Just watched this video the first one I just came across it so I’m going to watch all others you’ve done/do Tell me though is it just about the American input in Normandy or do the British get mentioned?? Only asking because my father was in Normandy and I’d love to see the places before and after Also are you going to document the Burma part of the War??
Hello buddy. Thank you for checking out the channel. I have plans for lots of British and Canadian content, you can see some I’ve done already. I’m a serving British army officer so definitely keen to cover more events towards Caen. I will also visit the Netherlands later this year and I have plans to get to Singapore 👍
@@thehistoryexplorerI have just watched your trailer WW2 Normandy October 2023 and commented but please can you tell me what the song is you’re playing. It’s beautiful and heart breaking at the same time
My father was an aid man in the infantry during WWII. He often spoke of many of the places you visit. I picture him there as a young 19 year old and the experiences he had that shaped his life. I only wish he was here to share these amazing videos with me.
Thank you for not sanitizing the video or over dramatizing your comments or the musical background. Well done. I think it's important to present the events as they actually happened without any embellishment or editing so that viewers can experience the reality of those events as horrific and gruesome as they may be. It's also important to note that when we see victims of that terrible war who fought against us they too had families who loved them. Hopefully with a common humanity we will one day learn how to avoid wars and give the young people who fight those wars a chance at life. God Bless.
@@godfreyzilla8608 People don’t start wars, politicians do and as voting clearly doesn’t work, there is always a certainty of war. Ukraine is a genocide happening in Europe right now, as is Palestine and both are related to oil and gas supply. The fascists are gathering strength again due to the evident corruption that has caused massive divisions in European countries and their common enemy is simplistic xenophobia. When it kicks off again, you won’t find me in a uniform.
You Tube is out of control with censorship...but there is no one who can enforce "free speech"....to tell the mofo's to pull their heads in...........yet.
Greetings from Japan. When I was thirteen years old, in the school library of my junior high school, I saw the same photograph of the dead German soldier as in this video. ( 1:09 and 4:30 ) The impact of the photo was so big that I still remember the image. Only the image, I don’t think there was any explanation of where it took place on the book, or I just don’t remember it. Exactly half a century later, thanks to your video, I can know where and when the photo was taken, and how the soldier was killed. I am grateful for your work.
Great video! A dear sweet friend of mine who passed away several years ago was wounded by shrapnel just outside of Cherbourg on the 30th of July of 1944. This one was special for me!
I don't know why I always watch theses videos I look for my dad he was there during WW2 he fought from beginning To the end and went on to fight in Korea I watch like he going to show up in one it wouldn't surprise me really he was a master Sargent and never talked about it his dream's in 5 different languages sometimes were very violent there wasn't much we could do for him it's when mom made us go outside and play young people don't realize what these men went through so they can have the privileges they got don't waste your life make something of yourself R.I.P Master Sargent John Schenato Arlington cemetery 1918 to 1981 we miss you
Thankyou for the reminder through these photos that all human life is precious. Those soldiers, American and German were someone’s son, brother, maybe husband, maybe father. Such loss yet we still have young men and women who die, will be ever be able to stop wars? They shall grow not old: Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. We will remember them. I hope those five men are still remembered by someone.
Thank you for putting this incredible footage together. It’s a deeply sad and poignant tribute to those young men (on both sides) who tragically lost their lives in the futility of war.
I'm from Normandy and live near Caen. My father was only 9 years old ind 1944 and he still remember the Germans occupation, the DDAY bombing raids, that was amazing cos the ground was shaking all the day ! So much things are engraves in his memory . Just wanted to thank you for the great job you make here. And thank you again on this special day (06 june) to all our liberatours !
I AM FROM PERU AND THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST WORKS I HAVE SEEN ON RUclips, EXCELLENT IMAGES, TOUCHING STORIES AND THE OVERLAPPING OF THE PHOTOS, BEFORE AND NOW, ARE AMAZING, SPECTACULAR AND PRECISE. GOOD WORK MY FRIEND AND CONGRATULATIONS.
How innocuous these places are,, thousands pass daily not knowing what happened on these roads, streets and doorways, but thanks to you,, we get a real sense of what happened there !! War is such a horrible experience,, having fought in 2, and being in conflict in Bosnia 🇧🇦 I know what it is!! 3 lives taken for the cost of 2,, 🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿 ! Rest in peace 🪦 I hope diplomacy can prevail and prevent such violence in the future!! But as we see in Palestine, Ukraine, Haiti , we haven’t learned from the past!! God bless❤️❤️
actually, they do know in France, Luxembourg, Belgium - they learn about it at school, often singing anthems of either the US or allied countries - depending on who liberated. The streets have Allied names, the memorials are everywhere. Maybe you. meant US children?
@@nzfreeskiThat’s wonderful to hear . A lot of US children are not told much about WW 2. Those classes in high school are electives , not required . It’s a shame . Those of us who had fathers and uncles in the US army or marines they didn’t talk about it much . My father would watch the history channel but never a WW2 movie . He was in the occupied forces but I had uncles in the marines . We were never to ask them about it . They kept those memories, the good and the bad .
