Why? Do you believe, the USA would had not sooner or later declared war on Germany by itself?....... The benefits of an open and unrestricted war against a (yet) weak US-Navy in the Atlantic may have balanced out the drawbacks (which no one saw coming at this point).......I am not an expert, but I can see some logic behind Hitlers decision.....Operation "Paukenschlag", the appearance of German long range submarines in american waters might be a hint, what he was hoping for...... Yes, he underestimated the capability of the US-Navy to deal with all that stuff at one time, but now, afterwards, we are always smarter....:)
Which was actually the original pronouncement by the British. Just like Soccer was an English word until they started using the European word football.
Nonsense, this was Mark Feltons biggest misstatement as the Americans liked the luxury to fight unopposed Uboats and fed Britain without the risk to be shot back, very similar to WWI.
@@geoffdearth7360 They probably were, but strategically it was a gross oversight that Hitler thought he could wrap things up in the European theatre before the US could really make a difference. He and his advisors were fully aware of the economic might and industrial capacity of the US, just like the Japanese were for that matter, but limited horizon and tunnel vision due to their perceived superiority, made them wishful believers instead of rational thinkers. After WWI isolationism was a very strong political force in the US (one of its protagonists was Joseph P. Kennedy ambassador of the US in the UK before the war) and if Germany and Japan would not have attacked or provoked the US FDR would have a hard time pressing congress the wage a war against them.
When I was a young lad in the early 1950s my father, a US Air Force officer, was stationed on Bermuda. Though the air base was built during World War Two, by then it played a big part in the Cold War. Because planes didn't yet have intercontinental range, and aerial refueling was in its infancy, fighters & bombers in large numbers were always passing thru in both directions. In addition to a refueling stop, Bermuda was also home to the famous Hurricane Hunters, an early crucial part of Air Weather Reconnissance long before weather satellites. As well, it hosted several summit meetings between US, British & French leaders. I waved to President Eisenhower from three feet away when he toured the air base in an open top limo. Big thrill for an eight-year old kid.
My dad was stationed on a British possession during '56 -'57 (Sues Canal Incident). He took some photos of the Queen, who visited the place while he was there. Returned with a deep tan. I was 3-4 at the time and only remember his tan and later the slides of what my dad photographed. Kindly ignore the nut job comments elsewhere. We really should to kind stupid inbreed idiots. They don't know ant better.
The very choices of either Nazis or aliens on the History Channel speaks volumes about how the media molds, bends and dummy downs the American mind in it’s pursuit of their own political and cultural agenda.
Imagine the body shock for the US Marines, being sent from steamy S-Carolina, in their mid-summer period of July 1941, to freezing Iceland. Then staying there till they enter the war proper, in the winter of that year. Then being shipped to the even more intensely steamier SW Pacific, to eventually fight in the southern summer period of late 1942, at Guadalcanal.
@Molly McCullagh G'day Molly, yea I'm Aussie too. It must have blown their minds, especially the fellas from N-Queensland and Darwin, both places where I've spent many cripplingly humid, long hot summers.
@Molly McCullagh I know what you mean. They would have thought they were on another planet. Many of them, from say inland regions, wouldn't have seen the ocean. That in itself would have been something special, but then getting on a totally foreign type concept called a 'ship', to sail across the whole Pacific, from Sth to Nth, would have bedazzled them. Also of course, experiencing the big cities. I think many of them, would have felt totally overwhelmed at first, dealing with so many people for the first time. The way you described the pubs, sounded like Qld pubs. Are you a...QUEENSLANDER !!!? I am.
My father in law was a radioman on the Salinas, a tanker ship in the convoy that was attacked the day the Reuben James was sunk. It was on a return trip from the UK and it was hit by a torpedo. But the hold had been filled with wood which kept it buoyant enough to travel back to Newfoundland. Thanks for the video.
Dr. Felton, your the best at teaching history. I’m 70 yrs young and have never heard about most of the WW2 actions and I’m sort of a history buff. Thank you.
You lived the majority of your life in a time when soft cencorship meant the undesirable stories were never told, now for a short window we have a chance to learn those stories. I say a short time because every year I see more and more articles of uncomfortable parts of history being quietly removed from search results, for example US torture during Vietnam like Operation Phoenix, MKUltra ect. Learn the things that matter while you still can because everyday real history disappears.
@@TheHiyy A very GOOD insight......"History is a series of lies agreed upon"and of course the victors write the history very often leaving out uncomfortable truths.
Whew good timing I was starting to go into “Felton” withdrawals. I love the aluminum and a moment of staggering stupidity comments. It feels so good to get my “Felton” fix. Kidding aside I think you are an extraordinary man who I could listen to for hours.
My Grandfather who was a Yank in the RAF, served as a Pilot Officer starting in Aug. 1941. The squadrons he served in order, #55, #232, #121, #232, #331, #605, #615. Joined the USAAC, in Kunmig, China, served in the 23rd Grp, 51st Grp, before returning stateside in Feb. 1943.
Mark, Please keep educating us. We are enthralled at your commentary, concise, precise, and (we think) unbaised commentary. You have a class of hundreds of thousands. We listen, and watch, diligently. Thanks again.
FDR lucked out. He approached Congress about War with Germany and Japan. Both Congress and the public were outraged at Japan and felt a war against Germany would be a distraction in bringing the Japanese to justice. Hitler gave FDR exactly what he needed.
@@V8_screw_electric_cars This is one of those events that isn't as simple as it is usually presented. Clearly there was already a sort of war in progress already between the USA and Germany. The Germans would have know this but the rest of us would not. So I suppose from the German point of view it was not much of a change. I think it can be said to be a miscalculation but not just some act of madness, and as you say probably would have happened anyway.
I am unable to comprehend the frequency of your posting of these documentaries given the incredible amount of detail in them. You really are a remarkable man. Thank you for your remarkable productions.
Alcan was a Canadian mining company and aluminum manufacturer. It was founded in 1902 as the Northern Aluminum Company, renamed Aluminum Company of Canada in 1925, and Alcan Aluminum in 1966.
My late father in law enlisted in the Navy in the late ‘30s. He saw all his combat duty before the US officially entered the war, on a destroyer in the South Atlantic. He said his ship took part in anti-submarine patrols that were nominally British-a handful of US Navy destroyers accompanied by a single British Corvette to fly the Union Jack.
@@michaeldicker4839 Don't necessarily disagree, hence the arguably comment, but that fight against the Soviet Union would have been a lot easier without having to fight the US in the west, Africa, etc at the same time. The decision by Japan to attack Pearl Harbor is also up there in the stupid rankings. Cheers.
@@albertaaardvark966 At the peak in February 1943 Germany had 195 divisions committed to the Eastern front. Compared to 49 on the Western front. The maximum deployed in Africa was 9.
