Get to Berlin! Soviet Operation to Stop US & British Forces Reaching Berlin

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  • Опубліковано 29 гру 2024

КОМЕНТАРІ • 830

  • @MarkFeltonProductions
    @MarkFeltonProductions  7 місяців тому +47

    Claim your SPECIAL OFFER for MagellanTV here: sponsr.is/magellantv_markfelton and start your free trial TODAY so you can watch Operation Foxley about assassinating the WWII German leader: www.magellantv.com/video/operation-foxley-mission-liquidate-hitler

    • @louispapp7722
      @louispapp7722 7 місяців тому

      Eisenhower ordered Patton to stay out of Berlin.

    • @steveshoemaker6347
      @steveshoemaker6347 7 місяців тому

      Thanks you Sir....
      Old F-4 Phantom ll pilot Shoe🇺🇸

    • @commander931
      @commander931 7 місяців тому

      Amazing documentary but I couldn't assimilate in such a short space of time the extensive dialogue and exposition of the historical facts of war. It honestly scares me and my father did not want to discuss the war issue in question for the same reason. But it attracts me. You friend from Spain Catalonia Mr. Mark Felton good job.

    • @evankalbach9985
      @evankalbach9985 3 місяці тому

      Wonder how well the Soviets would have done in the period had the US and UK not supported them all the supplies they received or called in the debt for such right away?

  • @TR4Ajim
    @TR4Ajim 7 місяців тому +365

    I recall reading that one of the reasons that Stalin wanted to keep the western forces out of the Berlin area was he wanted the Soviets to capture as much Uranium/German atomic research as possible. What he didn’t know was the Germans had already moved most of this material/personnel west, where Western forces captured most of it.

    • @tomhenry897
      @tomhenry897 7 місяців тому +4

      But got scientists

    • @gideonmele1556
      @gideonmele1556 7 місяців тому +44

      @@tomhenry897some scientists, many had already fled west

    • @4TheWinQuinn
      @4TheWinQuinn 7 місяців тому +9

      Germans had actually sent the majority of it on a submarine to Japan but that was captured !!! Thats a crazy story.

    • @timmyjones1921
      @timmyjones1921 7 місяців тому

      I seen videos of the same.

    • @aleksazunjic9672
      @aleksazunjic9672 7 місяців тому +3

      There was not much of that in Berlin. Reason was simple, US & British forces did not withdraw yet from Soviet occupation zone, so Soviets didn't want to withdraw from US&UK zones.

  • @Geckobane
    @Geckobane 6 місяців тому +5

    I just wanted to take a moment to thank you for putting such good content out there, despite a certain company making everything unnecessarily hard and a small minority of viewers choosing to be difficult unnecessarily.
    Thank you again and I hope you have a terrific day.

  • @mikeschillinger4427
    @mikeschillinger4427 7 місяців тому +148

    My dad's first overseas assignment in the army air corps was the Berlin airlift where he learned to speak German and kept in touch with the family he was billeted with until very late in his life, visiting them many times over the years. He went on to do tours in Korea and 2 in Vietnam. Until his last days he never really spoke about what he did other than to say he was in communications and had no idea how many people he'd put in harms way. Once he retired (27 years and as a msgt) he never wanted anything to do with the Veterans Administration, preferring to go to the local air base for everything from groceries (BX) to using the medical facilities. He was 92 when he died last year.

  • @edwardloomis887
    @edwardloomis887 7 місяців тому +79

    I served in a U.S. infantry battalion in West Berlin 1984-1987. I guess the stalling failed, but it really pissed off Col. Frank Howley who earns a shout-out in this video. He was Lucius Clay's hammer when dealing with the Soviets at the local level in Berlin.

  • @tonylovesducks2501
    @tonylovesducks2501 7 місяців тому +47

    Thanks for the informative video dr Felton. I am from Germany and I learned on your channel more about world war 2 than in my school.

    • @ldnwholesale8552
      @ldnwholesale8552 7 місяців тому +3

      I have heard that from many Germans who have moved to Oz. They had to learn their own history.
      Though these days with the mess of woke teachers and carriculums kids have to learn from watching You Tube.

    • @tonylovesducks2501
      @tonylovesducks2501 7 місяців тому +1

      @@ldnwholesale8552 When I was in middle school we didn’t had woke stuff. Not that much as today, but still my history teacher just teached us a black and white concept of ww2 Germany bad, allies good. But my last teacher which was 2022 was very good. He was really enthusiastic about teaching history, specially ww2. It was only 6 months and I had him 2 times a week but we became close and talked about ww2 everyday after class. He always made sure we learn and think for ourselves. There are still great teachers, but very rare. I was lucky once in that matter.
      But you’re right, today teachers just teach bs because they want to push their agendas and get paid. They don’t care about teaching and you can notice that when you get bored in class. Learning and teaching are the most important things for us humans and it should never be boring right ?

