Oh my gosh I couldn't agree with you more. I always like telling people that instead of watching Disney movies as a kid, I watched documentaries on the History Channel. And now, watching some of those shows from the early 2000's, I realize they are very jingoistic and not often always right, but there was still great stuff. I loved the program Dogfights, and then much of the stuff run on the American Revolution, my home turf. Man. The good old days. I'm REALLY glad that I can sit down and watch some ancient aliens... Indy, thank you. Thank you so much.
My great-grandfather was a German national serving on an american merchant ship when WW1 broke out. The ship was boarded by the British and he was taken captive, being the only German on board. Interestingly, the ship later sank off of Newfoundland with all hands lost. His misfortune turned out to be his salvation.
my father almost went to Vietnam but he was in a car crash around the time he was supposed to be drafted and he lost a kidney good thing so we wouldn't go to war
my great grandfather was in the Canadian army and was supposed to go to the front after landing in England but an officer had learned that my great granfather was a blacksmith and was forbidden from being sent to France sighting that he was to valuable with his trade and transfered to a calvary detachment.
my great grandfather was shot in the head during the Somme. He was treated by a German surgeon who had trained in Britain. The doctor wrote to my Great Grandmother to tell her that he was alive and recovering. He was then assigned to work on a farm in Silesia and once the war was over, he slowly made his way home - it too him months. There is a photo of me on his lap.. He had a divot in his skull from the bullet wound.
DylanDude I suppose it has been said that "wars are won by those that blunder least" but I didn't expect the blundering to so heavily outnumber the non-blunders.
My great grandfather was a french prisoner and he was send to a small village in the middle of germany to help as an agricultural worker. There he met my great grandmother. Even though he was brought back home after WW1, he came back travelling 1000km to marry her.
Indeed. Just think about the history stuff they have to learn, and it's getting more every year. For excample the last 30 years you have to put it also in
This channel has brought me to realize just how big this war was. I read All Quiet in 10th grade and have been interested for a very long time thank you for all this cool information.
The Great War what about vegan troops did that get vegan rehashing or get normal rehashing and not eat the things that came from the animal 's and I know that thay would not have insisted vegan troops but during the stalemate thay might have accept some vegan troops
+magnet Fisher Irish boy Being a vegan was not nearly as popular back then. On top of that, even if you were vegan, I think eating meat was just about the least of your worries if you were stuck in a trench. In fact, meat was rarely served at the front, as it was a luxury product. Beans and toast were the most common supplies.
My great-grandfather was a “doughboy”, serving in France during The Great War. He was wounded ( I still have his Purple Heart and the piece of shrapnel that was taken out of his leg), but he did make it home alive. I never knew him, so I never had the chance to hear about his experiences. As a history buff, I’ve studied WW1 over the years, but have learned far more about it from watching your videos than I have from any other resource. Your channel is a tremendous historical resource for WW1 facts. You present them very well, and in a way that keeps the viewer interested. I wish my history teachers back in school had been as engaging as you are; it’s obvious that you are passionate about this period in history, and that you enjoy teaching it. Well done, Sir. 😊🙏
I met a chap in 1977 who had been captured in 1915. He was just 15. He said the Officer who interrogated him spoke better English than he did. The old chap came from Birmingham. When the war ended, the guards abandoned the camp and he walked to Holland. His mate ate a raw rotten potato as it was all they could find. He died.
+The Great War Some time ago I read that some philosophers tried to justify the war not only by political reasons but also by claiming the war and the self sacrifice of the volunteering men would purify the society and would create a new form of human being without any form of social classes. Was this a common opinion/hope of philosophers in the different countrys or just the one of a small group crazy Germans? What did philosophers in general think about WW1. I'm sorry if you already made a video about this topic.
+Arne Krug Would remind you that what philosophers write is only their opinion. Philosophers make things-up as they go along. In WW II, what was the philosophy of the Nazi philosophers. The problems of philosophy are the problems but philosophers don't use science. The use the fantasy of their imaginations. It is easy for a philosopher or anyone to wax eloquent about war when he hasn't served in battle.
+The Great War I don't know if you've been asked yet but have you guys seen the new Battlefield 1 trailer or have you heard of the game Verdun 1914-1918 since both take place in World War 1 and the devs that make Verdun have paid close attention to detail with the locations like Dourmount and Flanders and to the uniforms.
Hey I just want to throw in a story, that is maybe a bit different and probably pretty lucky too. My Grandmothers father was a German soldier in French imprisonment, I am not quit sure when, but it was early in the war, where he was put into work at a farm. The farmer did at first not like him, but as time passed by they became excellent friends, and he had almost free hands at the farm where he lived. He ended up loving France, but as a site note the war hat had some serious inflictions on his mental- & physical-health, because he had lost a good friend on the western front, which disabled him from fighting in the second world war and led to that he died at an age og 45 or 55 (I don't quite remember) Great show btw, I just wanted to give a bit of an unusual story.
If anyone is interested, the great French film, "La Grande Illusion" from 1937 is great portrait of French officers who are prisoners of war during World War I.
yup, its ganja at 6:18 but you got to remember uniforms, ropes, numerous stuff was made from hemp at the time...then again, you could also smoke it...during WW2 my grandfather (Portugal) was ordered to burn his vineyard and grow hemp to sell to the british and true story, the water system was powered by an old WWI german submarine engine bought at auction in the 20's :D great channel, keep it up!
I remember seeing some photos of Tsar Nicolas daughter's working at the red cross camps. Perhaps you could do an episode about the red cross. Also wasn't Hemmingway an ambulance driver? These is a great channel!
