James Holland and Al Murray's D-Day Battlefield Insights | WW2 Walking The Ground
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- Опубліковано 9 лют 2025
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World War II historian James Holland and writer, comedian and podcaster Al Murray unwind with a drink at the Hôtel de Normandie after a fascinating day walking the ground at Omaha Beach, Longues-Sur-Mer and Brecourt Manor. Over pints, they reflect on their favourite moments from day two of their walking tour of the Normandy invasion front.
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I absolutely love this series with two historians talking passionately about the Normandy landings in more details than anyone else has done in a long time. Ive been to Normandy a few times over the years, but not my wife we are going in a couple of weeks time together and for both of us after watching this series is going to be a more interesting trip.
I love the way Al’s brain works thinking all this through. He is so right to do that.
I think he studied history at university. He's certainly avid about the subject.
Two historians speaking with passion of those events that happened eighty years ago thanks for your both insights. An excellent blog throughout many thanks james and al
I was in Normandy in April and visited the battery at Lounges sur Mer. I’m going back in three weeks and will have a completely different view of it after watching this series. Thanks chaps.
Save your money, go to HMS Belfast and see 3 times the number of guns 😉😂
My sister lives in Brittany but on the Normandy side, every time I go there to visit I have a day or two around the WW2 beaches. In my retirement , I will be riding my Honda CD175 repeatedly around Normandy and trying to see and discover as much as I can. Longues sur mer is my favorite place, never gets old.
Loving this channel. Thanks chaps!
Love this
You two are special.
Can’t believe it’s taken until 2024 for someone to realise that Longues sur Mer is pathetically outgunned by a single cruiser!
There's another point to be made about the fix gun positions. Yes at Normandy they were knocked out during the landing. However all the other gun positions on the altanitc wall from Norway to the south of France were no all by passed and now all completely useless.
Yes there were only 4 guns on the beach but by breaching the atlantic wall the allies essentially knocked out all the guns on the Atlantic wall
“History requires a lot of peoples’ imaginations”. That actually is a very important insight into studying history. That is why you guys stumbling around Normandy is so very important. Thank you.
Just got home on Friday after two weeks in Normandie , visited almost every museum and battery during that time.......what a place, and I agree with everything you say in this smashing de brief...:) I am still buzzing about the whole visit. Went to Mervilee almost immediately, as my uncle and his observer were attacking the AA guns and searchlights at 0010 hrs on the 6th June. He describes the whole attack and the Lancs, Gliders and Paras going in...:)
I saw Al in St Albans in May this year for our 10th wedding anniversary and the difference between him and the pub landlord is amazing. Great series impatient for the next 1 !
Yes - the dichotomy of being a bigoted (in the nicest sense) landlord and being a serious military academic!
Loving this series. I find there is a contrast of style that works wonderfully. James seems more of a detached historian based very much in tactics and strategy whereas Al seems to be more empathetic to the human stories and individual's experiences. It's just magic. Great work 🙂
My thoughts exactly couldn’t agree more well said sir😊🇬🇧
Fantastic guys keep it coming exactly what is needed. Walking the ground has no substitute to maps
Love this channel! Keeping history alive.
New favourite series, thankyou both
These are just brilliant! Thanks for bringing these to us and please keep them coming.
Glad you like them!
Dare I say this is better than the podcast.
Fabulous series guys! I was there a month ago, I wish I'd seen this series first! 😊
Im there for 2 weeks in may '25....these videos are brilliant research :)
Very enjoyable, hope you don't take this the wrong way, but you sound like two blokes on your seventh pint talking about events in history with such passion, that it makes one feel like you are sat in the same bar, just listening in and enjoying the conversation. Brilliant.
My thoughts exactly!
Fantastic series & I'm really enjoying it, thank you 👍👍
Love these! Can’t wait for the PQ-17 episode.
Thanks you two. I still think you should have brought Woody, but thanks- enjoy the beer. Why is Al not drinking Cidre though?
I've been exploring the British side of the channel as I'm within driving distance of Dorset, Devon, Sussex, etc. There's nothing left of RAF Selsey apart from a memorial plaque as the allies packed up the airfield and took it with them. Chocolate block concrete in a little cove under one of Brunel's railway bridges? That'll be where US troops embarked then. How could the Germans ever compete with any of that? Even the idea of some hard drinking bloke down in the Everglades being fundamental to the beach landings or a British designed merchant ship being built in huge numbers AFTER said contractors first built the shipyards to build them in? WTF?! Staggering.
Fantastic work Al & James entertaining & really informative brilliant as always
Thank you for the kind words!
Excellent, keep up the good work! 👍😀
I am really, enjoying every single one. & love the debriefing as much as walking the ground.
Very good to hear. Thank you for watching!
This channel is just so good. Thanks chaps. Loving your work
Much appreciated!
Really enjoyed the video mate your my favourite got all your books really enjoying al Murray books can't wait for the next one
Another nice perspective and really interesting 👍
That was not the first pint was it haha. Great series lads
"You take on the Allies...prepare to lose." Throw an "eventually" at the end and it's basically the subtitle for this series and the We Have Ways podcast.
When he mentioned the Skylark, whenever I think of being British and our contribution in both world wars, I think of the wonderful song lark ascending by Vaughan Williams, which to me is the epitome of being British?
I'd like to see a "Walking the Ground" for the Pacific, but that might be hard save for a few specific islands. Saipan was rather surreal for me, with rusted Shermans stuck in the water right outside my hotel window.
The 352 Artillerie Regiment had 9 troops of 4 x 10,5cm leichte Feldhaubitze 18/40 and 3 troops of 4 x 15cm schwere Feldhaubitze 18/40-42. So, in all only 6 batteries spread along the 10km coastline. The Allies had almost 4 times that number of Naval guns pounding those 10km.
Thanks
I get ya with the skylarks singing , it takes you somewhere else!
It's always feels (to me) a bit eerie walking on the beaches in Normandy. They're so peaceful now and then it strikes you - a young man died here.
Yes. Always struck by this when walking these beautiful beaches. Thank you for watching.
Great series, really informative and brilliantly presented. What bar did you visit for the D-Day de-brief part 2?
Glad you’re enjoying the videos. We loved making them. Day two debrief was in the Hotel De Normandie in Arromanches where they kindly let us occupy and film in a quiet(ish) corner.
@@WW2WalkingTheGround Thanks for the info…planning next years visit…really looking forward to more great stories that are well told.👍👍
We know more about Winters now! But can’t wait to hear about Summers! (So to speak)
I really hope you visit the merville battery…
Half cut James is so passionate....
I still think you need to do a segment of James trying - but horribly failing, at pronouncing German words and names.
Pints? In France?
Ready for the British tourists.
Would like to know what bar it was in…
oh no, you guys were in Hotel Normandy. Please tell me your bathrooms did't have mold.
We stayed in Hotel de la Marine at Arromanches. It was very comfortable!
Thank god!
Trouble is history is told from two different perspectives. There is the real picture, and what the man on the ground is experiencing. The real picture is that generated by you historians, but the thing that captures our attention is what is happening in real-time, which is horrific and takes no account of how the big picture is developing. In real time soldiers are taking part in mini battles some of which are lost even though the big picture is far more optimistic.
Ideas change what has right in 1940s may be looked as stupid but we can say about the invasion it did not all to go plan or best practice. Tactics changed from Waterloo did they not. Indeed they changed from 1914 to 1918
Proper pints! in France! Well, burger me...
Did you chaps feel haunted?