Retracing the Bloody Allied Invasion of Italy in WW2 | With James Holland
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- Опубликовано: 8 фев 2025
- Historian and broadcaster James Holland retraces the steps of the Allied invasion of Italy in 1943.
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My dad was a Vickers section sergeant in the 6th battalion Cheshire Regiment.After fighting in North Africa he landed at Salerno.Saw the state of Naples then carried on to Monte Casino.Eventually captured by Falschurmjaeger and spent the rest of the war as a POW in Germany.He was happy to talk about the experience especially the humour and comradeship.They called themselves the "Beggars Army" and have never got deserved recognition.Thanks James for showing me these places that he never wanted to revisit.
Top notch! James retracing the steps with the riveting sprinkles of footage and animations, big up the team, it doesn't get better than this.
Oh of course! He had to drive the rati whilst in italy! So i correct myself, it does get better.
James holland is the very best at describing World war 2 history. His excitement draws you in. I've watched everything WW2 related and Holland is , in my opinion, the best at describing life during WW2
Thank you James, another masterclass from you. My Father was in the Royal Navy & at the start of this campaign (Operation Husky) he ferries the SAS in his LC's to Sicily so they could clear the way for it all too commence. He never talked much about it, only to mention that they had been ordered to carry on by the all the Soldiers that were drowning after thier aircraft failed to reach land on that invasion.
Another first-class documentary from James.
Always walks the ground and brings the whole thing into a clear perspective.
Thanks James, from Aotearoa / New Zealand.
have a look at ‘War Walks’ by the late Richard Holmes. An excellent series which, back in the day, did something similar.
My Dad was there with the 8th. My goodness, I am glad he came home. He would never talk about his war, only his R&R.
You can be proud of your father 🤝
Listening to James is infectious, his passion shines through and you can tell he loves every moment of talking about the Italian campaign. My grandfather fought there with the RA and it’s always good to hear about the campaign.
30:16 James is the Jeremy Clarkson of historians. This is simply mesmerizing! 🤌🏻
Absolutely excellent. James brilliant as always, this documentary is the perfect compliment to the podcast and his books, please make more. 👍👍👍
Please STOP the blurring of footage. I know it's probably YT policy but then let's ALL speak out to them, because we can't keep on blurring out history (as I unfortunately see in too many documentaries). For the rest this is an excellent documentary and much thanks to James Holland and his team.
They don’t have a choice. If they don’t they risk not only getting demonetized by they can also get a content strike. Too many of those and the channel could be permanently taken down
@@tamm0013 Hey, thanks for your reply. I totally get what your saying, but at the same time I find it such a shame. Again, nothing against History channel, but I meant it more in general and against YT policy.
I say this because there is plenty of very good documentaries around with unfortunately so much blurring and I think we all should speak out instead of "accepting" this forced policy.
It's just plain stupid imho and we can't keep on continuing "blurring out history". That's it, have a great weekend.
Yer dahs actual hoose
If you feel the need to see dead bodies, you can probably find snuff films on other sites.
@@grf15 what an incredible stupid answer to a serious subject. So you assume it's only for my entertainment to see dead bodies ?
I am gonna leave you with this “Never argue with stupid people, they will drag you down to their level and then beat you with experience.” (credits to Mark Twain).
NEW JAMES HOLLAND DOC ON RUclips WAAHOOOOOO!!!
OK, time to fess up: my dad, Charlie Thomas, inscribed his name on the Coluseum when they liberated Rome. He took mum back to see it, took her straight to the spot, mum took a photo of course. After he died my wife and I had a short holiday in Rome and as mum was the most organised woman in the world she told us almost exactly where to find it, which we did. On seeing it, i actually burst into tears. Yesterday's vandalism I guess, but now a tiny part of history.
Thank you dad, even though you can't hear me ❤❤
Graffiti is a part of history too.
Who cares.
