Storming the Seine: The 43rd Wessex Division's Crossing at Vernon | August 1944

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  • Опубліковано 18 лис 2024

КОМЕНТАРІ • 69

  • @Stuart-e6y
    @Stuart-e6y Місяць тому +31

    Thank you for this as a former member of 43wsx bde and who's grandfather served in 5dcli in 43wsx this is heartwarming and makes me proud , one and all .

  • @nobbynesbit7964
    @nobbynesbit7964 Місяць тому +7

    Thank you for sharing, I am also a former member of 43WSX Bde and my grandfather fought with the 7th Battalion SLI at Vernon. He was captured on the hillside just beyond Vernonnet with the rest of A Coy 7th SLI, on the 26th August. It’s good to see that deeds of these territorial infantrymen have not been forgotten. Respect to you for finding out this archive footage.

  • @5ch4rn
    @5ch4rn Місяць тому +15

    Exceptional work. It's heartening that there are some who wish to highlight and celebrate the achievments of the British Army. Hollywood is under the impression that the Yanks did the heavy-lifting and the mainstream British establishment doesn't care.

    • @robertwebb1686
      @robertwebb1686 17 днів тому

      Excellent work. As a yank myself I can only express admiration for the Brits and their awesome skills and contributions. No substitute for grim determination. God bless the king!!

  • @peterscrafton5212
    @peterscrafton5212 Місяць тому +17

    At last - I have been waiting for this - and not just because my father was near-fatally wounded during the boat crossing. The Division, whose emblem was the Wessex Wyvern, was apparently known to its SS opponents as:"The Dragon Boys"

  • @russellnixon9981
    @russellnixon9981 Місяць тому +14

    Excellent account of another over looked operation
    Thanks for taking the time to produce this documentary and for using relevant images.

  • @billa6825
    @billa6825 Місяць тому +9

    Excellent outline of an operation, thanks for your work.

  • @arya9585
    @arya9585 Місяць тому +22

    Love this channel keep it up. Epic operation!

  • @wayneruddick8437
    @wayneruddick8437 Місяць тому +8

    I knew nothing of this battle before now and I thought I knew my WW2 history. Excellent video, thank you.

    • @HarryFaber-z7l
      @HarryFaber-z7l 18 днів тому

      I recommend that you visit Vernon, it is a lovely town.

  • @anselmdanker9519
    @anselmdanker9519 Місяць тому +7

    Great presentation 😊 cheers

  • @clivemortimore8203
    @clivemortimore8203 Місяць тому +13

    The first bridge is not a Bailey Bridge. It is Folding Boat Equipment bridge, suitable for light vehicles and infantry.

  • @stevecoates8236
    @stevecoates8236 Місяць тому +4

    An incredible operation clearly undertaken to almost perfection.
    Congratulations on the brilliant footage and photos, I love the videos you've done and as others have offered suggestions I'll offer my own of Operation Biting.

  • @seamuskavanagh2566
    @seamuskavanagh2566 Місяць тому +9

    Great video, Liveth for Evermore. Since you have done videos of individual soldiers before, can I recommend you make a video about Cpl Stewart "Scouse" Mclaughlin of 3 PARA, the forgotten hero of the Battle of Mount Longdon.
    Many of his comrades consider him to have been the bravest paratrooper (and British soldier more generally) of the Falklands War, even ahead of VC Recipient and fellow 3 Para legend Sgt Ian McKay, who fought alongside and died the same night as Mclaughlin.
    However, unlike McKay, Mclaughlin was never honoured or formally recognised for his courage and sacrifice for reasons that remain controversial.
    His family, friends, comrades, commanding officer, and even MP have campaigned on his behalf to be posthumously and retrospectively honoured by the Ministry of Defence.
    I think you would enjoy studying and reporting this case as there's relatively little about him online (especially on UA-cam) and even less about his actual heroics, not the subsequent rumours and allegations about him.

  • @wessexdruid7598
    @wessexdruid7598 Місяць тому +6

    What sad about this is, is that but for the 1st Worcesters, all these battalions were territorials. The Territorial Army has now gone, being replaced by the Reserves, who are effectively battle casualty replacements. We no longer have units with long and proud histories from WW1 & 2, that can land on the ground and fight effectively together - with the small exception of some of the Yeomanry.

  • @stuartkcalvin
    @stuartkcalvin Місяць тому +4

    Thanks mate, keep 'em coming.

  • @quill9105
    @quill9105 Місяць тому +35

    Never forget 🇬🇧

    • @wessexdruid7598
      @wessexdruid7598 Місяць тому

      As someone who wore a Wyvern as a cap badge, I won't.

  • @14rnr
    @14rnr Місяць тому +2

    Thank you for your presentation.

  • @MM22966
    @MM22966 Місяць тому +5

    Interestingly, there is no mention of this operation on the division's Wiki entry. It jumps from operations around Caen to Market Garden

    • @alowry2002
      @alowry2002 Місяць тому +4

      Hopefully you added this to Wikipedia. Anyone can contribute to articles.

  • @clementaut7287
    @clementaut7287 Місяць тому +2

    Really great video, the topics are always top !

  • @rogerkay8603
    @rogerkay8603 Місяць тому +2

    Love your content, soon as I see it I'm on it.

  • @robbabcock_
    @robbabcock_ Місяць тому +2

    Terrific video!🔥⚔🇬🇧

  • @sidm3300
    @sidm3300 19 днів тому +1

    This entire battle is the subject of "Assault Crossing-The River Seine 1944", a book by Ken Ford. Highly recommended.

