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Im going to be honest Could you Survive D-day is a Stupid and almost disrespectful title because it almost implies that the troops didn't fight hard enough or was a "skill issue" to get of the beach when their survival wasn't even luck but a matter of chance.
Dear team pls share source on which is based statement about Polish soldiers fighting in wermaht units? I'm asking about that as all what we was told is so Polish people never cooperate nor serve with German units
1:13:19 "In memory of all those who died and whose memory we are duty bound to keep, that future generations may never forget at what cost our freedom came" - well said mate, well said. Love from Australia.
This series is amazing. I am able to watch this video in comfort and peace only because of the sacrifices made 80 years ago and is more than a chapter in a history book. This is not lost on me.
In remembrance of my Dad who, at the age of 14, sailed in support of the Allied troops ferrying mulberry harbours across the Channel during the D Day landings. He went on to serve in the RAF and saw action during the Suez Crisis. He never spoke of the heartbreak of war until his twilight years. He was a hard but kind man who rarely cried...but when speaking of friends he made and lost during those conflicts, tears always followed. Love you, Dad...
My father never told us when he was alive, he went in D-Day+1. Re-enlisted for the Malayan Insurgency post-war. Lost all his section when a German tank blew up the house they were in. He was sleeping by the window and got blown out. We only know this and his previous injuries from a bullet impacting his backpack because he would get drunk in the 50's at his beloved rugby club and tell his brother-in-law all that had happened. He only told his wife a glossed over version. We had to apply for his medals and service record after he died to figure it all out. We loved him dearly . They really went through it, didn't they?
@@yiasemi Respect and profound gratitude...and yes, they certainly went through it. Like you, I also had to apply for my Dad's service medals...For me, the sad thing is, is knowing he threw out his uniform, pay book, etc., because he didn't think anyone would be interested...
I was lucky enough to meet a D-Day veteran as a kid. He was part of the doomed 2nd wave on Omaha. He said somehow, by some divine fortune, he made it behind a small bluff with a handful of other guys, half of them injured. Their only hope was to stay low and still enough not to attract enemy fire. He said the wait for the 3rd wave to come in was agonizing. I hope the rest of his years went well.
My Uncle Tony Ratola was a Medic and was shot twice on D- Day. My Grandparents didn't know where he was for months, and he was presumably KIA. When he finally came home, his sisters hid him out in a closet to surprise my Grandpa when he came home from work. He was sure he'd never see his son again.
My FATHER survived the D-Day Landing; but he could NOT tell me HOW. “Men were dropping all around me like fucking RAIN-drops … “ -it took him over forty YEARS before spoke of it …
A lot of it was down to luck I imagine, with machine gun bullets being sprayed at you, it might miss you but if you would be standing like an inch to the left or right you could catch one in the head. Brave men!
When I was at primary school in the 80s, we had a WW1 veteran (Gallipoli), and former student of the school come to talk to us. He wasn't a professional speaker, just a man who survived, and had his great-grandchildren attending the same school. Even that many years later, he was driven to tears by some of the memories. Being a naive young lad, I did not think about it then, but now, I really admire the bravery he again demonstrated by choosing to talk to a classroom full of 10-11 year old boys about something as personal and traumatic as frontline battle.
How do you process that?! Young lad, watching all those around him drop "like rain drops" and yet he is unscathed. Explosions, gunfire, screams from the wounded, commands from those still alive. What an absolute overload. I cannot imagine the utter stress and fear. Each step could very likely be your last. Each breath the last one. You could be instantly killed or maimed and die slowly. Just so much to process. It's no wonder the survivors took years to talk about it.
I knew the son of a soldier at Omaha..he told me in some detail what his dad said..basically your impulse was to stay on the landing craft to protect you from hail of fire..but the guns would ultimately blow them up..his dad just put his head down and ran as fast as he could..those who stayed on the landing craft were all blown up..
My Great Uncle was part of the first wave to land on Gold Beach. 1st Battalion Hampshire Regiment. Unfortunately he didn’t survive. Unbelievable to think at the age of only 28, he was one of the older ones. We owe them all so much. RIP Uncle Bill.
Rest in Peace for the soldiers who died in this ferocious battle😢. Everyone allied soldier in D-Day(died and survived) will be remembered for generations. Hope for those who have died have a great afterlife.
I have been in combat myself and it was terrible but the men who ran up the beaches of Normandy were and still are true heroes. My father was one of them and he told me that with him everything in a mental fog and he couldn't hear anything.
Thank-you for making this. One of my grandfathers (1913-2003) the son of a British First World War Infantryman who lost a leg in action. Was a British RASC driver (PTE), attached to the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division. He drove ashore at Bernières-sur-Mer (Juno) and then dug in on D-Day 6 June 1944. Thence served with the Canadians, who he held in high regard, till Germany's surrender in May 1945. He shared a lot of interesting stories of his experiences (which weren't uncommon), including of being on the receiving end of German artillery fire, German PWs, French and Dutch people on and on etc . Yet he also shared after I had given him Alexander McKee's book Caen Anvil of Victory to read, that it brought back the memory of the terrible smell of death both human and livestock in Normandy that summer during 1944.
