Britain's Battle of the Bulge - A Christmas Special
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- Опубликовано: 23 дек 2019
- The almost unknown story of British contributions to the famous Battle of the Bulge in 1944-45.
Merry Christmas!
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Credits: RUclips Creative Commons; WikiCommons; Google Commons; Mark Felton Productions; Flames of War
Music: "Pursuit" licenced to iMovie by Apple, Inc.
Sources: Ardennes 1944 by Antony Beevor; Snow & Steel by Peter Caddick-Adams; flamesofwar.com
You're doing a service to every American, including myself, who never learned of these things in public education.
It was a team effort, and I'm glad you have drawn attention to the brave contribution of the Brits in that battle. 🇬🇧🇺🇸
I had no idea about this totally crucial contribution.
"The British slammed the door in the faces of two German Battle Groups"....I love it.
Thank you for doing this video. Canadian contributions to the war are forgotten so often.
My father, a trooper in the armoured Corps, was in the Fife and Forfar. He never talked about the war. As children we played with his medals but with no understanding of what he and his fellow soldiers went through.
Wow! What a gift for Christmas! From America, we have an enormous amount of information from the U.S. view of this battle. Of course, German interest is large just for equipment, armor, vehicles,etc. However, you really have to hunt for information about the British and Canadian contributions. This work of yours really shows so many other subjects to study about this epic battle. More importantly, it reminds everyone, no matter your view on politics, how close we were to a very different world. Mr Felton, this work reminds the world that victory was a team effort, not one person unneeded. Your professional production is second to no one. Period. Many thanks from across the pond. Outstanding work sir. R.C. Wall.
Merry Christmas to all of the British people. Thank you for standing strong against Nazi Germany in 1939 when many urged appeasement or outright capitulation.
Mark Felton is making a huge noise in the RUclips historic interest community.
His videos are are some of the best to date dealing with the subject of WW2.
It is fitting and proper that all of the sacrifices that these brave men made de remembered. Great Britain is and was a very good friend. Merry Christmas from the USA.
You mentioned B Company attack on Bure. My uncle was Company Commander, and killed by a sniper. Major G K Grantham. He lies in hOTTON War Cemetery. Died 3rd January Age 26.
His service and your families sacrifice is appreciated.
fuzzywun ... God bless him & all that paid the ultimate price..
fuzzywun, if your uncle died during the Second World War, that means your mother/father would also be very old (possibly dead) so you must've been born in the 70s/60s. Meaning you would be in your 40s/50s, possibly 60s, and I highly doubt that.
God bless his sacrifice and family.
You got one great relative, hope he rests in peace.
I dont care for what political reason, every Allied country who participated in every battle should be given full credit. The British were in the war befor we (the u.s.) got involved.
One of my older brother's best friends back in the early 1960's was a former Waffen SS tank commander who had been taken prisoner by the British in the Battle of the Bulge. He didn't tell many war stories, but he did say that the British were very nice to the captured Germans, much to their surprise. They gave them hot tea and biscuits, which were very welcome, since they had been on foot with nothing to eat for several days after their tank was disabled. The British commander also told him that he was lucky that he surrendered to a British unit, since the Americans were shooting any SS soldiers that they captured. This was after the massacre at Malmedy, where a different SS unit had murdered a bunch of captured Americans.
Merry Christmas, Mark.
And the Commonwealth fighters who gave their all, are not forgotten. God Bless them.
The Brits protected the American northern flank, never heard much about this. Go team.
We fail to recognise what the British did during WWII, fighting in all theatres and alone for 3 years! The Brits are a quite frightening race when roused. Thank you Mark.
The numbers of British and Commonwealth forces involved directly in the battle do not tell the whole story. Because Montgomery's 21st Army Group was able to rush thousands of tanks and tens of thousands of troops onto the northern shoulder as backstops to the American defense, allowed Eisenhower to rush his own reserves directly into the fight without worrying (after about 20 Dec) about Antwerp. Going into a fight knowing that your back is well covered allowed all of Bradley's commanders to defend and then attack without fear of any temporary setbacks. This was the way to fight a coalition war, and working together with allies and, yes, friends, changed the war and should be remembered by any nation wanting to "go it alone" in the future. Hint, hint. To those who served!
