297B - Germans and Americans Fighting Side by Side! - WW2 - May 5, 1945
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- Опубликовано: 27 сен 2024
- I don't want to give too much away about this extra regular episode here in the description, but it's true- German and American soldiers fought side by side in the waning days of the European part of WW2, and not just once! And the second time is an all-time great tale of adventure.
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Things are coming to a head - Hitler is dead, and it looks like a German collapse is likely any moment - but the war is far from over. In Asia it looks like many things are only beginning… but even when that ends, we won’t be going anywhere. We will continue to satisfy your WW2 needs for as long as you’ll have us… there will be specials, mini chronologies, and even a new weekly long series. To not mention that Indy begins covering the Korean War on a dedicated channel on June 25 youtube.com/@KoreanWarbyIndyNeidell
Hope you guys covering some post war situation too, cuz this war is getting very cold 😊❤
@@danendraabyantara2931 🥶🥶🥶
In another post we talked about this needing to be a movie (although I think one was done a while back). Perhaps your team might consider writing a good screenplay and start shopping it around...
@@poorwotan The other incident mentioned by Indy where American & German troops fought side-by-side against the SS (Operation Cowboy) did have have a film based on it, called Miracle of the White Stallions. I haven't seen it so I can't comment on how accurate or good it is, but Disney made a film out of it back in 1963.
Thank-you SO MUCH for giving this one some special attention :) This is my favorite WW2 story as it is just so bizarre, beating out even the story of Corporal Wotjek and that time a Finnish soldier took his entire unit's supply of Prevertin.
This battle is a LOT weirder than Indy was able to give it credit - at one point, a former French Tennis Pro, who was a prisoner at the castle, sneaks out to look for American reinforcements after the radio goes dead. Who does he run into in the village? Future Quebec Premier Rene Levesque, who was a war correspondent at the time and recognized him. War is Hell, but it can also be very, VERY weird...
An American army officer, a German Waffen-SS officer, and a German Werhmacht officer walk into a castle.
Upon hearing the news, a Soviet army officer promptly had a heart attack.
@kistler1994 Hilarious!
«Never thought i’d die side by side with a kraut.»
«How about side by side with a friend?»
«Yeah, i can do that»
The reference we all wanted to see!
But who got tossed then? -TimeGhost Ambassador
my favorite line from the whole film
From which movie it is? I can't remember.
Oh yeah, Gimli and Legolas talk, thanks.
@@Healermain15 Actually it's from return of the king
Meanwhile a Soviet officer looking from his scope from a mile away:
- THE FUCK ??
"Ivan, come take a look" -TimeGhost Ambassador
Molotov would've had an aneurism if he caught wind of that story
@@briceoka5623 You kidding? He would've uncorked some champagne. Perfect excuse to legitimize the Soviet Union's naked annexation of Eastern Europe.
"...блять?"
"..."
"...сука ебать!!!"
(google translate, forgive me vodka friends)
@@_ArsNova it had already been legitimised at yalta lol
Imagine going through the whole war from the battlefield of France to the USSR and then back to France just to die in the final hours of the conflict... Heartbreaking.
Heartbreaking indeed, a sad reality of war.
Very much, indeed -TimeGhost Ambassador
It was a heroic redemption arc. While most of the war he had been fighting to conquer and enslave, in the end, he died defending life and liberty. 😢
@@shawnjohnson9763 and defending someone who had been his enemy.
He redeemed his immortal soul.
I would add an even more epic fun fact: among the french VIP prisonners is Jean Borota, a famous tennis player, former vichy sport minister. Contrary to the old politicians there like Reynaud or Dalladier he is very fit. And so in the heart of the battle he voluntered to cross the enemy lines to seek help. And he managed to do it! It is him who guided the american relief force.
If it was the plot of a movie, people would say its unbelievable.
So many weird things happened in that war that, if written into a fiction novel or screenplay, would get the author laughed out of a publisher's or producer's office.
