THE RUNNING PARATROOPER | WWII THEN & NOW
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- Опубліковано 24 січ 2023
- This particular photograph is one of the most famous photographs taken during the battle of the bulge. It first appeared in the Stars & Stripes in January 1945, and became an inspiration for book covers and even a commemoration stamp. Today marks the 78 anniversary for the official end of the Battle of the Bulge. In the last year we've been researching one of the most famous photographs of this battle: the running paratrooper of the 82nd Airborne Division. The photograph has become immensely popular due to veteran Walter E. Hughes. He recognized himself as the running paratrooper and has been telling that story whenever he could. However, we learned that Hughes was not the only one to recognize himself. In typical SNAFU fashion, we tried to take a Then & Now photo and tell the story of the photograph that hung in James Gavin's office after the war. Many thanks to Bob Konings, Thulaï van Maanen and Reg Jans for their time and support.
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Produced & Edited by: Joey van Meesen
Co-Producers: Thulaï van Maanen & Bob Konings
Researchers: Bob Konings, Thulaï van Maanen, Reg Jans
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The paratrooper was so young. He doesn’t look over 19 years old. A boy with courage beyond his years.
Today a 19 yo is considered a boy by many because many young people are coddled and spoiled, with little responsibility. This was not true in the 1930s and 40s.
my father was there with 82nd Airborne 466 BN.,when he was 26 years old
The 504 were stationed in my home village of Scraptoft, Leicestershire, England before parachuting into France on D Day. A memorial was erected to these men about 5 years ago in the village. I was honoured to be at the dedication of that memorial.
I metal detected at scraptoft and found a USA military badge from WW2.
That's amazing. It would truly be an honor to be a part of history.
My pops pop was in the Ardennes- mid12/44 where he was wounded during the Battle Of The Bulge as a medic with 82ndcA/B Div. S 508 PIR of USA . He jumped on 6/6/4 4 DDAY , tok part in the bloody hedgerow fighting , and took part in "Operation Market Garden " where his unit took high casualties at Nimjwegen , Holland mid- 9/44 !!
Nope... 504th never jumped in DDAY... 504th was in Italy recuperating for Salerno and the hell of Anzio ... tough battles ... 504th got in late April with only 1000 men short almost by half the men...504th went to Marke Garden in Septmber with the 82nd. probably was 505th the most experienced ones.
504th gave on 2 dozen of pathfinders to the 507th or 508th..
It could be the 504th tough but not for dday jump
These videos are better than most TV documentary
Thank you for keeping these memories alive.
- Old Paratrooper
I love the respect that everyone in these video's shows. The dedication to preserve this history is outstanding!
We try our very best!
I agree!
@@SNAFUDOCSI there any information on the soldier in the, much used, video getting gunned down on the beach on D-day? There are 3 soldiers running onto the beach. The one in the rear gets gunned down, then the second. I've often wondered who he is. Thanks for your work.
@@quietobserver4636 Is this it? ua-cam.com/video/HFkxH_qclYY/v-deo.html
This link is longer, but more footage of Omaha. ua-cam.com/video/Jb-K3N6h3QI/v-deo.html
It's a European thing
Both of my grandfathers served in WWII, one with the navy in the Pacific Theatre and the other with the Army 35th ID arriving at Omaha Beach, July 1944. I wish that they would have recounted some of their experiences but neither of them would talk about their war time service much other than the occasional humorous story. I think that it weighed heavy on both of them and instead of reliving it they put their efforts into the future and raised great families and became two of the best grandfathers a kid could have ever had. They are gone now but never forgotten and dearly missed......
My uncle landed at Normandy (From Canada) and he would never speak a word of the war. The only remnant that I know of is his gratitude for every meal since and to never leave a scrap behind.
My mother had 11 uncles. 7 of them served in the New Zealand army overseas in WW2, 5 of them survived the war, only two of them were not badly wounded. Not one of them ever talked about the fighting in any detail, but they all told funny stories about day to day life and things like what the travel up to North Africa on the troopship was like.
One told me and my cousins that he was taught to drive jeeps and he used to be assigned to newly transferred officers while their own driver was being sorted out. A very large number of traffic accidents happened when we were first in Egypt, so all the drivers were put through a second driving school. He passed top of the class, and was then given to one of the serious fighting Majors from 22nd battalion . The Major saluted, then shook his hand and said "Go get issued with a Sten and some grenades, there's a good chap, we are likely to need them tomorrow". And then they fought and moved without a break for 15 days. :)
We asked "What was the fighting like" and he would say
"I can't really remember" or "Not something I want to remember, boys" or he would just grunt and change the subject.