My Great Grandad on my mum's side had been fighting (I'm pretty sure it was half of the war) in WW1 and was gassed and captured. He was sent to a German prison camp, but though it was boring (but much better than the front), his German camp commandment gave him his request of paper and art material. It's beautiful to know that even in the terrible prison camps of WW1, art never was defeated! Sadly a few years after my grandad was born he died of Spanish flu. He never talked of his times at war though, and he never recovered from shell shock. (Well nobody really does do they?)
Can I ask a question? Here is my question and its very important to me. 1. Was there any accounts of enemies meeting on the battle field and refused to kill each other? Examples maybe, they knew each other before the war or they just had enough killing? 2. Was there any stories of enemies helping the enemy wounded on the battle field? I like these kinds of stories.
A British captain, Philip Howe, was surrounded with his unit by Germans in the 1918 Spring Offensive. The Germans called on them to surrender but Howe refused. The Germans let them go - there seems to have been war weariness and a reluctance to kill.
For those wondering, Neil said "nettoyeurs de tranchée" speaking of the french soliders finishing the wounded instead of making prisonners, which translates as "trench cleaners". You are welcome.
Thanks for that, milord. I've just spent 10 minutes googling what I thought it sounded like. I figured out the second word but no way could I understand the first!
YES!!! I was wondering when this would come around! POWs have always been one of the most interesting aspects of wars and armed conflicts for me. Very much looking forward to that future special!
My Grandfather was in the Italian army during WW1. He did a mission for the US. Was captured and put in a German prison camp. He was given honorary US citizenship for his bravery during the war. He had to have a sponsor and a job waiting for him before he came to America. It did not pay for my grandma passage. My grandpa worked 5 years to bring her over. These men were so young. He told my mom that the villagers that lived near the camps feed them through the camps fence.
In WW1, no, and it was not always a smooth process in the US Civil War. Central Powers POWs in Russian hands, most of them Austro-Hungarians, were released after the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk. Russian POWs were also released. But many were promptly put back into the war, for example released Austro-Hungarians were often sent to fight the Italians. A great many released troops deserted rather than go back to the war.
my grandfather fought in the trench at WW1, he has been captured by the german, bring to a camp and had to work for a german family in agriculture, he always told to my mother that the german where as sick of the war as anyone, and they treat him really good, he escaped from an other prisoner camp months after to return to France. Years after, when France told him to fight against the Nazi, he killed himself . Thank you hindi for making all those video that show so much more than books, movies or school
Excellent episode. To those interested check out the 1937 French film LA GRANDE ILLUSION, directed by Jean Renoir and starring Jean Gabin, Erich von Stroheim, Pierre Fresnay, and Marcel Dalio. GRAND ILLUSION largely takes place in a German prisoner-of-war camp. This is a great movie, one of the very best.
Thanks! I've been wondering about this subject. Prisoner treatment was of a higher standard than I expected. I look forward to further information on this subject.
I have a quetion: Did ever in WWI a large number of PoWs escape from enemy prison camps and fought on the war? If not, why? They could have easily defeated them when they were standing in behind only barbed wire, by the thousands, against not mre than a few dozen enemy guards, presumably. So: Did they do it and if not, why?
+Cheydinal Several problems 1) Regular inspections.The number of prisoners would probably be counted around twice a day, so any escapees would be quickly identified and hunted for. 2) Barbed wire. This wouldn't have been laid down wire, this would have been typical wall height wire. A typical PoW camp might have around a few hundred staff, with a roughly equivalent number of rifles and the like. Getting out of a PoW camp wouldn't have been easy, not in the slightest. 3) Getting to friendly lines. No mean feat. As mentioned in point 1, any escape would have quickly been reported, and parties would have been assembled to hunt them down, and extra guards may well have been placed on any weapon stockpiles. Then comes the actual getting to friendly lines. If we assume the PoW's have gained weaponry, they still have to cross over to their own side. On the eastern and African fronts, that might not have been too difficult, but in the west? With 2 opposing lines of trenches, if artillery doesn't kill you, there's the possibility enemy machine guns do, and if they don't, there's always friendly fire, mistaking you for an enemy front. I could list many other issues with simply escaping but, eh, I am tired.
I hope this is an interesting anecdote about the war: My mum told me that her Grandfather was a sniper in the Scottish Blackwatch Regiment but was captured by the Germans in the Great War. He escaped three times and on his last attempt he was within a couple hundred metres of the French border but collapsed in a ditch due to exhaustion. He awoke in the morning with a bayonet to his face by a German soldier from the camp who demanded "die english pig!" but only spared him when my Great Grandfather demanded that if he should die, he die a scot and not an englishman, the Germans laughed and decided to take him back alive. He was returned to the camp and was fed, healed and told that if he tried to escape again he would be shot.
+LedAvalon it shows that there was still a level of victorian chivalry to the war at times, a man, you ancestor, ready to die but being damn sure they germans got it right, is just that sort of issue.
As much as being a prisoner of war in WW1 sucked, when you compare it to the trenches or the prison camps of WW2, I would choose the option any time of the week (especially if I could get a hold of that sweet ganja at 6:18). It is at least a bit reassuring to see than in a war of industrial-scale death, some common decency still survived.
My great grandad was wounded and taken prisoner, he was in the Royal Warwickshire regiment and survived the battle of the Somme for 2 months before being taken prisoner. I'm not sure about the circumstances of him being captured, but him and his mates were lined up holding up their hands when he moved the thumb on one of his hands and a German soldier shot him straight through it. He was put to work in a salt mine which was a blessing because it helped keep away infection. He was only 23 when he was captured. After the war he came home and got TB, he survived that and was an air raid warden in the second world war and survived the Birmingham Blitz. Apparently he was one of the nicest people you could meet, even after everything that happened to him and everything he must have seen.
