At the Frontline in Thuringia, Germany | US Army Raw Footage shot in March & April 1945

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  • Опубліковано 12 лис 2023
  • Explore the intensity of World War II through the US Army's Special Film Project 186, featuring raw footage shot in Thuringia, Germany, during April 1945. This video provides a rare, unedited perspective on the US Army's operations in the final stages of the war.
    05:45 Project 186, Murphy, Austria, M-2.0
    07:37 Project 186, Murphy, Germany, M- /8
    8:21 A M26 Pershing tank. It was used by the United States in the last months of World War II during the Invasion of Germany and extensively during the Korean War. The tank was named after General of the Armies John J. Pershing, who led the American Expeditionary Force in Europe in World War I.
    18:30 Tanks with modular armour
    19:00 Rocket Launcher T34 (Calliope) mounted on a Sherman tank
    21:12 P7 Haglund "Water Bridge", April 9 '45
    21:52 75mm Howitzer Motor Carriage M8
    23:16 P9 - 186 Apr. 9 1945, 3A CCA (3rd Armored Division as Combat Command A)
    25:29 Crossing Ebeleben/ Keula
    Witness US tanks in action, a German soldier captured and interrogated, and the fierce attack on a mountain village resulting in burning houses. See Sherman tanks skillfully crossing rivers, soldiers sending radio messages, and the destruction of railroads and trains.
    The footage coincides with significant military operations in Thuringia, where the 12th U.S. Army Group, under General Patton's Third Army, was actively engaging in the liberation of the region. The 4th Armored Division's crossing of the Werra River on April 1 marked the beginning of the Thuringia occupation. Subsequent operations focused on the Gotha-Ohrdruf and Erfurt-Weimar-Jena areas, demonstrating the strategic importance of Thuringia in the Allied advance.
    This video is not just a showcase of military strength; it's a powerful reminder of the complexities and impacts of warfare on both soldiers and civilians. It stands as a testament to the strategic, operational, and human aspects of one of history's most significant conflicts.
    #WWIIFootage #USArmy #SpecialFilmProject186 #MilitaryHistory #WarDocumentary #1945Germany #TankBattles #POWInterrogation #AirDefense #EngineeringMarvels #HistoricalFootage #battlescenes #WarInEurope #ArmyOperations #MilitaryStrategy #Thuringia #ThirdArmy #LiberationOperations
    ---
    Music "The Lost Future" by courtesy of Antoine Marsaud
    Spotify: open.spotify.com/intl-de/trac...
    iTunes Music: music.apple.com/us/album/the-...
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КОМЕНТАРІ • 324

  • @worldwarfootage
    @worldwarfootage  6 місяців тому +33

    Dear Community, please help us to find the places and locations in this footage video. Write us what you know in the comments. Don't forget to include the timecodes (mm:ss). Thank you!

    • @CTFD13
      @CTFD13 3 місяці тому +4

      18:41, one of the assault guns from my grandfathers assault gun platoon. I'm working on figuring out where and when it was taken. I believe the TC is an officer, the platoon commander.

    • @jeffherne203
      @jeffherne203 3 місяці тому +5

      At the 25:30 mark of the film, they were north of Ebeleben and west of Keula. At the crossroads near the rail bridge north of Ebeleben. By triangulating the roadsign, 17km to Keula and 2km to Ebeleben, locating the rail tracks and the only intersection it puts them on the south side Wiedermuth, which they were shelling in the earlier part of the film. 51°17'30"N 10°43'04"E

    • @marycatherinemousourakis9457
      @marycatherinemousourakis9457 3 місяці тому +3

      My great uncle was with the 345th /Company F. He died on April 8,1945 in Thuringia from a direct hit from a panzerfaust. Awarded the Silver Star posthumously. Is there anyway of telling if he or his company is on the footage? It would literally be his last days alive

    • @adambane1719
      @adambane1719 2 місяці тому

      The US then commited heinous war crimes.... by putting the surrendered German soldiers into PoW camps, stripped them of their PoW status.... and starved over 1,000,000 German PoW soldiers to death... AFTER the wars end !!!!!

    • @legendzeroone1537
      @legendzeroone1537 Місяць тому

      5:46
      The sign says Austria.... not Thüringen....

  • @chrisa.ger.5360
    @chrisa.ger.5360 Місяць тому +14

    Farbaufnahmen bringen das Geschehen direkt näher. Interessant wäre zu erfahren an welchem Orten die jeweiligen Filmsequenzen aufgenommenen wurden.

  • @basslaats8889
    @basslaats8889 3 місяці тому +14

    1:16 9th armoured division shoulder patch, probably after the Rhine crossing between Remagen and Limburg on there drive towards Frankfurt.

  • @middleclassic
    @middleclassic 3 місяці тому +58

    2 days ago, Feb 3rd was my fathers 105th birthday. But he passed away Feb 28th 2021 at 102. He drove a M3 Halftrack for the 23rd Armored Engineers of the 3rd Army as part of Spearhead. Every time I see a halftrack I can’t help but wonder if he’s behind the wheel. His last stop was Dessau about a 2 hour drive from this area so it’s not too much of a stretch to wonder this. Especially when they’re showing engineers doing their thing.
    I truly miss the man. He was a soft spoken incredibly nice man who was married to my mom for 73 years. Something you don’t find much anymore.