Yeah I have a question do yu know yur grandfathers name??
@@seanpetaia Of course I do?
@@tarivardInteresting, both my grandfathers served in the Anglo-Boer War and WW1. The one I knew also never spoke of the war and never left food on his plate. His daughter, my mom, was the same. I am 71 years and I have always been the same, I hate to see food left on a plate to be thrown away. I can't remember ever being punished for leaving food, somehow this feeling has been passed down. My son also seems to have it, I must remember to ask him how he feels when food is wasted. PS I did love my grandfather and mother very much so maybe I was just emulating them.
I had the honor of serving in the 1/504 from 1981-1983. These guys are my heroes.
Outstanding statement my Brother. We who came after must understand the weight of responsibility we bear when being posted to our units and striving to uphold the standards set by those who came before. This is of course practically impossible but, giving 100% in everything we do at least allows us to humbly attempt to Honor those who faced impossible odds and yet never wavered in their efforts and achievements.
I was just down the road 1st 508.
80-83
I'm certainly no expert, but I've been reading about the Bulge for at least 45 years and have many books about it. This is the first I've heard of this picture. It's fascinating to see and hear about. Great job on the video and the research you've done.
Same here. Watching movies/shows or reading about WW2 for over 40 years and this is the first time I had ever seen or heard of this photo. Great video.
ditto-- i've never seen it before either.
Great story, thanks for sharing. My father was a WWII army vet in the South Pacific. Once in a while he would tell a few stories. At my parents 50th wedding anniversary reception, two of my father’s army buddies came to the house afterwards and my brother and I sat and listened to them visit about their experiences. It was priceless! I wished I would have video taped it. We heard a lot of the same stories that my dad had told us. They truly were the greatest generation.
my dad fought in navy , 9 navy battles , missed pearl harbor fight by three hours his ship pull in, they have many stores i think like you should of filmed more
I grew up as a air force brat,I was around a lot of WW2, Korea and Vietnam vets and was able to hear a lot of their stories sadly I didn't record them
Nice! I'm a former member of Eco 504 PIR 82nd Airborne div.
Just a bit more modern. Ive had the pleasure to meet many WW2 Airborne vets. Great group of crazies !
Completely humbling how respect is given to each serviceman that perceived this picture to be him. Your videos defiantly allow the viewer to feel the sincerity you each have to bring history to life never to be forgotten for generations to come. Blessing to each of you. Sincere thanks for taking we history buffs along!
Finally a person and channel that gives a clear and honest telling of the story of the real heroes and men of ww2
Love pictures of then and now.
Thank you for the work that you do - Not only is it fascinating, but helps preserve history of the generations to come. I salute you.
My great uncle was I Company, 505th, 82nd Airborne. He was killed at Fosse, Belgium 3 Jan 1945 Battle of the Bulge. He fought in Sicily, Italy, Market Garden ( Holland), D- Day and at the Bulge. He was 23 at the time of his death.
Gosh!!!, he was a weathered paratrooper!!!.
😢😢😢🇺🇸
So sad…we lost so many of our best and brightest and they were so young. We must never forget their sacrifice!
Brilliant research guys, the love and respect that the Belgium and Netherlands have for their liberators is still apparent, great post
Towards the end of the vid, ur research stands out even more, simply amazing!😃🇺🇸
Simply brilliant. You sir, have one of the best channels on UA-cam. 👊
Wow, thanks JD! Appreciate it :)
Uh, JD, why do they continue to look for the location using a REVERSED IMAGE? They do show the actual image over and over (the GI is obviously right-handed, as were most GIs) but the 8x10 the "detectives" use at the locations is REVERSED. How do they not see or understand that? The one fellow even points the wrong way and says the dug in machine gunner is pointing that way, when he is not. Brilliant? Maybe the detective work on who the soldier was, but where it was taken? Not quite my man.
So interesting. No longer just a photo but the stories of the men who lived it.
I dont understand how you only have 56K subscribers 😵💫 your content is incredible!!
Been a long time since one of your then and now videos. Always enjoy them.
You two guys ROCK. Please keep it up. You show us how to bring history alive and keep it so.
“STRIKE HOLD”
Great documentary. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Thank you.
AS SOON AS I SAW THIS NEW DOCUMENTARY FROM THE SNAFU DOCS I JUMPED FOR JOY .
HOW THE HELL YOU GUYS RESEARCH THESE LITTLE KNOWN MILITARY EVENTS SO THOROUGHLY IS NOTHING SHORT OF INCREDIBLE. DEDICATION, INTELLIGENCE , RESEARCH AND HOURS OF FIELD WORK CONTRIBUTED TO THIS FASCINATING HISTORICAL EVENT . BRAVISSIMO MAESTROS, YOU ARE THE BEST.
