Wongus Blongus the years from 1909 to 1962 need to really be researched and covered about this time in history.There is SO much worldwide information during this time that is glossed over it is unimaginable.
@@insideoutsideupsidedown2218 it sucks but there is just not enough time to teach kids all of recorded history in any real detail. and not many kids care.....
Yes it is, you just have to go to college, take history classes and specifically focus on WW2. There's simply too much knowledge for one year or even several on WW2 alone.
this explains that bit in band of brothers where theyre manning a checkpoint after the surrender with a US soldier and the feldgendarmerie guy that survived two world wars
Though it may sound strange, this was not all that unusual. After the Japanese surrender, the British in Burma, without enough troops to maintain order, employed squads of armed Japanese troops under the command of a British NCO for security/police duties. The Japanese soldiers, whatever else they may have been, were highly disciplined, so when they received orders from their superiors to surrender and cooperate, they did exactly that. Truth really can be stranger than fiction.
That is true. My Granddad was in the Dutch colonial Army in Indonesia right after WW2 ended. This army had been hastily put together after Japan's defeat because it was feared that the Indonesians nationalists would seize power during since there was no effective government for a while. Almost immediately after the surrender, the Nationalists had started attacking the Dutch and loyal Indonesian civilian population. The ragtag army consisted of Dutch troops that had been shipped from the home country, Dutch colonial troops that had only just been liberated from Japanese POW camps, British army and navy units and surrendered Japanese units. Hundreds of Japanese troops were killed in action in 1945 and even 1946 protecting these civilians from the Indonesian nationalists. They were indeed highly disciplined and redeemed themselves by their service.
@@lucas82 Nothing to be proud of son ... Netherlands was a loser country and a rapid NAzi and Hitler worshiping country ... just goes to show the attitude of the Allies .... bringing *Repression* and *Slavery* back to the rest of the World after WW2 ...
@@Hero.Lone-Wolf The local nationalists were usually far worse to any member of the local population not part of their own group (all christians, molukkans, etc. in the new 'Indonesia' for instance were targets for the nationalists in terror campaign) or in some of the more extreme nationalist groups, they used slavery yes. The allies on the other hand did not, as they'd done away with that over a century previous for most of them, and were usually the ones to locally stop the practice when colonizing, as the locals usually kept it around for cultural reason long after the economic benefits had waned.
@@wouterkessel4852 Its their country not yours ... Dutch/French/Americans were had no problems in century of massacres and slavery to those very people that they ruled ... your are merely pointing fingers at others to justify your own behaviors ..
I had a friend who had been in the luftwaffe. After he was captured (end of war) and was a pow, it became known that he spoke pretty good English. He was then hired to help the allies root out violent roving gangs of displaced persons. They gave him a machine gun which is pretty crazy! Actually there is a book about him called "Donkey Galloping out of Hell." He had an amazing life. RIP Jack.
Your recollection goes a long way to prove the futility of war let alone the danger of extreme ideologies may it be left or right ,thank you for sharing.
Not every German soilder was a Nazi. To me those who volunteered to help rebuild their country shows alot the world should look at and learn from now. Thanks for the videos, Keep up the great work
That's the great irony ,the large majority of Germans were very law abiding citizens a large amount of allied soldiers preferred them to the French etc.
The Germans never wanted war with the British and French! Their focus was on defeating Communism! But the British and French declared war on Germany (not vice-versa). So basically, what the German army was doing after the war, they could have been doing 5 years earlier! The Western Allies could have prevented millions of causalities by Allying with the Germans to destroy the Reds!
Suprised you dont know nothing about this then, thought everyone knew this. Who you think were mostly generals and officers in west german armed forced after this?
With everything that happened from 1931(the invasion of Manchuria by Japan), until 1989/90-93(the fall of the Berlin wall and the reunification of Germany, and the Freedom of Poland) when the war finally finished, there’s so many things that you could read about(and each story has at least two sides to it), that you would be lucky to be able to read about more than a few percent of the stories, about what happened............. And anyone who pretends that they know it all(especially if they try to belittle your honesty), is obviously a childish and contemptible tit, and is only worth ignoring, because even Dr Mark Felton wouldn’t make such a stupid broadly hinted at pretentious claim............. Keep on keeping on, especially when you are learning new things, because that’s a good thing, with such a wide and varied subject like the Second World War.............
@@norrinradd3549 I agree. Wel said. Some comments are idiotic. But maybe they are idiots looking for the truth. They just need time. Like a seedling! lol
And thats a shame isn't it? Honestly think that if Mark's videos were required viewing, so many kids would be more interested in History. The videos are not too long, they have great footage as a visual, snf they are interesting to everyone
@@jeremy28135 Absolutely agree! Very sad that this has been buried from the sanitized historical record just because of political convenience. And yeah, Dr. Felton's videos are truly sublime, learn much from then and they're very interesting!
@@punishedvenomsnake716 No it hasn't. If you're talking about High School history, there's simply too much information for any class to cover in this level of detail.
Yet this was/is commonly known by military history buffs. Nothing was buried as some are suggesting. Text books did not cover it because they have limited space.
The coalition in the Iraq War needed to remember this part of history after invading Iraq. The Iraqi surrender was complete but disordered, so soldiers simply left their weapons in unguarded piles at depots and bases, or deserted and went home with their guns. The coalition could've kept some disarmed or lightly armed Iraqi divisions intact to guard bases, prevent looting, clear mines, repair damage, and keep order in general. It could've even formed a starting point for the post-Saddam Iraqi military. Or just remembered Vietnam and not invaded in the first place.
I heard they did have some former Iraqi army working with the US. Most of the current Iraqi army today were the same guys during the invasion. And in terms of Vietnam, we didn't "invade" the north so I don't know what you're on about with that one.
Yes. A big failure on the part of Coalition planners. They immediately disbanded the Iraqi military, and stopped all their pay. So, most just went home, with some taking weapons etc. to sell on the Black Market for food for themselves and their families.
Quite impressive. As a German, I previously never heard about the late 1946 surrender of last units from the Wehrmacht or Luftwaffe. Thank you for all your videos, they're always so well researched, unpolitical and historically interesting.
I would be a lot more impressed if he were not so busy censoring posts, and deleting posts that provide evidence that draws doubts against his own posts.
This video gives the impression that the German troops after unconditional surrender were treated not just fair but even friendly. Just some tenthousands were. But hunderdthousands died in western war prisoner camps. They even were not allowed to have barracks or additional food the local population brought to the Prisoner camps. They were not recognized POWs by Eisenhower and therefore not under protection of the international law. Survivors from Remagen or Bretzenheim told how the
@@rudolfkraffzick642 These camps were known as "Eisenhauer Camps". It is estimated that around 1.5 million German POW's died from starvation and exposure in these camps. This is in addition to the unknown number who were shipped to Russia as slave labor, and never seen again. This was with the agreement and complicity of the Allies, in accordance with the Yalta agreement.
My grandfather was a pilot in the Luftwaffe, after the surrender the Americans offered him a to work for them as a transport pilot in the Pazifik Theater.
I can't tell you how much I appreciate these history lesson videos! I am the son of a WW2 veteran who fought in North Africa. My father never would talk about the war much until he got older and his health started to decline. When he needed medical treatment he always used the Veterans Hospital and enjoyed talking to the other WW2 vets. It was like he was in his element there. He passed away in 1999.
he defeated the wrong enemy, that's why he was reluctant to talk about it. deep down inside he knew him and his buddies made a huge mistake. now a great civilization is lost
The lucky ones like my uncle were in post war Berlin with millions of young man less females that were starving. Two cigarettes and you got her for the night. Cigarettes and canned goods was like currency and the women throw themselves at the Americans.
@@willchill1956 Thats lucky? Taking advantage of wretched beaten people who are just trying to survive? I hope that I wouldnt have been tempted to behave like that.Some example we would be setting for the young people. We ruined Germany.Its nothing but the 51st state now Beautiful picturesque towns are defiled with Americana , like Maconalds and Pizza Hut.The German Cultutre has been destroyed. But we are getting payback now.
I wonder how this compares to how the Soviets managed former German armed forces in their zone / Eastern Germany. I suspect it was quite different. The pragmatic approach of the western allies is a big reason why West Germany recovered so quickly as compared to East Germany.
Are you ignoring the decimation of the Soviet population during the war? Did you expect the Soviets to share their expertise & meagre rations with "the enemy"?
"Ok guys, either you can go sit in camps for a few years or you can choose to follow US commanders and help to rebuild your country after 6 years of war." I think it would've been an easy choice for most.
Needed some support because was bored but this! THIS MAKES ME HAPPY AND EXCITED JUST BECAUSE I LOVE YOUR CHANNEL MAN! everytime you post i yell with joy!