    • @markbraswell6768
      @markbraswell6768 3 місяці тому +1

      I find myself doing that as well. When I see Vietnam footage I usually look to see if it's my dad. I know they years he was over there so that's helpful. Sometimes they lump everything together though. He remembers camera men around more than a few times. He's the white really skinny guy wearing all green. Let me know if u see him.

    • @user-wn2rx5hp4f
      @user-wn2rx5hp4f 18 днів тому

      😢😢😢😢

  • @big16country
    @big16country 3 місяці тому +19

    Real time
    Real life
    Great footage

  • @user-po1uv1bc5b
    @user-po1uv1bc5b 3 місяці тому +1

    Thankyou, I have not seen this footage, very nice.

  • @JohnMcMahon.
    @JohnMcMahon. 3 місяці тому +9

    That’s an M24 Chaffee crossing the bridge @22:12. American Light Tank, they only came into service late in the war.

  • @christopher9270
    @christopher9270 Місяць тому +17

    I'm wondering if this isn't footage of the 3rd Armored Division in Thuringia, Germany.
    My father was a genuine front-line combat medic with the 3rd...and was at the liberation of the NordHausen forced labor camp ("Mittelbau Dora") in Thuringia on April 11, 1945.
    He once told me they had tragically and inadvertently killed more than a few liberated prisoners... because these people were starving, and my dad said they gave the prisoner's whatever they wanted and whatever food they were carrying in their vehicles and backpacks; K-rations and C-rations, Spam and corned beef hash, ham and lima beans, chocolate D-bars, canned pineapple rings, white bread, coffee and sugar and canned fruit juices and biscuits and hard candy... whatever they had.
    "And a lot of the prisoners wolfed down all that stuff...and simply laid down and died about twenty minutes later", my dad told me. "It was like they just drifted off to sleep...and stopped breathing shortly after".
    "We didn't know about the danger of refeeding syndrome at the time", he said.
    What a tragedy.

    • @philliphall5198
      @philliphall5198 Місяць тому

      My Dad said the same thing and he was in shock and then they gave them everything they wanted and it killed them 😢

    • @Bryce825
      @Bryce825 Місяць тому +1

      I saw 9th armored patch

    • @christopher9270
      @christopher9270 Місяць тому

      @@Bryce825 Thanks for the 411, mate.
      I had also looked for divisional patches on uniforms or symbols on vehicles...but I missed that.
      So... thanks again.

    • @Bryce825
      @Bryce825 Місяць тому

      @@christopher9270 of course. It was pretty early on. Wish I had time stamped for you

    • @pbrig4298
      @pbrig4298 Місяць тому

      Early on you see a 9th Armored Division patch

  • @ivanhicks887
    @ivanhicks887 3 місяці тому +2

    Excellent Presentation

  • @marycatherinemousourakis9457
    @marycatherinemousourakis9457 3 місяці тому +10

    @worldwarfootage my great uncle William G Nahrwald died here April 8, 1945. He was in the 345th Infantry Regiment / Company F. Shot by a panzerfaust. Anyway of telling if his group would be in this footage.

    • @Redwood65
      @Redwood65 Місяць тому +2

      My father’s cousin (my first cousin once removed) was a Staff Sargent in the 3rd Armored 32nd Armored Regiment. He was part of the spearhead from Normandy with his engagement starting June 29, 1944. He survived the battle of St. Lo and took part in Operation Cobra. He was killed by a panzerfust as well on August 3, 1944 near Marigny, France. Another crewman was killed, one escaped, and one was captured. Horrible way to die so far from home. I never knew about this until recently.

  • @peterkornaukhov9990
    @peterkornaukhov9990 16 днів тому +1

    Спасибо большущее всем причастным. Мир и свобода!

  • @PL-rf4hy
    @PL-rf4hy 3 місяці тому +10

    Thoughtful choice of music; good video.

  • @rudy6047
    @rudy6047 Місяць тому +2

    De très belles images, merci

  • @briansmith2125
    @briansmith2125 3 місяці тому +48

    Smoking a pipe in a dry hay stack was the most dangerous thing this GI ever did in the war.

    • @user-yo1im9hx4b
      @user-yo1im9hx4b Місяць тому +1

      optimistic smoker...they know its bad, but still...

    • @juicyj3819
      @juicyj3819 Місяць тому +1

      Smoke and a pancake

  • @chilledgaming1879
    @chilledgaming1879 4 місяці тому +34

    The recordings probably belong to Project 186 from World War II, which accompanied the !! 3 Armored Division as Combat Command "A" !! in this video. (see timestamp 23:16). On The Champer Lap is the date 09.04.1945. In archives on this date belong to the coordinates 51.378829882798485, 10.134888791801693 . this is actually in Thuringia
    05:45 Chamber flap:
    Project 186
    Murphy
    Austria
    M-2.0
    07:37 Chamber flap:
    Project 186
    Murphy
    Germany
    M- /8
    21:12 Chamber flap:
    P7 Haglund "Water Bridge"
    April 9 '45
    23:16 Chamber flap: P9 - 186 Apr. 9 3A CCA

    • @lyntwo
      @lyntwo 3 місяці тому +2

      Impressive compilation of information. Thank you.