Watched dozens of these vids and this one is the best. My dad was in the Pacific in the War. .these young people of today need to be made to watch these vids so they can appreciate what the greatest generation was all about
Thank you for putting in so much hard work and posting the “then and now” videos. I always look forward to viewing them and sharing them with others. They’re very engaging and informative. As always, keep up the good work. It’s very much appreciated.
My brothers father-in-law was in the Normandy invasion and made it alive on the Omaha Beach landing, but could never talk about what happened that horrible day.
I've been there before and knew about the guy on the steps. had no idea there was another one right next to him. Crazy to think what has happened where you walk
Amazing seeing the fallen soldiers in doorways on the streets. Thinking good bad or indifferent this is where their souls departed this life. If this doesn't move you your not breathing
@@thehistoryexplorer They are someone's son , that's what I was thinking looking at the face of this young man laying down bidding farewell to his youth, his dreams and wishes🙍
It was kill or be killed as we know. It always touches me lots as a mother of adult sons. My son has a nice framed photo (it was in the frame) of a handsome young german guy and he has a slight look of trepidation. We think he probably died in the snow. Not sure how my son thinks that but my son is a history major. He would've known somehow. We were sad there's no name on it.
When you think of those two dead German soldiers and the three US combat engineers they killed, it hits you how absolutely stupid and futile war is. Those five young men lost their lives in a skirmish that didn't change one little aspect of the war - five young lives gone, for what ? Their deaths didn't change the course of the war, not really, but they devastated the lives of their families- the American families who prayed in vain for the safety of their beloved sons, brothers or even husbands and fathers, and the same for the German families- but they most probably never received an official notification of their deaths, and waited for years for their sons to return home - but they had died in a French street.
No sympathy for the German soldiers or their families. They could have changed the course of the war if they had the morals and courage to stand up to the madman hitler. Every German is complicit in that way.
Life is too short to be at war with anyone. I can’t begin to imagine the mothers worrying where their sons were. Being a mother of one son it would be unbearable to let him go.
@@tinatina1104 Most wars are not fought because of land ownership / control, but because of different ideas and control of people The (UN)civil war was not about land/ territory. Neither was the Revolutionary ..or Korean...or VietNam.
Fantastic video. It is so fascinating to look at black and white photos of WWII photos and transpose them against the same backdrop of today. I’ve always felt like I’ve lived through WWII even though I was born generations after that war ended. Fantastic job putting this video together guys. RIP our soldiers who lost their lives fighting for us. Huge thumbs up. 👍🙏🏻
I know exactly what you mean! First time I went to Normandy I felt like I’d been there before…probably because of all the pictures I’d seen. Magical place
@@thehistoryexplorer Me too. When I was in the military stationed in Germany, I went on several tour bus trips with WWII American veterans and we traveled from Germany to France through Belgium and visited several battle sites and cemeteries. Walking through Verdun, and Normandy area, it all felt like I’ve been there before. Few years before I was even in the military, I’ve had dreams of being a soldier getting into the back seat of an open top Mercedes with a young lady. It felt so real that after I woke up, I was confused who I was and where I was for few minutes. Strange indeed.
Thank you so much for creating this. My grandfather was a 2nd LT in the 9th ID and he helped liberate Cherbourg. He was horribly wounded at St Lo but survived. He spent 6 months at the Greenbrier in WV recovering. He originally wanted to enlist in airborne but was told he was too old. Because he had prior service as a Marine, he went to OCS and was a 90 day wonder. I have the letters he wrote to my grandmother while he was in France. Amazing bit of history.
Absolutely superb! My uncle was a 505 PIR trooper dropped far from DZ and captured, marched to Cherbourg, put on a train, marched through Briquebec to Besneville(which I visited in ‘16) strafed by our planes, wounded, & liberated. To get this view of the rail yard where he might have been is priceless.
I've seen a lot of these before/after videos but the way you morph the before with the after is pretty amazing. It puts you there and you can almost feel the emotions
I walked these places in the 1980's - stationed in Germany. I wish I had the video cameras, computers, software, and the Internet of today. Nice job. On the other hand as I did my exploring many locals would come up to me and relate their memories of the events I was documenting. They showed great interest in the books that I had with me helping to locate the then and nows.
@@thehistoryexplorer We had limited info back then - just books. The backseat of my Opel was like a book shelf. The locals wanted my books but they were hard to come by and I always felt bad when I declined to give/sell my tomes to them.
Interesting video, thanks for all the extra information, I turned these photos into then & now mixed images about 14 years ago, but never got to visit the locations.
Ça c'est de la bonne superposition d'images. Pas trop longue, avec un aller et un retour, et une incrustation très précise. D'autres vidéos du même type n'ont pas cette qualité. Bravo.
So well done....thanks. I was just about two months old at that time. I don't know if my dad was there, but he did serve in France somewhere. Wish he was still here to tell me where.
As all your videos are, absolutely brilliant! Thank you for all the time you put into these recreations and the accompanying history lessons. Cheers from Minnesota.
This is amazing. One of the most fascinating channels on RUclips. Amazing research and overlay, plus the carefully empathetic music. What a brilliant combination, so that we do not forget the past and the countless sacrifices that were, and that we do not repeat the past. What a terrible waste of such sacred life. Thank you.
