My great uncle Harry was on this raid, he was a sgt, he got badly shot up getting some of his men who were pinned down to safety he lost a lung. Was awarded the Military cross.
Clarkson can be humorous when required and then serious when it's needed, such as in this documentry. In Clarson's Farm he balances humour with opening our eyes to what farmers are up against. As a tv presenter, he's very good at his job.
"Just before the Campbeltown exploded, Sam Beattie was being interrogated by a German Naval Officer who was saying it wouldn't take very long to repair the damage to the dry dock gate and they needed to do more than ram it with a clapped out destroyer. Just at that moment, she went up. Beattie smiled and said "we're not quite as foolish as you think!" truly inspiring, It just exemplified the bravery and sheer tenacity and bloody mindedness of these incredible fighting men.
1:01:20 You really won't hear anything more British than that. You are tired and exhausted. Then you are told that you are going to be shot. Your response? "Please, don't shout. Just get on with it". 🙂
The memorial at the end says: From this Harbour 622 sailors and commandos set sail for the successful raid on St.Nazaire 28th March 1942 168 were killed 5 victoria crosses were awarded Dedicated to the memory of their comrades by The St Nazaire Society
Wikipedia: On 4 September 2002, a tree and seat at the National Memorial Arboretum were dedicated to the men of the raid. The seat bears the inscription: In memory of the Royal Navy Sailors and Army Commandos killed in the raid on St Nazaire on 28 March 1942. The National Memorial Arboretum is a British site of national remembrance at Alrewas, near Lichfield, Staffordshire.
@@barriehull7076 Thank you. More about the National Memorial Arboretum please. Maybe you could start a channel because there must be one commemorative tree/seat.
@@captvimes this is basic common knowledge, 1 September 1939 Britain and France declare war on Germany. You can listen to the declaration by chamberlain on this platform. Embarrassing comment my man.
@@captvimes embarrassing comment. Basic common knowledge. 1 September 1939 Britain and France declare war on Germany. You can listen to the declaration on this platform.
@@bre9942 After Germany invaded Belgium violating treaties they knew that would cause war you embarassment to society. Learn from history or we will be doomed to repeat mistakes over and over again
I've seen this documentary dozens of times, and it still hits me hard. The sacrifices and bravery carried out are beyond comprehension. And it was bad enough to fight an enemy abroad, but now, unfortunately, we have an enemy within that despises our way of life. Bewildering. 😢
As a veteran submariner who served on the Vboats ..the ones carrying nuclear missiles ....we were taught of every danger and the sacrifices we would have to make. One part of our training was listening to a crew of submariners that slowly sank to crush depth ...their recordings and the creaking of the sub with all the systems breaking down ..the air supply dwindling and water seeping in,fires started ...a stark reminder of some of the issues we could face I would be down ..underwater for 4 months continuous ...once the hatch is shut ....it will not be opened again ....the longest distance to be seen being the length of the missile section ... Tying into this story ...we got messages one a month, a little strand of paper two hundred and 40 letters long ...that is all the contact we had with the world ....and thats if we received it at all Today without war ...we still conduct the longest continuous running military operation with all of the responsibility of 135 specialists and the nuclear weapons all on board a £1.1billion submarine ...CASD.....I have steered such a thing. It's a big weight as an engineer to keep such a thing running
My Granddad was on this raid, He was one of the lucky ones that came home with only minor (his words) injuries, He pretty much lost the use of his right leg after being shot in the thigh. He passed away of natural causes in April 1986
@@necessaryevil3428Although that would have likely been a different story if she'd been dispatched to attack the PQ17 convoy, which was already a massacre without her.
You obviously missed the bit at 13:40 at which Clarkson said of Micky Burn: “By the start of the war, however, Micky had seen the Nazi threat for what it really was” 🤷🏻♂️
Micky Burn was a sympathiser BEFORE the war... he changed his mind about them when they started invading/rounding up groups etc. Basically... he started to see them for what they really were.
@@jemmajames6719 Are you saying I'm wrong? google "define: egghead" and you'll get this: a highly academic or studious person; an intellectual. "the TV egghead who brought science to the masses"
The attack on the French fleet was at Mers-el-Kébir, near Oran on the Algerian coast. The French commander assured Britain that the fleet would remain neutral, but the British thought the risk was too great that the Germans would do anything to acquire the second largest battleship fleet in the world. The British tried to force the French to surrender and join them, and when the commander refused, they were attacked. A few ships were sunk before a truce was agreed. The French naturally saw this as a betrayal, but more importantly in Churchill's mind, the Americans saw this as a power move and Roosevelt told the French he'd have done the same.
A sacrifice for the greater good. That's got to be rough. The Dunkirk (The battleship, I can't spell the name but it's the same name as Dunkirk) was a fabulous looking battleship.
The British were also secretly reading the French's messages and they knew what the French were saying to the British didn't match what they were telling the Germans. Additionally there was the chance the Germans would just steal the ships without French permission. On the day the French were given multiple options: skuttle their ships, join the Royal Navy until the end of the war, travel to neutral USA and be interred until the end of the war, or be attacked. The French admiral refused to treat with a "mere captain" and never replied before the deadline set
Leslie Fenton, born in England was a Hollywood actor and played ‘Nails’ Nathan in the James Cagney film The Public Enemy. When war came he returned to England and joined the Royal Navy and he commanded one of the wooden evac boats on this raid.
Lord Louis Mountbatten was Prince Philip's uncle. He was a descendant of Queen Victoria, and therefore also related to Queen Elizabeth. People back then had the ability to write expressive letters from the heart. Many people also made very descriptive, detailed diary entries. That art has disappeared in the age of instant text message communication.
Yes, he was also Chief of The Defence Staff in the 50’s through to the mid 60’s. In WW2 he subsequently was in a high command role in the Far East. He essentially ‘set up’ Prince Phillip with Princess Elizabeth. He was murdered by the IRA in 1979, with the occupants of a small boat on holiday in Ireland by a bomb. As a way of getting near to the Royal Family. Ironically he had spoken out in disapproval of physical abuse of terrorist suspects and prisoners by the Northern Ireland government which became a scandal.
Another battle that a lot of people don't know about is the Battle of Mirbat, Oman 1972. Only 9 S.A.S. soldiers were outnumbered by hundreds of insurgents. This battle is the stuff of legend amongst special forces. Those soldiers lived up to the S.A.S. motto of WHO DARES WINS.
Tirpitz was a sister ship to Bismarck. Micky Burn had pro Nazi sympathies well before even they had any notion of the Holocaust, and well before he joined the Commandos. The Commandos (along with the Paras) became Britain's strategically mobile light infantry assault troops. They achieved miracles in the Falklands.