Borota was Vichy Minister responsible for effectively banning rugby league, the professional, working class version of rugby, that had shot to sudden popularity in France in the 30s. Assets of the rugby league were transferred to the rugby union, and have never been returned. He also crippled table tennis, real tennis and badminton. A complex character indeed, a villain in many arenas.
He crossed the enemy line twice in fact!
A little anecdot about the French prisonners's life at Itter. Paul Reynaud had to cope with the presence of Edouard Dalladier, long political rival. Reynaud and Dalladier had left each others in bad terms after the defeat of 1940 and tried to avoid each other but Reynaud could'nt stop complaining about what he saw through his window. Indeed, Dalladier was a staunch nudist and used to make a nude walk in the Itter garden quite often.
One more important thing to note: the 12th Armored Division was one of the only American divisions that had mixed white and black soldiers so not only did you have the pre-existing cauldron of people involved you also had African American soldiers taking a hand in it as well which I feel is important to note.
Makes this story even more unusal and cool! 🙂
I remember reading a few times that Europeans being liberated from Nazis loved to see the black soldiers because it was a clear sign that it was the Americans and the Allies coming.
The Battle of Castle Itter...
Why this incident isn't made into a movie is beyond me.
The same with Leyte Gulf.
@isaiahkayode6526 to do Leyte Gulf justice, it would require well over $200 million in production budget alone, and no studio today would ever risk that, even for a story far better than the entire Marvel Cinematic Multiverse...
...this movie could be done far less expensively, as this would be on the scale of "The Dirty Dozen", and even if Christopher Nolan directed it, it would probably be ok with a production budget of $120 million, and this, in IMAX? NOLAN, SHUT UP AND MAKE THE MOVIE AND TAKE MY MONEY!!! 😂
Deadline Hollywood reported a lot of studios have looked into turning this into a movie. I imagine it’s only a matter of time
Ive been to that Castle...what knockers!
As soon as I visited a castle near me I wanted there to be a reenactment of this battle.
About the French prisoners: they included not only Reynaud and Gamelin (who Reynaud fired during the Battle of France in 1940), but also former Vichy politicians who fell out of favor and were imprisoned by the Germans. Naturally these prisoners worked together during the battle, but they did not get along before the battle, and they did not get along after the battle (as witnessed by René Lévesque, a reporter who went on to become the founder of the Parti Québécois in Canada and an advocate for Quebec sovereignty).
Seriously?!? Rene Levesque was here?
@ryanprosper88 Yep, René Lévesque was one of two reporters traveling with the relief force. In his memoirs, Lévesque noted that, after the relief force arrived, the French dignitaries separated themselves into separate groups disinclined to talk with one another. Relations between Reynaud and Daladier were particularly icy, with each one in turn declining to comment beyond indicating that they would deal with each other after they returned to France.
I was about to write a comment on this, but now I see you've beaten me to it. As a Canadian, I find his participation by far the most surreal part of it all.
BTW, we should give kudos to Levesque for his war service. As a Quebec nationalist, he refused to serve under King George, so volunteered for the US Army, who put him to work as an embedded war correspondent. He was also present at the liberation of Dachau.
I don't like that he nearly destroyed my country, but the man had integrity.
@seanlawrence6519 dang, a Quebec without Canada would have been MUCH better off!
@@ryanprosper88 This story just keeps getting more insane.
Clemenceau, old tiger of WW1 getting some action now is really stuff of legends...
What a life he had! -TimeGhost Ambassador
His son*
The WW1 prime minister Clemenceau died years before WW2.
@@bbenjoe yes but the son took part in ww1 too. He was in his 40s at the start of the first world war
@@giannisv.4472The Tiger was the nickname of Georges Clemensceau.
Fun Fact: Gangl was included in the video Game Hearts of Iron 4 as the picture for a generic General.
Probably the only one to be smilling, too
@@brenokrug7775 Not really
John Basilone, an American marine, was awarded a Medal of Honor for his actions on Guadalcanal. One of his photos served as a portrait for generic Italian generals (Basilone was of Italian origin)
Even though he does not smile as clearly as Gangl, you can still see it
preview.redd.it/zjkvikjtih961.jpg?width=640&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=19c82030ded3fd04e8cacbecd0127cb0989e52fd
aaaaaah! I knew I recognised his picture from somewhere! Thank you!