Huh, never thought I'd see my own village in this video! (Baambrugge, Netherlands.) 0:00 - 0:13 and 0:36 - 0:50 My dad used to own that white building at 0:36, the one on the right, it was (and still is under new ownership) a snackbar (chips shop) (Not in this time period though, in the near future). Fun fact, that building to the far right used to be a shop where u could buy rugs etc. Heared a story from my dad that there used to live nearly 8 people in that building and still have pictures of this myself. (From the 60's+)
Being 93 I its amazing I still get shivers watching Jerry go by. they are imposing to look at it but it was all hype. All I know for friends who fought them are long since departed. A sniper took out my best friend with a round to his face right in front of me and i still wake some nights crying at his memory. Canada never lost a War and only one other country can boats that...but I'm not bragging cause I feel like I lost a lot. Good footage....makes the hair on my neck stand even to this day. I will subscribe because so few channels promote true historic events that everyone has forgotten about but your forages on much like I did in battle. Cancer has me now and I have not much time left but thank you Mark Felton for what you do...its more than you know. Peace.
Thanks for your service. My dad fought in WWI, nine battle stars, 5 medal clasps. Chateau Thierry, Belleau Wood, Soissons, Meuse Argonne, Second Argonne, Mont Blanc.....Can't remember the rest. He was sixteen when he arrived in France, 1917.
When I was growing up on US military bases in Japan, most Japanese male civilian employees were ex soldiers. In 1974 my supervisor at my summer job was a ex IJN pilot. He was happy Japan had lost since he had been slated for kamikaze duty.
@@theultimategamer8537 Not sure. Most kamikaze pilots were conscripted out of universities, only med students were exempt. Sakuma-san, my supervisor, was such a jovial guy I can't imagine he would volunteer.
I'm reminded of the final episode of _Band of Brothers_ where Tom Hardy's character is working a road checkpoint with a Feldgendarmerie (I believe) Hauptfeldwebel.
@Pedro Kantor - They only lost because the whole freakin' world ganged up on them. Easy to say things about the World War, Part 2. It hasn't really been taught to the present generation. It has been "explained" by propaganda for over 75 years. There's still some of those men alive, but they're all mostly at rest, and so they don't have to worry about what their feckless kids are doing to the world. Fortune passes everywhere.
@@DavidSmith-ss1cg Even if they were to supposedly fight only the Soviets, they would still lose. By June 1944, the Soviets were already on their way to Berlin, D-Day just making that trip faster. So no, Germany would have lost either way.
I am German. From my perspective, the british and american Armys were good / fair winners. They helped us a lot to rebuild. Of course we had to pay repairs, war crimes happened on every side. But at the end, you can get worse enemies those days. They reached out their hands, after all those killing.
"They helped us a lot to rebuild." Yeah, the Marshall plan. Initially they intended to completely destroy the German economy so that "it could never wage war again" but then they realized Europe needed Germany industry in order to be rebuilt, so the Marshall plan was conceived (with terms).
My friend's dad was an Army Scout across France and into Germany. He crossed the Ramagen Bridge and watched Patton cross from his OP. At begging of occupation he said that his HQ employed German messengers in their war time uniforms and driving Opel Cars.
Tim McCoy wife's account. My late father in law was at Remagen too Third tank across . He witnessed Hitler throwing everything rockets,bomb, jets at the bridge even V-2s...
@@smoul4556 - WWII German and Italian POWs were brought here in N W Ohio USA and allowed to work on our farms owned by Americans of German ancestry and have good food and Italian POWs went to dances here and met American girls of Italian/Sicilian ancestry and later married them...
I really appreciate your work and your videos, Prof. Felton. I am german and I have served in the U.S. Army (as a 13B) for a short period of time and did 12 years in the German Bundeswehr. This particular video is just another example of your ability to cover historical topics and issues, which one never even hears of in the mainstream media, in a truly inspiring manner. Keep it up, Sir!
My uncle was captured at Al emayne North Africa and transferred to Canada. When the war finished he was kept on to work on farms in England Leicestershire where he met a English girl and later they married he stayed in Britain.
Also, WWII German and Italian POWs were brought here in N W Ohio USA and allowed to work on our farms owned by Americans of German ancestry and have good food and Italian POWs went to dances here and met American girls of Italian/Sicilian ancestry and later married them... stayed here...
Outstanding history, Mark! My mother, a Dutch citizen, Recoiled at the sight of armed German troops and confronted my father (US Army Air Forces) over it. This video confirms her memories unlike any other history available. My humble thanks.
Great content, I recall in 1988 at RAF wildenrath we had German labour mainly working in the forest with their own accommodation and own GSO canteen which we all went to on a regular basis , massive hall loads of beer and food family orientated, a real family place. Some of these guys were 70 to 80yrs old, when working some still wore old german uniform. It struck home one day when I entered their home/acommodation on an official basis to see regimental paintings and wall art, they were still proud and they were still respected but forgotten, they were all single old guys seeing out their lives. I respectfully remember them.
And this here is absolutely completely new to me. I am in my 20s from Michigan. I am looking to possibly move to Germany, as I am partially German. I love understanding as much about its history and western Europe as possible from this time period. This has all interested me so much, but I’ve been that way since I was 10 to 12 or so. Thank you. This was another cool one.
If you know German, I would recommend 'Deutsche Opfer' by Franz Seidler. It covers a lot about German civilians and soldiers after the war. And as for English books, James Bacque has some good ones, like Other Losses and Crimes and Mercies.
On a related note, Michigan (and plenty of other states) had German POW camps during WW2. The prisoners were, in accordance with the Geneva Convention, given the same living standards as our own soldiers. They were used for farm labor, and were paid a small wage (in credits) that they could use for cigarettes/etc.
However, yes, I was also familiar with how they touched on this with the ending of Band of Brothers at the intersection directing traffic, doing these duties you speak of. I remember the German soldier saying, "This is the end of my second war."
You might want to visit Germany first before you decide to move there. Many of the things you’re accustomed to in America might not exist or be quite different than what you’re used to.
Kyle Donahue hey man. That I am aware of and I have been there. I was there for almost 2 weeks in multiple cities in 2017 in the summer. I’m also fluent in the virtually fluent language as well. I know what you are saying is always a good thing to consider, and that I understand. And I don’t mean just casually fluent, like people throwing around that word, but rather I mean I can understand and speak the language. I love the language and understand the culture decently, as I’ve studied it a lot and know there are always positives and negatives and some different bureaucracy, and social virtues etc.
There's a scene in one of the last episodes of Band of Brothers in which one of the brothers has conversation with a member of the Feldgendarmerie while they direct traffic, assist a wounded soldier and respond to a traffic accident. The German is wearing that gorget and I remember wondering what the significance of the emblem was. Now I know
I was thinking to the very same scene in Band of Brothers... ;-) the german soldier (very relaxed...) explains his war stories to a G.I... now I know the story behind this scene. Woul be interesting to know if the screenplayers wrote the scene referring to the story explained by Mark Felton or just referring to war memeories... probably both
In 1945 my Dad was a Squadron Leader in the RAF out in the Far East. After the Japanese surrender the RAF used some Japanese pilots to fly transports, the joke being that they were possibly Kamikaze. Anyway, he survived every trip.
Stay safe down there, we in California just now getting over the first round of fires and bad air! Mark Felton is a treasure of entertainment and knowledge.
During the planning stages for the invasion of Iraq, a proposal was put forth to have the Iraq Army Divisions contacted by Email, told to stand down, but patrol and protect oil wells and pipelines, and the US Army would pay the Iraqi troops back pay. It wasn't adopted.
The short answer is that the Iraqis aren’t Germans or for that matter Japanese. Although the Baath ideology on many streaks correspondent with the Nazi ideas their whole outlook and backwardness make it totally different.
@@kjeldhesselmann That is a cop out - if that were the case, then it was even more important to keep them employed and out of trouble under US leadership.
I can confirm that. My father, (1920-2006), an officer of the German Air Force and interned in the Koblenz Rhine meadow camp, told me exactly that: Everyone would have marched with the Americans against the Soviets. They had had enough of one dictatorship and would have been grateful, along with the Americans, to defeat the other monster Stalin together with the Allies.
The U S actually looked into the legality of offering German POWS the opportunity to fight in the Pacific. The idea was dropped because of too numerous legal obstacles. The US was expecting massive casualties during the planned invasion of Japan in November 1945.
I wish i could go back to school if you were a history teacher there haha. I love your vids and the quality, information and research done never ceases to amaze me.
This clip help explains why the occupation of Germany succeeded and that of Iraq failed. The same explanation is found in Machiavelli's "The Prince" where he discusses why Alexander's conquest of Persia succeeded so quickly and seamlessly. After cutting off the head, you leave the remaining administrative and military infrastructure in tact. On the contrary, Machiavelli warned that destroying your enemy's entire system and starting from scratch (i.e. disbanding the Iraqi army) would lead to failure - which is exactly what the U.S. did in Iraq - and why it failed.
