D-Day: The Beast of Omaha & WN 62 | History Traveler Episode 47
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- Опубліковано 2 жов 2024
- Omaha Beach isn't known as being the bloodiest beach of the D-Day landing for nothing. And in recent years, a German machine gunner by the name of Heinrich Severloh has been credited with inflicting 1000-2000 casualties alone from WN62 of the Easy Red sector earning him the nickname "The Beast of Omaha." In this episode, we explore WN62 and dissect Severloh's claims. Tons to see and learn in this one!
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#history #france #WWII #dday #goldbeach #omahabeach #normandy
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Another great video bub
I just subscribed to your channel.i really like your history videos which I'm jealous you got to go to Gettysburg but I well get there one day
I'm a 2ndWW fanatic aswell. My dad spent 2 years in the only concentration camp on french soil only to be liberated by US troops in Dachau Germany. So i was raised with WW2. This channel is great.
@@robholleman120 - Oh my goodness!
Severloh fired his mg42 like 8 hours straight, and it has said that the lawn lit around him as he changed the barrel again and again.. He started to shoot when the yanks still couldn't run in the water, and he was So close to the beach he could See where the shots he fired hit the water. So I think he got more than 200 kills.
.. He has also stated that afterwards his actions on d-day haunted him as long as he lived, so why would he lie..(?)
Probably not 1500 kills, but alot more than 200 i think.
I spend my holidays only half a mile from Saint Mere Eglise,,, with my wife and son. We walked the beaches of Utah beach, Omaha beach and visited the American cemetry,,,I told my son that we( as Dutch,Europian people) should be greatfull eternally for all the American (and others) soldiers that died for our freedom . Thank you for your sacrifice, may God bless you. Greetings and love from Holland.
How free are you though?
Yeah freedom lol
@@spacecowboy1438 Pretty easy to google Nazi laws. They were very restrictive.
When I was a kid in 1960 I played in those pill boxes and would look out of the gunners slots and wonder how anyone survived the machinegun fire from this location. My father was in France during WW1 and was in the tranches of Alsace Lorraine where he was shot in the head and blown up by an artillery round. I went into the military (US) in 66 and took with me the memories of those brave souls that had the balls to do what had to be done. I think every politician should go to Europe and Vietnam And some other places that our military has been sent and see with their own eyes what the politicians decisions can mean. I am proud to have served for 14 years and regret nothing. We must never forget these wars and the brave men and women that died defending. And it would also be nice if some French people would visit and see what we did for their freedom.
I live in an English port city that was heavily bombed by the Luftewaffe during WW2.
Even today there are pillboxes, air raid shelters, weapons positions etc built along the eastern coast of the UK.
Im sorry but soviet did mostly the job lol... The west front was for a large part mostly very young and old soldiers, elite soldiers were on the east front fighting red army.. In june 1944 it was already the end for the germans
@@G_STYLINthe soviets fought on a completely different side of the country lol
@@dakotareid1566 yes but they did the most difficult job and the largest part of the victory , people always put too much light on the americans
@olivier753 ur exactly right
I have been looking for such historical explorations, and feel lucky to see it through you, as 75 years of VE day rolls over,, Thanks
And to think here in another 19 years will be the 100th anniversary of the beginning WW2, I hope we still recognize and appreciate the lives these men gave, and not take for granted our freedoms we have today
Someone needs to comeback and redue the names on that site, names are fading and they shouldnt.
It's a pretty important site so I'm sure that they are aware and have plans to maintain it over time.
For the British, Canadian, Irish and ANZAC casualties there is the Commonwealth War Graves Commission that repair and maintain a lot of the cemeteries mainly in Europe but in India, Singapore and other locations from WW 1 and 2. They have several interesting and poignant You tube videos.
It is so important that these sites and the fallen never get forgotten. I hope they do maintain it.
There is a scene in the movie the Big Red One , when one of soldiers says he can’t believe that they already put up a memorial of the guys that lost their lives. Then they explain to him that was from WWI .That scene always gets me.
I agree, wonder what the name in gold meant?
My Great Grandad was a Georgian MG42 gunner he died from Artillery on D Day. he was apart of the 709th division.
Wow. Tragic on all sides.
Interesting. Can you explain more of his story? I'm very interested in the Foreign Units of the Wehrmacht.
@@TheHistoryUnderground I like to listen more too.i can listen for hours for what they went through
He got what he deserved.
Very distasteful. Not all Germans were nazis btw.
he claimed that he fired all his MG ammo (and used several MG barrels, which have to be removed when too hot) and after that he continued with his rifle...the question is, if the shots were on target or just in the rough direction of the enemy
nice video, thank you
RIP to all the ones who died there on both sides
Supposedly he fired 12.000 rounds with the MG and 400 rounds with two rifles.
How many of those shots were really on target is of course impossible to know.
@@HingerlAlois He claimes in an interview that from 50 shots with the rifle he missed only about 10% cause he could see if they would hit water or flesh.
Rip to those who defended europe, not for those that attacked their own ancestral homeland.
@@fridolfmane1063 fridolf? More like Adolf
@@boltskyline2957 Diddler
Thank you for this... My dad was part of Fifth Engineer Brigade on D-Day... I wish i could make it there some day to see it for myself but you have done a great job. when you scan the beach I can almost see my young Dad running across the beach.. thank you
I visited Omaha Beach and Normandy twice in my life and now I'm very grateful that you to let me review these places.
It's nothing short of a miracle that ANYONE made it off the beach. Wow.