This is the greatest feat of arms in the history of warfare, the Commando spirit at its finest, the French still haven’t forgiven the British for sinking their fleet, but from a country that surrendered in 6 weeks & then half the country sided with the Nazis it had to be done.
@@grahamtravers4522 they were on the French side. After the disastrous decision by the French government to start a war with Germany, getting an absolute drubbing as a result and having half their territory occupied, the Vichy government were in a pretty tight spot. Part of the surrender treaty was a commitment to remain neutral in the war but they still had the right to defend their territory and possessions. The allies chose to disregard French territories and they had every right to defend them.
My late father (God rest his soul), served in the Navy during WWII . He got Sunk 'TWICE' in the Atlantic. If asked 'How did you survive' He would simply say *_"You have to or you Die"_* He served on some of the Unsung heroes of WWII 'Mine Sweepers' who were some of the first to pave the way forward. GOD KNOW how freighting it must be being sunk and ending bobbing around in the freezing cold Atlantic ocean waiting to get rescued. Some of the things he told me were truly horrific. I grew up listening to the nightmares.
My great uncle was serving in the Royal Navy involved with the Atlantic and was on a boat that was sunk, rescued and went back out. He received an Atlantic Star medal, and I believe his family received a medal (in the past decade) from Russia on his behalf to say 'Thank you' for his WWII service.
@@MarkmanOTW I have my late fathers Atlantic Star medal and a few others upstairs. He was also part of the first large convoy from Scapa flow to Murmansk in Russia, which is a story all by itself. Maybe my Father knew your great uncle... Maybe they met... Maybe their paths crossed... _'Like Ships in The Night'_ as they say.
@@lilbullet158 They might well have done. Apologies that I don't have much information, but my Dad often talked about his Uncle Tom and brothers from Co. Durham who served (and who I met in the 1970s). 😊
Same here.my dad was also sunk twice on convoy escort duties and was hit on a third ship while he was on watch but they didn't detonate. He always used to tell me that i was only here thanks to the French resistance nobbling the torpedoes 🇬🇧
You were thinking of Operation Catapult, a British plan that called for the neutralisation or destruction of the French ships stationed in French Algeria at Mers el Kebir. The French had been defeated and signed armistices with Hitler’s Germany and Mussolini’s Italy which came into effect on 25th June 1940. That defeat left Britain alone within Europe without our former French allies. The main threat was the 5 battleships and 2 fast battleships in French Algeria. If the Axis seized them, they were the second largest fleet of capital ships in Europe behind the Royal Navy. The British had contacted Admiral Francois Darlan, the French naval commander, repeatedly refused requests to put them into the custody of the British or sail them to the French Caribbean, in both cases being out of the hands of our enemies. Remember, that while the British possessed the largest navy at the time, their forces are stretched between the North and South Atlantic, the Mediterranean, the Indian Ocean, and parts of the Pacific. The French felt that their assurances that they would retain control of the ships should have been enough. However, Darlan appears to have failed to understand that he was just one man. What if he died or was replaced? How honourable his replacement? Germany was already building war facilities within France and seizing equipment for their war effort. This was too much of a risk for the War Cabinet. Ideally, the attack would never have happened. However, we were at war and did not have the luxury of ignoring hard choices. There were cock ups all long the way; despite Darlan being at home, he could not be contacted. His subordinate, when reporting the British ultimatum to France, neglected to mention the being given the option to sail to the Caribbean. Nothing seemed to go right and, no doubt personalities of high level staff didn’t help matters. It was a terrible decision and I’m glad I will never be called upon to make such a decision. It’s easy to call the decision controversial or a betrayal, but they weren’t in our situation, 80 years removed an not living on the frontlines. Those people were a hard generation, the majority inured to living with austerity, but still with hearts capable of immense kindness and compassion. People who didn’t turn away in the face of terrible adversity. Apologies for the lengthy comment. Hope you found it helpful. God bless our veterans
Also, not to mention the wavering resolve from the US to continue to supply Britain at this point. Churchill didn’t paint a good picture to Roosevelt and he was considered the possibility that England might fall - even telling the Canadian Prime Minister at the time that “when” England falls, all their naval assets should be relocated to Canada.
If I should die, think only this of me: That there’s some corner of a foreign field That is for ever England. There shall be In that rich earth a richer dust concealed; A dust whom England bore, shaped, made aware, Gave, once, her flowers to love, her ways to roam; A body of England’s, breathing English air, Washed by the rivers, blest by suns of home. And think, this heart, all evil shed away, A pulse in the eternal mind, no less Gives somewhere back the thoughts by England given; Her sights and sounds; dreams happy as her day; And laughter, learnt of friends; and gentleness, In hearts at peace, under an English heaven.
RiP to them all, they're all gone now and laid to rest. The last person alive from this raid died a few years ago just a mile from my home in Wolverhampton. Thank you to all veterans and all active service members that fight for our country.
It’s a pity you didn’t catch the comment in the Commando “how to take down a bloke” newsreel about “spoiling his prospects” = kicking him in the balls. I do love our British understatement/euphemisms! Great reaction, as always. Have been eagerly waiting for this since the VC reaction. Your respectful, sympathetic and knowledgeable reactions are really appreciated. Thank you x
A great little bit that is left out about Beattie's interrogation. After the bomb went off, Beattie turned to the German officer and said "you see, we're not as daft as you think we are." One of the best quotes of the war.
In the UK, “egg-head” refers to intelligence. If someone is particularly smart, academically bright, general knowledge, high IQ etc etc etc., they’re referred to as an ‘egg-head’.
Roman soldiers sent letters and postcards home to Italy. There are thousands of examples survived. "Hello Mother and Father. I am posted in Gaul and doing well. Please send me some money and some underwear" Humans have always been the exact same.
I had the honour of talking to James Dunning who was interviewed in the documentary about a raid to Boulogne a month later in 1942. He was really helpful and a fascinating man. He took part in 4 Commando's raid on Hess Battery during the Dieppe raid and saw the magazine detonate due to a perfectly placed mortar shot. Lord Lovat was his CO.then. he later became a Commando instructor. A great man who sadly died after a fall at his home about ten years ago. He called me 'dear boy'.
The Micky Burn thing is from his own biography, and also it's not included as a negative - it's included to show him as an interesting character. Which he was. Actually his life was even more interesting than described here, he has a relatively long Wikipedia page which describes a lot of it. Also the story of the Campbelltown's bell is quite interesting - it is in Campbelltown, PA until there's a new HMS Campbelltown; it seems to go backwards and forwards between the US and the RN depending on if there's a HMS Campbelltown in active service. There's a new HMS Campbelltown coming, so presumably it will come back then one assumes it'll go back to the US when it is no longer in service in 30 years or whatever.
