Ardennes 1944 - The Forgotten First Battle
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- Опубликовано: 2 окт 2024
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On 16 December 1944, the Germans launched the Ardennes Offensive. That same day, a battle ended to secure the German attack's northern flank - the forgotten battle of Kesternich. Without a German victory at Kesternich, the entire Ardennes operation would have been imperilled. This is the story of that forgotten US-German clash.
Dr. Mark Felton is a well-known British historian, the author of 22 non-fiction books, including bestsellers 'Zero Night' and 'Castle of the Eagles', both currently being developed into movies in Hollywood. In addition to writing, Mark also appears regularly in television documentaries around the world, including on The History Channel, Netflix, National Geographic, Quest, American Heroes Channel and RMC Decouverte. His books have formed the background to several TV and radio documentaries. More information about Mark can be found at: en.wikipedia.o...
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Disclaimer: All opinions and comments expressed in the 'Comments' section do not reflect the opinions of Mark Felton Productions. All opinions and comments should contribute to the dialogue. Mark Felton Productions does not condone written attacks, insults, racism, sexism, extremism, violence or otherwise questionable comments or material in the 'Comments' section, and reserves the right to delete any comment violating this rule or to block any poster from the channel.
Credits: US National Archives; Library of Congress
I live in this area on the belgian side, and I often pass Kesternich with my motorbike. I never knew this. And whenever I drive there in future, I will have this in my mind. Thank you!
why do you have that icon (ciccio franco) ?
@@9lettere668 I like him and I like that expression.
@@hankbannister he (franco franchi) and ciccio ingrassia were the most famous comic - mock film duo of 60's italian trash cinema.. some flicks were just great... they made surreal remakes of countless classics.. he worked with pasolini as well
@@9lettere668 I know :-)
@@9lettere668 By watching movies for more than 60 years.
I grew up in the Eifel, Germany in the 70`s, just east of the Ardennes, i remember taking our dog for walks in the forest, often i would stumble upon old, rusty German helmets, my parents warned me never pick up anything metallic. in the newspapers, one would often read about kids being blown up by unexploded ordinance.
That's sadisticly called Kinder Überaschungs-Ei.
Ich habe Leckerschmecker und Raider bevorzugt
@@Nitroat-xo4tj German Kinderjoy, bombs with in!
@@shanemoore8055 auch nicht schlecht!
Aachen and the Hurtgen Forrest meat grinder and the Ardennes Alamo, and now Kesternich all great videos in the Mark Felton Ardennes Series.
My great uncle Henry Leuker died in this battle. He was operating 30 miles north of bastogne. My family was never entirely sure what happened to him as he was cut off from his unit and was MIA for about over a month before his body was found. His death destroyed my great grandparents, who refused to accept that he was dead. Because of this, his body was never repatriated to the United States. My grandmother had been brought up speaking German but after his death she vowed never to speak German again.
Thanks for sharing this story.
And to your family: “the solemn pride that must be yours to have laid so costly a sacrifice on the altar of freedom.” Nov. 21, 1864🇺🇸
@@bill9540 and diversityⓚ
the question is open. why your great uncle attacked a country from 5000 miles, participating to end one million German and 100'ks of French and Italien civilians' lives, helping the communists terrorize 100 millions of people in the next 50 years (not mentioning the many German POW's) ... the soldires could often switch sides. 10% of the Soviet army joined the Wehrmacht to fight against the evil communism... while Americans are still proud of their crimes
@@timeanagy8495 Probably because Hitler declared war on the United States on December 11th 1941. Which was a pretty stupid idea if he wanted to focus on defeating communism.
It's around 10pm where I live, and I've got to say, Mark, your content is a good way to help wind down for the day before going to bed. I'm sure I mentioned this on a previous video, but I would love to see you do a video on the WW1 Battle of Beersheba.
Exactly same here and the day was super busy and exhausting! Nothing better than Mark's video before bed
Watching these videos is how I start my morning
I agree but kinda ironic given the nature of the content
It is 9pm in the UK. I have toothache and feel rough. Delighted to discover this latest release as I head to bed.
So, basically, this put you to sleep? I don’t really see the compliment here. “It’s boring, thanks.” 🤷♂️. I think the idea was to compliment but it really feels like you said it was sleep inducing…
My grandpa fought in this battle. He never spoke much of it, just said it was horrific, and that no man should ever go through something like that again. Thank you Mark, I’ve learned some things I didn’t know, and never would know.
RIP Grandpa
that's nice dear
It amazes me how you continually are able to produce these fascinating vignettes about little known but important battles of the Allied war effort. Kudos. We Feltonians are lucky to have your work to look forward to every week.
Feltonians.....count me as one.
Pfft the feltonians.