Wow. Simply blown away by the impact your videos have made on me. They are stunning my friend. Music is beautiful and the skill of shooting and editing the videos are perdection. My new favourite channel and you have my subscription buddy. I love it. ❤
Un très grand merci pour le travail que vous faites les reconstitutions les superpositions des images les recherches de l'histoire de la Seconde Guerre mondiale en tant que Français c'est touchant👍🇨🇵
imagine... the place where we stand now is a place that was previously used for war, a place for combat equipment, a place where perhaps soldiers lost their lives. RIP all of them.🥀🥀
Have you ever thought about showing these pictures to the locals passing by? I wonder if the civilians living there are aware they pass by spots where soldiers once lay dead. Might be interesting to see their reactions.
That picture of the German soldier lying in the stairway is so moving. Although he was German his bravery was unquestionable. Why on earth the two men never surrendered we will never know. Five lives wasted.
The stories that would of went around about POW camps and rumours of what happens. Especially if was SS as they knew what they did to captured people. Different world then and mind sets.
Excellent footage, I did feel sorry for the guy who was dead on the stairs, and the one under the window, it brings it home that so many people died, my dad had nightmares about it all until he died in 1988
@@thehistoryexplorer great content though so will pick up again soon. I got demonitized and had to appeal to get back in. That really flatlined my stats.
@@The_WW2_Encyclopedia oh bugger! There’s been a lot of that recently. Flagged as ‘re-used content’ when it isn’t. YT AI just isn’t up to the volume and nuance required
My beloved battleship, Texas, emptied her 14 inch shell storage on Cherbourg. And then return to England for a refill. Upon arriving back at the battle the front line was out of the range of her guns so the captain flooded one of the torpedo blisters, causing the ship to tilt giving her the range she needed to still wreak havoc on the German troops.
@@thehistoryexplorer I have lived in the area of the battleship, Texas my entire life. I have donated to her many many times financially. Had an uncle that served on her during World War II, and was on her at Cherbourg. he passed about 20 years ago. I have a RUclips channel where I cover several military subjects. However, I specialize in videos on the battleship Texas. She is currently in the process of having repair work done to the tune of $60 million and I have heard estimates as high as 72 million more than her original cost of 5.7 million. That was in 1912, lol. She just came out of dry dock where she had approximately 80% of her outer hull replaced. She is currently floating better than she has in decades. Right now she is sitting back in the water and her wooden deck is being removed, the steel underneath the wooden deck will be repaired and then a new wooden deck replaced. Also all but two of her deck guns, with the exception of the 14 inch turret, have been removed, and for about two years now have been undergoing restoration. When they are replaced back on the ship, they will be in fully operational condition with the exception of a missing firing. One of her smaller 3 inch guns will remain fully functional with a firing pin so that it can be fired from time to time. Once all repairs are done, she is being moved to a new location in Galveston, Texas, where she is expected to get a much higher visitation rate. If you look up gulf copper shipyard in Galveston, Texas, on Google Earth, you will see her floating at dock F.
Correction I see the satellite photo on Google Earth is old. In that photo she is still in the floating dry dock. However, in reality she has been re-floated and moved over to dock number F, which is the longest dock at the shipyard.
Beeindruckendes Video. Das Blut, was die Treppen hinunterläuft..... Der Soldat sieht fast schlafend aus, als hätte er es endlich hinter sich gebracht. Du machst damit wertvolle Aufarbeitung über die Sinnlosigkeit des 2. WK.
Dziękuję za niesamowity film i przeniesienie nas w czasie do tragicznej historii. Zapraszam do Polski do Wrocławia i zrobienie materiału o oblężeniu miasta dawnej twierdzy Festung Breslau. Pozdrawiam 👋
Merci pour ces remarquable travail de recherche effectuer cela fait plaisir de voir des jeunes qui rendent omage a tout ces héros mort pour libérer notre pays. Amitiees Michel
Such powerful images. And thank you for for being so polite for both sides. So many videos talk about Nazi soldiers and it's so pejorative about Germany. Yes, it was the party that was elected, but they were German first. So many enlisted for their country and not for savage acts as some describes. There was a lot of war crimes on both sides, but so many paints all the German soldiers with the same brush. The dead should be respected as they fought until the end for what they believe in. So thank you again for such an incredible video!
@@thehistoryexplorer I have watched all your contents And I'm blown away from how much dedication you have put in to it and honestly the thought and money to achieve such I can appreciate your effort
Thank you for this video.The section of the dead German soldier sat in the stair well is one of the photos that I think is very poignant and moving. I am of the age that first became interested in then and now photos in the 1970s with the After The Battle magazines. Keep up the good work
A man after my own heart. I love then and now stuff. Nothing quite connects you to the location and events. I’m also convinced there is some sort of energy left behind!
We used to travel past the big "Cherbourg " sign many times on our way to our first stop at St Mere Eglais. There is now a ring road so no need to use the road anymore. Absolutely fascinated to know what took place there. Thanks I have subscribed.