First, Also Mark could you cover the topic of Japanese garrisons on the by-passed pacific islands 1944-1945? This is an interesting topic that rarely gets spoken about in the Pacific war.
@@scarletcrusade77 Good suggestion! I lived in Pohnpei Micronesia for a few years as a kid back in the day and would play on the Japanese tanks and large cannons. They were just sitting there, rusting, 40 years later. As an adult, I started wondering what it would have been like for those Japanese soldiers to be stationed there instead of places like Peliliu in Palau were there was a lot of fighting.
I have wondered whether the Japanese made their defeat inevitable by stranding their troops all over the Pacific rather than holding them for use in places where their presence would have made a difference.
@@losttribe3001 I know that's what I always thought, the situation those garrisoned troops must have been in, forcible cut off from resupply, often bombed by air forces or ship bombardments & living in fear of a potential invasion the whole time. Though by the end of it when they got informed of the end and forced to surrender they must have felt like they were the lucky ones to have never properly engaged in real fighting against the Americans and merely got sidestepped. Also all the equipment left on the islands you mentioned, why didn't the allies ever claim it for themselves? Surely free Tanks & Artillery pieces would have been welcomed? perhaps to be scrapped or sold on even? Did the local governments never try to take them either and keep it for their own local Military?
@@buzbuz33-99 I Partially agree with you on that point, the main place they needed all their manpower focused on was the chinese front. It seems everyone forgets they start a long drawn out war with china that grinds to a stalemate where Japan can't push any further but china is too incompetent to properly push them back.
When I get up in the morning, my first thoughts are about my sore back, feeding the animals, and how I'm going to get through the day. When Mark gets up in the morning, his first thoughts are about what little known or appreciated episode in WWII he's going to exhaustively research and then present as a succinct, fascinating documentary.
@@MarkFeltonProductions : From reading the details of the attack on the Scharnhorst in La Rochelle, I think that would make for an interesting video for you. This month is also the 400th anniversary of the landing of the Mayflower in America. That might make for an interesting story as well.
Excellent detail, accuracy and transparency as usual. These videos should be mandatory viewing so people can get insight into what really happened vs. what Hollywood sells the masses.
When my dad was a young boy living on the Outer Banks of NC his dad would take them fishing and my dad said in 1940 he could see cargo ships burning off in the distance of the NC coastline. Ships that had been fired upon or torpedoed. I have numerous photos of these ships burning that my grandfather took that he kept in a separate photo album along with local newspaper clippings that documented what happened. I think the war was far closer than what people of the time realized.
"In a moment of staggering stupidity, Adolph Hitler..." It really is astounding how many turning points of WW2 can be described by a sentence that starts like that.
That's bollocks, John, a cliche. Which other "turning points", a problematic concept anyway, would you blame on Hitler? It's not that Hitler didn't make mistakes, it's that he made them after the war had been lost anyway, after 1942. Prior to that there's the B.E.F. escape from Dunkirk, but not much else.
@@rafopderand8524 ..so..you think declaring war and kicking the Giant U.S. war time economy into maximum over drive sooner rather then later isnt a turning point in the second world war..please continue i want to here more of your magic conch shell wisdom
@@rafopderand8524 Yeah, that whole thing with Operation Barbarossa was pretty inconsequential. Bringing a new enemy into the war, dividing armies before securing oil fields in order to score dictator points over Stalin, really didn't affect the overall outcome. Not to mention ordering the strategic change of the Blitz; why bomb airfields and hangars to rub out the RAF when you can bomb London and infuriate the British civilians? Surely the RAF won't rebuild their assets and gain air superiority.
Again, just more information that I never knew about. Amazing how so much history has been lost in time, and thanks to people like Mark, we are learning the truth. Thanks Mark
@@gfinnstrom yeah or mabye a school curriculum doesn't have the time and isn't intended to convey EVERY event that happend in the past. Educate yourself before you spouse this bullshit. And besided what on earth would be the motive?
or I don't know? Maybe read a book on your own? Oh wait most people are to lazy to educate themselves. Seconday school is a basis for further education people.
@@BuzzSargent Both i think. In May of 1961, Kennedy announced that VP Lyndon Johnson would go on "a special fact-finding mission to Asia" and that "technicians" would accompany him. When a reporter then asked whether the President was about to send troops to Vietnam, Kennedy responded that a decision on troops would have to wait until Johnson had consulted with the South Vietnamese government. ~ The President's News Conference, 5 May 1961, PPP: 354, 356,
@@oliverreedslovechild The i should not have a long e sound. It should have the indistinct vowel sound, like the middle syllable in _Canada_ (symbolized by the schwa, which looks like an upside-down e). It can also have a short i sound, as in _fit._
@@wahidtrynaheghugh260 :: I always wonder why so evil a war has not been used as a means of understanding evil politicians - and human character. Not that I am negative, - I belive that "man is good, basically".
Yet another informative and insightful video from Mark Felton. I am a devotee and contributor and would encourage others to support Dr. Felton’s channels as well.
13 minutes after the video was posted I was watching. Dr. Felton your channel is one of the best and one of my favorite on UA-cam. Thank you again sir for such a fine channel. 👍🇬🇧🤝🇺🇸.
dr felton remind me of a twilight zone episode of an immortal history teacher telling not well known historical stories with high accuracy since he was there to witness it
@@bnipmnaa Yes, and many British merchant mariners lost their lives on those desperate convoys: actually of all services, those matelots had the greatest casualties, often in freezing waters: that war against the U-Boats was in many ways just as troubled and dangerous as the fight in the skies over Britain to defeat the Luftwaffe. Lest we forget.
Which was a mistake, we should have left it alone the nazis would have still broken themselves after we inevitably joined, with the benefit of a crippled soviet union
Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. was a veteran of that undeclared war, later serving in the disastrous convoy PQ-17, then mostly in the Mediterranean. He wrote a great memoir, "A Hell of a War."
Ohhh, Mr. Felton, I was schooled today about US history from your UA-cam video. I learned that the US entry into WWII was much earlier than what is printed in books. I thoroughly believe your lectures on this subject and have learned so much from your channel. Oh and the pronunciation of aluminum. I don't want to take away from the seriousness of your video with my last remark. My uncle was stationed in Greenland during WWII. Good day to you Mr. Felton!
An interesting additional fact:The first (Reuben James) and last ( Indianapolis) surface vessels sunk during WWII came from the same place, New York Shipyard of Camden, NJ. and both were sunk by submarines.
Thanks for your ongoing efforts! The Kingston Trio sang a song about the Reuben James and I heard it on one of their albums. When I was a kid I had no idea what the Reuben James was at the time and you have managed to clear it up for me!
