The Second World War is an endless source of interesting stories, and Mark Felton not only makes them all compelling, but is definitely trying to bring all of this to us... Thanks again for all your work Mark, rivetting and impeccably presented. 👍🏴
There is something inherently fascinating about the last days of the Hitler regime in his bunker. The surrealism of a regime giving orders to armies that no longer exist and being concerned with getting testaments to people whose remaining days in command could be counted on the fingers of two hands. Also I hope Mark will do a video on Field Marshall Schörner, who is a very interesting character. Known to be fanatically loyal to Hitler and willing to execute German soldiers for cowardice, for which he was prosecuted and convicted by West Germany after the war. When Germany surrendered on May 7 he ordered that Armygroup Center would continue to fight the Red Army and then he deserted his own post and fled to Austria. Doing himself what he had hanged so many German soldiers for.
That's the f****** plan bro to make everyone f****** think Hitler was in a bunker for half a year thinking about his own death I'm actually positive he figured out the best way to make his death the most a skewer
My uncle lived literally down the street to schorner in Munich in the 1960’s and 70’s . He never really got to know him, but He said that he was was always polite and you would never have guessed he was ever a high military official in the nazi army.
@@grzegorzbrzeczyszykiewic3338 I think that makes them even bigger monsters. Like Hitler in Downfall when he tries to put his secretary at ease on her first workday. Just the idea that these monsters had a human side is enough to make people nervous. Because then really anyone can become like that. Including us.
@@nickmcgookin247 Thing with conspiracies like that is the more people there are involved, sooner or later someone is going to spill the beans. There's even a scientific formula for that. And we know that on the Russian side people have spilled the beans on how they have his remains.
Keep 'em coming Mark! You are one of the few historians who keep on going till the end of the story and tell us what actually happened to these people after the war. Why do so few do this?
Man denkt, gerade als Deutscher, bereits alles über die verdammte Vergangenheit des eigenen Landes als Geschichtsinteressierter zu wissen, aber dann kommt der werte Mark hier auf YT regelmäßig mit Videos, die einen erstaunen lassen, dass vieles einem gar nicht bekannt war. Chapeau, Herr Felton! Beste Grüße / Kind regards from Bremen
Dear Mr. Felton, thank you so much for your site. I was a nuclear missile launch officer in the Strategic Air Command with a Top Secret ESI clearance in the 1970s and was part of the deterrent to the then Soviet Union. My mother was German and was hiding out in the suburbs of Berlin in 1945. Her family was successful in removing (hiding) themselves from the Soviets. And the British and Americans allowed the Soviets to have their way with Berlin and thus 45 years of Cold War that followed. And how about the Russians now?
It's quite strange to think that some of these characters were still alive and living in the same area of West Germany that I served in during the 1980s. I might have even passed them in the street.
I'm reading a book about the fall of Berlin and it talks about these couriers ferriting documents out of the Capitol. I thought, it sure would be nice to know a little bit more about these guys and what happened. Dr Felton delivers the answers for me on queue... Fascinating stuff.
@@Fractal_blip Oh good I like hair and eating hair so god bless hair and god bless doctors my rectum fell out the other day but my doctor patched it up and thats all better so god bless my doctor and doctors with and without hair because we cant all have all the hair we want
It's incredible how much valuable information is still available on WW2. For that we should be equally thankful not just to Prof. Felton but to the many historians of the conflicts who gave their eye witness accounts.
Back in the samurai era couriers have a small parachute protruding on their back as theyre riding away from battle so that when theyre being shot by bow/arrow,the missile would just stop dead it,it prevents the arrow from hitting their back.
Interesting that not only did Hitler demand physical copies be sent out but also that German leaders on the outside sent planes to rescue them. I wonder what incentive they had to do so when the documents had little strategic value.
They did have political value for the "promoted". At that point of time Germans were still hoping to form some kind of rump government (WW1 style) that would accept peace and then negotiate with Allies (especially western Allies) . Having physical copy of the document would thus gave credibility, instead of just having radio message, as there was still infighting who would succeed Hitler.
Dear Prof. Felton, Another superb video. Would only add that viewers, most of whom probably already know this fact, should be reminded that Hitler was a courier during the Great War. If you study his conduct during the Second World War, he had a soft spot for military couriers. During the Battle of Stalingrad, he received couriers from General Paulus despite his strict orders for no German soldiers to leave the city, as one example. ;-)
@@jonnieinbangkok I'm sure most of the viewers here already know about Hitler's role in the Great War. You guys are ' a little smarter than the average bear '. ;-) ;-) ;-)
The exhaustion of the troops shown at 7:14 is so telling. Life, hope, everything has been drained from them. They could not care less about the pieces of iron being pinned to their chest or the officer before them, and they probably despise the camera more than anything.