05:34 Local Belgians lying to the advancing Germans. As a Belgian this made me quite proud :D
greatest achievement in the history of belgium
Big risk to themselves to do that. Brave people.
Certainly another MF Classic! What should not be forgotten is the cooperation between two great allies tied their common history, common ideals and common goals. As an American, we love you guys in the UK. Merry Christmas! We like the Canadians too. They gave us hockey!...lol
Great video. A few years ago, on motorbikes, I visited the small cemetery at Hotton with a close friend, who’s (British) grandad was killed in this action. We stayed in Marche en famenne where the locals treated us like royalty. It was very touching, as was the care and attention the local Belgians gave to the Hotton cemetery. A visit is completely recommended
This is the first I've heard of the British fighting in the Battle of the Bulge! Thanks for reporting this!
You honor these men in the best way possible, telling their story. And you tell it well indeed! Merry Christmas from Oklahoma!
That's a great story Mark, and I agree that every bit of history needs to be told regardless of the "narrative". I think you kept it very balanced. This American is NOT offended. ;)
My late Uncle John fought in the Ardennes during the Battle of the Bulge, he was in the US artillery and suffered hearing damage the rest of his life as a result.
I wonder if he used these On a foggy night during the Battle of the Bulge, Gen. George S. Patton's troops lined up and began shelling German tank crews. Most shells with impact fuses would have detonated on the ground. But Patton's men fired shells with proximity fuses designed to detonate about 10 feet above the ground, creating lethal storms of shrapnel.
"The new shell with the funny fuse is devastating," General Patton wrote to the war department. "I'm glad you all thought of it first."
The fuse was developed by hundreds of civilians working under a Navy contract, first at Washington's Carnegie Institution and, after March 1942, at the newly created Applied Physics Laboratory.
I've read many books on the Ardennes offensive and visited a number museums in the area, and I've never seen or heard any mention of British involvement. Thanks for putting the record straight!
There are no "small commitments" in war. As Churchill stated, "No officer or man, no brigade or division, which grapples at close quarters with the enemy, wherever encountered, can fail to make a worthy contribution to the general result." Merry Christmas, everyone, and may health and peace find us in the New Year.
10:53
This image alone was worth a minute's contemplation.
Superb storytelling, Mr. Felton.
I find these recountings so engrossing my hair actually stands on end and my heartrate increases. Its not abstract, its not a movie. This really happened to these men. They had lives, families, homes, hopes and dreams, cold wet feet, ringing ears that kept them from sleeping outside along with a sour stomach , the bitter taste of stress and adrenaline.
What a brutal meat grinder of a situation. Absolutely horrifying. War SUCKS
I knew the British played a part in the battle but I didn’t know to what extent. Great work!
Seeing this history warms the cockles of my heart , I didn’t realise the welsh were involved in this campaign 🏴
An excellent video on an almost unknown story. My dad was there and told me about this years ago. He was always annoyed the Brits and had been written out of the battle. Keep doing what you do Mark, I really love the videos.
We will never understand fully how brutal this war was.Brave men indeed,we take so much for granted.
I was aware of the Brit/Can contributions to the BOTB. The battle was won by a combined effort.
My barber, Hervey (RIP), was in the bulge as a green American combat engineer. They wired up a bridge ahead of the Germans, shaking in their boots as they waited. Once they saw German columns they blew that thing sky high and couldn't get the hell out of there fast enough. It must have been harrowing for so many young men to see their first action in that onslaught.
Many thanks Mark, my friends dad was in the Ox & Bucks and said he had been at the battle of the bulge but we had only seen US footage before. Amazing having airborne infantry against tanks.
At the end of my street is a memorial to the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry. Ox & Bucks. 52nd /43rd Regiments of Foot. One of the finest Light Infantry Regiments in the world. From the Penninsula to Waterloo to saving the line in 1914 against the elite Prussian guards, to being the first to arrive in France on D-Day (Pegasus Bridge) and a 100 + other scraps, many recorded on their colours. These 'Light Bobs' have a remarkable history.
The Special Relationship lives on.... Merry Christmas.