Those images are so haunting, their faces are so young. I cant imagine the emotions they're experiencing at those moments.
ur talk with Bob was amazing, being able to compare the pic to current topography!😲🇺🇸
Fantastic doc again!! Thanks for sharing
😮the chaos of combat...excellent production💪🏽
My uncle was in HQ Co. 1st Battalion, 508 PIR. D-Day vet, KIA in Holland. When it comes to records, the devil is in the details. His grave and records from early 1944 list him as Private First Class. What the basic records don't show is, that as a 1st Sergeant he had a dispute with his commanding officer and single handily destroyed the inside of a barracks prior to D-Day. I actually corresponded with his CO who stated that he was one of the best soldiers he had, but he had a fondness for Irish whiskey. Also towards the end, the secondary small ditch that you see in the photo, is not a ditch, but the track of a vehicle. You can see the smooth walls and displacement of the dirt. Been working in mud all my life.
Absolutely fantastic to see you guys operational again!
Everyone at this channel does a GREAT service in keeping history alive.👍👍👍👍
It took us a while!! The research included a trip to the archives in the USA. Hope to be back soon with more videos. Thank you for watching!!
There is not a moment's hesitation when I see Snafu Docs have posted. Another well thought out, untold story of WWII.
Woooo, thank you!
Absolutely amazing what you're doing, retracing history's steps. There are so many of us would love to be doing what you're doing right now.
GREAT research guys---thank you! I have to tell you that you've sort of broken my heart. In the few years before he died, I came to know Walter Hughes a little bit. We visited at his home in Port Jervis a couple of times----somewhere here I even have a home video I shot in his house where he talks about the photo and tells some absolutely hysterical stories---he was a VERY funny guy. As you say, he was completely sure it was him in that iconic photo, and of course I had no reason to doubt him. But what you have unearthed here is compelling evidence that it probably was not Walter.....but let me just mention a couple of things he told us that possibly you can check out and confirm or deny. He was sure that the helmeted guy behind him in that foxhole was his commanding officer, Bobby Blankenship. He said the called him "Booby". Further, he never told us about being on a mission to take out a MG nest----he said he had been tasked to get that clip of ammo he is holding in his right hand. I always did think it looked like a lot of risk he was taking just for one clip of ammo----but I do remember him saying that. Maybe someone can research where Bobby Blankenship would have been at that time? Anyway, you've done a wonderful job here....keep up the great work!
Really hope that @SNAFUDOCS reads your comment... would be awesome if the research on Booby checked out!
HI all. I believe this is ,y first time posting a comment to a YT video. Just want to add that I lived in Port Jervis NY for four years. For reference, Port Jervis is where the states of New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania meet. I never met Mr. Hughes, but working as a newspaper reporter there, I covered a local Memorial Day event where two local WWII vets were honored. I was astounded to learn of the men's stories. I interviewed one man. His name was Jack Smith and at the time of the interview he had been living jst across the Delaware River in the borough of Matamoras, PA. Port Jervis was the retail commercial center of this small area. (Many residents from Matamoras drove across the river to do their grocery shopping for example.)
Interviewing Mr. Smith, I realized I was in the presence of a great American hero. Can't remember if he was in the 82nd or 101st Airborne, but he was a paratrooper who jumped into Normandy in the early hours of D Day. He told he about vicous building to building and block by block fighting to win control of St. Marie Engliese (sp?). He said he and his buddies would fight, advance three or four blocks, but then have to retreat the next day as German soldiers mounted a counter attack to take back lost village blocks. That went on for three or four days before the paratroopers controlled the entire village.
I wonder if Mr. Smith and Mr. Hughes knew of one another.
walt was the most photographed paratrooper in ww2 i belong to the walt hughes chapter in port jervis ny walt was the best a true hero regards jeff
Thank you for the research and video.
Thanks for sharing this wonderful story. You guys do a fantastic job with your knowledge and the research you must do. Please keep up the great work you do and keep telling these ww2 stories.
Outstanding videos!!
I was lucky enough to tour the Bulge with Maggie and Lt Rivers children as well as 2 other 504 troopers, one of whom had been in the 551st. What a trip.
What an honor!
Glad to have found this channel. Really enjoy these attempts to make history accurate. Thank you 👍🏼
You fellas have done a very excellent job with this documentary and I would very much like to say thank you! I have always found these series of photos fascinating and have hoped for more details and history behind them. I have 2 questions what is Potter carrying besides his Thompson? Is he carrying a sidearm as well? And has the identity of the German POW ever been identified? If he is still alive his version of events would be amazing to hear. Again, thank you for a job well done and for your dedication to the U.S. soldiers who fought in the Bulge
I'm wondering that as well. Do we know the identity of the captured SS soldier?