Only a decade before, they were eating right out of Hitler's hands, believing he was a godsend as a person who defied odds despite the crippling economic crisis of the time. He lured them in, but an entire war of desperation and disasters later, they knew to their disgruntlement Hitler and his advocates were nothing but traitors. It was only when the Nazi party collapsed that they truly felt free. Regards, Samuel Farris.
@@earthling9614 Slight clarification of what I said; the end of the war didn't matter to them as much as Hitler's loss was good riddance. They no longer respected being associated with him as their leader; his promises to them were broken as the failings kept piling up and Hitler took his rage from his losses out on them regardless whether it was their fault, plus his promises to them really ultimately mattered just so they could advance his schemes forward to the next level. (That's how I take it anyway.) Regards, Samuel.
@@earthling9614 Well I was just taking Munrais' view for it, which I now realise actually relates to being practically dismissed when the Allied forces were crippling their country and their leader, who was the one being resentful. No sign of regret or hatred of the Fuehrer, but silent retaliation toward contradiction of faith. Regards, Samuel.
My only recommendation for this superb series would be the use of maps more ...There's incredible detail in giving names of places in Berlin..it would help to see those positions from and movements from that perspective...
Mark, Fantastic as usual. I have not subscribed yet but I will. Hope to meet you one day. I was born into post war Europe in Worms Germany. My dad was in the CIC and I was able to go round Germany as a boy. He never told me any of the secrets in his head, but your videos help me a lot to sort out things my dad had to deal with [We also did two tours at separate times in Stuttgart]. The aftermath of the war in Europe was an amazing time. It is far worse now than it was back then. But that is another story in itself. All the very best.
Very exciting as usual Professor Felton. If you haven't done so already may I suggest the stories behind the assaults on and endgame of the FlakTurem. I'm not sure that we have heard in any detail what must have been tremendous battles for these heavily fortified strategic positions. The Zoo Flak Tower in Berlin, any of them in either Berlin or Vienna. I visit the ones in Vienna annually. They are incredibly feats of engineering, and I am certain the stories behind them are equally fantastic. Can you do at least one video relating their actions in the war and how they were inevitably overcome. I know that in one case the Russians gave up and went around the Flak Tower, out of range of its 88 guns. And in another instance the Russians again gave up and when they left the German troops inside walked out the front door into Soviet occupies East Berlin. Please do some research and share what you can find with us. All the best.
Brilliant Mark ! Your stories are always so gripping. I like to think I have a reasonable background knowledge of these events but you always go into such tremendous detail and reveal things - like the separate intended deliveries, of these three couriers - that I was completely unaware of. And it is always excellent to conclude the stories so well, telling us what happened to the different men ; and whether they survived or not.
it's weird how they kept this charade of normal life operating right up until the end, even as late as april 23rd i read of post offices still open in berlin
Every state system is formed on that "charade", because state's physical power (police, military ...) cannot be everywhere. If there is no charade people could just realize that the state is just a human fiction ;)
Imagine that but in modern day "I hope my UberEATS arrives on time. They're shelling the MrBeast Burger and there's a T-34 parked outside my house, but that shouldn't delay them too long I gave them a $10 tip!"
Whenever I I get into discussions/debates regarding WWII I always utilize the knowledge I have learned from Mark Felton. I am always confident of my positions. I have said it before and will again. Dr. Felton is one of the top 2 history documentarians. Ken Burns has a higher profile and covers more topics but I consider Dr. Felton to be his peer due to the in depth research and knowledge as well as excellent delivery of the information. My highest recommendation to history buffs.
Very interesting. I think this is where Mark Felton excels, in these in depth moment by moment stories that do so much to put the listener into the story. It does much to bring this history to life.
You might like to know that Bernd Freytag von Loringhoven, as one of the most important witnesses of Hitler's last days in his bunker, features in the documentary film "Death in the Bunker - The True Story of Hitler's Downfall" along with Armin D. Lehmann, Traudl Junge (who appeared personally in the film "The Downfall" as well as being portrayed in it by an actress), and Rochus Misch. This documentary is still available in English as well as in German on DVD. This documentary, as well as "The Downfall" of course, is excellent and I highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in this subject. Needless to say I am a great fan of Mark Felton and his excellent presentations.
