One of the biggest differences between Hitler and Churchill is that Hitler killed himself when faced with defeat, while Churchill would have died throwing flaming bottles of gin at panzers in London.
Another quote he said when he signed a shell and it was fired at the enemy “it’s like sending a rude letter to someone and being there when it arrives”
Churchill was known for being a showman as well as cowardly, so I think this is being played up by the Brit who made this video. Maybe he's hoping to get knighted by the queenie
Thank you all for your votes and your kind words. My memory joggled a little bit since I posted this and I think Gen. Maxwell Taylor may have said it better on D-Day. "Never have so few been led by so many." My apologies to Gen. Taylor. Although, the circumstances here might make it a bit more apropos.
@@SgtMajorSkull look. I'm a Kiwi... im sure you can think of a reason why we might not be great fans of Churchill here.... a couple come to mind. But by no means was the man a coward. not a great strategist or tactician, certainly not compared to his generals and allies. but don't belittle one of the greatest figures in history because of whatever bias you happen to have. man fought in multiple wars and actively participated in the destruction of Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy. not to mention Japan, the Ottoman Empire, and everything in-between.
@@RazorsharpLTyea but that's not the only reason maybe because they were dictators and that was their way of staying in control this is basically the only reason they had so many
@@CO_Xvilhitler always drived a cab and even stood up in the car. there were some assasination attempts, but most germans actualy believed the story of the nazis to some degree and therefor didn‘t think hitler was evil.
You won't find any political leaders today bold enough watch so close enemy lines, Church, Roosevelt and British and American Generals were different breed of men
@@RazorsharpLT That just sums up how two of these silly man with mustaches are so paranoid while a bald dude just be driving by like he's late for afternoon tea.
"I am prepared to meet my Maker. Whether my Maker is prepared for the great ordeal of meeting me is another matter." Immediately thought of this Churchill quote
Sound travels at 650 ish miles per hour bullets travel1 / 1-2 thousand so by the time you hear the sound if hit you wont hear them so Churchill was wrong when he duck when you hear sound best idea is watch for the flash then duck speed of light. sight the bullet then sound
Churchill's biographer, William Manchester, suggested that WC may have felt a kind of immunity to violent death. During the First World War Churchill often stood close to the front lines, calmly surveying the scene, while other officers were diving for cover.
I live in Wesel and it's funny that almost everyone here is somewhat proud of the fact that Mr. Churchill himself visited our little and relatively unkown town. Parts of the blown up Bridge can still be seen and visited today like many other relics of WW2. I am lucky that I could talk to so many survivors and even those who fought here. One close family friend was 15 when the British crossed the Rhine here. He defended the bridge and lost his hand in the fighting. As a young man myself I find it almost impossible to imagine what these people had to endure back then. I am always happy to listen to his stories about the british air raids, the fighting and the eventual surrender and rebuilding, it is a very humbling experience.
Used to live in Flüren in the 80’s and played on the bridge ruins and the old Diersforter Wald bunkers as a kid. Great place to grow up - as long as you went to School at KDG, and not mitte (ist Schitte) or Nord (ist Mord)☺️
Write these stories before memory or you are gone. I did that when Covid broke out. All the family stories going back to the American Civil War were entrusted to me. Made sure I got them down before something happens to me. Amazon makes it real easy to put out a pretty decent book.
@@jackdale9831 My grandfather was 15 in 1945 and part of the Htler Youth. He was lucky though, when they called them into service he was able to hide in a barn of a family friend and the officers who were supposed to draft them weren't always eager to spend much needed resources in finding a 15 year old. He therefore avoided service and worked as a postman and firefighter after the war. Our family friend I talked about was drafted together with his best friend, who tragically died during the fighting. He lost his hand in the battle but worked as postman together with my grandfather. That's how they met each other. One of the most interesting things he told me was how he surrendered to the British. As British soldiers approached their home his uncle tried to cover his Hitler Youth uniform, especially the swastika with a coat. When the soldiers arrived they lifted the blanket and saw the uniform. One of the soldiers did the nazi salute and yelled "hail hitler" while the others were laughing. He told me that at the time he was crying in anger and wanted to punch the soldiers in the face but gladly he didn't. He couldn't understand how they could have lost the war. His entire world view shattered and he was proud of his uniforms and didn't understand why his uncle was hiding it. Later he regretted everything that has happened, that he believed the lies of the nazis and that he really believed in Hitler and his bs. He felt like a fool. A few years later he visited bavaria and saw a black american soldier, who was the first black man he saw in his life. He thanked him man and tried to apoligize, but he told me that he felt like words could not express the sorrow and the shame he felt in that moment. Also very interesting are the stories about the truly terryfing air raids. Wesel was one of the most destroyed cities in Germany and even today they regularly find bombs at construction sites. 98% of the city was destroyed and the city looked like the surface of the moon. After the war was over, the allied soldiers gave chocolate to the children and traded food, cigarettes or liquor with civilians when they had something in exchange. But there wasn't much food so the adults were forced to eat rotten potatoes to save the "good" food for their children. My great grandmother had 9 children and was a so called "Trümmerfrau" (=rubble woman?). These women collected the debris of the destroyed buildings and helped rebuilding, because the men were either dead or captured. There are even several monuments for these women across Germany.
I have tremendous respect for the British Military’s “Lead by example” culture whereby their officers seek to prove their bravery to their men. Magnificent.
@@jungothemal7201 I don't know why or how this notion that Winston was the devil incarnate because he enjoyed his whiskey. Who cares? He is proof that you can be the man of the century and still enjoy a flask. What he did for Britain and the role he played in WW2 was what won the war. If Neville Chamberlain or another weaker minded Minister was in charge Nazi Germany would've been a much harder beast to beat. But sure you must have had an equal or more important role in WW2 as your comment suggests, so please let me know
European kings used to be on the battlefield themselves until around 1800. Gustav III of Sweden was aboard one of the ships when the Swedish navy broke through the Russian blockade at Svensksund in 1790.
I also noticed that there is no distracting background music score! And I also just found this channel today! I love history and there is a lot here to dig into! Thanks Dr. Felton!
Thank you Mark for the vid....my father fought in British army during ww2, he service in the 10th Bridge Troop, from North Africa, Sicily and Europe, it was his troop who built the 1st pontoon bridge across the Rhine and in doing so lost his 2 best friends, who had fought with him all thru the war. He told me the story when he was older in his 70’s, still with tears streaming down his face he told me how much he missed them. A 109 came in low, surprising them, he dove in the river but his friends on the other side of the bridge didn’t have time. My dad pass away a few yrs back, he’s my real life hero!
@@timomastosalo No if it was a relative of Mark's they was jumping up and catching the shells then throwing them back with a 100% accuracy from whence they came :-)
Can you Imagine a modern politician trying to go into battle on the first wave of a frontal assault? Something quite lost when all politicians are lawyers now.
Yep , Churchill’s bodyguard was a tv series about Walter thompson who guarded Churchill between 1920 to 1945 , he describes many attempts of Churchill trying to get to the front line and many near misses that happen , one which was I think in Greece where he came under fire from a German machine gun which he said the best 27 mins on my life , there’s also a book as well which I have got
For once I get to add something to the incredible Mark Felton’s History video! So the night before DDay, Churchill called Supreme Commander Dwight Eisenhower insisting that he be present during the invasion and oversee the events. He was so adamant that Eisenhower had to call King George VI and tell him the situation. King George VI told Eisenhower, “Don’t you worry about old Winston, I know exactly how to handle him.” A few moments later King George called Eisenhower back telling him that the Prime Minister has decided not to take part in the initial landings on DDay. Turns out King George called Churchill saying “Winston, if you go I am going as well.” Horrified at the thought of the King being present during the invasion Winston reluctantly backed down. Hope somebody found that interesting! If you did I strongly suggest reading “D-DAY” by Stephen Ambrose.
My Great Grandfather met the man himself in North Africa in 1942, took his picture which now sits on my shelf. According to him, Churchill was very down to earth and was thankful to every single soldier, no matter their rank or role.
@@spellcaster39ify He was famously quoted as saying “History will treat me kindly, for I shall write it” correct me if I’m wrong, he may have also said replying to a woman complaining of his state of inebriation “ Madam, you are ugly. In the morning I shall be sober but you will still be ugly”
My favorite Churchill retort occurred when a lady (forgive me for forgetting whom) became displeased with Churchill and told him," If you were my husband, i should give you poison!". To which Churchill replied," Madam, if you were my wife, I should drink it!". Lol good on ya Winston!
That was Lady Nancy Astor. That's my favourite quote too. Along with the time a lady told him "Sir Winston, you're drunk!"to which he said "And you are ugly! But in the morning I will be sober!"
It was the very feisty Lady Astor and they were arguing about whether coffee should be sugared or not. She actually said 'If you were my husband I should flavour your coffee with poison.'
He used to go on the roof of the Foreign Office during the blitz to see how bad it was. Insurgent d ck, no, he may have gone to Canada, but he also went to Moscow, North Africa, Tunis, Terhan, Casablanca and Potsdam. So what's your point. Each journey his plane could have crashed or been shot down.
