I too often think of History Guy as a modern, younger Paul Harvey with the wording and narration of these episodes. Frequently I watch with my eyes closed and let my mind paint the scenes for me haha
He does bring flavor to the story. Reminds me of Mrs Massey, My history and civics teacher in Hokes Bluff Alabama back in the sixties. Thank them both.
As a Afghan vet thank you for this. So many of our stories might never be known nor told so it makes me happy some people care about how brave people can be in some of the worst conditions.
@@beemail6983, there is wide room to debate our foreign policy choices, but to take a snideswipe at a vet like that is way out of bounds; shame on you!
Heroism, heroism, heroism… It is like the “One Note Samba“ of World War II. My dad fought in the Pacific theater, and is still alive. I listen eagerly to his accounts of the war. I tell him “all you folks are heroes.” Thanks HG for recounting these facts for posterity.
You are lucky to still have him, I miss my Grandfather (by whom I was raised) he also served in the Pacific but he rarely talked about it and he avoided conversation on the subject. If your father talks of his experiences, record them. Even the seemingly trivial stories. Once he goes, if they are not kept, these stories will go.
I lost my granddad who was dday+3 artillery scout. He rarely told anyone about his war experience and I regaled me about 4. Record your families history before they leave us if you can.
History Guy - you are a treasure. Thank you so much for remembering Lt. Clark VC and his remarkable family (and for pronouncing his rank correctly). Your thorough and respectful treatment of all the armed forces of the wars - and not just those of your country - is refreshing and most welcome.
One of your “best of the best” presentations of military history that reflects the monstrous scale of global warfare and how it is subsequently perceived down through time as life inevitably moves on for the individual surviving participants....
My father was in the 2nd Battalion Sherwood Foresters when they captured this tank. He told my sons and I about it years ago but he never thought it was that important. He died in 2009. He was lucky to survive the war. He went on to fight in Anzio where he got took prisoner (going back for his mate who had been badly wounded). He told us his most frightening time was on Banana Ridge - said "I though I was going to get killed there" LOL! None of his mates survived. His favourite hate was all the celebrations around 'D' Day. He used to say "Anyone would think it was the only bloody thing we did in the war. I did four landings before then. A lot of lads died learning the lessons they made use of. First time most of them had ever been shot at".
Yes, History Guy, I enjoy your emphatic style and the richness of your presentations. You remind me of my favorite history professor, Dr. Burton Speevak, who at The University of Texas, filled lecture halls not just with students enrolled in his classes, but also many non-enrollees who came for his presentation style.
@@dragonsword7370 Thanks. I am subscribed the the Tank Museum but sometimes I miss one. 👍😊 It's interesting how many of use follow the same UA-cam channels. Good taste obviously
These episodes give me chills. Thinking how many lives have been given towards making history. Thank you History Guy for preserving and remembering... the History That Deserves to Be Remembered
I just love these videos. I'm actually reading about the Tunisian campaign right now, so this one was especially illuminating. Thanks for all the great history content. You guys are the best.
Try and visit Tunisia, as you look around the country and learn the history, you realise that for millennia men have fought and died for that sand. The Roman cities, town and remains are fantastic, they still use an aqueduct built by Romans. Then there is Carthage!
You could high center, dig a hole, separate him, run him out of gas then just wait a week for them to come out and take her. And the pple if you have a unique plan
You bring them honor in your telling of their story. Lest we forget their sacrifice. You are amazing in your ability to articulate these. You brought me to tears in your closing statement. Thank you.
My Great Uncle 2nd Lt. J. Herbie Twigg commanded the 450th AAA btry D in North Africa. I have several VMails from him to family members. In one he wrote to my then young teen Aunt that the desert was very hot and there were no trees to sit under. In another he wrote to one of his sisters to 'tell momma not to worry, he was well behind the front line fighting. He also landed at Salerno and survived Italy and the drive into Southern Europe. He described to me being stationed in the mountains north of Casino and being so cold he wished to be back in Africa again. I am immensely proud to have his papers and the small items he kept in his foot locker in the attic. Thanks for the great video HG!
Thank you so much for putting the human component into this recounting of the battle. We tend to be self-congratulatory when discussing historic battles and lose sight of the people who died and families who were forever changed as a result.
As a Veteran I appreciate the respectful way you presented this video. Though I'm not British and an a US Navy veteran I consider all veterans my brothers (and sisters). The story was about a tank but it was really about those men who fought and died. Those "forever young"!
St Vith is by far one of the bravest battles of WW2. This is by far one of your greatest retelling of good defeating evils and the life lessons. From Australia
exactly, my grandfather fought in ww2 and one of his jobs as a morter man was clearing out buildings. he and many other young men must have fought hundreds of mini battles throughout the war. and most of it is forgotten, even by him.
Thanks for continuing to "fill in the blanks" and keep these stories alive. With the continuing push by many in education and government to marginalize, or even eliminate, the teaching of history as "irrelevant" to the modern world, your efforts become ever more important and appreciated.
You really put things in perspective. I've often wondered about forgotten battles and how somehow unjust it is that men died without anyone knowing how or why. Think of how many times all or most of a unit was wiped out and there was nobody to tell their story to. Ships sunk with all hands, entire bomber crews dying with their plane, etc. Stories that will never be known.
At Seawolf Park in Galveston TX there is a concrete circle that identifies each of the US subs lost in WWII. Each plaque says what the sub did on prior sailings and when/how it was lost. Its sobering to see them nearly all read "lost with all hands". How many stories there that will never be known, perhaps desperate heroics to try to save a comrade or the boat that was still lost. Same goes for enemies subs.