I am homeschooling my daughter and have used this channel as part of my curriculum. I sometimes think she "tunes me out" but luckily she hangs on every word she hears each video. Thank you Time Ghost team for your help with teaching my daughter.
Your daughter is getting a much better history education than you can possibly imagine. There are literally young American adults and teenagers that don't know who bombed Pearl Harbor for instance. I've heard of high school history classes having something like being able to name the 13 colonies as part of the final exam. It's absolutely insane.
🎶 "And its American Troops and the German Army, joining together at last"! 🎶
*Sabaton Intensifies* -TimeGhost Ambassador
Exactly what is was thinking!
When you consider how much of the US has German heritage, it was about time indeed. There has been so much German immigration to the old colonies and the US that when one tries to identify waves of immigration, you find that it has basically been happening since the beginning of European settlement in North America, with the first "German-American" arriving with the Jamestowns colonists in 1607.
@@WorldWarTwoindy knows about that event more than anyone else (sabaton history)
@@FleetAdmiralDouglas I once heard that there was a vote about whether English or German would become the first language in the USA, and English won only by a narrow margin. Imagine how WWI and WII would have played out if the USA had been a German-speaking country.
Someone needs to make a movie about this!!
I cant believe it hasnt
same -TimeGhost Ambassador
I fear that people who did not know the history would find it far too unrealistic. Even I struggle to grasp this really happened and is well documented. But truth is often far more bizarre than stories
@@joakimbjorkgren3511it sounds like every “ war movie “ I saw on television as a kid. The Guns or Navarone, The Dirty Dozen. Believably wasn’t what those movies ran on. Just because for once the plot would be actually be based on a true story, doesn’t matter, that’s not what makes a good movie.
@@WorldWarTwoLeyte Gulf as well.
Stalin - “I TOLD you they were getting ready to work together!”
Absolutely deserved it's own episode .. and beyond time for getting it's own movie. This would be epic if done in a Band of Brothers format (and care for the historical record).
The fact that Hollywood has yet to turn this story into a blockbuster film is a travesty.
What i like about this event: you could turn in it into a serious contemplation of the complexity of war in a style similar to "Saving Private Ryan" ans similar movies... or you can turn the battel into a Wes Anderson comedy. I would go broke watching that movie.
@@jonaz7312 It was a bit of a comedy of errors. Could start off with how Lee kept on having to whittle down his force until he got to the castle. How there was another effort to get to the castle was mired in delays and obstacles. How this trio defending the castle was so unlikely, and how the french "prisoners" at the time weren't altogether enthused by the situation.
In my mind, I'd like to say a movie was made which is probably why I knew of this event before. One of that slew of somewhat unremarkable WW2 pictures made in the 60's/70's? No blockbuster by any means. That said, this is definitely one that could be done (re-done?).
Same with the battle of Leyte gulf the largest naval battle in history.
And each of the people involved have their own fascinating history that's perfect for character development. The flashback scenes would be epic.
Thank you, Indy. My father father’s unit (261st Regiment of the 65th Infantry Division) met the Russians at the Enns River in Austria about this time 79 years ago. While he did not find himself fighting along side Germans against nazis, he had many stories of strange combinations of soldiers, refugees, displaced persons and bewildered civilians. One of my great regrets is that he refused to write down his memories. Perhaps that is the reason I have followed you every week since the start of your great endeavor. You tell the stooge is not here to tell.
The moment the Sabaton fans was waiting for
You bet
The Last Battle Intensifies -TimeGhost Ambassador
One of a few
One of many, my friend
Sabaton memes intensify.
RIP Gangel
The whole battle of Itter Castle reads like a dark comedy by Taika Waititi, in the same vein of Jojo Rabbit.