Well said. In so many ways, (e.g. racist, imperialist, British supremacist, reckless, vain, self-promoting) he was a despicable man, but certainly no coward. As a young hussar, in the Sudan, he was involved in horseback sabre charges against bigger groups.
The die had been cast. There was nothing left, but victory to follow, which he did to strengthen the morale of men who had served as he did. What PM or president would do that today? Biden wants to unite our nation, but is unwilling to understand that he has to step into the division to do so.
@@jakub8782 Yes, I'd like him to go there and see what it's like to be in combat zone for awhile. Maybe this M.E. war BS would wake him up and see we have no need to be there.
*"Churchill is like a 5 year old"* Churchill: But I don't want to goo General Monty: Sir you have to go Churchill: But it's so fun here General Monty: Sir there are litteraly german shells landing within a 100 yards Churchill: THAT'S THE FUN PART
Even though he was in the cavalry from a young age and in the thick of the fighting on several occasions, I think Churchill never grew up and kept thinking that war and personal combat were rather romantic and exciting things.
Oh, please. Churchill was a coward. On one occasion, after learning that a raid was coming, had his chauffeur drive out of London town as fast as possible, but he later discovered that the raid was headed elsewhere. So he went back into London, with his uniform on, saying to the locals that he'd tough it out with them. But he knew that was bullshit; when he thought the danger was on his way, he fled.
@@thejdogcool this story makes no sense. London was bombed every night, and many days, for months straight during the Blitz. Churchill and the entire government, as well as the King and the Royal household, stayed in London the entire time except when he needed to travel for his duties.
@@Wood97718 Also - Churchill was a drunkard gambler known for being a showman as well as cowardly, so I think this is being played up by the Brit who made this video. Maybe he's hoping to get knighted by his queenie
@@SgtMajorSkull Not being disrspectful or anything but if you really know the "uploader" i think you would speak different about him. Accurate content, never biased.
Churchill was known for being a showman as well as cowardly, so I think this is being played up by the Brit who made this video. Maybe he's hoping to get knighted by the queenie
@@SgtMajorSkull You’re displaying the attributes of someone suffering from PTSD or Attention Deficit Syndrome. Get it treated before you are sectioned.
@@Cdr_Mansfield_Cumming You didn't pay attention to the video @ 1:45, Churchill held an honoree rank of Commodore in the RAF, for I'm certain he was never in!
but the Bolton-Paul "Defiants" DID fight in the Battle of Britain. Stupid idea, that. the Only guns on the plane were 4 30Cal. machine guns in a rear turret. Why weren't there 4 more in each wing? They still would have been fast enough to quickly shoot-down a Heinkle He-111.
@@jackdale9831 The idea wasn't too dissimilar to the Schrage Music used to good effect in German night fighters; swoop in under the bombers and shoot. But the turret was too heavy, leaving the aircraft relatively underpowered compared against single-seater fighters (this would be exacerbated with more forward firing guns). Given good defensive tactics, each Defiant could cover another, but while this was developed by one squadron, (apocryphally) when they were rotated out with another the new squadron rejected them and reverted to the original, flawed, formations. They were cut apart and the plane withdrawn from front-line daytime operations. They were never intended to face fighters, but for long range bomber interception.
Fair Bloody Dinkum, you've got to give it to him he was a tough old bugger: One of the greatest 20th century leaders. I can still remember how shocked I was at hearing of his death in 1965, I was in grade 5 primary school and 10 years old.
Churchill after WW1 carried a Colt 1911 45acp pistol concealed for decades. After WW2 he was the first Colt customer to receive the then new lighter weight, shorter Colt Commander 45 pistol.
My grandfather met Churchill, King George VI, Eisenhower, Montgomery & Mountbatten on 18 April 1944 when they visited the Fort Henry observation point to witness the live ammunition practice in Studland Bay prior to D-Day.
Best I can do - as a 4 year-old, I saw Monty, on the back of a truck, touring Breda and being cheered, shortly after the city was liberated by our Polish friends, October 1944. Will never forget it.
In school it’s all interpretations, what were the causes of things, and social/economic history... but they never actually teach you the Events That Happened - which in fact is the most important part
@@jameshenry6855 Bruh its 1940s, everybody was at different levels of racist by then and if you would live in that era, you would probably be kind of racist too (because of the influence of orientalism that was still strong). Churchill most certainly loved his empire and would do anything for its glory, that was just his personality. Including oppression in certain colonies, so why would you call somebody fool for having imperial thinking, if that person is a prime minister of an empire.
@@jameshenry6855 you could call anyone racist by today's definition, like its the worst crime imaginable. It's all bollocks to divide us and segregate us by skin tone. Make us hate each other. The establishment are scared of the working classes and we have lots of skin tones but shared poverty and values.
Who are we to judge the man's personal value? Yes, let others decide, people who knew him, who could observe him freely in duty and danger. Mr Churchill joined the British Army from 1894 to 1924, he participated in all sorts of military conflicts and even grown up wars all around the globe. During all those years the Lieutenant Colonel of Honor Winston Spencer Churchill never received a single medal of gallantry.
He wanted to be on the frontlines because he had the warrior spirit! He knew the dangers, having been in close combat before, so I don't think it was just about ego or his image. Of course his presence would have a good effect on troop morale, but it seems he genuinely cared for the troops and wanted to know how the war effort was progressing.
@@ulrichschmidt5559 You state that valiant Churchill stayed in his War Rooms during the early part of WWII where he courageously faced the Blitz. And nobody, not even his bitterest political opponents questioned his courage. Why didn't they? Because he held out when the bombs were falling? My boy, the War Rooms were a commando center built in 1938. They were nothing short of an underground bunker of the highest security level, covered with ten feet of solid concrete and supported by additional buttresses. You couldn't find a safer place in greater London and surrounding cities. Now tell me: What exactly did this working place have to do with Churchill's or anybody else's courage? You don't know? Take a closer look, not at the propaganda, but at the facts which were left out or uncommented. Churchill in the bunker, where he was supposed to be. The war prime minister in action. Everything is fine. Unfortunately he had to leave this safe space in order to sleep and on the weekends. And that was when he got the hell out of London as fast as his chauffeur could drive.
I love how the King had to stamp his feet and say "No, you don't go" on D Day. On the bases of, if he [the King] couldn't go then neither could Winnie!
@@dellawrence4323 In short No! He stayed put through out. It was suggested that the Queen [later the Queen Mother] and Princess' Elizabeth and Margaret went. The Queen wouldn't leave without the King. And the Princess wouldn't without the Queen....... As the King wouldn't they all stayed.
"I've taken my country through perhaps the most frightful times in it's history. We're on the continent, and we're going to win. If I were to be killed now, the outcome would be no different. Let's have a bit of fun".
There was also a time when he and his wife was inspecting the cockpit of a Gloster Gladiator and his wife was poking around in the cockpit and Churchill was inspecting the guns. It turned out the guns were loaded and Ms Churchill was touaching near the firing button. Luckily, the pilot realized the problem and put the safety on. Edit: This was during Dunkirk so if he died then, it would be interesting to see what would then happen...
If you like stuff to listen to please check out Val Verde Broadcasting. They do extremely good and entertaining movie commentaries. I generally don’t like that stuff but I found them on the first lockdown along with Mark Felton and these two keep me sane.
As someone lucky enough to be born in 1990, it's with absolute awe that I watch the courage of those who went before us. Unthinkably humbling to consider what they went through. And thank God for Winston Churchill.
What a man. I'm proud to say that as a 9 year old I went to Tower Bridge to witness the barge bringing him down the river, the Scots Guards gave me and my young brother room so we could see. I cried my eyes out. What an inspiring individual. Oh, his bodyguard Walter Thompson, an ex London copper was a fantastic fellow, very loyal to Winnie.
Sometimes people think of Churchill as a little plump old man with a bald head and a lisp. They forget he was a skilled horseman who'd repeatedly gone into battle, been shot at, got his men to freedom in a train whilst under fire, had escaped from a POW camp and gone on the run, carried out night trench-raids during WW1 and was a crack shot. Churchill was a tough guy too.
@@duncanmacpherson2013 Especially as Churchill wanted to build "a united states of Europe"! He would've *HATED* brexit & would've torn the brexiters to pieces in the commons!
@Les Hemmings I would think Churchill would want sovereignty for his country. I cant imagine such a patriot wanting other countries like Germany making decisions for his.
@@Aengus42 Churchill's vision of a "united States of Europe" did not include the UK as one of the states. Europe was to be subservient to the British Empire. And lo! With Brexit it came to pass!
One Churchill story I recently came across went back to the time prior to his becoming PM when he accompanied Chamberlain across the Channel to France. Can't remember if it was the outbound or inbound voyage. Chamberlain had made himself comfortable in the Captain's cabin but Churchill had gone AWOL. He was found below decks with the stokers apparently swapping risqué stories.
By people who have no doubt, never put so much as a thought on the line for the Country. They were very brave! To paraphrase Bruce Lee; "Statue doesn't hit back".