I think this is one of your best episodes. You have such a warm and personal way of bringing the human element into history itself. It is not only enlightning but also engaging. You help bring to life what can be an otherwise dull subject for many. Truly The History Guy is one of UA-cam's more valuable assets! 😉. 👍👍
You do justice and pay tribute to all in your stories in the way you tell them and the obvious admiration you show for their actions under mostly insurmountable odds. I would give you a congressional medal of honor for educating the hundreds of thousands of us that watch your videos. You are saluted, sir!
Roger that Bob and non fierce battles too. Part of my time in country was to read "tacreps" all night and consolidate them into a briefing I gave to the "higher highers" each morning. I can't tell you how many times I read messages that said: "Units of [ insert unit ] at grid location "XY123456" received fire from nearby tree line. Results: Friendly 1 KIA, 2 WIA; Enemy Unknown" This insignificant small unit action was of no consequence to history and the prosecution of the war, but for the guy killed and his family it was essentially the end of their world. All wars undoubtedly have had similar incidents.
Absolutely your best, "Best of the Best", offerings. Thank you again for telling this gripping story and remembering the gallantry, bravery and sacrifice of those men-on that day-on that hill.
I love this guys channel, I grew up watching old war movies with my dad, and its turned into a lifelong love of history, especially ww2 history. Learned so many new things from the history guy! Keep up the good work sir!
I watched a history show on Normandy landing last night. The info was familiar because I had learned it from watching your videos. Thanks for the quick history lessons.
Normandy Beach is familiar to me because my grandfather just barely escaped it. He was hit on the head by a beam on the ship on route, so his mates were offloaded and he was taken to the infirmary. His family was not notified, and he returned home to discover they had moved out of state when his remains were not identified.
@@jeffryblackmon4846 I would assume the family (and very likely the Admin section of his own unit) "was not notified" that he had been injured prior to the landing; so the after-action reports would have listed him as Missing In Action, and a telegram to that effect would have been sent to whomever he listed as his next-of-kin. My father was captured on (or about) DEC 18 1944 during the 28th DIV HQ withdrawal in the Ardennes, and my mother received the MIA telegram a day or two before Christmas. It wasn't until late March that she received notification from the International Red Cross that he was confirmed as a POW, and ironically by that time he had escaped during a march to another Stalag, and was already back in England receiving medical treatment.
@@jeffryblackmon4846 , @T1mbrW0lf is correct. Grandpa's family was aware that he was supposed to be there, and knew about the massacre, and his remains were not found so they thought he was one of the many that couldn't be identified. The communication that he never set foot on the beach got lost somewhere along the way, and he received a medical discharge, but by the time he was released to go home his family had moved.
Do you think you might ever get to see the sight? I have done some family research and have tracked down exactly where my grand father was at one time in ww1 (france) and my wife's great grand father(Virginia , alot closer) in the civil war. I want to make a point of visiting each of those places.
To quote that song by Rod Stewart, Every Picture Tells a Story. Every tank, every plane every round of ammunition, every human being involved in the conflict has a story to tell that is both sad and fascinating. Thanks History Guy!!!
Excellent clip, it's true how much of what actually happen there is still unknown. The high casualty rate does not help things out also. Thanks for keeping history alive.
Hi History Guy, excellent work as always. Have you ever done an episode on the WWII Battle of the Atlantic? The longest running battle with some of the heaviest losses in men and equipment is definitely history that deserves to be remembered.
"... witnessed the height of human drama. The tragedy, heroism, the human conflict and then are forgotten". War is indeed tragedy and violence results in human suffering that is extreme in the moment and forever lasting in it's duration. You do a great job but you might please mention that more for the many of us who know all the heroism from all the wars is nothing compared to the human suffering and as those impacted by that suffering. Thanks
Kris Frederick - I think about the Christmas story during WWI when the soldiers on both sides stopped on a Christmas Eve and celebrated Christmas together and had a great time and then went back to their sides and fought the next day. I was just wondering if they were both trying to get an idea of how many soldier’s were on the other side or were they actually just had enough and wanted to celibate something in common between, something that reminded them of being human and not the slaughtering animals they both had become.
@@MrWATCHthisWAY The singer John McDermott has an excellent song called "Christmas in the Trenches" about that Christmas Truce of 1914. Definitely worth a listen.... :)
A small part of a huge war, and yet it gave so much for that moment to the allies, and showed them a vital part of the machinery of war of Germany. So much owed to so few. Thanks for sharing.
My uncle Pete, my dad's older brother of seven siblings was a tank commander during Operation Torch in north Africa under General Patton during the early part of WWII. I'm so proud of my dad's brothers, five in all who were in the War. I reserve bragging rights because my uncle Jim, Pete's brother, was a nose gunner on a B-24 as well. During "Operation Torch" my uncle Pete helped save many troops who were behind him a few miles back. He was in command of four or five tanks when his small group was confronted by German and French Vichy troops approaching and greatly outnumbering the American troops behind him. Luckily, his tanks were sitting on top of a small ridge or hill. As the enemy approached my uncle ordered his tanks to the top of the hill to fire a few shots. Then they backed up behind the hill and repositioned the tanks to the side making it appear that there were many more tanks than four or five. Then they fired more shots and again reposition their tanks to the other side making the enemy think twice about approaching. The Germans yielded long enough for American reinforcements to arrive. My uncle Pete earned the "SILVER STAR" for his bravery. I saw the medal with my own eyes. My cousin keeps it in a special place. No wonder they called them the "greatest generation".
Why would The History Guy soil himself, by working for the History Channel? Regular Television is dead!!! You might as well wish him to become a buggy whip manufacturer!!!
It might be too tiny for Wikipedia to remember, bit you did. You sir have given honor to the men that fought and bled and died there.. Of every Side, Nation, Regiment and Group. Thank you for not letting good men be forgotten or displaced in the history of human endeavors!