Actor Christopher Lee who played Saruman in the Lord of the Rings films was a commando. When they filmed the scene where he gets stabbed in the back he corrected the director by saying he knew how a man stabbed in back reacts since he had seen it it himself.
Quite right. Perhaps the 'editor' might care to explain his justification for removing components of a valuable historical record and breaching copyright law by altering someone else’s published work.
Thank you for taking the time to watch this Boomer. I am kind of proud that I guessed it was going to be about the raid on St Nazaire, the thing I remembered about it was that immediately after the raid, the Germans thought it had failed spectacularly and sent a few high ranking officers for a photo opportunity on board the captured ship. We know what happened next. I think that one raid improved the odds of us staying in the war by at least 50%. Absolutely mind boggling. The sheers balls of those guys. If we hadn't stayed in the fight, there wouldn't have been a war for the US to join. Think about that.
Hello KB…long time watcher, first time commenting. These men and women that fought in WWII are truly the finest generation and we will never see their like again. What always amazes me with these documentary’s is that dying or getting back from a mission isn’t the concern but getting the job done and not letting the chaps down is forefront in their minds. Both my Grandfathers served during the war. One in the RAF and the other in the Commandos and l am and always will be immensely proud of that. Thank you for bringing us this upload with care and respect it rightly deserves.
Great video and the stoicism and humour of the survivers is testament to their mindset, both at the time and during the making of this film. In the UK being considered an ''egghead'' is just someone of great intelligence, nearest today would be a nerd.
The best monument to those brave men is the fact that this story still gets told. I wish I had 1/4 of the bravery that these commandos displayed on that night.
What you also have to remember as well, Boomy, m8 - was that Hitler already "knew" after taking charge in Germany that "he" was going to have a war to gain some countries as extra lands for Germany . . . So when it came to the navy, he purposely broke away from (I think it was called the "Washington Arms Treaty" set out and signed by various countries in said capital prior to WW2 starting . . . Hitler simply ignored that treaty coming into power and asked their navy to design both the Bismarck and the Tirpitz in order to have something to use against the larger British and French naval fleets. Just so you can understand this better - HMS Vanguard, which was built in 1944 as a 1-off, had a full tonnage of 44,500 and was our last ever biggest and fastest battleship to be built . . . Whereas the Tirpitz, fully loaded and commissioned after Bismarck (1940 & at over 41,000 tons in 1941 - still had a tonnage weight of 52,600 . . . So even our last ever largest battleship ever built still wasn't as heavy as it was . . .
There are times as an Irish woman that I’m so very proud of the country of my birth. The valiant efforts of these brave men has given me a good life. 🌹❤️
I have taken a great interest in WW2 from the age of 10 after my father died. He never spoke much about it, I don;t know his full history except that he was in the Royal Engineers in North Africa. He took part in all the battles along the coast including El Alamein. Most Americans don't fully understand the strange love / hate relationship between the British and the French. A thousand years of fighting each other and fighting together. Your comments about us sinking the French navy reminded me of when I was working in La Défense business area. Sitting on a bench, waiting for two friends to exit their hotels so we could head to the center of Paris. And old man sat near me and started talking. In my best French I told him my French was very poor. He got very exited when he discovered I was English, and even more so when my two friends turned up. He practically worshiped us. All because of the war. We explained to him that none of us are old enough to have been in the war. He was still over the moon to meet us. He wanted to hear all about our parents involvement. He then invited us to his home. He was so insistent, we couldn't refuse. We met him and his wife at his home for Sunday dinner where he showed us all his war history. He was in the free French army. He spent a little time in England during the war, coming back to France to take part in the resistance. But the thing that had us all wiping our eyes and trying to hold ourselves together is when he showed us photographs and told us about his younger brother. He was two years younger and in the French navy and had been killed when we the British destroyed his ship.
For some reason a very small couple parts of the doc is cut out in this version, the only bit I remember that is interesting to know is that a small group of commandos (after being stranded when the MLs got destroyed) actually managed to escape all the way to Spain and find their way back to Britain. (About 350 miles).
Can remember seeing the belt armour of the Turpitz which is at Duxford. Also to think that the Prinz Eugen that sailed with the Bismark then after the war actually survived two atomic explotions and still survives although sunk in shallow water today. It really gives a perspective taking on challenges like these. Jeremy Clarkson is perfect because he really shows and shares true passion and awe to how on Earth do ordinary people somehow manage to achieve the absolute impossible.
Saw that memorial 30+ years ago and wondered what the story was and why the memorial was so small. Now I've seen this video it has explained it all. I am told there is a new larger memorial today, but the old one is still in the car park. I somehow like the old small one.
At 3:46 there is a photo of German soldiers as honour guards at a coffin draped with the Union Jack. I like how they honoured the bravery of the British commandos.
The KMS Tirpitz (named after a WW1 Kriegsmarine Admiral) was a sister-ship to the Bismark, but was even more formidable, with additional wartime upgrades and modifications making her about 5% heavier than her sister, in fact being the heaviest battleship ever commissioned into a European navy. Earl Mountbatten of Burma was a maternal uncle of Prince Philip and a once-removed second cousin of Queen Elizabeth II. He was a formidable and accomplished man and a bit of a cast-iron badass in his own right.
I was privileged enough to meet Tom Sherman, he used to come for a regular morning swim when I was a lifeguard (twenty years ago now!) and he was a lovely chap.
What I love about living in the UK. Those documents he's reading. They are all free to read by members of the public. You can just go into the archives and ask to look at them. they'll bring the books out, give you gloves and let you just read all of the things. We have texts from a time you didn't think could write. You can just go and read them all and it costs nothing. Vast amounts of documents that have still to be catalogued and put online. Most of them still not read.
The metal from which the Victoria Cross is made is very limited... and will run out within this generation or maybe the next generation or two. The ship's bell from the Campbeltown has been passed from museum to museum (in both the U.K. and in the U.S). I can't think of any source more appropriate for future VCs to be made from. That bell should be made eternally sacred and used for future Victoria Crosses. Not sure if it would be possible.... but I think it would just seem...right.
Mountbatten bore the German name Battenberg and changed it to the Anglicised Mountbatten The Royal Family's name was originally the German Saxa Coberg Gotha. Later changed to Windsor during WW1. Ian Dee. ( again.)