@Ed Miller Actually, the British didn't dump him after the war. He had never been elected in the first place, other than in his own constituency. On becoming leader of the Conservative party when the former PM resigned he became leader of a multi-party coalition in 1940. They dumped the Conservative Party because they had nothing to offer other than policies aimed at recovering from 5 years of war. Labour won the election on promises of building a land of milk and honey.
@@dougie1943 Are you surprised? They won the war and had longer grocery cards, than the Germans. This sounds shitty... Look for "A private Function". That will show it to you, very vivid...
@I'm Back "Hey Guv, how about a smoke?" SX13319 Stan Collins, a member of the Australian 2/23rd Infantry Battalion did exactly that when Churchill walked past while inspecting the battalion in August 1942. Churchill stopped, pulled a stogie out of his pocket and handed it over and said "there you go, you've earned it". I heard this story god knows how many times growing up and I always though this was one of my Grandfathers tall stories until I finally challenged him on it one day and he pulled out 2/23rd History and showed me the photo of Collins with the cigar. Going one better, he pointed out another photo. Sure enough, there's Collins standing in the ranks talking to Churchill (presumably in the process of acquiring a well earned smoke ) and there's my grandfather standing two men to the left of Collins and Churchill, watching with the biggest grin on his face. According to my grandfather, Stan Collins produced the cigar to a cheering crowd at a 2/23rd Battalion reunion in the early 70's. Given the providence of the cigar, I can only guess how much that cigar would be worth if it ever showed up.
Not only that , but the first wave on D-day , looking at it now it’s easy to say close miss , but back then they had no idea what would endure on those beaches. Great leaders most likely never to be repeated into future history.
@@itsperimo yes Liz has been a cracking monarch , not holding much hope for Charles though , I’m kind of hopping he passes it down the William he would make a far better leader in my opinion.
I did read that it was the King who persuaded Churchill not to go to Normandy on D-Day. Wanting to go there himself he told Churchill that if Churchill could go on D-Day then so would he. Churchill relented so neither went. King George, himself, was no stranger to military action as he was on HMS Collingwood at the Battle of Jutland. He served in one of the turrets and during the battle a shell just missed the turret he was in.
Says a lot of the character of the King George to use such wit, knowing that Winston wouldn’t dare go if the King indulged, thus preventing him as well. Check mate says the king. Haha
@@dontask6863 The King knew what it was like to be in combat. He served on one of the warships that took part in the Battle of Jutland. One large calibre AP shell just missed the turret he was serving in.
This should be compulsory viewing for those on the extreme left that have tried to insult Churchill in recent times, including defacing his statue. Most are probably too ignorant to realise what this man did to prevent a complete fascist takeover of Europe and beyond. A well timed video Mark.
I simply DEVOURED this content. Fabulous. ~ When asked whom I would wish to share a dinner and conversation with above all others, my answer will always be Sir. Winston.
This channel is blowing my mind! How do you get footage that even history channels on TV can't produce. Kudos to you Sir, you are a perfectionist and I admire that quality.
@@r2gelfand Your education system really sucks. This is the only way to explain such statements. But I'm no longer surprised. If 2 out of 3 students can't even find their own country on a map of the world (it's only the 3rd largest country on the damn planet), then you should seriously think about who ignorance is of use when only technical idiots are trained. Greeds from Europe...
And here I thought Churchill was such a bad ass he’d almost killed an entire year. I wanted to know his technique and if it could be retroactively applied to 2020.
I don't see how being responsible for constant military disasters due to sheer incompetence makes you a badass? Churchill got hundreds of thousands of Commonwealth troops killed in both world wars.
@@iseeyou1312 You obviously don't have enough of a sense of humor to realize my post is a joke that really has nothing to do with Churchill. (I posted it before Mark fixed his title which originally stated "Churchill Killed 1945"). And that by replying to it with your foolish opinion you trivialized it - and yourself - even more.
You're quite right, I believe in equality, but show me some left wing dogooder that wants to drag Churchill's name through the mud and I would gladly put them on their a**e.
@@JohnSmith-ze1ft Alot of people my age bring up him letting people starve. In a place that was blockaded by the japanese. They dont realise any supply ships would have been sunk.
I'm 29 years old. I'm frankly disgusted with the way he is viewed by some of my generation. They vilify and criticize the man who stood up and fought for the very values that today allow them to hurl their insults at him, and nobody seems to spot the irony or stupidity in that. Churchill will always be a hero to me.
I'm a Yank who understands...or thinks he understands...just how eceptional Churchill was.He almost single handedly saved Western civilization in 1940/41/42.
I don't think we know everything about the reason Dresden was fire bombed, no factories, but maybe someone or something important was there. Bomber Command said after the war that if they'd known how important Albert Speer was then they would have sent every bomber they had to kill him.
He almost got his self killed also in Greece, during the Civil War, when communists canceled at the last minute the bombing of the hotel grand Bretagne...
I always was a World war 2 fanatic. My father was stationed in England, and met my mother outside London during the blitz. Thank you for these kind of videos.
Churchill was also nearly killed in the Autumn of 1942. Tony Bartley DFC was a close friend of my family and I had the privilege of chatting with him before he died. Whilst based in Gibraltar (where he commanded 111 Squadron) he was assigned to escort Churchill's aircraft from North Africa (a B24, I think). The best pilots were selected and they flew Spitfire (V's, I think) with long-range tanks. Churchill took off with a 3 fighter escort and they were attacked over the Bay of Biscay by 7 German fighters. All seven enemy fighters were shot down, as were two of the Spitfires and Churchill flew on unmolested. Tony's aircraft was badly damaged but he managed at make to the Scilly Isles where he crashed on the runway, flipping the aircraft and damaging his back. Churchill later visited him in hospital to thank him, personally. This incident does not appear in his book, Smoke Trails in the Sky - but neither did several others - such as the first enemy encounter with 20mm cannon, over the Thames Estuary...
I recently found some old pictures in my grandma's old stuff. May she rest in piece. The pictures show a Nazi wedding, uniform and all, and pictures from holidays in Denmark, 1941. Ironic, considering the fact that I now live in Denmark. I'm from Nuremberg. Are you interested in the photos?
Coming from Denmark myself, i would love seeing photos of it from 1941, holiday photos even Wonder how the buried lighthouse looked back then, if they ever visited it
Excellent work as ever Mark, Churchill inspiring from the front, you almost get the feeling he thought that if he had been killed on the front line this would propelled his memory to greater heights of legend. Im surprised he didnt grab a rifle and pile in with the boys! Wanted to be there for first wave of troops on D-Day..... just imagine the optics of Churchill and the King on the beaches of Normandy! Why are there no leaders like these people today?
"Leaders" today are cowards. I imagine there's an exception or two. But just take a look at congress diving for cover and cowering behind desks when UNARMED Antifa were let by dirty D.C. cops for example. Of course the media lied about who it was but even amateur research can face match the individuals present to them in pics at other antifa terrorist campaigns.
@@WILLNOTCOMPLY72 agreed, but you can also put another spin on this story that Churchill did it for publicity. Haha, Congress, Grima Wormtongues to a man!
The pen is mightier than the sword today. And we are at 'relative' peace. (Long may it stay that way,) The closest to a Leader going to the front line from memory, and then I had trouble researching, was on 22 November 1990 when George W Bush visited troops on Thanksgiving Day in Saudi Arabia during the Persian Gulf War. But not what you would consider his distance away from the front, a real front line.
4:40 "Yo guys I have a great idea! You know how whenever we sent our troops out of those planes they were always bound to be scattered? Well I have a solution for that. Lets put in another DOOR!!!" Everyone at the tables stand in applauses
It is incredible how you able to get such appropriate footage, watching Mark felton, it's like even in the 40s everyone had their phones out taking videos!
He let's the mob try and smash Churchill's statue... The minute that started and Kahn let it happen he should have gone hard on them or Kahn... Anyone who damages a historic statue should be dealt with severely let alone messing with Churchill's statue.. Kahn had a a guy arrested for pulling the abusve signs off the Churchill statue placed by the mob... That guy should have been rewarded, not arrested.. (I have not mentioned the mobs name as Tube deletes comments that are negative about them..)
@@zakofrx Welp the biden commanded communist democrats have already (again) removed Churchill’s bust from the White House and replaced it with one of Cesar Chavez.
Seems like he was a bit of an adrenaline junkie. Didn't he, as Home Secretary, turn up at the Sidney St. siege in the middle of a gun battle in top hat and coat?
He said he was more worried about being shot by the policeman standing behind him , armed with a shotgun . This photograph , is usually present whenever there is a documentary about this event .It maybe on moving film , also . R
I think the name Churchill must mean adrenaline junkie in some language because besides Winston Churchill there is Mad Jack Churchill who is not a blood relation of Winston Churchill but an equal adrenaline junkie
The funniest thing is the thought that Winston visiting the front was less a formal visit, but more so a school field trip where they had to keep constant watch on him.
You're already losing the war, then Churchill casually drives by you. That has to be a whole other level of demoralizing.