I’m a feltonite.
The bloody PFJ!
@@RaferJeffersonIII Samey same.
Proud, card-carrying Feltonian!!!
It’s why I never mind the paid promotions. Mark deserves all the help he gets.
My grandfather took part on the first day of this battle; his company was ordered to leave any heavy equipment and advance stealthily toward the American lines carrying only a rifle, a pistol and two grenades each. Out of about 120 men in the company, only 12 survived, among them my grandfather and his fellow Norwegian friend, as they were taken prisoner by the Americans.
What was a norwegian doing fighting for hitler? Was he SS?
@@yohoho392 No, he was drafted because his father was German. My great-grandfather moved to Norway something like 20 years before the war.
Better the Americans than another army of a red persuasion marching in from an eastern direction.
Great men. Im sure your proud of your Grandfather. 👍
@@occidentadvocate.9759 I am and always was. Even apart from whatever he experienced in the war, he is the man I most look up to in my life (along with my father of course).
I was never affected by the taboos that made this seem shameful to my fathers' generation. My grandfather didn't have an easy time of it upon returning to Norway (though he never spoke of that period to me, I have heard this from another relative), and my father didn't even know about my grandfathers' war experiences until he was in his late teens or even later. Thus my grandfather confided more in me regarding this, although he died when I was only 12, than with my father, who was not very interested for the above-mentioned reasons.
Love your amazing videos I love history myself particularly military history I’ve Learned a lot from your videos stuff that impressed and fascinated me
Another fascinating video, Dr Felton!
I cannot imagine the sheer amount of research you must undertake in order to produce these informative vlogs! Then to locate wartime footage appropriate or accurate to each location. Then editing it all and creating a commentary.
But then, you are a Master of your profession, so you set your own high benchmark.
Compliments of the Season to you, Mark.
If you love super detailed history videos be sure to also check out TIK. His battlestorm Stalingrad series is amazing and so detailed.
My Grandfather was part of the 309th artillery Battalion HQ. He said it was run run run from the landings in France and then BAM stopped in their tracks at the Siegfried Line. He drove a jeep and was terrified of 88’s! He was always proud of our American howitzers though! 155mm I think? He had a lot of stories but only shared them with me at the end of his life. Thanks Mark for covering the “Lightning Division” (loved their motto “Lightning Strikes Twice” haha referencing the First World War and the second!)
My Grandfather was in the 701st Tank Battalion attached to the 102nd Infantry Division. He was a Medium Tank Crewman in an M4 Sherman. He was lucky to return home to my Grandmother.
Great Grandfather was in the 28th ID, 109 FA. Was in the Battle of the Bulge. He died in 82. I would have loved to pick his brain.
Kudos
Your grandfather fought the wrong enemy.
@@ken_caminiti No, he was a Capitalist through and through, and though he was sympathetic to the German people (and despised the Japanese) he didn’t like National Socialists. I understand what your saying and yes he hated Communists as well, but Germany declared war on the US, and National Socialism and Democratic Capitalism are incongruent.
I read George Wilson's autobiography. He was a platoon and Company commander in the ETO from July 44-Sep 45. By the autumn of '44 everything had slowed to a crawl. Men were being fed into the Hürtgen Forest meatgrinder to such an extent that by the time his company of 190 was sent to the Ardennes for rest, he had only 23 men and no original officers. His replacements arriving in the Ardennes had 5 WEEKS of training and had had only one day on the rifle range!
On the other side were german troops that have been through various periods of the soviet-german front. That was really not fair
@@arthurdaffos1490 There's no doubt that the Germans still had some really battle hardened soldiers. But in late 44' their numbers were decreasing by the day.
That summer, the Germans had lost over 1 million men, vast amounts of equipment and the Allies could roam the skies over Germany at will. The majority of the German soldiers at this time consisted mostly of conscripted teenagers and old men. The green Americans in the Ardennes had the misfortune of ending up in the crosshairs of some of the finest German units still left in the West.
But the losses the Germans suffered in the Ardennes in terms equipment and men, were impossible to replace, and it left the Rhine virtually wide open for the Allies to cross it in March 1945.
And still we won!
@@arthurdaffos1490 Except some of Dr. Felton's remarks note "Volks" units.