    • @tankmaker9807
      @tankmaker9807 2 місяці тому +1

      The markings on the M7's 105mm HMC's crossing the river at 5:56 ID those as belonging to the 11th Armored Div., which was active in Thuringia 3-11 April 1945.
      At 18:42 the M4 105 tank has the markings of the 14th AD on the barrel.

  • @battistebuono2530
    @battistebuono2530 3 місяці тому +4

    I've seen still photos likely taken from this film, especially of the river crossing of the river into Austria. Excellent and fascinating to see all of it in actual color.

    • @KH-zm7hu
      @KH-zm7hu Місяць тому

      Da dies die Frontlinie in Thüringen ist kann es schlecht in Österreich gewesen sein, da Thüringen nicht an Österreich grenzt das wäre mir neu

  • @akku845
    @akku845 Місяць тому +4

    Im from thuringia and the beginning of the video doesn't seem to be from here, but from the mid to end it looks pretty much like my homeland, just hills, grass, woods and not much more lol ;)

  • @thresher4
    @thresher4 Місяць тому +1

    At 22.04 what tank model is this? It looks like the M-26 Pershing but, shorter barrel. Unless a M4 version. Thanks

  • @davidca96
    @davidca96 3 місяці тому +14

    So cool seeing Jumbo Sherman's on camera, I didnt know this footage existed. They only made a few hundred of them, the extra armor really put a strain on the suspension but they still handled it.

  • @mikeyj9607
    @mikeyj9607 3 місяці тому +2

    Interesting watch of a Armored Division on the move

  • @craigstarling4704
    @craigstarling4704 8 годин тому

    My grandmother's brother was KIA on April 11th 1945 somewhere in Germany.

  • @vblake530530
    @vblake530530 3 місяці тому +18

    My father fought in Europe during the war. He never spoke of it. Whatever he went through. He took to his grave. He would be 103 if he were still alive.

    • @markbraswell6768
      @markbraswell6768 3 місяці тому

      What unit was he in if you don't mind?

    • @svenschindler218
      @svenschindler218 Місяць тому +1

      My grandfather was in the German army. All I know is that he was in Russia and then a French prisoner of war after he deserted. He never talked about it. Maybe it was better that way. I don't know whether he was in the SS or the Wehrmacht. what my ancestors did can never be excused or justified. They were perpetrators. My generation can only do better.

    • @militarytension236
      @militarytension236 Місяць тому

      @@svenschindler218 "Sie waren Täter". Wenn ich so etwas schon lese. Unglaublich.

    • @peetyw8851
      @peetyw8851 Місяць тому

      @@svenschindler218We in the US must learn of the catastrophic possibilities under a dictator. Awareness of the plight of those caught up this cannot be exaggerated.

  • @ironiso411
    @ironiso411 4 місяці тому +12

    19:00 that's not a cope cage... that's a T34 Calliope rocket launcher system! On a Sherman!!!

    • @MrSebfrench76
      @MrSebfrench76 3 місяці тому

      The Screamin' Mimi ?

    • @ironiso411
      @ironiso411 3 місяці тому

      @@MrSebfrench76 The Screamin' Mimi are a nickname for German Nebelwerfer rocket launcher systems

    • @MrSebfrench76
      @MrSebfrench76 3 місяці тому

      My bad, thank you !@@ironiso411

  • @benedek6258
    @benedek6258 Місяць тому +1

    Does anyone know why the field is dug up like that around the 18:00 mark? Is it to stop it from being used as an airfield?

  • @teatime6597
    @teatime6597 2 місяці тому

    Are they throwing german helmets under the tracks at 5:50 - 5:53? :/
    On second thought, just rubble to add traction? ( see 12:50)

  • @donavonrobbins1908
    @donavonrobbins1908 4 місяці тому +31

    I took an interest in this, seeing Thuringia in the title. In the 90s, being stationed in Wildflecken I did a little touring on my own. The flats in the beginning of this film remind me of the Fulda Gap area with the Thuringian mountains to the north and the Rhoen to the south. I took a drive one day through what had been East Germany, across the old border from Fulda and Circled around to Suhl and Meiningen and back to Wildflecken. That immediate area east of Fulda was extremely flat. Now. Watching this film further I see an 11 with a triangle painted on tank bumpers. That would be 11th Armor Division. A quick check in Google and 11AD, after helping break through the battle of the bulge, swept across to Fulda, into Thuringia. to Oberhof in April 1945. Then they moved down into Northern Bavaria, Coburg, Bayreuth and on.

    • @donavonrobbins1908
      @donavonrobbins1908 4 місяці тому +1

      It was a shame the red army got their hands on so much to allow to continue to decay. That border region is so beautiful. They wouldn't have been remotely as successful, if at all without lend-lease and other western aid.

    • @donavonrobbins1908
      @donavonrobbins1908 4 місяці тому +1

      Later in the video, I 14 AD bumper numbers. They were credited for taking Germersheim on the Rein River, then across to Neustadt, Hammelburg and Nurnberg.. According to wiki, that pontoon bridge is likely at Worms.

