The Bastogne Brits - A Secret British Operation: Ardennes 1944
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- Опубліковано 10 вер 2024
- The unknown story of the British RAF Regiment armoured car units that launched two secret missions to the Bastogne area during the first days of the German Ardennes offensive to retrieve or destroy secret British radar and radio interception equipment in the US sector of operations.
Dr. Mark Felton FRHistS, FRSA, is a well-known British historian, the author of 22 non-fiction books, including bestsellers 'Zero Night' and 'Castle of the Eagles', both currently being developed into movies in Hollywood. In addition to writing, Mark also appears regularly in television documentaries around the world, including on The History Channel, Netflix, National Geographic, Quest, American Heroes Channel and RMC Decouverte. His books have formed the background to several TV and radio documentaries. More information about Mark can be found at: en.wikipedia.o...
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Disclaimer: All opinions and comments expressed in the 'Comments' section do not reflect the opinions of Mark Felton Productions. All opinions and comments should contribute to the dialogue. Mark Felton Productions does not condone written attacks, insults, racism, sexism, extremism, violence or otherwise questionable comments or material in the 'Comments' section, and reserves the right to delete any comment violating this rule or to block any poster from the channel.
Credits: US National Archives; Library of Congress; US Army; Mace4301.
Primary Source: 'The Battle of the Ardennes', RAF Regiment Heritage Centre
In 2017 I was privileged to visit Normandy with RAF veteran LAC David Teacher who landed on Juno Beach with No.2 Beach Squadron as a vehicle fitter tasked with returning water-logged RAF vehicles back to service and getting them off the beach. He was later attached to the RAF Regiment serving with these armoured car units during the Bulge operation in December 1944, and later witnessed first hand the horror of Bergen-Belsen. Thankyou for bringing their story to a wider audience Mark.
Donald Trump fought bravely in the Bulge, a statue in his honor should be erected there.
@@skwalka6372 TDS
@@skwalka6372 Yeah! So did John Wayne.
My father was with Captain Maude's (RN) Royal Marine Beach party at Corseulles, He might have met him.
@@skwalka6372 Donald Trump also defended singlehanded the Holy Land during the Crusades!
And he was the first human to kill a sabretooth tiger during the Ice Age!
While stationed in the UK (RAF Lakenheath) we were tasked with performing as an "opposition force" for the RAF Regiment trainees back in 2003, give or take. As a training NCO in the 48 Security Forces Squadron (fancy way of saying military police) I, along with a few other NCOs and several Airmen set up a camp at the Regiment training facility., We brought along a lot of U.S. Air Force vehicles and equipment to provide a true foreign appearance. As an NCO, I had a fire team of Airmen with me, and with the blessing of the Regiment training cadre we would go out and stir up a lot of trouble, then drive away as quickly as possible on ATVs, or pickup trucks, or on foot. I was a heavy machine gunner, and carried an old M-60 with a blank firing adaptor (BFA). There was nothing more enjoyable then quietly crawling up to a position and unloading a hundred rounds at full auto on unsuspecting trainees!
As I was the only one with a machine gun (everybody else carried an M-4 or M-16A2 with BFAs) I became instantly recognizable to the RAF Regiment trainees over the course of five days, and as I later learned, rather hated. One night, at around 2300, we met with a Regiment training officer who gave us permission to do a quick "attack" on the trainee's barracks. We approached around midnight on ATVs. I got on the front of the ATV and unloaded on their position with my M-60, which I imagine was quite annoying as we were told the bulk of them were asleep. Quite to my surprise, I was suddenly faced with several very pissed off Regiment Trainees who began to run out of their positions towards me. This had not happened before and I told the Airman driving the ATV to get the hell out of there... and he promptly stalled the machine. A few seconds later we were off, with me staying on the front of the ATV hanging on the best I could. The RAF Regiment training officer came by our camp a short while later and told me they had to ORDER their trainees back, as they were our for blood having been harassed non stop over the past four or five days.