My uncle was a master sergeant (also called a "wire chief") in the U.S. Army Signal Corps, and he served in Cherbourg for months restoring and maintaining the cross-channel undersea communication lines, which came ashore there. He said when they first rode into town on their trucks the French girls were leaning out the second-story windows of buildings yelling obscenities at the Americans; the Germans had been good to them, apparently. He had several interesting stories about his time there. RIP Uncle Jack Thanks for the thoughtful, well-done video.
Just watched this video the first one I just came across it so I’m going to watch all others you’ve done/do Tell me though is it just about the American input in Normandy or do the British get mentioned?? Only asking because my father was in Normandy and I’d love to see the places before and after
Also are you going to document the Burma part of the War??
Hello buddy. Thank you for checking out the channel.
I have plans for lots of British and Canadian content, you can see some I’ve done already.
I’m a serving British army officer so definitely keen to cover more events towards Caen. I will also visit the Netherlands later this year and I have plans to get to Singapore 👍
@@thehistoryexplorer thank you
@@thehistoryexplorerI have just watched your trailer WW2 Normandy October 2023 and commented but please can you tell me what the song is you’re playing. It’s beautiful and heart breaking at the same time
@@theresaryan2280it’s called Sgt Mackenzie
@@thehistoryexplorer thank you so much
My father was an aid man in the infantry during WWII. He often spoke of many of the places you visit. I picture him there as a young 19 year old and the experiences he had that shaped his life. I only wish he was here to share these amazing videos with me.
Thanks for sharing, I bet he had some stories to tell!
Having known my dad too was in France then I can understand how you feel.
Thank you for not sanitizing the video or over dramatizing your comments or the musical background. Well done. I think it's important to present the events as they actually happened without any embellishment or editing so that viewers can experience the reality of those events as horrific and gruesome as they may be. It's also important to note that when we see victims of that terrible war who fought against us they too had families who loved them. Hopefully with a common humanity we will one day learn how to avoid wars and give the young people who fight those wars a chance at life. God Bless.
Thank you Godfrey and we’ll said. I’m surprised RUclips did not censor it actually
@@godfreyzilla8608 People don’t start wars, politicians do and as voting clearly doesn’t work, there is always a certainty of war. Ukraine is a genocide happening in Europe right now, as is Palestine and both are related to oil and gas supply.
The fascists are gathering strength again due to the evident corruption that has caused massive divisions in European countries and their common enemy is simplistic xenophobia. When it kicks off again, you won’t find me in a uniform.
You Tube is out of control with censorship...but there is no one who can enforce "free speech"....to tell the mofo's to pull their heads in...........yet.
Astonishing images, beautifully put together and narrated. What a treat. Utube at it’s very best, thank you!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Such powerful images so many years later have such an impact of sorrow & sadness.
Greetings from Japan.
When I was thirteen years old, in the school library of my junior high school, I saw the same photograph of the dead German soldier as in this video. ( 1:09 and 4:30 )
The impact of the photo was so big that I still remember the image. Only the image, I don’t think there was any explanation of where it took place on the book, or I just don’t remember it.
Exactly half a century later, thanks to your video, I can know where and when the photo was taken, and how the soldier was killed. I am grateful for your work.
Thank you for sharing! Wow, what a connection
Great video! A dear sweet friend of mine who passed away several years ago was wounded by shrapnel just outside of Cherbourg on the 30th of July of 1944. This one was special for me!
Wow! Barely days after this footage was shot
I don't know why I always watch theses videos I look for my dad he was there during WW2 he fought from beginning To the end and went on to fight in Korea I watch like he going to show up in one it wouldn't surprise me really he was a master Sargent and never talked about it his dream's in 5 different languages sometimes were very violent there wasn't much we could do for him it's when mom made us go outside and play young people don't realize what these men went through so they can have the privileges they got don't waste your life make something of yourself R.I.P Master Sargent John Schenato Arlington cemetery 1918 to 1981 we miss you
So eerie, looking back in time at the precise locations of these historic events.
Thankyou for the reminder through these photos that all human life is precious. Those soldiers, American and German were someone’s son, brother, maybe husband, maybe father. Such loss yet we still have young men and women who die, will be ever be able to stop wars?
They shall grow not old: Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. We will remember them. I hope those five men are still remembered by someone.
Well said my friend
SÓ QUANDO JESUS VOLTAR COMO JUIZ AGORA PARA ESSA PAZ CHEGAR, OS PREPARADOS A IGREJA, VERÁ ESS DIA. DEUS É FIEL,,
Thank you for putting this incredible footage together.
It’s a deeply sad and poignant tribute to those young men (on both sides) who tragically lost their lives in the futility of war.
Thank you very much. It was my pleasure
So very well written and so very true.
@@MrAuldphartThank you sir 🙂
I'm from Normandy and live near Caen. My father was only 9 years old ind 1944 and he still remember the Germans occupation, the DDAY bombing raids, that was amazing cos the ground was shaking all the day ! So much things are engraves in his memory . Just wanted to thank you for the great job you make here. And thank you again on this special day (06 june) to all our liberatours !
You are most welcome my friend. What a beautiful place you live
I AM FROM PERU AND THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST WORKS I HAVE SEEN ON RUclips, EXCELLENT IMAGES, TOUCHING STORIES AND THE OVERLAPPING OF THE PHOTOS, BEFORE AND NOW, ARE AMAZING, SPECTACULAR AND PRECISE. GOOD WORK MY FRIEND AND CONGRATULATIONS.