My father, Major J D Dunlop, C Squadron, 3rd Royal Tank Regiment was wounded by a sniper in Foy, Christmas morning 1944. In our house it was very well understood that the British fought in the Ardennes - whatever Hollywood tries to tell us.
God Bless every inch of your dad's heart. My father was a tank commander in the GGFG (Canada). I forget what town it was that they passed through but he was assured it was "clear", but after stopping for tea he found his cup, which hung just inside the turret, had been hit by a sniper's bullet fired from a high angle in that town. The bullet just missed him, but he had no idea as he was wearing his headset, and the noise of the tank made the shot, and ricochet impossible to hear. I am sure there were millions of survival "miracles" during the carnage of WWII, and his was just one. Then there were the tanks and crew members he lost in action. He was quite fortunate to have survived the whole mess.
Thank you so much for this video showing the British and other allies contribution to saving us from the Nazis not just the America sacrifice.
Rip uncle Jack and John and thank you.
Thank you Mark for this timely story, I had an uncle who died on the 5th of January 1945 during this battle and is buried at Hotton War Cemetery. This story has added a little more understanding of his final days. I’m sending my dad a link to this piece, I think he would love to see it.
Theres a reason they were called Allies and fought side by side. Great respect to all but thats what Airborne and Tank divisions do for a day job (God bless them) wheras as Marks previous video explained some of the resistance by US rear echelon staff - drivers, cooks etc was truly heroic.
Also, dont forget Russians please. Their regime was evil but the Russian people spilled the blood. Milions died, I'm sad when someone mentions the US and UK but not the Russians, they are always forgotten yet they paid by far the biggest price. Please, dont forget the Russians.
Funky Money perhaps you could give Mark some ideas for a video. Who knew the Russians helped win the battle of the bulge?!
Horrocks "This is a story you will tell your grand children and mightily bored they'll be" (Operation Market Garden 1944)
Excellent video on an important topic! Was not aware that as many as 55 000 British and Canadian troops fought in the Battle of the Bulge.
British troops fought very well and played an important role on the Northern flank. Was only aware of General Patton's brilliant southern relief effort.
Everyone who reads this I hope you have a good Christmas
Thanks. And I hope you have had a lovely Christmas too.
I know British forces were involved, as my father was there! He was in the 6th Airborne and also saw action on D-Day.
I had no idea of the importance of the British contribution in the Battle of the Bulge.
Many thanks for posting this great video!
Wonderful addition to the battle of the bulge story. Special thanks to our British cousins and 30 Corp. RCR Pro Patria.
My uncle (American) was in the Bulge with an artillery unit. At one point they set up and dug in during the day, while the support crew of cooks, etc.. arrived after dark. The latter, not having time to dig in, bivouacked in vehicles or tents. The Germans strafed the place during the night, and in the morning they found most of the cooks had been killed or wounded.
He also saw the first jets of the luftwaffe and a V-2 launch.
Wow, story I never knew. Tommies never cease to amaze me.
Don't care what anyone says about you... You Brits are alright! : )
Thanks for this film. My Grandad was an engineer with the Firth and Forth tank regiment who fought in this battle he couldn't watch the film would just walk out shaking his head.
Keep up the good work 👍👍
Nevermind don’t like.....don’t watch
I served in a reserve Army band in the late 1960's. One member of the band fought in the battle of the Bulge. He was taken prisoner .. He hated the Germans … I'm doing the math ,, he must have been ?? late 40's when he told me this story .. many of the reserve band members were older, the band was a sort of club to them. The warrant officer was WW2, as was the first sergeant, and ?? a couple others.. All passed on now .. I was 17 ,, and dumb as a rock .. didn't appreciate the men I played music with .. that's life I guess
You don't need a Christmas special. All your videos are already special for me
I had no idea. The narrative has always been that the Battle of the Bulge was an American show from top to bottom. As usual, you surprise and amaze me. Merry Christmas, Mark.
Thank you for this...this is actually the first time learning of the British and Canadian contributions to the "Battle of the Bulge"...keep up the great work...HOOAH
Thanks Mark! I'll always remember I can enjoy my Christmastime because of brave sacrifices of of our Allied soldiers of Christmas's past. I'll never take our service branches for granted. Let's raise a pint on their behalf !