I wanted to add a bit but hit the wrong key this is an add to my previous comment.. I kid you not I walked those beaches 4th 5th and 6th June 2004, when I passed thru the nearby villages one was almost smothered by the American flags flying.I could not pay for any meals those three days. At one cafe at lunch the owner greeted me and welcomed me with kiss on both cheeks ala french custom, took my order and returned with two glasses of wine, asked me to stand and join him in a toast to America, our troops who in 2 wars helped to end the war.There were perhaps 15-20 diners who all stood and applauded .Needless to say it took me a long time to wipe away the tears.He reminded me that France and along with the Dutch were the first to recognize the infant American colonies, and have remained our most loyal allies thru the centuries. Your narrations are spot on
If it helps, there is an interview from Der Spiegel in German from June 6, 2004. In the interview, he's asked about the TV interview and how many people he shot. Severloh himself says he doesn't know and asks if the number really matters. Enough to make him want to throw up and cry.
That day he fired 12,000 MG-42 rounds. Over 400 shots from his Karabiner.
One of the men he shot was David Silva, hit him 3 times but he lived. The two of them met years later while Silva was stationed in Germany and became good friends. There is a great history channel episode dedicated to this topic.
Severloh did not want to talk about numbers and once guessed 1,000 to get the interviewer off the subject. He was 20 years old for crying out loud, and you're repeatedly asking him to sensationalize the worst day of his life while he's seeking absolution. SMH.
J.D. no matter how many times I watch your videos, I am so amazed at what terror those brave men must have felt going into these meat grinders. For anyone to deny the determination of the Allies and Americans, would be pure folly. I don’t know how many years God will give me at my age but, your contribution to history has been in my estimate priceless. I understand parents wanting to protect their children from the harsh realities of war but, to deny them the history is just unconscionable. Thank you again for what you’ve contributed to this reality.
Hey, most of us don’t get chance to visit these places, so thanks for taking us there, researching it and telling the story in words and film
My Grandfather is one of six brothers.When WW2 started,two of them went to fight in the European Theater,& the other two went to fight in
the Pacific Theater.Of the two,one of them joins the PT boats & saw lots of action everywhere.My Grandfather signs up for the war in 44,but
before he could report in/May 45.The war with Germany was over,when WW2 came to an end in Japan.All Four brothers made it home.
The youngest brother join the US Military in 52 and saw war & peace in his lifetime,and made it home.
This story turned out much better than I was afraid it would be
That's AMAZING! Wow...
That’s the kind of story that makes your heart pump with pride my friend.
monty81567 . That is why they are called the greatest generation.
My father-in-law landed with the 29th that Omaha his two other brothers landed with the first infantry division, and the third one was in the Navy
My dad was in the 609 TD company C he was there and was in the Battle of the bulge, he said it was cold Captain Patrick Joseph Troy 💪🇺🇸
Sorry for responding 8 months later, but wow. I thank him for his service. Is he still alive?
@@simonsaura8138 He passed away in 2010 he was 92 never missed a wink of sleep he also captured Warner von Braun at the power station in Germany they sat by the campsite fire and had beers and Warner said we go to the moon he stood up and got all excited and said we go to the moon my dad said to him Sit down you’re not going anywhere little did he know Warner von Braun was telling the truth
respect to your old man from s,wales u.k
That MG 42 machine gun was a devastating weapon and he probably did inflict 200 casualties. The Channel was so rough on D-Day that the waves capsized and sank most of the amphibious tanks intended to support the landing. The casualties on Omaha were so immense that at some point General Bradley off shore and Ike considered a withdrawal but miraculously Omaha held on.
For sure. At least a few hundred....which is crazy already.
I'm 67 and we were taught about WW ll in American History in school. Sadly, the youth of today aren't taught the same thing. Every child in school today should be taught about the sacrifices our fathers and grand fathers made to keep this a Free Nation. We could be speaking German or Japanese you know if not for those sacrifices.
That's why this channel exists. I'm happy for anyone who watches and enjoys it, but the original intent was to provide a resource for history teachers and students. Glad that you share the vision to keep history alive!
I'm a millennial, and I have 2 sons. I agree 100%. I am going to make sure that they understand what happened, regardless of what they learn at school.
@@TheHistoryUnderground very interesting. RIP to the American Engineers. My Uncle was a Royal Engineer 🇬🇧 and went to Normandy too. A little while later he was at Nijmegen when the Allies arrived at the bridge and were fighting to secure it. At night he took a tug boat from the power station and rescued British and American soldiers who were escaping back across the German lines from Arnhem, and needed to cross the river, with up to date information.
@@atlas_black5784 _ That is great. I hope there are other young parents out there that do the same.
Space Skipster ,,, thanks for sharing the story of your uncle. Those stories need to be told and kept alive. Had a relative that served in Egypt. Sadly not much info remains of what he went through personally.
GOD I'm so damn thankful for your channel and these videos. It's my childhood and life interest finally being seen and watched
Thanks 🙏🏼
What a great video! We took a day trip to Normandy when we were in Paris a few years ago. I had read WN 62 before going and was looking forward to seeing the spot where Severloh had been set up. Unfortunately I was told I’d miss the bus if I ventured out that far. Your video showed me what I’d hoped to experience. Well done sir.
Great video. I can't even begin to imagine the absolute horror of storming those beaches. We owe everything to the Allied soldiers of WWII
I talk to my dad about Grandma's dad and the gas attack.He did catch some of it.He and everybody else had to be removed
from that part of the line.While growing up,I was with my great uncle who was on the PT Boats.He did talk about his time
being on the PT's and it was short,"It Was Bad"and that was it for talking about it.I was still in grade school,years away from
being in High School.
Very interesting. Thanks so much for the history lesson and the footage.
Keep up the fantastic work!! Thank you so much!
Glad you enjoyed it! Got a lot more from Normandy and Belgium in the coming weeks. Thanks!
I've lived in the Omaha Beach area for 20 years and have spent much time exploring the beaches. Had the privlege of meeting
many of the vets who revisited the area. Most of whom are gone now. I agree with your most likely conclusion that Severloh
though firing his MG at close range probably thought his kill rate was higher due to soldiers instinctively falling to the ground hearing the gun at close range and seeing the sand around them being chewed up. Of course where he was positioned
it was impossible not to cause the death of many soldiers. I believe he was only 17 at the time. Just a kid. Doing a job he had to do. Being in a position of kill or be killed. When he retired he returned to reside in the Omaha Beach area. A quiet and decent fellow, he had always loved the people and the way of life there. I'm not sure if he is still alive now.