  • @desydukuk291
    @desydukuk291 Місяць тому +1

    Brilliant!

  • @OperatorJackYT
    @OperatorJackYT Місяць тому +1

    Awesome video man! :D
    I'd love to see one about any combat engagements of the British Centurion tank, like actions in Korea :)

  • @curiousuranus810
    @curiousuranus810 Місяць тому +7

    I bet Von Thoma didn't congratulate any of his subordinates - he might have been good but he was soulless.

  • @ianbell5611
    @ianbell5611 Місяць тому

    Great video.

  • @SirPercival1207
    @SirPercival1207 Місяць тому +9

    “I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore” ✝️✝️✝️

  • @bigantplowright5711
    @bigantplowright5711 Місяць тому +12

    Thomas was a nasty piece of work, he was affectionately known as Von Thoma after the German general.

    • @immortaltyger1569
      @immortaltyger1569 Місяць тому

      I wasn't familiar with Thomas before this video. What characteristics made him a nasty piece of work?

    • @robertstewart1464
      @robertstewart1464 Місяць тому +2

      I think I read him referred to that in one of the Tank memoirs, by either David Render or Bill Bellamy I think. Von Thoma or Butcher Thomas because he cared little for his own casualty count

    • @immortaltyger1569
      @immortaltyger1569 Місяць тому

      @@robertstewart1464 Thanks, that is what I suspected.

    • @MM22966
      @MM22966 Місяць тому +4

      @@immortaltyger1569 Skimming his Wiki entry, it seems he was a disciplinarian type, a "my way or else!", and short-tempered.

    • @lfcloyal8284
      @lfcloyal8284 Місяць тому

      I think James Holland mentions this in his Band of Brothers book👍🏻

  • @nor0845
    @nor0845 Місяць тому +2

    3:09 PIAT followed by loader.

  • @originalganjaman606
    @originalganjaman606 Місяць тому +2

    Question, if 60% of A Company succesfuly crossed the Seine on the first try, what the hell happend to the other 40%? Strong current and overloaded boats I guess

    • @bigantplowright5711
      @bigantplowright5711 Місяць тому +5

      Machine gunned when they were grounded. Chris Tarrant's father was involved in this attack, he was deeply affected by this disaster.

    • @mtbv
      @mtbv Місяць тому

      50 50, apparently ​@bigantplowright5711

  • @monette44
    @monette44 Місяць тому

  • @28pbtkh23
    @28pbtkh23 21 день тому

    So while the yanks were swanking down the Champs Elysée, British troops were doing the hard fighting and forging across the Seine. Great!

  • @jamesmichael652
    @jamesmichael652 Місяць тому

    hey Liveth could you do the French 2013 Hostage Rescue in Somalia?

  • @janlindtner305
    @janlindtner305 Місяць тому

    👍👍👍

  • @Peter-gv2gn
    @Peter-gv2gn 25 днів тому +1

    This is poignant, the capabilities we had then are now in retreat, it had to be done this attack carried out by British men for a greater good, now British men are hamstrung and belittled for being men in this woke era men are still there but not noticeable, it's a huge point for me a feminised world will be and is a massive own goal , my children both as old as they are different my Son would have fitted here on this assault but not my daughter, a truly remarkable generation the video shows that.

  • @bobyouel7674
    @bobyouel7674 20 днів тому +1

    with all due respect it was the Sappers who were in the lead by driving the assault boats and doing ground works for both sides of the various bridges that were to be used - all under fire please get your history correct
    Sappers are never mentioned

  • @nomdeplume798
    @nomdeplume798 28 днів тому

    Just wondering if this is the same General Thomas who was disliked by many of his men, so much so that he was nicknamed Von Thomas referencing the Afrika Korps General, Von Thoma.

  • @selwyngeorge9459
    @selwyngeorge9459 Місяць тому

    Thomas was known as von thoma by his troops check out the book tank comander by David Render

  • @bobyouel7674
    @bobyouel7674 20 днів тому

    the river assaults were planned mainly by the Sappers

  • @samuel10125
    @samuel10125 Місяць тому

    Anyone getting A Bridge too Far vibes fron this but its successful?

  • @Patriot218S
    @Patriot218S Місяць тому +6

    Your last 11 videos have been these older ones. Are you working on any new ones like Israeli rescue missions they have been doing the last 11 months?

    • @georgejpg
      @georgejpg Місяць тому +17

      It is in bad taste to cover something that is 1. Ongoing, 2. Surrounded by misinformation, and 3. highly polarised.

    • @ChrisHUTTON-zc4br
      @ChrisHUTTON-zc4br Місяць тому

      You mean the indiscriminate killing of many thousands of innocent civilian women, children, aid workers, doctors, nurses, rescue workers etc??

    • @Patriot218S
      @Patriot218S Місяць тому +8

      @@georgejpg How about doing a video on the Israeli soldier who ran 8 miles on October 7th to fight Hamas and rescue victims?

    • @maverick4177
      @maverick4177 Місяць тому +12

      How about leave all this well alone until actual facts are known about it 😂

    • @Patriot218S
      @Patriot218S Місяць тому +6

      @@maverick4177 That Israeli soldier attended Netanyahu’s speech in front of congress.

  • @ronchristiantenala4056
    @ronchristiantenala4056 Місяць тому +2

    First!