My great-uncle was wounded on Omaha Beach, I always wish I could have heard his story. However unfortunately, he healed up just in time to die in the Ardennes, it was so cold his body couldn't be retrieved until spring. His name was PFC Reed Lane Youngblood, he was only 20. Purple heart recipient and posthumous bronze star recipient, he was cut down by an mg42 whilst "running a message"
I was lucky enough to work with a bloke who’d been there on d-day 30 years ago And when I said I didn’t know how they’d managed to get up that beach in the first wave ,his answer stunned me I’ll never forget it “That was east I was mad I’d been there at Dunkirk I’d run and I was scared and that day it was the turn of the Germans to run and be scared !” It’s a sort of courage I’m glad I’ve never had to see if I’ve got
The battle of Caen was the key battle which no one talks about. The Brits and Canadians were fighting all of Germanys best troops on the western front there. 8 Panzer divisions, 3 heavy tank battalions, and 7 infantry divisions at Caen alone. Most were SS. Then more heavy fighting to the North.
@@bmused55 Then imagine any of the other allied nations that took part in the air or at sea, they don't even get a mention. We need to diversify our view of the war. Not just the Americans at Omaha, or Easy Company of the 101st, or the Soviets at Stalingrad, but all major powers, and the minor powers aswell
@@larryvanmillion Are you taking the piss? There are loads of classic British war movies. Some of the best are set during the time when America was still funding Nazi Germany and we were fighting alone
Excellent video, please keep up the great work....My Uncle, John ( Jacky) Reid was a Mosquito pilot with 605 sqn, on 5/6th June 44, he and his observer Roy Phillips and two other crews were tasked to take out AA guns and search lights in the Caen area....they were on target at 0010hrs on the 6th, Jackys aircraft dropped his first 500lb bomb a 0011 hrs...his logbook confirms this ( I have them here) and describes the 100 Lancs "plastering" the area, him going back in, being severly hit on his starboard elevator, which dropped to 30d, clearing the area again at 0019hrs, as the glider train went in...he left the area at 0039hrs, seeing signs of "our" landing strips and returned to RAF Manston....his bomb drop at 0011 hrs, was the first action on D Day., something we as a family are so proud of.....unfortunately, he and Roy were killed in the same aircarft on 26th June 44 while on an NFT over Margate when his craft UP-E (NS880) broke up at 1000 feet and fell onto Margate Railway station...
My father used to tell us about D Day when we were kids. The 6th of June was one of those days like Christmas that you just knew what it was. We always got a sterile version of it. As he got older, it was something that my father went back to. It was only after his death, that the horror and the bravery of it really sunk in. Thinking ofyou all.
I had the great privilege of interviewing members of the Normandy Veterans Association in 92 for my undergraduate dissertation. We laughed, we cried, we sat in silence holding hands. I interviewed paratroopers who dropped near Pegasus bridge to the crew of LSI's. They all had a tale to tell and felt able to do so. I received some momentos including a 1944 Christmas card from the KOYLI .Something I will never forget.
My great uncle landed with the North Nova Scotia Highlanders of Canada and made it home, I'll be going there in October to walk the same beach where he landed.
I hope you have a fantastic trip...tis on my bucket list...so, I'm heading over in August for two weeks, and really want to visit Point du Hoc, where my uncle, entered and left France since late 1943, in his Mosquito well before D Day, while doing intruder work...:)
My great granddad was shot in the shoulder but he made it off the beach,my brother has his helmet,he died in 199,I do remember him but I didn't no he was a hero just a lovely old man, everyone involved are heroes, you really bring this home mate, how would I cope mind boggling, when I watched this the way you have done it is touching and respectful ❤️❤️
So much bravery. Just the thought of all these young men risking, and giving, their lives for the freedom of others leaves me in awe. May they be ever remembered and revered 🌹
My grandfather was part of the first wave of the Normandy landings. To this day he can't watch any documentary's or movies of the invasion as the littlest things about it set him off. Either a seizure or genuinely just staring at a wall for minutes straight honestly I cannot imagine what he went through.
People do forget that large lessons were learned and technologocial improvements were made from multiple landings before D-Day. Not just the failed raid at Dieppe but successful joint allied landings in North Africa, Sicily, Italy and also the American landings in the pacific. Still it takes guts, planning and yes a bit of luck to pull off. Also by 1944 the Germans were on the defensive having taken huge losses on the Eastern Front and having to shift large numbers of troops there to slow the Soviet advance that was on the borders of Eastern Prussia itself. These troops amd equipment could have (we will never know) made a difference in the outcome.
Thank you for making this excellent tribute. I have heard the stories, read books, but there is always something new to learn about the D-day invasion. We must always remember the sacrifices made by the generation that fought the war. It was their hope that future generations would live in peace and not have to endure the same hardships. Looking forward to your next video.
Many in my family served in Europe and in the Pacific island war, loved talking to my grandfather who was a Marine in the Pacific island campaigns and he told me stories I'll never forget. A great uncle married a Dutch woman and he said most people despised the nazis and he fell in love with Germany and the people. We must never forget our history and the men who sacrificed all, thanks for this video.
These guys were so brave..just cant comprehend it..I think if I was young and everyone else was doing it I would do it..but I will never know...they did it for me and the free world
I can't watch something about D-Day and just think of the end of Saving Private Ryan. "Earn this". This video brought tears to my eyes, not just because of what was sacrificed, but honestly, how little it is remembered and respected now.
My house is part of a housing development built on the site of an erstwhile D-Day staging post. The land was donated by the owners for use as an army transit camp, including US GIs preparing for D-Day. After the war the huts were repurposed to accommodate the families of Polish servicemen who were relocating to the UK, and British families displaced by the May Blitz and other bombing. Once everyone was housed, the huts were demolished and permanent modern housing built. We are over two hundred miles from Portsmouth, and thousands of GIs waited here in May/June 1944. This gives me a strong idea of the sheer scale of the operation!