Can't imagine what that was like for either side.
As Sherman said. "War is hell" Amazing story! Thanks for sharing. How could you not be quiet after that? Imagine waking up and seeing 5,000 ships? Imagine, having to wade in. At the 50th anniversary of D-day, the men, that were whole enough to return, looked for the scrabble near the beach. The scrabble is defined as large rocks that were driven up by the high tides and strong storms. It was their 1st line of defense after wading ashore. The scrabble was gone, washed out by another storm. But they searched and searched because it saved their lives...
Heinrich told that he had the order of his first lieutenant, at the latest when the Allied soldiers were still in water, to open the fire. Not just on the beach.
The soldiers in the boats that followed, did not even want to leave the boat when they saw all the dead floating in the sea and heard the gunshots of the MG 42
Many boats were shot directly at when the hatch was opened and no soldier surrived
@@Marvel66666 I can imagine not wanting to leave the Higgins.
I'm an Ulsterman and remember stumbling across a commonwealth graveyard of my fellow countrymen (who were part of the Royal Irish Rifles) at La Délivrande near Caen. They originally landed on the afternoon of the 6 June and all the dead were from that period of combat and the subsequent other battles of the Normandy campaign. I've been to all the US beaches as well as Sword and Juno.
It was great seeing this video with some of the installations at WN62. I just finished reading Hein Severloh's "WN 62" memoirs earlier today and for those who haven't had the chance to read his book, it's worth noting that Severloh indicated that he did not discuss the number of casualties he believed he inflicted until the 40th anniversary of D-Day when he was repeatedly pressed by an ABC news reporter to estimate the number of casualties, and the reporter asked whether it was more than a thousand and Severloh was apparently greatly affected by this question (and apparently a bit annoyed by the repeated questioning), and he answered that it was almost certainly more than a thousand and likely more than two thousand. Nobody knows how many casualties he inflicted that day firing over 12,000 rounds alone from his MG42 (he estimated this based on the amount of ammo boxes another soldier brought him) over a 9-hour period from 6:30am to 3:30pm (I believe this was the last or one of the last strongpoints to fall on Omaha), but I'm sure he was under a significant amount of strain from everything going on and seeing the amount of bodies lying on the beach in front of his position, so it probably seemed like more than 1,000 to him, when in fact it may have been somewhere in the hundreds (which I can easily believe given the available info). Regardless, he was doing his duty like the other soldiers on both sides that day and this weighed on his conscience for the rest of his life.
Difficult to say, I read the Book of Severloh. I think there is no reason to lie for him, because, and I believe him in this point, he don´t want to shoot at all. He was a Farmer son and sure not a warrior and it doesn´t seem like he is proud of his kills.
I don´t remember the beginning of his live as soldier very exact, but if I remember correctly, this was the first and only time when he had to shot on humans.
Think about his position on the Beach. He had time from the early morning to the late afternoon, several hours, he had a very good working MG42 with a firing rate between 1200 and 1500, more then 20/sec. and he had enough ammunition. (I know a comrade of my Grandpa, died long time ago, who was a MG42 shooter in Russia and he was absolutely convinced there were several days he kills a few hundred Russian Soldiers. On some days the Russians attack from the morning to the evening, drunken as Hell, to get 5 to 10 with one salvo was not really a problem and in some regions you could no longer see the snow between their dead Bodies).
The American Soldiers came up the beach side by side and row after row without any cover.
I would say, ONLY 200 casualties the whole day would be a miracle!
At least, the count of the casualties is well known and there are only one or two other German soldiers known who were also constantly firing to the Beach longer time.
So, who else should be responsible for the killed US soldiers if not Severloh?
Everywhere he pointed the mg he would of got most of those in that area for sure. Maybe didnt kill over 1000 but i bet he either killed or wounded the amount that he said he had.
That is stupid frontal atack you can see this in all sides on dday the ratio of forces is 15 allied vs 1 axis you can kill soo much german doo these stupid atyack at stalingrad ...
The majority of casualties were inflicted by artillery. 88, 75 and 50mm guns had clear views of the beach and caused a massive amount of damage to the invading forces. Severloh grossly overestimated his actions that day. Yes, he caused many casualties, but his estimates of 1500-2000 men are utterly ridiculous. Omaha Beach wasn't a tiny stip of beach like what is portrayed in the movie Saving Private Ryan. It covered roughly 5 miles of shore and Severloh was only defending a small portion of it.
The other German soldier was Franz Gockel. He also fought at the WN62. His position was near the one of Heinrich Severloh.
Knowing how incredibly deadly the MG-42 is/was (definitely back in those times) and looking out over that beach from where he was stationed up i don't find it hard to believe at all that Severloh killed atleast hundreds and if not close to a 1000 men.
love your videos....you show the site well and then the story goes with it well....thanks
🙏🏼
Might be worth another invasion just to get rid of that stupid trailer.
Ha! You and I are on the same page. I really did hate that thing.
Brotherb Video It is unbelievable that is there. How utterly disgraceful and dishonorable.
It should national park and off-limits. If it wasn't for D-Day and the sacrifices from the Allies, the French would not have been liberated.
You seem like an average dude who works construction or something and decided to make some military history videos. I must say, these videos are some of the best out there. You are respectful of the subject matter and remain fascinated by it. Great stuff. I'm gonna look through your channel now to see if you've visited Hoertgen (sp?) Forest.
these videos are so great man thank you
I just want to say again I know I'll never make it there but thank you it's been really interesting to see it as it is today.
Amazing videos, I intend to visit France to see where so many gave their lives for us. Thankfully I will never have to witness what they did but I can honour them by visiting and learning more about it, your videos help me achieve this. Thank you. Amazing to think of the horrors that took place in such a beautiful country.