My father was a young 20 yr old living in South Louisiana when Pearl harbor was bombed. He volunteered for the army in March of 1942 and was assigned to the Army Air Corps as a staff sgt in the 8th Bomber Group's Maintenance Div. He was in every European nation during the war and afterwards decided to stay in the Army, and then went to the 'new' Air Force in 1947. Serving for 22 years through Korea and the beginning of Vietnam and being stationed all over the world.(I have a pic of him in uniform in a field in Germany in 1945 under the glass on my desk) He never spoke much of his time then, and started his family at 38 not long before he got out. I was born on Guam in 1960. Although American History was my best subject after criminal justice I never asked him much about his time, and he passed in 2001 at 79. not long after I began an earnest interest in WWII and every day since I kick myself for having some one who had been RIGHT THERE as my father for 41 years and I never asked much. I said all this to say I am very Thankful to Dr. Felton for these videos. movies and Docs only show the most sensational events of WWII, Mark brings us the many smaller but no less important or interesting events that also took place while the 'Band of Brothers" stuff was happening and I truly appreciate it. I wish my dad was still here so I could discuss these things with him. What the average soldier knew, when he knew it, did he know this, etc. Thank you Mr. Felton. Final aside and side note I am SO glad all those that fought, served and especially those that DIED in WWII don't know what has happened and is going on in the nation they fought so hard for. Those clowns in DC dishonor every one of their and subsequent military men's sacrifice every single day they show up and do what they are doing right now. Congress used to be full of military men, and you don't make communists of those that fought for this country. The last 30 years it's been mostly 'academics' trained well in the school of Marx, Mao and Hitler.
Father had a long military career honorably serving his country. Son now imagines 'communists' everywhere. What a shame. This kind of paranoia is one of many problems the USA now faces and seems to be unable to overcome.
@@haroldbeck4351 Moron, Joseph “ Tail Gunner Joe” McCarthy was absolutely correct about an infestation of communists in America. You are either one of them, or you are very naive.
I mean, you are goven an emvelope and told to go, during thr battle of berlin, without a truck, a car, a motorbike, a bicycle or even a horse, man the prospect must have looked grim
Another great story. Thanks. At 1:02, was that a Sherman tank fighting in Berlin? Might've been stock footage. Stalin purged much of the visual record of US and UK equipment used by the Red Army.
Thanks for another great video Mark! I think it would be fascinating if you did a video on the Luftwaffe airmen who were pressed into defense of Berlin in the final phase of the war. That's incredible information that I know you would do service to!
Ironically, it was probably because of their failure that these last wills survived the war. If these last wills had reached their recipients, they would likely have been lost or destroyed before the surrender.
Hi Dr. Felton. I was curious if you could tell us more about Rudolf Weiss. I thought all PoWs were freed from Soviet captivity in 1956? I am interested to know how he died in a labour camp in 1958? I love watching all your videos and appreciate the lesser known stories you bring to people's attention.
Just love the minutiae of history. This sort of stuff is what makes history so enjoyable & generally prompts one to study more. Keep it personal & understanding of great events is easier.
Bernd Freytag von Loringhoven was interviewed in his old age, and at least part of the interview is on RUclips. He said that when he graduated from college and had to choose a career, he chose the military. He did not consider membership in the Nazi party to be compatible with his Christian faith. Because the army was still apolitical, he could advance without being a member of the party. Bernd's cousin and friend Wessel Freytag von Loringhoven was deeply involved in the plot to assassinate Hitler, having obtained the explosives that Claus von Stauffenberg used in the attempt. When the plot failed, Wessel committed suicide. His wife and children were arrested, but survived the war. Bernd was a confidant of General Guderian, which may have provided him with some protection. After the war, Bernd rejoined the German army, eventually becoming Commander of the Third Panzer Division and then Chief of Staff of the German Army. My second-cousin-once-removed, Eberhard Burandt, who had been a panzer captain in the war and spent three years in a Soviet POW camp, followed Bernd's path some years later as Commander of the Third Panzer Division and Chief of Staff.
At this point it feels like half of Mark´s videos are about giving us a better understanding of the historical background regarding the plot of the movie "Der Untergang" (Downfall).
Imagine how the German Generals like Guderian were feeling as they saw the Russian advance on Berlin when Germany was advancing on Moscow only for Hitler to order them to change direction and advance south,wasting valuable time. During WW2 taking capitals usually led to the fall of a country but nobody could tell Hitler "I told you so but you wouldn't listen " even though both would have known this to be true. Mark Fulton gets the most amazing information that appears to have on many occasions been overlooked by historians.
Unfortunate that the only thing good about WW2 is when it ended, even then it's forever soul crushingly bittersweet always increasingly so and thankfully never forgot. Thank You for the documentary Mark 🍻
holy crap. i read so much growing up watching doco's etc but only thanks to alot of your content has it all made so much more sense and understanding. all in all it just terrible sacrifices for technology and understanding and everyone's suffering cost's
Traudl Junge, who took down and typed Hitler's Political Testament said that she was very disappointed with what he dictated. She thought that there would be some sort of deep revelation, but that it was mainly a rehash of previous rhetoric.
The hypocrisy of the Cold War summed up. That means even known war criminals (Meyer, Moehnke, von dem Bach-Zelewski) don't get hung or have life sentences commuted after only short jail terms or never face trial at all.
Just wondering; we're told about several sets of copies of the documents, how were the copies made? Did the remaining secretarial staff have to type them out multiple times, or were these carbon copies or some sort of facsimile?