I love these types of videos you guys make. They really are a gem! I also love Richard, the guy you have had for a while to help with the WW1 videos. He's great too!
@@joeysausage3437 12th SS Panzer Division Hitler Jugend is what you refer to. Average age of their soldiers under Kurt Meyer was 18 years old. 156 Canadian POW's were murdered by those "15 and 16" year olds you wrongly describe. Kurt Meyer was lucky not be executed at Nuremburg, he only served 9 years for what he ordered his troops to do. He remained unrepentant for the war crimes he and his "15 and 16 year olds" committed and joined the Waffen SS Veterans Association in West Germany. Now that is truly shameful much like your comment.
@@anorthernsoul5600 The were 15 and 16 year olds. Look it up buttercup. What is shameful is canadians and brits claiming that the United States contributed very little. Stop being so sensitive about the truth.
I absolutely loved it.. that was a really well done depiction of that day! Just because I have to pick nits, I couldn't help but cringe and laugh a bit when at the 1 hour mark, our man Luke was pointing his Bren straight at the family jewels of his comrade! No debollocker mine needed there !
Another amazing video. I work a lot with period clothing and find the section on uniforms and equipment always so well done. Luke and Richard are the dream team, so informative and engaging. More please! 👏✨
These guys are so awesome it’s amazing listening to their vast knowledge, I found myself writing down facts I’ve never heard before The WW2 images they have on here are fascinating and I’ve never seen most of them either. Such a good documentary/show
My great grandad landed on sword beach as a Bren gunner. He never spoke about it to my grandad or father. What he did say was he was told that he had 2 minutes to live. His number 1 hated artillery was mortars, as you never knew where it would land. His friends drowned after they couldn’t maintain the weight of their gear in the water. He was part of the Suffolks regiment. Assaulting Hilmen 2 miles in land. The yanks were meant to bomb the compound before they advanced. When they got there. They had completely missed and he , the leader of his group of men had to send them through 12 feet of barbed wire and land mines before they reached the bunker. They threw grenades down vents which drew the Germans out to surrender. He did get wounded in the hand by some shrapnel which took him back to Leeds for surgery. He was swiftly sent back to his men to continue on the assault. 30 years later they found out he still had that very shrapnel in his hand. But if it wasn’t for him surviving My Grandad and his brother and sister My dad and his brother and cousins Myself and my two sisters And my sisters two daughters would all cease to exist
My ex’s PaPa fought for Canada. Survived the landing in Italy fought through the battles there then landed on D Day and survived that. The year before end of war he was shot by MG42 through his right knee and lower right thigh. That was his ticket home and obviously survived being shot. One tough Son of a Bitch. He only told us this story on his death bed and we were grateful that he told us. Thanks to all that serve to protect our freedoms.🇨🇦
20:11 Weapons and equipment, that same discussion is still being had in the Infantry. Vests versus web gear, what can be carried, how accessible it is, can you maneuver in it? 80 years later and still working on it.
An informative and wonderful historical coverage video about DDAY operations where horrible circumstances, brutalities, and weather's crucially appeared suddenly
Had a great uncle who was in the 101st division and survived the first jump and made it home he was in the battle of the bulge never met him sadly cant fathom what thosboys went through so much we owe them to so few who faught for freedom god bless them and grant them peace in this life and the next
Nice, detailed and thoughtful documentary, thank you! Good to see the kit descriptions, didn't know about that all-in-one jerkin. Also good to see the Mk3 helmet described and featured - a shame it didn't completely replace the old Mk2. I've recently restored a Mk3 shell to mint condition, like yours.
Awesome vid here guys, you’ve done an amazing job! WWII isn’t my favourite period of history, but this is by far the best documentary and mini series you’ve produced. Luke’s not asking stupid questions and making the information being told very enjoyable. Would love to see more of this quality of production through different eras of time. Very well done 👍🏽
An incredible piece of work once again, History Hit, this one perhaps more important and poignant than most! Smoke if you got em, friends, for the boys that never came home. Utrinque Paratus!
My maternal grandfather was in the 101st, and took shrapnel during the D-Day invasion. We have some of his belongings from then, and my aunt has his medals.
We will never forget them. For those who survived been to hell and back. Great honor and great respect. As a South African male I salute you all.....❤😢😢
That was interesting, hearing about the "assault vest". Never heard of that one. Almost a precursor of the modern way of carring equipment, except it wasn't modular like Mole'.
The M43 field jacket is still being used in the form of the M65 which I used in 2003. There are the HBT in OD3 & OD7 fatigues used throughout the Pacific by the us army. The mountain uniform used by the 1SSF Devil's Brigade & 19th Mountain Div. M37 wool trousers and shirt, M41 Parsons jacket in OD3. M42 paratrooper uniform. Mackinac/mackinaw & winter/tanker jacket. Winter Tanker overalls. There were many uniforms.
I realized you can’t show every War movie but on the is missing is in my opinion the best at depicting reality of war. The movie is 12 O’Clock High. Too bad it wasn’t included.
Thanks, was a good watch. Who knows if i would survive, it's just hard to fathom. I don't think so though. Respect to anyone that fought for freedom though. Then and now.
I like the irony of Mulberrys being made from the rubble of blitzed houses. It reminds me of the years I spent investigating a Bomber Command airfield in Suffolk. Much of the hardcore foundations for runways and perimeter tracks was made up of bricks from bombed East End houses. Some of those bricks had plaster and even floral pattern wallpaper still attached. We must never forget the sacrifice made for our freedom.