The next day there was a large staged battle where the Regiment Trainees were tasked with destroying our compound and capturing the area. It was a blast watching them work, and at the end after they accomplished their mission we all met up, exchanged equipment, and had a good laugh. I enjoyed the entire experience, and can say first hand that the RAF Regiment receives top notch training.
Good to see our British cousins in the NCO Corps get to tear it up as well. Nothing like playing the op for. Had an old buddy who used to use a rubber knife every time, talk about hated!
Best regards from the states.
Think of it this way, to become 'rather hated' by the RAF recruits you must have been very good at your role! 👍
Top notch training shared globally lol. Sounds like a lot of fun, classic of him to stall the ATV. Sounds awesome.
It was good to hear a little about the RAF Regiment. They rarely get much coverage in any form.
I've worked closely with them at Honington.
Hear hear!
Very few rock apes left now, sadly.
My late Dad was in the RAF Regiment.
Agreed. As much as this 'guin' hated doing anything with the Rocks such as CCS and yearly guard training, they really are a very professional force and give us some well needed 'top cover'.
I visited the not so official 101st Airborne musée in Bastogne ( highly recommended) and was suprised to see what numbers the Brits were there in the North West
Some still say the wrong side won
Also the word bulge makes it sound nasty
That small museum is a real jewel!
That part where they recreated what it must have felt like to be in a small cellar during a bomber raid in Bastogne left me speechless!
@@MI-mx3rh
Weird that you allow yourself to be used as a tool so publicly, by parroting unoriginal ideas to propagate dead myths. Some would say only stupid people do such nasty things...
@@MI-mx3rh no one has ever said that
Remember all the other allies tend to get written out of US WW2 history as Dr Feltons Omaha beach highlights. It is a sad fact many take Hollywood as "truth"
As current a serving member of the the RAF Regt and currently based in Belgium I have never heard of this historic moment within my Corps. I have visited Bastogne and Namur with the emphasis on only the Americans fighting.
Thanks for creating this video.
My Dad was a former Rock and we visited Bastogne as he was told the regiments involvement.
Your job sounds cool being able to go and visit these places. Glad you're a part of it.
The Rock Apes
thank you for the mention of Polish forces on the western front. Often forgotten, but 1 PAD played a significant role in the liberation of Belgium, Holland and North West Germany.
Most Brits will never forget all the brave Polish people!
Not to mention full crews of Polish sailors serving with distinction on RN vessels, or Polish pilots showing their skills and mettle flying Allied fighters.
Poles were as good an ally as Britain has ever had. May this union never be forgotten or undone
You are right. In all the books I have read, none of them mention the British involvement. Thank YOu for setting the record straight.
Spot on
A friend of the family had a dad in WWII. When he passed I got some things of his from WWII. One thing I found amazing was the offical unit history written just after the war. He was in a communications unit in the US Army. They were noted as the last unit to get a vehicle into Bastonge before the roads where cut. And what was the last vehicle? A 3/4 ton weapons carrier with radio equipment.
Maybe you should contact Prof Fenton? He could make a memorable few episodes about that Unit's history and it's technology it used.
@@CA999 Good idea. And when he's done with Prof. Fenton, maybe he can also email Dr. Felton?
My grandad was part of a signals unit doing a bit of eavesdropping and travelled alongside an American unit. One night they heard tanks and German communication. They, obviously, radioed in to report it.
Being told that it couldn't possibly be true by the powers that be promptly " packed up and buggered off" His words not mine.
Well that'd make for a neat episode he did one on the first vehicle into the pocket, it'd be neat to do one on the last vehicle
Never having been to Belgium, I had no idea Waterloo was that close to Brussels till that map came up. So I learned about the Napoleonic wars from this one as well.
I live 30 min from Waterloo. It's indeed in Brussels' backyard.
You have a lot to learn.
Well, then come to Belgium. I live in the Ardennes. There is a lot to see and to visit.
Agreed, I saw Charleroi on the map but I couldn't locate Quatre Bras.