Fascinating story from WWII and the end of the Nazi regime. Thanks for sharing it with us and I appreciate your research. Much better than any TV show 👍
Dr. Felton, thank you very much for another excellent video! You mentioned that Rudolf Weiss died in a labour camp in Kasachstan in 1958. Which source did you get that from? I am asking because it's generally said that the last German POWs returned in 1955, so I'd like to learn more about those that apparently remained in labour camps afterwards.
Imagine being a German Sailor on a ship, knowing that the war is all but lost. Then one day you wake up and are told to die for Hitler and the Fatherland. Like Now!
The Second World War is an endless source of interesting stories, and Mark Felton not only makes them all compelling, but is definitely trying to bring all of this to us... Thanks again for all your work Mark, rivetting and impeccably presented. 👍🏴
Agreed. If he wrote and narrated a video about the rise and fall of an ant colony I'd still watch it enthralled.
The fact that ww2 is still spoken about all over the globe proves that there is something no one else can do better than us Europeans.
Probably the most interesting event in modern history.
Fascist leaders have interesting lives, I wish Mark made videos about the life of a certain orange clown in the US...
Everybody knows about the big stuff, Mark fills the blanks and the why’s.
There is something inherently fascinating about the last days of the Hitler regime in his bunker. The surrealism of a regime giving orders to armies that no longer exist and being concerned with getting testaments to people whose remaining days in command could be counted on the fingers of two hands. Also I hope Mark will do a video on Field Marshall Schörner, who is a very interesting character. Known to be fanatically loyal to Hitler and willing to execute German soldiers for cowardice, for which he was prosecuted and convicted by West Germany after the war. When Germany surrendered on May 7 he ordered that Armygroup Center would continue to fight the Red Army and then he deserted his own post and fled to Austria. Doing himself what he had hanged so many German soldiers for.
That's the f****** plan bro to make everyone f****** think Hitler was in a bunker for half a year thinking about his own death I'm actually positive he figured out the best way to make his death the most a skewer
My uncle lived literally down the street to schorner in Munich in the 1960’s and 70’s . He never really got to know him, but He said that he was was always polite and you would never have guessed he was ever a high military official in the nazi army.
@@grzegorzbrzeczyszykiewic3338 I think that makes them even bigger monsters. Like Hitler in Downfall when he tries to put his secretary at ease on her first workday. Just the idea that these monsters had a human side is enough to make people nervous. Because then really anyone can become like that. Including us.
@@nickmcgookin247 Thing with conspiracies like that is the more people there are involved, sooner or later someone is going to spill the beans. There's even a scientific formula for that. And we know that on the Russian side people have spilled the beans on how they have his remains.
I agree! "Downfall" portrayed this in such a vivid manner. Truly fascinating on a psychological level.
Keep 'em coming Mark! You are one of the few historians who keep on going till the end of the story and tell us what actually happened to these people after the war. Why do so few do this?
Agreed... It completes the story, and brings it full circle.
Man denkt, gerade als Deutscher, bereits alles über die verdammte Vergangenheit des eigenen Landes als Geschichtsinteressierter zu wissen, aber dann kommt der werte Mark hier auf YT regelmäßig mit Videos, die einen erstaunen lassen, dass vieles einem gar nicht bekannt war.
Chapeau, Herr Felton!
Beste Grüße / Kind regards from Bremen
Deutchesland Uber Alles
die offizielle Story - jo
Felton bester Mann!
Excellent relating of yet another little-known but fascinating vignette of history. Thanks for all that you do to educate and inform your audience.
Mark Felton is a national treasure
Inter-National
@@davidpitchford6510 My bad
@@davidpitchford6510 global treasure
@@georgb6175 ha ha
The detailed information of such obscure and unheard of events is amazing. Thank you so much and thank you for spelling their names.
Mark
I don’t believe you will ever run out of great stories to tell us about.
Many thanks..
For all your informative history lessons…
Dear Mr. Felton, thank you so much for your site. I was a nuclear missile launch officer in the Strategic Air Command with a Top Secret ESI clearance in the 1970s and was part of the deterrent to the then Soviet Union. My mother was German and was hiding out in the suburbs of Berlin in 1945. Her family was successful in removing (hiding) themselves from the Soviets. And the British and Americans allowed the Soviets to have their way with Berlin and thus 45 years of Cold War that followed. And how about the Russians now?
It's quite strange to think that some of these characters were still alive and living in the same area of West Germany that I served in during the 1980s. I might have even passed them in the street.
If you did they would have cast an eye over your presentation.
Hello David! Do you have interesting stories you can tell us of your time serving there?
They all seem to live long lives some very long (something I hear bloods good for).