Wow thank you my friend
How innocuous these places are,, thousands pass daily not knowing what happened on these roads, streets and doorways, but thanks to you,, we get a real sense of what happened there !! War is such a horrible experience,, having fought in 2, and being in conflict in Bosnia 🇧🇦 I know what it is!! 3 lives taken for the cost of 2,, 🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿 ! Rest in peace 🪦 I hope diplomacy can prevail and prevent such violence in the future!! But as we see in Palestine, Ukraine, Haiti , we haven’t learned from the past!! God bless❤️❤️
Well said my friend. Great comment
the younger generation would never know what happened in that part of the neighborhood if you never made this video- great work !
Thank buddy. Hope you enjoyed it
actually, they do know in France, Luxembourg, Belgium - they learn about it at school, often singing anthems of either the US or allied countries - depending on who liberated. The streets have Allied names, the memorials are everywhere. Maybe you. meant US children?
@@nzfreeskiThat’s wonderful to hear . A lot of US children are not told much about WW 2. Those classes in high school are electives , not required . It’s a shame . Those of us who had fathers and uncles in the US army or marines they didn’t talk about it much . My father would watch the history channel but never a WW2 movie . He was in the occupied forces but I had uncles in the marines . We were never to ask them about it . They kept those memories, the good and the bad .
I enjoy Then and Now images on any subject. Thank you for respectfully doing this.
Watched dozens of these vids and this one is the best. My dad was in the Pacific in the War. .these young people of today need to be made to watch these vids so they can appreciate what the greatest generation was all about
Thank you very much!
ruclips.net/p/PLYe0nvKOCf_bZGae_W4EGXZpEWTFw3qKY
Thank you for putting in so much hard work and posting the “then and now” videos. I always look forward to viewing them and sharing them with others. They’re very engaging and informative. As always, keep up the good work. It’s very much appreciated.
You are most welcome! I appreciate your support 👍
My brothers father-in-law was in the Normandy invasion and made it alive on the Omaha Beach landing, but could never talk about what happened that horrible day.
I've been there before and knew about the guy on the steps. had no idea there was another one right next to him. Crazy to think what has happened where you walk
Amazing seeing the fallen soldiers in doorways on the streets.
Thinking good bad or indifferent this is where their souls departed this life.
If this doesn't move you your not breathing
Well said. Regardless of side or beliefs they are someone’s son, brother, father etc
@@thehistoryexplorer They are someone's son , that's what I was thinking looking at the face of this young man laying down bidding farewell to his youth, his dreams and wishes🙍
@@sarahwithanh.4368 you’re absolutely right. It’s a very sad and powerful picture showing the consequences of war
Yes ,you are right😢
It was kill or be killed as we know. It always touches me lots as a mother of adult sons. My son has a nice framed photo (it was in the frame) of a handsome young german guy and he has a slight look of trepidation. We think he probably died in the snow. Not sure how my son thinks that but my son is a history major.
He would've known somehow. We were sad there's no name on it.
When you think of those two dead German soldiers and the three US combat engineers they killed, it hits you how absolutely stupid and futile war is. Those five young men lost their lives in a skirmish that didn't change one little aspect of the war - five young lives gone, for what ? Their deaths didn't change the course of the war, not really, but they devastated the lives of their families- the American families who prayed in vain for the safety of their beloved sons, brothers or even husbands and fathers, and the same for the German families- but they most probably never received an official notification of their deaths, and waited for years for their sons to return home - but they had died in a French street.
Excellent viewpoint
No sympathy for the German soldiers or their families. They could have changed the course of the war if they had the morals and courage to stand up to the madman hitler. Every German is complicit in that way.
Life is too short to be at war with anyone. I can’t begin to imagine the mothers worrying where their sons were. Being a mother of one son it would be unbearable to let him go.
@@tinatina1104
Most wars are not fought because of
land ownership / control, but because
of different ideas and control of people
The (UN)civil war was not about land/
territory. Neither was the Revolutionary ..or Korean...or VietNam.
@robertwalker5521 all wars changed after WW1 for some reason
Fantastic video. It is so fascinating to look at black and white photos of WWII photos and transpose them against the same backdrop of today. I’ve always felt like I’ve lived through WWII even though I was born generations after that war ended.
Fantastic job putting this video together guys. RIP our soldiers who lost their lives fighting for us. Huge thumbs up. 👍🙏🏻
I know exactly what you mean! First time I went to Normandy I felt like I’d been there before…probably because of all the pictures I’d seen. Magical place
@@thehistoryexplorer Me too. When I was in the military stationed in Germany, I went on several tour bus trips with WWII American veterans and we traveled from Germany to France through Belgium and visited several battle sites and cemeteries. Walking through Verdun, and Normandy area, it all felt like I’ve been there before. Few years before I was even in the military, I’ve had dreams of being a soldier getting into the back seat of an open top Mercedes with a young lady. It felt so real that after I woke up, I was confused who I was and where I was for few minutes. Strange indeed.
