My great-grandfather was killed during this attack. He was stationed on PC 564, a small ship that engaged part of the German raid and was badly damaged. Thank you for bringing light to this often overlooked little tale right at the end of the war.
As a resident of Guernsey, it's amazing how many reminders there are of the war. When on the cliffs or beaches it's hard to find a place that isn't in view of a bunker or naval artillery gun mount.
I read in a book about the Atlantikwall, which included the Channel Islands, ages ago, that there are still some galleries/tunnels somehwere, closed by the germans before the end of the war, which have never been "rediscovered". I take it, that these are the usual myths that come up after a war. Or is there anything remotely true about that?
@@TheMjollnir67 The Commandant of a concentration camp had a tunnel from his house down to an escape route which was only 'discovered' in more recent years. Local Officials impeded and then stopped archaeological investigations of the Camp by a UK University --- too many deaths and SS atrocities. locals don't want the publicity.
@@michaelellis7787 Apparently nobody wants to talk about the Alderney camps, especially the two concentration camps. They haven't been preserved, either.
It could be worse. You could have another crappy day without work, like me. I agree, I always look forward to a Felton video. Real history, not the propaganda taught in schools.
helps when you have an incompetent commander in charged. ignoring a mass on the radar.. its a wonder how the hell we win wars with all of these incompetent officers..
@@jackseaa3911 seriously. Even fighting the Japanese and later the North Koreans then the north Vietnamese, always considered their enemy “little Asian men” who couldn’t fight or were inferior. But they fought as hard as anybody else would. Underestimating has killed a lot of men.
@@jackseaa3911 : Remember early on the morning of December 7th, two US army men were operating a powerful portable radar unit on a mountain top above Oahu and the radar detected the massive Japanese aerial armada closing in from the northwest. They phoned their superior at Pearl Harbor who laughed it off, either as a malfunction or a flight of B-17's coming in from the east (not the northwest). They were told to shut down the unit and come back to Pearl.
@@Gallagherfreak100 exactly. The fact we even won WW2 against Hitler was really down to Hitler making the huge error of invading Russia. If he hadn’t; and all those divisions were located in France, d day may well have ended up a disaster for the Allies. Secondly he should have made the USA declare war against Germany, not as it became Germany declaring war against the USA.
@@jrobertsoneff : I just saw a movie on YT where the solders were from Brazil fighting for the allies. I looked it up. Brazil did fight for the allies. They didn’t during WWI.
You Will never see a Hollywood production about this .i as a German haven't even heard of this raid untill today. Great content, the best WW2 channel on YT hands down
The American film industry would never make a film where the Germans would give the allies a flogging(which happened regular in the war) A film like that would not go well down with the American viewers (since they all think they had the best army, which by the way won the war and saved the world from the evil. Same as the first world war, they always showed up after the opponents had killed and bled them selves out
Having spent my life studying WWII, I'm grateful for all of Mark's "little-known topics from the war" videos. Strangely, these subjects often reveal the character of the war better than the big battles and famous matériel you see in books and movies.
Once again after studying WW2 for 40 years I am "today years old" upon learning of this fascinating story of a raid I never knew. Thank you again Dr. Felton for showing me you ALWAYS have more to discover and learn.
I heard this comment recently from an old J Lawton Collins interview, and it made me think of you: “The historian, unlike the novelist, is never the master of his material,”. I’m grateful that, with you, factual and objective history remains just that.
I met J. Lawton Collins in the early 70's...he said we have to get this boy into West Point. My dad was in the 25th Infantry division after Gen Collins left Guadalcanal. Dad fought and was wounded in Central Luzon campaign.
@@Calventius Well, I’d say the more time be read of him and seen him (he did a great interview on his role before the Vietnam War), as well as his nephew “Old Mike” Michael Collins (Gemini 10 and Apollo 11), I’m convinced of his decent-ness and fine qualities.
SADLY FACTUAL HISTORY DIED along with people like Eisenhower and Montgomery! Since then LIE-berals have been chopping away at it and inserting THEIR PROPAGANDA into the cracks!
@@nickdanger3802 Approximately 19,000 soldiers killed in action, 47,500 wounded and 23,000-plus missing. Had the Germans had more fuel, they might have made it to Antwerp. For nearly a month, the Allies got their ass handed to them, because they thought the Germans were finished and didn't imagine they would start an offensive in the winter. Sure, the Germans lost, but that's cold comfort to Allied dead that got run over because they let their guard down.