I'll add my voice to the mix. As another armchair historian I find Mark Felton's productions insightful and in particular they fill in gaps. What is more they are typically gaps that I never knew existed.
Just a small comment on accuracy , BTW I am a big fan of your work. The map of the British Empire shown at 2:21 shows the Irish Republic as part of the Empire when actually it remained neutral for the entire war.
Thanks alot mr Felton for doing a video on the American bases in the Caribbean. My country Trinidad a British colony then supplied Britian with crude oil and fuels also sugar
First i would like to say thanks to Mark for these awesome stories.. i think i am addicted i am always looking for the new one out and enjoy going over the old ones..This title really caught my interest, "The Forgotten Conflict" It was a great and educational story but i had thought it was about another forgotten conflict which few people especially Americans know little of and i would hope you could do a story on...Operation Pakenschlag which happened i think late 41-42....I live not far from New jersey coast and began scuba back in the mid 90 and turns out a lot of the wrecks i was diving on were merchant marine ships that were sunk during ww2 by the Germans. with thousands of lives lost during the second happy time.i really got hooked and read the book Graveyards of the Atlantic and began doing research which led me to diving the U352 that was sunk off NC by the USCGC Icarus..i could go on and on about this ,,its a really fascinating story especially if your an American and most had no idea this went on..My father was US navy Gunner during WW2 he had no Idea..My father inlaw, who was German and in the Wehrmacht told me that Germans never fought over in America and did not believe it til he looked it up...both are passed now .I grew up an hour from the Jersey coast and vacationed on the beaches and kids and still as an adult .i had never head about this til i started scuba and got interested in the wrecks i was diving..sorry for the winded reply.hope you can do a story on this and thank your for all the work you do... Ron
My father was stationed as part of the Marines occupying Iceland. He was a member of the 1/6 Marines. While on guard duty, he shot a man sabotaging a twin .50 cal. anti-aircraft gun. The man got away, and his colonel wanted to fine my father the cost of the machine gun, but an OSS officer noted the frothy pink blood trail and argued that the man had been killed, and only got away with the help of a couple of accomplices. It was the first man my father killed in the war, but after Tarawa, Saipan, and Tinian, he certainly wasn’t the last.
@@edhodapp6465 -- They should have been thanking God it was the British and Americans, not the Germans or the Russians. As strategically placed as Iceland is, there was no way someone wasn't going to come in and set up bases.
Dr. Felton is living proof that no matter how much you think you know, there’s always more to learn. I have never come away from one of his videos without learning facts I didn’t know beforehand. “A moment of stuttering stupidity” could be used to describe the 12-year rule of the Nazis.
Wouldn't have mattered anyway whether he declared war or not, FDR is a politician, and had already been corrupting the public opinion as stated by leaving details out. Eventually war was going to happen anyway.
I've often heard that the U.S took advantage of the British in the Lend-Lease deal, getting long-term leases to very desirable bases for only 40 old destroyers they weren't even using. But Mark adds an an interesting layer - since granting the leases meant the U.S. would move in military forces to defend them, the Brits gained something very valuable at a crucial time.
That's pretty much it. The British Empire was set up to be able to defend itself on two fronts at the same time. This was considered a fairly impressive ability at the time. However the Brits ended up having to fight on THREE fronts; Europe, The Med/North Africa, and the Far East. This was basically impossible. American military forces moving in to shore up the gaps was a godsend.
Destroyers for Bases Agreement 2 September 1940 www.history.navy.mil/research/library/online-reading-room/title-list-alphabetically/d/destroyers-for-bases-agreement-1941.html
Yeah, it freed up British troops and ships. Also, the Destroyers we gave them made excellent escorts which is what the British needed. They were fine on fleet Destroyers.
@@psilvakimo that's not correct about the far east. The brits were pushed back heavily but continued to fight there, and regained ground when they had free men and materiel to do so. Look up William Slim. As for being driven off mainland Europe, the European front still existed...it was just closer to Britain. Battle of Britain, commando raids, the Norway invasion, Dieppe, preparing for a possible nazi invasion, etc, all that is the European front and requires heavy resources of men and weapons to be in and around the UK. In fact the very reason for the disastrous loss of Singapore, Hong Kong, etc was because the Brits simply could not spare modern planes or any tanks at all to send to the Far East. They were needed closer to home.
Thank you for this video. I've tried talking about this subject and was told not to be so stupid. America did nothing before war was declared. Now you have posted this I will have to share to those who ridiculed me.
Dr Felton please do some stories on the other Commonwealth forces such as New Zealand, South Africa, etc and perhaps the Dutch in Asia. We hear very little about what was going on in Africa where Germany had possessions. I bet there are many hidden gems there that liklely only you will find. You are the top chronicler of a history that may rapidly disappear with the passing that greatest generation. Thank you for all you have done to intelligently and neutrally portray events.
Umm, Germany lost its African possessions between 1914 and 1918, it had none left in 1939, although it did assist with the Italian invasion of Egypt. Apart from that, yes, it would be nice to hear about other countries during WW2.
Mark thanks for the new upload I always look forward to you're new videos because they are made so well and filled with great information. i hope in there's a future you will maybe make a full-length documentary on world war II
The ABC Conference was held in March of '41. Notables from America, Britain, Canada met in Washinton to discuss the war. It was then the "Europe First" policy was agreed upon and some discussion on getting the American economy on a wartime footing. The talks were a couple of weeks long followed by a gathering of Generals and their staffs from each of the ABC powers to do military planning based on the political judgements handed down. That occupied the month of April and never really stopped until 1945.
Great History Lessons, not written into the vast majority of history books. As an American, I appreciate your series and the many facts that you present in a very fair and, forgive me, entertaining fashion.
Imagine being a 1st Marine Div soldier: from Charleston, SC (hot and humid) to Iceland (freaking windy and cold)... just to be transferred around the globe to the South Pacific (freaking hot and freaking humid). Occupation: barracks drill, sitting on a barren but stranegly beautiful island doing not much, jungle combat against a most alien enemy. You can't get any more extreme contrasts than that, can you?
@@jebidiahcornstalk5091 Thanks! I am German, though, I have no clue why you bring up the branch-distinction so explicitly. Might care to explain in-depth?
@@thomaskositzki9424 greetings from across the pond! The distinction is the Marines are essentially naval infantry and as such we are amphibious in nature. Capable of fighting on land, sea, and air and specializing in amphibious attacks. The Army and it's soldiers are a land force. The US Army is also much larger than the US Marine Corps and United States Marines hold themselves to a higher standard than that of the Army. Similar in nature to the difference between soldiers of the British Army and Marines of the British Royal Marines.