    • @Mikhail0205Ars.
      @Mikhail0205Ars. 25 днів тому +1

      ​@@donavonrobbins1908Красная Армия уничтожила 80% немецких солдат и техники, и имела право занимать то, что считает нужным.

  • @Flitzepiepe_O2
    @Flitzepiepe_O2 3 місяці тому +4

    Nice to see this! I live in East Thuringia and I have a hobby where I find ww2 stuff in the ground and yes I found many ww2 stuff. Nice video it’s really helpful to see this. Pls more

  • @seltaeb9691
    @seltaeb9691 3 місяці тому +5

    My father (Scotland), was D-Day+1. He went through France Belgium Holland. He had about 7-8 medals. Wish I had talked about his life. We would watch War films & it was like he hadn't been there. Quite a disconnect as that reality was on a different planet to the modernity of the1960s.

  • @philodonoghue3062
    @philodonoghue3062 3 місяці тому +20

    You can almost read the minds of the surrendered German troops. “Shit! These Yanks just have an inexhaustible supply of military equipment… “

    • @holzbergerpeter4480
      @holzbergerpeter4480 3 дні тому

      They rather thought" why are they wearing workingsuits, where are their uniforms...look at these crap tanks"

  • @JoeyEintagsfliege
    @JoeyEintagsfliege Місяць тому

    Wie heißen die anderen Song-Titel und Interpreten? @world war footage

    • @worldwarfootage
      @worldwarfootage  29 днів тому

      Alle Tracks sind von Antoine Marsaud: open.spotify.com/intl-de/artist/57cS9TGEaD7SjdOBp7SExn?si=CvFanypYTAecA5dm5kZ7-A

  • @user-po3ev7is5w
    @user-po3ev7is5w Місяць тому

    Yep, the M26 Pershing's were being introduced in the last months of the war in the ETO in Spring '45

  • @grguy793
    @grguy793 3 місяці тому +7

    Really interesting to see how much help was needed to create roads though muddy areas.

    • @BobWiley-dn2gf
      @BobWiley-dn2gf 3 місяці тому

      Thank your local seabee 😊 they are the badass construction workers that build bridges while fending off enemy attacks to help the convoy get past obsticals

    • @johnl.5117
      @johnl.5117 2 місяці тому +1

      ​​@@BobWiley-dn2gfThe Seabees, all great guys (my uncle was one) fought almost exclusively in the Pacific. The US troops battling for Europe were the US Army,
      even the Air Corps which became the US Air Force in 1947.

  • @middleclassic
    @middleclassic 3 місяці тому

    What is that at 21:52 ?
    A mobile howitzer? I’ve never one before.

    • @corsa701
      @corsa701 3 місяці тому +2

      Thats an M8, based on the Stuart with 75mm Howitzer.

    • @middleclassic
      @middleclassic 3 місяці тому

      @@corsa701 Thanks, much appreciated

  • @giancarlomiceli3611
    @giancarlomiceli3611 3 місяці тому +3

    Beautiful footage. Incredible quality....Anyone who knows what's the device the Sergeant is maneuvering at min. 16:36 ?

  • @Auronfan02
    @Auronfan02 6 місяців тому +7

    any chance you can name the exact locations of the footage?

    • @worldwarfootage
      @worldwarfootage  6 місяців тому +4

      At 25:28 there are road signs to the villages Ebeleben and Keula, which is in Thuringia.

    • @supertori8585
      @supertori8585 5 місяців тому +4

      51°17'36"N 10°42'58"E

    • @lucecooler
      @lucecooler 3 місяці тому

      credit to this user for some detective work. The comment above about the road signs indicates 2 km to Ebeleben and 17 km to Keula. The given lat/long drops you at a T intersection on the main road between those two towns at those exact distances and in google maps the railroad shown in background is also marked @@supertori8585

    • @jeffherne203
      @jeffherne203 3 місяці тому +1

      At the 25:30 mark of the film, they were north of Ebeleben and west of Keula. At the crossroads near the rail bridge north of Ebeleben. By triangulating the road sign, 17km to Keula and 2km to Ebeleben, locating the rail tracks and the only intersection it puts them on the south side Wiedermuth, which they were shelling in the earlier part of the film. 51°17'30"N 10°43'04"E

    • @Auronfan02
      @Auronfan02 3 місяці тому

      wow thank you @@jeffherne203

  • @lyntwo
    @lyntwo 3 місяці тому +3

    It gives one pause to realize you may be seeing one of your uncles, or one of the fathers of your schoolmates, maybe even one of your teachers in this, ir your dad's fellow railroad office employees.
    My father too young, but getting caught in the Korean War.
    The stories they did ot tell us...

  • @lawless201
    @lawless201 3 місяці тому +4

    at 16:45 is that a decoder?

  • @user-fi2ix7mr6i
    @user-fi2ix7mr6i 3 місяці тому +9

    Never seen quality film like this. Awesome history preservation.👍 The Rail Road Bridge no doubt taken out by P47 or P51 strafing missions.

  • @djmech3871
    @djmech3871 Місяць тому +1

    At 08:21 is that a Pershing tank?