Great history lesson. I went in 2016 and stayed at a campground 8 klicks West of St Mere ...every morning we would drink coffee and eat croissants on the stone wall overlooking the channel.
Visited few years ago. This brings back memories. Thanks!
I just found your channel and can't get enough. It's always been a bucket list trip for my father and I to travel to the beaches of Normandy. Unfortunately he passed last year. I will be making this trip in honor of my father and as a veteran all that have served as heroes of their time. One question. Without being rushed can you say how long should one plan to visit like you did?
Well, when I served in the German Bundeswehr we were trained shooting the MG-3, which is a later version of the MG-42, the gun Hein Severloh, the so called "Beast", used at "Omaha". Hitting man-high targets was no problem with iron sights at a range of 600 meters. With normal bursts of 4 or 5 rounds, which we were trained as gunners, precision was about 90 per cent. While above this range precision was dropped, because of the ability of eyes. But till 800 meters we achieved 60 per cent or more, anyway.
"Omaha" Beach is a wide range on low tide. Can you imagine how long a soldier with full battle dress needs to overcome such a distance, zick-zack crossing under enemy fire? It is a long time.
I can imagine casualties - dead and wounded could possibly climb up to that high over a lot of hours, shouting 12.000 rounds.
But calling Hein Severloh a "Beast", is wrong chosen, I think. He was a farmer boy, who was called for duty. His whole life he had nightmares what happened at the beach. What he wanted was surviving. He lost many comrades there, was wounded and after the war he entered the Civil Peace Corps. I am pretty sure, if he could make a wish, he wanted to be everywhere, but not where he was, at D-Day! As well as he forced to meet soldiers who fought at the landing beach to get forgiveness. He met David Silva, an US Military chaplain, who was wounded at "Omaha" at D-Day. Both became good friends. A thing just somebody can understand who served with the troops.
Stefan Zweigle - I agree. It’s unfortunate that he was given that nickname. He was doing what he was trained to do and what what anyone would have done in his place.
There is a documentary of Silva and Severloh meeting at Omaha beach in the1980s or 1990s.
@@TheHistoryUnderground - exactely. I am sure he has brought a lot of tears and sadness to lots of families. But I have seen the documentary about him and Silva. Hein Severloh cried himself when he arrived at Omaha beach, again. Quiet interesting you say "he has done what anyone would have done in his place". Here in Germany any former Wehrmacht soldier is just seen as a Nazi supporting the Nazi party. Just good our former Enemies are seeing the things more clearly. Crazy irony, isn`t it?
@@maxcravero5663 Oh yes, I have seen this documentary, as well as I have read the book about WN 62. Both are well done.
@@moviebrat1 send the link
Wish I had some friends like you who share the same enthusiasm for history ! Great content man keep it up !
Thanks! Appreciate that. Glad that it's resonating with you as well :)
That God my watch over these fallen brave soldiers and heros! Thanks to them, we are not living under german Nazi regime !
Heroes.
Love these videos. Is there a chance we'll see Pointe du Hoc?
Stay tuned ...... :)
@@TheHistoryUnderground You know we will!!
@@TheHistoryUnderground thanks! My dad's cousin James Allen Machan died there. I have almost no information except that he died that day.
Excellent video, you captured the essence of Normandy
I just now came across your channel with talking about Omaha.Some members of my family were looking into this.What we were told,he and some buddies made it off the beach & were killed inland.He is laid to rest at.Location of Interment American Cemetery - Normandy, France Wall/Plot Coordinates Section I, Row 20, Grave 12 Jimmie W.JR. Monteith.
Hello, I've just started looking into the history of my dad's cousin James Allen Machan. Oddly I can only find his grave but no other details of his death. Or even a picture of him. Unfortunately the only family I know of I've never met and they live far away in another country so I haven't been able to contact them. Any suggestions on where to get more information?
thank you so much for exploring these sites, so thankful for all of our service men who gave freedom to Europe.
🙏🏼
I stood in those bunkers on the 75th anniversary last summer just after the ceremony ended at the cemetery. What a powerful place to visit.
You were lucky to be there...
The big red one monument needs a drastic cleaning and repair or we will lose the names and monument
Hopefully they have some people on it
I'm sure there are a lot of pictures of it as well as records. Hopefully nothing will be lost.
The names will never be lost.
It looked like the paint on the monuments easily comes off but names are actually carved in. I'm sure they paint it every few years and the names don't disappear because they are carved in.
Great episode of a great series. Please keep up the good work. Just one remark: Severloh's kill count has been apple of discord since he has published his memoirs. Historians nowadays tend to estimate that he killed or wounded between 600-900 soliders. But does this really matter? No. Severloh was about 20 years old when this all happened. He has regretted this day all his life and reported to see especially one falling solider over and over again in his dreams. In the 60ties he found out that one of his former victims now was an Army Chaplain serving in Germany and met with him. They' ve become friends and met again several times. So later in his life Severloh was dedicating a large part of it to reconciliation of the former foes.....
Another great video of D-Day! Whenever we think we're having a bad day we should try and think back and remember these guys who stormed up that Beach. Interesting story about Heinrich.
It definitely gives some perspective.
What's more important is the we should try and think back to this when looking at the Republican Party and the Trump administration's display of fascism. People don't remember history well enough to realize how dangerous they are.
I knew Hein Severloh, he was not prone to exaggeration. In conversation he used the term 'thousands' as we would in English vernacular, to mean 'a lot'. He wasn't really keeping count, he was a little busy that morning.
Hmmm.....interesting. Thanks.
Steve Zaloga points out how unlikely his story is. He wasn't even an MG gunner. Look up his talk called The Devils Garden.
Adam Mann - Interesting. Will do.
An excellent channel. Nothing but education. Just a fantastic presentation.
So well done, later in life Severhlo would walk the US cemetery lamenting the possibility that he himself had laid so many of those boys into their final resting place. Superbly done video...