(Hitler in his last days in his bunker)
Knock Knock
Hitler: who is it at 2 am!?!???!? Churchill?!? What are you doing here?
While Hitler sequesters himself in one of his Wolf’s Lair’s!
Fighting since 1939, seen the Führer zero times, captured in 1945 see Churchill drive by, realise you put your money on the wrong damn horse.
One of the biggest differences between Hitler and Churchill is that Hitler killed himself when faced with defeat, while Churchill would have died throwing flaming bottles of gin at panzers in London.
@@spellcaster39ify white drunk and smoking a cigar.
A Churchill quote; "nothing quite exhilarating as being shot at and missed.."
@tian wong cod is awful
@@iamarbiter6469 i did like black hawk down back in the day
or nothing as painful as being shot at and hit.....
Another quote he said when he signed a shell and it was fired at the enemy “it’s like sending a rude letter to someone and being there when it arrives”
A bad ass, for sure.
"Only six armed American soldiers." Never have so few been commanded by so many.
Churchill was known for being a showman as well as cowardly, so I think this is being played up by the Brit who made this video. Maybe he's hoping to get knighted by the queenie
That is excellent word play!
Thank you all for your votes and your kind words. My memory joggled a little bit since I posted this and I think Gen. Maxwell Taylor may have said it better on D-Day. "Never have so few been led by so many." My apologies to Gen. Taylor. Although, the circumstances here might make it a bit more apropos.
@@SgtMajorSkull look. I'm a Kiwi... im sure you can think of a reason why we might not be great fans of Churchill here.... a couple come to mind.
But by no means was the man a coward. not a great strategist or tactician, certainly not compared to his generals and allies. but don't belittle one of the greatest figures in history because of whatever bias you happen to have. man fought in multiple wars and actively participated in the destruction of Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy. not to mention Japan, the Ottoman Empire, and everything in-between.
@Hoa Tattis I was at all of those he was a pussy bro
"Winston Churchill had very few bodyguards, Hitler had thousands....
he needed them" -- my favorite show opening line.
Mostly because he was in mainland Europe.
Stalin also had thousands of bodyguards.
@@RazorsharpLTyea but that's not the only reason maybe because they were dictators and that was their way of staying in control this is basically the only reason they had so many
@@CO_Xvilhitler always drived a cab and even stood up in the car. there were some assasination attempts, but most germans actualy believed the story of the nazis to some degree and therefor didn‘t think hitler was evil.
You won't find any political leaders today bold enough watch so close enemy lines, Church, Roosevelt and British and American Generals were different breed of men
@@RazorsharpLT That just sums up how two of these silly man with mustaches are so paranoid while a bald dude just be driving by like he's late for afternoon tea.
"I am prepared to meet my Maker. Whether my Maker is prepared for the great ordeal of meeting me is another matter."
Immediately thought of this Churchill quote
Churchill had a quote about ducking when you hear gunshots, "there’s no use ducking when the bullets are already behind you"
Sound travels at 650 ish miles per hour bullets travel1 / 1-2 thousand so by the time you hear the sound if hit you wont hear them so Churchill was wrong when he duck when you hear sound best idea is watch for the flash then duck speed of light. sight the bullet then sound
@@raypitts4880 I suppose ducking helps stopping to be a target, so the shooter can´t aim at you for further shots.
Every machine gunner dreams of a target who stands still while they walk their shots onto him.
Churchill's biographer, William Manchester, suggested that WC may have felt a kind of immunity to violent death. During the First World War Churchill often stood close to the front lines, calmly surveying the scene, while other officers were diving for cover.
Tell that to the second one
I live in Wesel and it's funny that almost everyone here is somewhat proud of the fact that Mr. Churchill himself visited our little and relatively unkown town. Parts of the blown up Bridge can still be seen and visited today like many other relics of WW2. I am lucky that I could talk to so many survivors and even those who fought here. One close family friend was 15 when the British crossed the Rhine here. He defended the bridge and lost his hand in the fighting. As a young man myself I find it almost impossible to imagine what these people had to endure back then. I am always happy to listen to his stories about the british air raids, the fighting and the eventual surrender and rebuilding, it is a very humbling experience.
PLEASE Write-about what you were told. Most Germans were draftees like most else in the armies of WWII, the "grandfather's War."
Used to live in Flüren in the 80’s and played on the bridge ruins and the old Diersforter Wald bunkers as a kid. Great place to grow up - as long as you went to School at KDG, and not mitte (ist Schitte) or Nord (ist Mord)☺️
Write these stories before memory or you are gone. I did that when Covid broke out. All the family stories going back to the American Civil War were entrusted to me. Made sure I got them down before something happens to me. Amazon makes it real easy to put out a pretty decent book.
@@jackdale9831 My grandfather was 15 in 1945 and part of the Htler Youth. He was lucky though, when they called them into service he was able to hide in a barn of a family friend and the officers who were supposed to draft them weren't always eager to spend much needed resources in finding a 15 year old. He therefore avoided service and worked as a postman and firefighter after the war.
Our family friend I talked about was drafted together with his best friend, who tragically died during the fighting. He lost his hand in the battle but worked as postman together with my grandfather. That's how they met each other. One of the most interesting things he told me was how he surrendered to the British. As British soldiers approached their home his uncle tried to cover his Hitler Youth uniform, especially the swastika with a coat. When the soldiers arrived they lifted the blanket and saw the uniform. One of the soldiers did the nazi salute and yelled "hail hitler" while the others were laughing. He told me that at the time he was crying in anger and wanted to punch the soldiers in the face but gladly he didn't. He couldn't understand how they could have lost the war. His entire world view shattered and he was proud of his uniforms and didn't understand why his uncle was hiding it. Later he regretted everything that has happened, that he believed the lies of the nazis and that he really believed in Hitler and his bs. He felt like a fool. A few years later he visited bavaria and saw a black american soldier, who was the first black man he saw in his life. He thanked him man and tried to apoligize, but he told me that he felt like words could not express the sorrow and the shame he felt in that moment.
Also very interesting are the stories about the truly terryfing air raids. Wesel was one of the most destroyed cities in Germany and even today they regularly find bombs at construction sites. 98% of the city was destroyed and the city looked like the surface of the moon. After the war was over, the allied soldiers gave chocolate to the children and traded food, cigarettes or liquor with civilians when they had something in exchange. But there wasn't much food so the adults were forced to eat rotten potatoes to save the "good" food for their children. My great grandmother had 9 children and was a so called "Trümmerfrau" (=rubble woman?). These women collected the debris of the destroyed buildings and helped rebuilding, because the men were either dead or captured. There are even several monuments for these women across Germany.
@@Mis-AdventureCH thanks for the tip... I have been doing a bit of the same.... and keeping a bit saner.
I have tremendous respect for the British Military’s “Lead by example” culture whereby their officers seek to prove their bravery to their men. Magnificent.
Yeah, whiskey makes you brave and dumb. Guess what he was drinking when meeting with eisenhower prior to this dumb act
@@jungothemal7201 I don't know why or how this notion that Winston was the devil incarnate because he enjoyed his whiskey. Who cares? He is proof that you can be the man of the century and still enjoy a flask. What he did for Britain and the role he played in WW2 was what won the war. If Neville Chamberlain or another weaker minded Minister was in charge Nazi Germany would've been a much harder beast to beat. But sure you must have had an equal or more important role in WW2 as your comment suggests, so please let me know
I don't think it's a British thing. Walter Model seems a good example of this, at least on the same level of any British commander.
European kings used to be on the battlefield themselves until around 1800. Gustav III of Sweden was aboard one of the ships when the Swedish navy broke through the Russian blockade at Svensksund in 1790.
it just so happens the british waited until the war was basically over to show how brave they were
I've just discovered this channel and I appreciate the lack of background music as you narrate. Lovely.
Welcome aboard! There's plenty to dive into if you enjoy history.
It’s a great channel , welcome
While I have had this channel for a long time. I just must agree with you. It's excellent!
You just came across this channel? Oh man, you have so many hours of binge watching ahead of you 😄
I also noticed that there is no distracting background music score! And I also just found this channel today! I love history and there is a lot here to dig into! Thanks Dr. Felton!
Thank you Mark for the vid....my father fought in British army during ww2, he service in the 10th Bridge Troop, from North Africa, Sicily and Europe, it was his troop who built the 1st pontoon bridge across the Rhine and in doing so lost his 2 best friends, who had fought with him all thru the war. He told me the story when he was older in his 70’s, still with tears streaming down his face he told me how much he missed them. A 109 came in low, surprising them, he dove in the river but his friends on the other side of the bridge didn’t have time. My dad pass away a few yrs back, he’s my real life hero!
Respect sent for your Father, and to you. My Father fought in the Pacific against Japan. This was indeed the greatest generation.
Thank you for sharing. Bless you and your family.
Well hes with his mates now,God bless him.
:)
Respects to you father!!!!
F
Mark: Unknown WW2- Modern history
Mark's father: Unknown Victorian- Ancient era history
Mark's granpa: Unknown pre Big-Bang history
I got good chuckle from this.