  • @ML-wd4dc
    @ML-wd4dc 4 місяці тому +32

    25:29 Kreuzung Ebeleben/ Keula
    Nähe Nordhausen, als die amerikanischen Truppen von Norden über den Harz nach Thüringen gekommen sind

    • @johnhudak3829
      @johnhudak3829 4 місяці тому +10

      Das Gebiet sieht heute sehr ähnlich aus! Ich habe gute Freunde in Gaberndorf . . bin letztes Jahr da gewesen. Thüringen ist ein wunderschönes Land!

    • @ronnyku4778
      @ronnyku4778 3 місяці тому +3

      Ist die Kreuzung Abzweig Holzsußra am Ortsausgang Ebeleben Richtung Wiedermuth - direkt am Bahnübergang.
      Kameraschwenk zurück Richtung Ebeleben.

    • @fuckthensa8103
      @fuckthensa8103 3 місяці тому +1

      @@ronnyku4778 jup, Eisenbahnbrücke über die Helbe

    • @aalekks21
      @aalekks21 23 дні тому +1

      Смотрел на гугл картах,место узнал,знаки стоят.

  • @Dr.Freeman_
    @Dr.Freeman_ 3 місяці тому +9

    1:12 Großer Fang für die US-Army: Ein Fahnenjunker-Unterfeldwebel als Gefangener! Von da an war der Feind kopflos...

  • @davido1953
    @davido1953 Місяць тому

    what are the vehicles at 06:10 ?

    • @macgonzo
      @macgonzo Місяць тому

      If you're asking about the open-topped vehicles with the large calibre guns, those are M7 "Priests". The basis for these vehicles is the M4 Sherman and they are armed with 105mm howitzers. Mobile artillery basically. Hope that helps.

  • @PhongThanhLuu-yn8zb
    @PhongThanhLuu-yn8zb 3 місяці тому

    I lose all Battlefield 😢🙏

  • @catmarrco7863
    @catmarrco7863 3 місяці тому

    I wish they had sound on those cameras

  • @juicyj3819
    @juicyj3819 Місяць тому +1

    Bad ass footage. 🇨🇦✊🏻

  • @klrmoto
    @klrmoto Місяць тому +1

    Where is Haglund? It did not show up on google maps.

    • @worldwarfootage
      @worldwarfootage  29 днів тому

      Haglund was the one who shot the images.

    • @klrmoto
      @klrmoto 23 дні тому

      @@worldwarfootage Thanks, Do we know Haglund's first name?

  • @stevemorris6270
    @stevemorris6270 8 днів тому

    Is that a tank missing its barrel @21:53?

  • @oynque27
    @oynque27 Місяць тому

    My great great grandparents came from Dermbach in 1870.

  • @Freedomring-uk6yd
    @Freedomring-uk6yd 12 днів тому

    wow

  • @Apollon21
    @Apollon21 2 місяці тому

    Ich bin aus Thüringen. Ist es bekannt, wo das statt gefunden hat?

    • @RoyFischer-ow3cu
      @RoyFischer-ow3cu Місяць тому +2

      u.a. Ebeleben. kurz vorm Ende auf einem Wegweiser zu sehen

    • @Apollon21
      @Apollon21 Місяць тому +2

      @@RoyFischer-ow3cu Ach so. Mein Großvater erzählte mir sehr oft, dass die Amerikaner von Eisenach über Gotha her kamen und einige Zeit im Thüringer Wald blieben und Ende Juni, wieder abzogen. Es gibt ein Video, wo man den Durchzug durch Gotha sieht. Mein Großvater ist 1889 geboren .

    • @royfischer4171
      @royfischer4171 Місяць тому

      @@Apollon21 es gab 3 Kampfgruppen in TH. Nördlich übern Harz nach Nordhausen, Mitte über Gotha-Erfurt-Weimar-Jena und südlich übern Rennsteig. Der Film hier zeigt den nördlichen Verband, der u.a. in Struth gekämpft haben, Mittelbau-Dora befreiten und hier im Film kurz vor Ebeleben standen. Die Einheiten sind weiter gezogen bis Böhmen und aufgrund des jaltaer Abkommens am 30.6.45 abgezogen, da Thüringen und Sachsen zur sowjetischen Besatzungszone gehörte

  • @georgedoolittle9015
    @georgedoolittle9015 3 місяці тому +5

    What is unseen is the airpower...or in the alternative "lack of air power" in the case of the missing German Luftwaffe.

    • @fredgarv79
      @fredgarv79 2 місяці тому

      So true, I just got back from a small viewing of the only ME-262 in existence with the Jumo engines (they rebuilt them using modern parts) The host asked a question, since the plane was next to an BF-109 and a hawker hurricane, he asked what was the main difference between them? First thing I thought was 100mph faster! But of course it was the swept wing, the first of it's kind. Imagine if they had had a thousand of these ready to go in say 1943

    • @aussieguy3689
      @aussieguy3689 2 місяці тому

      ​By this late stage in the war most of the german air power had been neutralised , Not 100% sure but to my knowledge they had no pilots left to fly the planes

    • @hihihuale4541
      @hihihuale4541 2 місяці тому

      Die hatten auch kein Benzin/Kerosin für ihre Flugzeuge mehr.Und auch nur noch unerfahrene Piloten,die man mit den schlechtesten kaputten Flugzeugen mit Kerosin für 20 Minuten Flugzeit ins Verderben schickte.​@@aussieguy3689

  • @paulday-lh5mx
    @paulday-lh5mx 4 місяці тому +9

    Amazing footage....