Even more strange living among them and having them as active politicians
@@gnenian there are allied vets that are still living and far older than the oldest courier that died, youre just a conspiracy nutcase
I'm reading a book about the fall of Berlin and it talks about these couriers ferriting documents out of the Capitol. I thought, it sure would be nice to know a little bit more about these guys and what happened. Dr Felton delivers the answers for me on queue... Fascinating stuff.
I'm reading a book about Dr. Felton. He is old and eats his hair
@@TimPerfetto dr felton is a hot tamale, just heat and eat
@@Fractal_blip Oh good I like hair and eating hair so god bless hair and god bless doctors my rectum fell out the other day but my doctor patched it up and thats all better so god bless my doctor and doctors with and without hair because we cant all have all the hair we want
@@TimPerfetto bald is better ultimately.
@@Fractal_blip This string of replies resembles the nonsense that was on Yahoo Answers.
It's incredible how much valuable information is still available on WW2. For that we should be equally thankful not just to Prof. Felton but to the many historians of the conflicts who gave their eye witness accounts.
I can't imagine having to relay information during such a time. The emotional weight of it must have been tremendous.
They mostly died young is result
Back in the samurai era couriers have a small parachute protruding on their back as theyre riding away from battle so that when theyre being shot by bow/arrow,the missile would just stop dead it,it prevents the arrow from hitting their back.
@@ianjohngonzales4066 Too bad parachutes don't stop bullets
@Ian John Gonzales ok but drag chute would have slowed then down on retreat ironic that's life
@@Eric-kn4yn lol
Interesting that not only did Hitler demand physical copies be sent out but also that German leaders on the outside sent planes to rescue them. I wonder what incentive they had to do so when the documents had little strategic value.
They did have political value for the "promoted". At that point of time Germans were still hoping to form some kind of rump government (WW1 style) that would accept peace and then negotiate with Allies (especially western Allies) . Having physical copy of the document would thus gave credibility, instead of just having radio message, as there was still infighting who would succeed Hitler.
didn’t the allies clearly demand unconditional surrender at this point in the war?
@@aleksazunjic9672 that makes a lot of sense
@@hegemon4109desperate people sometimes ignore inconvenient truths.
@@hegemon4109 doenitz still managed a small piece of germany, post surrender for a while.
Von Below’s book is an interesting read; very detailed and provides a great perspective of someone who had a front seat but remained mostly obscured.
A superb job, Professor Felton! Bravo!!! It is truly amazing the wealth of historical information that you purvey to us!!
Dear Prof. Felton, Another superb video. Would only add that viewers, most of whom probably already know this fact, should be reminded that Hitler was a courier during the Great War. If you study his conduct during the Second World War, he had a soft spot for military couriers. During the Battle of Stalingrad, he received couriers from General Paulus despite his strict orders for no German soldiers to leave the city, as one example. ;-)
Unusual Dr. Felton didn't mention this angle...could something have missed his attention 😮
@@jonnieinbangkok I'm sure most of the viewers here already know about Hitler's role in the Great War. You guys are ' a little smarter than the average bear '. ;-) ;-) ;-)
Admirable scholarly research behind these clips. Thank you, Mark!
Excellent video! This channel never disappoints.
Yeah, but what about the situation in Berlin??
The exhaustion of the troops shown at 7:14 is so telling. Life, hope, everything has been drained from them. They could not care less about the pieces of iron being pinned to their chest or the officer before them, and they probably despise the camera more than anything.
Only a decade before, they were eating right out of Hitler's hands, believing he was a godsend as a person who defied odds despite the crippling economic crisis of the time. He lured them in, but an entire war of desperation and disasters later, they knew to their disgruntlement Hitler and his advocates were nothing but traitors. It was only when the Nazi party collapsed that they truly felt free. Regards, Samuel Farris.
@@earthling9614 Slight clarification of what I said; the end of the war didn't matter to them as much as Hitler's loss was good riddance. They no longer respected being associated with him as their leader; his promises to them were broken as the failings kept piling up and Hitler took his rage from his losses out on them regardless whether it was their fault, plus his promises to them really ultimately mattered just so they could advance his schemes forward to the next level. (That's how I take it anyway.) Regards, Samuel.
@@earthling9614 Well I was just taking Munrais' view for it, which I now realise actually relates to being practically dismissed when the Allied forces were crippling their country and their leader, who was the one being resentful. No sign of regret or hatred of the Fuehrer, but silent retaliation toward contradiction of faith. Regards, Samuel.
they deserved their defeat
I’m always delighted to find a new Mark Felton video waiting for me after a long days work!
'Escape from Berlin' sounds like an 80s action film that I'd definitely watch.
“I heard you were dead”.
@@at1970 would this be a potential quote? I smell a potential success if you can just write the movie and put it into production.
@@Fractal_blip
I’ve got two good men working on the screen play. Snake plissken and “the duke”. It’s going to be A number 1.
My only recommendation for this superb series would be the use of maps more ...There's incredible detail in giving names of places in Berlin..it would help to see those positions from and movements from that perspective...