Mark's grandpa: I was the unlucky driver who had to dodge shells taking Churchill to sight-see the war!
@@timomastosalo No if it was a relative of Mark's they was jumping up and catching the shells then throwing them back with a 100% accuracy from whence they came :-)
Marks kids Unknown cyber history
Grug - Ooga grrr grug 85447 BC
Can you Imagine a modern politician trying to go into battle on the first wave of a frontal assault? Something quite lost when all politicians are lawyers now.
To be fair, literally every single Founding Father except Washington was a lawyer, too.
Alexander The Great did it 👍
president - "i'd love to be with you boys, but...bone spurs."
@@704studio "I'd love to be with you boys, but Draft Dodger with cigars".
@@EndOfSmallSanctuary97 founding fathers?
*shells flying pastChurchill *
Churchill - " no wonder they are losing the war with that aim *
Weeewooo
Line
From A
Soldier!
Too dark man. War times shouldn't be used as a joke because of how serious it actually was.
@@PKLO9727 so we've all to just say nothing and be sad about all history then ? Jeez bigger things to worry about pall
@@PKLO9727 wars hell aint it
Imagine being his body guard. More than a few sleepless nights......
Search for Inspector Walter H. Thompson.
There is a full series on old Walter boy
@@myview5840 Do you mean the excellent Churchill's Bodyguard (2005) narrated with Dennis Waterman?
Churchill used to remain drunk most of the time.
Yep , Churchill’s bodyguard was a tv series about Walter thompson who guarded Churchill between 1920 to 1945 , he describes many attempts of Churchill trying to get to the front line and many near misses that happen , one which was I think in Greece where he came under fire from a German machine gun which he said the best 27 mins on my life , there’s also a book as well which I have got
For once I get to add something to the incredible Mark Felton’s History video!
So the night before DDay, Churchill called Supreme Commander Dwight Eisenhower insisting that he be present during the invasion and oversee the events. He was so adamant that Eisenhower had to call King George VI and tell him the situation. King George VI told Eisenhower, “Don’t you worry about old Winston, I know exactly how to handle him.” A few moments later King George called Eisenhower back telling him that the Prime Minister has decided not to take part in the initial landings on DDay. Turns out King George called Churchill saying “Winston, if you go I am going as well.” Horrified at the thought of the King being present during the invasion Winston reluctantly backed down.
Hope somebody found that interesting! If you did I strongly suggest reading “D-DAY” by Stephen Ambrose.
Churchill: "I'm going in."
King: "Wanna bet?"
C: *Nervous sweating.*
@@redbasher636 That doesn't make sense lol
@@Official_Happy_
lets we forget the Gallipoli campaign and the slaughter of the ANZAC troops at HIS discretion.
@@mannyg9059 no idea what they are
Very interesting & quite a clever move by King George Vl lol Thanks for sharing.
The level of respect and admiration given to Dr. Felton on this channel is heartwarming. His is the best told/produced WWII stories on RUclips.
My Great Grandfather met the man himself in North Africa in 1942, took his picture which now sits on my shelf. According to him, Churchill was very down to earth and was thankful to every single soldier, no matter their rank or role.
Hey buddy can you email me that picture
Nice! Do you mind sharing the photo?
well, thankful as long as the soldier was white eh?
@@a4h426 Churchill never visited India
Another bit of history I had never heard before.
Me too, fantastic channel.
I live in Wesel and I did not know the Story either
Mark Felton always has info about history that none of us heard off before....
Churchill's memoirs are worth the read. Take a large pinch of salt with you.
@@spellcaster39ify He was famously quoted as saying “History will treat me kindly, for I shall write it” correct me if I’m wrong, he may have also said replying to a woman complaining of his state of inebriation “ Madam, you are ugly. In the morning I shall be sober but you will still be ugly”
My favorite Churchill retort occurred when a lady (forgive me for forgetting whom) became displeased with Churchill and told him," If you were my husband, i should give you poison!". To which Churchill replied," Madam, if you were my wife, I should drink it!". Lol good on ya Winston!
That was Lady Nancy Astor. That's my favourite quote too. Along with the time a lady told him "Sir Winston, you're drunk!"to which he said "And you are ugly! But in the morning I will be sober!"
@@Aengus42 Still funny. Always made me laugh that.
It was the very feisty Lady Astor and they were arguing about whether coffee should be sugared or not. She actually said 'If you were my husband I should flavour your coffee with poison.'
Oh snap! Burn!!!!
@@Aengus42 "But in the morning I will be sober, and you still be ugly" :P
Minute for a minute, this is now definitely better than the Hstory channel on cable and satellite. Thank you.
Say what you like about him (and I'm sure many have and will), Winston S. Churchill was no coward that's for damn sure
In the air raids on London I've heard he used to go up and have a cigar at street level
@@graham2631 No, he was closer than that - up on the roof watching their bombs dropping!
He used to go on the roof of the Foreign Office during the blitz to see how bad it was.
Insurgent d ck, no, he may have gone to Canada, but he also went to Moscow, North Africa, Tunis, Terhan, Casablanca and Potsdam. So what's your point. Each journey his plane could have crashed or been shot down.
@@chrisvowell2890 Not dissimilar to Julius Evola, who liked to go for strolls while bombs were dropping and was crippled for it.
Well said. In so many ways, (e.g. racist, imperialist, British supremacist, reckless, vain, self-promoting) he was a despicable man, but certainly no coward. As a young hussar, in the Sudan, he was involved in horseback sabre charges against bigger groups.
"Remember that time that Churchill crossed the Rhine into no man's land with six men?"
The die had been cast. There was nothing left, but victory to follow, which he did to strengthen the morale of men who had served as he did. What PM or president would do that today? Biden wants to unite our nation, but is unwilling to understand that he has to step into the division to do so.
@@Dan-tv1sm So thats what biden has been trying to do these last 5 years
@@Dan-tv1sm That’s one way to excuse stupidity I suppose
@@Dan-tv1sm so you want Biden to go fight in Syria to unite the US? lmao
@@jakub8782 Yes, I'd like him to go there and see what it's like to be in combat zone for awhile. Maybe this M.E. war BS would wake him up and see we have no need to be there.
"Churchil was enjoying every second"
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
Rip Arthur Morgan
Lmao
...and now look at the world🤚🏻🥴💛
Churchill was enjoying every second after the USA entered war. Before that Churchill was crapping his pants
@@poolplexer Typical ignorant yank
*"Churchill is like a 5 year old"*
Churchill: But I don't want to goo
General Monty: Sir you have to go
Churchill: But it's so fun here
General Monty: Sir there are litteraly german shells landing within a 100 yards
Churchill: THAT'S THE FUN PART
churchill was a drunk. that is the explanation for all of his batty behaviour.
Don’t call him a 5 year old, that’s disrespectful
@@lasakau272 ok I'm sorry
Mr. 5 year old
Is that okay for you?
Can you at least have the respect to spell their names correctly. They won WWII for us 🤦♂️
Spelling the names wrong is not disrespectful its a mistake and Churchill wasnt the only one who won the war.
MAYBE CHURCHILL WAS THINKING: "I'm an old man. I'd rather die in the battle field among brave men than die on a bed in an elderly home somewhere."
Like Nelson .. an officer should be among his men.
I think that's precisely what he thought.
Even though he was in the cavalry from a young age and in the thick of the fighting on several occasions, I think Churchill never grew up and kept thinking that war and personal combat were rather romantic and exciting things.
Oh, please. Churchill was a coward. On one occasion, after learning that a raid was coming, had his chauffeur drive out of London town as fast as possible, but he later discovered that the raid was headed elsewhere. So he went back into London, with his uniform on, saying to the locals that he'd tough it out with them. But he knew that was bullshit; when he thought the danger was on his way, he fled.
@@thejdogcool this story makes no sense. London was bombed every night, and many days, for months straight during the Blitz. Churchill and the entire government, as well as the King and the Royal household, stayed in London the entire time except when he needed to travel for his duties.
I love how as soon as Ike leaves Churchill and all the other staff decide to get closer to combat! Dad's gone everyone in the boat!
Hard call, who out ranks who
Lol! That’s how I heard it too. “He’s finally gone! Let’s go!”
I wonder if Ike ever heard this story. So six US Army soldiers transport the PM in a landing craft? I think he would have had a stroke!
@@Wood97718 Also - Churchill was a drunkard gambler known for being a showman as well as cowardly, so I think this is being played up by the Brit who made this video. Maybe he's hoping to get knighted by his queenie
@@SgtMajorSkull Not being disrspectful or anything but if you really know the "uploader" i think you would speak different about him. Accurate content, never biased.
When the first salvo lands in front of you and the second lands behind you, it is time to move.
They say third time a charm
2:00 Eisenhower is like, "I'm just one General but you are like, 18 different Colonels..."
“Hey Churchill, which units do you want to hold honorary rank in?”
“All of them.”
He only held rank in those that he served in. The uniform he usually wore was Col Royal Scots Fusiliers.