Leave it to Dr. Felton to know the details that others pass over. I am a grateful American fan of all his peerless work.
Mark you’re just incredible. As an American, I never knew this part of the story, and should be corrected or added in all history books of the war
December is a good month for videos about the Bulge.
I wonder whether Mark prepared this video in the summer and has been keeping it on ice ever since.
We have had and will have our differences but I hope the US and UK continue our special relationship. Cheers.
Without USA and the Brtish Commonwealth there would be NO EUROPE.. Today....Europe has always been a Negative....
the british (special forces) were always a quiet one but does unbelievably amazing job behind enemy lines since the creation of army commandos
As a Belgian, living in Flanders, I am suprised this operations went so well. Certainly considering the conditions of the roads at that time and in the winter.
Always a good day when Dr. Mark Felton drops a video!
I was in the RAF Regiment From 1965 to 1974 and this is the first time I had ever heard about this ,you would have thought at some point it might have been mentioned ,as quite a lot of our senior NCOs had served in WW2 🤔
Thank you for sharing
🇺🇲⭐🙏
Another fascinating story about the Bulge!
Thanks Mark for sharing your video
I am surprised at how quickly the armoured cars and rescued vehicles reached Brussels once they had broken out. It just goes to show just how quickly the whole battle could have ended up in Brussels if the Germans hadn't been held back.
which magnifies all the more the importance of the stand that was made at Bastogne
@TheSulross The Germans main force by-passed Bastogne and ran into the combined British/America force under Montgomery blocking their way. Brussels wasn't the target, the Germans moved north east of Bastogne to cross the Meuse River. Montgomery in command of a joint US/UK army stopped the German Panzer army and, when available, with help from RAF/RCAF units forced them back.
Their main target was Antwerp and its port.
They would have run out of fuel way before Antwerp
@MrOllievirus Their intention was to steal the allied fuel en route
Thank you Mark for bringing some RAF Regt & AMES history to light. Not many people know about the work the RAF did on the ground to protect the land army from the air threat in all theatres of WW2. Here on Crete the AMES 252 was in the thick of the airborne assault by the German Paratroopers. There is a book called record & recall a Cretan Memory by James Britton, well worth a read that details their daring escape back to Egypt.
Charles Whiting, who fought as a 16 yr old in the battle, then became a well known and popular historian/writer, wrote a superb book in the late 90s, about our forgotten but crucial part in the Ardennes offensive.
Thanks for keeping the British / Canadian et al efforts in WW2 in the public eye.
Dr. Felton, you should definitly go visit the 101 airborne museum in bastogne!
I personally think it's much better at telling the story of the battle of the Bulge than the bigger Memorial.
I’d agree, we had the pleasure visit the museum this summer (2022).
Everyone looks at Air Force security police merely as cops in camo, same with army military police. But the reality is the various military police forces jobs are to exactly as this. Rear guard security, secure vital crossroads, protect classified equipment, etc.
Excellent report. The RAF Regiment are sadly a shadow of their former self today with many roles being ( misguidedly) given to the army. They are very much maligned by their cousins in the army and marines, but as a former Padre I know of their courage and utter professionalism.
Still the best for CBRN training .
Remember RAF Regiment had a major presence at Winterbourn Gunner.
@Sky long Skylong yep, gunners generally knew not to eat the crayons....same can't be said for certain other constituant parts of the British armed forces.
@@johnhudghton2287 As ex R AUX A F Regiment, I really enjoyed getting free bananas left on my bunk when attending Army Courses.
@@skylongskylong1982 I hope you washed them well first. Where the army goes, the pong goes.
thanks mark for all your hard work and dedication to show modern society the true history of warfare . society doesnt realize what these men did to stop the world from evil and tyranny ;so sad todays world forgets all these brave souls who fought for our freedoms
Always enjoy learning more about WWII and history in general. Thanks for all you do!
Go Bills! and survive the storm.