  • @doldrums2009
    @doldrums2009 2 місяці тому +2

    @ 12:57 That GI seems to have a Totenkopf (Deathshead) patch or drawing on back of his jacket...

  • @ocs10
    @ocs10 2 місяці тому

    one of my family members had to die april 45. sad to know that.

  • @mrhaltstop2294
    @mrhaltstop2294 3 місяці тому +11

    My father was in the Wehrmacht because Alsace was annexed to germany after the French defeat…he was sent to the Russian front
    He told me when the US soldiers saw a German helmet they fired on the position until nothing moved anymore.
    They had enough gas and ammunition

    • @user-jy2zp1hw8u
      @user-jy2zp1hw8u 2 місяці тому

      did your father fight in Russia?

    • @mrhaltstop2294
      @mrhaltstop2294 2 місяці тому +7

      @@user-jy2zp1hw8uHe was a mechanic and surrendered to the Russians when the Wehrmacht was on the retreat,he was lucky not to be captive in Tambov
      He admired De Gaulle who intervened towards Stalin to get the alsatians out of captivity
      My father was drafted in the Waffen SS ,he escaped ,tried to cross the Swiss border but was arrested and put into a reeducation camp,before he was sent to Russia

    • @MrBooYa-yd5er
      @MrBooYa-yd5er 2 місяці тому +1

      @@mrhaltstop2294legend

    • @lewisbolman7862
      @lewisbolman7862 Місяць тому +3

      My grandpa died in a concentration camp? .....Got drunk and fell out of a guard tower. Just trying to lighten the mood.

    • @OpelpepePower
      @OpelpepePower Місяць тому

      ​@@mrhaltstop2294 admiro a tu padre....le obligaron a luchar o trabajar con un ejército que no representaba lo que el pensaba de los nazis. Una pena no pudiera pasar a SUIZA . Es un claro ejemplo de que miles de alemanes no eran nazis,😢 no compartían esa idea de invadir todo y no respetar a los seres humanos. Espero que tu padre viviera lo más feliz posible después de la guerra. 😊 un saludo amigo. @mrhaltstop2294 I admire your father...he was forced to fight or work with an army that did not represent what he thought of the Nazis. A shame it couldn't happen to SWITZERLAND. It is a clear example that thousands of Germans were not Nazis, they did not share that idea of ​​invading everything and not respecting human beings. I hope your father lived as happily as possible after the war. 😊 Greetings friend.

  • @philodonoghue3062
    @philodonoghue3062 3 місяці тому +11

    Those Sherman with their high profile and slab-sided armour were certainly an easy target for the King Tigers, Tigers and Panthers, and Panzerfausts, Panzershrecks, and various Pak antitank guns of the Wehrmacht. Mercifully the Allies had air supremacy especially with ground attack Tempests and P47s - and a seemingly endless supply of Sherman’s augmented by Firefly and Cromwell tanks.

    • @clearsailing7993
      @clearsailing7993 2 місяці тому

      Don't forget large numbers of canons.

    • @rescue270
      @rescue270 Місяць тому +1

      Shermans had one distinct and surprising advantage over the Panzers when it came to forests and towns. They were no match for the larger, faster Panzers out in the open, but in close quarters, the Panzers could not easily rotate their turrets because the long gun barrel would hit trees in a forest or walls along a village street. The Shermans were much more compact and could rotate and maneuver better in these situations. This is ironic, considering the Panzers were European and the Shermans practically came from another planet.

  • @pauldickens5246
    @pauldickens5246 27 днів тому

    Rare footage of an actual M26, too!

  • @tunichtgut02
    @tunichtgut02 4 місяці тому +8

    I always wonder how the places i sometimes walk around looked like when they where a battlefield in ww2, interesting to see it finally

  • @kawythowy867
    @kawythowy867 4 місяці тому +1

    Raw? Where was the RAW?

  • @user-hi4kk9yk9o
    @user-hi4kk9yk9o 4 місяці тому +2

    Мы ехали ехали и приехали, а где же была линия фронта?

  • @adilsonten
    @adilsonten Місяць тому

    Bom.

  • @lolkevandewitte1713
    @lolkevandewitte1713 4 місяці тому +20

    8:22 Pershing! That’s pretty unique footage!

  • @forestcountyoutback7540
    @forestcountyoutback7540 4 місяці тому +14

    2 minute mark the guy smoking a pipe under a haystack. Must have been a new 2nd Lieutenant.

    • @bougeac
      @bougeac 3 місяці тому

      Was thinking the same thing 🤦‍♂️

    • @thomasoliver354
      @thomasoliver354 3 місяці тому

      I thought city boy!

  • @VinhNguyen-fb9lk
    @VinhNguyen-fb9lk 3 місяці тому

    Rare footages

  • @lepeejon2955
    @lepeejon2955 Місяць тому +1

    8:25 Looks like a Pershing tank.

  • @mrkitty1367
    @mrkitty1367 3 місяці тому +1

    goodun !