I agree but there's another major set of details why the occupation of Germany went well. Some aren't going to like what I say, so here it goes. Germany just fought WWII with millions upon millions dead. The military had been shattered with huge casualties and even more as POWs out West or worse, out East under the Soviets. Germany endured years of war with its cities being bombed and many civilians getting killed. Cities were in ruins. The country was in ruins. Germany was devastated after years of war with many killed, missing, and as prisoners. I think they were just sick and tired of the horrors of war and didn't want any more problems. They just wanted to go home, rebuild, and try to get on with their lives. Another big plus for the Western Allied occupation of Germany was I think, the Germans out there would rather be under their occupation than the Soviets. Remember during the close of the war, huge swathes of refugees were fleeing the Red Army out of fear of reprisals and trying to surrender to the Western Allies. The campaign to take over Iraq was nothing like that. The country was intact and the population never had to endure the horrors Germany endured leading into defeat. Putting a bunch of Iraqi soldiers out of work so suddenly I felt even back then of "Mission Accomplished," was really over optimistic and really stupid. Should have kept a good part of the military in employment, the government intact, keep the system working, but tweaked to what the US wanted. The occupation of Iraq was so bungled that it's embarrassing.
@@Warmaker01 Ah no. The issue is getting troops who know where their bread is buttered to cooperate, you don't need the Soviets for that, especially when Jihadists are an ever-present threat. And frankly, the Germans would have been just as cooperative if the Saarland Offensive in 1939 had been pushed and the Entente followed similar policies. Hitler in 1939 was popular enough not to want to risk your life to dethrone, but not popular enough to remember fondly. The invasion of Poland was NOT popular in Germany and Hitler was, despite all bribes seriously distrusted in the officer corps.
The occupation of Iraq failed because the state department personal (or at least the mediocre or completely unqualified personal, credentials being or voting Republican) read books on the occupation of Germany and Japan on their flight to Baghdad, and not on the history and culture of Iraq. Galbraith, The End of Iraq
Great historical research Mark! I did a modern history degree when I was young. The first thing one of the lecturers said was forget everything you learned in high school text books. He added that you will learn to research, and then research some more. Your research is of a high calibre and much appreciated. The level of detail you have presented shows that the objective reality was much more complicated that that taught to school children. Well done.
I knew Germans were used as Allied Auxiliaries in Occupied Germany. However I had no idea some of them were also used in other countries to assist local authorities in dealing with demobilizing former German occupation forces. Comes off as a surprise for sure.
I guess the standard of the surrendered troops was different though. was easier taking decently educated, also western people and getting them to help rebuild their country after years of horror vs taking poorly educated people and as total foreigners getting them to help rebuild a country when most units saw maybe a fight or two. Still, making a bunch of soldiers unemployed is a mistake, one that were still living with
@@Max-hw7xl Nothing to do with their education level or being Western -- the British employed Japanese troops after the surrender as police to good effect. The disbanding of the Iraqi Army was a blunder so big, it defies logic. Almost makes one think it was done purposely, so as to create chaos that would require further US presence, and maybe even a pretense for seizing more Iraqi assets... Never mind that US soldiers would pay with their lives, as long as Halliburton got those no-bid contracts.
@@Max-hw7xl Frankly my friend, you're talking out your ass and have some serious misconceptions about the middle east. They only became poorly educated after the west bombed them to dust. Under saddam education was free to all students and life was stable enough to be able to get sent to school. Now a trip to school may see a bomb go off, a suicide bombing, a fundamentalist harassing you because you're a woman trying to get an education etc... Just do a quick bit of research of life under saddam. his 2 main education campaigns were "National Campaign for the Eradication of Illiteracy" and "Compulsory Free Education in Iraq". Also if you were a soldier you and your entire family were provided these services. This didn't just and at education too, it also extended to healthcare. I'll end with a quote from wikipedia. " Iraq created one of the most modernized public-health systems in the Middle East, earning Saddam an award from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization" Frankly, I expected much better research skills from a Mark Felton fan...
Turns out having a bunch of healthy, fit, and useful 20-30 year olds being given a purpose (rebuilding a nation) is a much better use of resources than allowing them to sit around listless, broke, unemployed, and getting angrier by the day.
My grandpa was English and French teacher before war in Germany. So during the war he was in the kriegsmarine as a translator for the message the kriegsmarine intercepted from the allies. At nearly the end of the war he was captured by the French army and sent to France . Some months later some us army officers picked him up to translate the archive taken from the nazis he was considered as an officer (that’s what he was in the kriegsmarine as leutnant sur see) he ate at the mess with the other us officers and had the treatment as them. And most surprising it was in the eighties he received a letter from the us army “sir you’ve worked x months for the us you have not asserted your pension rights so we will send it to you please give us your Iban “ so 40 years after the end of war he received a descent sum of money and about 40 dollars a month till the end
Dude why are people paying so much money in taxes to pay for crap schools that don’t even get close to the production level of my boy Mark? Keep it up. My brain is nine times bigger thanx to you
Growing up in the sixties and seventies, I watched every war movie and documentary on World War Two, but never did any of them go into the detail that you have done. Some of this history was never mentioned, and most likely was intentionally left out on purpose, being that it has to do with the Axis powers, and I live in the U.S. Keep up the good work!
American Army 1945: we know we've been fighting these guys and how bad the regime they were fighting for was, but we need to maintain order and ensure a safe transition of power. So let's keep some operational. American Army 2003: YEEEEEHAW! DISBAND THIS HERE GAWD DAYUM EYE-RACKEE ARMY! GET RIDDA ALL OF 'EM! THERE WON'T BE NO PROBLEMS CUZ I SAY THERE WON'T!!!
yeah no they didnt operate that with those who cooperated, mainly only the republicam army that fought, most of the iraqi army under saddam surrender as it was not there war
You might want to look a little closer at what really happened. USSR had plans to conquer all Europe drawn up by the late 30s. The western armies only stayed there in order to stop that. Why i will never know as the allies were owned by the same people that were running the USSR at that time.
Mark, I really appreciate your videos. This was extremely interesting. A peculiar matter of trust. This speaks well of both the Germans and the western allies.
@@maximilianolimamoreira5002 Czechs heard the same and Romania(the soviets annexed Moldova before Rom joined axis) and Ethiopia, always an excuse, and these failures allowed the Germans to isolate Allied nations like Norway and Poland one by one
@@maximilianolimamoreira5002 It was the British warmongers who incited Poles further to get Germany to attack. There were seriously Polish leaders who dreamed of taking German-Polish lands up to Berlin, and it is seen in books, posters, etc of the time, in the Polish language. And it is well documented that Germans in Poland were being abused, murdered and even mutilated since 1918 until even after the war. Sadly, Poland trusted English and French help, despite the fact that France was literally prepared for a defensive war and couldn't defeat Germany before Poland were to fall. The English and French knew that full well. Or are we forgetting about the whole Maginot line here? If if was all about protecting Poland, then the English and French should have declared war on the Soviets too. But no, it was about destroying a Germany that stopped paying international finance. That is why all of Poland was given over to the Soviets after the war, who had already murdered more before the war began than we Germans murdered or allegedly murdered during the entire 12 years of National Socialism.
Those 'noble' allies took issue with the German invasion of Poland but played deaf, dumb and blind when it came to the Soviet invasion of the same country two weeks later.
I believe that the way the Germans being employed after the war was the wises methods used , it gave the German population a completely surprising and different out look than what they were expecting , iv’e met a good number of ex- soldiers from the war and became friends with some of them , they all had the same attitude towards the way they were treated days after the war ended .with in weeks every one wanted to be involved but made it quite clear that they wanted nothing to do with the SS , after a couple of years i had a completely different mind set about the germans , and after eight years in Germany i loved the country and the people , the best years of my life .As for east Germany it still looked like 1945 only we seen it in 1979 .
Fun fact: Kessel = Cauldron (like Kessel von Stalingrad = Stalingrad Cauldron) Ring = ring Kesselring = Cauldron ring So Kesselring is just happy not to die in a Kesselring.
Mark, THANK YOU so much. I have become a fan. I write this brief note: I am pensioned and cannot afford to be a patron for you. I am so sorry. I urge those that can, please support Mr. Felton's productions. Mr. Felton delivers a remarkable and sincere view of the great war. THANK YOU again, Mr Felton.
The single most important lesson NOT taught, German troops, police, administrators, were essential in rebuilding and debriefing what was. My Father, fought the Germans, then administered their rebuild in 48'. He spoke well of the Burgermeisters, (mayors), and police forces and German soldiers whom he had command authority over. The lesson was lost to Rummy Rumsfeld and President Cheney after the Iraq war. Debrief, maintain chain of command and utilize the forces you have taken to operate society. Keep them in uniform and paid. Put them to work. Cheers,
The US should have implemented these tactics after the invasion of Iraq. De-mobilizing and repurposing forces smartly can help ensure peace and less chaos. by allowing the defeated forces to keep face and stay busy.
It only works if the defeated force is willing to surrender to you instead of fading away into the civilian populace. WW2 and the wars in Iraq aren’t really comparable.
otter sir otten That’s literally what went down in Iraq in 2003. Entire Iraqi military units just disintegrated into the civilian population and various extremist groups formed from these former soldiers.
This is the gritty details you would wonder about but never know. Now we do! Sir. your channel Is So invaluable.. I cant Thank You enough! absolutely Fascinating
I've been fascinated by History since I can remember and love these videos. My duty station in the Army was in Furth, Germany just outside Nuremberg. Thank you for these videos!