@@jebidiahcornstalk5091 In a way you are both right. Of course you are correct with the info you gave the OP, however in most English dictionaries a marine is described usually as a 'sea soldier', or a 'soldier serving on a war vessel', or something similar. Also army soldiers through history, especially WW2, have performed many specialist amphibious attacks. As well of course airborne ones.
And let's not forget that the pilot flying the PBY aircraft which spotted Bismarck was American. He was part of a group in Britain helping to train up British crews. In the past, before being banned from Icelandic waters, British trawlers would tune into the US base radio station in Iceland and listen to the music. This would be played through the ships tannoy system for the trawlermen working on deck at night. Having spoken to many local trawlermen who worked out there in wintertime they said it made working at night in the snow and freezing rain much more manageable. It also gave them a love for country and western music as that was what was usually playing at night.
@@sladd78 Initially, yes - Sweden, than Norwiegian resistance, then British planes and destroyers. There was also USCG cutter involved late in the Game.
@@sladd78 That was earlier, before the Royal Navy found he north of Iceland. After Bismarck sank HMS Hood the lost contact but the PBY found her again.
@@piotrd.4850 You have to feel a little sorry for the Coast Guard cutter. All those big battleships about. Not a place to be when the shooting starts. Having said that they did a sterling job.
Another fantastic video Mr. Felton. I am always amazed at the quality of the pictures and videos that you use. Most are not seen at all or not that often. That is one of the reasons I like your channel. Plus your narration of the video is always fantastic to listen to. Many thanks for your great work on doing this work.
My Uncle was stationed in Iceland and served on the Grier. My 10th grade History teacher thought I was full of it when told him of this part of Naval history.
Hi Dr Felton, I,ve always been under the impression that the Eagle Squadrons were formed after the Battle of Britain. Although 11 American volunteers served in various RAF squadrons during the battle, I,ve also heard that some volunteers who identified as Canadian were in fact American.
She can wait for 14 more minutes
17 min
The question is: Will she even get 14 minutes, or 17?
gonna ruin that perfect 69 likes
17? Why 17?
Most wait about 30 seconds...
"A moment of staggering stupidity" - That's putting it lightly.
I'd say 'Ol Adolf had quite a few moments like that.
Haha! I laughed at this when he said it
Why? Do you believe, the USA would had not sooner or later declared war on Germany by itself?.......
The benefits of an open and unrestricted war against a (yet) weak US-Navy in the Atlantic may have balanced out the drawbacks (which no one saw coming at this point).......I am not an expert, but I can see some logic behind Hitlers decision.....Operation "Paukenschlag", the appearance of German long range submarines in american waters might be a hint, what he was hoping for...... Yes, he underestimated the capability of the US-Navy to deal with all that stuff at one time, but now, afterwards, we are always smarter....:)
Going into Russia was 1 of them.
Hitler: USA is across the ocean what can it do.
B-17 and B-24: Hahaha germany goes Booom
As an American, I loved the clarification on the pronunciation of “Aluminum” 😂
The first time I heard him pronounce it like that, I had to go back and hear it again to understand.
😂
5:59 right here
We say it better
Which was actually the original pronouncement by the British. Just like Soccer was an English word until they started using the European word football.
As an American, your accent/voice is really easy to listen too. You have a truly calming documentary narrative. Great content.
For me, a Polish, easy too 👍
“In a moment of staggering stupidity” - That’s gotta be Professor Felton’s best phrase of the year! Hilarious!
Hitler grossly overestimated the power of Germany and underestimated the power of the USSR and USA.
The Kriegsmarine were glad of Hitler's war declaration in that they no longer had to treat the US Navy with kid gloves.
Hitler's generals commented that he had never been to america.
Nonsense, this was Mark Feltons biggest misstatement as the Americans liked the luxury to fight unopposed Uboats and fed Britain without the risk to be shot back, very similar to WWI.
@@geoffdearth7360 They probably were, but strategically it was a gross oversight that Hitler thought he could wrap things up in the European theatre before the US could really make a difference. He and his advisors were fully aware of the economic might and industrial capacity of the US, just like the Japanese were for that matter, but limited horizon and tunnel vision due to their perceived superiority, made them wishful believers instead of rational thinkers. After WWI isolationism was a very strong political force in the US (one of its protagonists was Joseph P. Kennedy ambassador of the US in the UK before the war) and if Germany and Japan would not have attacked or provoked the US FDR would have a hard time pressing congress the wage a war against them.
When I was a young lad in the early 1950s my father, a US Air Force officer, was stationed on Bermuda. Though the air base was built during World War Two, by then it played a big part in the Cold War. Because planes didn't yet have intercontinental range, and aerial refueling was in its infancy, fighters & bombers in large numbers were always passing thru in both directions. In addition to a refueling stop, Bermuda was also home to the famous Hurricane Hunters, an early crucial part of Air Weather Reconnissance long before weather satellites. As well, it hosted several summit meetings between US, British & French leaders. I waved to President Eisenhower from three feet away when he toured the air base in an open top limo. Big thrill for an eight-year old kid.
...why did not you kill eisenhower?
@@kabalu idiot
@@kabalu
um, because murder is wrong?
My dad was stationed on a British possession during '56 -'57 (Sues Canal Incident).
He took some photos of the Queen, who visited the place while he was there.
Returned with a deep tan.
I was 3-4 at the time and only remember his tan and later the slides of what my dad photographed.
Kindly ignore the nut job comments elsewhere.
We really should to kind stupid inbreed idiots. They don't know ant better.
@@kabalu
what gets you to ask a question like that!?
It’s like watching the history channel before SCI-FI and other bullshit. Thanks Mark!
Back then me and my friends called it the Hitler channel for that reason and the H lol
👽✌️
"In a moment of staggering stupidity, the History Channel declared war on inquiring minds."
Good evening Sir, would you like to hear about the ancient aliens?
The very choices of either Nazis or aliens on the History Channel speaks volumes about how the media molds, bends and dummy downs the American mind in it’s pursuit of their own political and cultural agenda.
Imagine the body shock for the US Marines, being sent from steamy S-Carolina, in their mid-summer period of July 1941, to freezing Iceland. Then staying there till they enter the war proper, in the winter of that year. Then being shipped to the even more intensely steamier SW Pacific, to eventually fight in the southern summer period of late 1942, at Guadalcanal.
Marines are used to it. Get on a ship, and guess where they're sending you based on what kind of gear they issue you lol.
Eh just sounds like upstate NY seasonal weather to me, scorching hot summers and freezing cold winters lol
Every clime and place ladies and gents.
@Molly McCullagh G'day Molly, yea I'm Aussie too. It must have blown their minds, especially the fellas from N-Queensland and Darwin, both places where I've spent many cripplingly humid, long hot summers.
