fled"?Huh? That's a strange way to say the English ethnically cleansed their lands and expelled them like it was Gaza 2024.
@@Heike-- Yes, the English Expelled the Acadians from Canada and the fled to Louisiana. After the American Revolution, the Tories who collaborated with the English were expelled and “fled” to Canada. Such is the circle of life when one group conquers the other. Some of my Scotch-Irish ancestors were Jacobite’s and were forced to flee Britain. My Calvinist French ancestors, the Huguenots, were forced to leave or die. They “fled” to America.
Hoover and his FBI takes the credit, when they knew and did nothing.
That tradition lives on today.
Laptop?... What laptop, it's a fake.
FBI: Hillary, give us the emails on your secret server.
Clinton: Give me a week to erase any incriminating ones.
FBI: Oh, ok.
@@kerry9125 Also: Hillary: Here's $10 million from donations to the Clinton Foundation to support political corruption and unconstitutional acts.
FBI: We will require $30 million.
Moral of this story: Don't trust the FB I to stick to their deals. Just don't trust the F BI at all.
President Kennedy said that the three most over rated things in the world were home cooking, home sex and the FBI.
Flat Earth much?
@@quad1000 Please enlighten me how the FBI betraying these Germans who sang like canaries to them, and all the other shenanigans the FBI pulled is the same as as being a flat earth nutter? Cause anyone with a brain can see the Earth is round. But anyone with a brain would not just blindly trust a government agency. Let alone a 3 letter security agency. So enlighten me, oh wise one, why we should trust the FBI?
Exactly. They’re a political arm of the Democrat party these days and corrupt as can be. It’s sad.
Wow I didn't know this happened! Thanks for sharing Dr Felton!
Ah, every day with a video from Dr. Felton is a good day. I'd really like to see his take of Operation Torch in North Africa.
Dr Felton: there was very interesting event in Wilmington NC during WW2 when a U Boat bombed an Ethyl Dow plant. An area south of Wilmington is known for the Confederate States’ last blockade and led to the Battle of Fort Fisher.
But there was certainly German U Boats who bombed a munitions plant that disrupted the war effort.
Would LOVE a proper story on that event
No kidding man, thats one hell of a story, and id certainly love to know more about this too... i used to live in Wilmington years ago, but actually have spent most of my life about 45 minutes north-northeast of wilmington (in jacksonville, nc) which began as a small camp back in the very early 1940's & originally as well as ever since, used to primarily train marines, and a few sailors too, in amphibious landings, operations & warfare in general. And also concerning wilmington... it's been the permanent home for "the showboat" better known as the Battleship USS North Carolina (BB-55) since she was saved from the scrapyard several decades ago, and she is now an absolutely incredible museum ship, docked/moored on the far shore of the Cape Fear River, right across the river from historic downtown Wilmington.
Have you read Bruno Friesen’s book “Panzer Gunner”? Friesen was a Canadian born German whose parents elected to immigrate to Germany (the family was from a German enclave in Russia). He was a young teenager at the time. Before he completed his apprenticeship as an electrician he was conscripted into to Wehrmacht and because of his electrical training assigned to the Panzer Corps ending up as a gunner on a Jgdpz IV. He elected to return to Canada, but it took several years. After retirement he became a docent at a museum that had a Jgdpz IV.
How many had similar fates from families that decided to immigrate to Germany during that period?
Emigrate.
Wilfried Strik-Strikfeldt is another: A Baltic German, he immigrated (read: was deported) from the USSR after the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact allowed the “repatriation” of ethnic Germans from the Baltic States. Due to prior military service, he was mobilized into the Heer, and was put in charge of convincing Russian POWs to join Andrey Vlasov’s collaborators due to knowing Russian. His requests to boost recruitment among Russians as well as cut back on the brutality of the occupation were all but ignored by the OKW, and the idea was only taken up by the SS near the end of the war. He wrote a book in 1970 about his experiences called “Against Stalin and Hitler: Memoir of the Russian Liberation Movement”. He died in 1977 in Southern Germany.