    • @Odyssey-y3s
      @Odyssey-y3s 6 місяців тому

      This is not history, but propaganda

  • @TroyDowVanZandt
    @TroyDowVanZandt 7 місяців тому +371

    In the late 80s, I was living in Germany and had a buddy who was an officer in the Berlin Brigade. He and his wife invited my German girlfriend and me to visit them. We took a train through East Germany. At some wee hour of the morning, the train stopped at the inter-German border so that an East German locomotive could take us to Berlin. You see, no stinkin' capitalist locomotive was gonna do that. Somewhere before Berlin, an East German customs official entered our compartment wearing a table (yes, you read that right). A Swiss girl in our compartment had a slightly expired passport (come on, it's Europe FFS). "Fünfzig Mark!" the official declared. Of course, he didn't want 50 East German marks--he wanted 50 West German marks. We arrived outside of Berlin early that morning. On the platform were heavily armed East Germans pacing about. They ran a dog underneath the train to ensure no one was hidden in one of the carriages. Fun behind the Iron Curtain. This trip included a drive through the still-functioning Checkpoint Charlie, but that's a tale for another Mark Felton video.

    • @dlxmarks
      @dlxmarks 7 місяців тому +19

      I'm somewhat surprised that the customs official bothered with even the pretense of an offense to extort the money.

    • @KuursKat
      @KuursKat 7 місяців тому +1

      Might as well continue with the story Mark has already released multiple CP C videos

    • @TroyDowVanZandt
      @TroyDowVanZandt 7 місяців тому +16

      @@KuursKat I went through Checkpoint Charlie with my friend and his wife. As a German citizen, my girlfriend had to take the subway into East Berlin. Under the Status of Forces Agreement, the East Germans could not touch the car. With the windows rolled up, we simply pressed our passports (opened to the first two pages) against the glass. A fellow in jackboots walked around and took down our info. My friend had to wear a Class B uniform, and that was it. And then we were off to East Berlin with its potholes, bullet holes, and bombed-out buildings behind fences.

    • @TroyDowVanZandt
      @TroyDowVanZandt 7 місяців тому +14

      @@hanshartfiel6394 Yet there the young Swiss lady was with my girlfriend, my girlfriend's sister, and Yours Truly. I remember driving to see the waterfall in Schaffhausen, Switzerland, around this time. I don't recall anyone stopping us at the border in or out. I distinctly remember driving into both the Netherlands and France. I think there was someone at the French border who glanced at us. Of course, I could've experienced a psychotic break the entire time I was in Europe and only imagined the open borders. Maybe that's what's happening now with the Mexican border--I'm just imagining it. I hope so.

    • @t0ny1189
      @t0ny1189 7 місяців тому +7

      What does wearing a table mean?

  • @MightyMezzo
    @MightyMezzo 7 місяців тому +133

    In reading David McCullough’s biography of Truman, I recall that at the time of the Potsdam conference the President remarked that Stalin was “a man he could deal with.” His opinion of Stalin changed quickly on further acquaintance.

    • @stanislavczebinski994
      @stanislavczebinski994 7 місяців тому +22

      AFAIK, Truman wasn't the brightest candle on the tree😉

    • @vlad_47
      @vlad_47 7 місяців тому

      Stalin was beyond these election campaign circus performers. Something that Putin and Xi also today show against their western counterparts.
      Perhaps thats why there is a Deep State since decades in the so-called liberal democracies?

    • @vic5015
      @vic5015 7 місяців тому +11

      ​@stanislavczebinski994 perhaps more naive than anything else.

    • @lao5610
      @lao5610 7 місяців тому +32

      Too be fare, nobody expects to run in to a psychopath/sociopath. It usually catches people off guard because humans are social creatures by nature and society can only function if you can place your trust in other people to honor their word.

    • @vlad_47
      @vlad_47 7 місяців тому +8

      @@lao5610 "Stalin never broke his word with me."
      - Churchill in the 50's

  • @jackieking1522
    @jackieking1522 7 місяців тому +14

    My dad ended the war as a delivery test pilot for Dakotas. Went back to old job, instrument maker. Was asked to return to flying for the Air Lift but this time the factory wouldn't hold his job for him. So he stayed with what seemed more secure.

  • @bigantplowright5711
    @bigantplowright5711 7 місяців тому +126

    My grandfather who was a WW1 veteran used to say "never trust a Bolshevik". This still applies!

    • @dann5480
      @dann5480 7 місяців тому +9

      Was he by any chance a German?

    • @MsSoulProvider
      @MsSoulProvider 7 місяців тому +11

      Must have been an Nazi afterwoods in WWII

    • @JDDC-tq7qm
      @JDDC-tq7qm 6 місяців тому

      And it was your grandfather who invaded the Bolsheviks in 1918 a war that never involved you it was a brotherly war Russian v Russian there was no reason why Americans, french, British invaded Russia bit Russia never invaded USA, UK or France so I say never trust the West

    • @sydneylousr
      @sydneylousr 6 місяців тому

      Presumably. What german didn't

    • @proinseasokiellig4388
      @proinseasokiellig4388 6 місяців тому

      BOLLOX

  • @JimmyCamandona
    @JimmyCamandona 6 місяців тому +1

    Thanks!

  • @mitchmatthews6713
    @mitchmatthews6713 7 місяців тому +15

    A great way to begin my weekend!My father fought in the first "battle" of the Cold War, the Berlin Airlift. Cheers, Mark!