About time somebody mention this bit of forgotten history. Thank you for doing it
I’m sitting here all warm. Thinking of all the frozen feet and hands, these guys must have had. I bet, many died that way.
I love the not so widely known aspects of history!!! I never knew there were Commonwealth forces at the bulge. Thank you for this!!!
The brave men who fought he Germans in the Bulge have my thanks. The real forgotten story is the engagements after the tide was turned. BTW my wife's high school math teacher's proudest achievement was as an US Army lieutenant leading his men through the whole Battle of Bulge without loosening one man.
My Father, very alive today was in the Battle of the Bulge. His war papers are very interesting. One labeled 'SECRET' obviously unclassified now Headquarters 1340TH ENGINEER COMBAT BATTALION Office of the Battalion Commander Dec 2 1944 Subject: After Action Report. Signed Oliver I. Tuthill 1st Lt., C.E., Adjutant It also includes photographs of Rotgen, Germany and Hurtgen Forest. It's why my Father hates the smell of pine forests today. The hell inside the Hurtgen Forest.
my Dad fought in the BOTB. He passed away this year. Thank you for this video at Xmas.
It’s always good to remember that the history books often gloss over details like this and give a distorted view. The liberation of Europe from the Axis powers was very much an Allied fight, movies and books since WW2 tended to reinforce the false idea that the USA did all the fighting and dying. Vids like this are important to correct this perception as combatants are fewer and fewer to tell the whole story for younger generations. Merry Christmas, Mark, keep up the good work.
I’m so glad you covered this Mark. I’ve been to Givet and Dinant and I only learned about the Commonwealth effort there after seeing the bullet holes in the churches and hill forts and done some research myself.
Even more surprised to learn that it was the Welsh devision (I’m a proud Welshman). Just listened to your interview on WW2 Podcast too.
My Uncle Roy was in the 101st at Bastogne. All units that helped to relieve the besieged deserve thanks. Thanks to Mark for telling this poorly reported (in the US any way) story.
Thanks Mark. Outstanding work as usual. My uncle was there on the German side, somewhere. And my dad might have been there on the American side, with Third Armored. But I haven't been able to get his records yet. Anyway, wishing you and yours a Merry Christmas.
And a prosperous New Year. Cheers.
Stefan Schleps your story would make a great Hollywood movie or mini series, think “Winds of War”. The stories of the real people, the individual soldier, are what bring history to life.
very interesting
Merry christmas to you and your family!
Merry Christmas from Canada! I have never heard of Canadian's being involved in that battle. I thought it was just a battle fought by our brave American friends and ally.
Merry Christmas Mark
Mark:
I am a historian also.
I sincerely appreciate your take on things (content) & presentation!
I am sure that I am not the only one to feel so!
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!
🇺🇸
Well done! Dec. 31st is the 75th anniversary of my uncle's death during the battle. He was in the 55 AIB Charlie co. He was hit by machine gun fire while approaching the town of Acul.
Merry Christmas Dude, from a Yank in Tempe Arizona.
cousins fight well together. thats why we have been great allies since.
Ibe an exellent book somewhere and a german senior officer says their biggest fear was that the british were sat to the north and it made some of the units far too cautious
My father fought in the Battle of the Bulge as a member of the 761st Tank Battalion. I asked him when I was a boy about the British participation in this battle and this video is another confirmation of what he told me. Great video.
I am addicted to this channel
Remember all these men, allied and German on Christmas Day.
Can’t believe I didn’t know the Brits contribution at the Bulge. Thank You
Really don’t believe your American Propaganda our country 🇬🇧and many occupied countries made a massive Sacrifice to save us for the horrors of the nazis.Private Ryan is not a documentary mate.
I love America but you have your country to thank for that American history loves to downplay the contribution of its Allie's and highlight British failure's take D-day British and commonwealth forces diverted enemy tanks that were heading form Omaha had British troops not held the German tanks allowing the US troops on the beach to breakout.
I always knew about the British involved in the battle of the ardennes. My ROTC instructor told us back in the 60s about the Brits in the northern sector and said that there involvement was critical to the Americans. Merry Christmas Dr. Felton, and have a great New Year!