This is one of the few channels you can click the LIKE BUTTON on BEFORE watching the video.
I certainly do
Absolutely incredible how Dr. Felton finds these things. In all the time I've spent studying the Battle of the Bulge I've never heard anything like this. Amazing story.
Thank you, Dr. Felton!
Not only The Bulge, the RAF Regiment were also at Cassino in the 4th battle. Also amongst the first units into Rome.
Really interesting story Mark, thank you. As an ex-RAF technician myself, it's great to hear about the exploits of RAF ground units for a change. You should look into similar WW2 units like the RAF Beach Squadrons, RAF Servicing Commandos and other 2 TAF units.
The beach squadron is that in the longest day the actor out of the bridge over the river kwai with the british bulldog and the bullhorn or tanoy giving directions on the beach?...
Every Brit should go to this amazing and moving town
Thanks for another dip into this Professor
British soldiers were very good during the war. Salute to the brave who gave their lives
The history of the RAF Field Signals Units is a fascinating one. RAF forward airfields needed signals units for tasking and command and control. Radar Units to provide coverage to field command and defence fighters. As the war progressed the RAF formed specialist Tactical Signals Units to go forward with the ground attack and air support boys. Beyond the second world war these field units were rolled into 38 Group and came under the Tactical Communications Wing. Same job, better kit!
Example: by the 80s TCW would provide four man communications integrated into the Tactical Air support and battlefield helicopters, deployed forward and could also re-activate airfields with radar. nav aids, Mobile ATC and forward Controllers. Long range communications could be provided and Flight Watch coverage for out of area operations by dropping off a team at each stop down the line.
On airborne operations where an airfield was to be taken by TALO (Tactical air landing operation) TCW would go in first and put in the nav aids and even landing lights on motor bike! Another bonus was the attachment of an Army Royal Corpse of Signals Squadron. With the added attraction of a REME Light Aid Detachment. This ensured a healthy relationship with the Brown jobs.
Same with the Navy and Nato. Deconfliction being the name of the game. I served on the wing and was the only RAF member to serve with the US Navy and Marines in Lebanon in 1983. We got around.
The wing served in every conflict from the end of the war till today and has a fascinating history. A band of Gypsies trained to look after themselves and be totally self supporting. Weapon trained and pretty much always on the go. Field Tactics, Navigation, Weapons and so on came under the training direction of the RAF Regiment and the Wings own instructors. I ended up as a weapons instructor myself.
In the Falklands war TCW, was with the harriers and helicopters and on Merchant ships providing the comms needed to talk to the RN. And in the Gulf Wars did much good work in the sand. The last out of Bastion by air would be the controllers.
Providing Comms at Lockerbie and kegworth air disasters, disaster relief and anything else in between. It is the name of the game and TCW is always among the first in and last out. Someone always needs to talk quickly.
I hope someone someday writes the history. Thanks for this item and the Omah beach vid you did. Its good that someone gave them a mention.
Last mention A guy called Ron. Ron was in an RAF Signals Unit in Malaya. He was captured and put on that railway. One day a Korean Guard broke his arm with a log just for fun. Ron got back in 1947 and just went back to work as a Maths Teacher at my local school. He never said a word to anyone about the horror of his war and only told me a week before his recent death. Signals usually finish a transmission with the simple words "Listening out". RIP Ron Listening out mate.
You find the most amazing, unknown tales, Dr. Felton. These videos are an important supplement to the history of WW2. Thanks for this and have a very happy New Year! 🎉
Many thanks for the interesting story of the British involvement in the Battle of the Bulge.
I thought British only played a small part in providing aircraft flying CAS mission. Didn’t know that it was more than that with RAF airmen operating radar and in combat roles.
Merry Christmas Dr. Felton!
British forces also blunted the furthest German advance near the Meuse, where a battle group had successfully penetrated US lines and threatened to capture a critical Meuse crossing. Eisenhower saw the danger early on and had British reinforcements move in to hold the northwest front, which proved to be an important decision. Later, the German forces were pincered by a large US and British counterattack, most notably Patton's armoured push to liberate Bastogne. The Bulge was undeniably an American victory, with US troops making up the bulk of the fighting, but British troops certainly were there too.