My husband's father was a very calm man, the only time my husband saw him go into a rage was when he described having to unload ammunition onto the beach the night before the invasion with no weapon cover. I didn't even know this happened, I'd never heard of that part before.
When i was 13 i went on school trip to France we visited all the site of d-day went to British and Americans war memorial thre i still remember how shocking it was row of men.
My father was a D, Day veteran survived the landing, and went across Europe, he was in hospital in Lubeck when the war was declared over, spent most of the war in F,O,P spotting for the artillery , and not until my children started asking him about the war did he finally open up, all he wanted was to forget, and from the stories he told I don't blame him, there was no hero talk, nor bragging, he just told it from an ordinary soldiers point of view what happened to him and his mates, many of whom didn't come back, and some of those that did were scarred for life physically, and mentally. Sadly he passed away in 2013 aged 91, greatly missed by all his family, R,I,P dad, and may God bless all those who pay the ultimate sacrifice to keep us free, we shall remember them.
My Grandad was a Royal Engineer, not sure what beach or what wave but he survived it. The Navy man who helped him onto the landing boat from the English coast would later be his Brother in law and my great uncle!
I've watched plenty of documentaries and read many books on D-Day. I gotta say lads, fantastic job👏 from the uniforms to the gear and everything else talked about in this video. It really captures the war in a whole new level, it felt more "Real" and helps put in prospective what what all those brave men had to endure. As someone fascinated by history, Thank you! 🫡
I knew men who survived the landings and they all said the same thing albeit in different words. 'I don't know how I survived, I lost mates all around me!' It really was the luck of the draw as to who survived and who died.
Really good documentary, so detailed. Thanks. I have a question however, how did the soldiers keep their weapons from getting sand and muck in, when going over sand beaches? Also, wouldn't sea water be detrimental to their operation? In Saving Private Ryan, there is a soldier with a rifle in a plastic cover. Did they actually have these?
Of course I couldn't survive D-day, particularly on the beaches; consequently I would be flying an MK XIV spitfire over the fleet and looking over my shoulder for USAAF P51s, and their pilots, who have (supposedly) been to aircraft recognition classes, but clearly couldn't distinguish a spitfire from a flying pocket battleship. So I am in equal peril, but enjoying the view. Absolute heros on the beaches and all the way to Berlin - if there was a time machine, i'd be proud to measure myself against these heros and be found wanting.
So I have always felt that "surviving D-Day" is in many ways dependent on "luck" rather than skill, at least at various points. I'm sure skill played a bit also for many people, but yeah, it's just one of those things where you hope for the best I suppose!
The question of 'could you survive?' comes down to many variables - which wave of which sector of which beach, and probably most crucially, was fortune smiling upon you?
For various physical reasons beyond my control, I would never be classified as fit for active frontline duty. If push came to shove, I'd still want to contribute in some way.
We really hope you enjoyed this episode of Could You Survive. Please don't forget to like, subscribe and comment what you'd like to see Luke do next in the series!
Could you survive the North Atlantic Convoys?
Could you survive being in a bomber crew?
This is my favorite series on the channel
Im going to be honest Could you Survive D-day is a Stupid and almost disrespectful title because it almost implies that the troops didn't fight hard enough or was a "skill issue" to get of the beach when their survival wasn't even luck but a matter of chance.
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Dear team pls share source on which is based statement about Polish soldiers fighting in wermaht units? I'm asking about that as all what we was told is so Polish people never cooperate nor serve with German units
1:13:19 "In memory of all those who died and whose memory we are duty bound to keep, that future generations may never forget at what cost our freedom came" - well said mate, well said. Love from Australia.
This series is amazing. I am able to watch this video in comfort and peace only because of the sacrifices made 80 years ago and is more than a chapter in a history book. This is not lost on me.
Nor me
Yes it's good ain't it
In remembrance of my Dad who, at the age of 14, sailed in support of the Allied troops ferrying mulberry harbours across the Channel during the D Day landings. He went on to serve in the RAF and saw action during the Suez Crisis. He never spoke of the heartbreak of war until his twilight years. He was a hard but kind man who rarely cried...but when speaking of friends he made and lost during those conflicts, tears always followed. Love you, Dad...
May he finally know peace
My father never told us when he was alive, he went in D-Day+1. Re-enlisted for the Malayan Insurgency post-war. Lost all his section when a German tank blew up the house they were in. He was sleeping by the window and got blown out. We only know this and his previous injuries from a bullet impacting his backpack because he would get drunk in the 50's at his beloved rugby club and tell his brother-in-law all that had happened. He only told his wife a glossed over version. We had to apply for his medals and service record after he died to figure it all out. We loved him dearly . They really went through it, didn't they?
@@yiasemi Respect and profound gratitude...and yes, they certainly went through it. Like you, I also had to apply for my Dad's service medals...For me, the sad thing is, is knowing he threw out his uniform, pay book, etc., because he didn't think anyone would be interested...
Wow, 14, that's increadible
4…14!?
I was lucky enough to meet a D-Day veteran as a kid. He was part of the doomed 2nd wave on Omaha. He said somehow, by some divine fortune, he made it behind a small bluff with a handful of other guys, half of them injured. Their only hope was to stay low and still enough not to attract enemy fire. He said the wait for the 3rd wave to come in was agonizing. I hope the rest of his years went well.
My Uncle Tony Ratola was a Medic and was shot twice on D- Day.
My Grandparents didn't know where he was for months, and he was presumably KIA. When he finally came home, his sisters hid him out in a closet to surprise my Grandpa when he came home from work. He was sure he'd never see his son again.