I love WW2 military history and was brought up on war stories from my dad and uncles who served during that time so I love Marks channels. I was lucky to have met many Normandy veterans as I was invited to photograph and video their get togethers and marches before the movement was disbanded and was enthralled by their stories, not of heroism but of comradeship. I am pretty well read on the subject but must say I always learn something new and different from Mark. He should be on the history channel as he is so different to the other historians that by and large are very similar to each other telling the same stories with the same film and photos over and over again.
Those Officers were probably surprised the humanity of the allies . The German POW s probably didn't care what they did for they were alive. I am surprised how organized it all became together post war Great work. Thank you. I continue to learn from your videos
The more of Mark's videos I watch the more I realize how little I know about WW2. For almost 20 years I read about WW2 and other conflicts almost exclusively. How could I of missed so much G2? Again it behooves me to thank you sir. Perhaps it's time I start reading again starting with Mark's books.
Brilliant insight as ever Mark - I remember reading that some German soldiers were also forced to clear minefields after the war. A Danish movie called Land of Mine, released in 2015, follows the story and is harrowing but brilliant. The allies claimed the Germans were “disarmed forces who had surrendered unconditionally” and were not POWs and therefore not afforded the protections afforded unto them as such under the Geneva Convention. That might make for a good episode too!
Yes, an interesting and sad story. There's a naval equivalent, the German Mine Sweeping Administration, another German uniformed service under British control, later a civilian agency.
My dad talked about working with these German MPs in 1945 and 46. He had been a combat MP throughout the war. I wondered if he was somehow misremembering things. Now I know he was not.
In Norway, the entire German armed forces continued under their own leadership, from army high command downwards, in fact, the 20th Mountain Army's staff and headquarters was only dissolved in late Oct.45 as there was no longer enough German troops left in the country by that time to justify an army command. They were responsible for their own discipline, logistics and administration, taking orders from the allies through a system of liaison officers and chains of command. Promotions and awards of decorations continued, for example the award of the Iron Cross for mine clearing and the Lappland campaign Shield, only awarded from the 1 July 45 onwards. One comment about the removal of swastikas from uniforms and decorations. There was one exception, the Iron Cross, which the allies exempted from de-nazifiaction.
I read about some of the various volunteer/conscript foreign SS units that held out in Berlin up to a month after the formal surrender. Most knew their fate if they surrendered and were shipped home to Russia, France, Netherlands, Denmark and Norway etc. So they just fought to the death on their terms. Why not right?
One Wehrmacht Security Detachment worked at the Nuremberg War Trials. Another Kreigsmarine detail help sail the Prinz Eugen from Scapa Flow to the Brooklyn Naval shipyard then through the Panama Canal to the Bikini Atomic Bomb tests in 1946.
The courage of the German soldiers was called "feldgendarmerie". There were no pictures of the poor German people and soldiers hanged by the "feldgendarmerie".
@EpsteinsPlasticSurgeon -- Germany attacked the Soviet Union without warning. Germany declared war on the U.S. before the U.S. did so on Germany. Britain and France declared war on Germany only after Germany invaded Poland. Let's hear no more of this 'Germany was innocent' Bovine Scatology.
Not even a quarter of this Second World war history is covered in textbooks. Keep up the great work Mark!
Wongus Blongus the years from 1909 to 1962 need to really be researched and covered about this time in history.There is SO much worldwide information during this time that is glossed over it is unimaginable.
@@insideoutsideupsidedown2218 it sucks but there is just not enough time to teach kids all of recorded history in any real detail. and not many kids care.....
As they say, history is written by the victor...
Yes it is, you just have to go to college, take history classes and specifically focus on WW2. There's simply too much knowledge for one year or even several on WW2 alone.
@@insideoutsideupsidedown2218 I know, I wish I was able to cram everything I know about history into one book
A really magnificient video explaining a not so well known part of the History. Thank you very much for posting, mr. Felton
Fascinating, I thank you for your documentary and presentation. Wonderful channel
Another brilliantly informative video. Keep up the excellent work Mark...👍🏻
awesome, Mark
I've never seen any of these photos or videos before, wow!
this explains that bit in band of brothers where theyre manning a checkpoint after the surrender with a US soldier and the feldgendarmerie guy that survived two world wars
@Hans Ivan i know that HBO got the series on there
Hans Ivan you can also watch on amazon prime
I did remember seeing a german feldgendamerie at the last episode of Band of Brothers
Mr. Chuco Marines would disagree who did most of the fighting in the Pacific.
Mr. Chuco never said I didn’t believe it. What I said said was Marines would disagree.
Though it may sound strange, this was not all that unusual. After the Japanese surrender, the British in Burma, without enough troops to maintain order, employed squads of armed Japanese troops under the command of a British NCO for security/police duties. The Japanese soldiers, whatever else they may have been, were highly disciplined, so when they received orders from their superiors to surrender and cooperate, they did exactly that. Truth really can be stranger than fiction.
Yeah, seen it on one of Marks videos a little while ago. Pretty good.
That is true. My Granddad was in the Dutch colonial Army in Indonesia right after WW2 ended. This army had been hastily put together after Japan's defeat because it was feared that the Indonesians nationalists would seize power during since there was no effective government for a while. Almost immediately after the surrender, the Nationalists had started attacking the Dutch and loyal Indonesian civilian population. The ragtag army consisted of Dutch troops that had been shipped from the home country, Dutch colonial troops that had only just been liberated from Japanese POW camps, British army and navy units and surrendered Japanese units. Hundreds of Japanese troops were killed in action in 1945 and even 1946 protecting these civilians from the Indonesian nationalists. They were indeed highly disciplined and redeemed themselves by their service.
@@lucas82 Nothing to be proud of son ... Netherlands was a loser country and a rapid NAzi and Hitler worshiping country ... just goes to show the attitude of the Allies .... bringing *Repression* and *Slavery* back to the rest of the World after WW2 ...
@@Hero.Lone-Wolf The local nationalists were usually far worse to any member of the local population not part of their own group (all christians, molukkans, etc. in the new 'Indonesia' for instance were targets for the nationalists in terror campaign) or in some of the more extreme nationalist groups, they used slavery yes. The allies on the other hand did not, as they'd done away with that over a century previous for most of them, and were usually the ones to locally stop the practice when colonizing, as the locals usually kept it around for cultural reason long after the economic benefits had waned.
@@wouterkessel4852 Its their country not yours ... Dutch/French/Americans were had no problems in century of massacres and slavery to those very people that they ruled ... your are merely pointing fingers at others to justify your own behaviors ..
I had a friend who had been in the luftwaffe. After he was captured (end of war) and was a pow, it became known that he spoke pretty good English. He was then hired to help the allies root out violent roving gangs of displaced persons. They gave him a machine gun which is pretty crazy! Actually there is a book about him called "Donkey Galloping out of Hell." He had an amazing life. RIP Jack.
That's very interesting
Your recollection goes a long way to prove the futility of war let alone the danger of extreme ideologies may it be left or right ,thank you for sharing.
That'll be next on Dr Felton wartime history lesson.😜
Белые жалеют друг друга
wait what??? you're into the battle too??with your friend????but your face looks 20 years old???
Not every German soilder was a Nazi. To me those who volunteered to help rebuild their country shows alot the world should look at and learn from now. Thanks for the videos, Keep up the great work
That's the great irony ,the large majority of Germans were very law abiding citizens a large amount of allied soldiers preferred them to the French etc.
The Germans never wanted war with the British and French! Their focus was on defeating Communism! But the British and French declared war on Germany (not vice-versa). So basically, what the German army was doing after the war, they could have been doing 5 years earlier! The Western Allies could have prevented millions of causalities by Allying with the Germans to destroy the Reds!
I have spent the last 50 years reading about WWII yet you are always coming up with stories that I have never heard about before. Thank you!
Suprised you dont know nothing about this then, thought everyone knew this. Who you think were mostly generals and officers in west german armed forced after this?
@@AndyP998 lol
@@AndyP998
It was the same in the Soviet occupation zone ..
With everything that happened from 1931(the invasion of Manchuria by Japan), until 1989/90-93(the fall of the Berlin wall and the reunification of Germany, and the Freedom of Poland) when the war finally finished, there’s so many things that you could read about(and each story has at least two sides to it), that you would be lucky to be able to read about more than a few percent of the stories, about what happened.............
And anyone who pretends that they know it all(especially if they try to belittle your honesty), is obviously a childish and contemptible tit, and is only worth ignoring, because even Dr Mark Felton wouldn’t make such a stupid broadly hinted at pretentious claim.............
Keep on keeping on, especially when you are learning new things, because that’s a good thing, with such a wide and varied subject like the Second World War.............
@@norrinradd3549 I agree. Wel said. Some comments are idiotic. But maybe they are idiots looking for the truth. They just need time. Like a seedling! lol
You won't see this in most textbooks for sure. Cheers, Dr. Felton! Always look to learn more wit this channel
And thats a shame isn't it? Honestly think that if Mark's videos were required viewing, so many kids would be more interested in History. The videos are not too long, they have great footage as a visual, snf they are interesting to everyone
@@jeremy28135
Absolutely agree! Very sad that this has been buried from the sanitized historical record just because of political convenience.