As a child I often walked the desert in Libya, sometimes finding debris from WW2. Shell casings filled with sand, unrecognizable slabs of corroded metal. I often wondered about the battles that had once raged there, of the soldiers who never returned home.
That picture was taken before we started the YT channel and I was just a tourist (although we still wheedled our way into a behind the scenes tour.) The next time I visited was to film an episode of Top 5 Tanks, and and the bow tie was prominent.
Nice. Great you're able to go to the Tank museum! I use to live 16 miles away from the USMA at West Point and enjoyed being able to go there often. Be well !!
Nice t-shirt History Guy, when I get tired of all the craziness going on (which is often), I turn to your channel to be informed and entertained. Stay safe and live long and prosper.
Very good episode. Voted. My Grandad fought in the 8th against Rommel's forces, and then into Italy. He saw himself on one of the *World at War* episodes manning a machine gun position.
Not only do you love history you feel the emotions of the ups and downs of War and it shows in your facial expressions and voice. Love this show "The History Guy" and hooked since the 1st day I watched an episode. Thanks for all you give us in knowledge. You are so appreciated by many.
Soldiers fight, die and move on to the next battle, War Diaries are written by Officers, some not even at the battles write entries and Private/Corporals are never remembered but embellished by Officers for glory for themselves. Great video on the capture of 131 and still there is missing pieces with its history.
While you're correct to say that the vast majority of war diaries are written by Officers rather than enlisted men, It'd be fair to say that there were a huge number of extremely brave and exceptional Officers in not only both World Wars, but many other conflicts. The story of the young lieutenant capturing three machine gun nests armed with a revolver, before going on to lose his life perfectly illustrates that. Coming from a family that already had four Victoria Crosses on the maternal side would have been a massive burden for any young man, but he was clearly made of good stuff.
I'm a proud Canadian and I would love to see a segment about WWI. Particularly about the Royal Newfoundland Regiment as part of the 29th Infantry Regiment at the small town of Beaumont-Hamel on the first day of the Battle of the Somme...... I think it's history that deserves to be remembered. :) Great content, love your stuff!
As always another good one sir. Thanks to you and the Mrs history guy, for you attention to detail and your hard work in the presentation of facts. In all the time I have followed you ,you have not disappointed with wrong or misleading facts. Your content is for most entertaining, second informative,and last but buy no means least educational. I hole heartily agree with other comments over the years ,that if the education system had actually half a brain between them, they would show you content to all history classes . Instead of allowing children to be indoctrinated by teacher's who let's face it have no business being able to do so called "teach" our children. Sorry soap box,!!!. Anyway way thank you for your continued dedication . And best wishes to you and your family.
Last year I went to France. For the 75th anniversary of D Day. It was a visit that I will tell my grandchildren about. How so many hero’s died for us that day. So many white crosses. I honored my childhood neighbor who landed on Utah beach and my uncle Hixen that was in the gliders that night. And all of the men that fought in the war. And on my French family side. My uncle now lives five miles from the beaches of Normandy his house was occupied by Germans and general Romel was photographed in front of his house. The house was remodeled in the early 1980s and the wall has a big hole where the Americans shot a tank round through it. To rid the house of Germans. Never forget our history thank you for that. Keep up the great work.
Your history and delivery remind me of how much I have always graved the stories of our past. We are made and defined by the series that make up our History. Thank you.
Those of us who play World of Tanks already knew this history of Tiger 131, seen videos about it from the Bovington Tank Museum. For those interested they have their own channel here on youtube and I highly recommend it :) Personally own a digital version of the tank and love driving, thou I have never been to Bovington on Tiger Day and heard it rumble around the course (sure would love too).
@perfect stranger "Enough with the negative waves"🤣🤣🤣, I was a crewman on an armored vehicle in the 80's, I can't tell you how many times you'd hear that over the vehicles intercom system, people were always quoting Oddball, he's like a hero to armored crews.
Tiger Day / tickets tankmuseum.org/whats-on/events/tiger-day?&gclid=Cj0KCQiA4NTxBRDxARIsAHyp6gCHXbwdfbKk3h1Yg57H1IEUk21oAPzBA1bE0WWKbtQrgwN-RGimKxkaAjp3EALw_wcB You know you want to. I'm waiting until Tankfest. tankmuseum.org/whats-on/events/tankfest?&gclid=Cj0KCQiA4NTxBRDxARIsAHyp6gA9SI1C4lhIpaaFPEiAQ9ce0JJhRCPVJe32h1poI0fsiwqGsWIiQUoaAjnJEALw_wcB Woof Woof!
I know Alec Trebek is looking for his replacement for Jeopardy...We should start a campaign to get The History Guy a tryout, I think he would be a worthy successor
Bovington Tank Museum has a video covering Tiger 131 and what actually took out the tank. For a while, it was assumed that the Churchill tanks disabled the Tiger but the location where B squadron was at the time was too far to reach the infantry on time. It wasn't until just last year that a man named Dale Oscroft visited the tank museum and recounted what his father told him about a Tiger that was disabled very similar to Tiger 131. The museum looked into Dale's story and found that John Oscroft, Dale's father, indeed was at the Battle of Guriat el Atach. John Oscroft's story matched up with the evidence that the Tiger was fired and disabled by a combination of PIAT fire and artillery fire from a captured German anti-tank gun (the gun was a 7.5 cm Pak 97/38 which was a German modification of the French Canon de 75 modèle 1897) So the mystery of how Tiger 131 was disabled and eventually captured has finally been solved after 76 years. Link below Bovington Tank Museum video: ua-cam.com/video/7xzG_rRngs8/v-deo.html
Respectfully, I don't think you watched through to the end. Exactly which shot disabled 131 is still unclear, as there were several events going on at the same time. However, the conclusion by researchers at the Tank Museum is that the round that disabled 131 more likely came from a Churchill, not the captured AT gun. The way it is described is that we must accept that the only trained anti-tank gunners firing that day were men of the RTR.