My two uncles also stormed the beaches. Later my uncle Ray took the railcar into Berlin, he said he has never felt the bitter cold as that ride.
Wonderful story!
My FATHER survived the D-Day Landing; but he could NOT tell me HOW. “Men were dropping all around me like fucking RAIN-drops … “ -it took him over forty YEARS before spoke of it …
A lot of it was down to luck I imagine, with machine gun bullets being sprayed at you, it might miss you but if you would be standing like an inch to the left or right you could catch one in the head. Brave men!
Can't even imagine what he went through...
When I was at primary school in the 80s, we had a WW1 veteran (Gallipoli), and former student of the school come to talk to us. He wasn't a professional speaker, just a man who survived, and had his great-grandchildren attending the same school.
Even that many years later, he was driven to tears by some of the memories. Being a naive young lad, I did not think about it then, but now, I really admire the bravery he again demonstrated by choosing to talk to a classroom full of 10-11 year old boys about something as personal and traumatic as frontline battle.
How do you process that?! Young lad, watching all those around him drop "like rain drops" and yet he is unscathed.
Explosions, gunfire, screams from the wounded, commands from those still alive. What an absolute overload.
I cannot imagine the utter stress and fear. Each step could very likely be your last. Each breath the last one. You could be instantly killed or maimed and die slowly.
Just so much to process.
It's no wonder the survivors took years to talk about it.
I knew the son of a soldier at Omaha..he told me in some detail what his dad said..basically your impulse was to stay on the landing craft to protect you from hail of fire..but the guns would ultimately blow them up..his dad just put his head down and ran as fast as he could..those who stayed on the landing craft were all blown up..
My Great Uncle was part of the first wave to land on Gold Beach. 1st Battalion Hampshire Regiment. Unfortunately he didn’t survive. Unbelievable to think at the age of only 28, he was one of the older ones.
We owe them all so much.
RIP Uncle Bill.
Rest in Peace for the soldiers who died in this ferocious battle😢. Everyone allied soldier in D-Day(died and survived) will be remembered for generations. Hope for those who have died have a great afterlife.
Hey That’s British😡
I have been in combat myself and it was terrible but the men who ran up the beaches of Normandy were and still are true heroes.
My father was one of them and he told me that with him everything in a mental fog and he couldn't hear anything.
Thank-you for making this. One of my grandfathers (1913-2003) the son of a British First World War Infantryman who lost a leg in action. Was a British RASC driver (PTE), attached to the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division. He drove ashore at Bernières-sur-Mer (Juno) and then dug in on D-Day 6 June 1944. Thence served with the Canadians, who he held in high regard, till Germany's surrender in May 1945. He shared a lot of interesting stories of his experiences (which weren't uncommon), including of being on the receiving end of German artillery fire, German PWs, French and Dutch people on and on etc . Yet he also shared after I had given him Alexander McKee's book Caen Anvil of Victory to read, that it brought back the memory of the terrible smell of death both human and livestock in Normandy that summer during 1944.
My great-uncle was wounded on Omaha Beach, I always wish I could have heard his story. However unfortunately, he healed up just in time to die in the Ardennes, it was so cold his body couldn't be retrieved until spring. His name was
PFC Reed Lane Youngblood, he was only 20. Purple heart recipient and posthumous bronze star recipient, he was cut down by an mg42 whilst "running a message"
I was lucky enough to work with a bloke who’d been there on d-day 30 years ago
And when I said I didn’t know how they’d managed to get up that beach in the first wave ,his answer stunned me I’ll never forget it
“That was east I was mad I’d been there at Dunkirk I’d run and I was scared and that day it was the turn of the Germans to run and be scared !”
It’s a sort of courage I’m glad I’ve never had to see if I’ve got
Watching right now, I knew you guys would made something special about this!
Thanks so much! We hope you enjoy it!
The battle of Caen was the key battle which no one talks about. The Brits and Canadians were fighting all of Germanys best troops on the western front there. 8 Panzer divisions, 3 heavy tank battalions, and 7 infantry divisions at Caen alone. Most were SS. Then more heavy fighting to the North.
All the glory goes to Omaha beach. Look at any movie about D-Day. The British and Canadians are pretty much relegated to "also ran".
@@bmused55 Then imagine any of the other allied nations that took part in the air or at sea, they don't even get a mention. We need to diversify our view of the war. Not just the Americans at Omaha, or Easy Company of the 101st, or the Soviets at Stalingrad, but all major powers, and the minor powers aswell
and the 20K civilians dead...from bombs
Yeah, but the Yanks would have you believe that British and Canadian forces were over-cautious and timid
@@larryvanmillion Are you taking the piss? There are loads of classic British war movies. Some of the best are set during the time when America was still funding Nazi Germany and we were fighting alone
Excellent video, please keep up the great work....My Uncle, John ( Jacky) Reid was a Mosquito pilot with 605 sqn, on 5/6th June 44, he and his observer Roy Phillips and two other crews were tasked to take out AA guns and search lights in the Caen area....they were on target at 0010hrs on the 6th, Jackys aircraft dropped his first 500lb bomb a 0011 hrs...his logbook confirms this ( I have them here) and describes the 100 Lancs "plastering" the area, him going back in, being severly hit on his starboard elevator, which dropped to 30d, clearing the area again at 0019hrs, as the glider train went in...he left the area at 0039hrs, seeing signs of "our" landing strips and returned to RAF Manston....his bomb drop at 0011 hrs, was the first action on D Day., something we as a family are so proud of.....unfortunately, he and Roy were killed in the same aircarft on 26th June 44 while on an NFT over Margate when his craft UP-E (NS880) broke up at 1000 feet and fell onto Margate Railway station...