This is just amazing to me. Hearing all my life about my Dad in the war and his being there and thinking I’ll never see it. And now I’m seeing it in great depth with amazing explanations! Thank you so much. I’m just in awe. Amazing.
Eileen Lois - Oh wow. That means a lot. Thank you. Glad that these videos are able to give you something to add to you dad’s story.
James Reilly Thank you so much. We lost him to cancer in 1981. I so wish I had asked him questions about the war. We have a book called Drive A To Victory by Col. Robert S. Allen, about General Patton’s Third Army. It’s all about my what my Dad did. I would have loved to read it with him!
My Dad was with Patton's 3rd Army.
Larkin I wonder if they knew each other. I always felt as if it was all so far away and now I’m seeing the spots and talking to people. Amazing.
@Larkin, my great grandfather was in pattons 3rd as well, received the bronze star after his tank was disabled and they dug in and held off Germans until reinforcements arrived.
I don't get it....you have the most idiotic channels with tens of thousands of subscribers who watch the dumbest things that will lower your I.Q. while you watch...You should have many more subscribers/views. Great insight and beautifully done. Anyway, enjoy your videos. Keep it up.
Ha! Yeah, I don't get some of the stuff that takes off on UA-cam either. I figure that if I earn it, people will subscribe and share the words so that others can appreciate the history of these places as well. Thanks for the kind words.
Even 200 casualties, you’re talking about two full companies....that’s a incredible defensive of that position under the conditions.
Very much so. He no doubt did a lot of damage.
not really. the americans came in in several waves and were gunned down for hours. it started at 6 AM and the final breaches that secured the whole beach happened around 3 hours later. MG42s had insane rounds per minute. if a landing craft happened to open it's ramp in front of that gun, it unloaded its whole 50 rounds drum in a 3 seconds burst into it. A higgins boat had 36 passengers... easy math that bursting rounds into 10 of those could easyly claim 200 lives, wounding hundreds more.
Germans counted back then the wounded too in their casualty reports, so 1000 man killed or wounded doesnt sound so farfetched to me, considering he had 3 hours.
the fast rounds per minute of the MG42 heat up the barrel on longer bursts a lot. so much, that they had to change the barrels after each belt or drum. Severloh claimed that one of his barrels got so hot, that it glowed red and started a grass fire when tossed to the ground. totally believable, such things were often reported from other heavy firefights.
I too thought at first that the movie "private ryan" and Severlohs claims were exaggerated. But after a lot of research it got more and more believable, that he could have wounded or killed 1000 to 2000 men on that day.
Severloh never stated to have killed 1000, only to inflict casualties. and as i said, for a german soldier that are not olny the dead, but also the wounded.
@@Benitojacova Sure thing, that 1000+ looks high and that many people will doubt that until their last breathes. but there was even to today never an actual finite number of D-day losses. I am not saying its a conspiracy of some sort. But i would not wonder if the "official" estimation of 4500 is far below the true number. Every american survivor of D-Day who can talk about their experiance of that day reports of a slaughterhouse for hours and dead and wounded everywhere on the beach and in the water. Winners make history and reports. So to not to scare the citizens at home, they made the casualties high, but not too high. Because how more i researched in the last years, the more i believe that this theory has a point.
Is it possible the U.S. military purposely under reported the number of casualties so as not to lose the support of the American public? I can see this being the case for Iwo Jima , Okinawa etc. as well.
Severloh said the one shot that stuck with him the most was when his MG42 was too hot he used his rifle. A US soldier took cover behind the big square concrete block 200m away on the beach and Severloh took an aimed shot when he peered over the top.
it was so easy to shoot into the boats when the open the doors he said and after a while he noticed their soldiers wont get out ! He said many were onyl wounded but bleeded to death because noone was able to help. perhaps the numbers were right, perhaps not....but 9hours of shooting with 2 MG42 and K98 on "sitten ducks" will cause a lot of deaths. He said from 50 shots of the K98 he was sure that 45 were a hit. ANd i believe that because he had so many targets and the soldiers were often deep in the water and moving slowly. terrible theatre....i shot the MG42 as MG3 many times at Bundeswehr and it was by far my favourite weapon perhaps because i had also a good counterweight of 97kg ;-) But when imagine to do such a job for so long hours, seeing always men dying and the water red everywhere....i´m not sure if i would have used a good moment to get away of this murderscenery ...and murder it is !; but hard to say, indeed. because behind you always SS suckers could catch you up, shooting or hang you as a traitor. Russian polit officers did the same behind their lines...thousands and thousands were executed in the first 2years because they wont die pointless with inferior weapons or none at all vs a well trained , good armed and expierienced enemy.
I'm surprised you did not go inside Bernhard Frerking's OP bunker just to the left of where Heinrich Severloh's MG position was.
Michael Akkerman - I know. There are several things that I would redo with this one if I could. 🤦🏻♂️
@@TheHistoryUnderground Haha all good. Did you read Severloh's book WN62?
Michael Akkerman - Yep. Sure did.
It's amazing what free men were capable of doing against insurmountable odds and pure evil. God rest their souls.
There is a german Heavy Metal band called "Macbeth" that has witten a song about "WN62". It´s about a german machine Gunner on D-Day, his panic as he saw this big armada, his action on that day, and mainly the nightmares he had after that day by post-traumatic stress disorder that he get from this day. NOW I knew why the band gave this song that title.
Interesting. I had not heard of them. Glad that this video could fill in a few gaps for you. Thanks for watching.
@@TheHistoryUnderground it´s a very small and underrated Band. They have a lot of songs about the war, mostly from the view of german soldiers and they suffering and dead.
Freind, back in 85 found me a bullet head (🇺🇸), bounced down in the sand by that Gerry bunker that today has the US Engineer monument atop it.
Also found a couple at the Merrill battery, but that's another story.