I can imagine a scene introducing the defecting German soldiers, burning every piece of Hitler memorabilia they have on them. A lone private, clutching his prized Hitler plushie, forced to throw in the fire as he's consoled by his fellow soldiers.
So a US Army officer, an SS officer, a German Army officer, and a French prime minister walk into a bar.
Just kidding, the bar is a castle and we're under attack by the Waffen SS. Grab an MP 40.
My mind went to Three Kings.
RIP
Josef Gangl
(1910-1945)
So many episodes this week! No complaints ofc keep it up
We hope you enjoy them all! -TimeGhost Ambassador
Always!
It’s nice to see Paul Reynard again, last time I remember hearing him mention was during the battle of France all the way back in 1940
One of the interesting things about the battle was that it had people like Reynard actually doing the fighting themselves. Early in the war, he commanded one of the mightiest armies in human history. At the end, he was another grunt with muddy boots.
'Kings and Generals' channel has done a video on the battle of Castle Itter too. It's worth watching.
Thanks for the intel! -TimeGhost Ambassador
And a really good one! Even more detailed.
I was glad you covered this battle, especially with a special episode. My dad was in the 12th Armored Division, which went by the nickname The Hellcats. He wasn’t involved in this battle, but it’s undoubtedly the most famous one the 12th was in. It was also nice seeing his unit’s marker on some of the maps showing the fighting around Colmar.
This is about as crazy as that time during WW1 when the Germans and the Ottomans fought a battle against each other in the Caucuses!
? Some key words to find this in the internet?
Azerbaijan expedition 1918@@micumatrix
"And it's the end of the line of the final journey
Enemies leaving the past
And its American troops and the German Army
Joining together at last"
"Boche Buster" is a great name for a Sherman tank.
I quite like Besotten Jenny also. That could work as a good name for a boat or race horse as well. I wonder who the real Jenny was. I bet when she became besotted with some American tanker she never expected her name to become immortalized in one of the Second World War's strangest events.
Perhaps she was a donkey once owned by him.......who had a drinking problem.
I always wondered what happened to Schrader after the battle since almost every record I've found glosses over his future after Itter. I eventually found out almost immediately after the battle he was nearly taken captive by Yugoslavian soldiers who would likely have summarily shot him as a suspected war criminal. Luckily, Lee and the others protected him and convinced the Yugoslavians to let the Americans keep Schrader as a POW. After he was released from captivity he returned to his hometown and built a life and family there as well as becoming a master bricklayer.
Glad to know he lived a good life after, but how'd he end up in Yugoslav hands? If he was in Itter, wouldn't he have been an American POW?
@@TaxEvader08 I think there was a unit of Free-Yugoslavian soldiers with the Americans. This wasn't unheard of after the war started and especially after the fall of France when numerous men from multiple countries fled to Britain and were reorganized into expat units according to their nationality.
Awe you didnt mention of my favorite parts of the story!
One of the prisoners was tennis player Jean Borotra. When Lee pulled his troops back to the keep, Borotra was sent out to help guide the Americans to the castle.
He ran into the Americans and was recognized by a French-Canadian officer who recognized him because he was a fan of tennis. That officer would eventually be the Premier of Quebec. They then followed Borotra back to the castle. The Americans could have taken longer if it werent for him which could have meant that there wouldve been more casualties.
One of the American officers that was involved was a French-Canadian that eventually become the premier of Quebec? A strange incident with a bizarre mix of characters just got stranger.
@@ahorsewithnoname773 no there was just a few Canadians with the Americans.
Let's not forget the part of the story where former international tennis star Jean Borotra vaulted the castle wall in the middle of the fighting to summon help from a nearby town and then returned with the liberating force to fight alongside them. And let's also remember the mistress of one of the former French prime ministers (I don't recall if it was Daladier's or Reynaud's) who remained to help the wounded and pass out ammunition.
This might be one of the most famous "funny" fact of WW2.
It amaze me that nobody did a movie about it yet. Especially us, French. Seeing Reynaud or Gamelin fighting side by side in an Austrian would be like seeing MacArthur and Truman fighting side by side for Americans.