@Molly McCullagh I know what you mean. They would have thought they were on another planet. Many of them, from say inland regions, wouldn't have seen the ocean. That in itself would have been something special, but then getting on a totally foreign type concept called a 'ship', to sail across the whole Pacific, from Sth to Nth, would have bedazzled them. Also of course, experiencing the big cities. I think many of them, would have felt totally overwhelmed at first, dealing with so many people for the first time. The way you described the pubs, sounded like Qld pubs. Are you a...QUEENSLANDER !!!? I am.
My father in law was a radioman on the Salinas, a tanker ship in the convoy that was attacked the day the Reuben James was sunk. It was on a return trip from the UK and it was hit by a torpedo. But the hold had been filled with wood which kept it buoyant enough to travel back to Newfoundland. Thanks for the video.
Dr. Felton, your the best at teaching history. I’m 70 yrs young and have never heard about most of the WW2 actions and I’m sort of a history buff. Thank you.
You lived the majority of your life in a time when soft cencorship meant the undesirable stories were never told, now for a short window we have a chance to learn those stories. I say a short time because every year I see more and more articles of uncomfortable parts of history being quietly removed from search results, for example US torture during Vietnam like Operation Phoenix, MKUltra ect. Learn the things that matter while you still can because everyday real history disappears.
@@TheHiyy A very GOOD insight......"History is a series of lies agreed upon"and of course the victors write the history very often leaving out uncomfortable truths.
God bless you Mark, Just what I needed today.
Whew good timing I was starting to go into “Felton” withdrawals.
I love the aluminum and a moment of staggering stupidity comments. It feels so good to get my “Felton” fix.
Kidding aside I think you are an extraordinary man who I could listen to for hours.
I have already.
My Grandfather who was a Yank in the RAF, served as a Pilot Officer starting in Aug. 1941. The squadrons he served in order, #55, #232, #121, #232, #331, #605, #615. Joined the USAAC, in Kunmig, China, served in the 23rd Grp, 51st Grp, before returning stateside in Feb. 1943.
From the UK, thank you for his contribution to our freedom.
I found this channel about 2 months ago and it now dominates my history profile
Mark, Please keep educating us. We are enthralled at your commentary, concise, precise, and (we think) unbaised commentary. You have a class of hundreds of thousands. We listen, and watch, diligently. Thanks again.
"In a moment of incredible stupidity..." Spoken like a poet.
I bet Roosevelt was secretly smiling when that happened.
I'm pretty sure that didn't change much US would have to step in anyway if only to not let USSR have all Europe for themselves as they feared.
FDR lucked out. He approached Congress about War with Germany and Japan. Both Congress and the public were outraged at Japan and felt a war against Germany would be a distraction in bringing the Japanese to justice. Hitler gave FDR exactly what he needed.
Wow. 👏 👏 👏
@@V8_screw_electric_cars This is one of those events that isn't as simple as it is usually presented. Clearly there was already a sort of war in progress already between the USA and Germany. The Germans would have know this but the rest of us would not. So I suppose from the German point of view it was not much of a change. I think it can be said to be a miscalculation but not just some act of madness, and as you say probably would have happened anyway.
This channel is like a bastion for anyone that used to binge watch History channel when it was true to it's name.
I am unable to comprehend the frequency of your posting of these documentaries given the incredible amount of detail in them. You really are a remarkable man. Thank you for your remarkable productions.
My dad was a Shavetail US Navy Ensign based on Iceland from July 41- Feb 42. He had a few stories to share. From humorous to sad.
Excellent work, Mr. Felton.
As usual, you fill my need for accurate history. 👍👍.
Aloooominum.
@Michael Hipperson lol 😆
of course "tin foil", is made from that.
Subtle but best snub I've heard over the great periodic chart spelling controversy on UA-cam.
Alcan was a Canadian mining company and aluminum manufacturer. It was founded in 1902 as the Northern Aluminum Company, renamed Aluminum Company of Canada in 1925, and Alcan Aluminum in 1966.
@@frankbarnwell____ tin foil is made of tin, aluminium foil is made of awoominum
My late father in law enlisted in the Navy in the late ‘30s. He saw all his combat duty before the US officially entered the war, on a destroyer in the South Atlantic. He said his ship took part in anti-submarine patrols that were nominally British-a handful of US Navy destroyers accompanied by a single British Corvette to fly the Union Jack.
"In a moment of staggering stupidity"
6 words that concisely sum up, arguably, the biggest blunder of WW2.
@Molly McCullagh Quite agree, but I think that declaring war on the Soviets must have been the biggest blunder
@@michaeldicker4839 Don't necessarily disagree, hence the arguably comment, but that fight against the Soviet Union would have been a lot easier without having to fight the US in the west, Africa, etc at the same time. The decision by Japan to attack Pearl Harbor is also up there in the stupid rankings. Cheers.
@@albertaaardvark966 At the peak in February 1943 Germany had 195 divisions committed to the Eastern front. Compared to 49 on the Western front. The maximum deployed in Africa was 9.
Mark Felton brings things into light!!!!!!
Thank you Dr. Felton for this great video and all the others. You are the best!
First, Also Mark could you cover the topic of Japanese garrisons on the by-passed pacific islands 1944-1945? This is an interesting topic that rarely gets spoken about in the Pacific war.
@@markc6714 This is only the beginning Mark what are you talking about? Now I've got to continue my streak on MFP's future videos.
@@scarletcrusade77 Good suggestion! I lived in Pohnpei Micronesia for a few years as a kid back in the day and would play on the Japanese tanks and large cannons. They were just sitting there, rusting, 40 years later. As an adult, I started wondering what it would have been like for those Japanese soldiers to be stationed there instead of places like Peliliu in Palau were there was a lot of fighting.
I have wondered whether the Japanese made their defeat inevitable by stranding their troops all over the Pacific rather than holding them for use in places where their presence would have made a difference.
@@losttribe3001 I know that's what I always thought, the situation those garrisoned troops must have been in, forcible cut off from resupply, often bombed by air forces or ship bombardments & living in fear of a potential invasion the whole time. Though by the end of it when they got informed of the end and forced to surrender they must have felt like they were the lucky ones to have never properly engaged in real fighting against the Americans and merely got sidestepped. Also all the equipment left on the islands you mentioned, why didn't the allies ever claim it for themselves? Surely free Tanks & Artillery pieces would have been welcomed? perhaps to be scrapped or sold on even? Did the local governments never try to take them either and keep it for their own local Military?
@@buzbuz33-99 I Partially agree with you on that point, the main place they needed all their manpower focused on was the chinese front. It seems everyone forgets they start a long drawn out war with china that grinds to a stalemate where Japan can't push any further but china is too incompetent to properly push them back.