Bedankt voor deze mooie reportage
Geniet hier enorm van
Great video! I really do think you have the right locations. Amazing work.
Im really looking forward to watching this. It seems like an eternity from you uploaded which makes this all the better. Keep up the great work bringing these stories from WW2 to life.
Brilliant. It’s great to put historical images and events into contemporary context. Nice job.
Well done, gentlemen; amazing research and commitment to accuracy. Served in B/1-504 in the 80's, and last week I was privileged to participate in the 'Sunset March' on the newer bridge over the Waal River at Nijmegen, the site of the 3-504 and 307th Engr assault crossing on 20 Sep 44.
Of all my life reading history of WW2, this is my first time seeing this photo
Your reference 8x10" original photograph is printed left-right negative-reversed. I first suspected it when I noticed the Thompson in the "wrong" hand (unless the paratrooper is left-handed). The far-better weapon would be held in the strong hand, and the less-effective pistol in the weak hand. I also used the angle of the curl of hair across his face compared to the close-up shot and the button folds of his uniform clothing (men's buttons are always on the right side, with buttonhole on the left, leaving the buttonhole side to overlap the button side, yet in the running photo the right side of the outer field jacket can be seen at the bottom to overlap the hole side). The closeup photo with the SS POW is printed correctly and can be used as reference to the running photo. I'm a retired forensic photo expert witness and the reverse printing is obvious even without my having access to the originals.
Absolutely correct observations.
Thank you sir!
The time and research you,your team put into bringing these stories to life for us!!
Thank you, Mark!
...a great video, thanks for all of ur work & research on the pic; it really makes the pic & the war itself seem like only yesterday😢🇺🇸
Well done again,another great story. thank you SNAFU
Fascinating episode! I really admire the work you do. Keep up the great work. 👍
Joey and others involved , always so well done . Thankyou for keeping the Memory of these Brave Men alive ...It is very much appreciated. " WE WILL" !!!!!!
I love these videos so much! I appreciate all your hard work in the making of them!
Thank you so much!! I hope all is well with you. Your little one has an amazing mother
Guys, thank you so much. I knew many WW2 veterans, but I was really close to one
Wonderful story and presentation. Excellent detective work too. Your editing skills are remarkable. Thanks so much for sharing this story through a series of pictures and stories.
Thank you, sir! Really appreciate comments like these.
@@SNAFUDOCS do the one with a marine crossing death valley in Okinawa. Lot of good photos in that area
Amazing work I love your videos and the respect and care you put into them outstanding mate totally outstanding 👍
I’ve been patiently awaiting your next video. At long last! It’s your best to date! Great work and congratulations on such a well put together film
This so cool. I did a combat jump into Panama for Operation Just Cause. I was a squad leader in Aco 1/504th PIR then 9 months in Desert Shield/Storm. Devils In Baggy Pants! Cool to see my brother that came before me! Airborne All the Way!
hurray! You are back, this channel is too good to neglect.
Wat een genot om naar te kijken. Hulde voor het uitzoekwerk!
Congrats on your thorough research and well documented videos ! Thank you and keep up
Amazing research! Thank you for your hard work and excellent video. This is so fulfilling.
Thank you for watching!
Another outstanding video. Your research shows your commitment to finding the true story. Well done!
Brilliant video guys you are a credit to the memory of all those fallen heroes who thought the picture was them, respectfully made.
Wow, great great job on researching this awesome pic of WW2. Love the work you guys do ! Great stuff !!
My great grandpa who just passed earlier this month was in the 508th during WWII
What a hero!
😢😢❤
Both my father and my Uncle served in the second World War.
My Uncle was in the 82nd Airborne. This both compelled and motivated me to join the military during the Vietnam war. I enlisted in the 82nd.❤️👍🪂
Excellent Investigational work, top job and well done to all involved. Thankyou for bringing these brave and historical Images of Soldiers to light. I'm loving this Page.. Cheers
Really appreciate it. Thank you!
That was very interesting. Are any details known of the SS prisoner?
From what I have read, Thompson's were issued to NCO's and above.
It might be possible to be able to locate the position of the machine gun with a metal detector to search for shell casings.
Is that machine gunner a German?
Excellent documentary, and still none the wiser
INCREDIBLE attention to detail here. I love your content!
Thank you so much for watching!