Trouble is that due to a housing relocation situation ALL my bullet head got mixed up, and there's 'some'. Nice vid, Sir.
Oh wow. That's pretty amazing. Thanks for the kind words.
The words have not yet been conceived let alone penned, that can describe the bravery of these American soldiers, who on June 6, 1944, landed on Omaha Beach. My undying gratitude, love and infinite respect for these men I hope, may be shared by all who cherish liberty!
My dad's cousin James Machan died there. He fought with US Rangers but was born in Saskatchewan Canada in a place called Battleford
@@cgaccount3669 My deepest condolences & sympathy...may he forever, "Rest In Peace".
@@cgaccount3669 My deepest condolences and sympathy for his & your family. May he rest in peace!
@@RAV1953 Thanks. I just wish I knew more about him. It was kind of a touchy subject and my dad didn't want to discuss it with his aunt and end up upsetting her. She lived far from us and was 60 years older than me so I mostly just said hi at reunions. No easy way to ask about her son. I recently found out his brother was a marine wounded in the Philippines. He lived into his 80s. My dad knew him but it was the same situation... he lived far away and it's hard to ask someone about the tragedy of war.
@@cgaccount3669 I understand...my father was a chief petty officer aboard a destroyer in WWll. He was involved with the landings in Africa & Sicily. When we pumped him for info, he would get misty eyed and, we knew to just leave it alone. I wish I had gotten to know my dad even better than I did. I am sooooo very proud as I am sure you are too of your family. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you for a very concerning story and so well explained! I am a little surprised you left out to tell more details about WN 62 for example that 1st Lt Bernard Frerking also was there who was a firecontrol leader for 1.batt/1.bat/352.Artreg which was deployed in Houtteville. Severlohs fireposition was only 10 metres from his entrance to the observationpost and Severlohs task was also to protect this officer so he could coordinate artillery fire from Houtteville so it was not only direct fire from WN 62 on the beach. I thought you also should explain that 352nd Div had support from 726Reg/719Div with almost 30 soldiers and one of them was Franz Gockel so all together this was one of the strongest WN i the whole area. In the afternoon many where injured and some of 726.reg had retreated up the slopes when Frerking ordered Severloh to abandon WN 62 and he said he will follow but got killed only a few moments later. Both Severloh and Göckel survived this fight but that is a another fantastic concerning story about what they went through after the war. Thank you for a fantastic video!
Love the place... Hoping one day ..to visit that place... God bless to the mighty thousands gallant n brave liberators boys.💪💪...😢 God bless on their souls.. N tnx for all your svc.. I proudly salute u all..... God bless 🇺🇸 🇺🇸....n allies...🙏🙏🙏
The claim of single-handedly inflicting 1000~2,000 casualties remnids me of a story my great uncle told me about his time in Korea (187th Airborne). After the war his platoon or squad was on exercises in the hills of Korea, and spotted a deer off in the distance. Craving food that wasn't out of a tin can, they all fired on the deer and the deer immediately dropped dead. Everyone in the group claimed they were the one that took down the deer. When they collected the deer, it was struck by a single round.
Please research the MG 42..one book Blood on the Snow is the story of a German machine gunner on the Eastern Front.
Countless times the Russians would perform full frontal assaults and be mowed down in the 1000's by 2-MG 42's. It had quick change barrels and 800 rounds per minute.
Heinrich Severloh was close friends with his CO of WN 62, so his loyalty was 100%. He went through 3 restocks of Ammo brought from the rear and fired for 4 hours. Several barrels were provided but at times continued with his Mauser K 98 rifle to let the MG cool. At the end he started using tracer ammo which gave his position away. His CO was killed and US soldiers were finally making headway so he retreated several kilometers inland and mixed with other German regulars.
He was a young conscripted farm boy that just wanted to keep Brits and Amiis out of Europe and Germany...propaganda fuelled his belief but, he was no Hitlerite. Checkout the German DOKU series and others. The US accounts state many times that one position could not be pinpointed for destruction but was mowing down men consistantly. So 1000 to 2000 kills in Red Sector is a a very real accomplishment over 4 hours...probably the higher estimate.
Thank You for your Excellent Series...God Bless You ! 🇺🇸
That thing was a mean weapon for sure. Thanks for the kind words 🙂
Another bucket list place for me wow keep these awesome videos coming. Amazing how someone actually lives right next to a 76mm bunker.
Thanks! Will do!
Well, to be fair. Heinrich Severloh, was said to have fired more than 12, 000 rounds of ammo from his MG42...only stopping to let the weapon cool..or to swap out the barrel. Which in the intervening time, he had switched to his Mauser K98. And in regards to his character...whether he made up the casualty numbers, or was mistaken...later in his life, he said he was deeply troubled by what he had done...but he was just a soldier doing his duty for his commanding officer.
Yeah, I agree with all of that. My point wasn’t to try and call him out or anything. As I mentioned in the video, I don’t think he was an outright liar, but I do think that he inflicted fewer casualties than he thinks. The numbers he quoted would account for most of the casualties for the entire beach. He did a lot of damage though. That is for sure.
The thing is, he wasn't the only German gunner on that segment of the beach. On Omaha beach in it's entirety there were 2,000 US casualties. That includes killed, wounded missing etc. So start with that figure as a cap. If Heinrich was responsible for ALL the casualties on Omaha Beach he might have hit the 2,000 mark.
Omaha Beach was a good probably 6 miles wide with 8 sectors and like 13 German defensive positions covering the entirety. So yeah, one machine gunner probably did a lot of damage. But there was artillery pieces, mortars, 88s in the rear, mines, drownings from jumping over the side of landing craft loaded with gear. At best Heinrich is exaggerating or embellishing. Probably by a significant number. But that doesn't deminish the horror of a German machine gunner mowing down maybe a hundred or more Americans.