Churchill was known for being a showman as well as cowardly, so I think this is being played up by the Brit who made this video. Maybe he's hoping to get knighted by the queenie
@@SgtMajorSkull You’re displaying the attributes of someone suffering from PTSD or Attention Deficit Syndrome. Get it treated before you are sectioned.
@@Cdr_Mansfield_Cumming You didn't pay attention to the video @ 1:45, Churchill held an honoree rank of Commodore in the RAF, for I'm certain he was never in!
@@dougie1943 definitely not PTSD, but ADS yes
If the turret on the Defiant was wider, he would have fought in the Battle of Britain.
And he would have score Victories , my God he could have throw his cigar out the window at the German Fighters and scored a hit :-) V
@MrPitjoey Mate that just made me chuckle , Thank You :-)
but the Bolton-Paul "Defiants" DID fight in the Battle of Britain. Stupid idea, that. the Only guns on the plane were 4 30Cal. machine guns in a rear turret. Why weren't there 4 more in each wing? They still would have been fast enough to quickly shoot-down a Heinkle He-111.
lol imagine him and goering meeting in the air
@@jackdale9831 The idea wasn't too dissimilar to the Schrage Music used to good effect in German night fighters; swoop in under the bombers and shoot. But the turret was too heavy, leaving the aircraft relatively underpowered compared against single-seater fighters (this would be exacerbated with more forward firing guns).
Given good defensive tactics, each Defiant could cover another, but while this was developed by one squadron, (apocryphally) when they were rotated out with another the new squadron rejected them and reverted to the original, flawed, formations. They were cut apart and the plane withdrawn from front-line daytime operations. They were never intended to face fighters, but for long range bomber interception.
"I like a man who grins when he fights."
Churchill was a quote making machine
Sounds like something an anime character would say xD
That's kind of cringe tbh
Chuchill was garbage
Fair Bloody Dinkum, you've got to give it to him he was a tough old bugger: One of the greatest 20th century leaders. I can still remember how shocked I was at hearing of his death in 1965, I was in grade 5 primary school and 10 years old.
I mean, you shouldn't have been shocked, he was ninety...
Me too. There goes "The Last Lion"
Churchill after WW1 carried a Colt 1911 45acp pistol concealed for decades. After WW2 he was the first Colt customer to receive the then new lighter weight, shorter Colt Commander 45 pistol.
Imagine how terrifying it was for the guy driving that landingcraft, that is a lot of Brass in his care.
National leaders ought to place themselves on the front line.
FDR in a tank.
Yes they should, I'll bet Blair would have thought twice!
Churchill allegedly wanted to land on the D-Day beaches but had to be persuaded it would be a big distraction from the job at hand.
honestly they shouldnt, a government in chaos due to a strong leader dying to stupidity is far worse than the morale boost potential visits achieve.
Radyi anyone calling the shots to get a nation into a war should serve some time on the frontlines
Thank you immensely, Mark. Finest productions anywhere: informative and reliably accurate.
My grandfather met Churchill, King George VI, Eisenhower, Montgomery & Mountbatten on 18 April 1944 when they visited the Fort Henry observation point to witness the live ammunition practice in Studland Bay prior to D-Day.
Lucky guy...
Did some sailing down there in the 1980s. Beautiful countryside.
Best I can do - as a 4 year-old, I saw Monty, on the back of a truck, touring Breda and being cheered, shortly after the city was liberated by our Polish friends, October 1944. Will never forget it.
That's one to tell the grandkids about lol, but I'd have loved to have been there.
@@leokoeleman1569 i can do you one better, i'm actually related to the man!
I love this content. Nice history lessons. More than I ever learned in class.
I've spent more time here than in class🙈
I think we all learn more here than in school. Another great history lesson from Mark.
They barely teach history in school these days.
Yes, I never heard anything like this. So close to disaster.
In school it’s all interpretations, what were the causes of things, and social/economic history... but they never actually teach you the Events That Happened - which in fact is the most important part
The story of Churchill escaping from the POW camp needs a video.
Just watch 'Young Winston'.
It is quite a story!
@@MarkFeltonProductions How about operation Barmaid Mark .
He actually escaped from a train transporting him to a camp.
@@loyalist5736 that operation where British sub snatched a new type of towed array sonar of a Russian trawler?
Imagine a leader who fights his own battles.. oh
Whiskey and cigars couldn't kill him, so logically someone had to try to do it themselves 🤷♂️
Don’t forget brandy and champagne 🍾 !
@@QueenBee-gx4rp He even washed down lunch and dinner with champagne on a ~daily basis, it wasn't just for parties.
Dedicated cognac man.
Everyone names a different spirit they think churchill drank daily.
And they're all probably correct.
I read somewhere the amount he drank over his life time would fill an entire freight train. He knew how to live!
Nobody could ever call Churchill a coward, that's for sure!
You could call him a racist though
@@jameshenry6855 you are a fool.
@@joemengler1666 How much of Churchill's own written words have you actually read?
@@jameshenry6855 Bruh its 1940s, everybody was at different levels of racist by then and if you would live in that era, you would probably be kind of racist too (because of the influence of orientalism that was still strong). Churchill most certainly loved his empire and would do anything for its glory, that was just his personality. Including oppression in certain colonies, so why would you call somebody fool for having imperial thinking, if that person is a prime minister of an empire.
@@jameshenry6855 you could call anyone racist by today's definition, like its the worst crime imaginable. It's all bollocks to divide us and segregate us by skin tone. Make us hate each other. The establishment are scared of the working classes and we have lots of skin tones but shared poverty and values.
Lead from the front. If you're not willing to put yourself at risk, you've got no damn business telling others to do it.
If only today's politicians thought that way.
Theodore Roosevelt Jr. and Jonathan Wainwright.
Say what you will about Churchill, but he had more spine and honor than 99.9% of the politicians around today.
Who are we to judge the man's personal value? Yes, let others decide, people who knew him, who could observe him freely in duty and danger. Mr Churchill joined the British Army from 1894 to 1924, he participated in all sorts of military conflicts and even grown up wars all around the globe. During all those years the Lieutenant Colonel of Honor Winston Spencer Churchill never received a single medal of gallantry.
He wanted to be on the frontlines because he had the warrior spirit! He knew the dangers, having been in close combat before, so I don't think it was just about ego or his image. Of course his presence would have a good effect on troop morale, but it seems he genuinely cared for the troops and wanted to know how the war effort was progressing.
German pows were flabbergasted
@@walterweiss7124 Yea one of the most powerful men in the world and your enemy just drove on past... Yea I'd be dumbstruck also.
@@wes9451 While at the same time, Hitler was hiding in his bunker in Berlin 20m under the ground...
Same with Theodore Roosevelt. I can totally understand why they would want to feel the adrenaline of getting shot at again.
@@ulrichschmidt5559 You state that valiant Churchill stayed in his War Rooms during the early part of WWII where he courageously faced the Blitz. And nobody, not even his bitterest political opponents questioned his courage. Why didn't they? Because he held out when the bombs were falling? My boy, the War Rooms were a commando center built in 1938. They were nothing short of an underground bunker of the highest security level, covered with ten feet of solid concrete and supported by additional buttresses. You couldn't find a safer place in greater London and surrounding cities. Now tell me: What exactly did this working place have to do with Churchill's or anybody else's courage?
You don't know? Take a closer look, not at the propaganda, but at the facts which were left out or uncommented. Churchill in the bunker, where he was supposed to be. The war prime minister in action. Everything is fine. Unfortunately he had to leave this safe space in order to sleep and on the weekends. And that was when he got the hell out of London as fast as his chauffeur could drive.
I love how the King had to stamp his feet and say "No, you don't go" on D Day. On the bases of, if he [the King] couldn't go then neither could Winnie!
😂 well...I wasn't there, but I have feeling thats exactly how it went down 🤔
Wasn't the King hiding in Canada during most of the war?
@@dellawrence4323 Nope. He was in the UK itself the whole time
@@dellawrence4323 yeah, only the extended family went overseas and the main family left london besides the king and queen
@@dellawrence4323 In short No! He stayed put through out. It was suggested that the Queen [later the Queen Mother] and Princess' Elizabeth and Margaret went. The Queen wouldn't leave without the King. And the Princess wouldn't without the Queen....... As the King wouldn't they all stayed.
"I've taken my country through perhaps the most frightful times in it's history. We're on the continent, and we're going to win. If I were to be killed now, the outcome would be no different. Let's have a bit of fun".
'Nothing in life is so exhilarating as to be shot at without result'
Winston Churchill
I came back after a long time but still surprised that Mr.Mark Felton's still had interesting and unique story to tell.
You shouldn't be suprised.
He always makes quality content
I’m not surprised. Perhaps you’ve a little tiny brain that can’t handle intelligent information from Mark?
@@edwalmsley1401 exams
Wait until your comments are blocked and you can't financially donate . LMAO .
Where have you been? And why??
There was also a time when he and his wife was inspecting the cockpit of a Gloster Gladiator and his wife was poking around in the cockpit and Churchill was inspecting the guns. It turned out the guns were loaded and Ms Churchill was touaching near the firing button. Luckily, the pilot realized the problem and put the safety on.