@@TheHistoryGuyChannel I think you're both missing the point. The question isn't so much what (a Churchill is the most likely), but where, and that's what has been answered, or rather, corrected.
On Sunday mornings back in the '70's I used to watch "The Rat Patrol." I have no idea of its historical accuracy but I liked the hats they wore. My favorite was the Confederate artillery cap. The story about Wilward Alexander Sandys-Clarke made me think about Clint Eastwood movies like "Outlaw Josey Wales."
Spike Milligan wrote about his part in the fight around Longstop hill. After the war he met one of the German paras who fought in the same section of the fighting. The German, ehose name I've forgotten, sent Spike a note saying, "Sorry I missed you in 1942"; dismissing the idea that Germans have no sense of humour.g
Yes, many Germans had a great sense of humor. From "Make Another Signal", during an arctic convoy a German plane was circling around the convoy just out of AA range. The convoy commander, fed up with this, signalled the Luftwaffe pilot saying, "For goodness sakes, go the other way. You're making me dizzy!", whereupon the German pilot reversed course and did just that.
@@THE-HammerMan soldiers are soldiers, we have a common cause, fighting the enemy. And when the enemy is no longer the enemy they are colleagues, doing the same job as us, just in a different uniform. War is seldom some personal grudge between the combatants.
@@trevor311264 Yes. The exceptions for whatever reasons, which is why you said "seldom", happen...of course. The majority of the "little guys" got no grudge(s) once hostilities end. The ironic thing is that wars happen in the first place. And wars never get started by the little guys either. God Bless all us "little guys"!
Great channel sir! Can you do a video on the Chinese hanging in Peirce, Idaho? Lived near there and that history deserves to be remembered. What happened was terrible. Keep up the great work!
The History Guy is not just a historian. He is, easily, one of the great story tellers of all time. He is, truly, the Paul Harvey of today.
I too often think of History Guy as a modern, younger Paul Harvey with the wording and narration of these episodes. Frequently I watch with my eyes closed and let my mind paint the scenes for me haha
No way he is as good as Paul.
He does bring flavor to the story. Reminds me of Mrs Massey, My history and civics teacher in Hokes Bluff Alabama back in the sixties. Thank them both.
I listen to him at night just before I go to sleep.
Paul Harvey related a lot of glurge, though.
As a Afghan vet thank you for this. So many of our stories might never be known nor told so it makes me happy some people care about how brave people can be in some of the worst conditions.
And thank you 🇺🇲
I really hope that your stories and the stories of your fellow soldiers get just as much emphasis as this one did. Thank you!
Congrats on the genocide commited in Iraq and afganistan, did you find any wmd? Lmao
@@beemail6983, there is wide room to debate our foreign policy choices, but to take a snideswipe at a vet like that is way out of bounds; shame on you!
@@beemail6983 BeeMail, there is ample room to debate our foreign policy, but taking a snideswipe at a vet is way out of bounds; shame on you!
Heroism, heroism, heroism… It is like the “One Note Samba“ of World War II. My dad fought in the Pacific theater, and is still alive. I listen eagerly to his accounts of the war. I tell him “all you folks are heroes.” Thanks HG for recounting these facts for posterity.
You are lucky to still have him, I miss my Grandfather (by whom I was raised) he also served in the Pacific but he rarely talked about it and he avoided conversation on the subject. If your father talks of his experiences, record them. Even the seemingly trivial stories. Once he goes, if they are not kept, these stories will go.
Buy your dad a beer from Rudy and Karl , WW 2 Canadian army vets.
I lost my granddad who was dday+3 artillery scout. He rarely told anyone about his war experience and I regaled me about 4. Record your families history before they leave us if you can.
History Guy - you are a treasure. Thank you so much for remembering Lt. Clark VC and his remarkable family (and for pronouncing his rank correctly). Your thorough and respectful treatment of all the armed forces of the wars - and not just those of your country - is refreshing and most welcome.
One of your “best of the best” presentations of military history that reflects the monstrous scale of global warfare and how it is subsequently perceived down through time as life inevitably moves on for the individual surviving participants....
This episode, like so many others is solid gold. A true addition to the education of mankind. Kudos, History Guy.
My father was in the 2nd Battalion Sherwood Foresters when they captured this tank. He told my sons and I about it years ago but he never thought it was that important. He died in 2009.
He was lucky to survive the war. He went on to fight in Anzio where he got took prisoner (going back for his mate who had been badly wounded).
He told us his most frightening time was on Banana Ridge - said "I though I was going to get killed there" LOL!
None of his mates survived.
His favourite hate was all the celebrations around 'D' Day. He used to say "Anyone would think it was the only bloody thing we did in the war. I did four landings before then. A lot of lads died learning the lessons they made use of. First time most of them had ever been shot at".
Even if there was no video the man is very easy to listen to, that's why I love history guy!
Your delivery makes these presentations all the better. The conclusions are always moving.
Yes, History Guy, I enjoy your emphatic style and the richness of your presentations. You remind me of my favorite history professor, Dr. Burton Speevak, who at The University of Texas, filled lecture halls not just with students enrolled in his classes, but also many non-enrollees who came for his presentation style.
There are lots of good history channels on youtube but yours gives history a kind of dignity that some of the others lack
I have heard this story before, recently in fact, but it rarely has the same intensity of emotion as you get with The History Guy.