'Scuttling' or 'immobilising' are the terms of what you're talking about when sinking a ship (or not able to use) that is either your ship or an allied force sinking it. During these what you're talking/thinking of, no French were ended on purpose that I know of. This is because they the French were giving a set time to carry out the orders that were already down to the basic crew members.
As a "Local" i live very close to looe and used to fish all around the coast of Cornwall that monument has never been over looked to the point and i think i said this on embrace the suck as well everytime i went past it i would always place a hand on it as does everyone else, Very well remembered so....Size isint everything....
You mentioned the shelling of the french fleet, we did give them the options of sailing to America to be neutral, sailing to France's Carribbean colonies to stay free or joining us to fight. They refused all three.
Im a WWII buff and I respect and appreciate all who gave their lives and blood for freedom, but because WWII was so big I have found so many endless stories about amazing feats of heroism in the face of certain death. It never fails to move me when I watch these stories knowing that so many were sacrificed for my and everyones freedom, only by divine providence was I spared the horrors of war, but thinking about that leaves me with feelings of intense guilt.
I believe the gentleman who was a Nazi sympathiser ended up joining the SAS during the Second World War. There is a fantastic book and BBC documentary called “SAS Rogue Heroes” I would watch it regardless whether you can or can’t make a UA-cam video reaction from it. It’s an amazing book and a really good documentary program to go with it. I honestly can’t recommend it enough.
I've plenty more fun comments to make but... Mickey Burn is one of the "interviewees" that they have through the whole thing. He is first featured literally after they talked about him. Hes the extremely drawn but also very well spoken gentleman. He survived the war
Sympathy towards Nazism was not uncommon in the early 30s in the UK. There was a UK fascist party in politics. It was later banned. Once Hitler's true intentions became clear attitudes quickly changed.
Same for the US too, Moseley had already canvassed over there and had strong support. Partly the reason the US stayed out of the war for so long was they were considering it themselves. UK was the same with Communism too, both sides of the coin were being looked at at that time. Seems odd looking back but at that time they were just potential new directions to turn.
Oxford University is still accepting donations from the infamous Moseley Family so it is hardly surprising that the likes of Farrage, BNP, The ERG & the Reform Party & other fascist influences are still active in Britain & elsewhere. I lived & worked for 6 years in the North & East End of London. The Locals fought in the streets against Moseleys' Brown/Black shirts. Hopefully that sentiment will continue to keep those extremists in the gutters where they belong. Cheers.
@@chrisellis3797 Understandable as people were looking for alternatives post depression. KB has sparked a short history lesson. My history teacher at school had been on an exchange in Germany in 36/37 and attended a Hitler rally. His stories had us mesmerized in class.
My uncle was in the Coldstream guards, before the war and decided to join the commandos, when they were formed.He fought is war with No5 Army commando,in the far East.
My great uncle Harry was on this raid, he was a sgt, he got badly shot up getting some of his men who were pinned down to safety he lost a lung. Was awarded the Military cross.
Legend.
Hero
True legend. I thank him for his bravery and service and for what we have today.
Small world
🫡
A survivor of this years 80th anniversary of D-Day said “ Me, a hero? No, the real heroes are still over there, they never came home “. So true.
In British vernacular "egg-head" is someone intelligent and a specialist, with connotations of "nerdy". So someone who would indeed "know his stuff".
someone with a big brain basically
Another one from that time is "Boffin". The lab coat scientists/engineers cooking things up.
like a megamind head
@@Yandarval You beat me to it. lol.
I think what he thought egghead meant was what we brits might call an anorak.
Clarkson proving again that he can be a damn good presenter when he puts his mind to it 👍
When didn't he?
@@bmofano
Good, and justifiable, answer.
Clarkson can be humorous when required and then serious when it's needed, such as in this documentry. In Clarson's Farm he balances humour with opening our eyes to what farmers are up against. As a tv presenter, he's very good at his job.
Jeremy Clarkson is such a good storyteller and the BBC were foolish to not get him to make more programmes like this.
"Just before the Campbeltown exploded, Sam Beattie was being interrogated by a German Naval Officer who was saying it wouldn't take very long to repair the damage to the dry dock gate and they needed to do more than ram it with a clapped out destroyer. Just at that moment, she went up. Beattie smiled and said "we're not quite as foolish as you think!" truly inspiring, It just exemplified the bravery and sheer tenacity and bloody mindedness of these incredible fighting men.
1:01:20 You really won't hear anything more British than that.
You are tired and exhausted. Then you are told that you are going to be shot. Your response? "Please, don't shout. Just get on with it". 🙂
The memorial at the end says:
From this Harbour 622 sailors
and commandos set sail for
the successful raid on St.Nazaire
28th March 1942 168 were killed
5 victoria crosses were awarded
Dedicated to the memory of
their comrades by
The St Nazaire Society
Not even a National Monument but one funded by the survivors. Well done Jeremy Clarkson. Lest we forget.
@@SurfwidowBeaumont Thanks. Cheers.
Thank you sir...
Wikipedia:
On 4 September 2002, a tree and seat at the National Memorial Arboretum were dedicated to the men of the raid. The seat bears the inscription:
In memory of the Royal Navy Sailors and Army Commandos killed in the raid on St Nazaire on 28 March 1942.
The National Memorial Arboretum is a British site of national remembrance at Alrewas, near Lichfield, Staffordshire.
@@barriehull7076 Thank you. More about the National Memorial Arboretum please. Maybe you could start a channel because there must be one commemorative tree/seat.
They gave their today for our tomorrows. Thanks to them all, legendary men.
All those young dead men never had a life or fun or relationship but we all did, thanks for everything guys👍🇬🇧
We could have not started the war and they could have had normal lives.
@@bre9942 we didnt start the war
@@captvimes this is basic common knowledge, 1 September 1939 Britain and France declare war on Germany. You can listen to the declaration by chamberlain on this platform. Embarrassing comment my man.
@@captvimes embarrassing comment. Basic common knowledge. 1 September 1939 Britain and France declare war on Germany. You can listen to the declaration on this platform.
@@bre9942 After Germany invaded Belgium violating treaties they knew that would cause war you embarassment to society. Learn from history or we will be doomed to repeat mistakes over and over again
As a Brit officer would say "Well done those men". This Aussie can only concur, with respect.
This story deserves a movie
“Gift Horse” 1952
There is it’s called “gift horse”
You mean like "Sink the Turpiz" (2005)
Or "Above Us The Waves" (1955)
"The Sinking of the Turpiz" (TV film 2001)
Attack on the Iron Coast (1967), based on the story.