Are you kidding? When I got the notification that Dr. Felton had posted a new video, I was all over it like a bum on a baloney sandwich! I love Dr. Felton’s videos!
lesson number one, never trust the FBI
Scoundrels even then.
True.
It also reinforces the fact that nobody loves a traitor. Turncoats will generally find neither trust nor love nor sympathy from any side, even if they think they are doing the right thing.
Silly and uintelligent comment.
@@ChristianVik-y4u is that you J. Edgar?
@@ChristianVik-y4u always one of you in every comment thread 😂
Noteworthy that these plots failed not due to effective American counter espionage, but poor personell choices on the German side. The performance of the Abwehr seems a bit lacklustre at times.
As if on purpose
the Abwehr wasn't in the side of Germany, at least the head/big part
It was run by a traitor
There's absolutely no way (zero) to confirm what you just stated. No way to prove that. Germans were very sophisticated and feints occurred all the time
@@tegbolddos I would consider the facts presented in this very video evidence to the claim that the Abwehr was at times subpar. (Plus for example the fact that they couldn't figure out that even the navy's four wheel Enigma was broken.)
I would even go so far and require you to provide evidence that the Abwehr was in fact good.
Honorable mention: there was an escape of German POWs in Phoenix,AZ. They planned to use a man made raft and float down the Salt river (I believe ) from a map they stole. Once they reached the river, they were disheartened to find out that it was dry, a typical Arizona river. It would be interesting to follow up on this Dr.Felton.
'...I have a cunning plan..' 'Is it the plan of a cunning fox, who has just been appointed Professor of Cunning at Oxford University?'.
There's a similar story in the midwest where the germans just turned themselves in once they saw a map of the united states and realized how far they were from the east coast.
Yes, they were U-Boat men interned at Papago Park north of Phoenix. They obtained a gas station map, and seeing the little blue lines on it, assumed they were viable waterways. They even built home-made Klepper folding boats -- in full view of the guards, who assumed it was just a hobby project. The many ''washes'' or arroyos on the map are dry gulches for the most part - except in the Monsoon Season, when they are raging torrents from flash floods...
A tunnel was dug from under their barracks out to a spot outside the camp perimeter. When they emerged, they saw how impossible the kayaking plan was and broke into groups to exfiltrate thru the desert. Eventually all the Germans were recaptured. Local legend is that the leader was in the last group. They wound up in Downtown Phoenix with just enough money for a full dinner at a Chinese restaurant. The guards, tipped off, patiently waited until they got their furtune cookies and paid their bill. When they came out, they were taken into custody.
@@HootOwl513 The guys had been in the pitch black filthy desert for so many days that they were covered in dirt and had trouble adjusting to the lights in the restaurant. They kind of stood out.
Ah the legendary Horseshoe Curve. It was one of the main thoroughfares of the Pennsy and a major freight route to New York City. During the war the Pennsy and other railroads moved huge oil trains coast to coast, to avoid the Uboat danger at sea. As well the Pennsy moved thousands of soldiers in military trains from points west
It is still worth a visit today. The viewing area is a National Park. Major traffic is NS coal trains, the length that stretches around both sides of the curve is impressive.
Regretfully there are only 3 tracks now in use, not the original four.
@@johnmurray8428 it is a shame that very little of the Pennsys "broad way" is left these days
What is it about that point in the line that makes it so much more essential than the rest of the line?
@@alanfike I think because of the geography. It is a "choke point," that would impair the US war effort for a longer period of time per KG of explosive.
@dannagy546
What the saboteurs planned to do was blow up the tunnels at Gallitzen, just west of the Curve itself, near the crest of the hill. Doing so would have shut down all traffic on the line.
Crikey. I never cease to be amazed at his military stories, with footage etc. Thanks from the old Aussie mate.
My Dad's father, who I never knew, worked in WWII supplying wood to the POW camp located in Wakulla County, Florida. Dad, as a youngster then, sometimes accompanied him, and saw the German POWs. A few of those Germans remained here after war, becoming naturalized citizens and marrying local girls.