Fox you watch the tank museums recent video release on tiger 131 as well?
@@dragonsword7370 Thanks. I am subscribed the the Tank Museum but sometimes I miss one. 👍😊 It's interesting how many of use follow the same UA-cam channels. Good taste obviously
Man you are really good at presenting and using psychological operations . Its fascinating.
These episodes give me chills. Thinking how many lives have been given towards making history.
Thank you History Guy for preserving and remembering...
the History That Deserves to Be Remembered
I just love these videos. I'm actually reading about the Tunisian campaign right now, so this one was especially illuminating. Thanks for all the great history content. You guys are the best.
Try and visit Tunisia, as you look around the country and learn the history, you realise that for millennia men have fought and died for that sand.
The Roman cities, town and remains are fantastic, they still use an aqueduct built by Romans. Then there is Carthage!
"the human part of history" I love that.
You could high center, dig a hole, separate him, run him out of gas then just wait a week for them to come out and take her. And the pple if you have a unique plan
@@shane6500
It would be much easier just to wait for it to break down, that didn't take long with them.
You bring them honor in your telling of their story. Lest we forget their sacrifice. You are amazing in your ability to articulate these. You brought me to tears in your closing statement. Thank you.
Thanks for reminding us of these brave men.
Enormously entertaining. Truly History that deserves to remembered and the right Historian to tell the stories.
That Tiger played a staring role in the movie, "Fury" and was one of the reasons much of the movie is shot in the UK.
My Great Uncle 2nd Lt. J. Herbie Twigg commanded the 450th AAA btry D in North Africa. I have several VMails from him to family members. In one he wrote to my then young teen Aunt that the desert was very hot and there were no trees to sit under. In another he wrote to one of his sisters to 'tell momma not to worry, he was well behind the front line fighting. He also landed at Salerno and survived Italy and the drive into Southern Europe. He described to me being stationed in the mountains north of Casino and being so cold he wished to be back in Africa again. I am immensely proud to have his papers and the small items he kept in his foot locker in the attic.
Thanks for the great
video HG!
This was history to be remembered. Thanks for running it down so well!
Your emotional delivery skills are getting pretty good. Well done. Thank you for putting a human touch on history.
Thank you so much for putting the human component into this recounting of the battle. We tend to be self-congratulatory when discussing historic battles and lose sight of the people who died and families who were forever changed as a result.
As a Veteran I appreciate the respectful way you presented this video. Though I'm not British and an a US Navy veteran I consider all veterans my brothers (and sisters). The story was about a tank but it was really about those men who fought and died. Those "forever young"!
Brilliant. What a great presentation of one tiny part that must have meant so much to those taking part and yet forgotten by the majority over time.
St Vith is by far one of the bravest battles of WW2. This is by far one of your greatest retelling of good defeating evils and the life lessons. From Australia
Just think of all those forgotten battles that didn't have a side story to help remember them.
exactly, my grandfather fought in ww2 and one of his jobs as a morter man was clearing out buildings. he and many other young men must have fought hundreds of mini battles throughout the war. and most of it is forgotten, even by him.
Battle of Rzhev is great example.
You bring this alive. We were/are mesmerized. Thank you
Thanks for continuing to "fill in the blanks" and keep these stories alive. With the continuing push by many in education and government to marginalize, or even eliminate, the teaching of history as "irrelevant" to the modern world, your efforts become ever more important and appreciated.
Richard Klug
very well said sir. I feel the same way, exactly
Politicians with ahistorical perspectives are dangerous to their constituents, especially in national security affairs
this gives a better video of the taking of Tiger 131 ua-cam.com/video/7xzG_rRngs8/v-deo.html
Sir, I absolutely cannot get enough of your content. Keep it up! I always look forward to these. Geez 200% casualties!?
You really put things in perspective. I've often wondered about forgotten battles and how somehow unjust it is that men died without anyone knowing how or why. Think of how many times all or most of a unit was wiped out and there was nobody to tell their story to. Ships sunk with all hands, entire bomber crews dying with their plane, etc. Stories that will never be known.
At Seawolf Park in Galveston TX there is a concrete circle that identifies each of the US subs lost in WWII. Each plaque says what the sub did on prior sailings and when/how it was lost. Its sobering to see them nearly all read "lost with all hands". How many stories there that will never be known, perhaps desperate heroics to try to save a comrade or the boat that was still lost. Same goes for enemies subs.
Great episode. Thanks!
the dreaded PIAT at 8:33.
Another most excellent video by the History Guy. Thanks!
Every seemingly small event is so important to understanding the whole picture. Love these stories.
I think this is one of your best episodes. You have such a warm and personal way of bringing the human element into history itself. It is not only enlightning but also engaging. You help bring to life what can be an otherwise dull subject for many. Truly The History Guy is one of UA-cam's more valuable assets! 😉. 👍👍
You do justice and pay tribute to all in your stories in the way you tell them and the obvious admiration you show for their actions under mostly insurmountable odds. I would give you a congressional medal of honor for educating the hundreds of thousands of us that watch your videos. You are saluted, sir!
There were so many fierce battles during the Vietnam war also long forgotten.
Roger that Bob and non fierce battles too. Part of my time in country was to read "tacreps" all night and consolidate them into a briefing I gave to the "higher highers" each morning. I can't tell you how many times I read messages that said: "Units of [ insert unit ] at grid location "XY123456" received fire from nearby tree line.
Results: Friendly 1 KIA, 2 WIA; Enemy Unknown"
This insignificant small unit action was of no consequence to history and the prosecution of the war, but for the guy killed and his family it was essentially the end of their world. All wars undoubtedly have had similar incidents.
this is what i like about your channel you touch on all points in history no matter how small or large
Absolutely your best, "Best of the Best", offerings. Thank you again for telling this gripping story and remembering the gallantry, bravery and sacrifice of those men-on that day-on that hill.
your presentation was so dramatic and touching i choked up.