Are there any cases of POWs who were turned by their captors, and when released, went back to their native country and spied for the country that captured them?
The sequence about the Half-Moon Camp, Germany's first mosque, and the different time-passing activities set up in the camps is fascinating. I look forward to the future specials related to the topic of POWs.
You mentioned in a previous episode that soldiers would send a percentage of their wages back home, what happens if they become a POW? do they still get paid or does this get backdated when released? if so what happens to the families back home relying on this income?
flankspankrank I don't know about the other nations fighting in WW1, but it is US policy to continue paying them while they are captive. Though the money is held until release. I assume if a percentage of pay is being diverted prior to capture, the dependants would continue to receive it. If they are held long enough, most will also be eligible to advance in rank. Though again, it wouldn't be official until after release. There have even been some who received commendations for their actions while prisoners.
Good episode. Kudos. 2 points: 1. Trumbull's painting of the Surrender at Yorktown that you used to illustrate combatants allowed to surrender with dignity is wildly inaccurate. The painting illustrated an honorable surrender, but the actual events did not. 1.1. Cornwallis feigned illness and did not attend the surrender ceremony. The British forces -- a mix of British and German units -- surrendered through Cornwallis's second-in-command, Brigadier General Charles O'Hara. 1.2. O'Hara first presented Cornwallis's sword to the French General, le Comte de Rochambeau. Rochambeau refused the sword and pointed O'Hara to Washington. (I hold Rochambeau in the highest esteem for this act. Rochambeau had been a soldier all his life and had fought long and successfully for his king. He was a model soldier. BTW his forces at Yorktown were all German.) 1.3. O'Hara next offered Cornwallis's sword to General Washington. Washington also refused to accept it from O'Hara, because it came from the hand of a deputy rather than from Cornwallis himself. Washington pointed O'Hara to General Benjamin Lincoln, who took the sword. 1.4. Cornwallis asked that his troops be permitted the honors of war: to march out with colors flying, bayonets fixed, and their bands playing a French or American song in tribute to the victors. Washington refused. Instead, the British marched out with colors cased, arms reversed (muzzles down), and their bands playing a British song. Why did Washington refuse? Because the British had refused the honors of war to the Charleston garrison the year before. BTW the Charleston garrison was commanded by Benjamin Lincoln (see 1.3 above). 1.5. I recommend Thomas Fleming, Beat the Last Drum: The Siege of Yorktown www.amazon.com/Beat-Last-Drum-Siege-Yorktown-ebook/dp/B00U2MF8WG Outstanding history. 2. Not WW1 but WW2. I read the story of Wolfgang Fischer (www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004MYFK00/), a Luftwaffe fighter pilot who was captured and interred in America. While the war raged on, the US Army accorded the prisoners all the rights and privileges under the Geneva Convention. But once Germany surrendered, their status changed. They were no longer POWs and the Geneva Convention did not apply. Their rations dropped from ~1,800 kilocalories a day to 800. Only after they threatened to riot did the Army again feed them. What happens to POWs of the loser after the war is over? That's a story.
+The Great War Trumbull did the painting 40 years after the fact. Think of today someone painting the Legion's rescue of civilians at Kolwezi (1978) without reference to any visual record.
The Great War I know, but i still enjoy hearing you try. I took a german class and it's not an easy language either.I was surprised by how close it sounds to english in some cases, but it's bogged down by gendered words like french.
My great grandfather was a prisoner of war early in the Great War fighting against Germany in Belgium. He never talked about it, refused to even stay in the room if anybody even mentioned the war. Watching this video, I think I know why now.
Jason Hacker Being a POW in germany wouldve been the same as in other places, until later in the war, when the germans ran out of food Hogan looked okay in 44, but was a hungry basterd by 45
great videos keep up the good work when i started to watch history films and documetarys it was mainly for school but now because of you and these following movies -generation war-enemy at the gates-stalingrad- i finally got good grades and i was hooked with history thx (srry for my shit english english is my 3rd language)
Weebs get rapey, when not in contact with there waifu pillows for more than 3 days...so they tended to either rape, or kill innocent people from frustration
I would really love to see a video on the "Vices" of WW1. I know British soldiers often received a rum ration. Was opium/morphine addiction ever an issue with front line troops or the wounded? How were tobacco, coffee, chocolate and tea used during the war? I've heard that French and German troops could drink on the front lines, is that true? - An Ethnobotanist
+Govert Goudglans Industrial hemp was widely used in Europe back then. Uniforms where made out of them ..soaps and all kind of stuff Juice,butter,oil i lived near a town named Hanfthal in Austria. And till today they produce all kind of products made out of Hemp www.hanfland.at/
100th anniversary of construction of the Russian Chapel at Vršič pass is coming up later this year. It was built by Russian POWs to commemorate their own that died in construction and maintinence of the road crossing the Vršič pass - road crucial in supplying the Isonzo front.
My father was a lieutenant in the Canadian air force in WW2, but he was seconded to US Army Intelligence to help study German jets. After V-E Day, he ended up administering a tiny chunk of Germany. Some Germans citizens came to complain that Poles had stolen food from them. My father pretended to be surprised. "Poles? What are Poles doing in western Germany?" "They are from the camps." "Oh, you mean the *slaves*??" About then the Germans realised they weren't going to get much sympathy from my father.
7:57 A true photographic masterpiece. Soldiers carrying a wounded or dead man in the foreground indicating the present, the ghostly outline of the tank representing the growing scale of ongoing destruction, and the washed out background symbolizing an uncertain future. Brilliant, and probably improvised.
7:49 - German POW standing at the centre rear of the image is a musician - he has the "swallow's nest" insignia on his shoulders worn by trumpeters, bandsmen etc.