The Operations Room channel has done a superb video series on the battle if you're curious, as well as Iwo Jima, which go into great depth and detail.
This is one of the few channels you can click the LIKE BUTTON on BEFORE watching the video.
Mark you’re amazing! And the RAF regiment …. No losses, job done, wow!
This is the best historical Christmas present you could want.
Foot Note! After the battle Monty gave an interview to a radio reporter that strongly suggested that his personal handling of British and American forces had won the Battle of the Bulge. This infuriated Ike and all other ranks. Shortly Monty was back on the air explaining that the American contribution to the stopping of the Germans was the overwhelming factor.
Good old Monty.
As Churchill said of Monty, ' In defeat he is indefeatable. In victory he is insufferable '. Says it all really!
I think it was Churchill who angrily warned Monty to NOT take credit for it. He said that it was the Americans won that battle, plain and simple. Monty and Patton were in a real race to see who had the bigger ego in that war.
It was an American contribution to the war that caused the battle in the first place.
Dear old Monty; his ego was always bigger than his brain! And he had a reasonable brain.
Another great video sir. I learned about the British involvement in the battle of the bulge from the old video game called Close Combat...it follows the entire campaign from start to finish and each battle location had an authentic new reel play and mission briefing narrative...the was also an operation Market Garden version of the game that was very well done...I learned more about WW2 history from that game series than from school.
Great game! I played "Market Garden" endlessly...
Indeed .. The original Close Combat games and the later productions released by Slitherine are jewels indeed.
Another Dr. Mark Felton masterpiece! I and likely many others have never heard this story before.
Dr felton could you later please cover the story regarding the not so popular native military unit in ww2 like the royal malay regiment,the ghurka,the indian army,or maybe the korean in japanese army. I think their story deserve to be told. Thank you.
Most Brits do understand the huge amount of help we had from all our allies. In particular the Ghurkas are seen as real heros but there were many others as well.
Koreans was mostly prison guards or something else, im afraid to say.......
Again Mark, you unearth another forgotten gem. Thanks
I was a RAF Regiment firefighter in the early 1970's never heard about this . Every recrute should be told a proper history not just about aircrew
They are taught about Corps History these days at RAF Regiment Depot selection for Gunners.
Killer story telling as always! - That would make a great movie.
But, sadly, it would never get shown in the US - so unlikely to ever be made.
This is why I love this channel. Mark discovered the forgotten sacrifice and being it to light.
Great snippet of unknown history. Thanks Dr Felton
This story is definitely worth knowing more about concerning the early hours of the Battle of the Bulge. Talk about co-operation between Allied units involved during this titanic struggle. Just another fine point of history that would make a great movie equivalent to "Where Eagles Dare." Thanks Dr. Felton.
Always view Dr Felton’s videos soon as I see one posted he has a remarkable talent to hold your attention and doesn’t miss any details
Thx Mark learning more of the battle my father was in.
Exercise Ardent Groung 83, was held at Elsenborn. I was RAF groundcrew on a Puma Sqn. Our "Rock Ape" contingent went to great lengths to educate us Penguins about this action.....and the American 509th airborne regt..
The Rock's often get overlooked by historians, but post D-Day there were 60 odd Sqdn's., foreword ot the main front tasked with capturing/neutralising enemy airfields . A part of their story often overlooked.
Having radar at that time on the frontline is like having the new B21 Raider on an airfield that is in danger of being captured. This rescue operation is a significant endeavour. Should be on a movie or a series.
one wonders if Germany could have made much use of the captured radar at that late stage
@@calengr1 you have that hindsight because you already know the outcome of the war and its timeline. In real time scenario they have to endure to the uncertainty. Rationing happened in the UK even after the war because the strategic planning at that time was made for even a longer time of war. They didn't know when the war was going to end and they're not even had crossed the Rhein yet at that time.