Bravo interesting to hear mention of my Grandfather’s unit the KSLI, he spoke infrequently of his experiences and when he did it was evident why.
I love this guys channel, I grew up watching old war movies with my dad, and its turned into a lifelong love of history, especially ww2 history. Learned so many new things from the history guy! Keep up the good work sir!
That is very much how I developed my love of history.
Small stories in war are most interesting. Thanks.
As is your norm...brilliant. Your passion for all things history shines through every time. Well done.
I watched a history show on Normandy landing last night. The info was familiar because I had learned it from watching your videos. Thanks for the quick history lessons.
Normandy Beach is familiar to me because my grandfather just barely escaped it. He was hit on the head by a beam on the ship on route, so his mates were offloaded and he was taken to the infirmary. His family was not notified, and he returned home to discover they had moved out of state when his remains were not identified.
@@wendychavez5348 This is confusing. Your grandfather returned AND his remains were not identified? Did he survive the accident on the ship or not?
@@jeffryblackmon4846 I would assume the family (and very likely the Admin section of his own unit) "was not notified" that he had been injured prior to the landing; so the after-action reports would have listed him as Missing In Action, and a telegram to that effect would have been sent to whomever he listed as his next-of-kin.
My father was captured on (or about) DEC 18 1944 during the 28th DIV HQ withdrawal in the Ardennes, and my mother received the MIA telegram a day or two before Christmas. It wasn't until late March that she received notification from the International Red Cross that he was confirmed as a POW, and ironically by that time he had escaped during a march to another Stalag, and was already back in England receiving medical treatment.
@@jeffryblackmon4846 , @T1mbrW0lf is correct. Grandpa's family was aware that he was supposed to be there, and knew about the massacre, and his remains were not found so they thought he was one of the many that couldn't be identified. The communication that he never set foot on the beach got lost somewhere along the way, and he received a medical discharge, but by the time he was released to go home his family had moved.
Excellent story telling History guy!
My grandfather actually died fighting at recce ridge during the battle of tunis.
Thank you for your grandfather's service and sacrifice for our country.
@@williamsanders5066 I don't think you can thank his grandson for that.
@@G-Mastah-Fash zxaxszzazasasasa$
@@G-Mastah-Fash s
Do you think you might ever get to see the sight? I have done some family research and have tracked down exactly where my grand father was at one time in ww1 (france) and my wife's great grand father(Virginia , alot closer) in the civil war. I want to make a point of visiting each of those places.
I appreciate how you kept the focus on the people, in that battle, and not the tech that's the putative focus of this video. Nicely done.
To quote that song by Rod Stewart, Every Picture Tells a Story. Every tank, every plane every round of ammunition, every human being involved in the conflict has a story to tell that is both sad and fascinating. Thanks History Guy!!!
My new favorite channel to listen to while doing boat repair
Excellent clip, it's true how much of what actually happen there is still unknown. The high casualty rate does not help things out also. Thanks for keeping history alive.
Best history teacher I ever heard.
Thanks for another great topic well presented.
Hi History Guy, excellent work as always.
Have you ever done an episode on the WWII Battle of the Atlantic? The longest running battle with some of the heaviest losses in men and equipment is definitely history that deserves to be remembered.
"... witnessed the height of human drama. The tragedy, heroism, the human conflict and then are forgotten". War is indeed tragedy and violence results in human suffering that is extreme in the moment and forever lasting in it's duration. You do a great job but you might please mention that more for the many of us who know all the heroism from all the wars is nothing compared to the human suffering and as those impacted by that suffering. Thanks
Paul Thronson - well said!
It makes me wonder how many times during the war, (all wars) soldiers stop and think "why the hell does it come to this?".
Kris Frederick - I think about the Christmas story during WWI when the soldiers on both sides stopped on a Christmas Eve and celebrated Christmas together and had a great time and then went back to their sides and fought the next day. I was just wondering if they were both trying to get an idea of how many soldier’s were on the other side or were they actually just had enough and wanted to celibate something in common between, something that reminded them of being human and not the slaughtering animals they both had become.
@@MrWATCHthisWAY The singer John McDermott has an excellent song called "Christmas in the Trenches" about that Christmas Truce of 1914. Definitely worth a listen.... :)
@@MrWATCHthisWAY Amen, I love that story and it pissed off the high command on both sides to no end.
What a awesome channel. Worth more than the entirety of the history channel.
I was quite fortunate to have had 2 passionate history teachers now I have an honored professor
Good stuff, History Guy. Shine a light!
Tanks for remembering this history 😁. Seroisly tho I enjoy the content.
Ba-da-boom! 😄
The last words of the video really moved me. History to be remembered indeed.
A small part of a huge war, and yet it gave so much for that moment to the allies, and showed them a vital part of the machinery of war of Germany. So much owed to so few. Thanks for sharing.
My uncle Pete, my dad's older brother of seven siblings was a tank commander during Operation Torch in north Africa under General Patton during the early part of WWII. I'm so proud of my dad's brothers, five in all who were in the War. I reserve bragging rights because my uncle Jim, Pete's brother, was a nose gunner on a B-24 as well.
During "Operation Torch" my uncle Pete helped save many troops who were behind him a few miles back. He was in command of four or five tanks when his small group was confronted by German and French Vichy troops approaching and greatly outnumbering the American troops behind him. Luckily, his tanks were sitting on top of a small ridge or hill. As the enemy approached my uncle ordered his tanks to the top of the hill to fire a few shots. Then they backed up behind the hill and repositioned the tanks to the side making it appear that there were many more tanks than four or five. Then they fired more shots and again reposition their tanks to the other side making the enemy think twice about approaching. The Germans yielded long enough for American reinforcements to arrive.