Thank you for sharing
🏆🎖️⭐🤗🇺🇲🙏
Mark,
Fantastic as usual. I have not subscribed yet but I will.
Hope to meet you one day. I was born into post war Europe in Worms Germany. My dad was in the CIC and I was able to go round Germany as a boy. He never told me any of the secrets in his head, but your videos help me a lot to sort out things my dad had to deal with [We also did two tours at separate times in Stuttgart].
The aftermath of the war in Europe was an amazing time. It is far worse now than it was back then.
But that is another story in itself.
All the very best.
Yes! just was taking a break, and now I get a dose of history:) perfect timing, thanks Dr. Felton!
I've gotta watch Downfall again.
Das war ein Befehl, ein untersteigeres Befehl!
I love these videos , they often answer questions that I have that normally are not able to get answers otherwise
Very exciting as usual Professor Felton. If you haven't done so already may I suggest the stories behind the assaults on and endgame of the FlakTurem. I'm not sure that we have heard in any detail what must have been tremendous battles for these heavily fortified strategic positions. The Zoo Flak Tower in Berlin, any of them in either Berlin or Vienna. I visit the ones in Vienna annually. They are incredibly feats of engineering, and I am certain the stories behind them are equally fantastic. Can you do at least one video relating their actions in the war and how they were inevitably overcome.
I know that in one case the Russians gave up and went around the Flak Tower, out of range of its 88 guns. And in another instance the Russians again gave up and when they left the German troops inside walked out the front door into Soviet occupies East Berlin. Please do some research and share what you can find with us.
All the best.
Brilliant Mark ! Your stories are always so gripping. I like to think I have a reasonable background knowledge of these events but you always go into such tremendous detail and reveal things - like the separate intended deliveries, of these three couriers - that I was completely unaware of. And it is always excellent to conclude the stories so well, telling us what happened to the different men ; and whether they survived or not.
wow,..chapeau Dr Felton. These stories and the amount of information is overwhelming. WWII provides some of the most dramatic stories indeed
When I was born WWII was only twenty-four years in the past. My generation were the last to grow up with wartime survivors...
My dad, a WW2 veteran, is still alive and able to teach his grandchildren about what he did in the war.
25 for me. My grandfathers (born 1902 and 1903) were too young for WWI and too old for WWII.
There is no other channel (tv or youtube) which brings me more pleasure! Thank you!
Once again, you bring another remarkable story to life, Doc. Thanks for the sterling work.
Thank you, Mark. Another fascinating retrospective. For WWII aficionados, this is as good as it gets. Keep those cards and letters coming.
This was very fascinating bit of history! Thank you Dr. Felton!
it's weird how they kept this charade of normal life operating right up until the end, even as late as april 23rd i read of post offices still open in berlin
Every state system is formed on that "charade", because state's physical power (police, military ...) cannot be everywhere. If there is no charade people could just realize that the state is just a human fiction ;)
Imagine that but in modern day "I hope my UberEATS arrives on time. They're shelling the MrBeast Burger and there's a T-34 parked outside my house, but that shouldn't delay them too long I gave them a $10 tip!"
Absolutely fascinating, Dr. Felton. Thank you.
Whenever I I get into discussions/debates regarding WWII I always utilize the knowledge I have learned from Mark Felton. I am always confident of my positions. I have said it before and will again. Dr. Felton is one of the top 2 history documentarians.
Ken Burns has a higher profile and covers more topics but I consider Dr. Felton to be his peer due to the in depth research and knowledge as well as excellent delivery of the information. My highest recommendation to history buffs.
I learn more about history, on this channel in 12 minutes, then I learned in 4 years of history during high school.
Very interesting. I think this is where Mark Felton excels, in these in depth moment by moment stories that do so much to put the listener into the story. It does much to bring this history to life.
Love this channel. Keep up the good work Mark!
Magnificent as always. Thank you dr Felton.😊
Thank you Mark, for your research that goes into your masterfully presented videos!
You might like to know that Bernd Freytag von Loringhoven, as one of the most important witnesses of Hitler's last days in his bunker, features in the documentary film "Death in the Bunker - The True Story of Hitler's Downfall" along with Armin D. Lehmann, Traudl Junge (who appeared personally in the film "The Downfall" as well as being portrayed in it by an actress), and Rochus Misch. This documentary is still available in English as well as in German on DVD. This documentary, as well as "The Downfall" of course, is excellent and I highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in this subject. Needless to say I am a great fan of Mark Felton and his excellent presentations.
Thank you Bernd
Great video. It's hard to imagine or visualize how hectic the last days in Berlin must have been? Most of these couriers survived....