@@arthurdaffos1490 Erm, some of them were, yes, many on the Eastern Front were still there fighting on the defensive against USSR advances which were faster and in larger numbers than US/UK offensives. Hence them (USSR) winning the race to Berlin, etc. USA/UK faced far less resistance, but had far less landed troops and in combat experience, so Hitler knew they were less of a threat than the USSR, and whilst Hitler obviously didn't want to believe he was losing the war or could lose it, deep down, I'm sure he felt like, "If we are going to lose, I would rather US, Britain and France occupy Germany than USSR" (not for how well/poor Germans may be treated, maybe that factored in a bit, but more about communist takeover of Germany, Hitler HATED communists, as much or more so than Jews, especially Slavic Communists) But yes, some experienced troops were moved from the Eastern Front, this is both good and bad (experience, but also tiredness, PTSD, low morale due to so many defeats in the past 3 years, etc.). The other troops on the Ardennes Offensive were new recruits, not sure if they were throwing Hitler Youth into the fray yet, but that was only a few more months away before becoming common practice (child soldiers fighting for Nazi Germany... For defense of Berlin literally every man under 60 or so, and over like 12 - 13, was mobilized for the defense. They received ZERO training, were in poor physical shape from years of rations, never held guns before, etc. Basically shown how to load/unload, aim, and shoot, many weren't given guns due to shortages (pick one up off the dead who die before you dealio and an outrageous number were given Panzerschrecks, which made sense because there would be a lot of tanks coming in, but, the rifles to Panzerschreck ratio was way out of whack, as if they expected nearly equal numbers of tanks and infantry, which they knew was not the case, this was just literally all the weapons remaining, so eh, guess a Panzerschreck beats "find a gun off a dead child soldier"). So Germany was extremely crippled in terms of experienced troops, particularly ones which still had a ton of strength in them and still holding high morale to put up this now, seemingly hopeless, resistance. The officers and generals knew the situation was hopeless, too, and would jump at the opportunity to be captured by US/UK forces vs. USSR forces, so officers and generals on the Western Front were quick to surrender, compared to their counter-parts on the Eastern Front where surrender only came when things were completely hopeless and like 80-90% of their troops were wounded or dead and they were getting encircled, no food, etc.
Hence why so many Germany prisoners got captured from D-Day onwards, they knew the end was near and essentially deserted, by surrounding without a fight (to Americans/British/Canadians/Belgians, etc.) on the Soviet Front, surrenders tended only to happen in utterly hopeless situations after tons of fighting (or total encirclements) because they feared the repercussions from the Soviets over the atrocities carried out on Slavs and Communists during Operation Barbarossa. They knew that Russians knew what they did to their countrymen, and that Russians were out for blood, vengeance, and ready to commit war crimes in turn, whilst Americans and British were overall less impacted by Hitler's advances / wins early in the war, so Wehrmacht troops tended to be treated better when surrendering to Americans and British, etc. Some, of course, were shot on sight surrounding to Americans and British, really depends on the particular group of troops, what they'd seen and been through personally in their 8 months of fighting (in Europe, anyways) opposed to USSR's 4 years of fighting (and having most of their best land and most populated areas under Nazi occupation for 1 - 3 years).
Again minus one point for historians and plus two points for this awesome channel.
So much forgotten histories that no one knows.
Thirty years ago I met vet who was in the 106th Division who took the brunt of the initial artillery barrage on 12/16/1944. He was shot in the head by the SS and left for dead but was hospitalized by the regular Wehrmacht doctors. He was in a German hospital until the end of the war and the bullet remained in his head for the rest of his life. This guy was fearless
BUT HOW?!
@@nadil2631 it's totally possible. Look up Phineas Gage. working on the railroad one day, setting up explosives, using a tamping iron to compact the area around the set explosive, he missed and hit a rock and it sparked causing the explosion. The iron rod went right through his skull. He lived for 12 years after the incident.
its a good the the Wehrmacht took care of him. the SS wouldve just sent him off to a camp or just kill him. that man is very lucky
@@MegaDargar sure, it's possible but I would say that the odds of surviving an injury like that are quite low, just based on the number of people who have died as a result of such injuries
The odds of taking a prisoner with a serious injury, transporting at the beginning of a major offensive, using precious transport and medical resources exactly when needed most are astronomical!
I never really cared about history too much until I found this channel. I’m obsessed with all this content on your channel! They should play 1 video a day in schools in my opinion.
My great uncle fought the battle of the Ardennes (and before that was assaulting the Gilbert islands in the pacific) ,he was in the the 26th infantry division in 1944, his unit was cut off by tanks and overwhelmed by German infantry, he was taken prisoner until escaping the camp in 1945. Thank you mark for making these videos.
How was he fighting on two separate fronts?
@@DakotaofRaptors in 1940 he joined up , day after Pearl Harbor was attacked he was sent out to Hawaii, then was sent out so assault the Gilbert islands , in 1943 he switched divisions , 165th infantry division to the 26th infantry division, then he was sent to France in 1944
@@starlord1177 wow, I bet he had a lot of stories. Pretty uncommon for soldiers to serve in such vastly different campaigns.