And yeah, Dr. Felton's videos are truly sublime, learn much from then and they're very interesting!
@@punishedvenomsnake716 No it hasn't. If you're talking about High School history, there's simply too much information for any class to cover in this level of detail.
Why would you need to cover this much detail though?
Yet this was/is commonly known by military history buffs. Nothing was buried as some are suggesting. Text books did not cover it because they have limited space.
Let me introduce you to my "real" history teacher
Never stop learning! Mark is really good.
Behave, read 'other losses'. He didn't mention it, shows how good your teacher is.
Complete whitewash, don't mention Fred leuchter round here.
@@luke8329 wat
Your history teacher forgot to tell you about disarmed enemy forces.
So sad.
@@binnebesling4860 /
The coalition in the Iraq War needed to remember this part of history after invading Iraq. The Iraqi surrender was complete but disordered, so soldiers simply left their weapons in unguarded piles at depots and bases, or deserted and went home with their guns. The coalition could've kept some disarmed or lightly armed Iraqi divisions intact to guard bases, prevent looting, clear mines, repair damage, and keep order in general. It could've even formed a starting point for the post-Saddam Iraqi military.
Or just remembered Vietnam and not invaded in the first place.
US foreign policy suffered massively due to anti-Commie purges in the State Department, usually of Asian born experts who understood Vietnam well...
Spot on. Allegedly, such advice was proffered during the planning stage, but ignored by those making the decisions.
I heard they did have some former Iraqi army working with the US. Most of the current Iraqi army today were the same guys during the invasion. And in terms of Vietnam, we didn't "invade" the north so I don't know what you're on about with that one.
Yes. A big failure on the part of Coalition planners. They immediately disbanded the Iraqi military, and stopped all their pay. So, most just went home, with some taking weapons etc. to sell on the Black Market for food for themselves and their families.
You can blame L. Paul Bremer for that one. Disbanding the Iraqi army was probably the largest mistake the provisional coalition authority made.
Quite impressive. As a German, I previously never heard about the late 1946 surrender of last units from the Wehrmacht or Luftwaffe. Thank you for all your videos, they're always so well researched, unpolitical and historically interesting.
Mark Felton strikes again!
I would be a lot more impressed if he were not so busy censoring posts, and deleting posts that provide evidence that draws doubts against his own posts.
This video gives the impression that the German troops after unconditional surrender were treated not just fair but even friendly. Just some tenthousands were.
But hunderdthousands died in western war prisoner camps. They even were not allowed to have barracks or additional food the local population brought to the
Prisoner camps. They were not recognized POWs by Eisenhower and therefore not under protection of the international law.
Survivors from Remagen or Bretzenheim told how the
@@rudolfkraffzick642 These camps were known as "Eisenhauer Camps".
It is estimated that around 1.5 million German POW's died from starvation and exposure in these camps.
This is in addition to the unknown number who were shipped to Russia as slave labor, and never seen again.
This was with the agreement and complicity of the Allies, in accordance with the Yalta agreement.
My grandfather was a pilot in the Luftwaffe, after the surrender the Americans offered him a to work for them as a transport pilot in the Pazifik Theater.
Very interesting. My grandfather was on a ship in the Pacific, struck by Kamakaze plane. But the ship didn't sink.
Did he accept the offer?
Ja? Das icht gude!
Tell us more about your Grandfather in the war
@@Jack51971 u are a fake german
Posted 12 seconds ago and 50 likes and 9 comments!
Ez
Joke's on you, it's probably early access for supporters.
And now two hours later it's 3,9K likes
British rearmed Japanese troops in Vietnam, too.
@@kabardino1337 or lot's of people who like the video in advance. :)
I can't tell you how much I appreciate these history lesson videos! I am the son of a WW2 veteran who fought in North Africa. My father never would talk about the war much until he got older and his health started to decline. When he needed medical treatment he always used the Veterans Hospital and enjoyed talking to the other WW2 vets. It was like he was in his element there. He passed away in 1999.
may god rest his soul!
he defeated the wrong enemy, that's why he was reluctant to talk about it. deep down inside he knew him and his buddies made a huge mistake. now a great civilization is lost
Imagine how lucky you'd feel to have survived a six year world war.
The lucky ones like my uncle were in post war Berlin with millions of young man less females that were starving. Two cigarettes and you got her for the night. Cigarettes and canned goods was like currency and the women throw themselves at the Americans.
@@willchill1956 call it humain abuse today
@@willchill1956 Thats lucky? Taking advantage of wretched beaten people who are just trying to survive? I hope that I wouldnt have been tempted to behave like that.Some example we would be setting for the young people. We ruined Germany.Its nothing but the 51st state now Beautiful picturesque towns are defiled with Americana , like Maconalds and Pizza Hut.The German Cultutre has been destroyed. But we are getting payback now.
@@willchill1956 Disgusting.
Most of the ones at the end probably weren’t the ones who were at the beginning
I wonder how this compares to how the Soviets managed former German armed forces in their zone / Eastern Germany. I suspect it was quite different. The pragmatic approach of the western allies is a big reason why West Germany recovered so quickly as compared to East Germany.
The Soviets marched all German POWs it had back to Russia to use as slave labor. Most of them died there.
East Germany started its recovery in 1992
Are you ignoring the decimation of the Soviet population during the war? Did you expect the Soviets to share their expertise & meagre rations with "the enemy"?
@@insideoutsideupsidedown2218 Got that right comrade...jejejeje...
East Germoney hasn't recovered until today.
"Ok guys, either you can go sit in camps for a few years or you can choose to follow US commanders and help to rebuild your country after 6 years of war."
I think it would've been an easy choice for most.
It was an easy choice and PATTON was smart enough to see the wisdom!
"And earn some money doing it".
I’m sure they were just grateful the Russians didn’t capture them
Felton has talked those used to clear mines...not such an easy job...
"....and we'll pay and feed you."
Needed some support because was bored but this! THIS MAKES ME HAPPY AND EXCITED JUST BECAUSE I LOVE YOUR CHANNEL MAN! everytime you post i yell with joy!
Huh, never thought I'd see my own village in this video! (Baambrugge, Netherlands.) 0:00 - 0:13 and 0:36 - 0:50 My dad used to own that white building at 0:36, the one on the right, it was (and still is under new ownership) a snackbar (chips shop) (Not in this time period though, in the near future). Fun fact, that building to the far right used to be a shop where u could buy rugs etc. Heared a story from my dad that there used to live nearly 8 people in that building and still have pictures of this myself. (From the 60's+)
very interesting!!!
Very cool.
Being 93 I its amazing I still get shivers watching Jerry go by. they are imposing to look at it but it was all hype. All I know for friends who fought them are long since departed. A sniper took out my best friend with a round to his face right in front of me and i still wake some nights crying at his memory. Canada never lost a War and only one other country can boats that...but I'm not bragging cause I feel like I lost a lot. Good footage....makes the hair on my neck stand even to this day. I will subscribe because so few channels promote true historic events that everyone has forgotten about but your forages on much like I did in battle. Cancer has me now and I have not much time left but thank you Mark Felton for what you do...its more than you know. Peace.
Thanks for your service. My dad fought in WWI, nine battle stars, 5 medal clasps. Chateau Thierry, Belleau Wood, Soissons, Meuse Argonne, Second Argonne, Mont Blanc.....Can't remember the rest. He was sixteen when he arrived in France, 1917.
''We defeated the wrong enemy'' -George S. Patton
Dr Felton has returned from his time machine for some more very knowledgeable history! Well done !
When I was growing up on US military bases in Japan, most Japanese male civilian employees were ex soldiers. In 1974 my supervisor at my summer job was a ex IJN pilot. He was happy Japan had lost since he had been slated for kamikaze duty.
Damn do you know if he was culturally pressured into it or was to forced to
I grew up on Itizuki A.B., Japan.
@@theultimategamer8537 I want to know that too
@@garypulliam3740 Pretty small base. My nephew used to teach motorcycle safety there; before he became a blackhawk mechanic and then pilot.
@@theultimategamer8537 Not sure. Most kamikaze pilots were conscripted out of universities, only med students were exempt. Sakuma-san, my supervisor, was such a jovial guy I can't imagine he would volunteer.
I'm reminded of the final episode of _Band of Brothers_ where Tom Hardy's character is working a road checkpoint with a Feldgendarmerie (I believe) Hauptfeldwebel.
The Germans were only sore losers, the first time around.
@Pedro Kantor - They only lost because the whole freakin' world ganged up on them. Easy to say things about the World War, Part 2. It hasn't really been taught to the present generation. It has been "explained" by propaganda for over 75 years. There's still some of those men alive, but they're all mostly at rest, and so they don't have to worry about what their feckless kids are doing to the world. Fortune passes everywhere.
@@DavidSmith-ss1cg Even if they were to supposedly fight only the Soviets, they would still lose. By June 1944, the Soviets were already on their way to Berlin, D-Day just making that trip faster. So no, Germany would have lost either way.