@@dcanmore That's a new one on me... "Attack on the Iron Cost"?
British understatement is a thing. " ...the task may require a degree of audacity.."
I've seen this documentary dozens of times, and it still hits me hard. The sacrifices and bravery carried out are beyond comprehension. And it was bad enough to fight an enemy abroad, but now, unfortunately, we have an enemy within that despises our way of life. Bewildering. 😢
Well said.
Couldn’t agree more
As a veteran submariner who served on the Vboats ..the ones carrying nuclear missiles ....we were taught of every danger and the sacrifices we would have to make.
One part of our training was listening to a crew of submariners that slowly sank to crush depth ...their recordings and the creaking of the sub with all the systems breaking down ..the air supply dwindling and water seeping in,fires started ...a stark reminder of some of the issues we could face
I would be down ..underwater for 4 months continuous ...once the hatch is shut ....it will not be opened again ....the longest distance to be seen being the length of the missile section ...
Tying into this story ...we got messages one a month, a little strand of paper two hundred and 40 letters long ...that is all the contact we had with the world ....and thats if we received it at all
Today without war ...we still conduct the longest continuous running military operation with all of the responsibility of 135 specialists and the nuclear weapons all on board a £1.1billion submarine ...CASD.....I have steered such a thing. It's a big weight as an engineer to keep such a thing running
Shame they didn't teach you how to punctuate.
@@SRPM-yk9xw ohh shut up.
thank you.
@@SRPM-yk9xw not fit to lick his boots, are you?
My Granddad was on this raid, He was one of the lucky ones that came home with only minor (his words) injuries, He pretty much lost the use of his right leg after being shot in the thigh. He passed away of natural causes in April 1986
God bless him, may he rest in peace.
@@theguvnor7467 ❤️
Tirpitz was the sister ship to the Bismarck. and looked almost identical.
Look what happened to her, stopped by the Fairey Swordfish, finished off by the boys.
And didn't sink as much as a fishing boat!
Massive waste
@@necessaryevil3428Although that would have likely been a different story if she'd been dispatched to attack the PQ17 convoy, which was already a massacre without her.
@@necessaryevil3428tied up a lot of Allied resources that could have been used elsewhere.
@Jabber-ig3iw true and a lot of air-raids before finally cornering her with no fighter support and sinking her with Tallboys
You obviously missed the bit at 13:40 at which Clarkson said of Micky Burn:
“By the start of the war, however, Micky had seen the Nazi threat for what it really was” 🤷🏻♂️
Micky Burn was a sympathiser BEFORE the war... he changed his mind about them when they started invading/rounding up groups etc. Basically... he started to see them for what they really were.
I bet his incite and knowledge having physically seen what they had done already was also invaluable to us Brits too.
Egghead is a compliment. Basically a smart person is an egghead
Not really, intelligent but the connotation being you can’t be very intelligent and brave or physically strong. How wrong.
Big brain
@@jemmajames6719 Are you saying I'm wrong? google "define: egghead" and you'll get this:
a highly academic or studious person; an intellectual.
"the TV egghead who brought science to the masses"
The attack on the French fleet was at Mers-el-Kébir, near Oran on the Algerian coast. The French commander assured Britain that the fleet would remain neutral, but the British thought the risk was too great that the Germans would do anything to acquire the second largest battleship fleet in the world. The British tried to force the French to surrender and join them, and when the commander refused, they were attacked. A few ships were sunk before a truce was agreed. The French naturally saw this as a betrayal, but more importantly in Churchill's mind, the Americans saw this as a power move and Roosevelt told the French he'd have done the same.
I see similarities with what the British did to Denmark in the Napoleonic Era.
A sacrifice for the greater good. That's got to be rough. The Dunkirk (The battleship, I can't spell the name but it's the same name as Dunkirk) was a fabulous looking battleship.
The British were also secretly reading the French's messages and they knew what the French were saying to the British didn't match what they were telling the Germans. Additionally there was the chance the Germans would just steal the ships without French permission.
On the day the French were given multiple options: skuttle their ships, join the Royal Navy until the end of the war, travel to neutral USA and be interred until the end of the war, or be attacked.
The French admiral refused to treat with a "mere captain" and never replied before the deadline set
Leslie Fenton, born in England was a Hollywood actor and played ‘Nails’ Nathan in the James Cagney film The Public Enemy. When war came he returned to England and joined the Royal Navy and he commanded one of the wooden evac boats on this raid.
Lord Louis Mountbatten was Prince Philip's uncle. He was a descendant of Queen Victoria, and therefore also related to Queen Elizabeth. People back then had the ability to write expressive letters from the heart. Many people also made very descriptive, detailed diary entries. That art has disappeared in the age of instant text message communication.
Yes, he was also Chief of The Defence Staff in the 50’s through to the mid 60’s. In WW2 he subsequently was in a high command role in the Far East. He essentially ‘set up’ Prince Phillip with Princess Elizabeth.
He was murdered by the IRA in 1979, with the occupants of a small boat on holiday in Ireland by a bomb. As a way of getting near to the Royal Family.
Ironically he had spoken out in disapproval of physical abuse of terrorist suspects and prisoners by the Northern Ireland government which became a scandal.
Another battle that a lot of people don't know about is the Battle of Mirbat, Oman 1972. Only 9 S.A.S. soldiers were outnumbered by hundreds of insurgents. This battle is the stuff of legend amongst special forces. Those soldiers lived up to the S.A.S. motto of WHO DARES WINS.
That Fijian guy should have got a VC for manning the 25pdr
Tears in my eyes watching this. Tears of pride. Always known about this raid. Thank you for doing this one.
Thank god we had such men fighting for us, extraordinary times, and extraordinary people.🇬🇧
In the UK, to be called an "egghead" is more a compliment than an insult! (And, no, he said that the Tirpitz never even sank a fishing boat!)
Blew up an island though.
😂 He who dares wins, is the motto of the SAS. That's why Delboy uses uses it.
It's just" Who dares wins"
@@leonrussell9607haha sounds like Del Boy 😂
Tirpitz was a sister ship to Bismarck. Micky Burn had pro Nazi sympathies well before even they had any notion of the Holocaust, and well before he joined the Commandos. The Commandos (along with the Paras) became Britain's strategically mobile light infantry assault troops. They achieved miracles in the Falklands.
This is the greatest feat of arms in the history of warfare, the Commando spirit at its finest, the French still haven’t forgiven the British for sinking their fleet, but from a country that surrendered in 6 weeks & then half the country sided with the Nazis it had to be done.
The Vichy French also fought against the allies in North Africa and Syria. They had trouble deciding whose side they were on ...