My Great Uncle was in the Luftwaffe. We have pictures, but are still trying to find more info
He opened a hotel after the war and owned a vineyard on the Rhine.
My Father, ironically, was a medic in the British Army in the 60's.
@@WolfsH0ok wow that's
incredible
Fun fact - one of the combat engineers in the 78th infantry division mentioned in the video would later change his name to Mel Brooks.
Is that true ? One more piece of totallly useless information that I will certainly save on my mental hard drive ! 🙂
And Kurt Vonnegut went into the bag during this offensive.
Holy spaceballs!
@@lazyakers I see what you did there!!!
@@iangarrett741 he was with the poor 106th infantry division, one of most unlucky guys on this part of front. And as if that wasn't enough, he was sent to Dresden... No wonder that experience hit him like a freight train.
Hey that’s just right where I work and hike a lot.
Kesternich…Hurtgen Forrest all basically the front garden. You can still enter some intact bunkers. Although others have been demolished. The Sigfried Line is always present
My uncle was in the 310th, 2nd Batt., E Company. He was among a few Chinese Americans serving in frontline infantry. His first battle was his last; he was captured and freed by the Russians sweeping through Luckenwalde in April, 1945.
that's awesome. Thank you to your grandfather.
What was his name?
Hi Mark , love your series . Just one idea for an episode . I’ve seen loads of these clips and there are a few famous clips of Germans , particularly that soldier with the cigarette and ashen faced with the scarf under the Stalhelm (possible at the Bulge), the 1000yrd stare soldier at Stalingrad etc. I wonder who these actual soldiers were, did they survive , what became of them, probably impossible to pin them down but it might be a great episode.
Hi John, I was truely expecting that face, that you mention. One can see this in any documentation, because it is very iconic. I think, it "belongs" to the battle of the bulge more south from Kesternich. Will be nearly impossible to name this soldier, I think.
I anyone is able to track down those people it is surely Marl Felton !
The idea sounds very interesting to me, as we all have by now seen these images recurring so often many, many different wartime-related clips.
The other one that crops up again and again is the fallschrimjäger soldier with the prominent scar in action , such a distinctive face ! It might not be all that impossible to track them down, they were able to identify that American GI in the blurry photo or a helmeted head in the surf from d day….you know the one.
There are LONG threads on WWII forums about that guy.
Apparently his name was Hans Tregarsky but it hasn’t been proven.
I live in the near.. It's a hard and rough area with lots of dark Forests and small Mountains, but wonderful to clear your brain and get some rest from society... Often I think of all this brave men on both sides and visit the cemeteries to give honor to them.
Great attitude. Sehr Schön.
Thank you Mark for remembering this important part of the history of the Battle of the Bulge. My uncle, Cpl. Charles Cowart was captured in the burned out walls of the church in Kisternech where he had set up with his Browning Automatic Rifle to cover his fellow soldier's retreat westward. The Germans threw in two granades, the first killed is best friend Wink Montgomery. By now out of ammunition Uncle Charlie swapped his BAR and gear with Wink's M1 and ammunition belt knowing that the Germans would execute him because he was a BAR gunner. He finished with moments to spare. A second granade came in and exploded rendering Uncle Charlie unconscious. When he awoke he was surrounded by several German soldiers. He spent the rest of the war as a POW being liberated the day President Roosevelt died. Swapping that gear with Wink Montgomery was one thing I know of he never fully made peace with.
God bless their memories..
Why do they execute BAR gunners?
@@leebh8607 it probably had a lot to do with the fog of war and the cost in personnel trying to overrun a well entrenched gunner.
These near forgotten battles of WWII seldom get told. Sadly, WWII soldiers are very few these days and do not get their proper recognition for their heroic fighting and sacrifice. Thanks Mark Felton, for bringing this to light.
Looking at the world since then and as it is today, what do you think they really sacrificed their lives for?
@@FuelAirSparkTime I’m just glad most aren’t here to see how irresponsibly and enethically, how disrespectfully our so called ‘representatives’ have failed to use the military properly, how it’s now very much about industry profit and cushy jobs for retired Generals at the expense of thousands of young soldiers lives and well-being, having at least been mentally destroyed by the time they return to civilian life. The pulling out of Afghanistan after 20 pointless years, under this state department’s direction (Blinkin the weak), the chaos, death and injuries, the abandonment of our citizens and Allie’s and the rush to bring un-vetted Afghani’s here to the states and the shameful abandonment of $85Billion in tax payers equipment, knowing it would be a parting gift to our enemies all combined to turn most American’s against the compromised, incompetence of the Biden administration very early in this crumbling era of corruption and undermining of our constitutional rights
My dad was a member of Co. H, 309th infantry regiment during that time. Great video, thanks!