@@donpadua6191 the Communists were crapping themselves until America gave them lend lease.
Look at today and it's seems karma is a...
@Pedro Kantor Perfect description of what happened , with no siding or what so ever!
I am German. From my perspective, the british and american Armys were good / fair winners.
They helped us a lot to rebuild. Of course we had to pay repairs, war crimes happened on every side. But at the end, you can get worse enemies those days.
They reached out their hands, after all those killing.
"They helped us a lot to rebuild." Yeah, the Marshall plan. Initially they intended to completely destroy the German economy so that "it could never wage war again" but then they realized Europe needed Germany industry in order to be rebuilt, so the Marshall plan was conceived (with terms).
My friend's dad was an Army Scout across France and into Germany. He crossed the Ramagen Bridge and watched Patton cross from his OP. At begging of occupation he said that his HQ employed German messengers in their war time uniforms and driving Opel Cars.
Tim McCoy wife's account.
My late father in law was at Remagen too Third tank across . He witnessed Hitler throwing everything rockets,bomb, jets at the bridge even V-2s...
Patton want German still ready to fight communist.
Patton won't a cold war
@@smoul4556 - WWII German and Italian POWs were brought here in N W Ohio USA and allowed to work on our farms owned by Americans of German ancestry and have good food and Italian POWs went to dances here and met American girls of Italian/Sicilian ancestry and later married them...
@@smoul4556 Yes, I think you are right. That's what I heard from the British side.
Consequently, store arms rather than destroy.
I really appreciate your work and your videos, Prof. Felton. I am german and I have served in the U.S. Army (as a 13B) for a short period of time and did 12 years in the German Bundeswehr. This particular video is just another example of your ability to cover historical topics and issues, which one never even hears of in the mainstream media, in a truly inspiring manner. Keep it up, Sir!
My uncle was captured at Al emayne North Africa and transferred to Canada. When the war finished he was kept on to work on farms in England Leicestershire where he met a English girl and later they married he stayed in Britain.
Nice country around that part of the world. Simpler to leave your old life behind and start afresh.
Also, WWII German and Italian POWs were brought here in N W Ohio USA and allowed to work on our farms owned by Americans of German ancestry and have good food and Italian POWs went to dances here and met American girls of Italian/Sicilian ancestry and later married them... stayed here...
Outstanding history, Mark! My mother, a Dutch citizen, Recoiled at the sight of armed German troops and confronted my father (US Army Air Forces) over it. This video confirms her memories unlike any other history available. My humble thanks.
Great content, I recall in 1988 at RAF wildenrath we had German labour mainly working in the forest with their own accommodation and own GSO canteen which we all went to on a regular basis , massive hall loads of beer and food family orientated, a real family place. Some of these guys were 70 to 80yrs old, when working some still wore old german uniform. It struck home one day when I entered their home/acommodation on an official basis to see regimental paintings and wall art, they were still proud and they were still respected but forgotten, they were all single old guys seeing out their lives. I respectfully remember them.
Гордись Иуда и человечества и у знай точно что фашисты творили в России
And this here is absolutely completely new to me. I am in my 20s from Michigan. I am looking to possibly move to Germany, as I am partially German. I love understanding as much about its history and western Europe as possible from this time period. This has all interested me so much, but I’ve been that way since I was 10 to 12 or so. Thank you. This was another cool one.
If you know German, I would recommend 'Deutsche Opfer' by Franz Seidler. It covers a lot about German civilians and soldiers after the war. And as for English books, James Bacque has some good ones, like Other Losses and Crimes and Mercies.
On a related note, Michigan (and plenty of other states) had German POW camps during WW2. The prisoners were, in accordance with the Geneva Convention, given the same living standards as our own soldiers. They were used for farm labor, and were paid a small wage (in credits) that they could use for cigarettes/etc.
However, yes, I was also familiar with how they touched on this with the ending of Band of Brothers at the intersection directing traffic, doing these duties you speak of. I remember the German soldier saying, "This is the end of my second war."
You might want to visit Germany first before you decide to move there. Many of the things you’re accustomed to in America might not exist or be quite different than what you’re used to.
Kyle Donahue hey man. That I am aware of and I have been there. I was there for almost 2 weeks in multiple cities in 2017 in the summer. I’m also fluent in the virtually fluent language as well. I know what you are saying is always a good thing to consider, and that I understand. And I don’t mean just casually fluent, like people throwing around that word, but rather I mean I can understand and speak the language. I love the language and understand the culture decently, as I’ve studied it a lot and know there are always positives and negatives and some different bureaucracy, and social virtues etc.
There's a scene in one of the last episodes of Band of Brothers in which one of the brothers has conversation with a member of the Feldgendarmerie while they direct traffic, assist a wounded soldier and respond to a traffic accident. The German is wearing that gorget and I remember wondering what the significance of the emblem was. Now I know
The British had a similar ornament from 18th century.
Private Webster. Episode 10.
I was thinking to the very same scene in Band of Brothers... ;-) the german soldier (very relaxed...) explains his war stories to a G.I... now I know the story behind this scene. Woul be interesting to know if the screenplayers wrote the scene referring to the story explained by Mark Felton or just referring to war memeories... probably both
I also found that very interesting and thought about it when he explained it. Just superb work by Mark.
I loved his line, "Russia is not desirable...."
In 1945 my Dad was a Squadron Leader in the RAF out in the Far East. After the Japanese surrender the RAF used some Japanese pilots to fly transports, the joke being that they were possibly Kamikaze. Anyway, he survived every trip.
This video was disliked by the 66 people who didn't make the cut to join the Feldgendarmerie, sour grapes and all of that 🍇🍇😂😂
I never understood the German MP being in the famous "Points" scene in Band of Brothers. Now I know! Thanks Dr. Felton!
France, France was the best!
Im in Grand Bay Alabama riding out the hurricane. What better way than to watch Mark Felton videos. Best channel on youtube.
Were in Panama City Beach Fl. getting tons of rain.... Internet play all day!!! LoL Our low lying beach/swamp roads are all starting to flood
@@extremerc9533 Yet your internet remains. That's some tough infrastructure.
Stay safe down there, we in California just now getting over the first round of fires and bad air! Mark Felton is a treasure of entertainment and knowledge.
Good luck dude.
Stay safe. Keep watch on the flooding levels.
I can’t help but wonder why the Americans don’t do the same after they conquered Iraq. Things would have been much better
Stupidity, hubris, ulterior motives... Take your pick -- one, two, or all of the above...
Was it Hegel who said, "The only thing History teaches us is that no one learns anything from History?"
During the planning stages for the invasion of Iraq, a proposal was put forth to have the Iraq Army Divisions contacted by Email, told to stand down, but patrol and protect oil wells and pipelines, and the US Army would pay the Iraqi troops back pay. It wasn't adopted.
The short answer is that the Iraqis aren’t Germans or for that matter Japanese. Although the Baath ideology on many streaks correspondent with the Nazi ideas their whole outlook and backwardness make it totally different.
@@kjeldhesselmann That is a cop out - if that were the case, then it was even more important to keep them employed and out of trouble under US leadership.
The United Kingdom and the USA had been long working to make Germany an ally of theirs in preparation for the post-war confrontation with the USSR.
Had the Americans been forced to fight the Soviets, most of the German POWs would have volunteered to help.
I can confirm that. My father, (1920-2006), an officer of the German Air Force and interned in the Koblenz Rhine meadow camp, told me exactly that: Everyone would have marched with the Americans against the Soviets. They had had enough of one dictatorship and would have been grateful, along with the Americans, to defeat the other monster Stalin together with the Allies.
The U S actually looked into the legality of offering German POWS the opportunity to fight in the Pacific. The idea was dropped because of too numerous legal obstacles. The US was expecting massive casualties during the planned invasion of Japan in November 1945.
@@mike89128 I don't know that they would have been willing to fight the Japanese. They had no quarrel with them.
To be honest, we should have allied with the nazis against communism in the first place. The real menace was Stalin.
@@goldenoatie soo then what about the concentration camps and the german conquest of poland,france,netherlands,denmarcks,sweden and norway?
I haven't even watched yet and I know that I will learn something new!
I know how you feel. I smash the like button before I even watch it.
@@robertdeen8741 me, too - for sure (and I'm a Patreon supporter as well)
Indeed, I'm always impressed with Mark's work. BTW..at 8:06, the German soldier second from the left....why, it's Nicholas Cage!
Loving the post-ww2 videos
I wish i could go back to school if you were a history teacher there haha. I love your vids and the quality, information and research done never ceases to amaze me.
This clip help explains why the occupation of Germany succeeded and that of Iraq failed. The same explanation is found in Machiavelli's "The Prince" where he discusses why Alexander's conquest of Persia succeeded so quickly and seamlessly. After cutting off the head, you leave the remaining administrative and military infrastructure in tact. On the contrary, Machiavelli warned that destroying your enemy's entire system and starting from scratch (i.e. disbanding the Iraqi army) would lead to failure - which is exactly what the U.S. did in Iraq - and why it failed.