My father used to tell us about D Day when we were kids. The 6th of June was one of those days like Christmas that you just knew what it was. We always got a sterile version of it. As he got older, it was something that my father went back to. It was only after his death, that the horror and the bravery of it really sunk in. Thinking ofyou all.
I had the great privilege of interviewing members of the Normandy Veterans Association in 92 for my undergraduate dissertation. We laughed, we cried, we sat in silence holding hands. I interviewed paratroopers who dropped near Pegasus bridge to the crew of LSI's. They all had a tale to tell and felt able to do so. I received some momentos including a 1944 Christmas card from the KOYLI .Something I will never forget.
Thank you HistoryHit for honoring the brave soldiers of the allied forces who were forever affected by the events of D-Day.
Thanks for watching!
My great uncle landed with the North Nova Scotia Highlanders of Canada and made it home, I'll be going there in October to walk the same beach where he landed.
I hope you have a fantastic trip...tis on my bucket list...so, I'm heading over in August for two weeks, and really want to visit Point du Hoc, where my uncle, entered and left France since late 1943, in his Mosquito well before D Day, while doing intruder work...:)
My great granddad was shot in the shoulder but he made it off the beach,my brother has his helmet,he died in 199,I do remember him but I didn't no he was a hero just a lovely old man, everyone involved are heroes, you really bring this home mate, how would I cope mind boggling, when I watched this the way you have done it is touching and respectful ❤️❤️
Unlike our so called prime minister 😞😞
I’m 100% certain I would be pinned down on the beach, too terrified to move forward, until I met my end
You wouldn't because an older sergeant would threaten to shoot you himself if you didn't move. Have confidence in yourself that you could achieve
So much bravery.
Just the thought of all these young men risking, and giving, their lives for the freedom of others leaves me in awe.
May they be ever remembered and revered 🌹
One of the best Could You Survive episodes yet!!!!
My grandfather was part of the first wave of the Normandy landings. To this day he can't watch any documentary's or movies of the invasion as the littlest things about it set him off. Either a seizure or genuinely just staring at a wall for minutes straight honestly I cannot imagine what he went through.
People do forget that large lessons were learned and technologocial improvements were made from multiple landings before D-Day. Not just the failed raid at Dieppe but successful joint allied landings in North Africa, Sicily, Italy and also the American landings in the pacific.
Still it takes guts, planning and yes a bit of luck to pull off.
Also by 1944 the Germans were on the defensive having taken huge losses on the Eastern Front and having to shift large numbers of troops there to slow the Soviet advance that was on the borders of Eastern Prussia itself. These troops amd equipment could have (we will never know) made a difference in the outcome.
Thank you for making this excellent tribute. I have heard the stories, read books, but there is always something new to learn about the D-day invasion. We must always remember the sacrifices made by the generation that fought the war. It was their hope that future generations would live in peace and not have to endure the same hardships. Looking forward to your next video.
Many in my family served in Europe and in the Pacific island war, loved talking to my grandfather who was a Marine in the Pacific island campaigns and he told me stories I'll never forget. A great uncle married a Dutch woman and he said most people despised the nazis and he fell in love with Germany and the people. We must never forget our history and the men who sacrificed all, thanks for this video.
This is one of the best series I’ve seen on UA-cam
These guys were so brave..just cant comprehend it..I think if I was young and everyone else was doing it I would do it..but I will never know...they did it for me and the free world
I can't watch something about D-Day and just think of the end of Saving Private Ryan. "Earn this". This video brought tears to my eyes, not just because of what was sacrificed, but honestly, how little it is remembered and respected now.
Thank you all British, Canadians, Aussie, Kiwis and Yanks that saved the world from the evils of the nazis.
And half of it from the soviets, and that's from a Russian by the way
Indians
@@alexcheremisin3596with American money, mind you
No@@Jess-if7rs
@@Jess-if7rsa rather mean spirited comment.
My house is part of a housing development built on the site of an erstwhile D-Day staging post. The land was donated by the owners for use as an army transit camp, including US GIs preparing for D-Day. After the war the huts were repurposed to accommodate the families of Polish servicemen who were relocating to the UK, and British families displaced by the May Blitz and other bombing. Once everyone was housed, the huts were demolished and permanent modern housing built.
We are over two hundred miles from Portsmouth, and thousands of GIs waited here in May/June 1944. This gives me a strong idea of the sheer scale of the operation!
I love these types of videos you guys make. They really are a gem!
I also love Richard, the guy you have had for a while to help with the WW1 videos. He's great too!
Wow! Thank you so much. We will continue making them!
Nice One chaps. Paul and I were very happy to assist with the boat.
Midtown Sacramento Salutes
The Brits and Canadians who
Attacked the Panzer Divisions at CAEN.
They were 15 and 16 year olds. I would be ashamed if I was british.
@@joeysausage3437 12th SS Panzer Division Hitler Jugend is what you refer to. Average age of their soldiers under Kurt Meyer was 18 years old. 156 Canadian POW's were murdered by those "15 and 16" year olds you wrongly describe. Kurt Meyer was lucky not be executed at Nuremburg, he only served 9 years for what he ordered his troops to do.
He remained unrepentant for the war crimes he and his "15 and 16 year olds" committed and joined the Waffen SS Veterans Association in West Germany. Now that is truly shameful much like your comment.