My great-uncle was captured in the Battle of St Vith as few days after this when his company ran out of ammunition and German armor showed up. He never liked to talk about it or his time in German captivity, but he passed away in 2019 and I wish I could.
Probably watching movies, vids and reading (Beevor, Stehpen Ambrose...) will give you great fulfilment..
Aircraft carrier Graf Zeppelin, maybe? ;>
My parents had some friends who lived in Florida. The guy had been in the Ardennes and moved to Florida after the war swearing that he would never be cold another day in his life.
Really appreciate the work of Mark Felton Productions.
Never will there be another army like the German Army
You are right But,you could say that never in history have better soldiers fought for a worse cause
I learned something new with this video. Thank you Sir!
Great documentary again.I am always amazed by all the clips of the battles you show us .At the end that Jagdpanzer passing in a village of the Ardennes was great.Never seen seen that footage before.Keep on the good work Mark Felton.
Mark, I gobble up all of your videos, but this one had me positively riveted. One of my grandfathers helped take back Europe under Patton. He spoke German before English. Thank you.
Now this is one battle that I have not heard of. Thank you Dr Mark for highlighting this!
I’m afraid that Dr Felton has got this one all wrong. He talked about dis-organisation in the ranks of the American soldiers; he talked about them being taken by surprise; he talked about poor leadership whilst mentioning the heroics of a relatively small number of American soldiers.
The reason that I know he is wrong is that Hollywood has never showed us this.
What are you talking about? He's absolutely correct the American units in the Ardennes were there to relax it was a quiet front. They were totally caught off guard and took heavy casualties. Units did resist or fight back but overall the entire flank started to collapse its just holdouts that slowed the Germans down like bastogne and reinforcements arriving. The initial defense was poorly organized and didn't work
You can thank Bradley for us being caught with our pants down but then again the Germans prepared well for the opening engagements of the Bulge.
@@lifeinjersey9846 He's taking the mick! (joking)
Actually, Hollywood and the MSM have shown us that America and it's people suck and have no future. Let's Go, Brandon!
What a lame attempt to make a political statement.
my grand uncle fought with the 12th SS in the Ardennes
"A single man, defending his home, is more powerful than ten English knights." -Robin of Locksley (Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves)
Nice!
But I wouldn't bet on it. Germans fought hard in defending the home land. But the Allied Knights were many, and their factories building weaponry proved an invincible driving power .. Hitler failed for of a number of reasons. Nr. 1 being something like being over ambitious; the slave of his greed, lust for power and desastrous bellingerency...
@@stefhublou1813 for sure. Despite a man being more powerful etc., it all changes when the man is running low on supplies and moral, under constant bombardment, and being hemmed in on both sides from more than just 10 English knights. Not to mention the fact that he started the fight that others were determined to end.
@@skyden24195 True. Good analysis. Cheers.
@@skyden24195 What do you mean by "he"? The fighting man or his leadership?
You always seem to surprise with a story I didn’t already know. Amazing. But I guess it was a pretty big war to find stories from. Anyway awesome job
Thank you Dr. Mark for teaching us about so many interesting historical events!
He needs to make a video on the gerbil that could hold its breath and survived the Castro, he even survived the first fauci genocide
thanks for this story. my dad who just turned 100 was in the 78th division at this time, the 78th had only been in actual combat a few days when rhis started. when your hear or read about the Battle of the Bulge you never hear this part of rhe story.
And to think, the Russians had already broken the back of the Nazi war machine before the Allied invasion of Normandy. The Allies had never experienced the full brunt of German offensives as the Russians did. Ardennes was just a sampler. Think about that.
Well the Soviets clearly broke the back of the German army with Operation Bagration, against the front in Belorussia, from 22 June to 19 August 1944. That isn't debated.
Stalingrad has been seen as the turning of the tide for the Germans, from November 1942 to February 1943. And the Soviets were seen as being able to take away the initiative from the German army in summer with the battles around Kursk in July and August of 1943.
But as of November of 1943, according to Jodle, German military formations were positioned as follows: "estimated that 3.9 million Germans (together with a mere 283,000 Axis-allied troops) were trying to hold off 5.5 million Russians on the Eastern Front. A further 177,000 German troops were in Finland, while Norway and Denmark were garrisoned by 486,000 men. There were 1,370,000 occupation troops in France and Belgium. Another 612,000 men were tied down in the Balkans, and there were 412,000 men in Italy ... " (source: pages 352 and 353 of Paul Kennedy's "Rise and Fall of the Great Powers).
Bottomline: The Soviets played an irreplaceable role in wrecking and defeating the German army, but the German War Machine was still there going into 1944.