My uncle Pete earned the "SILVER STAR" for his bravery. I saw the medal with my own eyes. My cousin keeps it in a special place. No wonder they called them the "greatest generation".
Im surprised you havent been picked up by the history channel yet! I watch all of your videos! Thank you for all of the effort you put into these!
He does good history. It's not in tje interets of the History Channel
The history channel doesn't do real history anymore. They only broadcast scripted BS reality shows "history made-(up) every day".
@@joaolucaslages7792 I think it would be a grave insult to The History Guy to be associated with the History Channel..!!
The History Channel only covers the history of aliens and Sasquatch these days.
Why would The History Guy soil himself, by working for the History Channel? Regular Television is dead!!! You might as well wish him to become a buggy whip manufacturer!!!
It might be too tiny for Wikipedia to remember, bit you did. You sir have given honor to the men that fought and bled and died there.. Of every Side, Nation, Regiment and Group. Thank you for not letting good men be forgotten or displaced in the history of human endeavors!
wow, with every episode of the history guy I learn something new and I like that to learn something new so thank you :0)
Thank you for including the names of these incredibly brave men. I had never heard of this event and was awed by the tale. Another great telling.
As a child I often walked the desert in Libya, sometimes finding debris from WW2. Shell casings filled with sand, unrecognizable slabs of corroded metal. I often wondered about the battles that had once raged there, of the soldiers who never returned home.
Much overlooked history of British heroism. Great job!
I don't know what is more shocking, the sight of The History Guy in jeans and a Star Trek tee-shirt, or the lack of a bow tie :)
That picture was taken before we started the YT channel and I was just a tourist (although we still wheedled our way into a behind the scenes tour.) The next time I visited was to film an episode of Top 5 Tanks, and and the bow tie was prominent.
No demagoguery here...just another human that happens to have more than one set of clothes! ;-)
One more reason to enjoy this channel, obviously the History Guy is a Star Trek fan.
The way you talk makes it like we are right there in the battle. Thanks for all your family do!
Walter Cronkite narrated a Historical TV show in the early 50s . "You were there" THG is Mr. Cronkite's equal.
Great episode as always, I do love the Bovington tank musuem and am lucky to live close by :)
I'll be there for TANKFEST in June.
If I ever visit Great Britain I'll definitely have to stop at bovington.
Nice. Great you're able to go to the Tank museum! I use to live 16 miles away from the USMA at West Point and enjoyed being able to go there often.
Be well !!
Can’t get enough history guy! Great delivery every time.
great job, well done, and a great piece of German armor Tank 131
Nice t-shirt History Guy, when I get tired of all the craziness going on (which is often), I turn to your channel to be informed and entertained. Stay safe and live long and prosper.
Very good episode. Voted. My Grandad fought in the 8th against Rommel's forces, and then into Italy. He saw himself on one of the *World at War* episodes manning a machine gun position.
WOAH! That has to be something for him to talk about.
Awesome- that was an amazing series. Do you remember what episode?
Not only do you love history you feel the emotions of the ups and downs of War and it shows in your facial expressions and voice. Love this show "The History Guy" and hooked since the 1st day I watched an episode. Thanks for all you give us in knowledge. You are so appreciated by many.
Soldiers fight, die and move on to the next battle, War Diaries are written by Officers, some not even at the battles write entries and Private/Corporals are never remembered but embellished by Officers for glory for themselves. Great video on the capture of 131 and still there is missing pieces with its history.
While you're correct to say that the vast majority of war diaries are written by Officers rather than enlisted men, It'd be fair to say that there were a huge number of extremely brave and exceptional Officers in not only both World Wars, but many other conflicts. The story of the young lieutenant capturing three machine gun nests armed with a revolver, before going on to lose his life perfectly illustrates that.
Coming from a family that already had four Victoria Crosses on the maternal side would have been a massive burden for any young man, but he was clearly made of good stuff.
I'm a proud Canadian and I would love to see a segment about WWI. Particularly about the Royal Newfoundland Regiment as part of the 29th Infantry Regiment at the small town of Beaumont-Hamel on the first day of the Battle of the Somme...... I think it's history that deserves to be remembered. :) Great content, love your stuff!
As always another good one sir. Thanks to you and the Mrs history guy, for you attention to detail and your hard work in the presentation of facts. In all the time I have followed you ,you have not disappointed with wrong or misleading facts. Your content is for most entertaining, second informative,and last but buy no means least educational.
I hole heartily agree with other comments over the years ,that if the education system had actually half a brain between them, they would show you content to all history classes . Instead of allowing children to be indoctrinated by teacher's who let's face it have no business being able to do so called "teach" our children. Sorry soap box,!!!.
Anyway way thank you for your continued dedication . And best wishes to you and your family.
Last year I went to France. For the 75th anniversary of D Day. It was a visit that I will tell my grandchildren about. How so many hero’s died for us that day. So many white crosses. I honored my childhood neighbor who landed on Utah beach and my uncle Hixen that was in the gliders that night. And all of the men that fought in the war. And on my French family side. My uncle now lives five miles from the beaches of Normandy his house was occupied by Germans and general Romel was photographed in front of his house. The house was remodeled in the early 1980s and the wall has a big hole where the Americans shot a tank round through it. To rid the house of Germans. Never forget our history thank you for that. Keep up the great work.
Good morning history dude!
Your history and delivery remind me of how much I have always graved the stories of our past. We are made and defined by the series that make up our History. Thank you.