There were instances where Wehrmacht deserters joined resistance groups such as in a joint raid with British, Italian, Russian and Spanish fighters along with a Dutch member who raided the German 14th army headquarters in Italy two months previously.
There were also Germans who had fought in the International Brigades (on the Republican side) in the Spanish Civil War. After that war ended many of the fled to France and after France was occupied many joined the French Resistance (as they didn't have many options).
Maurice Gamelin and Paul Reynaud have had a rough five years.
I'd guess Daladier too.
You are all lifesavers. This series has been such an honor to experience. Thank you so much for all your hard work. 👏
Thanks a lot for those kind words! -TimeGhost Ambassador
I’ve heard of this several times in the past but it still amazes me. Love it 😍
And it's the end of the line of the final journey, enemies leaving the past. American troops and the German army joining together at last.
This incident has always intrigued me. I first heard of this on Mark Felton's channel some years back and now I'm about to get a second dose here! Great stuff!👍
One of the most dramatic events of the war. I had heard of this before but your retelling captures the intensity of the battle. Needs a movie. I remember a movie starring Burt Lancaster titled “Castle Keep” - one of my all time favorites- but it is about trying to save art treasures if my memory serves. Thanks for all the great educational content!
This battle would have made for an outstanding pulp war movie
Once again, you guys at Time Ghost tell stories that I never heard of before- and I thought I was pretty well informed on WW II... not anymore- you guys consistently kick my butt! GOOD JOB!
You’re going all out these past few weeks
Common Timeghost and Co W
Well, it was kind of a special occasion -TimeGhost Ambassador
I always hoped that you would bring out a video about this very interesting battle.
Glad to know that you *never* disapoint.
That should be a film! Great episode.
We all know what we want after the WWII series come to end:The 100 years war - week by week!
That's gonna be one long series. 😂
😂
Of course! -TimeGhost Ambassador
I wonder how many episodes would just be
"This week: nothing relevant actually happens"
*roll the credits*
At the end of the battle at Castle Itter, Lee went out to greet his rescuers with
"Well, what kept ya?"
Also, years after the war, he was interviewed about the battle, and he said
"It was just the damnedest thing."
Nolan or scorsese should make a movie about battle of castle itter
Was listening to Sabatons ‘The last battle’ earlier on and now this! Great episode as usual TG crew
Thanks for this and everything else too. I've been watching since '14.
Glad to have you with us since then! -TimeGhost Ambassador
This wholeheartedly needs to be a movie. This story is forgotten too much.
They should make a movie about Lee, Schrader &co.
I heard like Universal bought the rights to the book "The Last Battle" but nothing has since come of it
That there was a four-time Grand Slam tennis champion involved in this story too, who made a mad dash through the lines to secure relief, just makes this story even more bizarre.
That was an amazing story
Thank you! -TimeGhost Ambassador
Oh my god I’m so glad we’re getting an episode on this story. It’s so good, thank you Indy and TimeGhost team
This story is absolutely bizarre but also shows that sometimes the light at the end of the tunnel isn’t switched off.
I'm following you guys for months and I just would like to say THANKS for all...your tone, your deep culture of the combats all this sounds good fair and last but not least I would like as a french patriot say to you both ( and the brits as a whole) a great thank you so mutch for the job done, we shall NEVER FORGET - Peace and Love - Vince
I was hoping you'd talk about this battle! It's a fascinating story I stumbled across during a Wikipedia binge. I hope you will also do a special on the Japanese holdouts after victory in the Pacific. Some hid in the woods for decades!
Somebody should write a song about this.
Maybe a music group that does music about historical events -TimeGhost Ambassador
@@WorldWarTwoif only there were such a band.
This one of those strange events, that is most surprising has not been made into a movie as far as I know.
Thanks indy and crew
I will see you in our nxt journey the forgotten war korean war with indy nidel
Thanks a lot for watching! -TimeGhost Ambassador
@WorldWarTwo looking forward to it. Hopefully a lot of MASH references, I loved that show as a kid.