When I get up in the morning, my first thoughts are about my sore back, feeding the animals, and how I'm going to get through the day. When Mark gets up in the morning, his first thoughts are about what little known or appreciated episode in WWII he's going to exhaustively research and then present as a succinct, fascinating documentary.
You know, you are right!
@@MarkFeltonProductions : From reading the details of the attack on the Scharnhorst in La Rochelle, I think that would make for an interesting video for you.
This month is also the 400th anniversary of the landing of the Mayflower in America. That might make for an interesting story as well.
This really is top notch stuff, brilliantly presented and eminently watchable. A must for all history buffs. This is Felton at the top of his game.
Mark Felton is the best historian out there no one can change my mind
Excellent detail, accuracy and transparency as usual. These videos should be mandatory viewing so people can get insight into what really happened vs. what Hollywood sells the masses.
When my dad was a young boy living on the Outer Banks of NC his dad would take them fishing and my dad said in 1940 he could see cargo ships burning off in the distance of the NC coastline. Ships that had been fired upon or torpedoed. I have numerous photos of these ships burning that my grandfather took that he kept in a separate photo album along with local newspaper clippings that documented what happened. I think the war was far closer than what people of the time realized.
"In a moment of staggering stupidity, Adolph Hitler..."
It really is astounding how many turning points of WW2 can be described by a sentence that starts like that.
The World is so Lucky that Dictators rarely listen to their Generals
Lol
That's bollocks, John, a cliche. Which other "turning points", a problematic concept anyway, would you blame on Hitler? It's not that Hitler didn't make mistakes, it's that he made them after the war had been lost anyway, after 1942. Prior to that there's the B.E.F. escape from Dunkirk, but not much else.
@@rafopderand8524 ..so..you think declaring war and kicking the Giant U.S. war time economy into maximum over drive sooner rather then later isnt a turning point in the second world war..please continue i want to here more of your magic conch shell wisdom
@@rafopderand8524 Yeah, that whole thing with Operation Barbarossa was pretty inconsequential. Bringing a new enemy into the war, dividing armies before securing oil fields in order to score dictator points over Stalin, really didn't affect the overall outcome. Not to mention ordering the strategic change of the Blitz; why bomb airfields and hangars to rub out the RAF when you can bomb London and infuriate the British civilians? Surely the RAF won't rebuild their assets and gain air superiority.
Thank you Mr. Felton! Great piece with a lot of information. Thanks again for the lesson!
Stuff like this is why Mark Felton is my Number 1 resource for accurate unbiased WW2 history. Awesome stuff!
Again, just more information that I never knew about. Amazing how so much history has been lost in time, and thanks to people like Mark, we are learning the truth. Thanks Mark
This kind of history never told on books or school keep upload that kind of vids to inform us
because the liberals and snowflakes politicians do not want it known that is why at this time history is repeating itself sad
They can't tell us everything. After I found Mark Felton I realized for that we would have to go until the 18nd grade to graduate.
@@gfinnstrom yeah or mabye a school curriculum doesn't have the time and isn't intended to convey EVERY event that happend in the past. Educate yourself before you spouse this bullshit. And besided what on earth would be the motive?
You must not read many history books then
or I don't know? Maybe read a book on your own? Oh wait most people are to lazy to educate themselves. Seconday school is a basis for further education people.
'Technicians'..whenever the American government announces it's sending 'technicians', you know things are about to get hot.
We did not send troops to VN in the beginning. Were they advisors?
@@BuzzSargent yes, advisors not technicians are what you need to worry about.
Right.
@@BuzzSargent Both i think. In May of 1961, Kennedy announced that VP Lyndon Johnson would go on "a special fact-finding mission to Asia" and that "technicians" would accompany him. When a reporter then asked whether the President was about to send troops to Vietnam, Kennedy responded that a decision on troops would have to wait until Johnson had consulted with the South Vietnamese government. ~ The President's News Conference, 5 May 1961, PPP: 354, 356,
@@anthonyoer4778 OK, but Kennedy was plenty worried about the Soviet "technicians" sent over to Cuba in the early 60s.
Wonderful presentation - Battle of the Atlantic was fought by many and needs to be remembered. Cheers and stay safe
Well stated, although I hope he stops saying Halifax like it rhymes with Alley Cats.
@@dixonpinfold2582 Please enlighten us as to the proper pronunciation of " Halifax ".
@@oliverreedslovechild The i should not have a long e sound. It should have the indistinct vowel sound, like the middle syllable in _Canada_ (symbolized by the schwa, which looks like an upside-down e).
It can also have a short i sound, as in _fit._
Mark Felton is like a bowl of ice cream, I can't get enough! Thank you Mark very informative.
Never presented in depth by any other "history" channel. Thanks Dr Mark.
History teachers: All that happened in WW2 has been taught
Mark Felton: HOLD MY BEER!
It's honestly a true blessing
More like "hold my cider"
There is always more to be learned about WW2
@@wahidtrynaheghugh260 :: I always wonder why so evil a war has not been used as a means of understanding evil politicians - and human character. Not that I am negative, - I belive that "man is good, basically".
The channel that keeps giving, I've learned more from Mark then watching or reading the many programmes and books about WW2, thank you Mark
Thank you Mark for your honest, unbiased reporting of what actually was going on.
Yet another informative and insightful video from Mark Felton. I am a devotee and contributor and would encourage others to support Dr. Felton’s channels as well.
13 minutes after the video was posted I was watching. Dr. Felton your channel is one of the best and one of my favorite on UA-cam. Thank you again sir for such a fine channel. 👍🇬🇧🤝🇺🇸.
dr felton remind me of a twilight zone episode of an immortal history teacher telling not well known historical stories with high accuracy since he was there to witness it
It's 4:30am. I can't sleep but I get a notification for a Mark Felton video.
Perfect!
Important to note: America was supplying the Soviet Union.
"Selling them material on credit", you mean.
@@bnipmnaa Yes, and many British merchant mariners lost their lives on those desperate convoys: actually of all services, those matelots had the greatest casualties, often in freezing waters: that war against the U-Boats was in many ways just as troubled and dangerous as the fight in the skies over Britain to defeat the Luftwaffe. Lest we forget.
So was Britain. My Granddad was a merchant seaman on the arctic convoys.
Which was a mistake, we should have left it alone the nazis would have still broken themselves after we inevitably joined, with the benefit of a crippled soviet union
@@Kiltoonie Desperately bringing the communists weapons and supplies they lost their lives.
Good.
Always great videos. Well researched and great commentary 👌
Another great video. Thank you for sharing.
The effort you put into these videos is inspiring. Thank you!
Thank you Professor Felton for an AWSOME series. Great work!
Always appreciate content from Dr. Felton, thank you for all the hard work!
Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. was a veteran of that undeclared war, later serving in the disastrous convoy PQ-17, then mostly in the Mediterranean. He wrote a great memoir, "A Hell of a War."