  • @Sam501UK
    @Sam501UK 7 місяців тому +60

    I was just thinking that I fancy watching a Mark Felton video... and here we are! 🙂

    • @vic5015
      @vic5015 7 місяців тому +7

      Whatever videos Dr. Felton posts next Thursday, June 6th 2024, the 80th anniversary of D-Day, are sure to be bangers.

  • @iancurtis1152
    @iancurtis1152 7 місяців тому +20

    I remember as a child in the mid 60’s (in New Zealand) playing a board game called “ Berlin or Bust”. Then later on in the mid 70’s there was a board game called “Hit the Beach” set in the Pacific theatre.

    • @Odyssey-y3s
      @Odyssey-y3s 6 місяців тому

      That game was based on the real evidence of the war crimes committed by the British and American air forces against the German civilians. They carpet bombed them.

  • @bruceblackerby3742
    @bruceblackerby3742 7 місяців тому +6

    My father was a 28 year officer in the Signal Corps and was with the first American group to enter Berlin. He told me once that the Mitary Police would find a building that hadn't be bombed to pieces, and would give the residents 30 minutes to vacate before commandeering the property for military use, including living quarters or office use.

  • @mickwful
    @mickwful 7 місяців тому +14

    In 1975 I was stationed in Kladow with 1 Para. We did a battalion move to the zone ( the British sector in Germany) I was in the back of a land rover signaling for a major who had jumped at Rhine crossing in the war. The young lieuy leading the convoy managed to get us lost I heard the major say , it took us four years to get over the Rhine in the war this bloke should have been in charge we have crossed it three times in the last few hours.

    • @jon9021
      @jon9021 7 місяців тому +3

      Hahahaha, brilliant!

    • @johnrudy9404
      @johnrudy9404 6 місяців тому +2

      You guys say LEFtenant, but you used the abbreviation Leuwy. A nod to LEUtenant?😊

  • @deanbuss1678
    @deanbuss1678 7 місяців тому +1

    Thanks!

  • @MBKindell
    @MBKindell 7 місяців тому +116

    With allies like that... who needs enemies?

    • @bf1905
      @bf1905 7 місяців тому +6

      Yup

    • @dann5480
      @dann5480 7 місяців тому

      Yes, allies like the ones who laid down millions of lives to stop the scourge of genocidal fascism. Great argument.

    • @ardshielcomplex8917
      @ardshielcomplex8917 6 місяців тому +12

      We could say that about the allies as well, the war started over the invasion of Poland, which Britain and France had pledged by Treaty to defend Poland. Polish Army troops, Navy vessels and men; Air force personel especially trained and experienced Pilots; were exceptionally skilled and hard fighting in the British forces. But the US, Britain and France signed Poland in its entirety over to the Russians; in addition to not allowing the brave Poles who survived at the end of WW2 to be included in the 1945 Victory march in London. They were treated despicably by the western allies.

    • @martinputt6421
      @martinputt6421 6 місяців тому +5

      @@ardshielcomplex8917 The same thing happened to the Czech's as well. Both countries were sold down the river to the Soviets to the shame of the Western Allies.

    • @sydneylousr
      @sydneylousr 6 місяців тому

      It's weird how many seemingly naive and evil actions the west undertook and agreed to during WW2. And coincidentally all of those actions were done to support the soviets and hurt the west!

  • @MatthewSlimp
    @MatthewSlimp 7 місяців тому

    Thanks!

  • @jonthinks6238
    @jonthinks6238 7 місяців тому +58

    I'm still amazed that the other allies trusted the soviets after the spring of 44.

    • @tomnewham1269
      @tomnewham1269 7 місяців тому

      Churchill and Patton didn’t and both wanted to continue the war against the Soviets.

    • @Dylan-sp7oc
      @Dylan-sp7oc 7 місяців тому +6

      What event are you talking about?

    • @jonthinks6238
      @jonthinks6238 7 місяців тому

      @@Dylan-sp7oc Because the communist soviets did not liberale countries. They enslaved other countries.

    • @JohnnyUtah-71
      @JohnnyUtah-71 6 місяців тому

      I don't believe any of the allies trusted the Soviets ever. They just dealt with them to win the war in Europe.

    • @joythought
      @joythought 6 місяців тому +3

      Not exactly "trust"... They were out allies. But it was clear this wasn't going to work out.

  • @mutlugameofhalit
    @mutlugameofhalit 7 місяців тому +4

    This channel gives me good vibes, better than all TV history channels.

  • @animalian01
    @animalian01 7 місяців тому +15

    Always good when a Felton video drops

  • @m_adinterim
    @m_adinterim 7 місяців тому +5

    I was at the Imperial War Museum earlier today and throughout my visit I had Dr. Felton’s commentary running in my head 😅

  • @gamingin144p4
    @gamingin144p4 7 місяців тому +18

    Thank you Mark for the video!

  • @hakimcameldriver
    @hakimcameldriver 7 місяців тому +7

    My kids German heritage has Silesian & Sudatenland bloodlines. Visited our old family property in the late 1990s, still war damage..