I suppose that the Red Cross helped people to still believe in humanity of Humans ! Actually it played a major role to help the hungry Mount-Lebanese people left to themselves & fleeing from the Mountain to the surrounding provinces & especially Beirut. The American Red Cross helped a lot because USA was a neutral country until 1917.
"While escape attempts were rare, they were often interesting. The first two escapees recorded jumped from a train bound for Camp Forrest in November 1942. They were apprehended a few days later. An Afrika Korps veteran walked out of Camp Forrest to nearby Tullahoma, caught the 9:25 train to Nashville, and actually went pub-crawling with an unsuspecting GI on leave before being apprehended the next day during a routine check."- Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture referring to an escaped German POW from the Crossville TN internment camp.
+The Great War what did you guys think about the game valiant hearts that was about the hard ships of ww1 more of a story game but it was interesting and had a lot of information.
Mr Neidell you look alike Michael Caine when he was young !!! You could easilly be considered as his son for sure !!! Thanks for the great and inspiring work for the great war .I have a lot of matterial collected through the years and i ll try to participate the best way i can .Thanks again
"Most of them wouldn't come in contact with women for years."
Reminds me of high school
Juan Suarez reminds me of my life lol
LOOOOL
High school = PoW camp
More like POE.
Prisoner Of Education
nice
This Channel is Everything the History Channel should be.
+silence, fools Aliens?
+Yochai Wyss Don't mess with the pawn stars
Oh my gosh I couldn't agree with you more. I always like telling people that instead of watching Disney movies as a kid, I watched documentaries on the History Channel. And now, watching some of those shows from the early 2000's, I realize they are very jingoistic and not often always right, but there was still great stuff. I loved the program Dogfights, and then much of the stuff run on the American Revolution, my home turf. Man. The good old days.
I'm REALLY glad that I can sit down and watch some ancient aliens...
Indy, thank you. Thank you so much.
The History Channel used to be this way... until reality T.V. took hold in the early 2000's... Discovery Channel used to be good too...
*_S W A M P P E O P L E_*
My great-grandfather was a German national serving on an american merchant ship when WW1 broke out. The ship was boarded by the British and he was taken captive, being the only German on board. Interestingly, the ship later sank off of Newfoundland with all hands lost. His misfortune turned out to be his salvation.
And yours too. Without him you wouldn't have been born
+Tango Bingo lmfao
my father almost went to Vietnam but he was in a car crash around the time he was supposed to be drafted and he lost a kidney good thing so we wouldn't go to war
my great grandfather was in the Canadian army and was supposed to go to the front after landing in England but an officer had learned that my great granfather was a blacksmith and was forbidden from being sent to France sighting that he was to valuable with his trade and transfered to a calvary detachment.
Caleb Shonk proof?
my great grandfather was shot in the head during the Somme. He was treated by a German surgeon who had trained in Britain. The doctor wrote to my Great Grandmother to tell her that he was alive and recovering. He was then assigned to work on a farm in Silesia and once the war was over, he slowly made his way home - it too him months. There is a photo of me on his lap.. He had a divot in his skull from the bullet wound.
coventryboy68 how old are you and how old was he when he died?
That is a great story-- in opposition to all of the horror we have seen for four years-- thanks for sharing.
6:19 that is a nice "vegetable" garden bro
hah, flowers... :p
nice flowers LOL
LOL, and look close in his left hand. sampling the product! looks like he rolled a joint. and did anyone notice the guy in the 'weeds'?
Cliff Reeser
dude is smoking a joint
The words "woefully unprepared" seem to describe every aspect of every nation entering this conflict.
+Gallen Dugall Welcome to the World Wars.
DylanDude I suppose it has been said that "wars are won by those that blunder least" but I didn't expect the blundering to so heavily outnumber the non-blunders.
Gallen Dugall Don't worry. Now you'll be expecting it when you read about World War 2. And I don't just mean the Germans.
+Gallen Dugall It also describes our state of mind when the Battlefield 1 trailer came out.
The Great War I bet.
My great grandfather was a french prisoner and he was send to a small village in the middle of germany to help as an agricultural worker. There he met my great grandmother. Even though he was brought back home after WW1, he came back travelling 1000km to marry her.
Whee so you live my friend? Germany or in France (or in an other country)
Is it bad that I learn more from this guy then I do my history teacher.
No, sadly that is normal.
Jacob Karam your teacher does it as a job. This guy does it as a passion so naturally more heart will be put in his effort to tell history.
Jacob Karam no not at all
Indeed. Just think about the history stuff they have to learn, and it's getting more every year. For excample the last 30 years you have to put it also in
It's normal. Like it was said before, "Great War" does it as a passion and also I don't think that your teacher was only focused on WW1
This channel has brought me to realize just how big this war was. I read All Quiet in 10th grade and have been interested for a very long time thank you for all this cool information.
Glad you like it.
The Great War what about vegan troops did that get vegan rehashing or get normal rehashing and not eat the things that came from the animal 's and I know that thay would not have insisted vegan troops but during the stalemate thay might have accept some vegan troops
+magnet Fisher Irish boy Being a vegan was not nearly as popular back then. On top of that, even if you were vegan, I think eating meat was just about the least of your worries if you were stuck in a trench. In fact, meat was rarely served at the front, as it was a luxury product. Beans and toast were the most common supplies.
My great-grandfather was a “doughboy”, serving in France during The Great War. He was wounded ( I still have his Purple Heart and the piece of shrapnel that was taken out of his leg), but he did make it home alive. I never knew him, so I never had the chance to hear about his experiences. As a history buff, I’ve studied WW1 over the years, but have learned far more about it from watching your videos than I have from any other resource. Your channel is a tremendous historical resource for WW1 facts. You present them very well, and in a way that keeps the viewer interested. I wish my history teachers back in school had been as engaging as you are; it’s obvious that you are passionate about this period in history, and that you enjoy teaching it.