Churchill described this as America's greatest battle of WWII. If the German army had not run out of fuel, they would have cut right through the Yanks. However, Field-Marshal Montgomery had already despatched British XXX Corps to stop the Panzers at the Meuse Crossing. The greatest omission of the report on the battle was excluding the fact that Montgomery had to be given command of the American forces as Patton was tied up relieving Bastogne and his Commander, Bradley was stuck in his HQ in Luxembourg.
This has to be one of the best history channels on RUclips. I appreciate all the work you put into finding and editing the original footage. I'd love to see you make more videos about the Korean war.
Love your videos Mark! It is amazing to watch these little clips they give so much information in such a short period of time! Please do keep up the good work in keeping us informed and entertained.
Thank you for such amazing video content! 🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧
A TIMELY REMINDER FOR THIS TIME THANKS TOO ALL THAT SERV AGAIN THANK YOU.
It was also the British and Canadians who took and destroyed the bulk of the German armour in Normandy. In all, the British destroyed 90% of German armour in the west.
Great video 👍
Merry Christams and a successful 2020 for the channel👍
What a waste of so many young men’s lives on all sides...
Yes, when people decide to start a war lots of good people die on all sides. But when attack you must respond or get murdered. I have noticed a lot of people like to downplay the contribution The US made in the war. It was mentioned several times that the axis forces were hampered by lack of supplies fuel ammunition foodstuffs so it can be determined supply is of the upmost importance. The US detractors forget or disregard the fact that 66% of all war materials used by the Allies was supplied by USA. If a soldier doesn't have everything he needs he becomes ineffective very quickly. By the my Father was navy. Also if you notice my last name is prominent in the Army Air force.
My grand uncle was killed during the war he was from the Republic of Ireland.
Merry Christmas. Great channel and quality videos 🎄
I love how even though Mark could easily make a full, hour and a half long documentary, he understands our short attention spans and cuts his shit up like history crack rocks for us on the street.
History "crack rocks" ?... Our lives are very different.
Just came back from the Bastogne War Museum. Being a German and trying to learn as much about the battle grounds of WWII the Ardennes Offensive never played a big part in my understanding and literature I could cover. Not hard to unterstand if compared to the fights in the East. Thx to you and the museum I've learned a lot about the 2nd last German offensive and it's failure
A splendid video reminding us of the prowess of the British Imperial forces when the proverbial hit the fan!
Merry Christmas from a Scottish fan. Keep up the good work as it is so important that we hear of these little known incidents and the people involved.
Mark, your choice of music for your videos, and your speaking voice is absolutely perfect for historical war videos. Your content informs and entertains me for hours on end.
Touches my heart
The stuff soldiers went through...
I keep reading history.
Thank you Mark for your videos, it's short but very interesting, informative and not boring.🇵🇭
Merry Christmas and many thanks Mark.
Montgomery to General Robert W. Hasbrouck, commander of the battered US 7th Armoured Division defending St. Vith: " You have accomplished your mission - a mission well done. It is time to withdraw ". By that order, Hasbrouck later stated that Montgomery saved the 7th Armoured from destruction. Monty didn't rescue the 7th; rather, he allowed it to save itself. History's focus on his prickly character so often obscures what he accomplished. You don't get to be field marshall by being an idiot.
Great video, Mark - an ideal topic for us Brits at Christmas time. And Happy New Year, Yanks ! :)
Monty is particularly hated by many in the US but doesn't deserve the vitriolic diatribe that is often posted here & on War History Online on FB. The truth is that Monty was the most successful of the Allied Commanders in the ETO, far more so than the flash & showy Patton but Patton's personal press entourage ensured he got the limelight. Patton referred to Montgomery as the Limey little fart - Monty, for his part, didn't bother referring to Patton at all. Monty's biggest mistake was to give that press conference at the conclusion of the Battle of the Bulge, where he praised the magnificence of the US fighting soldiers but didn't pay homage to the US commanders, Bradley & Patton, who promptly had their noses out of joint.
There is an excellent film that covers this, from the Welsh Guards perspective. 'They were not divided' 1950 it's worth a watch if you find it. Joyeux Noel tout le monde et bon fin annee! Merci Mark pour votre bon travail!
great film.....
Interesting story
I knew we were not the only ones fighting in the Bulge but I did not know how much the British did in the battle. Thank you for making this video Mark. Love what you do.