Howdy team. Busy week on the front lines, huh?
Howdy there, yes indeed! -TimeGhost Ambassador
How has there not been a movie made about this.
Great video, as always. The role played in the Battle of Itter by French tennis star Jean Borotra is also fascinating.
Those two operations are my favorite episodes of the war! I'm so glad you gave them a mention. Now I have a craving for Sabaton.
Now we need to hear the full, real story behind “Kelly’s Heroes.”
In Italy happened something similar, on both the west and east border: in Valle d'Aosta, germans and partigiani allied to repulse a french attack that wanted to conquer slice of pre war italian soil. On the other side, at Villa Opicina / Opcina near Trieste a german garrison asked to surrender to the neozeland division. Kiwis arrived and started to talk with them, but suddenly a yugoslav attack force everyone to retreat in the bunkers. A fierce shooting followed, and a kiwi died. In the end, german prisoner were left to the partizans.
Love the way you present it - going to have to go back and watch them all now - spot on
So surprised no one ever made a movie about this.
This would be the best most unbelievable movie ever. But does spring to mind the late 1st world war where Germans and ottomans fought over oil fields.
3 episodes in just 7 days, truly blessed. Can’t wait for the rest and the years beyond
This guy does the best WW2 videos on RUclips top notch stuff at all times. I only watch this video show on RUclips the rest nadda just this guy only keep up the good work and video's
Boy Gangl can't get along with ANYBODY... :/
Wow, never heard of this incredible battle before. Thank you!
Always glad to share knowledge! -TimeGhost Ambassador
Seriously, how is this not a movie yet.
Renault and Gamelin brings back memories to the Battle of France episodes
How this has never been made into a movie is beyond comprehension.
My favorite piece of history from WWII.
Awfully ungrateful of them to imprison Maurice Gamelin, when you consider how much he contributed to German success from 1936-1940
Stories like this is why I'm glad I found this channel. Why hasn't this been made into a movie yet!?
I feel like I've already seen Indy tell this story but where oh where?
Ever since I first heard this story I'm wondering how it hasn't been made into a blockbuster movie
This story is the most amazing blockbuster movie that never was
I love this story. Your telling of it was spellbinding. Great work as always, Indy.
Fantastic show. Your work is excellent.
I love this channel! WWI and WWII are interests of mine because so many little and huge events happened during them. Like how many drugs the Nazis did or how many resistance groups there were during WWII.
This needs to be made into a movie
So glad you guys covered this and the rescue of the Lipizzaners. Watching Miracle of the White Stallions growing up, I didn’t quite comprehend the significance of Operation Cowboy and the Germans and Americans working together to keep these animals out of the hands of the Russians.
I am amazed and saddened this story hasn't been made into a movie. It deserves to be told and more well-known.
You know the war is intensifying when we get near-daily videos.
Great video. It'd be great if you could do another one about Charlie Brown and Franz Stigler. Cant get enough of that stuff!
HOW IS THIS NOT A MOVIE
Best war movie nobody’s got round to making yet. I mean really, it’s not a really well known event except for people interested in the period, so imagine being in the cinema and at the end of the film just before the credits roll come the words: “And that shit really happened.”
I would love an episode focused specifically on Gangel -- would be an interesting person to learn about him as a whole.
I really, REALLY want to see the events of Castle Itter made into a film. It would be such a great movie! And the bizarreness of the German Wehrmacht soldiers fighting alongside their French POWs and American troops against SS would make the audience's heads spin.
How is this not a movie yet? This has all the making of one, Americans, French VIPs, and... Germans fighting Nazis (specifically the SS) for a medieval castle, that ought to be dozens of movies worthy
Dan Verssen Games (DVG) has a game about this event. Called, appropriately, Castle Itter.
I recall watching a Disney movie about the rescue of the Lipizzaner horses in the 60's called the "Miracle of the White Stallions."
This should be a movie.
An awe-inspiring battle indeed. I am so sorry for the death of Gangl... This fight proves that human nature is free and can set itself above human-made divisions. Cheers, Indy, and crew!