GodOfWar221 They said the same thing when they were throwing the bodies in the ovens was just following orders sad but true
I also recall Heinrich Severloh stating at how much more personal it became for him when he was using his Mauser after he ran out of MG42 ammunition. It's one thing to be spraying machine gun fire, like many other gunners, and seeing many soldiers fall in the melee, but it's a different thing entirely to see the person at the end of your gunsight fall immediately after you pull the trigger.
@@TheHistoryUnderground Agreed.
The book Normandiefront concentrates on the accounts of veterans from the German defenders of Omaha. The author personally knew Hein Severloh and Hein himself gave him the breast Eagle from the uniform he wore on DDay. I helped get the book published and it was used as one of the sources for the History Ch documentary DDAY in HD.
I wish you would do a video on where the break throughs the German lines took place and how they over came the defenses they faced.
Like this one?
ua-cam.com/video/UoHqBysm-ho/v-deo.html
no idea how i found this channel. but love these types of videos! not sure if you went to Juno but that would be great , hello from Cobourg Ontario Canada! liked and subbed!
First off, thanks. I really appreciate the kind words. In one of the later videos, I do make a visit to Juno.
@@TheHistoryUnderground awesome! your welcome :D you present things very well and are clear and understandable , no wind sounds which is awesome, can't wait for the Juno video, i have checked out your other videos, very good work my dude!
A typical MG42 crew usually had about 6 barrels which were operational depending upon rate of fire. I'm assuming he switched to his rifle because all the barrels needed to cool. 6 barrels at once means a lot of bullets downrange.
Must be great to live on that property with such a big piece of D-Day history right next to you!
You got that right! Kind of a shame that a big ol' dang trailer is right in front of it.
Makes me wonder what that property might go for?
They should really make a museum of WN62.
There were 5 U.S. Destroyers that almost beached themselves taking out that case mate and other targets with their 5 inch guns. They've been mentioned as vital to turning the tide at Omaha. If you look above the opening you can see two shell hits. Also just to the right of the opening, you can see where a shell actually entered the case mate, probably taking it out. Give me a Greyhound anytime when the shooting get dicey.
Interesting! That’s a part of the D-Day operation that I need to educate myself more about. Thanks!
@@TheHistoryUnderground You do great works. I was suppose to be there last May with my son, a trip long planned but cancelled because of the pandemic. They almost beached themselves because it was all hands on deck and they were expendable. Keep on, keeping on...
Pretty damn good shooting if you ask me...
The sacrifice of those brave men, and the impact it has to this day, should always be remembered.
God Bless ou r military, past, present and future. Thanks for this.👍
Are those numbers 60,61, 62, etc.... assigned by the Germans or the Allies?
Those were German designations.
Kids killing kids when they should be home play baseball in America or farming and playing soccer in Germany in the 40s. War is tragic.
Great job with this. Really a great balanced way of explaining it. So heartbreaking. Keep up the great work.
Thank you so much! I enjoy sharing the content with fellow history enthusiasts.
Just like you, I´m aware of the history and I´m a much smaller WWII enthusiast or interested person. My grandpa motherwise was a soldier on the eastern front for Germany. He told me some, but became too emotional all the time and cried about what he experienced. As I see once more the loooooong list of fallen soldiers on both sides, I wonder how different the world would look like with all these people making a civil life like us, being a craftsman or whatever, having a family and raise children and so on. What a waste of resources war was and still is.
Thanks for making this view back into history. I hope these memorials and living stories remain forever to show the people, who are shouting for war, what the 'box of pandora' keeps for all of them. From my point of view, there´s not very much of the good inside.
Thank you again, and peace!
Gosh. I cannot imagine what those guys on the Eastern front must have experienced. It would be interesting to know more of the stories. Thanks for sharing that.
@@TheHistoryUnderground Well I can tell you what he told me:
It must have been in the time where the Wehrmacht was pushed back more and more by the soviet troops. My grandfather and his comrades were trying to 'liberate' a farmlike building that was held by their enemy. The commanding officer, a nasty Lieutenant divided the platoon into 4 groups which made not more than 5-6 men each group to attack the building from different directions. Lt. of course had the shortest and maybe easiest way to the center or court of the structure. My grandpa was one of the members of the most far out attack point, to which they partially had to run over uncovered/unprotected area to get to. Well, the commanded time of attack was almost reached while my grands group haven´t yet reached their attack position. But the Lt. launched the attack anyways and thereby alerted the enemy. They spotted the group of my grandpa and started attacking them from inside the structure by launching grenades with light mortars or so. My grandfather was hit by a shrapnel in his right lower leg but could still walk. While the other men of his group where ripped apart right in front of his eyes, he said with tears in his eyes.
In the end, they who were left and survived met inside the court of this farm building. The Lt. was standing there and waiting and as he saw him and some others that may have suffered the same problem he said: 'Why are you still alife? You should have died there in honor to cover my attack!'
My grandfather was known as a hotshot so he grabed his knife and wanted to kill his Lt. but was held back by two or three of the remaining comrades.
The place was somewhere in what is now the Czech Republik. I think a few days later my grandfather deserted back home, which was in Hungaria near Budapest were his wife brought my mother to life in May 1944 having my uncle and my aunt beside her and another girl that sadely didn´t survive. After the surrender of the German Reich, the so called 'Donauschwaben' (Donau-Swabian-people), which my family belonged to, were expelled from their properties they had since the 17. century. So everything he was fighting for was gone. They were brought to Germany by train where he started a new life with all that was left - his beloved family. From that point on everything finally came to a good. He died in 1986.
Thank you for reading also a part of my personal history.
I was born in 1973, meanwhile father of two kids, never was in the military but still have the feeling, that there´s something sleeping inside me (as Duke Leto Atreides in 'DUNE' said to his son) - 'The sleeper must awaken!'. But I´m not sure yet if that was a good idea. I often ask myself why I´m so interested in military matters.