I agree but there's another major set of details why the occupation of Germany went well. Some aren't going to like what I say, so here it goes.
Germany just fought WWII with millions upon millions dead. The military had been shattered with huge casualties and even more as POWs out West or worse, out East under the Soviets.
Germany endured years of war with its cities being bombed and many civilians getting killed. Cities were in ruins. The country was in ruins.
Germany was devastated after years of war with many killed, missing, and as prisoners. I think they were just sick and tired of the horrors of war and didn't want any more problems. They just wanted to go home, rebuild, and try to get on with their lives.
Another big plus for the Western Allied occupation of Germany was I think, the Germans out there would rather be under their occupation than the Soviets. Remember during the close of the war, huge swathes of refugees were fleeing the Red Army out of fear of reprisals and trying to surrender to the Western Allies.
The campaign to take over Iraq was nothing like that. The country was intact and the population never had to endure the horrors Germany endured leading into defeat. Putting a bunch of Iraqi soldiers out of work so suddenly I felt even back then of "Mission Accomplished," was really over optimistic and really stupid. Should have kept a good part of the military in employment, the government intact, keep the system working, but tweaked to what the US wanted.
The occupation of Iraq was so bungled that it's embarrassing.
@@Warmaker01 Ah no. The issue is getting troops who know where their bread is buttered to cooperate, you don't need the Soviets for that, especially when Jihadists are an ever-present threat.
And frankly, the Germans would have been just as cooperative if the Saarland Offensive in 1939 had been pushed and the Entente followed similar policies. Hitler in 1939 was popular enough not to want to risk your life to dethrone, but not popular enough to remember fondly. The invasion of Poland was NOT popular in Germany and Hitler was, despite all bribes seriously distrusted in the officer corps.
the obvious failure of using liberal virtue politics ideologies on iraq (and libya), countries kept stable by an authoritarian government
Realize Allies - Axis much closer in religions than Allies - Muslim countries...
Allies - Shinto required an atomic bomb to settle...
The occupation of Iraq failed because the state department personal (or at least the mediocre or completely unqualified personal, credentials being or voting Republican) read books on the occupation of Germany and Japan on their flight to Baghdad, and not on the history and culture of Iraq. Galbraith, The End of Iraq
Soldiers are just people when they lower their flags that oppose each others.
Mankinds history is very long and very brutal. War & crime didn´t start with WW2, it started thousands of years ago. War never changes.
Not that simple... WWII was basically Catholic countries vs Protestant countries in Europe... and against Shinto in Asia...
I would march into battle if this intro music was playing
Great historical research Mark! I did a modern history degree when I was young. The first thing one of the lecturers said was forget everything you learned in high school text books. He added that you will learn to research, and then research some more. Your research is of a high calibre and much appreciated. The level of detail you have presented shows that the objective reality was much more complicated that that taught to school children. Well done.
I once heard also that German units were kept armed after the surrender in case Big Ivan needed checking.
I can imagine you're right.
No high school history book in the entirety of the Netherlands covers these kind of topics.
No high school history book, youre making it sound like we dont have history books and archives :D
@@Robin4 Om eerlijk te zijn, bij het plaatsen van het bericht was ik niet volledig nuchter. Maar het is gecorrigeerd, dank.
Also no history school book in Germany, but come on... You can´t cover every single detail in history class.
I knew Germans were used as Allied Auxiliaries in Occupied Germany. However I had no idea some of them were also used in other countries to assist local authorities in dealing with demobilizing former German occupation forces. Comes off as a surprise for sure.
Seems no lessons remembered when it came to Iraq war, demobbed troops turned into 20+ years of chaos.
I guess the standard of the surrendered troops was different though. was easier taking decently educated, also western people and getting them to help rebuild their country after years of horror vs taking poorly educated people and as total foreigners getting them to help rebuild a country when most units saw maybe a fight or two. Still, making a bunch of soldiers unemployed is a mistake, one that were still living with
@@Max-hw7xl Nothing to do with their education level or being Western -- the British employed Japanese troops after the surrender as police to good effect. The disbanding of the Iraqi Army was a blunder so big, it defies logic. Almost makes one think it was done purposely, so as to create chaos that would require further US presence, and maybe even a pretense for seizing more Iraqi assets... Never mind that US soldiers would pay with their lives, as long as Halliburton got those no-bid contracts.
@@Max-hw7xl Frankly my friend, you're talking out your ass and have some serious misconceptions about the middle east.
They only became poorly educated after the west bombed them to dust. Under saddam education was free to all students and life was stable enough to be able to get sent to school. Now a trip to school may see a bomb go off, a suicide bombing, a fundamentalist harassing you because you're a woman trying to get an education etc...
Just do a quick bit of research of life under saddam. his 2 main education campaigns were "National Campaign for the Eradication of Illiteracy" and "Compulsory Free Education in Iraq". Also if you were a soldier you and your entire family were provided these services.
This didn't just and at education too, it also extended to healthcare.
I'll end with a quote from wikipedia. " Iraq created one of the most modernized public-health systems in the Middle East, earning Saddam an award from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization"
Frankly, I expected much better research skills from a Mark Felton fan...
@Dilet Too bad it's not one that Alex Jones and his moronic minions would promulgate...
Turns out having a bunch of healthy, fit, and useful 20-30 year olds being given a purpose (rebuilding a nation) is a much better use of resources than allowing them to sit around listless, broke, unemployed, and getting angrier by the day.
Oh this will be a really interesting one. Appreciate the uploads
My grandpa was English and French teacher before war in Germany. So during the war he was in the kriegsmarine as a translator for the message the kriegsmarine intercepted from the allies. At nearly the end of the war he was captured by the French army and sent to France . Some months later some us army officers picked him up to translate the archive taken from the nazis he was considered as an officer (that’s what he was in the kriegsmarine as leutnant sur see) he ate at the mess with the other us officers and had the treatment as them. And most surprising it was in the eighties he received a letter from the us army “sir you’ve worked x months for the us you have not asserted your pension rights so we will send it to you please give us your Iban “ so 40 years after the end of war he received a descent sum of money and about 40 dollars a month till the end
We got drunk with the Germans on a regular basis in northern Bravia when I was in the U.S. Army. Oh wait, that was 1989.
My Father-in-Law was a Hitler Jungent and was not Nazi indoctrinated, he treated me as one of his sons .
the hitler jugend,. by default,. was indoctrinated,. otherwise,. it wouldn't be hitler jugend,.
@@PresidentCamacho2024 And you are a president, otherwise you would'nt be named President Camacho.
It’s only Tuesday and you’ve made my week already thank you Sir
It's Wednesday morning here! NSW Oz.
Dude why are people paying so much money in taxes to pay for crap schools that don’t even get close to the production level of my boy Mark? Keep it up. My brain is nine times bigger thanx to you
Growing up in the sixties and seventies, I watched every war movie and documentary on World War Two, but never did any of them go into the detail that you have done. Some of this history was never mentioned, and most likely was intentionally left out on purpose, being that it has to do with the Axis powers, and I live in the U.S. Keep up the good work!
Bout to go sleep till i seen this pop up
American Army 1945: we know we've been fighting these guys and how bad the regime they were fighting for was, but we need to maintain order and ensure a safe transition of power. So let's keep some operational.
American Army 2003: YEEEEEHAW! DISBAND THIS HERE GAWD DAYUM EYE-RACKEE ARMY! GET RIDDA ALL OF 'EM! THERE WON'T BE NO PROBLEMS CUZ I SAY THERE WON'T!!!
yeah no they didnt operate that with those who cooperated, mainly only the republicam army that fought, most of the iraqi army under saddam surrender as it was not there war
You might want to look a little closer at what really happened. USSR had plans to conquer all Europe drawn up by the late 30s. The western armies only stayed there in order to stop that. Why i will never know as the allies were owned by the same people that were running the USSR at that time.
I went to grade school 1957-1966. and many of my classmates had German parents who were veterans, most of whom were captured and held in the US.
Same here in N W Ohio...
Mark, I really appreciate your videos. This was extremely interesting. A peculiar matter of trust. This speaks well of both the Germans and the western allies.
Last time I was this early Poland still had reliable allies🇬🇧🇫🇷
F
@Brown Green
Unironically Ottomans
@@maximilianolimamoreira5002 Czechs heard the same and Romania(the soviets annexed Moldova before Rom joined axis) and Ethiopia, always an excuse, and these failures allowed the Germans to isolate Allied nations like Norway and Poland one by one
@@maximilianolimamoreira5002 It was the British warmongers who incited Poles further to get Germany to attack. There were seriously Polish leaders who dreamed of taking German-Polish lands up to Berlin, and it is seen in books, posters, etc of the time, in the Polish language. And it is well documented that Germans in Poland were being abused, murdered and even mutilated since 1918 until even after the war. Sadly, Poland trusted English and French help, despite the fact that France was literally prepared for a defensive war and couldn't defeat Germany before Poland were to fall. The English and French knew that full well. Or are we forgetting about the whole Maginot line here? If if was all about protecting Poland, then the English and French should have declared war on the Soviets too. But no, it was about destroying a Germany that stopped paying international finance. That is why all of Poland was given over to the Soviets after the war, who had already murdered more before the war began than we Germans murdered or allegedly murdered during the entire 12 years of National Socialism.