@@anorthernsoul5600 The were 15 and 16 year olds. Look it up buttercup. What is shameful is canadians and brits claiming that the United States contributed very little.
Stop being so sensitive about the truth.
In remembrance of Dad a young Coastie, who manned a landing craft - the horrors he saw are stories I will never forget😢❤
Rings a bell in my heart for my grandpa and his mates. Great piece of work with an interesting perspective ❤
Thank you for your kind words, we do our very best to commemorate those who served
This channel and this series in particular are amazing. So well made and presented. Good work everyone involved.
Totally agree!
Another fantastic documentary well done Luke 😁😁😁
Best video on D-Day i have have ever seen. hats of to the whole team. Love you guys.
Amazing job on this episode. Clear explanations, clear and well used footage and ofcourse, its amazing to see the passion Luke and Richard have.
Brilliant. No other description required.............. Thank you.
Oh I already know this episode is going to be amazing. Thank you!
I absolutely loved it.. that was a really well done depiction of that day! Just because I have to pick nits, I couldn't help but cringe and laugh a bit when at the 1 hour mark, our man Luke was pointing his Bren straight at the family jewels of his comrade! No debollocker mine needed there !
Another amazing video. I work a lot with period clothing and find the section on uniforms and equipment always so well done. Luke and Richard are the dream team, so informative and engaging. More please! 👏✨
Cheers for watching!
Good job making Pompey look like Normandy chaps. Brilliant video and series. Huge respect for all those who played their part 🙏
These guys are so awesome it’s amazing listening to their vast knowledge, I found myself writing down facts I’ve never heard before
The WW2 images they have on here are fascinating and I’ve never seen most of them either.
Such a good documentary/show
Really good , thank you. Great to see D-Day from the perspective of all the Allied countries involved.
Glad you enjoyed it
My great grandad landed on sword beach as a Bren gunner. He never spoke about it to my grandad or father. What he did say was he was told that he had 2 minutes to live. His number 1 hated artillery was mortars, as you never knew where it would land. His friends drowned after they couldn’t maintain the weight of their gear in the water. He was part of the Suffolks regiment. Assaulting Hilmen 2 miles in land. The yanks were meant to bomb the compound before they advanced. When they got there. They had completely missed and he , the leader of his group of men had to send them through 12 feet of barbed wire and land mines before they reached the bunker. They threw grenades down vents which drew the Germans out to surrender. He did get wounded in the hand by some shrapnel which took him back to Leeds for surgery. He was swiftly sent back to his men to continue on the assault. 30 years later they found out he still had that very shrapnel in his hand. But if it wasn’t for him surviving
My Grandad and his brother and sister
My dad and his brother and cousins
Myself and my two sisters
And my sisters two daughters would all cease to exist
I couldn't even survive watching Saving Private Ryan in the movie theatre.
Totally agree! I only lasted the first 30mins of Saving Private Ryan, it was too much for me. I still can’t watch the movie.
Why? it was an amazing movie.
My ex’s PaPa fought for Canada. Survived the landing in Italy fought through the battles there then landed on D Day and survived that. The year before end of war he was shot by MG42 through his right knee and lower right thigh. That was his ticket home and obviously survived being shot. One tough Son of a Bitch. He only told us this story on his death bed and we were grateful that he told us. Thanks to all that serve to protect our freedoms.🇨🇦
A very informative video of the D Day landings. Excellent work. We owe a lot to the brave men on that day. Lest We Forget.
20:11 Weapons and equipment, that same discussion is still being had in the Infantry. Vests versus web gear, what can be carried, how accessible it is, can you maneuver in it? 80 years later and still working on it.
An informative and wonderful historical coverage video about DDAY operations where horrible circumstances, brutalities, and weather's crucially appeared suddenly
Had a great uncle who was in the 101st division and survived the first jump and made it home he was in the battle of the bulge never met him sadly cant fathom what thosboys went through so much we owe them to so few who faught for freedom god bless them and grant them peace in this life and the next
watched a lot of your videos since discovering the channel a few weeks ago. looking forward to this episode. great work!
greetings from germany ;D
Awesome, thank you!
Great video - very well made and educational. What an absolute nightmare that day must have been for all involved.
Nice, detailed and thoughtful documentary, thank you! Good to see the kit descriptions, didn't know about that all-in-one jerkin. Also good to see the Mk3 helmet described and featured - a shame it didn't completely replace the old Mk2. I've recently restored a Mk3 shell to mint condition, like yours.
Outstanding documentary. Well done.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Awesome vid here guys, you’ve done an amazing job! WWII isn’t my favourite period of history, but this is by far the best documentary and mini series you’ve produced. Luke’s not asking stupid questions and making the information being told very enjoyable. Would love to see more of this quality of production through different eras of time. Very well done 👍🏽
Really appreciate these kind of comments. Makes us want to produce more videos like this!
May the memories of love outweigh the grief of loss.
Brilliantly made and taught me a lot of things i didnt know.
Great video l learned a lot from this video thanks
Glad it was helpful!
Love this channel, keeping history alive
An incredible piece of work once again, History Hit, this one perhaps more important and poignant than most!
Smoke if you got em, friends, for the boys that never came home.
Utrinque Paratus!
My maternal grandfather was in the 101st, and took shrapnel during the D-Day invasion. We have some of his belongings from then, and my aunt has his medals.
We will never forget them. For those who survived been to hell and back.