@@grahamtravers4522they were brave men who followed the orders of their government, you don’t have a choice in the military.
Brilliant thanks 👍🇬🇧
@@bre9942 That's my point. The French government couldn't decide whose side they were on. Probably more on the Nazi side than any other.
@@grahamtravers4522 they were on the French side. After the disastrous decision by the French government to start a war with Germany, getting an absolute drubbing as a result and having half their territory occupied, the Vichy government were in a pretty tight spot. Part of the surrender treaty was a commitment to remain neutral in the war but they still had the right to defend their territory and possessions. The allies chose to disregard French territories and they had every right to defend them.
My late father (God rest his soul), served in the Navy during WWII . He got Sunk 'TWICE' in the Atlantic. If asked 'How did you survive' He would simply say *_"You have to or you Die"_* He served on some of the Unsung heroes of WWII 'Mine Sweepers' who were some of the first to pave the way forward. GOD KNOW how freighting it must be being sunk and ending bobbing around in the freezing cold Atlantic ocean waiting to get rescued. Some of the things he told me were truly horrific. I grew up listening to the nightmares.
My great uncle was serving in the Royal Navy involved with the Atlantic and was on a boat that was sunk, rescued and went back out. He received an Atlantic Star medal, and I believe his family received a medal (in the past decade) from Russia on his behalf to say 'Thank you' for his WWII service.
@@MarkmanOTW I have my late fathers Atlantic Star medal and a few others upstairs. He was also part of the first large convoy from Scapa flow to Murmansk in Russia, which is a story all by itself. Maybe my Father knew your great uncle... Maybe they met... Maybe their paths crossed... _'Like Ships in The Night'_ as they say.
@@lilbullet158 They might well have done. Apologies that I don't have much information, but my Dad often talked about his Uncle Tom and brothers from Co. Durham who served (and who I met in the 1970s). 😊
Same here.my dad was also sunk twice on convoy escort duties and was hit on a third ship while he was on watch but they didn't detonate. He always used to tell me that i was only here thanks to the French resistance nobbling the torpedoes 🇬🇧
You were thinking of Operation Catapult, a British plan that called for the neutralisation or destruction of the French ships stationed in French Algeria at Mers el Kebir. The French had been defeated and signed armistices with Hitler’s Germany and Mussolini’s Italy which came into effect on 25th June 1940. That defeat left Britain alone within Europe without our former French allies.
The main threat was the 5 battleships and 2 fast battleships in French Algeria. If the Axis seized them, they were the second largest fleet of capital ships in Europe behind the Royal Navy. The British had contacted Admiral Francois Darlan, the French naval commander, repeatedly refused requests to put them into the custody of the British or sail them to the French Caribbean, in both cases being out of the hands of our enemies. Remember, that while the British possessed the largest navy at the time, their forces are stretched between the North and South Atlantic, the Mediterranean, the Indian Ocean, and parts of the Pacific.
The French felt that their assurances that they would retain control of the ships should have been enough. However, Darlan appears to have failed to understand that he was just one man. What if he died or was replaced? How honourable his replacement? Germany was already building war facilities within France and seizing equipment for their war effort. This was too much of a risk for the War Cabinet.
Ideally, the attack would never have happened. However, we were at war and did not have the luxury of ignoring hard choices. There were cock ups all long the way; despite Darlan being at home, he could not be contacted. His subordinate, when reporting the British ultimatum to France, neglected to mention the being given the option to sail to the Caribbean. Nothing seemed to go right and, no doubt personalities of high level staff didn’t help matters.
It was a terrible decision and I’m glad I will never be called upon to make such a decision. It’s easy to call the decision controversial or a betrayal, but they weren’t in our situation, 80 years removed an not living on the frontlines. Those people were a hard generation, the majority inured to living with austerity, but still with hearts capable of immense kindness and compassion. People who didn’t turn away in the face of terrible adversity.
Apologies for the lengthy comment. Hope you found it helpful.
God bless our veterans
Thank you.
@@MazzaEliLi7406 Thank you for your thank you 👍
@bonaggy thank you for thanking him for thanking you 👍
(Also, very helpful and informative comment thank you)
Also, not to mention the wavering resolve from the US to continue to supply Britain at this point. Churchill didn’t paint a good picture to Roosevelt and he was considered the possibility that England might fall - even telling the Canadian Prime Minister at the time that “when” England falls, all their naval assets should be relocated to Canada.
If I should die, think only this of me:
That there’s some corner of a foreign field
That is for ever England. There shall be
In that rich earth a richer dust concealed;
A dust whom England bore, shaped, made aware,
Gave, once, her flowers to love, her ways to roam;
A body of England’s, breathing English air,
Washed by the rivers, blest by suns of home.
And think, this heart, all evil shed away,
A pulse in the eternal mind, no less
Gives somewhere back the thoughts by England given;
Her sights and sounds; dreams happy as her day;
And laughter, learnt of friends; and gentleness,
In hearts at peace, under an English heaven.
Rupert brook
RiP to them all, they're all gone now and laid to rest. The last person alive from this raid died a few years ago just a mile from my home in Wolverhampton. Thank you to all veterans and all active service members that fight for our country.
Egghead means highly intelligent, aka boffin.
It’s a pity you didn’t catch the comment in the Commando “how to take down a bloke” newsreel about “spoiling his prospects” = kicking him in the balls. I do love our British understatement/euphemisms! Great reaction, as always. Have been eagerly waiting for this since the VC reaction. Your respectful, sympathetic and knowledgeable reactions are really appreciated. Thank you x
"Who dares wins" is also the motto of the SAS so it's perfectly applicable to this documentary.
That’s why Del Boy says it!
A great little bit that is left out about Beattie's interrogation. After the bomb went off, Beattie turned to the German officer and said "you see, we're not as daft as you think we are." One of the best quotes of the war.
In the UK, “egg-head” refers to intelligence. If someone is particularly smart, academically bright, general knowledge, high IQ etc etc etc., they’re referred to as an ‘egg-head’.
I think Clarkson should be doing more of these types of programmes. He did a great programme on the VC awards.
This and the Victoria Cross documentary were the best things Clarkson has done. He tells History well.
And his Arctic Convoy documentary, which is the third of this series. Called “PQ-17” - worth watching.
Roman soldiers sent letters and postcards home to Italy. There are thousands of examples survived.
"Hello Mother and Father. I am posted in Gaul and doing well. Please send me some money and some underwear"
Humans have always been the exact same.
Absolutely balls of steel, thanks to all allied troops for their courage and conviction, may we never forget those young men x
I could not agree more with you, when it to the art of writing a letter. Those letters from the two world wars, are just so moving.