Well done, Sir. 😊🙏
just came across this channel. great content
Welcome to our show!
I met a chap in 1977 who had been captured in 1915. He was just 15. He said the Officer who interrogated him spoke better English than he did. The old chap came from Birmingham. When the war ended, the guards abandoned the camp and he walked to Holland. His mate ate a raw rotten potato as it was all they could find. He died.
Interesting topic, excellent episode!
+V. Athanasiou Thanks
+The Great War Some time ago I read that some philosophers tried to justify the war not only by political reasons but also by claiming the war and the self sacrifice of the volunteering men would purify the society and would create a new form of human being without any form of social classes. Was this a common opinion/hope of philosophers in the different countrys or just the one of a small group crazy Germans? What did philosophers in general think about WW1.
I'm sorry if you already made a video about this topic.
+Arne Krug Fascism and Nazism are against Class struggle. For the rest: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_Darwinism
+Arne Krug Would remind you that what philosophers write is only their opinion. Philosophers make things-up as they go along. In WW II, what was the philosophy of the Nazi philosophers. The problems of philosophy are the problems but philosophers don't use science. The use the fantasy of their imaginations. It is easy for a philosopher or anyone to wax eloquent about war when he hasn't served in battle.
+The Great War I don't know if you've been asked yet but have you guys seen the new Battlefield 1 trailer or have you heard of the game Verdun 1914-1918 since both take place in World War 1 and the devs that make Verdun have paid close attention to detail with the locations like Dourmount and Flanders and to the uniforms.
this is an excellent channel
+Jack Hiers Thanks.
Hey I just want to throw in a story, that is maybe a bit different and probably pretty lucky too. My Grandmothers father was a German soldier in French imprisonment, I am not quit sure when, but it was early in the war, where he was put into work at a farm. The farmer did at first not like him, but as time passed by they became excellent friends, and he had almost free hands at the farm where he lived. He ended up loving France, but as a site note the war hat had some serious inflictions on his mental- & physical-health, because he had lost a good friend on the western front, which disabled him from fighting in the second world war and led to that he died at an age og 45 or 55 (I don't quite remember)
Great show btw, I just wanted to give a bit of an unusual story.
Valentin Pedersen Thanks for sharing your story.
If anyone is interested, the great French film, "La Grande Illusion" from 1937 is great portrait of French officers who are prisoners of war during World War I.
That was some epic Jamaican trench super skunk @6:20. I think I could see some shell shock autoflower, and gangreen strains in there as well.
+The Black Smegma they should have put the picture at 4:20
+The Black Smegma hemp
+The Great War You don't know your Mustard Gas Sativa from your Archdank! I know a tree when I see one.
The Black Smegma well they know more than you and I so shut up and listen to the boy
yup, its ganja at 6:18 but you got to remember uniforms, ropes, numerous stuff was made from hemp at the time...then again, you could also smoke it...during WW2 my grandfather (Portugal) was ordered to burn his vineyard and grow hemp to sell to the british and true story, the water system was powered by an old WWI german submarine engine bought at auction in the 20's :D
great channel, keep it up!
you guys have one of the best channels in youtube... congrats.
Yesterday I finally finished binge-watching all the episodes but now a voice in my head always repeats 'hello, my name is Indy Neidell' :p
+Arch Stanton I got one in my head saying "This is modern war."
I remember seeing some photos of Tsar Nicolas daughter's working at the red cross camps. Perhaps you could do an episode about the red cross. Also wasn't Hemmingway an ambulance driver? These is a great channel!
My Great Grandad on my mum's side had been fighting (I'm pretty sure it was half of the war) in WW1 and was gassed and captured. He was sent to a German prison camp, but though it was boring (but much better than the front), his German camp commandment gave him his request of paper and art material. It's beautiful to know that even in the terrible prison camps of WW1, art never was defeated! Sadly a few years after my grandad was born he died of Spanish flu. He never talked of his times at war though, and he never recovered from shell shock. (Well nobody really does do they?)
Thank you for this great video! I never knew about POWs in WW1! Real eye-opener!
This is exactly what i wanted to know. Last week i spent some time searching for answers, but this video is more than welcome even now.
Can I ask a question? Here is my question and its very important to me.
1. Was there any accounts of enemies meeting on the battle field and refused to kill each other? Examples maybe, they knew each other before the war or they just had enough killing?
2. Was there any stories of enemies helping the enemy wounded on the battle field?
I like these kinds of stories.
1) Well, you do have the Christmas Truce of 1914...
www.warhistoryonline.com/world-war-i/encounters-enemies-7-peaceful-meetings-opposing-sides-world-war.html/2
LibertarianUSA1982 look up the "Christmas truce"
The Finder The soldier who spared him felt guilty for years after.
A British captain, Philip Howe, was surrounded with his unit by Germans in the 1918 Spring Offensive. The Germans called on them to surrender but Howe refused. The Germans let them go - there seems to have been war weariness and a reluctance to kill.
This POW subject has been on my mind since the series started. Thank you for another great special.
For those wondering, Neil said "nettoyeurs de tranchée" speaking of the french soliders finishing the wounded instead of making prisonners, which translates as "trench cleaners". You are welcome.
Thanks for that, milord. I've just spent 10 minutes googling what I thought it sounded like. I figured out the second word but no way could I understand the first!
YES!!! I was wondering when this would come around! POWs have always been one of the most interesting aspects of wars and armed conflicts for me. Very much looking forward to that future special!