Hello Dr. Felton from Canada 🇨🇦
In the history of the FBI this was recorded as Hoover's victory over NAZI spies. Hoover a master manipulator of facts and events used this to further the FBI being involved in counter intelligence activities and amazingly having at least two high ranking KGB moles reporting to them rather than the CIA. Another great episode from Mark that inspires us to look deeper at these historical events.
What other activities did J Edgar Hoover do that have been lost to history? A follow up story on him would be interesting.
That was much later?
And what was the complaint, again?
Left out all the moles stalin put in the fbi
Black mail
His secret files that kept,him in office 48 years til he died
Someone has them
"come on guys, let's turn ourselves in. What's the worst that could happen.?"
( electric chair spawns )
".................."
Ouch.
😢😊
Needs the gmod spawn in sound effect
Great!!! A Mark Felton video to uplift my day🎉🎉🎉
There was an irish man , british pow , recruited by the germans, he was trained and dropped by parachute into ireland with 20k in british pounds, he turned himself in a few days later minus the money, he told the irish authorities he had been playing the germans for a ride home, in 1946 he opened a hotel in dublin, called the parachute hotel
Having been born and raised at the beaches in the Jacksonville, FL area, 5th generation, the story of the U-Boat landing at Ponte Vedra was one I heard often growing up. My grandfather was in Burma flying for the Army Air Corp at the time, but my grandmother and the rest of my family were still in the Jacksonville Beaches area during the War. It was no secret locally that U-Boats could/did patrol the coast, and there were nightly blackouts. Windows along the coast were painted black to prevent U-Boats from seeing coastal lights at night, including at the local high school in Jacksonville Beach (Fletcher High). The landing was reported on by local newspapers, and was common knowledge to those in the area after it happened. I am so thrilled you covered this unique, and often overlooked, moment in WW2 naval history from my home!
Excellent as always. One minor technicality. Newfoundland & Labrador only joined Canada in 1949. Prior to that they were a British colony under direct control of London.
FYI, the name King of Prussia is a German American town founded in the US Revolutionary war near historic Valley Forge. Two hundred years on it was the location of the shopping plaza shown (picture circa 1968). Today it is the 2nd largest shopping mall in the US by square footage and the largest by number of stores. I wish I knew about this guy in the 1970's as K of P, as called by locals was my teenage hang out.
I am always amazed at Marks ability to find the most intriguing stories!
Dasch betrayed Canaris by singing like the proverbial canary. Another nice one, professor.
as Canaris would have wanted
@@jvwilliams Somewhat later
Thanks!
Thank you so much, Doctor. This is incredibly interesting.
Very interesting video again Mark, greetings from The Netherlands!
Two lessons here:. 1. Don't become an enemy saboteur. 2. Don't trust J. Edgar Hoover to keep his word. Another good video.
Thanks Mark.
Imagine being the search party and shining a light out to sea and seeing a U-boat.
In the early 1970s, I knew a musician who was apparently in the Canadian military intelligence. He told the story of a U-boot that was cruising off the east coast of Canada that was claimed to have sent men ashore in Trois Rivieres Quebec. One of the crew was an excellent trumpet player, and performed with a jazz group on at least one occasion in that city. The U-boat was later sunk, but among the debris from personal effects were theatre tickets sold in Canada. I have read some variations on this story so I think it may be an urban myth.
I love Trois Rivieres, Quebec!
Hear the same thing but in Florida
I would agree to the urban myth, to get to Trois-Rivières the Uboat would have to get past Québec-City where the St-Lawrence is very narrow and very well guarded. Before reaching that point, that were some almost infinite coastline to discreetly land a party of saboteurs or even trumpet players if needed.
There was a similar story about a U Boat captain attending the opera in Trinidad without being noticed in German propaganda broadcasts. While this was undoubtedly false, the fact that such stories were ever originated shows how much of an open season there was off the American seaboard!