Those 'noble' allies took issue with the German invasion of Poland but played deaf, dumb and blind when it came to the Soviet invasion of the same country two weeks later.
Thank you, Mark!!! I have studied WW2 history for decades and never knew this existed! My hat is off to you sir!!!
Why hasn't Mark Felton got knighted yet?
Freedom Loving Loyalist neither the PM or HM the Queen has found him on YT-yet
Why though? Unless the Queen has a good reason to give him what is basically a useless honorific...
I believe that the way the Germans being employed after the war was the wises methods used , it gave the German population a completely surprising and different out look than what they were expecting , iv’e met a good number of ex- soldiers from the war and became friends with some of them , they all had the same attitude towards the way they were treated days after the war ended .with in weeks every one wanted to be involved but made it quite clear that they wanted nothing to do with the SS , after a couple of years i had a completely different mind set about the germans , and after eight years in Germany i loved the country and the people , the best years of my life .As for east Germany it still looked like 1945 only we seen it in 1979 .
That old saying "you learn something new every day " is certainly true with mark felton :)
From Hugo Boss to the Salvation Army
Yes, and don’t forget Goodwill!
Lol 😆
More like from Hugo Boss to J C Penny.
It's sad that they didn't design future German military clothing
ole pacio Pangkie: the “al lies” would never have allowed that
'Smiling Albert' Kesselring, as his troops called him, still looks cheerful in captivity.
He was probably thrilled to have survived the war and not been captured by the Russians.
Most of those guys looked very happy to have been POW''s or otherwise under the control of the western allies.
Fun fact:
Kessel = Cauldron (like Kessel von Stalingrad = Stalingrad Cauldron)
Ring = ring
Kesselring = Cauldron ring
So Kesselring is just happy not to die in a Kesselring.
Kesselring was a tough nut to crack as well. Italy was supposed to be the quick way up into the belly of Germany.
We Wish to feature about Chiang Kai-shek's National Revolutionary Army
Mark, THANK YOU so much. I have become a fan. I write this brief note: I am pensioned and cannot afford to be a patron for you. I am so sorry. I urge those that can, please support Mr. Felton's productions. Mr. Felton delivers a remarkable and sincere view of the great war. THANK YOU again, Mr Felton.
Thank you for your kind words and for subscribing.
The single most important lesson NOT taught, German troops, police, administrators, were essential in rebuilding and debriefing what was. My Father, fought the Germans, then administered their rebuild in 48'. He spoke well of the Burgermeisters, (mayors), and police forces and German soldiers whom he had command authority over. The lesson was lost to Rummy Rumsfeld and President Cheney after the Iraq war. Debrief, maintain chain of command and utilize the forces you have taken to operate society. Keep them in uniform and paid. Put them to work. Cheers,
The US should have implemented these tactics after the invasion of Iraq. De-mobilizing and repurposing forces smartly can help ensure peace and less chaos. by allowing the defeated forces to keep face and stay busy.
It only works if the defeated force is willing to surrender to you instead of fading away into the civilian populace.
WW2 and the wars in Iraq aren’t really comparable.
@@baneofbanes tru for Afghanistan but certainly not Iraq
otter sir otten That’s literally what went down in Iraq in 2003. Entire Iraqi military units just disintegrated into the civilian population and various extremist groups formed from these former soldiers.
Thanks for blessing me with another one of your videos Dr Felton
Nice Mark.. Let me know if you're looking for any unseen footage. Sorry I couldn't provide anything useful for this one.
the smiling Albert
Again stuff I didn't know, Photographs, and film footage, I'd never seen. Well researched and presented as always. Thank you Dr. Felton.
This is the gritty details you would wonder about but never know.
Now we do!
Sir. your channel Is So invaluable.. I cant Thank You enough!
absolutely Fascinating
This and Forgotten Weapons are probably my favorite UA-cam channels. Love your content!
I also like Forgotten Weapons.
Welp, you just got Forgotten Weapons a new subscriber.
I believe I read somewhere that the US did not do this in Iraq which is why they had issues with insurgency from disbanded Iraqi Military units.
What a job it must of been to rebuild the entirety of Europe, all of which was devastated
.0:43 middle German gives the finger to the camera
I've been fascinated by History since I can remember and love these videos. My duty station in the Army was in Furth, Germany just outside Nuremberg. Thank you for these videos!
I love WW2 military history and was brought up on war stories from my dad and uncles who served during that time so I love Marks channels. I was lucky to have met many Normandy veterans as I was invited to photograph and video their get togethers and marches before the movement was disbanded and was enthralled by their stories, not of heroism but of comradeship. I am pretty well read on the subject but must say I always learn something new and different from Mark. He should be on the history channel as he is so different to the other historians that by and large are very similar to each other telling the same stories with the same film and photos over and over again.
Those Officers were probably surprised the humanity of the allies . The German POW s probably didn't care what they did for they were alive. I am surprised how organized it all became together post war
Great work. Thank you. I continue to learn from your videos
The more of Mark's videos I watch the more I realize how little I know about WW2.
For almost 20 years I read about WW2 and other conflicts almost exclusively. How could I of missed so much G2?
Again it behooves me to thank you sir. Perhaps it's time I start reading again starting with Mark's books.
Brilliant insight as ever Mark - I remember reading that some German soldiers were also forced to clear minefields after the war. A Danish movie called Land of Mine, released in 2015, follows the story and is harrowing but brilliant.
The allies claimed the Germans were “disarmed forces who had surrendered unconditionally” and were not POWs and therefore not afforded the protections afforded unto them as such under the Geneva Convention.
That might make for a good episode too!
Yes, an interesting and sad story. There's a naval equivalent, the German Mine Sweeping Administration, another German uniformed service under British control, later a civilian agency.
The old joke is you shout orders at a German, he will obey.
shouting the order from the top of a sherman tank makes it even more convincing to us.
@@Barwasser Yeah, too bad you can't hear it if you sit in a Tiger
@@henrykeyter53 You can hear a B-17 though :(
@@Barwasser Not if you are in a Messerschmitt Me-262...
I am a German and absolutely nobody tells me what to do.
My dad talked about working with these German MPs in 1945 and 46. He had been a combat MP throughout the war. I wondered if he was somehow misremembering things. Now I know he was not.
Field Grade Officers ... Field Grayed lol couldn't help but think of the color of their uniforms. (I hope nobody else thought of this first).
In Norway, the entire German armed forces continued under their own leadership, from army high command downwards, in fact, the 20th Mountain Army's staff and headquarters was only dissolved in late Oct.45 as there was no longer enough German troops left in the country by that time to justify an army command. They were responsible for their own discipline, logistics and administration, taking orders from the allies through a system of liaison officers and chains of command. Promotions and awards of decorations continued, for example the award of the Iron Cross for mine clearing and the Lappland campaign Shield, only awarded from the 1 July 45 onwards. One comment about the removal of swastikas from uniforms and decorations. There was one exception, the Iron Cross, which the allies exempted from de-nazifiaction.
Swindlers List was a disgusting lie about the German race.
Two thumbs up to your channel. Very interesting morsels of information that give a more complete picture of WW2-related stuff.
It'd be very interesting to hear about those who did not stand down, even after their nations surrender.
I read about some of the various volunteer/conscript foreign SS units that held out in Berlin up to a month after the formal surrender. Most knew their fate if they surrendered and were shipped home to Russia, France, Netherlands, Denmark and Norway etc. So they just fought to the death on their terms. Why not right?
Last time I was this early the Maginot line was still considered a state of the art defence system.
Here the guns would halt the hun....provided the hun came this way!
Wot! It's not?!?
One Wehrmacht Security Detachment worked at the Nuremberg War Trials. Another Kreigsmarine detail help sail the Prinz Eugen from Scapa Flow to the Brooklyn Naval shipyard then through the Panama Canal to the Bikini Atomic Bomb tests in 1946.
The courage of the German soldiers was called "feldgendarmerie".
There were no pictures of the poor German people and soldiers hanged by the "feldgendarmerie".
Thats why they are renamed to Feldjäger. Former name in Prussia.
Shows how well they could work together, why did they fight in the first place?
Hitler's insane desire to rule Europe.
@@gregb6469 And revenge for the perceived wrongs of the Treaty of Versailles fed by Hitler's 'Stab in the Back' rhetoric...
@@gregb6469 no it was Churchill's insane desire to hold Germany down. Empire does not like competition.
@EpsteinsPlasticSurgeon -- Germany attacked the Soviet Union without warning. Germany declared war on the U.S. before the U.S. did so on Germany. Britain and France declared war on Germany only after Germany invaded Poland. Let's hear no more of this 'Germany was innocent' Bovine Scatology.
@EpsteinsPlasticSurgeon Judea declared war on Germany 1933
Excellent documentary on history we don't teach in schools. Fascinating and absorbing stuff. You are an excellent teacher.