@@calengr1 Yes, they could. Knowlege of frequencies, range, limitations and so on would have allowed them to develop tactics to reduce the effectiveness of the radar (e.g. low flying), possibly also fine-tuning countermeasures technology (e.g. window/chaff).
Merry Late Christmas Mark! Blessings and cheers to the new year for you you and your family! Thank you for the videos you upload, I know I’m not alone when I say, I look forward to the history uploads you research and put out!
Thank you so much for covering this Dr F.
I have had many conversations, some not so polite, with American history lovers that treated me like my cheese slid off my cracker for telling them Brits were fighting in the bulge.
Now I have somewhere to point them for your usual quality of coverage of everything ww2 👍
@@davidvogel6359 Feeling a bit insecure mate? Aww, bless you poor baby 🤣
Rather like me sending Americans to the MF video about the Brits doing what yanks couldn't and nearly beating the VC in Vietnam. It was only the French wanting their colony back and moving back in that stopped us finishing what yanks couldn't even dent.
@@mikeycraig8970 yup. I would elaborate but I really can't be arsed with the stream of replies it will cause from our cousin's across the pond
@@rafman016 what did he say mate?
True rolled up the reds in east asia before vietnam was even discussed and the hope to put an end to it... Another reason why the anzacs was so adept at jungle warfare through first hand knowledge, some mericans say "but where was you then" , "you didnt help", well brits had done their vietnam going back years and sorted it...
Thank you for yet another outstanding and informative video, Dr. Felton.
BTW, those Wehrmacht guys visible in the clip at 3:22 - 3:28 in this video have been shown so many times in WWII videos, including a few times In Dr. Felton's videos, they should receive some type of residuals for their appearance(s)! :D
Quite! The familiar ‘Burning US half-track being passed by German soldier with MP44 assault rifle’ footage. I first saw this in World at War.
It must be remembered that the Germans had invented their own radar in the 1920s and even had mobile units early in the war. e.g. FuMG 38L Kurfurst FuMG 39L Kurpfalz, FuMG 40L Kurmark.
It was the invention of the cavity magnetron that made the British Radar superior.
Very interesting story. Thanks for showing.
The Rock Apes at Bastogne - this ranks alongside Italians fighting Japanese in China, in Mark Felton's "Tales of the Unexpected".
the fact they did it without any losses is kind of amzing really.
Thank you for the lesson.
I had never heard this before.
I am glad we have Allies.
Dr. Felton's Christmas gifts are never late, nor are they early. They arrive precisely when they mean to 🎄
Many years ago I walked a lot in Belgium and often passed the Memorial at Malmedy. And also St.Vith and Houffalize.
I've been enjoying your coverage of the Bulge. Thank you so much!
2:02 blimy! glad they are on your side mate
Another great one Doctor Felton! I never fail to learn something new when you post a video!
WW2 is just like the American Civil War and the Napoleonic Wars in that it's rapidly approaching legend status and just like the other wars people will still be studying it hundreds of years from now and finding something new stories to tell.
Thank you very much and merry Christmas Professor Felton! What a wonderful present!
Hope you had a great xmas. Thanks for all the work you put into these vids, it is much appreciated.
What an interesting story I knew absolutely nothing about.
Viewers please do visit the Bastogne museum. There is a large 10-story monument with all of the 48 US States on it (not sure if they put 50 on it later on after 1959) and from the top you can see the surrounding countryside!
Another WW2 history that have forgotten is finally revealed.
Merry Christmas Dr Felton
❤🇨🇦
Nice find, well told.
Every WW2 historical site should have a Dr Felton animatronic talking head, information point, rather like the London Zoo. Visitors would then get the full background spiel on what happened where and when in that locality to add to the experience of the visit.
Mark, I've never heard one of your videos that I didn't find interesting. Thank you.