Thank you so much for creating this. My grandfather was a 2nd LT in the 9th ID and he helped liberate Cherbourg. He was horribly wounded at St Lo but survived. He spent 6 months at the Greenbrier in WV recovering. He originally wanted to enlist in airborne but was told he was too old. Because he had prior service as a Marine, he went to OCS and was a 90 day wonder. I have the letters he wrote to my grandmother while he was in France. Amazing bit of history.
Amazing story, thank you for sharing. You must be very proud of his legacy. I hope you enjoyed this video too, I have hundreds more on the way
How wonderful you have his letters. I wish I had my dad's letters to my mom....they weren't even mentioned to me.
As my mother often said: "Without the Americans....". Merci, merci, merci....
Powerfully moving. Thank you for retracing those steps through history.
Excellent as always. It's amazing how much is still there after all these years.
Couldn't agree more! Some parts of Normandy haven’t changed at all
Absolutely superb! My uncle was a 505 PIR trooper dropped far from DZ and captured, marched to Cherbourg, put on a train, marched through Briquebec to Besneville(which I visited in ‘16) strafed by our planes, wounded, & liberated. To get this view of the rail yard where he might have been is priceless.
Wow! What a war
@@thehistoryexplorer Thank you for helping to keep these stories alive.
I've seen a lot of these before/after videos but the way you morph the before with the after is pretty amazing. It puts you there and you can almost feel the emotions
So glad you enjoyed it! Appreciate the feedback
I walked these places in the 1980's - stationed in Germany. I wish I had the video cameras, computers, software, and the Internet of today. Nice job. On the other hand as I did my exploring many locals would come up to me and relate their memories of the events I was documenting. They showed great interest in the books that I had with me helping to locate the then and nows.
Brilliant. I wish I had been able to engage with more veterans and those who experienced war in their doorstep
@@thehistoryexplorer We had limited info back then - just books. The backseat of my Opel was like a book shelf. The locals wanted my books but they were hard to come by and I always felt bad when I declined to give/sell my tomes to them.
Thank you, so moving! My heart aches for all those soldiers Americans and Germans that lost their lives in these senseless wars. 😢
You are most welcome
Interesting video, thanks for all the extra information, I turned these photos into then & now mixed images about 14 years ago, but never got to visit the locations.
I love these segments of places and people of times past -to how it looks now. 👌 Absolutely great! ❤
So glad you enjoyed the video! Thanks for the comment
Ça c'est de la bonne superposition d'images.
Pas trop longue, avec un aller et un retour, et une incrustation très précise.
D'autres vidéos du même type n'ont pas cette qualité.
Bravo.
Thank you my friend. Much appreciated
Many thanks for this video. I was born in Cherbourg and you filmed my neighborhood where im growing up! This neighborhood is called "Le Roule"👍👍👍
So well done....thanks. I was just about two months old at that time. I don't know if my dad was there, but he did serve in France somewhere. Wish he was still here to tell me where.
Very powerful. This really makes history feel much closer.
It’s why I love then and now comparisons. So powerful
Excellent work!
Thank you! Cheers!
Fascinating. I'm such a history buff, I absolutely love theses videos 📹 keep them coming
Thank you Joe
As all your videos are, absolutely brilliant! Thank you for all the time you put into these recreations and the accompanying history lessons. Cheers from Minnesota.
Thank you my friend. It really means a lot to know people are enjoying these videos
This is amazing. One of the most fascinating channels on RUclips. Amazing research and overlay, plus the carefully empathetic music. What a brilliant combination, so that we do not forget the past and the countless sacrifices that were, and that we do not repeat the past. What a terrible waste of such sacred life.
Thank you.
You are most welcome my friend, and thank you for the kind feedback. Means a lot 👍
@@thehistoryexplorer it’s amazing work
Merci pour ces photos et ces pages d'histoire encore trés présente dans les mémoires des français.👍
The beautiful France! My favourite
Of all the 'Then and Now' This one is the very best: you really spend time, and put the pictures in context. Kudos and God bless you John 3:16
Thank you!
Wow. Simply blown away by the impact your videos have made on me. They are stunning my friend. Music is beautiful and the skill of shooting and editing the videos are perdection. My new favourite channel and you have my subscription buddy. I love it. ❤
So glad to hear it! Thank you for the kind feedback and I hope you’ll enjoy the channel, I have hundreds of videos coming
Un très grand merci pour le travail que vous faites les reconstitutions les superpositions des images les recherches de l'histoire de la Seconde Guerre mondiale en tant que Français c'est touchant👍🇨🇵
Beautiful France. I love it
imagine... the place where we stand now is a place that was previously used for war, a place for combat equipment, a place where perhaps soldiers lost their lives. RIP all of them.🥀🥀
Thank you
Well done Rob. Fab episode. I look forward to the rest from your new series 👍
You’re most welcome mate. So happy you enjoyed the video
Have you ever thought about showing these pictures to the locals passing by? I wonder if the civilians living there are aware they pass by spots where soldiers once lay dead. Might be interesting to see their reactions.
Excellent presentation, the way you fade and overlap also your descriptions with a sense of respect, all the young people who died , tragic
Thank you my friend 👍
Much appreciated buddy
I thank you for your work, which I greatly admire.