Those of us who play World of Tanks already knew this history of Tiger 131, seen videos about it from the Bovington Tank Museum. For those interested they have their own channel here on youtube and I highly recommend it :) Personally own a digital version of the tank and love driving, thou I have never been to Bovington on Tiger Day and heard it rumble around the course (sure would love too).
I think the Chieftain also did a walk around of this tank.
Is it constantly broken down in the video game?
@perfect stranger
"Enough with the negative waves"🤣🤣🤣, I was a crewman on an armored vehicle in the 80's, I can't tell you how many times you'd hear that over the vehicles intercom system, people were always quoting Oddball, he's like a hero to armored crews.
Tiger Day / tickets
tankmuseum.org/whats-on/events/tiger-day?&gclid=Cj0KCQiA4NTxBRDxARIsAHyp6gCHXbwdfbKk3h1Yg57H1IEUk21oAPzBA1bE0WWKbtQrgwN-RGimKxkaAjp3EALw_wcB
You know you want to.
I'm waiting until Tankfest.
tankmuseum.org/whats-on/events/tankfest?&gclid=Cj0KCQiA4NTxBRDxARIsAHyp6gA9SI1C4lhIpaaFPEiAQ9ce0JJhRCPVJe32h1poI0fsiwqGsWIiQUoaAjnJEALw_wcB
Woof Woof!
Such a gr8 story, with narrator worth remembering. Love you History Guy !!!
I know Alec Trebek is looking for his replacement for Jeopardy...We should start a campaign to get The History Guy a tryout, I think he would be a worthy successor
Awsome... My favorite military history channel.. Great indepth annalysis.. Thanks to all.
Bovington Tank Museum has a video covering Tiger 131 and what actually took out the tank. For a while, it was assumed that the Churchill tanks disabled the Tiger but the location where B squadron was at the time was too far to reach the infantry on time. It wasn't until just last year that a man named Dale Oscroft visited the tank museum and recounted what his father told him about a Tiger that was disabled very similar to Tiger 131. The museum looked into Dale's story and found that John Oscroft, Dale's father, indeed was at the Battle of Guriat el Atach. John Oscroft's story matched up with the evidence that the Tiger was fired and disabled by a combination of PIAT fire and artillery fire from a captured German anti-tank gun (the gun was a 7.5 cm Pak 97/38 which was a German modification of the French Canon de 75 modèle 1897) So the mystery of how Tiger 131 was disabled and eventually captured has finally been solved after 76 years.
Link below Bovington Tank Museum video:
ua-cam.com/video/7xzG_rRngs8/v-deo.html
Respectfully, I don't think you watched through to the end. Exactly which shot disabled 131 is still unclear, as there were several events going on at the same time. However, the conclusion by researchers at the Tank Museum is that the round that disabled 131 more likely came from a Churchill, not the captured AT gun. The way it is described is that we must accept that the only trained anti-tank gunners firing that day were men of the RTR.
@@TheHistoryGuyChannel I think you're both missing the point. The question isn't so much what (a Churchill is the most likely), but where, and that's what has been answered, or rather, corrected.
Thanks for sharing a couple of photos from your visit to the Tank museum. I'm lucky enough to be British and have been many times over the years.
If I should die,
think only this of me:
That there’s some corner of a foreign field
That is for ever England.
Hail Britannia!
Here's 40 shillings on the drum.
I remember “The Soldier” from high school!😪
Sublime delivery of the story, loaded with latent energy... and class!
Best channel ever
Fantastic narration coupled with wonderful video editing. A real treat for the senses! My thanks.
On Sunday mornings back in the '70's I used to watch "The Rat Patrol."
I have no idea of its historical accuracy but I liked the hats they wore.
My favorite was the Confederate artillery cap.
The story about Wilward Alexander Sandys-Clarke made me think about Clint Eastwood movies like "Outlaw Josey Wales."
Phenomenal presentation, absolutely enthralling.
History that deserves to be remembered, of the sacrifice of those who fell. We shall remember them.
Excellent content, I didn't even skip the commercial for Magellan TV
Seriously, Titans of War is whole lot of heavy metal blowing stuff up. I could watch it even with the sound off.
Really loving Titans on MagellanTV. Thanks for the rec!
Spike Milligan wrote about his part in the fight around Longstop hill. After the war he met one of the German paras who fought in the same section of the fighting. The German, ehose name I've forgotten, sent Spike a note saying, "Sorry I missed you in 1942"; dismissing the idea that Germans have no sense of humour.g
That's so cool that years later these vets who fought against each other could share humor, friendship and respect.
Gallows humor.
Yes, many Germans had a great sense of humor. From "Make Another Signal", during an arctic convoy a German plane was circling around the convoy just out of AA range. The convoy commander, fed up with this, signalled the Luftwaffe pilot saying, "For goodness sakes, go the other way. You're making me dizzy!", whereupon the German pilot reversed course and did just that.
@@THE-HammerMan soldiers are soldiers, we have a common cause, fighting the enemy. And when the enemy is no longer the enemy they are colleagues, doing the same job as us, just in a different uniform. War is seldom some personal grudge between the combatants.
@@trevor311264 Yes. The exceptions for whatever reasons, which is why you said "seldom", happen...of course.
The majority of the "little guys" got no grudge(s) once hostilities end.
The ironic thing is that wars happen in the first place. And wars never get started by the little guys either. God Bless all us "little guys"!
Amazing detail of just how desperate the fighting must have been, told with genuine feeling. Well done.
Great channel sir! Can you do a video on the Chinese hanging in Peirce, Idaho? Lived near there and that history deserves to be remembered. What happened was terrible. Keep up the great work!
I absolutely love this guy. The history guy. Thank you so much for doing what you do.