  • @hangin-in-thereawesome4245
    @hangin-in-thereawesome4245 7 місяців тому +10

    Please don't stop making videos! I've learned so much from them!

  • @CarlJeanson
    @CarlJeanson 7 місяців тому +4

    Thanks for posting another video about this topic! Not a lot is being talked about this and I am really interested in this.

  • @thegunslinger1363
    @thegunslinger1363 7 місяців тому +22

    What better way to start the weekend than with a Mark Felton video!

    • @MikeTheD
      @MikeTheD 7 місяців тому +1

      Yeah you know what you're right. Weekend vibes let's go

  • @4urluvjones155
    @4urluvjones155 7 місяців тому +1

    I watch a lot of WW2 history videos and I have not seen one on this incredibly important period in world history. Well done Mr Felton and thanks.

  • @gate7clamp
    @gate7clamp 7 місяців тому +2

    My friends in the Air Force and when he was at the Academy, their history courses they would be talking about the greatest moment in the branches. History was the Berlin airlift.

  • @stephenchristian5739
    @stephenchristian5739 7 місяців тому +6

    Amazing! I had always truly wondered how the Allies actually did get to Berlin other than storming through, but Soviets were everywhere & the details always intrigued me, the machinations of actually getting in.

  • @mrhpijl
    @mrhpijl 7 місяців тому +12

    Mark, can you do a video on the uprising of Georgian POW/officers against the German garrison on the Dutch island of Texel? It lasted from April 5 until May 20, well after the German capitulation and possibly the last battle fought in Europe. It ended when Canadians entered the island. Its a fascinating story that deserves attention

    • @jemoeder51
      @jemoeder51 7 місяців тому +2

      The fact that Soviet SHERSH troops were send to Texel to deal with 'repatriating' the Georgians back to the USSR is interesting aswell.

    • @hooligan410
      @hooligan410 7 місяців тому

      Never heard this before, truly interesting

    • @kirbyculp3449
      @kirbyculp3449 7 місяців тому

      Tragic in its own way.

  • @CTOInformation
    @CTOInformation 7 місяців тому +3

    SO, have the US & British Forces tried to stop the Soviets from reaching Berlin?

  • @BobPringle-s1g
    @BobPringle-s1g 7 місяців тому +7

    A Friday isn't complete without that Felton theme tune ❤️

  • @jamesgarman4788
    @jamesgarman4788 7 місяців тому +4

    Many thanks Mark for another wonderful production!

  • @user-ve5ei2xe8h
    @user-ve5ei2xe8h 7 місяців тому +28

    My grandparents got the f out of silesia, when they heared the russians are coming.
    There are still people alive today in Germany, that remember what happens to civilians when the russians are invading.
    The russian army hasn't changed much since then.

    • @beetooex
      @beetooex 7 місяців тому +3

      My wife's grandmother's family were in Breslau. None of them really got over it. Omi came to England in about 1948 to be a nurse in the NHS. She was so lovely we named our daughter after her. That generation has all passed now but we've still got family all over Europe to visit.

  • @thischannelisbackon5679
    @thischannelisbackon5679 7 місяців тому +1

    "Gee, this Mark Felton vid is uneventful, boring and lacking in content"
    Said nobody, ever.
    Great work man. These videos are great and even inspiring at times.
    Top 10 history channels of YT without a doubt

  • @MrLemonbaby
    @MrLemonbaby 7 місяців тому +1

    Thank you Mark. It's great to have these little splinters of history which are both amusing and more importantly accurate.

  • @davidcox3076
    @davidcox3076 6 місяців тому +1

    Fascinating all the maneuvering that was done between the Soviets and the Western Allies at the end of the war. While the Soviets were keeping the Allies out of Berlin, Canadian forces were racing across northern Germany to close off Soviet access to Jutland. The reds would have been very happy to occupy Denmark and dominate the Baltic.

  • @RiverRev
    @RiverRev 7 місяців тому +32

    My father was in the 82nd airborne and talked about the bodies of young women floating down the river from Berlin. He despised the Russians and Truman for allowing that kind of cruelty.

    • @jon9021
      @jon9021 7 місяців тому +8

      Understandable…but there was 6 million people (plus) who probably wouldn’t have agreed with that statement.

    • @f.n8581
      @f.n8581 7 місяців тому +14

      @@jon9021And 19 million Soviet civilians !

    • @jon9021
      @jon9021 7 місяців тому +5

      @@f.n8581 exactly.

    • @TheStudio-div
      @TheStudio-div 6 місяців тому

      Same happen in Manchuria after the soviet arrived

    • @gumpmosh
      @gumpmosh 6 місяців тому +2

      ​@@TheStudio-divcool story, clown

  • @blackkat7073
    @blackkat7073 7 місяців тому +1

    Great video!!!! Thank you for covering.

  • @rmwarnick
    @rmwarnick 7 місяців тому +2

    I served in the 2d Armored Division at Fort Hood, TX and Grafenwoehr, Germany in the late 1970s. It was a source of pride to be a member of the division that occupied Berlin in 1945. Too bad the Army later deactivated 2AD.

  • @erichall465
    @erichall465 7 місяців тому +3

    Fascinating documentaries. There's certainly a lot more to learn about the Cold War.