@@andrevaillancourt-y2e sensible, rational people
@@andrevaillancourt-y2e pussy behind a keyboard xx
A superb piece of work! My great uncle fought all the way up Italy (including Cassino) after the Western Desert campaign and I spend a lot of time in Italy through work so this series in fascinating for me. I finished James' book "Italy's Sorrow" about 18 months ago and am currently on the early pages of his work "Cassino '44"; well written, impeccably researched and thoroughly readable. Thank you Mr Holland.
Hi, which regiment was he in?
Superb as always - thanks James and team 👍🏼
My Grandfather was in the Italian campaign. He landed on The Anzio Beachhead & participated in that Battle as well The Mussolini Canal,The Gustav Line,The Winter Line,The Battle of Monte La Difensa & The Liberation of Rome. He was a member of The U.S./Canada First Special Service Force (Black Devil's/The Devil's Brigade). His commanding officer was Robert T. Frederick & The FSSF was attached to General Mark Clark's 5th American Army.
James. I just finished your book and I think it is very well written. I have read a few of your books and follow you on utube. Thank you for keeping these stories alive.
My father was a soldier in Ander's Army during the battle of Monte Cassino.
Both grandfathers were there from Africa and one brought back my Nonna from Napoli - sadly never knew them as they died a year after i was born - Naples 44 by Norman Lewis is heartbreaking and moving by turns
So sad that the brutal battle for Italy has been largely forgotten. It's in the shadow of Normandy but it was a critical factor in the weakening of the axis forces in East and Western Europe in preparation for D Day.
I've recently finished the book and really enjoyed it. Also, I recently reread Spike Milligans
's memoirs. A lot of people focus on humour, but they are also a fantastic record of what it was like to be a young man called up to fight in world war two. The volume focusing on Italy, Mussolini his part in my downfall, in which he describes the hard fighting through the mud, slogging their way up the peninsula to the moment he was caught in a mortar barrage is particularly moving.
My father fought from Alamein to Trieste with the 2nd NZ Division, 1 week short of 4 YEARS overseas service - the Kiwis were the longest-serving division in the 8th Army - in at the beginning, there at the end! Kia Kaha!!
That is truly epic. What was his role? I love people’s family stories.
This is great. Learn a lot of history about a lesser known front of WWII while touring the beautiful sites of present Italy. Better than tourist videos because there's a meaningful historical background to these places that are not so well-known. However, as gorgeous as any better-known sites in Italy. And such beautiful photography.
There is a book and the movie Four days in Naples. Fascinating stuff.
One of the few things that can draw me to this pop-history channel, is James talking of what interests him the most.
Fantastic thanks for a great video. 👍
I’m reading Savage Storm at the moment. Superb book. My great Uncle Charlie was killed at Salerno, fighting with the RA in 46 Div.
Wow, italy sure is beautiful! Even despite the carnage...remarkable how many old buildings survived. You see less of this in western and eastern europe, where many cities have been completely rebuilt such that there is hardly any resemblance left to what the old cities used to look like.
Italy still seems to retain that old feeling of antiquity...
This is amazing stuff guys, thank you.
Achtung! achtung! New James Holland doc, ya gotta click it. Great documentary and pairing to his book of the same title.
thank you historyhit this is very good
Thank you for creating such a great video
Our pleasure!
This is brilliant! 🎉
Excellent. That the campaign to take italy was hard i knew... but everything tends to revolve about Cassino. The way there being explained and retraced... thanks alot.
My Dad was born in a village outside of Cassino, and watched the monastery being bombed aged 11. Oddly enough, my wife's now late Grandad was also there, but fighting with the 8th Army having come through Africa beforehand.
Dad always said bombing the monastery was madness, and it pretty much was. Clark wasn't exactly a tactical genius, and the Anzio landing was a prime example of over caution for the usually gung ho Americans.
Something important has been left out here: during the Allied campaign in Italy, when American officers arrived in a village, they would requisition the best houses and expel the families of the owners, forcing them to move into the barn; the English would enter the requisitioned houses without worrying about whether or not this would be seen as an invasion of the privacy of the Italian families; the Brazilians would usually ask permission to occupy the barn and settle there without disturbing the owners of the properties. This makes many Italians remember the Americans and the English with hatred and contempt. But they have good and happy memories of the Brazilian troops.