Ohhh, Mr. Felton, I was schooled today about US history from your UA-cam video. I learned that the US entry into WWII was much earlier than what is printed in books. I thoroughly believe your lectures on this subject and have learned so much from your channel. Oh and the pronunciation of aluminum. I don't want to take away from the seriousness of your video with my last remark. My uncle was stationed in Greenland during WWII. Good day to you Mr. Felton!
An interesting additional fact:The first (Reuben James) and last ( Indianapolis) surface vessels sunk during WWII came from the same place, New York Shipyard of Camden, NJ. and both were sunk by submarines.
No mention is made of the "Robin Moore" US transport ship sunk by a U-boat in 1940. The crew was evacuated before it was sunk.
CORRECT MIGUEL !!!!! , D U R I N G World War l l . They were the FIRST and LAST .
The least interesting fact imaginable
Thanks for your ongoing efforts! The Kingston Trio sang a song about the Reuben James and I heard it on one of their albums. When I was a kid I had no idea what the Reuben James was at the time and you have managed to clear it up for me!
I recall learning in college that the US was fighting in the north Atlantic prior to Pearl Harbor. Thanks for another excellent and concise video.
I love your videos, you find obscure subjects that are very interesting and nobody else is covering these stories
Excellent report, Major Felton. Well done. Now, carry on.
"gunning for trouble" that phrase doth brings a smile to my face.
One thing many people in the UK and elsewhere may not realize is that in 1939 the US had quite a small standing Army....we were tied for 17th!
On the road to 1 million!!! Let’s hit it by this Christmas MARK!!!!
I'll add my voice to the mix. As another armchair historian I find Mark Felton's productions insightful and in particular they fill in gaps. What is more they are typically gaps that I never knew existed.
Thanks for the awesome history lessons Mr Felton.
Just a small comment on accuracy , BTW I am a big fan of your work. The map of the British Empire shown at 2:21 shows the Irish Republic as part of the Empire when actually it remained neutral for the entire war.
Thanks alot mr Felton for doing a video on the American bases in the Caribbean. My country Trinidad a British colony then supplied Britian with crude oil and fuels also sugar
First i would like to say thanks to Mark for these awesome stories.. i think i am addicted i am always looking for the new one out and enjoy going over the old ones..This title really caught my interest, "The Forgotten Conflict" It was a great and educational story but i had thought it was about another forgotten conflict which few people especially Americans know little of and i would hope you could do a story on...Operation Pakenschlag which happened i think late 41-42....I live not far from New jersey coast and began scuba back in the mid 90 and turns out a lot of the wrecks i was diving on were merchant marine ships that were sunk during ww2 by the Germans. with thousands of lives lost during the second happy time.i really got hooked and read the book Graveyards of the Atlantic and began doing research which led me to diving the U352 that was sunk off NC by the USCGC Icarus..i could go on and on about this ,,its a really fascinating story especially if your an American and most had no idea this went on..My father was US navy Gunner during WW2 he had no Idea..My father inlaw, who was German and in the Wehrmacht told me that Germans never fought over in America and did not believe it til he looked it up...both are passed now .I grew up an hour from the Jersey coast and vacationed on the beaches and kids and still as an adult .i had never head about this til i started scuba and got interested in the wrecks i was diving..sorry for the winded reply.hope you can do a story on this and thank your for all the work you do...
Ron
Nice documentary dude
School didnt learn me anything about history, but a guy from youtube made me love it and know everything.
Thanks Mark youre the best!
School REALLY "didn't learn you" about anything really now, did it
My father was stationed as part of the Marines occupying Iceland. He was a member of the 1/6 Marines. While on guard duty, he shot a man sabotaging a twin .50 cal. anti-aircraft gun. The man got away, and his colonel wanted to fine my father the cost of the machine gun, but an OSS officer noted the frothy pink blood trail and argued that the man had been killed, and only got away with the help of a couple of accomplices. It was the first man my father killed in the war, but after Tarawa, Saipan, and Tinian, he certainly wasn’t the last.
So there were Icelanders who supported the Nazis?
@@gregb6469 Or they didn’t like being occupied. There was a lot of resentment against the British and Americans occupation forces.
@@edhodapp6465 -- They should have been thanking God it was the British and Americans, not the Germans or the Russians. As strategically placed as Iceland is, there was no way someone wasn't going to come in and set up bases.
@@gregb6469 How many Icelanders were the Germans shooting?
@@gregb6469 You are justifying an illegal invasion and occupation. That is a breathtaking double standard.
Dr. Felton is living proof that no matter how much you think you know, there’s always more to learn. I have never come away from one of his videos without learning facts I didn’t know beforehand. “A moment of stuttering stupidity” could be used to describe the 12-year rule of the Nazis.
excellent research! this was really some great digging, thank you Mark!
As a WWll buff. This is by far my favorite channel. Keep up the hard but good work, Mark.
Thanks, Mark! Excellent production!!
13:50 the best part: ''In a moment of staggering stupidity, Adolf Hitler actually declared war on USA...''
lol
well , in the end we won. the americans voted for biden, so ....ätsch
Wouldn't have mattered anyway whether he declared war or not, FDR is a politician, and had already been corrupting the public opinion as stated by leaving details out. Eventually war was going to happen anyway.
@@Ostheim thats the point. Hitler was stupid and he save FDR some time to convince the public and the congress
@@kyrlchristianboni5263 the wooshing sound was the point going over the other guys head
Actual history is absolutely fascinating
I've often heard that the U.S took advantage of the British in the Lend-Lease deal, getting long-term leases to very desirable bases for only 40 old destroyers they weren't even using. But Mark adds an an interesting layer - since granting the leases meant the U.S. would move in military forces to defend them, the Brits gained something very valuable at a crucial time.
That's pretty much it. The British Empire was set up to be able to defend itself on two fronts at the same time. This was considered a fairly impressive ability at the time. However the Brits ended up having to fight on THREE fronts; Europe, The Med/North Africa, and the Far East. This was basically impossible. American military forces moving in to shore up the gaps was a godsend.
Destroyers for Bases Agreement 2 September 1940
www.history.navy.mil/research/library/online-reading-room/title-list-alphabetically/d/destroyers-for-bases-agreement-1941.html
@@AtheAetheling The British abandoned the Far East in early 1942. They were driven out of European mainland by 1941.
Yeah, it freed up British troops and ships. Also, the Destroyers we gave them made excellent escorts which is what the British needed. They were fine on fleet Destroyers.