  • @cior8837
    @cior8837 7 місяців тому +7

    Appreciate the Video Dr. Mark Felton as always!

  • @jefffoutz4024
    @jefffoutz4024 7 місяців тому +83

    Can't believe a word that Soviets uttered....... Truman had a serious learning curve dealing with Commies.

    • @Kededian
      @Kededian 7 місяців тому +13

      I dont believe a word from imperialist Americans either, so thats that.

    • @vlad_47
      @vlad_47 7 місяців тому +7

      @@Kededian They only have their boogey man stories, hopelessly conditioned.

    • @dandyjesus
      @dandyjesus 7 місяців тому +33

      @@Kededian Soviets are just more imperialist. As we can see today.

    • @vlad_47
      @vlad_47 7 місяців тому

      @@dandyjesus Thats why after 1991, the liberal "End of History" everyone just lived in a golden era of peace until the evil Putin came along, right?

    • @somerandofilipino6957
      @somerandofilipino6957 7 місяців тому +11

      ​@@Kededian Lol tankie

  • @williamromine5715
    @williamromine5715 7 місяців тому +17

    An awful lot of the problems with Stalin was because Eisenhower decided that Berlin was no longer a target of the Western Allies. Had Berlin been occupied by the Americans, Stalin wouldn't have been able to play games with the West.

  • @gusloader123
    @gusloader123 7 місяців тому +10

    Good video! No Germans (not even the "East Germans") shed a tear when the Soviets left East Germany in the early 1990's.
    I have always thought that Harry Truman was saddled with the leftover Roosevelt communist friendly, VERY bad pro-Soviet advisors in the U.S. State Department (The British call it "The Foreign office, which is a good idea actually) and the War Department (now called the Department of Defense), giving him reallllly bad pro-Soviet advise. Truman had been an obscure Senator from the U.S. state of Missouri without knowledge of the international "big picture".

  • @AaronfromEngland1989
    @AaronfromEngland1989 7 місяців тому +1

    I'm just reading my very first book the seige of Küstrin 1945 my grandad lost his whole family there he was a soldier of some sort,he fought the spearhead of the soviet military making their way to Berlin...the fortress,good video mark.

  • @Onyesoh
    @Onyesoh 6 місяців тому +1

    I was a 17 year old British soldier in all of this in 1980. I live in the US today!

    • @davidpage3893
      @davidpage3893 2 місяці тому

      Do you still have your British accent my friend?

  • @coreydarr8464
    @coreydarr8464 7 місяців тому +3

    Thank you Professor Felton.👍

  • @Asger21
    @Asger21 7 місяців тому +42

    Soviet also "liberated" Bornholm, a small danish island though it was under British forces to do so. It "took" the Soviet forces 1 year (!) to leave!

    • @jeffreyg4626
      @jeffreyg4626 7 місяців тому +8

      And the US never left Berlin in which they were duty bound according to the Potsdam agreement of 1945.

    • @nanorider426
      @nanorider426 7 місяців тому +19

      @@jeffreyg4626 Yay. Good example of "what-aboutism".
      And I think the Germans were glad they never left regarding the Cold War and the dictatorships that were all around them.

    • @old-schematic
      @old-schematic 7 місяців тому

      @@nanorider426 Anti-whataboutist's countermove is to mention whataboutism, and now you're clear of all blood. Nice move!

    • @jeffreyg4626
      @jeffreyg4626 7 місяців тому +2

      @@nanorider426 If countries come to an agreement through joint negotiations and compromises, those countries are duty bound to uphold it. A policy based on principle is always the correct policy. The US not leaving Berlin only lowered their credibility internationally and was one of the main instigations in the Cold War. In case you don't know: The Cold War was a threat to world peace. Humanity is fortunate to have made it through the Cold War without annihilating itself. In light of this, who cares if West Germany was "glad" or not? You come off as anti-conscious, subjective and ignorant. How "aboutism" YOU research, discuss and think before you comment. Yay.

    • @nanorider426
      @nanorider426 7 місяців тому +1

      @@jeffreyg4626 You just don't get it. Germany have the right but doesn't use it. It have a contract with the US. I gather you are an american who don't have a clue about Europe.
      You come to me as a bot or even worse: A person who cherry-picks the history as you see fit. You would be great as a fascist. Or maybe you already are?

  • @vic5015
    @vic5015 7 місяців тому +3

    Can't wait to see what Dr. Felton does for next Thursday!

  • @patrickbianconi1817
    @patrickbianconi1817 7 місяців тому +1

    Simply put, always the best thing to watch on UA-cam

  • @rubbishmodeller
    @rubbishmodeller 6 місяців тому +1

    Thousands of Soviets died taking Berlin, so I'm not surprised they were reluctant to give any of it up quickly...

  • @magellantv
    @magellantv 7 місяців тому +2

    This was incredibly well done and so informative. Thank you for such a great video!

  • @ace_ofchaos9292
    @ace_ofchaos9292 7 місяців тому +40

    There is a surprising number of people who think Stalin wasn’t actually interested in Berlin.