Take care all of you and keep in mind that those old guys around you often have an interesting history. Ask them about it, as long as they are alife. Maybe there´s something to learn. Peace to all of us.
im a 20 year old aussie boy, this makes me sad man, how i perceive the length of my life right now is the same as how these 18, 19, 20 year old American lads would of. crazy.
great videos, thank you
Glad you like them!
Wait, so you're telling me that someone just took a SUPER important and historically significant spot and just tossed a single-wide in front of it??? WTH!?!?
Yeah. My thoughts exactly.
I read Heinrich Severloh's book, he claims to have fired 12,000 rounds from the MG 42 and hundreds of rounds from his rifle, he was taken as a POW and shipped to the USA and worked on farms around the South until after the war...
Yes. I wish that I would have included that when I was filming. Thanks for adding that.
@@TheHistoryUnderground I went on the Band of Brothers Tour in 2018 with Stephen Ambrose Historical Tours, it was great, we spent a couple of hours at WN 62 and the surrounding area.
Stephen Manuel - I’ve heard good things about that tour.
If he had that view from that vantagepoint he def would of inflicted alot of damage and had alot of casulaties but i think when your a machine gunner your not really counting cuz your fireing back and forth thousands of rounds.
...... Who knows what the # really is. But i think maybe around 500 sounds decent between the time landing craft dropped there doors to when he got captured
My grandpa was killed by mortar/artillery round on Omaha beach , he is the bravest man I never met
Love your videos, and I'm loving your Normandy trip.
I need to ask, exactly what is considered a "casualty" for the sake of this video? Heinrich Severloh definitely did not kill 2,000 men, but pumping lead from an MG42 for 3+ hours at men disgorging from landing craft and bunched up on the beach he may very well have killed hundreds and wounded many hundreds more. I doubt that he was keeping an accurate count.
A gunner in this position with men feeding him ammo belts and fresh barrels could shoot a lot of men crossing that open beach with an MG42, especially as they are bunched up leaving the landing craft. I don't know the story of Severloh, but if he survived, his position was obviously secure enough to be in action for quite some time. Secure enough for him to withdraw rather than be captured or killed. Exact numbers are not as important as his actions. If Heinrich Severloh was in fact a machine gunner at this position, and he along with his comrades secured this forward position for hours on D-Day, then unquestionably there were hundreds and hundreds of brave Americans cut down on the beach right there. Many by this man. War is a brutal business. I don't know for certain, but I don't think a soldier brags about this duty on D-Day.
Lovely looking beach water so beautiful blue/green so peaceful You'd love to walk along it with your dogs splashing throu the surf Hard to think of the carnage there in 1944 all those poor boys suffering and dieing there Bless them . How they suffered for us How ungratful so many people are
Been there last summer, very sobering as you say. Great videos and narration
Glad you enjoyed it. Hope that it helps people to remember.
Simply amazing
Thank you! Cheers!
I really enjoy your in depth coverage of DD Normandy. ❤️
Great video! Are these protected lands by the French government like American battlefields?
Thanks! I know that Pointe du Hoc and the cemeteries are run by the American Battle Monuments Commission but I’m not sure who owns and operates the others. Like you see in the video, one of the German bunkers is privately owned and has a trailer sitting in front of it, which is a shame to me.
The History Underground
Hi from France!
I think that a privately owned bunker is more preserved than one with public access. You have to know that in France, when you are the owner of a listed monument you have rules to respect, and special regulations. You can not do what you want, destroy or modify the monument. The real shame for me is when I see tags and deterioration on other bunkers, with public access.
I think Utah Beach is
Some very interesting psychological studies came out of World War II..
The American Military conducted interviews following the war and had similar findings from both Allied and axis troops
They found that only around 20% were shooting at the enemy . And only 2% of the troops were shooting to kill..
Following World War II the US changed its training the circled was no longer used for target practice but a human silhouette.
And much more time was spent at the range firing at human silhouettes.
To Vietnam and Korea these percentages jumped significantly
50% shooting at the enemy 30 + percent shooting the kill...
By Desert Storm 95% of the troops were shooting at the enemy 90% were shooting to kill..
So when you look at back at World War II
You're viewing it through Modern Eyes where 95% are shooting at the enemy..
WW2 reality only about 20% of the troops were taking those shots .
As far as Heinrich spending 9 hours on an mg42 close to 12 thousand rounds your going to do a lot of damage..
It all didn't matter he was forced to flee his position..
It seems like I came across that data before in the book "On Killing". Pretty interesting to see the change over time. Thanks for that perspective!
Very well done and interesting video. Liked the Heinrich story. The mobile home in front of the casement looked totally out of place on such a beautiful and historic beach front. Seems intentional rather than random placement as if hiding the casement.
Yeah, the placement almost seemed spiteful in a way. Thanks for the kind words!
I have his book too, it was a must have in my ww2 book collection, still have to read it though. It might be true what you said on option 3. But think of it. Americans come ashore, you're sitting there with the MG42, the ramps of the boats open and you open fire. Most higgins had +- 40 ppl on board. It was Omaha beach so Severloh would have been provided an absolute ton of Ammo. It could be plausible he killed hundreds of them. Nonetheless i don't think he ever slept a day in the rest of his life in peace. Soldiers doing what they had to do. Different times!
Yes I'm sure he suffered badly for the rest of his life, how could He not.
A view from the UK. If viewers read my post on episode 46 you will understand why the Engineers have been given their own memorial. Thankyou guys for your sacrifice.
👍🏻
I would say it was option number three. We could never know the true numbers he killed, but it would be easy to misjudge, in the complete chaos of that day. When he expended over 10'000 rounds of ammunition i believe it was, until way into the afternoon, it is possible from his position he could have killed hundreds.
They sure treat beach front property different from us in the U.S
Love ur vids
Thanks! Appreciate that. I love putting them together.
This was yet another GREAT video. You are really making quality videos. We always look forward to seeing your historic videos. Thankyou ☺☺
Pamela Kern - Thanks! Really appreciate you all watching.