+Patrick3751 Took us a while, but it's surprisingly hard to find centralised information on the topic.
+The Great War Probably because the governments and militaries didn't care much for information on "traitors and cowards" once the war was over.
My Grandfather was in the Italian army during WW1. He did a mission for the US. Was captured and put in a German prison camp. He was given honorary US citizenship for his bravery during the war. He had to have a sponsor and a job waiting for him before he came to America. It did not pay for my grandma passage. My grandpa worked 5 years to bring her over.
These men were so young. He told my mom that the villagers that lived near the camps feed them through the camps fence.
thank you so much for covering this often overlooked and even forgotten topic!
This is such a great channel :)
I'm so screwed for my engineering midterm tomorrow. I found this channel a couple hours ago and I've been watching nonstop.
6:19 nice the were smoking ganja in ww1
WeedWar1
I had to stop the video and go back to be sure..... i'd call it PoWeed lol
+The Great War LMAO In Flanders Fields the pot grows
sativa rope hamp
that is a god news,who wants rope wen u can haws dope. 4 x 105 =
This is my favorite special episode so far..
I've read that during the first years of the US civil war the two sides would exchange prisoners. Did large scale prisoner exchange happen during WW1?
In WW1, no, and it was not always a smooth process in the US Civil War.
Central Powers POWs in Russian hands, most of them Austro-Hungarians, were released after the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk. Russian POWs were also released. But many were promptly put back into the war, for example released Austro-Hungarians were often sent to fight the Italians. A great many released troops deserted rather than go back to the war.
This is such an amazing RUclips channel. It is the highest and best use of the internet and thoroughly enjoy the content.
10 minutes exactly, ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh thank you Indie and the team for appealing my OCD
+Patrick Bunney Our pleasure.
my grandfather fought in the trench at WW1, he has been captured by the german, bring to a camp and had to work for a german family in agriculture, he always told to my mother that the german where as sick of the war as anyone, and they treat him really good, he escaped from an other prisoner camp months after to return to France. Years after, when France told him to fight against the Nazi, he killed himself .
Thank you hindi for making all those video that show so much more than books, movies or school
Excellent episode. To those interested check out the 1937 French film LA GRANDE ILLUSION, directed by Jean Renoir and starring Jean Gabin, Erich von Stroheim, Pierre Fresnay, and Marcel Dalio. GRAND ILLUSION largely takes place in a German prisoner-of-war camp. This is a great movie, one of the very best.
+Murray Aronson A true classic.
Thanks! I've been wondering about this subject. Prisoner treatment was of a higher standard than I expected. I look forward to further information on this subject.
I have a quetion: Did ever in WWI a large number of PoWs escape from enemy prison camps and fought on the war? If not, why? They could have easily defeated them when they were standing in behind only barbed wire, by the thousands, against not mre than a few dozen enemy guards, presumably. So: Did they do it and if not, why?
***** Steal the enemy's weapons and equipment as you advance to the front
+Cheydinal
Several problems
1) Regular inspections.The number of prisoners would probably be counted around twice a day, so any escapees would be quickly identified and hunted for.
2) Barbed wire. This wouldn't have been laid down wire, this would have been typical wall height wire. A typical PoW camp might have around a few hundred staff, with a roughly equivalent number of rifles and the like. Getting out of a PoW camp wouldn't have been easy, not in the slightest.
3) Getting to friendly lines. No mean feat. As mentioned in point 1, any escape would have quickly been reported, and parties would have been assembled to hunt them down, and extra guards may well have been placed on any weapon stockpiles. Then comes the actual getting to friendly lines. If we assume the PoW's have gained weaponry, they still have to cross over to their own side. On the eastern and African fronts, that might not have been too difficult, but in the west? With 2 opposing lines of trenches, if artillery doesn't kill you, there's the possibility enemy machine guns do, and if they don't, there's always friendly fire, mistaking you for an enemy front.
I could list many other issues with simply escaping but, eh, I am tired.
I have been waiting a long time for this episode.
I hope this is an interesting anecdote about the war: My mum told me that her Grandfather was a sniper in the Scottish Blackwatch Regiment but was captured by the Germans in the Great War. He escaped three times and on his last attempt he was within a couple hundred metres of the French border but collapsed in a ditch due to exhaustion. He awoke in the morning with a bayonet to his face by a German soldier from the camp who demanded "die english pig!" but only spared him when my Great Grandfather demanded that if he should die, he die a scot and not an englishman, the Germans laughed and decided to take him back alive. He was returned to the camp and was fed, healed and told that if he tried to escape again he would be shot.
+LedAvalon Great story, thanks for sharing.
The Great War no worries and thanks for the response!
+LedAvalon it shows that there was still a level of victorian chivalry to the war at times, a man, you ancestor, ready to die but being damn sure they germans got it right, is just that sort of issue.
Wonderful teaching,thanks!
6:19, somefine looking ww1 Sativa trees
Great video as always!
6:20 I see being a POW has some perks at least
Great job. Very well done. Just found this on RUclips, wish I found long ago. Always hate when episode comes to a end.
As much as being a prisoner of war in WW1 sucked, when you compare it to the trenches or the prison camps of WW2, I would choose the option any time of the week (especially if I could get a hold of that sweet ganja at 6:18). It is at least a bit reassuring to see than in a war of industrial-scale death, some common decency still survived.
My great grandad was wounded and taken prisoner, he was in the Royal Warwickshire regiment and survived the battle of the Somme for 2 months before being taken prisoner. I'm not sure about the circumstances of him being captured, but him and his mates were lined up holding up their hands when he moved the thumb on one of his hands and a German soldier shot him straight through it. He was put to work in a salt mine which was a blessing because it helped keep away infection. He was only 23 when he was captured.