    • @raul0ca
      @raul0ca 7 місяців тому +5

      There are a surprising number of fellow travellers

    • @a_little_about_all
      @a_little_about_all 6 місяців тому +6

      Berlin was an ultimate trophy for Stalin and Russian folks. After surviving the blodiest war in the human history Russians had no other choice but to selibrate the victory in the stronghold of its enemy. All the other theories are secondary. Just check the Russian TV chanels around 9th May every year, you'll see how proud they are and how they keep memory for the ones who fall in that war. Unfortunateley, Western folks hardly can comprehend the extend and loses of that war and how little they made for the victory.

    • @donttrip-wt6kj
      @donttrip-wt6kj 6 місяців тому

      the truth is we will never know the true reason for the holocost n ww2

    • @TheStudio-div
      @TheStudio-div 6 місяців тому

      @@a_little_about_all and probably forgot they involved in occupy Poland together.

  • @katlap3101
    @katlap3101 7 місяців тому +1

    Thank you Dr. Felton, we appreciate you so much

  • @thEannoyingE
    @thEannoyingE 7 місяців тому +1

    Ok, now this I didn’t know about. Another historic episode on the list. Thank you Mark.

  • @-.Steven
    @-.Steven 7 місяців тому +1

    8:18 "...supposed allies.' Very well stated!

  • @jwhiskey242
    @jwhiskey242 7 місяців тому +3

    The Soviets paid a heavy price to take Berlin. It irked them to have to live up to the agreement they made over its division.

  • @ManuelGuajardo-zd7hx
    @ManuelGuajardo-zd7hx 7 місяців тому +1

    Another great production Dr. Felton. Very informative. 👍

  • @ukulelemikeleii
    @ukulelemikeleii 7 місяців тому +51

    I remember my older brother telling me a story ( I don't recall where he heard it from possibly an old German soldier from when he was living in Germany) that when the Germans surrendered to US forces they were like "okay we've surrendered, now give us back our weapons and we'll join you to fight the Russians!" And they were incredulous when they found out that we we're not going to fight the Russians, but instead they were our friends. But with friends like that, who needs enemies?!?

    • @jon9021
      @jon9021 7 місяців тому +3

      Indeed!

    • @Odyssey-y3s
      @Odyssey-y3s 6 місяців тому +3

      Those Nazi soldiers were used by the Americans later as the main force in NATO and as intelligence personnel in CIA

    • @questerperipatetic4861
      @questerperipatetic4861 6 місяців тому

      Mostly due to Schicklegruber's deluded propaganda and wishful thinking.

    • @657449
      @657449 6 місяців тому

      Think of the logistic problems of a war with Russia. You have to feed your troops, the civilians in France and Germany.

    • @Odyssey-y3s
      @Odyssey-y3s 6 місяців тому

      @@ukulelemikeleii Russia kicked out the invaders and will kick out them again from the Russian land.

  • @jimpolk
    @jimpolk 7 місяців тому +3

    Love your videos. Always interesting.

  • @robertchabot5625
    @robertchabot5625 7 місяців тому

    Great video on the time right after the war. I served in the US Army and was in Berline from 1971-1974. A lot had been repaired but not all. There was the tension you described and also the games. I worked at Check Point Carlie, the US Army Passenger and Freight trains running from West Germany to Berline and back. One little fact very few people know about is the small town of Steinstucken, a couple miles outside West Berlin in the Soviet sector, but still part of West Berlin. Every heard of that and the fact that the U.S. kept 3 MP's there at all times?

  • @WestNorth356
    @WestNorth356 6 місяців тому

    Love your channel Mark!

  • @robertbridges517
    @robertbridges517 7 місяців тому +7

    Truman stubbled bumbled into Korean War the same way

  • @bob_the_bomb4508
    @bob_the_bomb4508 7 місяців тому +1

    We were told during my tour in West Berlin that by July 1945 the Soviet War Memorial in front of the Brandenburg Gate was already built. This in turn led to the rumour that the crews were still in the 2 T34 tanks in the memorial.

  • @TrueBrit1
    @TrueBrit1 6 місяців тому

    14:25 - does anybody know what became of the Eagle after the war? Was it destroyed, or is it in a museum somewhere?

  • @stevepritchett6563
    @stevepritchett6563 7 місяців тому +1

    Great vid as always Mark. The only thing is, AFAIK, the Union Flag is only called a Jack when flown on a ship 😊

  • @BlueCollar80
    @BlueCollar80 6 місяців тому +5

    I dont understand why Berlin should be Split in two, Soviet did most of the job to brought Berlin to its knees, I know that Western allied help them too by lend lease but on that specific battle alone, im sure the western supply was minuscule compared to soviet domestically produced supply

    • @theodorekell
      @theodorekell 6 місяців тому +1

      This was an agreement developed in 1943 and 1944 by Stalin, FDR and Churchill

    • @BlueCollar80
      @BlueCollar80 6 місяців тому

      @@theodorekell what a stupid move by Stalin

    • @theodorekell
      @theodorekell 6 місяців тому +1

      ​@@BlueCollar80 Stalin had good relations with Roosevelt and DeGaulle. If you have noticed, France was part of 3rd Reich and German ally on D-day but received its occupation zone. This is because Stalin insisted on it with Degaulle. US wanted a different man and also no French involvement in the "allies" but... Churchill was "ok" at that time but quickly switched the narrative.
      Roosevelt was more like socialist, if you see his record. He and Stalin worked well together. In 1930s Americans came to work and industrialize the USSR. May be Stalin did not know that Truman has completely different policy.