Edit: This was during Dunkirk so if he died then, it would be interesting to see what would then happen...
I believe she actually loved him ;-)
The safety catch should have been on unless airborne!
@@guidor.4161 I believe they were devoted to each other, though like any relationship it wasn't always heavenly wine and roses.
@Schlomo BaconbergSchlomo, I think you'd still be the mess you are today.
@@guidor.4161 And why not! He was a loveable enough ole sea dog, what!!!
Mark keeping us sane during lockdown once again, quality entertainment
you have lockdown?
If you like stuff to listen to please check out Val Verde Broadcasting. They do extremely good and entertaining movie commentaries. I generally don’t like that stuff but I found them on the first lockdown along with Mark Felton and these two keep me sane.
Imagine living in modern UK where they lockdown every other month.
@@anthonyzieleniewski9505 Unfortunately this is the reality in Europe (Dutch here)
Jawohl.
As someone lucky enough to be born in 1990, it's with absolute awe that I watch the courage of those who went before us. Unthinkably humbling to consider what they went through. And thank God for Winston Churchill.
And that feeling will only intensify as you get older.
What a man. I'm proud to say that as a 9 year old I went to Tower Bridge to witness the barge bringing him down the river, the Scots Guards gave me and my young brother room so we could see. I cried my eyes out. What an inspiring individual. Oh, his bodyguard Walter Thompson, an ex London copper was a fantastic fellow, very loyal to Winnie.
Sometimes people think of Churchill as a little plump old man with a bald head and a lisp. They forget he was a skilled horseman who'd repeatedly gone into battle, been shot at, got his men to freedom in a train whilst under fire, had escaped from a POW camp and gone on the run, carried out night trench-raids during WW1 and was a crack shot. Churchill was a tough guy too.
@@raypurchase801 and ironically during WW1 he was in a battle that Cpl Hitler was also involved and may have been within killing distance of him.
@@dougie1943 Yep.
Churchill: "I can now officially check that off the bucket list."
Nostalgia will make a man do the most darndest of things.
As a former military canadian medic I love your views on history.
The world history is awesome
I really love that you told this story of the war, since I am actually from Wesel and not many people know about these events nowadays.
It seems the global standard for leadership has been in rapid decline.
Can't argue with that.
Definitely He would turn in his grave if he could see Blair or Johnson
@@duncanmacpherson2013 Especially as Churchill wanted to build "a united states of Europe"!
He would've *HATED* brexit & would've torn the brexiters to pieces in the commons!
@Les Hemmings I would think Churchill would want sovereignty for his country. I cant imagine such a patriot wanting other countries like Germany making decisions for his.
@@Aengus42 Churchill's vision of a "united States of Europe" did not include the UK as one of the states. Europe was to be subservient to the British Empire. And lo! With Brexit it came to pass!
One Churchill story I recently came across went back to the time prior to his becoming PM when he accompanied Chamberlain across the Channel to France. Can't remember if it was the outbound or inbound voyage. Chamberlain had made himself comfortable in the Captain's cabin but Churchill had gone AWOL. He was found below decks with the stokers apparently swapping risqué stories.
I absolutely love these videos. Can you imagine going on a 14 day tour around Germany with mark. Jesus now that’s a holiday.
I bet he was like:
"Just like ol' time, eh chaps?"
And this is the man who had his statue defaced, shameful.
It seems to be easier to deface a statue in a soft western democracy, rather than hang out near the front line under artillery fire.
By people who have no doubt, never put so much as a thought on the line for the Country. They were very brave! To paraphrase Bruce Lee; "Statue doesn't hit back".
@Ed Miller Then elected him back later on
@Ed Miller Actually, the British didn't dump him after the war. He had never been elected in the first place, other than in his own constituency. On becoming leader of the Conservative party when the former PM resigned he became leader of a multi-party coalition in 1940. They dumped the Conservative Party because they had nothing to offer other than policies aimed at recovering from 5 years of war. Labour won the election on promises of building a land of milk and honey.
@@dougie1943 Are you surprised? They won the war and had longer grocery cards, than the Germans. This sounds shitty... Look for "A private Function". That will show it to you, very vivid...
Imagine being a prisoner of war and seeing Eisenhower and Churchill drive past
Now that can emotinaly scar you for life
He is lucky that some demoralized soldier didn't think to try his last hurrah.
Better than watching Stalin drive past
@@millwallstarplayer better than watching hitler drive past as a jew french soldier
@I'm Back "Hey Guv, how about a smoke?"
SX13319 Stan Collins, a member of the Australian 2/23rd Infantry Battalion did exactly that when Churchill walked past while inspecting the battalion in August 1942. Churchill stopped, pulled a stogie out of his pocket and handed it over and said "there you go, you've earned it". I heard this story god knows how many times growing up and I always though this was one of my Grandfathers tall stories until I finally challenged him on it one day and he pulled out 2/23rd History and showed me the photo of Collins with the cigar. Going one better, he pointed out another photo. Sure enough, there's Collins standing in the ranks talking to Churchill (presumably in the process of acquiring a well earned smoke ) and there's my grandfather standing two men to the left of Collins and Churchill, watching with the biggest grin on his face.
According to my grandfather, Stan Collins produced the cigar to a cheering crowd at a 2/23rd Battalion reunion in the early 70's. Given the providence of the cigar, I can only guess how much that cigar would be worth if it ever showed up.
Thank you for another great video Mark. I wasn’t aware of this incident. Your work is much appreciated.
Can we talk about how both Churchill and king George wanted to be present at the d day landing. Thats leadership
Not only that , but the first wave on D-day , looking at it now it’s easy to say close miss , but back then they had no idea what would endure on those beaches. Great leaders most likely never to be repeated into future history.
@@Rhead_Beardmore absolutely right chap! Lizzy did step up to the plate during the war and to her role to be fair to her
That's good old fashioned British spunk for you.
Not like the watered down stuff today😉
@@itsperimo yes Liz has been a cracking monarch , not holding much hope for Charles though , I’m kind of hopping he passes it down the William he would make a far better leader in my opinion.
@@Rhead_Beardmore dont wish death just wish abdication!
I did read that it was the King who persuaded Churchill not to go to Normandy on D-Day. Wanting to go there himself he told Churchill that if Churchill could go on D-Day then so would he. Churchill relented so neither went.
King George, himself, was no stranger to military action as he was on HMS Collingwood at the Battle of Jutland. He served in one of the turrets and during the battle a shell just missed the turret he was in.
Says a lot of the character of the King George to use such wit, knowing that Winston wouldn’t dare go if the King indulged, thus preventing him as well. Check mate says the king. Haha
@@dontask6863
The King knew what it was like to be in combat. He served on one of the warships that took part in the Battle of Jutland. One large calibre AP shell just missed the turret he was serving in.
This should be compulsory viewing for those on the extreme left that have tried to insult Churchill in recent times, including defacing his statue. Most are probably too ignorant to realise what this man did to prevent a complete fascist takeover of Europe and beyond.
A well timed video Mark.
Well that's if you accept everything as true that the victors told you. We know who writes history.
Churchill was AntiFa before there was an AntiFa
@@primecreator Yes we all know who writes history.The historians.
Soviets would beat Germany no matter what so he technically saved everyone from a Soviet takeover
And the extreme right
I simply DEVOURED this content. Fabulous. ~ When asked whom I would wish to share a dinner and conversation with above all others, my answer will always be Sir. Winston.
This channel is blowing my mind! How do you get footage that even history channels on TV can't produce. Kudos to you Sir, you are a perfectionist and I admire that quality.
He's got a doctorate in history
I fear the dwindling number of freedom-loving people in America might soon need a leader like Churchill.
There is no chance for you. Only if you leave the Union. It's not a very new idea, but it might work today...
We had one, and we did to him worse than what UK did to Churchill.
@@r2gelfand Your education system really sucks. This is the only way to explain such statements. But I'm no longer surprised. If 2 out of 3 students can't even find their own country on a map of the world (it's only the 3rd largest country on the damn planet), then you should seriously think about who ignorance is of use when only technical idiots are trained. Greeds from Europe...
True, political leadership is currently non-existent
Churchill is a wartime leader. Would be a disaster in the current world.
"Churchill was enjoying every second."
Good Lord what a chad xD
Can just imagine him laughing and saying " missed me, I'm over here "
😂
I love the grin on Churchill's face at the end. He was really thriving on this!
And here I thought Churchill was such a bad ass he’d almost killed an entire year. I wanted to know his technique and if it could be retroactively applied to 2020.
I don't see how being responsible for constant military disasters due to sheer incompetence makes you a badass? Churchill got hundreds of thousands of Commonwealth troops killed in both world wars.
@@iseeyou1312 You obviously don't have enough of a sense of humor to realize my post is a joke that really has nothing to do with Churchill. (I posted it before Mark fixed his title which originally stated "Churchill Killed 1945"). And that by replying to it with your foolish opinion you trivialized it - and yourself - even more.