  • @klrmoto
    @klrmoto 23 дні тому

    M4A3E8 "Easy Eight" 6:19/26:30

  • @richardjames1812
    @richardjames1812 2 місяці тому +1

    What rank is the German at 1:23?

    • @davidmoser3535
      @davidmoser3535 2 місяці тому

      froup captain mandrake

    • @migjager7352
      @migjager7352 2 місяці тому +1

      Fahnenjunker-Unteroffizier: An NCO Officer Candidate

    • @richardjames1812
      @richardjames1812 2 місяці тому

      Thanks, I knew it was something uncommon.@@migjager7352

  • @frankw.1721
    @frankw.1721 4 місяці тому +3

    war is hell. my uncle told me about it--1st inf div 26th regt 2nd btln g company …North Africa Sicily d day Omaha beach st lo falaise gap Aachen hurtgen forest battle of the bulge elsenborn ridge harz mountains …he won the bronze star silver star and ph. evacuated for wounds receive near Frankfurt Germany in April 1945.

    • @frankw.1721
      @frankw.1721 4 місяці тому +1

      he also crossed the Ludendorff bridge at remagen

  • @Diegogr08
    @Diegogr08 2 місяці тому

    👍👍👍👍👍👍

  • @lynnwood7205
    @lynnwood7205 2 місяці тому

    @2:50
    S-13 APR. 24
    STiNDT
    186

  • @daveclean
    @daveclean 4 місяці тому +2

    It seems to me that the division had a lot of Firefly Sherman tanks ? I think earlier in the war was not the case ? or am I wrong.

    • @g.patton6872
      @g.patton6872 4 місяці тому

      Many of the tanks in this film are the M4A3(76)W HVSS. The longer barrel can give the illusion of the British 17 pounder.

  • @michaellinkroum4803
    @michaellinkroum4803 2 місяці тому

    So close to the end of the war but still very dangerous!

  • @Chiller11
    @Chiller11 4 місяці тому +10

    Pretty interesting array of American armour. 75mm Shermans, 76mm Shermans, Pershing etc.

    • @davidca96
      @davidca96 3 місяці тому

      and Jumbo Shermans

    • @paulizzs4720
      @paulizzs4720 3 місяці тому +1

      And M7 Priest!!

    • @davidca96
      @davidca96 3 місяці тому +1

      @@paulizzs4720 excellent eye!

  • @CLARKE176
    @CLARKE176 Місяць тому +1

    Germany was utterly spent after fighting for more than five and a half years with most of their force spent fighting in the East.

  • @ralphh.2200
    @ralphh.2200 3 місяці тому

    The Armored Engineers had heavy lifting in the suburbs...By this time in the war, they had a lot of equipment there.The Germans were shocked to see what could be brought all that way.They were convinced that the US was indeed rich-and able.

  • @paulchilds9128
    @paulchilds9128 Місяць тому

    I realized I've seen this before, but I also remember seeing the one Sherman with what looks like a make shift canopy I'm assuming for shade. It stuck in the back of my mind and came out not long ago when I seen a Israeli tank in the Gaza Strip had one on it almost exactly the same, so I'm wondering if maybe the Israeli soldiers have seen this video. Just curious.

  • @vblake530530
    @vblake530530 3 місяці тому +21

    This ACTUAL color footage gives me a whole different feeling. It really brings that time to life. Not that colorized crap.

  • @AltIng9154
    @AltIng9154 3 місяці тому +9

    The disciplined troops were the British... . They came to Northern Germany. Almost no looting, rape and such things. The Northern Germans are anglophile in general , guess why. The Brits are described as reserved, cool but correct in general. The British avoided handshake... but the German Northeners avoided handshakes also.

    • @davidlynch9049
      @davidlynch9049 3 місяці тому

      Canadians too.

    • @AltIng9154
      @AltIng9154 3 місяці тому

      @@davidlynch9049 I think the Germans didn't really make any differences. All Brits... somehow. A friend of the family, a German airman, was downed over England and was brought to Canada as a PoW. Just after the war the Canadians asked him to stay...as a citizen, but he wanted to go back to his mother.

    • @fredgarv79
      @fredgarv79 2 місяці тому +1

      I think you are right but I have a story. I met a Norwegian woman in the late 70''s who had been a little girl when the germans were occupying Norway. I asked her how it was? She said it was fine as long as you weren't a Jew and didn't get caught with a radio and said when the Brits came in, they were very undisciplined, drank a lot and were obnoxious and rude. She actually didn't say it was better under the Germans but that the soldiers themselves were more respectful to the locals

  • @valicourt
    @valicourt 4 місяці тому +16

    Not often that I see completely new footage of WWII. Mesmerising! No idea where it is though.

  • @pngmick
    @pngmick 3 місяці тому +2

    1.44....I wonder what happened to this individual . The camera dwelling on him

    • @christiank1251
      @christiank1251 2 місяці тому +2

      Seeing him being separated from the interrogation group made me fearful of what they were going to do to him.

  • @feuer20002001
    @feuer20002001 2 місяці тому

    Der Freistaat Thüringen ist groß, also eo war das genau?

    • @ML-ev3ks
      @ML-ev3ks 2 місяці тому

      denke mal das wird keiner mehr wissen. landkarten hatte ja wirklich nicht jeder bekommen.