I had the honour of talking to James Dunning who was interviewed in the documentary about a raid to Boulogne a month later in 1942. He was really helpful and a fascinating man. He took part in 4 Commando's raid on Hess Battery during the Dieppe raid and saw the magazine detonate due to a perfectly placed mortar shot. Lord Lovat was his CO.then. he later became a Commando instructor. A great man who sadly died after a fall at his home about ten years ago. He called me 'dear boy'.
My Grandfather is buried in that cemetery. Shot down over target during an RAF raid on the U boat pens.
The Micky Burn thing is from his own biography, and also it's not included as a negative - it's included to show him as an interesting character. Which he was. Actually his life was even more interesting than described here, he has a relatively long Wikipedia page which describes a lot of it. Also the story of the Campbelltown's bell is quite interesting - it is in Campbelltown, PA until there's a new HMS Campbelltown; it seems to go backwards and forwards between the US and the RN depending on if there's a HMS Campbelltown in active service. There's a new HMS Campbelltown coming, so presumably it will come back then one assumes it'll go back to the US when it is no longer in service in 30 years or whatever.
Actor Christopher Lee who played Saruman in the Lord of the Rings films was a commando. When they filmed the scene where he gets stabbed in the back he corrected the director by saying he knew how a man stabbed in back reacts since he had seen it it himself.
lol "He who dares wins" is the motto of the SAS who these commandos would later evolve into. Very appropriate time to quote Del Boy
Bill Gibson's letter is heartbreaking it should be read to every kid.
This is a cut version. I remember a more extensive version with more of the battle and what some of the survivor's did afterwards.
I'm glad you said this, i remember more of their exploits being explained too...
Quite right. Perhaps the 'editor' might care to explain his justification for removing components of a valuable historical record and breaching copyright law by altering someone else’s published work.
You are thinking of the Attack on the French Fleet at Mers-El-Kebir
They were given a chance to surrender but their CO refused, which is why they got sunk.
Thank you for taking the time to watch this Boomer.
I am kind of proud that I guessed it was going to be about the raid on St Nazaire, the thing I remembered about it was that immediately after the raid, the Germans thought it had failed spectacularly and sent a few high ranking officers for a photo opportunity on board the captured ship.
We know what happened next.
I think that one raid improved the odds of us staying in the war by at least 50%.
Absolutely mind boggling.
The sheers balls of those guys. If we hadn't stayed in the fight, there wouldn't have been a war for the US to join.
Think about that.
Egghead is nickname for a genius. So its not an insult.
Unless they're bald
Hello KB…long time watcher, first time commenting. These men and women that fought in WWII are truly the finest generation and we will never see their like again.
What always amazes me with these documentary’s is that dying or getting back from a mission isn’t the concern but getting the job done and not letting the chaps down is forefront in their minds.
Both my Grandfathers served during the war. One in the RAF and the other in the Commandos and l am and always will be immensely proud of that.
Thank you for bringing us this upload with care and respect it rightly deserves.
Great video and the stoicism and humour of the survivers is testament to their mindset, both at the time and during the making of this film.
In the UK being considered an ''egghead'' is just someone of great intelligence, nearest today would be a nerd.
The best monument to those brave men is the fact that this story still gets told. I wish I had 1/4 of the bravery that these commandos displayed on that night.
I'd be satisfied with 1/100th.
Bismarck was the first battleship of it's class. The second was the Tirpitz.
I needed an excuse to stop studying for the day.. thankyou sir
This is studying...
What you also have to remember as well, Boomy, m8 - was that Hitler already "knew" after taking charge in Germany that "he" was going to have a war to gain some countries as extra lands for Germany . . . So when it came to the navy, he purposely broke away from (I think it was called the "Washington Arms Treaty" set out and signed by various countries in said capital prior to WW2 starting . . . Hitler simply ignored that treaty coming into power and asked their navy to design both the Bismarck and the Tirpitz in order to have something to use against the larger British and French naval fleets. Just so you can understand this better - HMS Vanguard, which was built in 1944 as a 1-off, had a full tonnage of 44,500 and was our last ever biggest and fastest battleship to be built . . . Whereas the Tirpitz, fully loaded and commissioned after Bismarck (1940 & at over 41,000 tons in 1941 - still had a tonnage weight of 52,600 . . . So even our last ever largest battleship ever built still wasn't as heavy as it was . . .
There are times as an Irish woman that I’m so very proud of the country of my birth. The valiant efforts of these brave men has given me a good life. 🌹❤️
Congratulations on 100k….this documentary is astonishing, and Jeremy does a superb job as narrator 👍👌🇮🇲
I have taken a great interest in WW2 from the age of 10 after my father died. He never spoke much about it, I don;t know his full history except that he was in the Royal Engineers in North Africa. He took part in all the battles along the coast including El Alamein.
Most Americans don't fully understand the strange love / hate relationship between the British and the French. A thousand years of fighting each other and fighting together.
Your comments about us sinking the French navy reminded me of when I was working in La Défense business area. Sitting on a bench, waiting for two friends to exit their hotels so we could head to the center of Paris. And old man sat near me and started talking. In my best French I told him my French was very poor. He got very exited when he discovered I was English, and even more so when my two friends turned up. He practically worshiped us. All because of the war. We explained to him that none of us are old enough to have been in the war. He was still over the moon to meet us. He wanted to hear all about our parents involvement. He then invited us to his home. He was so insistent, we couldn't refuse. We met him and his wife at his home for Sunday dinner where he showed us all his war history. He was in the free French army. He spent a little time in England during the war, coming back to France to take part in the resistance.
But the thing that had us all wiping our eyes and trying to hold ourselves together is when he showed us photographs and told us about his younger brother. He was two years younger and in the French navy and had been killed when we the British destroyed his ship.
For some reason a very small couple parts of the doc is cut out in this version, the only bit I remember that is interesting to know is that a small group of commandos (after being stranded when the MLs got destroyed) actually managed to escape all the way to Spain and find their way back to Britain. (About 350 miles).
Can remember seeing the belt armour of the Turpitz which is at Duxford. Also to think that the Prinz Eugen that sailed with the Bismark then after the war actually survived two atomic explotions and still survives although sunk in shallow water today. It really gives a perspective taking on challenges like these. Jeremy Clarkson is perfect because he really shows and shares true passion and awe to how on Earth do ordinary people somehow manage to achieve the absolute impossible.
Saw that memorial 30+ years ago and wondered what the story was and why the memorial was so small. Now I've seen this video it has explained it all. I am told there is a new larger memorial today, but the old one is still in the car park. I somehow like the old small one.