I live very close to it
There is a king tiger on display
I'm going to make a video about it some day
They don't call the Americans of that era, "The Greatest Generation" for nothing. They demonstrated their greatness each and every day back then. God bless America!!
Mark, did you read "Victory was Beyond their Grasp?" its about the 272nd Volksgrenadier division and talks about this battle extensively. This was a brutal battle. What the American infantry divisions went through in the fall of 1944 is way too overlooked in my opinion. People want to talk about the famous units and battles but the bulk of our war was fought amongst the dozens of IDs that fought in Western Europe in towns and villages that aren't talked about. Thanks for this video.
The airborne and armored divisions get way too much attention in my mind. The IDs ground out the victory in the west and do not receive the credit they should.
Growing up in the 50's, I learned of a story about my friend Dave's father. He was captured by the Germans near St. Vith during the Battle of the Bulge. He was taken away by train, and the train was strafed by American fighter planes who didn't know there were American prisoners on board. He survived, but the man sitting next to him was shredded by bullets from the attack. I remember my friend's dad as being an oddly quiet man. When I got older, and realized what he'd been through, I understood why he seemed not quite right to me.
I love this channel. I've spent most of my life looking into ww2 and it never fails to amaze me quite how many new Stories Mr Felton brings.
Excellent work 👍 keep it up
Very interessting Facts i didnt know. Great Content like always! 👍
A term and a saying come to mind that are very descriptive of this battle -- "the fog of war" and "no plan survives first contact with the enemy". Everyone involved on both sides seems to have been taken completely by surprise at every turn.
Reading the comments, I just learned that I am a Feltonian. Who knew?
Perhaps the tanker Ohio during Operation Pedestal would make a good subject for a future video.
Just when I was about to go to bed LOL. That can wait now.
My uncle had originally been assigned to an AAA unit but after air superiority was established that summer his unit was reattached to infantry. He was among the soldiers cut off near Kesternich. He had a shrapnel wound to his leg and he and a buddy managed to get into the basement of an abandoned farm house. They stayed there three days, hearing voices of German soldiers as they passed by outside. They ate potatoes found in baskets in that basement until they were relieved by U.S. forces.
I absolutely adore your work, the content you make is rich & fascinating. Your explanations are of great detail but taught in a way that most can understand. I've only recently began exploring the history of the world wars, although I've always had an interest I have you to thank for sparking my curiosity & keeping my mind sharp with multiple uploads on a weekly.
As an ex professional cyclist , I spent years training & racing around these parts - very interesting area indeed
I had read somewhere that, after the capitulation of France, German officials attempted to coerce the organizers of the Tour de France into running the great race during the occupation. Though there were some races held at that time, they didn't have the same prestige as the Tour. The Nazis were rebuffed at every turn, and the Tour de France - still the greatest sporting event in the world - resumed in 1947. It would be a treat, Dr. Felton, if you could dive deeper into this and present a video, perhaps in time for 2022's Tour. I'm sure it would be something special.
What team(s) did you ride for?
@@RReese08 very interesting !
@@themanonthemoon111 team B Box telecom which then went onto be Team Europcar
@@RReese08 I have a nice picture somewhere of me and Thomas Voeckler sitting on the tank in La Gleize after having coffee in the little café across from the church.
I lived and grew up in Imgenbroich which is village just a few centimeters of the map near Monschau. It is interesting and sad to learn that something so horrible happend on the fields and streets which look so normal today. I am in this moment in Simmerath and I hope that this beautiful but boring landscape never has to suffer war again.
Mark do you ever think you can release a full WW2 documentary? Possibly from the 1920s until 1945? I feel your knowledge could do all of us history nuts an incredible service!
TimeGhost channel has a lot of that type of thing starting with WW1 and then Between the Wars time period.
Will never understand Hitlers random opening of different fronts. Wonder how different things would have been if he'd not tried to invade the USSR.
LET'S GO BRANDON!!!BUCK FIDEN!!!
Mark. Thanks for providing my Thursday entertainment!
Wrapping Christmas presents while listening to War Stories with Mark Felton.
This might become a tradition.
Especially the Christmastime Ardennes Offensive and the Christmas truces in WWI where Allied and German forces would share food and drink across the front lines
@@thomasblanchard6778
The Christmas Truce has always had a profound impact on me. WWI, unlike WWII wasn't an epic struggle against evil. It was more a case of self serving politicians throwing young men into a meat grinder to further the interests of the aristocracy running the combatant nations. The innate decency exhibited by those fellows during the unofficial Christmas Truces highlighted the debased nature of those promoting that war.
I totally did this exact same thing!! It was fantastic!! Agreed on the new Xmas tradition, love Marks Channel.
Hi Mark! Great video as always!