My father was a young 20 yr old living in South Louisiana when Pearl harbor was bombed. He volunteered for the army in March of 1942 and was assigned to the Army Air Corps as a staff sgt in the 8th Bomber Group's Maintenance Div. He was in every European nation during the war and afterwards decided to stay in the Army, and then went to the 'new' Air Force in 1947. Serving for 22 years through Korea and the beginning of Vietnam and being stationed all over the world.(I have a pic of him in uniform in a field in Germany in 1945 under the glass on my desk) He never spoke much of his time then, and started his family at 38 not long before he got out. I was born on Guam in 1960. Although American History was my best subject after criminal justice I never asked him much about his time, and he passed in 2001 at 79. not long after I began an earnest interest in WWII and every day since I kick myself for having some one who had been RIGHT THERE as my father for 41 years and I never asked much. I said all this to say I am very Thankful to Dr. Felton for these videos. movies and Docs only show the most sensational events of WWII, Mark brings us the many smaller but no less important or interesting events that also took place while the 'Band of Brothers" stuff was happening and I truly appreciate it. I wish my dad was still here so I could discuss these things with him. What the average soldier knew, when he knew it, did he know this, etc. Thank you Mr. Felton. Final aside and side note I am SO glad all those that fought, served and especially those that DIED in WWII don't know what has happened and is going on in the nation they fought so hard for. Those clowns in DC dishonor every one of their and subsequent military men's sacrifice every single day they show up and do what they are doing right now. Congress used to be full of military men, and you don't make communists of those that fought for this country. The last 30 years it's been mostly 'academics' trained well in the school of Marx, Mao and Hitler.
Father had a long military career honorably serving his country. Son now imagines 'communists' everywhere. What a shame. This kind of paranoia is one of many problems the USA now faces and seems to be unable to overcome.
@@haroldbeck4351 Moron, Joseph “ Tail Gunner Joe” McCarthy was absolutely correct about an infestation of communists in America. You are either one of them, or you are very naive.
What's actually interesting, is how easy it was to escape Berlin.
Yes, was thinking the same thing myself. But then we perhaps only hear about the ones that made it, whilst most probably ended in capture or death.
And how so many were a le to secretly travel to South America in the end days.
Easy? Sounded like these guys went through hell. But small groups always had a chance of escaping any encirclement.
I mean, you are goven an emvelope and told to go, during thr battle of berlin, without a truck, a car, a motorbike, a bicycle or even a horse, man the prospect must have looked grim
Better than sitting in a trench or in a building, expecting Soviet 203mm shell :D
Everything about this video's is top notch; the narration, sound track, content, pronunciation of the German names...kudos
Fallout New Vegas has taught me to never underestimate a courier.
It seems these ones were overestimated for the most part. Especially on what can only be considered a overall pointless venture.
.....a person of culture I see
@@endutubecensorshipComputer gaming as a pastime precluding cultural endeavours I suppose.
Another great story. Thanks. At 1:02, was that a Sherman tank fighting in Berlin? Might've been stock footage. Stalin purged much of the visual record of US and UK equipment used by the Red Army.
Thanks for another great video Mark! I think it would be fascinating if you did a video on the Luftwaffe airmen who were pressed into defense of Berlin in the final phase of the war. That's incredible information that I know you would do service to!
Ironically, it was probably because of their failure that these last wills survived the war. If these last wills had reached their recipients, they would likely have been lost or destroyed before the surrender.
One of your best researched posting.
Thanks, as always, Dr. Felton.
Very interesting about little know end of war events. This is one of my favorites....ty Mark Felton. As always " the best of the best"
Hi Dr. Felton. I was curious if you could tell us more about Rudolf Weiss. I thought all PoWs were freed from Soviet captivity in 1956? I am interested to know how he died in a labour camp in 1958? I love watching all your videos and appreciate the lesser known stories you bring to people's attention.
It is amazing that my mother and her relatives, survived this.
I have always been fascinated by WW2 history and Dr. Felton is the best
Just love the minutiae of history. This sort of stuff is what makes history so enjoyable & generally prompts one to study more. Keep it personal & understanding of great events is easier.
Excellent Mark. Thank you. I have always been fascinated by the middle to senior rank Wermacht officers who became the backbone of the Bundeswehr.
Thank you, Herr Doktor Felton, for another excellently told war story.
Doc Felton is a historical courier that is much appreciated
Except that Dr. Felton is a good guy (at least most of the time).
@@saltyroe3179 Every side has couriers
Amazing how each episode is interesting, informative and at the same time makes me question my history degree
Once again Dr. Felton amazing detail about events most of us were unaware of. A dose of Dr. Felton a day hopefully keeps my doctor away .