@@psilvakimo that's not correct about the far east. The brits were pushed back heavily but continued to fight there, and regained ground when they had free men and materiel to do so. Look up William Slim. As for being driven off mainland Europe, the European front still existed...it was just closer to Britain. Battle of Britain, commando raids, the Norway invasion, Dieppe, preparing for a possible nazi invasion, etc, all that is the European front and requires heavy resources of men and weapons to be in and around the UK. In fact the very reason for the disastrous loss of Singapore, Hong Kong, etc was because the Brits simply could not spare modern planes or any tanks at all to send to the Far East. They were needed closer to home.
Thanks for bringing forgotten stories back to life !
I remember the story of the Reuben James. Absolutely amazing story Dr .Thank you so very much.
Thank you for this video. I've tried talking about this subject and was told not to be so stupid. America did nothing before war was declared. Now you have posted this I will have to share to those who ridiculed me.
You're obviously talking with nincompoops.
Im always amazed at the political shenanigans that go on behind the scenes.
If you want shenanigans galore.... read A.J.P. Taylor's "Origins of the Second World War." :)
Dr Felton please do some stories on the other Commonwealth forces such as New Zealand, South Africa, etc and perhaps the Dutch in Asia. We hear very little about what was going on in Africa where Germany had possessions. I bet there are many hidden gems there that liklely only you will find. You are the top chronicler of a history that may rapidly disappear with the passing that greatest generation. Thank you for all you have done to intelligently and neutrally portray events.
Umm, Germany lost its African possessions between 1914 and 1918, it had none left in 1939, although it did assist with the Italian invasion of Egypt. Apart from that, yes, it would be nice to hear about other countries during WW2.
The intro music always sets the stage. It’s the best!
Mark thanks for the new upload I always look forward to you're new videos because they are made so well and filled with great information. i hope in there's a future you will maybe make a full-length documentary on world war II
As an Englishman, I loved the clarification of when the US really joined in the war, much earlier than I was lead to believe.
The ABC Conference was held in March of '41. Notables from America, Britain, Canada met in Washinton to discuss the war. It was then the "Europe First" policy was agreed upon and some discussion on getting the American economy on a wartime footing. The talks were a couple of weeks long followed by a gathering of Generals and their staffs from each of the ABC powers to do military planning based on the political judgements handed down. That occupied the month of April and never really stopped until 1945.
Great History Lessons, not written into the vast majority of history books. As an American, I appreciate your series and the many facts that you present in a very fair and, forgive me, entertaining fashion.
That little jab about our pronunciation of aluminum was sneaky Dr. Felton 😊
Great video!
and as a Brit - aliminum and aluminium ... they are both right!
@@Simon_Nonymous Ahhh you guys snuck an extra "I" in there
@@mikeyjohnson9596
To make it similar in pronunciation to ruthenIUM, rhodIUM, osmIUM, and similar elements.
@@Simon_Nonymous 'sneaked' ... ; ) !
@@AndyJarman Haha thank you. Getting a good grammar education in the comment section this evening 😁
This was an interesting piece of history I was not aware of. Thank you.
My Grandfather kept a journal while serving and on board the HMCS St. John. Quite detailed and cool to see its correlation with the facts you present.
Imagine being a 1st Marine Div soldier: from Charleston, SC (hot and humid) to Iceland (freaking windy and cold)... just to be transferred around the globe to the South Pacific (freaking hot and freaking humid). Occupation: barracks drill, sitting on a barren but stranegly beautiful island doing not much, jungle combat against a most alien enemy.
You can't get any more extreme contrasts than that, can you?
1st Mar. Div. MARINE. Soldiers are in the Army. You do bring up an interesting point though.
@@jebidiahcornstalk5091 Thanks! I am German, though, I have no clue why you bring up the branch-distinction so explicitly. Might care to explain in-depth?
@@thomaskositzki9424 greetings from across the pond! The distinction is the Marines are essentially naval infantry and as such we are amphibious in nature. Capable of fighting on land, sea, and air and specializing in amphibious attacks. The Army and it's soldiers are a land force. The US Army is also much larger than the US Marine Corps and United States Marines hold themselves to a higher standard than that of the Army. Similar in nature to the difference between soldiers of the British Army and Marines of the British Royal Marines.
@@jebidiahcornstalk5091 In a way you are both right. Of course you are correct with the info you gave the OP, however in most English dictionaries a marine is described usually as a 'sea soldier', or a 'soldier serving on a war vessel', or something similar. Also army soldiers through history, especially WW2, have performed many specialist amphibious attacks. As well of course airborne ones.
Well that's what they signed up for,not to be pussies.
And let's not forget that the pilot flying the PBY aircraft which spotted Bismarck was American. He was part of a group in Britain helping to train up British crews.
In the past, before being banned from Icelandic waters, British trawlers would tune into the US base radio station in Iceland and listen to the music. This would be played through the ships tannoy system for the trawlermen working on deck at night. Having spoken to many local trawlermen who worked out there in wintertime they said it made working at night in the snow and freezing rain much more manageable. It also gave them a love for country and western music as that was what was usually playing at night.
Wasent bissmark spotted first by swedish merchant ships?
@@sladd78 Initially, yes - Sweden, than Norwiegian resistance, then British planes and destroyers. There was also USCG cutter involved late in the Game.
@@sladd78 That was earlier, before the Royal Navy found he north of Iceland. After Bismarck sank HMS Hood the lost contact but the PBY found her again.
@@piotrd.4850 You have to feel a little sorry for the Coast Guard cutter. All those big battleships about. Not a place to be when the shooting starts. Having said that they did a sterling job.
Almost at a million subs, congrats Mark.
Another fantastic video Mr. Felton. I am always amazed at the quality of the pictures and videos that you use. Most are not seen at all or not that often. That is one of the reasons I like your channel. Plus your narration of the video is always fantastic to listen to. Many thanks for your great work on doing this work.
My favorite UA-cam channel! Thankyou for the incredible videos Doc!! Love from Detroit!
When I pushed play my wife heard the introductory music and asked me what war am I learning about.
My Wife would say something like that probably like your Wife has a pretty high IQ😊
btw.... I always wonder what's the name of the introductory music?
@@brnzhut The song is named "Pursuit"
My Uncle was stationed in Iceland and served on the Grier. My 10th grade History teacher thought I was full of it when told him of this part of Naval history.
Voters don't want to know the USA invaded Iceland to goad Germany into War
Show and tell.
"Class, here is my uncle. Let him tell you about what he did in the war..."
Hi Dr Felton, I,ve always been under the impression that the Eagle Squadrons were formed after the Battle of Britain. Although 11 American volunteers served in various RAF squadrons during the battle, I,ve also heard that some volunteers who identified as Canadian were in fact American.
Many thanks for this video Dr. Felton
I enlighten me on what I has no idea!
Keep up this magnificent work!
Greetings from Guatemala!
Great content. Really enjoy your channel.