After the war he came home and got TB, he survived that and was an air raid warden in the second world war and survived the Birmingham Blitz. Apparently he was one of the nicest people you could meet, even after everything that happened to him and everything he must have seen.
Are there any cases of POWs who were turned by their captors, and when released, went back to their native country and spied for the country that captured them?
Not exactly spying but: ruclips.net/video/LTNmzGoA51c/видео.html
The sequence about the Half-Moon Camp, Germany's first mosque, and the different time-passing activities set up in the camps is fascinating. I look forward to the future specials related to the topic of POWs.
You mentioned in a previous episode that soldiers would send a percentage of their wages back home, what happens if they become a POW? do they still get paid or does this get backdated when released? if so what happens to the families back home relying on this income?
flankspankrank I don't know about the other nations fighting in WW1, but it is US policy to continue paying them while they are captive. Though the money is held until release. I assume if a percentage of pay is being diverted prior to capture, the dependants would continue to receive it. If they are held long enough, most will also be eligible to advance in rank. Though again, it wouldn't be official until after release. There have even been some who received commendations for their actions while prisoners.
Thank you for this information on a too much ignored topic.
I thought that the Hague convention of 1907 concerned the weapons of war and the Geneva convention with the conduct of prisoners of war.
Thanks for another great episode
Good episode. Kudos.
2 points:
1. Trumbull's painting of the Surrender at Yorktown that you used to illustrate combatants allowed to surrender with dignity is wildly inaccurate. The painting illustrated an honorable surrender, but the actual events did not.
1.1. Cornwallis feigned illness and did not attend the surrender ceremony. The British forces -- a mix of British and German units -- surrendered through Cornwallis's second-in-command, Brigadier General Charles O'Hara.
1.2. O'Hara first presented Cornwallis's sword to the French General, le Comte de Rochambeau. Rochambeau refused the sword and pointed O'Hara to Washington. (I hold Rochambeau in the highest esteem for this act. Rochambeau had been a soldier all his life and had fought long and successfully for his king. He was a model soldier. BTW his forces at Yorktown were all German.)
1.3. O'Hara next offered Cornwallis's sword to General Washington. Washington also refused to accept it from O'Hara, because it came from the hand of a deputy rather than from Cornwallis himself. Washington pointed O'Hara to General Benjamin Lincoln, who took the sword.
1.4. Cornwallis asked that his troops be permitted the honors of war: to march out with colors flying, bayonets fixed, and their bands playing a French or American song in tribute to the victors. Washington refused. Instead, the British marched out with colors cased, arms reversed (muzzles down), and their bands playing a British song. Why did Washington refuse? Because the British had refused the honors of war to the Charleston garrison the year before. BTW the Charleston garrison was commanded by Benjamin Lincoln (see 1.3 above).
1.5. I recommend Thomas Fleming, Beat the Last Drum: The Siege of Yorktown www.amazon.com/Beat-Last-Drum-Siege-Yorktown-ebook/dp/B00U2MF8WG Outstanding history.
2. Not WW1 but WW2. I read the story of Wolfgang Fischer (www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004MYFK00/), a Luftwaffe fighter pilot who was captured and interred in America. While the war raged on, the US Army accorded the prisoners all the rights and privileges under the Geneva Convention. But once Germany surrendered, their status changed. They were no longer POWs and the Geneva Convention did not apply. Their rations dropped from ~1,800 kilocalories a day to 800. Only after they threatened to riot did the Army again feed them.
What happens to POWs of the loser after the war is over? That's a story.
Washington actually pointed to his second in command because Cornwallis decided to send his
+h lynn keith Interesting how the painting shows it so differently. Propaganda then?
+puchy110 I said that, didn't I?
+The Great War Trumbull did the painting 40 years after the fact. Think of today someone painting the Legion's rescue of civilians at Kolwezi (1978) without reference to any visual record.
h lynn keith oh sorry, I read it on my phone and it didn't show the whole thing, lol
Best video yet. Well done
Germanys first Mosque was built in the 18th Century for some Muslim soldiers serving in the Prussian Army if I remember right
+Neithan Ryan That's not Germany though.
Neithan Ryan the Mosque in Prussia was closed down shortly after Frederick the Greats death, and wasnt around anymore when germany was unified
well done explaining the POW condition! think you nailed it!
2:57 That "nettoyeur de tranchée" was a bit painful to hear
+Jean-François Soucy Because French is such an easy language to learn as all German high school students will testify?
+Jean-François Soucy I would say it's an even more painful concept to imagine that an official position of such depravity existed.
The Great War I know, but i still enjoy hearing you try. I took a german class and it's not an easy language either.I was surprised by how close it sounds to english in some cases, but it's bogged down by gendered words like french.
+Jean-François Soucy early English stems from the Germanic.
My great grandfather was a prisoner of war early in the Great War fighting against Germany in Belgium. He never talked about it, refused to even stay in the room if anybody even mentioned the war. Watching this video, I think I know why now.
6:18 "Flowers"
Glad I found this episode. The fate of the millions of prisons puzzled me throughout the week by week series.
I would have wanted to be with the flowers!
Thanks for the info.
Will there be a episode about the Czechoslovak Legions?
+Vojtěch Matoušek Yes
Once again awesome!
conditions for prisoners of war must have really improved in the second world war, Hogan and his men seemed to do OK . that was a documentary right?