It is my pleasure
That picture of the German soldier lying in the stairway is so moving. Although he was German his bravery was unquestionable. Why on earth the two men never surrendered we will never know. Five lives wasted.
Because they were ideological condition, to server there leader, prob ss
@@antoniostamndley8272 It did not need to be a SS to fight to death beyond your duty
The stories that would of went around about POW camps and rumours of what happens. Especially if was SS as they knew what they did to captured people. Different world then and mind sets.
And just think so many high-ranking Nazi officers hightail to Argentina not fighting to the death not even getting dirty@@kaa13
@@antoniostamndley8272wrong. There was a HUGE difference between the SS and the Wehrmacht - the Wehrmacht were ordinary soldiers just doing their job.
Excellent footage, I did feel sorry for the guy who was dead on the stairs, and the one under the window, it brings it home that so many people died, my dad had nightmares about it all until he died in 1988
So sorry to hear that. We always forget the pain of those who survived too
Thank you for bringing these videos.👍🏻
My pleasure!
I love the way you do the Then and Now photos. It helps me to see it better! Thank you for bringing History to life for me
Glad you like them! Thank you for the feedback
Amazing job Rob... really enjoyed that!
Thanks Shane! Appreciate it. Wish I hadn’t taken that gap in posts though. 6.8CTR and only minimal impressions 🤦♂️
@@thehistoryexplorer great content though so will pick up again soon. I got demonitized and had to appeal to get back in. That really flatlined my stats.
@@The_WW2_Encyclopedia oh bugger! There’s been a lot of that recently. Flagged as ‘re-used content’ when it isn’t. YT AI just isn’t up to the volume and nuance required
@@thehistoryexplorer that's exactly what it said! I didn't realise I wasn't the only one!
I love seeing these then and now photos. It is fascinating to me!
I love it too
My beloved battleship, Texas, emptied her 14 inch shell storage on Cherbourg. And then return to England for a refill. Upon arriving back at the battle the front line was out of the range of her guns so the captain flooded one of the torpedo blisters, causing the ship to tilt giving her the range she needed to still wreak havoc on the German troops.
Wow thanks for sharing. Brilliant info. What’s your link to the Texas?
@@thehistoryexplorer I have lived in the area of the battleship, Texas my entire life. I have donated to her many many times financially. Had an uncle that served on her during World War II, and was on her at Cherbourg. he passed about 20 years ago. I have a RUclips channel where I cover several military subjects. However, I specialize in videos on the battleship Texas. She is currently in the process of having repair work done to the tune of $60 million and I have heard estimates as high as 72 million more than her original cost of 5.7 million. That was in 1912, lol. She just came out of dry dock where she had approximately 80% of her outer hull replaced. She is currently floating better than she has in decades. Right now she is sitting back in the water and her wooden deck is being removed, the steel underneath the wooden deck will be repaired and then a new wooden deck replaced. Also all but two of her deck guns, with the exception of the 14 inch turret, have been removed, and for about two years now have been undergoing restoration. When they are replaced back on the ship, they will be in fully operational condition with the exception of a missing firing. One of her smaller 3 inch guns will remain fully functional with a firing pin so that it can be fired from time to time. Once all repairs are done, she is being moved to a new location in Galveston, Texas, where she is expected to get a much higher visitation rate. If you look up gulf copper shipyard in Galveston, Texas, on Google Earth, you will see her floating at dock F.
Correction I see the satellite photo on Google Earth is old. In that photo she is still in the floating dry dock. However, in reality she has been re-floated and moved over to dock number F, which is the longest dock at the shipyard.
@@AJeepADroneAndAnOldManthat’s great. I know about your channel and have che Jed it out. Keep up the great work. I love these old battleships
@@thehistoryexplorer thanks brother, I look forward to your future work
Fascinating. Thank you.
You are most welcome
Are military were and are still to me HEROES! MY FATHER WAS IN WORLD WAR TWO!❤️
Love the way you show it several times!👍
Hopefully not too repetitive?
@@thehistoryexplorer No. Just right. It was always a crib of mine that you don’t get to see it more than once!👍
My Dad was there as part of the 4th Division. This was amazing to see. Great job!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Always watch your content. thank you so much
I really appreciate that! Thank you
Stunning work.
Many thanks! So glad people are enjoying this one
I like that you do the then and now photos and back out up with the history of it.
Thank you very much. I try to add as much detail as I can without being too stodgy
Beeindruckendes Video. Das Blut, was die Treppen hinunterläuft..... Der Soldat sieht fast schlafend aus, als hätte er es endlich hinter sich gebracht. Du machst damit wertvolle Aufarbeitung über die Sinnlosigkeit des 2. WK.
Thank you very much! Really appreciate your feedback
Sehr schön gesagt! Wir können nur hoffen, daß die Menschheit nie wieder solche furchtbare Kriege wie im 1. und 2. WK führt.
I think many young men must have felt that way.....as in either I am dead, dead or alive, dead.
And still we don't learn.
@@user-rp2cx4dm7z Weil es immer noch Kriegstreiber auf dieser Welt gibt.
Brilliant work. Very impressive integration of new and old images and excellent background research. Riveting viewing.