Bernd Freytag von Loringhoven was interviewed in his old age, and at least part of the interview is on RUclips. He said that when he graduated from college and had to choose a career, he chose the military. He did not consider membership in the Nazi party to be compatible with his Christian faith. Because the army was still apolitical, he could advance without being a member of the party. Bernd's cousin and friend Wessel Freytag von Loringhoven was deeply involved in the plot to assassinate Hitler, having obtained the explosives that Claus von Stauffenberg used in the attempt. When the plot failed, Wessel committed suicide. His wife and children were arrested, but survived the war. Bernd was a confidant of General Guderian, which may have provided him with some protection.
After the war, Bernd rejoined the German army, eventually becoming Commander of the Third Panzer Division and then Chief of Staff of the German Army. My second-cousin-once-removed, Eberhard Burandt, who had been a panzer captain in the war and spent three years in a Soviet POW camp, followed Bernd's path some years later as Commander of the Third Panzer Division and Chief of Staff.
Wow, that was one of your most interesting stories you’ve brought in quite some time. Great information.
At this point it feels like half of Mark´s videos are about giving us a better understanding of the historical background regarding the plot of the movie "Der Untergang" (Downfall).
That's a good film about Hitler's end, so are the portrayals by Sir Anthony Hopkins and Sir Alex Guinness as well
Imagine how the German Generals like Guderian were feeling as they saw the Russian advance on Berlin when Germany was advancing on Moscow only for Hitler to order them to change direction and advance south,wasting valuable time. During WW2 taking capitals usually led to the fall of a country but nobody could tell Hitler "I told you so but you wouldn't listen " even though both would have known this to be true. Mark Fulton gets the most amazing information that appears to have on many occasions been overlooked by historians.
At last! I've seen so many photos with von Below in them but never has he been named. Thankyou.
Unfortunate that the only thing good about WW2 is when it ended, even then it's forever soul crushingly bittersweet always increasingly so and thankfully never forgot.
Thank You for the documentary Mark 🍻
holy crap. i read so much growing up watching doco's etc but only thanks to alot of your content has it all made so much more sense and understanding. all in all it just terrible sacrifices for technology and understanding and everyone's suffering cost's
Great as always Prof Felton !
Great video Mark, anything on the Battle of the Atlantic would be welcome, many thanks.
"The call is coming from inside The Fuhrerbunker!"
Est ist aus Fegelein!
Brilliant stuff, my friend! It brings history alive!
An awesome video Mr.Felton.
A good part of History that is not mentioned very much at all. Thank You for researching all this for me.
Mark gets these Last stories just like magic
High drama in a vicious fight in the closing days of the war.Well researched as usual.Thanks Doc!
Traudl Junge, who took down and typed Hitler's Political Testament said that she was very disappointed with what he dictated. She thought that there would be some sort of deep revelation, but that it was mainly a rehash of previous rhetoric.
Yet another fascinating tale. Thank you Sir!
It's unbelievable that one of these became a high ranking official in NATO.
The hypocrisy of the Cold War summed up. That means even known war criminals (Meyer, Moehnke, von dem Bach-Zelewski) don't get hung or have life sentences commuted after only short jail terms or never face trial at all.
Is it any wonder why NATO continues to be a hostile and expansion is the organization bent on the destruction of Russia?
Yes, I thought the same. The twists and turns of life eh!
Just wondering; we're told about several sets of copies of the documents, how were the copies made? Did the remaining secretarial staff have to type them out multiple times, or were these carbon copies or some sort of facsimile?
Photostats?
Outstanding work Dr Mark.
Fascinating story from WWII and the end of the Nazi regime. Thanks for sharing it with us and I appreciate your research. Much better than any TV show 👍
Treasure troves of information can be learned from Mister Felton.
Brave men. Must been hard getting thru the Bolshevik lines. Another great video. 👍
Praising Nazis isn’t a great look 😅
Believe the ss was still looking for deserters also
@@BoiBoy1995 I repeat... GREAT MEN!
@@occidentadvocate.9759 you said brave, not great 😂
You are the first source to get every detail correct. Well done as always.
Well done Dr. Felton.
Dr. Felton, thank you very much for another excellent video! You mentioned that Rudolf Weiss died in a labour camp in Kasachstan in 1958. Which source did you get that from? I am asking because it's generally said that the last German POWs returned in 1955, so I'd like to learn more about those that apparently remained in labour camps afterwards.
Many were held for 12 years including hitlers dental nurse.
Mark Felton finally mentions Der Untergang / Downfall
I enjoy the war stories about Berlin in the last weeks. Rats leaving a sinking ship. Amazing how many were able to escape the noose.
Rats? No men who did their duty don't you realise that think about it!
they were demons in human skin
As always, great job Mark!
I always thought Hitler sent his correspondence through UPSS
Imagine being a German Sailor on a ship, knowing that the war is all but lost. Then one day you wake up and are told to die for Hitler and the Fatherland. Like Now!
Germans preferred to fall into American or Brit
hands rather than Russian. One word. Respect.
We finally need a Mark Felton ep about Kampfgruppe Steiner
Better than watching the evening news! Thank you, Mark!