Truely a force to be reckoned with the German army....from my own conclusions if the Soviet front never existed I believe the western allies would have rough time stepping into Rhine land let alone the entire German....any way all love from Africa mark
Without Soviet Union allies had no chance
you don't have a clue. the aim of the germans was to eradicate all the human beings living east of the so called " 3te reich". nothing less nothing more. simple as it is.
so i hope that all the people having sympathies for the germans think again and again and again....
Not symethasing but historical facts, while the soviets faced almost 300 German divisions the allies faced only about 10 divisions.....
My Uncle Tony was a medic with the 106th, he was captured and sent to Stalag IVB in Muhlberg
Great video to watch after a long school day, respect from Romania 🇷🇴❤️
WOW and WOW again!!
How do you discover these events (sorry but stuck for words) ? What you bring us is fascinating and so often unknown to me!!
Thank you for your hard work Mark.
Kindest
Bob
England
very interesting to learn how important was for the Germans to recover Kesternich on the hours prior to the launching of the Ardenne offensive. Though this offensive had virtually no option of prevailing due, principally, to the lack of fuel and air support, the Germans, as you say, seemed very successful on the fist week or so and, if Kesternich had not been taken by the Germans on time in order to secure their northern flank, maybe the Ardenne offensive would have had much less impact...thanks again and cheers!
Virtually any book on the battle of the bulge is great reading. Especially by Robert E Merriam and Charles whiting. John Toland as well.
Hans in the thumbnail
Great! Fascinating look at events I knew little or nothing about. History told as it should be! Unbiased truth.
It should be said, the weather was a factor in the Wehrmacht brief success in the Ardenne. The overcast prevented allied air support from lending a hand. At the time Luftwaffe was all but eliminated.
The weather appeared to help the Americans too on the northern shoulder at Elsenborn. What gets left out of many narratives is that the US had well organized field artillery that was able to pivot on the northern side (possibly including formations that supported the effort mentioned above in this video). That field artillery was of help in enabling the Americans to stop dead three of the five spearheads of the 6 Panzer army at Elsenborn Ridge (following battles at Krinkelt-Rocherath, and other places nearby). Was also the first use by the US Army of shells with proximity fuses in Europe, by the above mentioned field artillery.
@@michaeldunne338 exactely. it was the place where the almighty ss disappeared in the abyss of hell.
so much for the "herrenrasse". disappeared in the fog of the ardennes. and yes....there was no snow at all on the first days of their attack
@@jeannotschumacher1024 Seems a mix bag of weather at the time of different kinds of unpleasantness. From the US Army history: "The high pressure system which came in from the Atlantic on 18 December, however, worked momentarily against the attacker. A thaw set in which slowed his tanks and the erstwhile heavy ground fog began to show sudden openings, such as those which exposed the German tanks and infantry during the fight at Noville. On the 20th and 21st the higher ground began to freeze in patches, leaving stretches of the Ardennes roads slippery and muddy. By the 22d competing weather systems from Russia and the Atlantic had brought on a hodgepodge of snow, blizzards, fog, and rain. In the north the Sixth Panzer Army was bogged by rain and mud, in the south the Fifth Panzer Army was hampered in its swing around Bastogne by fog and snow, and along the German supply roads back over the Eifel snow fell continuously."
The film with snow is from later in the battles. Snow came later and so too the bitter cold. When the offensive began, it was dry and somewhat mild weather. Just before the fighting at St Vith the snow came. You can see St Vith on the north edge of the bulge not far from the town this video is about. At the same time 3rd army (Patton) was moving into Germany. As the battles played out 3rd army did a 90 degree turn and went face first into the Germans.
Actually, reports mention muddy snow in the fields around Kesternich at the time of the battle. Further south the snow did indeed arrive later.
@@MarkFeltonProductions The region may have been between snowfalls? Melted snow making a muddy mess of things. In Toland's book, as the troops were fleeing/retreating to Bastogne the cold came on and the muddy roads froze, allowing somewhat easier travel. Anyways, love your vids. Subject matter request : Lt Eric Fisher Wood 106th Infantry Division
Outstanding piece of work! I'm a high school-educated working man with a passion for history. Your work is both educational and objective. I started with your series of videos revolving around the 1944 Ardennes offensive, Autumn Mist. Very impressive work & my compliments to you sir! Keep 'em coming! 👍
Great video Mark!!!
Idea for future video: Do a story about Ivan Pavlovich Sereyda (not sure this is his accurate spelling), a Soviet army cook who destroyed one German reconnaisance tank and captured all of its crews alone, when it overran his post. Would be really interesting.
@Emil I have seen enough videos of the latter, the suggested 1st option is actually interesting
@Emil the Finn who got killed in Vietnam with American special forces? The Winter War with the USSR's aggression against Finland was certainly a good cause for a Finn to gain an aversion to the Soviets and Communism, and to join the fight on behalf of his country.