All 5 Brazis
Great video what an amazing explanation of the war in Italy
I see James and I click! Great video!
My grandmother as a young mother with two children, was terrorised and bombed by the Nazis in Calabria, then bombed by the Americans..they used sulfur bombs and my grandmother in her early 20s was blinded for life. Women and children were killed, many women and children starved, they all tried to help each other, my grandparents with five children took in two orphans..taught them Italian, one was about five, fair and very violent, he disappeared without notice when he turned 17, the other from Armenia/Romani gypsy was loving and incredibly smart. he won a scholarship to study in Rome, when he was travelling back south to visit my grandparents he was tragically killed when the drunk train driver ran off the rails, many others died. My mother calls him her brother, sad visiting his grave, he was only 15.
Fantastic documentary.
Thank you for an excellent documentary with a great presenter.
My grandfather was a para and he told the story of landing on an Italian airfield and pooing his pants as he heard boots running up to him as he landed inly to find it was an Italian soldier wrapping up his parachute and surrendering to him as he did so .
I believe he was a Italian veteran of the pre war Italian campaigns of north Africa as he surrendered his medal of that campaign l to my grandfather. I still have that medal
Hello, would be interested in knowing more about your Grandad, what Battalion did he serve with etc, my grandad was a Para wounded in North Africa so didnt go to Italy
@finchedward1 Hi he was 11th battalion and killed at arnhem in 44 .
Thanks.
Excellent doco.
Awesome video!...I just started reading your latest work "Cassino 44"....thank you for another fine read...
I love that Jim gets a Maser
San Marino; heart breaking tale from this time period. This little, independent country, nestled within Italy’s mountains, reminds us that no one remained unaffected by the horrors and senseless murder of the innocent women, children, elderly and handicapped people.
nice tour with a Masseratti!
The Albert speer voice over is the best ever of all time
Provocatively
my late great uncle harry worked as an engineer for canadian pacific during world war two , he told me all about sailing into salerno on the duchess of bedford carrying u s troops , rip uncle harry
There is an excellent statue of Stanley Hollis in Middlesbrough town centre. Very life like
Just read the book and it’s excellent - would highly recommend. The Savage Storm by James Holland (obviously)…
I could listen to James read the dictionary. His podcast with Al Murray is also fantastic.
Mowat became a famous author after the war. Also when I served with the seaforth highlanders of Canada in the early 90s, I had the privilege of meeting Smokey smith . He won the VC in Italy.
No he did not. He earned his VC at the Savio River in Oct 1944 nearly a year after Ortona. I never met him but I attended his funeral in 2005. The only VC awarded for Ortona was for the action at Casa Beradi outside of the town. The VC was awarded to Capt Paul Triquet of the Vandoos. I believe there were a few DSOs awarded including one to Maj Jim Stone of the Loyal Edmonton Regt who later was awarded another for commanding 2 PPCLI at the Battle of Kapyong in the Korean War.
ETA. I just looked it up. Stone was awarded the MC for Ortona and the DSO later for San Fortunato Ridge where he was the CO of the Eddies. Between WW2 and Korea, he received the DSO 3 times!
Thomas boys, this is about Grandad's battle through Italy with the 8th Army, thought it might interest you xxx
21:04 knock knock lmao! 😂
I love James Holland and History Hitt! Such great story tellers. But I wish EVERYONE would stop with the fading from one person reading a quote to another voice reading the same quote. It is always hard to understand. History Hitt thankfully included the quote written on the screen. Please just have the other voice read all the quote. I don't understand why so many movies and documentaries do this. Very annoying. That being said, I will watch just about anything with James Holland in it. I love learning about WWII, and he is a wonderfully entertaining expert.
Regarding the resistance in Naples you should have interviewed Professor Isabella Insolvibile. Such a shame you did not :(
Researched well
My Grandad was in charge of mortars during the invasion
Nice Maserati James
I had a cousin who WAS KiA at Anzio with the KOYLI.