Great honor and great respect. As a South African male I salute you all.....❤😢😢
That was interesting, hearing about the "assault vest". Never heard of that one. Almost a precursor of the modern way of carring equipment, except it wasn't modular like Mole'.
The M43 field jacket is still being used in the form of the M65 which I used in 2003. There are the HBT in OD3 & OD7 fatigues used throughout the Pacific by the us army. The mountain uniform used by the 1SSF Devil's Brigade & 19th Mountain Div. M37 wool trousers and shirt, M41 Parsons jacket in OD3. M42 paratrooper uniform. Mackinac/mackinaw & winter/tanker jacket. Winter Tanker overalls. There were many uniforms.
I realized you can’t show every War movie but on the is missing is in my opinion the best at depicting reality of war.
The movie is 12 O’Clock High.
Too bad it wasn’t included.
Best one so far! Keep it up guys!!
Really enjoyed this, well done lads
Glad to hear!
Ok I’m only at 0:01 but I can already confidently tell you my answer: Nope!
Depends which wave and which beach
Very true
As always, you guys put us viewers on the front lines with you getting dressed up and geared up. 👍
Thanks, was a good watch. Who knows if i would survive, it's just hard to fathom. I don't think so though. Respect to anyone that fought for freedom though. Then and now.
When a young man, you have no fear, don't disappoint your buddies. First wave on Omaha, I doubt it.
Fist wave of every beach
@ 33:50 i dont understand that. Was the kid demanding or predicting or mocking that they "won't come back"?
And what was the elephant in the room?
I like the irony of Mulberrys being made from the rubble of blitzed houses. It reminds me of the years I spent investigating a Bomber Command airfield in Suffolk. Much of the hardcore foundations for runways and perimeter tracks was made up of bricks from bombed East End houses. Some of those bricks had plaster and even floral pattern wallpaper still attached.
We must never forget the sacrifice made for our freedom.
My husband's father was a very calm man, the only time my husband saw him go into a rage was when he described having to unload ammunition onto the beach the night before the invasion with no weapon cover. I didn't even know this happened, I'd never heard of that part before.
I did happen to train in beachheads when I was in the army, and I learned firsthand how impossible this is.
When i was 13 i went on school trip to France we visited all the site of d-day went to British and Americans war memorial thre i still remember how shocking it was row of men.
Learned a lot of new stuff here. Appreciate the detail!
My father was a D, Day veteran survived the landing, and went across Europe, he was in hospital in Lubeck when the war was declared over, spent most of the war in F,O,P spotting for the artillery , and not until my children started asking him about the war did he finally open up, all he wanted was to forget, and from the stories he told I don't blame him, there was no hero talk, nor bragging, he just told it from an ordinary soldiers point of view what happened to him and his mates, many of whom didn't come back, and some of those that did were scarred for life physically, and mentally. Sadly he passed away in 2013 aged 91, greatly missed by all his family, R,I,P dad, and may God bless all those who pay the ultimate sacrifice to keep us free, we shall remember them.
Watched from beginning to end. And you ended that video perfectly
This video is beautiful!!!
Since you did ww1 "could you survive ........" could you do one on the Alpine front?😉
I love you used the original Audio of Eisenhowers order of the day, not some dubbed or voice over version
Morgan Freeman 😂😂
My grandpa hit a beach but it was a different one a called Iwo Jima.
OMG!! I don’t know how anyone lived through that.
My Grandad was a Royal Engineer, not sure what beach or what wave but he survived it. The Navy man who helped him onto the landing boat from the English coast would later be his Brother in law and my great uncle!
I've watched plenty of documentaries and read many books on D-Day. I gotta say lads, fantastic job👏 from the uniforms to the gear and everything else talked about in this video. It really captures the war in a whole new level, it felt more "Real" and helps put in prospective what what all those brave men had to endure. As someone fascinated by history, Thank you! 🫡
I knew men who survived the landings and they all said the same thing albeit in different words. 'I don't know how I survived, I lost mates all around me!' It really was the luck of the draw as to who survived and who died.
Really good documentary, so detailed. Thanks. I have a question however, how did the soldiers keep their weapons from getting sand and muck in, when going over sand beaches? Also, wouldn't sea water be detrimental to their operation? In Saving Private Ryan, there is a soldier with a rifle in a plastic cover. Did they actually have these?
You can see in the footage some soldiers with plastic covers
Of course I couldn't survive D-day, particularly on the beaches; consequently I would be flying an MK XIV spitfire over the fleet and looking over my shoulder for USAAF P51s, and their pilots, who have (supposedly) been to aircraft recognition classes, but clearly couldn't distinguish a spitfire from a flying pocket battleship. So I am in equal peril, but enjoying the view.
Absolute heros on the beaches and all the way to Berlin - if there was a time machine, i'd be proud to measure myself against these heros and be found wanting.
So I have always felt that "surviving D-Day" is in many ways dependent on "luck" rather than skill, at least at various points.
I'm sure skill played a bit also for many people, but yeah, it's just one of those things where you hope for the best I suppose!
The movie "The Longest Day" did a marvelous job, showing the sheer shock of seeing thousands of vessels coming at the German defenders.
I just can't imagine being in that position. And it's not as if there is no war anymore either. But a great video
"Happy Birthday, Honey! The Allies have landed in Normandy!"
GREAT point about recycling bombed blitz buildings to build the Mulberrys.
The question of 'could you survive?' comes down to many variables - which wave of which sector of which beach, and probably most crucially, was fortune smiling upon you?
For various physical reasons beyond my control, I would never be classified as fit for active frontline duty. If push came to shove, I'd still want to contribute in some way.