I like the small one too. It's more typically British, somehow :-)
The raids on the Tirpitz and ultimate destruction of it, is another great story of courage, determination, self sacrifice, ingenuity and luck.
‘He who dares, wins’ is the motto of the Special Air Service that Del Boy, bless ‘im, mangled for his own comedic purposes :)
At 3:46 there is a photo of German soldiers as honour guards at a coffin draped with the Union Jack.
I like how they honoured the bravery of the British commandos.
As an ex RM have seen many reviews of this episode. I think yours is the best. It's respectful .
Wow. That was by far your best reaction video yet. I can’t believe I’ve never seen this clarkson film or heard of this raid. Utterly amazing.
You're showing more respect than our current Prime Minister. Shameful he couldn't show up to show respect for the sacrifices you guys made.
Been waiting for this. Truly excellent watch, and an astounding story of bravery and audacity.
Well done KB on 100,000 subscribers .🏴
If you enjoyed this, I think you'll also enjoy his other WW2 documentary, "PQ17: An Arctic Convoy Disaster".
The KMS Tirpitz (named after a WW1 Kriegsmarine Admiral) was a sister-ship to the Bismark, but was even more formidable, with additional wartime upgrades and modifications making her about 5% heavier than her sister, in fact being the heaviest battleship ever commissioned into a European navy.
Earl Mountbatten of Burma was a maternal uncle of Prince Philip and a once-removed second cousin of Queen Elizabeth II. He was a formidable and accomplished man and a bit of a cast-iron badass in his own right.
I was privileged enough to meet Tom Sherman, he used to come for a regular morning swim when I was a lifeguard (twenty years ago now!) and he was a lovely chap.
Check out “Gift Horse” 1952 film based on this raid. Also known as “Glory at sea” in the U,S.
Yes, Mountbatten was our current King’s favourite Uncle.
What I love about living in the UK. Those documents he's reading. They are all free to read by members of the public. You can just go into the archives and ask to look at them. they'll bring the books out, give you gloves and let you just read all of the things. We have texts from a time you didn't think could write.
You can just go and read them all and it costs nothing. Vast amounts of documents that have still to be catalogued and put online. Most of them still not read.
sweet perfect timing, this doc is excellent 👍
I've been looking forward to this...
The metal from which the Victoria Cross is made is very limited... and will run out within this generation or maybe the next generation or two. The ship's bell from the Campbeltown has been passed from museum to museum (in both the U.K. and in the U.S). I can't think of any source more appropriate for future VCs to be made from. That bell should be made eternally sacred and used for future Victoria Crosses. Not sure if it would be possible.... but I think it would just seem...right.
The Tirpitz was the sister ship to the Bismarck. Hitler was afraid to send it out after the Bismarck got sunk.
Micky Burn ended up in Colditz as a POW for the rest of the war.
The only naval vessel she ever went up against was the X-CRAFTS (mini subs)
Mountbatten bore the German name Battenberg and changed it to the Anglicised Mountbatten The Royal Family's name was originally the German Saxa Coberg Gotha. Later changed to Windsor during WW1. Ian Dee. ( again.)
'Scuttling' or 'immobilising' are the terms of what you're talking about when sinking a ship (or not able to use) that is either your ship or an allied force sinking it. During these what you're talking/thinking of, no French were ended on purpose that I know of. This is because they the French were giving a set time to carry out the orders that were already down to the basic crew members.
As a "Local" i live very close to looe and used to fish all around the coast of Cornwall that monument has never been over looked to the point and i think i said this on embrace the suck as well everytime i went past it i would always place a hand on it as does everyone else, Very well remembered so....Size isint everything....
You mentioned the shelling of the french fleet, we did give them the options of sailing to America to be neutral, sailing to France's Carribbean colonies to stay free or joining us to fight. They refused all three.
I was in Falmouth a few years ago - since this program first aired, a much larger monument has been put up in the harbour.
The attack on Mers-el-kebir is the event you referenced were the royal navy (reluctantly) attacked the French navy :)
Im a WWII buff and I respect and appreciate all who gave their lives and blood for freedom, but because WWII was so big I have found so many endless stories about amazing feats of heroism in the face of certain death. It never fails to move me when I watch these stories knowing that so many were sacrificed for my and everyones freedom, only by divine providence was I spared the horrors of war, but thinking about that leaves me with feelings of intense guilt.
This the reason they were called that "Greatest Generation"!
Congrats on the 100k. My Grandad wasn't on this raid but he was one of the few who was evacuated from Dunkirk 🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧
YES! He's finally watching it!
I believe the gentleman who was a Nazi sympathiser ended up joining the SAS during the Second World War. There is a fantastic book and BBC documentary called “SAS Rogue Heroes” I would watch it regardless whether you can or can’t make a UA-cam video reaction from it.
It’s an amazing book and a really good documentary program to go with it. I honestly can’t recommend it enough.
I've plenty more fun comments to make but... Mickey Burn is one of the "interviewees" that they have through the whole thing. He is first featured literally after they talked about him. Hes the extremely drawn but also very well spoken gentleman. He survived the war
Sympathy towards Nazism was not uncommon in the early 30s in the UK. There was a UK fascist party in politics. It was later banned. Once Hitler's true intentions became clear attitudes quickly changed.
You are exactly right. I was going to make the same comment.
Same for the US too, Moseley had already canvassed over there and had strong support. Partly the reason the US stayed out of the war for so long was they were considering it themselves. UK was the same with Communism too, both sides of the coin were being looked at at that time. Seems odd looking back but at that time they were just potential new directions to turn.
Oxford University is still accepting donations from the infamous Moseley Family so it is hardly surprising that the likes of Farrage, BNP, The ERG & the Reform Party & other fascist influences are still active in Britain & elsewhere. I lived & worked for 6 years in the North & East End of London. The Locals fought in the streets against Moseleys' Brown/Black shirts. Hopefully that sentiment will continue to keep those extremists in the gutters where they belong. Cheers.
Yeah, just like today, any party that disagrees with the ruling elites is banned, that’s real democracy, the “democracy we fought for”.
@@chrisellis3797 Understandable as people were looking for alternatives post depression. KB has sparked a short history lesson. My history teacher at school had been on an exchange in Germany in 36/37 and attended a Hitler rally. His stories had us mesmerized in class.
Excellent reaction KB and congrats on the 100k 👏....gate thing got me too.....
My uncle was in the Coldstream guards, before the war and decided to join the commandos, when they were formed.He fought is war with No5 Army commando,in the far East.