The Allies instead of exploiting their overwhelming air and naval superiority chose to fight up the spiny mountainous peninsula against the German's strength at defensive warfare. Anzio could have been a resounding success if the Allies gave the invasion force enough support.
At 1:04 there's a mistake in the translation captioning. The first bn in to Ortona was the Loyal Edmonton Regt not the Royal Edmonton Regt. If you listen closely, the Italian historian gets it correct.
When Rome was captured from the Germans by the Allies no one noticed because it happened the day before D Day.
Auchtung auchtung history perfect
I had two uncles who were "D Day dodgers"
My grandfather fought in Italy with the Canadians
Thanks to your Grandfather from a Grateful Canadian 🙏🇨🇦
You seem to be missing an entire army, which also landed in Sicily.
My dad and uncle went on to Monty casino
Right you followers of this doco, Google DDay Dodgers and select the one showing a tank and hear a fruity version of the soldiers version of the DDay Dodgers song.
My grans brother John church battled though Italy with the 3rd commando unit
🎖️🏆⭐🙏❤️🩹🛐
Thank you for sharing this
This is a classic case of the Americans refusing to work with the Brits.
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The Allies can thank Lucky Luciano for the smooth Allied landings with basically no opposition on those Italian beaches. Than not long afterwards you have Bobby Kennedy trying to take down the Mob.pretty good Hugh!...never trust governments.
The Italy invasion just made me despise the egotistical idiot that was Mark Clark. He was the reason that so many Germans escaped from the Gustav line and Italy still had so much resistance after the D day landings. If you're fighting for the glory like he was then you need to get over yourself.... You're fighting to beat the Germans. Let's also not forget how he decided to land on the beach without any sort of fire before also. Totally wrong person for the job
Did you know on Dday there were 2 American beaches and 3 British
Lovely documentary. James Holland also has a series called Walking The Ground on RUclips that he does with Al Murray. Currently on Operation Market Garden, and they've already been to Normandy: ruclips.net/channel/UCNZ6VMrmina1IkAZ9VkXJPQ
Liberal use of James’s favourite word, “beetling”.
So if the invasion was in 1943, why would some call the as you said D-Day dodgers when 99.99% of anyone didn't even know the meaning of D-Day or when it was going to be?
Because they were in "sunny Italy," not France at the time of D-Day. It was just a prejudiced remark, by people who probably didn't fight anywhere.
Spoiler Alert: The Germans in Italy kept fighting until the end of the war.
Tom would never stoop to this Jim. Dan Snows history hit?
27:12 wtf is going on with that guys hair
Different region, different styles. Makes the world interesting
Great documentary but please don't blur images, it's war and war is hell!! I see a Fiat hire car wasn't good enough for our James Holland but a Maserati, really!
Uh why are we starting after sicily isnt that important
made for Britain
oh ALLIED ... not Alien.
much less exciting.
Mark Clark- one of the worst US generals of WW II. So bad, they brought him back for Korea.
Egomaniac who cared about nothing besides himself
Once again Italian armed forces chuck it in when their country is to be invaded.😢
23:42 In Memoriam to Eric Fletcher Waters. Father of the Pink Floyd bassist Roger and written about in the song The Gunners Dream off the 1984 album The Final Cut. #LestWeForget. 🎚️🇬🇧🎸
Why did you hide the video with the soviet apologist? I mean, you already edited that part out anyway?
ruclips.net/video/7FkAwxqNyws/видео.html&ab_channel=HistoryHit
The soft underbelly of Europe?
Another fiasco ask granpa that was at anzio
😻👍
A proper historian unlike the propaganda spewing hacks you've had on recently.
Agreed. That was quite the cluster.
My history serves me correctly pivotal battle was at casino and Anzio not on the other side of Italy you limes can’t get over the us army won that war for you
aaaahhhh BUT.... was the soviet union evil?
You mean the the guys that killed a significant percentage of thier own people to stay in power?
Yes it was
21:01 nice touch
My grandmother didn't wait for my grandfather to bring syphilis back from Italy, no, she was ahead of the game with canadian airmen; well, their chocolates and nylons were worth never having dilating pupils ever again!
I guess?!?
What!?