Mark did the US Marines ever fight Nazis? Tremendous work! I've been studying WWII for decades and you're always teaching me something new
USMC was sent primarily to the Pacific. They did partake in WW1 and the Germans nicknamed them devil dogs
A small number did. Look up Peter J. Ortiz, he served in the OSS.
@@richardstephens5570 One of the more interesting characters of the war. His exploits read like something from a Bond novel.
Mark Felton must be well respected by history channels like timeghost history
WOW! thanks for this incredible bit of history
Just what I needed!
THANKS FOR UNCOVERING THIS
Battle of the Bulge: Britain's untold story is a good book about the UK's overall involvement. As has previously been discussed it seems that Montgomery's crassness after the battle did not endear him to the American's
It didn't endear him to the British either. Montgomery, Patton and MacArthur were all drama queens and pains in the ass, although at least Montgomery and Patton were both very competent, which made up for it somewhat.
Another cool story from you. Thanks!
Read bout tis in Look and learn magazine a long time ago, thanks for refreshing my memory👍
Another interesting and informative post, thank you.
I had no idea 80,000 RAF Regiment were involved in WWII. They had a mission. Often seen as soft troops by other regiments but you've a story of them going into the Bulge in what can only be described as 'tin can' armored vehicles, not even Stuart Tanks. A ballsy mission but there true 'rason d'etre' - what they were mission made for !
Love these Feltonesque sidetracks and stories not captured in mainstream history > Mark's strength and core passion !
A schoolfriend of mine joined the RAF regiment post war: Underarmed mobile infantry but brave ,, Nice shout out to the RAF Regiment.
Thanks for a splendid Boxing Day gift. We don’t get these in Texas very often.
More parts of ww2 I never heard of. Thanks !
Thanks Mark, Another great little known account of WWII! People don't realise how much the RAF got involved with. I was surprised to learn just the other two branches of our Armed Forces the RAF had its own Commandos during WWII these would support Airfield construction or take over enemy airfields.
Thank you Mark!!
Yet another part of the overall jigsaw puzzle of WWII that I didn't know about .
Thank you for the video. Always great to learn something about one of my favourite battles from WWII.
It’s nice to actually hear a story like this, in films and documentaries us Brits are made out to be incompetent or shy to get involved in the action, but then I watched a documentary or a UA-cam video where the Nazi soldiers were recalled saying they thought the British troops were the best soldiers just led poorly? … would be nice mark if you could do a small series on all the successful battles the British had….
The unique strength of this channel is the unique and peculiar sometimes stories it presents that I think nobody knows at least most people don’t know and most of these stories you won’t find in history books.
Keep 'em coming Mark...we shall all expect even more like this in 2023!
With our immense GRATITUDE!
Always interesting, thank you.
After the war my mum knew a guy who had been in the Ardennes and was along with his unit were cut off when the offensive started and the American line collapsed, he had a pair of American para boots he got his hands on and said the American equipment was superb, far better that British issue
Paratroopers boots were a lot different to standard lines troops boots
@@TezKingboom yes they were higher up the leg supporting the ankle better on landing
There really were no American lines, just a series of fox holes among the trees. The 28th Infantry Division was placed there to rest and refit after the horror of the Hydrogen Forest. The Wermacht, by sheer weight of numbers, just landed on this division which was to "hold at all costs" so the 101st could get into Gascoigne under the command of Gen. McAuliffe. He did say that "the Krauts were swarming like bees" at the beginning of this battle. Patton, and Third Army relived Bastogne. The British had been fighting in this war longer and were understandably stressed. Are there written sources for your claims?
I love the autocorrects!
Dr. Felton…you are simply the best! Thank you for another awesome video!
I love these little tidbits you give us. Happy New Year.
"Rather than one nation operating alone". The Americans tend to forget this rather easily...
Setting the record straight YET AGAIN !!
seasons greetings from an ex-pat living in the Middle East !!
Dr. Felton, I enjoy your channel. Every time I watch your videos I learn something new.
Thank you!
I always learn something new from you.