The landing in Florida was my home town and I can confirm it IS local lore passed down the generations just like I hear you talk about in the UK. To this day I'm awed a U-Boat operated succesfully right off my home of all places. Thank you Mark Felton and fabulous staff; we love your videos! 😊
Most of it was pure incompetence by the US Navy’s part: We only adopted convoys in April 1942, when U Boats had practically paralyzed shipping since January! If you want to know more about this, read the book Torpedo Junction (published 1989) by Homer Hickam (yes, that one).
I read / watch / listen to everything related to the Canadian /American landings so interesting
Incredible story
How are these stories not amazing books and movies yet? This would make an incredible miniseries too
Read "Seizing the Enigma" and "Hitler's Spies" by David Kahn. Also, "Hitler in Los Angeles" how Jews foiled Nazi plots against Hollywood and America by Steven J. Ross. Hitler's Spies details all of the operations mentioned here along with the general failure of German overseas spy operations during the war.
"Blood and Banquets" by Bella Fromm, a real-life journal of the rise of the Third Reich I always thought would make a good mini-series, with a spy thriller ending, and it's all true. You will be on the edge of your seat the whole time.
Absolutely fascinating
I always found it ironic that Hitler's command train was named "Amerika" Ace as always Dr. Felton
A lot of American companies, such as Ford and the Bush family, made a lot of money out of the two wars.
And Goerings was Asia.
Until 1942 the USA was more of an ally than an enemy to the germans.
And also that the spy ended up living in a town named King of Prussia
Luftwaffe recovery hospital named Florida
One of my Ham Radio buddies was instrumental in capturing a German spy who had joined the U.S. Army and was in training. He received help from the camp commander and they searched his foot locker. Under a false bottom they found plastic explosives, which even the ordinance officer had never seen but had heard about, detonators, and time fuses, he told me. When the spy came back from the field training later that day, he was captured, and never heard of again. RIP Bill.
Thank you for this post.
These "snippets" of history are so well done and are fascinating. It would be a wonderful read if you were to do an illustrated compilation of all your videos, starting from September '39 to September '45. I admit I am a casual follower of WW2, but my interest is growing, as are alot of young Americans. That would be a wonderful springboard for further study for people. For what it's worth I just wanted to share the thought. I watch every one you produce and will continue to do so. Thanks, Mark.
When I was at High school,-here in Sydney Australia,--I was 15-& I had a polish mate,-and I swapped him some Aussie Army badges-for these 3 German Badges--one was a Blockade runner,--one was for E-boat-the other was for(I think)-minesweeper,with the depiction of a Explosion on it---I had no clue then,about them-I used to collect Militaria--they are lost to time but i still remember "blockade runner"-most vivid !!
Once again Mark Felton, you nailed it.
Nice work. So interesting. 👍
I dont' know how Mark digs up all this information but it's fascinating.
The story I read of the Canadian weather station was it was never 'found' until at a multination military conference a German officer asked what Canada had done with the weather station when they found it. The Canadian officer reported it up the line and only then was it located.
Nicely Done - Thanks !
If I was landed in the US that late in the war with the the equivalent of $800,000 I think I'd treat myself to the high life too!
Too much risk. Travel elsewhere with a new identity
FDR never let law or basic morality stop him from achieving his goals!
Their upper ranks are still corrupt and politically motivated beyond belief. I trust nothing they say.
Indeed! It is disgusting that he is so lionized today as a morally upright person when he was nothing of the sort.
Dr. Felton, as soon as I saw this I immediately knew the “Horseshoe Curve” would be shown. I grew up in Altoona and to see this marvel in person is a treat. Altoona was a major hub for the Pennsylvania Railroad and was a primary repair shop for locomotives and railroad cars. Thank you, for your amazing content.
Another great story. Love what you do Mark..brilliant work.
Damn Hoover is a snake
What a fascinating video! I have watched 100's of WW2 documentaries none as captivating as this! Keep it it up Dr Felton. There is still so much to learn from WW2.
Thanks for getting around to this, Mark. I read about some of this stuff as a kid re: the FBI. For some reason, I thought you'd already done it. Great job with the details that were left out of the books I read.