    • @tigerland4328
      @tigerland4328 4 місяці тому

      Using that logic all the airspace over Germany and every airfield in Germany should have belonged to the British and Americans as they had done the vast majority of the work of destroying the luftwaffe and sweeping it from the skies above Germany

    • @BlueCollar80
      @BlueCollar80 4 місяці тому

      @@tigerland4328 nope, they dont reach all of german airspace, especially in the east, also are there western air support during the battle of Berlin?

  • @krisfrederick5001
    @krisfrederick5001 7 місяців тому +8

    "The only hope you have is to accept the fact that you’re already dead. The sooner you accept that, the sooner you’ll be able to function as a soldier is supposed to function: without mercy, without compassion, without remorse. All war depends upon it." Lt. Speirs, Band of Brothers. That being said Russians haven't changed a bit.

  • @AzrockOmegaMan
    @AzrockOmegaMan 7 місяців тому +2

    Dr. Felton... Could you please do a segment on the Nazi party book burnings of the 1930's. What the contents of the books exactly were that Hitler viewed as so dangerous.

  • @revvyhevvy
    @revvyhevvy 7 місяців тому +2

    When the stadium was shown, the best I could come up with was 'that was where what's his name did that thing'.... Jesse Owens....it came to me at last!

    • @martinswiney2192
      @martinswiney2192 7 місяців тому

      Dude ran so fast it sent Hitler into a panic attack.

  • @justliam2768
    @justliam2768 7 місяців тому +3

    The Feltonator strikes again! 💪

  • @LeslieNewton-lu5wm
    @LeslieNewton-lu5wm 6 місяців тому

    Thank you and God bless your teachings

  • @johnjacobs1625
    @johnjacobs1625 7 місяців тому +1

    Nice Job Dr Mark!

  • @PaulBrennan-b6m
    @PaulBrennan-b6m 7 місяців тому

    Fascinating story again Mark thank you respect 🤝🙏👏🫶

  • @arifcso6633
    @arifcso6633 7 місяців тому

    Mark Felton voice and accent is clear and nice to hear.

  • @patrickcardon1643
    @patrickcardon1643 7 місяців тому +10

    Between the behaviour of the Russians in Germany then, and in Ukraine now, nothing has changed

    • @MrSloika
      @MrSloika 7 місяців тому +4

      Oh you are so right. The Germans acted like perfect gentlemen when THEY invaded the USSR.

    • @MrSloika
      @MrSloika 7 місяців тому +3

      @@user-641g2g1szxcy Fact: Germany invaded the USSR not the other way around. Fact: The Germans killed MILLIONS while in the USSR...both combatants and non-combatants. BTW, 1/4 of what is today the Ukraine was actually Polish territory and Crimea really belongs to the Turks.

    • @f.n8581
      @f.n8581 7 місяців тому

      ⁠​⁠@@MrSloikaYou are right with everything besides that Crimea belong to the Turks !!!

  • @robertphillips6296
    @robertphillips6296 7 місяців тому +3

    Thank you for posting this.

  • @alanaldpal950
    @alanaldpal950 7 місяців тому +56

    Should have listened to Patton……. 😮

    • @phyllisfager6689
      @phyllisfager6689 7 місяців тому +4

      My thoughts also

    • @djmech3871
      @djmech3871 7 місяців тому

      @@ShadowOfTheHawkePatton was correct, you could never trust the Russians.

    • @martinswiney2192
      @martinswiney2192 7 місяців тому

      Just a short trip to Moscow.

    • @aleksazunjic9672
      @aleksazunjic9672 7 місяців тому +3

      War would then had to be on US soil, as Patton was not talking about Soviets 😁

    • @tomnewham1269
      @tomnewham1269 7 місяців тому +11

      @@aleksazunjic9672Patton wanted to continue the war against the Soviets as he didn’t trust them. Churchill also had the same feelings.

  • @bwilliams463
    @bwilliams463 7 місяців тому +7

    The 'friendly' relations between the Soviet Union and the West were all but over by the final months of the War; it had been clear from the start of the successful Soviet offensives that Stalin meant to keep the territories they 'liberated.' Some theorize that Stalin demanded that the second 'Big 3' conference be held in cold and clammy Yalta in an effort to aggravate Roosevelt's failing health.

    • @suzyqualcast6269
      @suzyqualcast6269 7 місяців тому +3

      Though more than happy were Joe's troops with all that American equipment, tanks, planes, munitions, handed to them in helpful gesture....

  • @IrishCarney
    @IrishCarney 7 місяців тому +2

    Why didn't the Soviets insist that their occupation zone in Berlin include the Reichstag within its boundaries? Quite a number of Soviet soldiers had died in the bitter and intense fighting for that building, and, as the symbolic seat of power of the German state, its capture signified the Allied victory in Europe. Moreover, the Reichstag being in Soviet hands would put Stalin in a strong symbolic and practical position to affect the shape and course of the new German state. Given Soviet willingness to exploit "facts on the ground" as seen in this video, this giveaway is a mystery.