Jason Hacker I imagine that was a documentery about one camp in particular being the exception, not the norm
Jason Hacker Being a POW in germany wouldve been the same as in other places, until later in the war, when the germans ran out of food Hogan looked okay in 44, but was a hungry basterd by 45
great videos keep up the good work when i started to watch history films and documetarys it was mainly for school but now because of you and these following movies -generation war-enemy at the gates-stalingrad- i finally got good grades and i was hooked with history thx (srry for my shit english english is my 3rd language)
Were the Japanese as cruel to their prisoners in WWI as they were during WWII?
+Mr. Mzr No, they were held as the best example of treating prisoners of war. Quite reversed by WWII.
57WillysCJ Not that I am wanting to disagree with you, what would be a good source of this behavior in WWI? Thank you.
+57WillysCJ Thank you.
Weebs get rapey, when not in contact with there waifu pillows for more than 3 days...so they tended to either rape, or kill innocent people from frustration
10 minutes seemed like 30... so much information. Very interesting!
6:20 "Vegetables"..................................... yeah........
Bf1 hype (this channel is awesome btw can't stop watching)
+slade c Thanks and welcome.
no problem! The Great War
I caught the soldier standing next to a pot field. "Vegetable garden' indeed :D
+J Wright Flowers indeed :D
wow this episode was amazing
I would really love to see a video on the "Vices" of WW1. I know British soldiers often received a rum ration. Was opium/morphine addiction ever an issue with front line troops or the wounded? How were tobacco, coffee, chocolate and tea used during the war? I've heard that French and German troops could drink on the front lines, is that true? - An Ethnobotanist
Your videos are amazingly interesting!!
is that 420 blaze it weed at 6:18 ????
that's what I noticed
+ROYAL GAMING COMPANY them Austrian Kush m8
So being a POW wasn't all that bad then I guess??
sir, those are PTSD flowers.
+Govert Goudglans
Industrial hemp was widely used in Europe back then. Uniforms where made out of them ..soaps and all kind of stuff Juice,butter,oil
i lived near a town named Hanfthal in Austria. And till today they produce all kind of products made out of Hemp
www.hanfland.at/
Well presented.
You are using your hands well to emphasize.
I gave a thumbs up.
+zenoist2 Thank you!
Indy,and team have you ever played Verdun or consider playing battlefield 1or consider to play both at some time?
+Fanboy 420 blaze steamcommunity.com/groups/thegreatwarchannel
nice
. I'm Interested About POWs During The Great War. This Is A Cool Episode.
Battlefield 1 in set in the Great War, I wonder if this show is going to do game plays 😄
That would be awesome.
but sadly we have to wait until Octobre
nice setup dude
100th anniversary of construction of the Russian Chapel at Vršič pass is coming up later this year. It was built by Russian POWs to commemorate their own that died in construction and maintinence of the road crossing the Vršič pass - road crucial in supplying the Isonzo front.
6:18 Nice "vegetable garden" you have there. Looks quite funny with their trimmed staches and the fancy Uniforms.
My father was a lieutenant in the Canadian air force in WW2, but he was seconded to US Army Intelligence to help study German jets. After V-E Day, he ended up administering a tiny chunk of Germany. Some Germans citizens came to complain that Poles had stolen food from them.
My father pretended to be surprised. "Poles? What are Poles doing in western Germany?"
"They are from the camps."
"Oh, you mean the *slaves*??"
About then the Germans realised they weren't going to get much sympathy from my father.
Wow. He was a REAL hero wasn’t he.
Quick question: about how many Americans were taken as prisoners during WW1? You didn't mention them in your total tallies for the other participants.
Im sorry I'm so late, but a little over 4,100 amercan prisoners were taken
great videos , makes me want to learn more
there was a lot of weed in those ''''vegetable gardens'' though 420 kappa
Some nice "flowers" for sure.
7:57 A true photographic masterpiece. Soldiers carrying a wounded or dead man in the foreground indicating the present, the ghostly outline of the tank representing the growing scale of ongoing destruction, and the washed out background symbolizing an uncertain future. Brilliant, and probably improvised.
6:19 No wonder Indiana stumbles here - that looks like a big old pile of weed to me too.
7:49 - German POW standing at the centre rear of the image is a musician - he has the "swallow's nest" insignia on his shoulders worn by trumpeters, bandsmen etc.
WW 1 was a devastating conflict. We should have learned our lessons but we had WW 2 anyway. War never changes.
But still... BF 1 GET HYPED 420!
interesting topic and informative content
I suppose that the Red Cross helped people to still believe in humanity of Humans ! Actually it played a major role to help the hungry Mount-Lebanese people left to themselves & fleeing from the Mountain to the surrounding provinces & especially Beirut. The American Red Cross helped a lot because USA was a neutral country until 1917.
"While escape attempts were rare, they were often interesting. The first two escapees recorded jumped from a train bound for Camp Forrest in November 1942. They were apprehended a few days later. An Afrika Korps veteran walked out of Camp Forrest to nearby Tullahoma, caught the 9:25 train to Nashville, and actually went pub-crawling with an unsuspecting GI on leave before being apprehended the next day during a routine check."- Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture referring to an escaped German POW from the Crossville TN internment camp.
Here because of BF1 hype!
+SesameJudas Timotic Welcome!
+SesameJudas Timotic Steam... Verdun. If you havent already seen it
+The Great War What do you think of the Battlefield 1 trailer? I am sure you guy's are excited as much as the fans are!
+The Great War what did you guys think about the game valiant hearts that was about the hard ships of ww1 more of a story game but it was interesting and had a lot of information.
Mile Cross Junction There will be a trailer analysis later on.
very interesting video. good job.
Mr Neidell you look alike Michael Caine when he was young !!! You could easilly be considered as his son for sure !!! Thanks for the great and inspiring work for the great war .I have a lot of matterial collected through the years and i ll try to participate the best way i can .Thanks again