Seems he had a charmed life in WWII, that ended with a pardon from the a "Finlandized" Finnish government in 1948. Would like to hear from Mark Felton his views of Torni's record in WWII from June 1941 to April 1945, particularly on the less than clear period of January to March 1945 (working with some special unit in Germany that was getting formed?) ...
Congratulations for your vast channel, it's notorious barely mention the USSR main role to defeat The nazi Germany.
While the Red Army played a huge part in the Allied victory, that would not have been relevant in a video about the Battle of the Bulge.
Could you talk about more stuff like Ranks, Departments and Titles?
Regiments and Flanks
Another great war story. Thank you Mark!
Thoroughly enjoyed this one Mark 👏👏 I read a book called "The Greater Share of Honour" by Kim James, which is from a similar time frame but a different part of the front. Highly recommended from a man on the ground perspective.
Lunch with Dr Felton...
My uncle, Charles Marmelstein, was a lieutenant (combat engineer) during the Battle of the Bulge. He said that after this battle he and his men found many landmines in Germany without detonators. The detonators were in boxes hidden in underbrush. He commissioned me an officer in the Navy.
Artillery is a hell of a thing. One minute your standing behind cover next minute you have been torn into pieces just because you stood in a certain position
Infantry guys hate artillery more than just about anything else. Some guy far away is shooting at you and you can't even have the satifaction of shooting back at him.
Even General Patton said he was more frightened of artillery than anything else.
Mark Felton:Mades several video of the battle of the bulge
Also Mark Felton:There's more
Best WW2 videos on YT.
Sorry??? german anti tank guns picked off the Sherman's??? In all the films I've seen those types of purpose built guns never hit the very things they were designed and built to destroy.
Back when we believed in our military leaders .
Mark, I really enjoy your hard work and amazing knowledge. Thank you mate.
An outstanding report of a battle about which I knew nothing at all! Thank You for all you do Dr. Felton! I only wish my Father had lived long enough to hear your MAGNIFICENT reporting! I am however sure he has a subscription in Heaven!
Seeing this ,and many of your posts , l am understanding how the men of that time were the greatest generation , all subsequent generations cannot live up to what they accomplished.
I talked with many of them over the years. None ever thought they were doing something heroic or Mom, pie and the American Way. They just had a job to do and they went to do it.
@@LuvBorderCollies that's another reason, where most of the people thier age today , can't figure out thier gender , or are hung up on institutions long gone , these men and women saw the task and completed it.
Isn't it just amazing how humans always finds ways and means to destroy themselves 🤦♂️
Dr. Felton blitzes our brains with knowledge once again.
One could fill several thousand books with things that I don’t know… The early battle in the Ardennes is another chapter. Great content as always, thanks Mark.
My former landlord(76 yrs old), his wifes Uncle served as Army Infantry Trooper in Europe( Mr Lawton)/ Ardennes battle veteran- I was given his issue wool blanket(still in good shape)..it now resides in a 1943 Army foot locker I recieved for X-Mas- Old Navy guy report..lol
By far, best history channel on RUclips.
Absolutely agree 👍
The name of the SS solider in the thumbnail is Heinz Maeger. He is called, mostly in the US as winter Fritz.
All these years listening to his stories about WWII and I've finally realized that Mark Feltons pronunciation of German is as good as his stories but I'm an American so butchering foreign languages is like playing baseball because we do it well
German Grenadier chomping american choclate bar noding approvingly was wholesome
It hurts my heart to see allied soldiers being taken as prisoners, we all know what happened after that ! My father, a Canadian soldier was never caught, they were trained to avoid this travesty a million ways !! He was lucky !
what happened to them in your opinion? I doubt that they were shot or mistreated (as it was not SS who captured them in this case); unlike many German prisoners the US took during that time. Refer to: isntruction by US-Army Major-General Raymond Hufft in December 44: " No SS troops or paratroopers will be taken prisoner but will be shot on sight." Or the Chenogne massacre (US Soldiers executed 80 German POWs), the Jungholzhausen massacre (US Soldiers executed 30 German POWs), Treseburg massacre (US Soldiers executed nine Hitler Youths after capture, all below 16 years of age), just to name a few.
@@Ijineda
AMF
Who is the man in the middle in the video thumbnail then, and what happened to him? He seems to be "the Wehrmacht soldier". If there's anyone on RUclips to know, it'd be Mark.
Thank You Dr Felton for another needed History Lesson. You Sir are the reason many are learning and it is an Absolute Good!
Love Germany for it's bravery no surrender loyalty
Do an episode on Fort Drum, the concrete battleship guarding Manila Bay.