@@iseeyou1312 : I smell a lefty who has never been near a battlefield.
@@vinnyganzano1930 galipoly was a disaster tho.
@Black Knight how?
Churchill's legacy is treated so shamefully here in the UK atm, it's nice to see a vid about what the man was like.
You're quite right, I believe in equality, but show me some left wing dogooder that wants to drag Churchill's name through the mud and I would gladly put them on their a**e.
@@gtaylor331 I know he had some views not compatible with now, but it's part of the time he was in. He's still imho our best prime minister ever
@@David-The-YorkshireMan More courage and character in his cigar than a whole generation of cancel culture wokists.
@@JohnSmith-ze1ft Alot of people my age bring up him letting people starve. In a place that was blockaded by the japanese. They dont realise any supply ships would have been sunk.
I'm 29 years old. I'm frankly disgusted with the way he is viewed by some of my generation. They vilify and criticize the man who stood up and fought for the very values that today allow them to hurl their insults at him, and nobody seems to spot the irony or stupidity in that. Churchill will always be a hero to me.
The way the title is set up I thought Churchill nearly killed the year 1945
From the German perspective he kinda did as in Stunde Null.
he kind of did kill it from 1939-1945 ;)
He did kill the year 1945, haven’t you read a history book?
lol
He wasn't he eager to fight the red army after the nazis surrendered?
I'm a Yank who understands...or thinks he understands...just how eceptional Churchill was.He almost single handedly saved Western civilization in 1940/41/42.
Churchill is the sort of leader I'd be willing to put my life on the line for.
He was not asking his soldiers to do something he wouldn't do himself
@@pjbrawn2646 even bomb Dresden
@@Kuzitube yep
I don't think we know everything about the reason Dresden was fire bombed, no factories, but maybe someone or something important was there. Bomber Command said after the war that if they'd known how important Albert Speer was then they would have sent every bomber they had to kill him.
@@pjbrawn2646 Did he go to Gallipolli. No. Did he sail in the Atlantic convoys. No.
You know w/o a doubt that you've lost a war when the leader of an opposing country drives past you, a prisoner, into your country.
German propoganda writers: "They must be so desperate. They're even sending their Prime Minister to fight!"
He almost got his self killed also in Greece, during the Civil War, when communists canceled at the last minute the bombing of the hotel grand Bretagne...
Great job. How you piece together narration and footage is amazing. It must take alot of work. Thanks again.
I always was a World war 2 fanatic. My father was stationed in England, and met my mother outside London during the blitz. Thank you for these kind of videos.
Once a soldier on the front lines, always a soldier wanting to go back to the front lines.
Hermann Göring disagrees.
The free world and England exist today because of this man..
The Churchill moth would inevitably fly to close too the flame.
BIG UP MARK FELTON
"That which does not kill me has committed a tactical error."
Churchill was also nearly killed in the Autumn of 1942. Tony Bartley DFC was a close friend of my family and I had the privilege of chatting with him before he died.
Whilst based in Gibraltar (where he commanded 111 Squadron) he was assigned to escort Churchill's aircraft from North Africa (a B24, I think). The best pilots were selected and they flew Spitfire (V's, I think) with long-range tanks. Churchill took off with a 3 fighter escort and they were attacked over the Bay of Biscay by 7 German fighters. All seven enemy fighters were shot down, as were two of the Spitfires and Churchill flew on unmolested. Tony's aircraft was badly damaged but he managed at make to the Scilly Isles where he crashed on the runway, flipping the aircraft and damaging his back. Churchill later visited him in hospital to thank him, personally. This incident does not appear in his book, Smoke Trails in the Sky - but neither did several others - such as the first enemy encounter with 20mm cannon, over the Thames Estuary...
I recently found some old pictures in my grandma's old stuff. May she rest in piece. The pictures show a Nazi wedding, uniform and all, and pictures from holidays in Denmark, 1941.
Ironic, considering the fact that I now live in Denmark. I'm from Nuremberg. Are you interested in the photos?
I would love to see them. M.
reddit will no doubt have a place for you to share these.
@@maxsuicide4767 Thank you. M.
i would like to take a look at those if you´re willing to share them, thank you
Coming from Denmark myself, i would love seeing photos of it from 1941, holiday photos even
Wonder how the buried lighthouse looked back then, if they ever visited it
Thank you for all the work you put into these videos
Excellent work as ever Mark, Churchill inspiring from the front, you almost get the feeling he thought that if he had been killed on the front line this would propelled his memory to greater heights of legend. Im surprised he didnt grab a rifle and pile in with the boys!
Wanted to be there for first wave of troops on D-Day..... just imagine the optics of Churchill and the King on the beaches of Normandy!
Why are there no leaders like these people today?
"Leaders" today are cowards. I imagine there's an exception or two. But just take a look at congress diving for cover and cowering behind desks when UNARMED Antifa were let by dirty D.C. cops for example. Of course the media lied about who it was but even amateur research can face match the individuals present to them in pics at other antifa terrorist campaigns.
@@WILLNOTCOMPLY72 agreed, but you can also put another spin on this story that Churchill did it for publicity. Haha, Congress, Grima Wormtongues to a man!
Lord Alanbrooke says the same in his war memoirs: Churchill half wanted to die a glorious death on the front line.
The pen is mightier than the sword today. And we are at 'relative' peace. (Long may it stay that way,)
The closest to a Leader going to the front line from memory, and then I had trouble researching, was on 22 November 1990 when George W Bush visited troops on Thanksgiving Day in Saudi Arabia during the Persian Gulf War.
But not what you would consider his distance away from the front, a real front line.
all he needed was him and Mad Jack Churchill with his Broadsword, Bow and Bagpipes storming the beaches.
4:40 "Yo guys I have a great idea! You know how whenever we sent our troops out of those planes they were always bound to be scattered? Well I have a solution for that. Lets put in another DOOR!!!"
Everyone at the tables stand in applauses
Can’t. Those planes weren’t designed to withstand the turbulence another door would have caused.
@@menlomenlo851 But they did. Did you not catch that in the video? The op even has it timed stamped for you! 4:40
It is incredible how you able to get such appropriate footage, watching Mark felton, it's like even in the 40s everyone had their phones out taking videos!
A significant minority of soldiers did bring their own cameras along. Around 10% of Germans, I believe.
@@silenthunteruk holy crap? really?? thats a huge amount for then right?
@@EdemJansen More photo cameras than film, but both were there.
Many armies even back then had soldiers specifically assigned to filming combat footage and other stuff that happened on battlefields.
a sad part is tonnnnns of film was lost by the germans that was stored in a church that was bombed. oh to know what was in there =(
I'm only recently learning about Churchill at 25 years old. He was one of those great leaders/generals we see throughout history time and time again.
None of this surprised me about Churchill at all
Posted 23 minutes ago. 7400 views. 200 comments. Must be a Mark Felton video. Bravo, sir.
Mark is definitely the greatest historian in world history!!!! Clap him up y’all!!!! And hit that like button!!!!
You can imagine Churchill’s entourage rolling there eyes and saying oh not again as they scurry off trying to follow him everywhere.
Boris wouldn't have managed to put his own socks on let alone do all this. Respect
He let's the mob try and smash Churchill's statue...
The minute that started and Kahn let it happen he should have gone hard on them or Kahn...
Anyone who damages a historic statue should be dealt with severely let alone messing with Churchill's statue..
Kahn had a a guy arrested for pulling the abusve signs off the Churchill statue placed by the mob...
That guy should have been rewarded, not arrested..
(I have not mentioned the mobs name as Tube deletes comments that are negative about them..)
@@zakofrx Welp the biden commanded communist democrats have already (again) removed Churchill’s bust from the White House and replaced it with one of Cesar Chavez.
Seems like he was a bit of an adrenaline junkie. Didn't he, as Home Secretary, turn up at the Sidney St. siege in the middle of a gun battle in top hat and coat?
That and he wanted to direct the police to end the siege. Not unlike him wanting to lead the defense of Antwerp as First Lord in WW1.
He said he was more worried about being shot by the policeman standing behind him , armed with a shotgun . This photograph , is usually present whenever there is a documentary about this event .It maybe on moving film , also .
R
those were the days when ministers actually did something not just sit in an office and talk bs
I think the name Churchill must mean adrenaline junkie in some language because besides Winston Churchill there is Mad Jack Churchill who is not a blood relation of Winston Churchill but an equal adrenaline junkie
Who isn't?
I knew Churchill was pretty cool, but I never knew he was such a badass!
Not sure if his staff would call him a "badass".
He killed a man with a bow and arrow in battle. Theres a picture of him with bow and arrow in hand on the front lines.
He took part in one of the last cavalry charges by the British Army...in the Sudan, armed with a Mauser pistol and a sword.
Badass...
@@GuyFromTheSouth that was a different Churchill though
@@lucas82 Yes, but he didn't simply retire to a civilian life. He stuck around in politics and eventually back to the fray
The funniest thing is the thought that Winston visiting the front was less a formal visit, but more so a school field trip where they had to keep constant watch on him.