Great to hear! So glad you enjoyed it
Love these videos so much! Thank you for all the work on these, they're amazing and so moving!
Glad you like them! Thanks for the feedback
Appreciate the content, good job 👍
My pleasure!
Absolutely wonderful channel. My Hero, my Father fought in this war. Thank you for what you are doing.
Dziękuję za niesamowity film i przeniesienie nas w czasie do tragicznej historii. Zapraszam do Polski do Wrocławia i zrobienie materiału o oblężeniu miasta dawnej twierdzy Festung Breslau. Pozdrawiam 👋
I would love to! Thank you very much
Your videos are incredible , i can't imagine the hard work you put in to make this happen , thank you
I appreciate that! So glad you enjoy them
Great work, well researched and compilation footage. Just subscribed.
Thanks for the sub! Appreciate the feedback 👍
I just came across your channel absolutely love it. Thank you for the amount of effort you put into your videos.
I'm now a subscriber!!!
Thank you for the subscription and the very kind comment! I hope you’ll enjoy the videos I have coming up. There are hundreds planned 👍
Merci pour ces remarquable travail de recherche effectuer cela fait plaisir de voir des jeunes qui rendent omage a tout ces héros mort pour libérer notre pays.
Amitiees Michel
You are most welcome my friend
Your pictures are amazing but very sad, thank you. More please
Oh wow! That was punchy. thabnks Rob
I hope you enjoyed it
Saddness and brutality of war.
Thank you America and our soldier's for your sacrifice .❤🇦🇨
There are no winners in war, that’s for sure
that's so cool when you pause it around 0:06 as the old pic is fading into the new. Really great perspective.
Glad you enjoy it!
Incredible video, well done, many thanks 🪖
You are very welcome. Thanks for the kind feedback
Great video! Its so neat to see the before and after pics. It really puts things in prospective.
.
Glad you enjoyed it! And thanks for the feedback. Much appreciated
Absolutely amazing work my friend.
Thank you very much! Appreciate it
Such powerful images.
And thank you for for being so polite for both sides. So many videos talk about Nazi soldiers and it's so pejorative about Germany. Yes, it was the party that was elected, but they were German first.
So many enlisted for their country and not for savage acts as some describes. There was a lot of war crimes on both sides, but so many paints all the German soldiers with the same brush.
The dead should be respected as they fought until the end for what they believe in. So thank you again for such an incredible video!
Thank you for the kind feedback
I love the effort you have put in
To showing history
I’m so glad you like it! Many more videos like this on the way
@@thehistoryexplorer I have watched all your contents
And I'm blown away from how much dedication you have put in to it and honestly the thought and money to achieve such I can appreciate your effort
Thank you for this video.The section of the dead German soldier sat in the stair well is one of the photos that I think is very poignant and moving.
I am of the age that first became interested in then and now photos in the 1970s with the After The Battle magazines.
Keep up the good work
A man after my own heart. I love then and now stuff. Nothing quite connects you to the location and events.
I’m also convinced there is some sort of energy left behind!
We used to travel past the big "Cherbourg " sign many times on our way to our first stop at St Mere Eglais. There is now a ring road so no need to use the road anymore. Absolutely fascinated to know what took place there. Thanks I have subscribed.
Very cool! Thanks for sharing. I’d love to get inside the fortress, never been up there myself
Absolutely incredible.Amazing history.
Glad you enjoyed it
Cherbourg c’est ma ville merci pour cette vidéo 🥹💪
You are most welcome my friend
Love your work so much...keep it up.
Thank you!
Toutes ces sacrifices , toute ces vies fauchées à cause de la folie de dirigeants .
Merci pour votre travail et vos recherches .❤
So so moving. Thank you for sharing.
You are most welcome!
Just now watched it. Great job Rob! As time goes on your videos keep getting better and better. Thanks.
That’s the plan! Thank you so much.
These are just awesome. Thank you!!
You are so welcome 🙏
Amazing work!
Thank you!
amazing video! Salute to all those who risk their life to protect democracy and fight against dictatorship.
My uncle was a master sergeant (also called a "wire chief") in the U.S. Army Signal Corps, and he served in Cherbourg for months restoring and maintaining the cross-channel undersea communication lines, which came ashore there. He said when they first rode into town on their trucks the French girls were leaning out the second-story windows of buildings yelling obscenities at the Americans; the Germans had been good to them, apparently. He had several interesting stories about his time there. RIP Uncle Jack
Thanks for the thoughtful, well-done video.
Wow you don’t often hear that do you!
@@thehistoryexplorer I'm guessing these were the "working" girls, if you know what I mean. :)
Well done! Thank you for sharing
Thanks for watching!
Magnificent work. Thank you!
You are most welcome
Those buildings that are still standing have a long story to tell!
If walls could talk hey!
@@thehistoryexplorer Seriously, those buildings and walls have been standing throughout the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, all the way to present time!
I felt very sensitive. I imagine those moments and felt like real. Thanks for the video
You're welcome!
Hello from Detroit Michigan USA. Wonderful job my friend
Thank you very much! I hope you enjoyed the video buddy
Nice video then and now 🌟❤️
You’re welcome buddy