You two guys are terrific in discovering the real story of history. I very much enjoy your work. Many thanks
My father in laws brother Oscar Sikes was killed Oct 10 1944!!!! Mr Donnie used to talk about his older brother all the time!!!! He was a great young man and they were truly the greatest generation!!!!!
Thank all of you for your incredible hard work and attention to detail. I love the minutiae you highlight so well.
Appreciate that! Thank you for watching
Exemplary, Joey. Thank you for your interest in and dedication to these men, to their stories, and to the history of this most momentous time. Onward!
Good video. Great research aswell! Also good to see Reg Jans getting some attention he deserves, he is a great tour guide!
Couldn't agree more!
This is why I watch and subscribed to begin with! Thanks again for bringing us with you Docs. Just damn good!
Great story and solid research! I was a paratrooper myself in the 80s and 90s, and have the deepest respect for these men.
At the end there, you may want to look closer at the fence post on the left side of the video and compare the post to the one on the left in the photo. They seem to have the same bend at the top. If those match, you were 2-3 meters from where that photo was shot. Fence posts can last a lot longer than folks realize.
I clicked the subscribe button.
You're absolutely correct about how long fence posts can last. I myself have seen posts still standing and in use at many places and historical sites in my home state of West Virginia USA that date as far back as the Civil War (1860's). Most were commonly made out of American Chestnut and Locust wood because of their longevity.
The work you do is always nothing short of amazing! Fascinating! 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽
Well done, Joey and Bob! I particularly enjoyed this one because I think this is one of the spots that I visited with you two!!
Doesn’t matter who it was, they all were heroes of the generation🙏🇦🇺❤️
Gaaf Joey, prachtig in elkaar gezet. Met bewondering zitten kijken. Ga zo door.
This was a wonderful production. Thank you for the high quality work, research and presentation.
Outstanding gentleman, great investigative work.
Great to see a new episode. I really enjoy your then and now photos and I enjoy watching the process it takes for you to shoot those photos.
Great Video!
An excellent report. Will cause me to watch many more of Snafu docs. I’ve never seen this photo before.
Awesome. I love how what you are doing personalizes these photos and the people in them.
Great research. Sad for the mother who was mistaken. Had to be thousands of mother's that wanted to believe in their hearts that their child was safe and still alive. I would have been looking for my child in any photo or film to keep hope alive.
Outstanding video! My step granddad was in the battle of the bulge. He died in the 80s when I was young. He never talked about what he did or saw.
Thank you so much! Your granddad was a hero
My dad was with an 81mm crew with the 7th AD at St. Vith. The only thing dad talked about was the heavy fighting around Christmas 1944 and the cold. He talked a lot about the cold.
My father was there with the 82nd Airborne 466 Bn. Dec. 1944. it was heavy snow there then .
Great work Joey! Thanks for doing the research and sharing this with us.
Great work, what an interesting subject you chose and so well presented. You have exceeded your own very high standards. Thank you so much for this fascinating investigation.
Thank you Barry, that means a lot!
Wonderful job! Your research and side-by-side photos are superb.
Thx 4 Sharing!! JJ
Very glad to have discovered your great channel. I would think Ground Penetrating Radar would assist in finding the exact spot of that foxhole next to the running soldier. Even if the field was tilled after, the foxhole would be deeper than a 6" till, and doesn't look disturbed by heavy shelling. Love the sleuthing and uncovering of the truth and the many related stories. My grandfather served with HQ Battery 134th Anti-Aircraft Battalion, fought in the Battle of the Bulge, saw combat in the Rhineland and Ardennes and with a captured German Zeiss camera took many pictures that we now have and treasure. Only in his very later years was he willing to talk about his experiences and we attempted to learn the story behind his dozens of pictures, but by then his memory had largely failed him. Many great location and action pictures that would be amazing to find exactly where they were taken.
I thought the same about the GPR, and then a follow-up with metal detectors to verify spent cartridges. These guys do a really good job, though, with just their research of the records!
Excellent work! Have missed your videos! They are always so good!
We hope to be back soon!
Always interesting and a pleasure to watch, thanks!
Unreal! Great Job! Love your episodes
Great video👍🏻 my brother and I took my father back to Italy in the early 2000’s to kinda retrace his war time movements. And your correct over time their memories of exact dates time and places become fuzz. But as my father put it they never really knew EXACTLY where they were. They new major town’s and a general idea in what direct and distance away from that town and that’s about it. What impressed the three of us was how gracious they Italian people were once the found out he was a veteran and he helped liberate that part of italy. We were fed, and given tours and we were honored guests in many Italian homes.
Great work! Thank you 👍
love you guys.............