    • @TheStudio-div
      @TheStudio-div 6 місяців тому

      One of the reason was Stalin and Beria were busying try to remove Zhukov from power worry on his popularity.

  • @dr.barrycohn5461
    @dr.barrycohn5461 7 місяців тому +2

    The Iron Curtain. Churchill's brilliant metaphor.

  • @KManXPressTheU
    @KManXPressTheU 7 місяців тому +2

    It was Actually Eisenhower who stopped the Allies Short of Berlin; The US 2nd Armored Division was only about 60 Miles away and had already crossed the Elbe River.

  • @lancepainter6016
    @lancepainter6016 7 місяців тому

    Very informative! Thank you Dr Felton!

  • @kayulamulenga1889
    @kayulamulenga1889 6 місяців тому +1

    I enjoy your documentaries

  • @barryobee1544
    @barryobee1544 7 місяців тому +2

    Great history lesson! 👍

  • @stanislavczebinski994
    @stanislavczebinski994 7 місяців тому +4

    AFAIK, women (Trümmer-Frauen) clearing rubble did happen - but only for a very short time before professional companies took over.
    Their share of the total cleanup was a lot less than many sources claim.

    • @AndreasGassner
      @AndreasGassner 7 місяців тому

      it's about the spirit, to not give up even if you are beaten down by the world

  • @tangytango2749
    @tangytango2749 7 місяців тому +8

    Day just got better, thank you Dr. Felton.

  • @donl1846
    @donl1846 7 місяців тому +2

    Awesome as always Professor Felton !!

  • @Qspecialman
    @Qspecialman 7 місяців тому

    As always an excellent video, thanks for taking so much trouble.

  • @adamsteele6148
    @adamsteele6148 7 місяців тому +4

    Mark has the best intro music

  • @jjeherrera
    @jjeherrera 7 місяців тому +1

    Great account of the aftermath of the war, and the beginning of the Cold War.

  • @awesomehpt8938
    @awesomehpt8938 7 місяців тому +56

    Leaving the capture of Berlin to the Soviets spared a lot of western allied lives. It was a brutal battle.
    Sure the Soviets got the glory but a lot of our boys got to go home. And we ended up having half of berlin anyway.

    • @bennyboogenheimer4553
      @bennyboogenheimer4553 7 місяців тому

      The Germans had moved every gun to the East.
      The west side of the city was empty.
      No Berliner wanted to stop an American.
      They knew who the Monsters were.
      Berlin had been full of White Russian Families,
      they told the Berliners what was coming, and to fight harder.

    • @seerstone8982
      @seerstone8982 7 місяців тому +27

      It's possible that Berlin would have surrendered to the west.

    • @markcrane9661
      @markcrane9661 7 місяців тому +13

      You Know thats what Stalin wanted, he didnt want the allies there, he wanted the spoils.

    • @bennyboogenheimer4553
      @bennyboogenheimer4553 7 місяців тому +24

      @@seerstone8982
      That's who they wanted to surrender to.
      Americans just wanted the papers signed, and to go home.(patents in hand)
      Russia wanted blood, and retribution.

    • @seerstone8982
      @seerstone8982 7 місяців тому

      @@markcrane9661 Stalin didn't care about the soviet lives. When they encircled Berlin they bombarded the city with artillery, many thousands of troops were killed by friendly fire because of the ordered rush. The soviets lied as they always do and downplayed the loses by their own troops.

  • @Hoplophile1
    @Hoplophile1 7 місяців тому

    Any day gets better with a video from Dr. Felton.

  • @tonybologna1234
    @tonybologna1234 7 місяців тому +1

    Hello Mr. Felton, please make a video about Oppenheimer & the Manhattan Project!

  • @grayharker6271
    @grayharker6271 7 місяців тому +13

    Two good stories about the 82nd ABN. There was contingent of Wermacht officers that were going to surrender. They were directed to General Gavin standing on a street corner with a crowd of enlisted men and junior officers. Since he was in a jump suit with a Garrand slung over his shoulder. The Germans didn't believe he was the CG! The surrounding men assured the Germans he was a general and a very dangerous man! As the paratroopers encountered their first Soviets there was a confrontation between a Soviet officer and a crowd of paratroopers. When they ignored the Russian's commands, he took out his pistol and shot into the ground. He was immediately shot dead by all the paratroopers!
    at the Soviet zone

  • @Trek001
    @Trek001 7 місяців тому +1

    Mark, at 11:49 there is a short of the Union Flag being raised watched by a German in uniform with insignia and rank devices - what is he doing there?

    • @L_S_T_S_N
      @L_S_T_S_N 4 місяці тому

      This is an policeman

  • @wimpauwels3117
    @wimpauwels3117 7 місяців тому +2

    Dear Mark, is it possible to make a documentary about the fact, what if the Normandy landings had failed and what did Stalin plan to do with Belgium, the Netherlands and France... would he also overpower those countries?