As always, Grrrreat video!
Always love the amount of research and time that go into your videos! Well done Dr. Felton!
As always, Professor Felton bring to us those amazing histories about WWII. Thank you very much!
Thanks Doctor!!!
Always great content from Mark!
Yes! Two minutes after a Dr. Felton video dropped! A good day indeed!
Can't trust those Feds. Nice touch by Truman though.
9:30 Imagine being handed the lead of a lifetime and just hanging up on the call because you didn't believe it. No investigation, no followup. Lol
When Edward Snowden first reached out to Glen Greenwald offering him classified documents, Greenwald didn't take him seriously and brushed him off.
Another great video from Mark Felton.
Edgar was a SKUNK
YaY! New Dr. Felton video!
Another great video, thanks mark 👍👍👍❤️❤️❤️🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺
Thank you Mr. Felton for all the great videos and education!
Marvellous story , t’would make a great film ! Thank you
"The House on 92nd Street" I believe was loosely based on some of the events mentioned here. The upper east side of New York around 86th street was a center of German agent activity during the war. Read "Blood and Banquets" by Bella Fromm, a real story of a Jewish woman's escape from German agents after she fled to NY during the war.
Howdy from Norfolk, UK
I read about these folks when I was in elementary and junior high school more than 60 years ago. I knew some of this but the information in this video filled in the blanks and expanded my knowledge greatly. Thank, Dr. Felton for this. As always, great work.
This was extremely interesting! Thank you Dr. Felton!
Well, nice to know that the FBI hasn't changed.
Because US law enforcement agencies are infested with those lazy Stateless Traitors.
I was born in St. Augustine, FL and local legend had it that the U-boat homed in on the town's AM station, WFOY, to find it's landing point in Ponte Vedra .
Thanks again Dr. Felton, for another excellent historical world war II, video story!
Heinrich heink has the ultimate scars of the German duelling fraternity..x marks the spot😂😂..great educational vid once again..
Fascinating stuff - Never heard of these stories before. Mark is the GOAT.
I think Hoover's tie at 13:44 is a crime against decency.
Mark,
You truly do your homework. And from that you give all of us such a great and interesting history lesson.
Thank you for all the enjoyment you bring….
Anything and Everything That Mark Felton Drops is Top Notch..This video was a really good story....another great vid from Mark Felton...
My grandmother grew up on the coast of Maine and had stories of listening to U-boats becoming audible at night when they surfaced to charge their batteries with engine power.
Wow I'm from King of Prussia crazy stuff!!
Growing up on Floridas East Coast, I can still remember the U Boat lookout towers stationed along the beaches. Unfortunately a series of Hurricanes in the 1990’s removed what had remained of them. Somewhere I found a U Boat captains notes about Bethel Shoal, off the coast of Indian River County. A popular fishing location now. I have fished there. Eight miles off of Floridas coast. Great work On this video Mr. Felton.
Once again Dr. Felton you presented a story with so much detail in such a concise manner. I especially like the story after the stories. In particular Coldpaugh becoming a Boy Scout Leader. Obviously being a Nazi spy does not preclude someone leading impressionable young children. Historical gold!
I just got good news and now a new Mark Felton video. I thank you for this great content my good doctor.
Excellent video and thanks for all of your awesome research in making these videos Sir.....
Old F-4 II Shoe🇺🇸
The person on the thumbnail for this episode looks like Indy from Time Ghost, here on RUclips! Thanks for another great episode, Dr. Felton!
Hes a rival to Dr.F 😂
The site in Cornwells Heights, PA is now a townhome development called Waterside
One of your top videos, great story & detail presented well
Big Felton Upload ?? 🎉🎉
I read Michael Dobbs book 20 years ago(Saboteurs) but I never tire of this story.I remember it caught my eye and I purchased it instantly at Barne's and Noble in Bowie,Maryland along with Wine and War by the Kladstrups which was under my arm. Both I highly recommend. The latter would make a great Felton Video as well.