    • @akku845
      @akku845 Місяць тому

      Am Ende des Videos sieht man Ortsschilder. In der nähe Keula und Ebeleben waren sie jedenfalls

  • @ericsonhazeltine5064
    @ericsonhazeltine5064 4 місяці тому +9

    Nearly all those soldiers are passed away now.

    • @Dr.Freeman_
      @Dr.Freeman_ 3 місяці тому +2

      @ericsonhazeltine5064 Really? 🤦‍♂

  • @dechannigan2980
    @dechannigan2980 Місяць тому +2

    The German uniform & cap was cool ,
    Those American tanks look totally inferior to the German Panzer tanks. .

    • @electrolytics
      @electrolytics 19 днів тому

      Little news flash for you. Tanks are not designed to attack other tanks.
      They are designed to smash through infantry and fortified positions.
      In the event American tanks ran into other German tanks the outcome was usually in the American's favor. Almost always actually.

  • @nutzeeer
    @nutzeeer Місяць тому

    one thing to note is, the film and other media is the only thing remaining from history. everyone involved as adults is dead by now. forgetting history is dangerous.

  • @buckshot6481
    @buckshot6481 3 місяці тому +1

    My Uncle was there, Master Sgt. When we watched "Battle of the Bulge" I said I was gonna be a Tanker someday, Uncle said No you won't, Rolling metal flaming coffins is what they are.

  • @bertnl530
    @bertnl530 4 місяці тому +2

    at 18:30 Modular armour.

    • @residentgeardo
      @residentgeardo 4 місяці тому +2

      even "cope cage" at 19:00 as it seems!

    • @bertnl530
      @bertnl530 4 місяці тому +1

      @@residentgeardo Yeah. I ve noticed.

    • @ironiso411
      @ironiso411 4 місяці тому +2

      ​@@residentgeardo They're not cope cages, that's a T34 rocket launcher on top of the Sherman, pretty rare sight

    • @residentgeardo
      @residentgeardo 3 місяці тому

      @@ironiso411 Wow! Now it makes all sense. I was thinking to myself why the hell would they have cope cages in a world where there's basically no top attack threat. Did not know about the T34! Thanks for the update! en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T34_Calliope

  • @Sam_Green____4114
    @Sam_Green____4114 4 місяці тому +1

    The Yank at 02:18 appears to have his helmet strap done up !!! Was he ill ? Had he had a bump on the head ? Was there someone in his unit that knew his mother ?

  • @teonactalpizza
    @teonactalpizza Місяць тому

    Good music

  • @user-vh3jd6qe7d
    @user-vh3jd6qe7d 3 місяці тому +2

    My grandfather was polish. He fought 1939 against Germany and Russia. In the same year he was taken prisoner by the russians for 3 years. In 1945, as a polish soldier, he marched alongside the Red Army from Dresden to Berlin, which he captured. My grandfather survived the war.

    • @paulizzs4720
      @paulizzs4720 3 місяці тому +1

      Your grandfather was communist

    • @marcwinfield1541
      @marcwinfield1541 Місяць тому +1

      He's lucky he didn't wind up at Katyn as did so many Polish soldiers and intellectuals..

  • @user-cr3ti1vj6f
    @user-cr3ti1vj6f 2 місяці тому +2

    they conquered all that land, just to hand it over to the Soviets a few weeks later ... isn't that wonderful?

  • @kubanskiloewe
    @kubanskiloewe 2 місяці тому +2

    8:22 wow a Tiger Killertank with 90mm barrel !

  • @homerp.hendelbergenheinzel6649
    @homerp.hendelbergenheinzel6649 24 дні тому

    its a pity we havent learned anything from this war. there is only one logical conclusion, which fits one of humanities traits very well: we accell at anything we do, which means ww2 has not been the pinnacle of wars.

  • @cybertorte
    @cybertorte Місяць тому

    Nur am Ende des Videos ist Thüringen. Der größte Teil ist im Schwarzwald. Also Titel falsch gewählt

  • @davidbrignon2894
    @davidbrignon2894 4 місяці тому +10

    Ceux qui ont libérés du joug hitlérien les populations d'hier, sont aujourd'hui les mêmes qui continuent les guerres dans le monde 😢

    • @gatoazul6918
      @gatoazul6918 4 місяці тому +1

      Very hypocritical frog because I don't believe that the French, Russians, Hamas and China are bringing freedom and progress to half the world, rather it is the same false and miserable colonialism as the Yankees...

  • @olivergollhardt3093
    @olivergollhardt3093 3 місяці тому

    Oder Point Alpha Rhön...

  • @knacker6866
    @knacker6866 3 місяці тому +3

    Über die Amis sagte man USA heißt Uhren suchende Amerikaner

    • @ML-ev3ks
      @ML-ev3ks 2 місяці тому

      Kannte das bisher nur von den Sowjets

  • @klrmoto
    @klrmoto 23 дні тому

    M4? 75 mm gun. 6:59/26:30

  • @fload46d
    @fload46d 2 місяці тому

    The international elite got rich on that war too and achieved all their goals.

  • @greasyflight6609
    @greasyflight6609 2 місяці тому

    I think Erwin Rommel was from there