@@nickdanger3802 It wasn't over when Patton reached Bastogne, and I noted the lack of fuel for the Germans. I used the Ardennes as an example of getting complacent and assuming your enemy is unable to conduct operations. Just like the example in the video. That's all. The Ardennes was a tactical disaster for the Allies, despite their eventual victory.
@@nickdanger3802 Are you panties in a bunch because I used the word disaster? You're dumping out a bunch of irrelevant data that has nothing to do with my comment. The allies let their guard down, the Germans, though weak, took advantage of both occasions. Moral: Don't let your guard down with the Germans. That's my message. I'm not debating you about history. I'm commenting on tactical and operational attitude.
Almost 40 years ago, I spent two years researching the Normandy Campaign at The National Archive's Captured German Documents Section for my war game "The Longest Day" by Avalon Hill. Three things that stood out in my research that I thought remarkable but received little notice were: (a) The presence of the III Sturm Flak Korps, consisting of 144 88mm dual-purpose flak cannon, positioned behind the lines between Isigny and Bayeaux on D-Day that impeded the American/British linkup; (2) The critical role played by the 8th and 9th Nebelwerfer Brigades during the campaign, contributing a major share of the German artillery "throw weight," and (3) The immense size (40,000+) of the 319th Infanterie Division in the Channel Islands and its constituent parts that included such exotics as French Char B flamethrower battalions, Luftwaffe heavy and light flak units galore, and Kriegsmarine special warfare units. If this sizable force would have been easily transferred to the Cherborg defenses, it could have had a significant impact on the campaign. I would love to see the Mark Felton treatment on any one of these three topics. Love and peace!
A: Yes. Richthofen's War, 1776, Starship Troopers, and development of a handful of others, as the VP of R&D from 1972 to 1979. I spent the following nine years designing tabletop wargames for the US Marine Corps.
Mr Reed......firstly allow me to thank you personally for creating two of my most favorite wargames in my collection TLD & 1776.....I wonder if you had considered making the successful transfer of the 319th Infantry to Cherbourg an option within the game? That would have been an interesting scenario.
My father was a Dunkirk veteran with the Royal Artillery. When he was a boy his father (my grandfather) took him to St. Albans to buy a mastiff dog from Charles Lightoller. As far as I know the Titanic sinking was not discussed. I still have the breach pin from a 25 pounder my father and his crew got when they had to destroy their gun at Dunkirk.
Me too, I rewinded the video 3 times thinking lightoller, lightoller, lightoller where do I know that name from? Paused video to do a quite google only to come back and have mark tell me as soon as I pressed play
It is not unusual to have the victors praise the soldiers they were fighting. The reason? The better the defeated enemy was the more awesome you must have been.
I talked with numerous US vets of the European front. Never did any of them say the German soldier was weak willed slob. Common theme from all of them was Germans were tough, hard fighters and very skilled....unlike much of the US Army in Europe. The Waffen-SS were especially feared as the US grunts had learned the hard way. No love for the German soldiers but great respect for the hard fighters they were.
Anyone else here from Jersey? Its an amazing place to grow up. I remember exploring miles of german bunkers and tunnels along the island when I was a kid.
@@martenikaeltheroy3621 You can thank De Cartret for that .We Crapauds do get about. His family home St Quen's Manaor wa sthe site of the execution by firing squad of a French 188 year old named Francois Scornet. He and some others had escaped fromFrance in a small boat and thought they had landed in England. Actually it was Guernersey. He was sent to Jersey tried by a German court and excecuted.
Mark you are an excellent writer and I’ve enjoyed all of your books. But I’m extremely glad you came to UA-cam as well. You are a natural storyteller, whether written or oral, and you’re doing a great service, to younger generations especially, by bringing to life the events of this amazingly destructive period in human history.
I don't understand that there could be any dislikes of these Mark Felton videos. I have been a history buff for many years, and I am always amazed at how little we know about the TRUE history - often forgotten/ignored. I am still waiting for Mark to be Knighted by the Queen for all of his contributions to WW2 history.
My mate is is from Jersey and he was always telling me about the German gun emplacements and pillboxes they had built and were still there. And his name is Mark too..
Having grown up on Guernsey it's nice to see a video about my childhood home. There's so much history on the islands still waiting to be documented and the work of Festung Guernsey, a group that preserve and conserve fortifications is great.
@@scottcharney1091 A lot of research has been done over the years. It's just not well known . There were camps, for proisoners on Guernsey and Jersey.All are small Island's ,so most sites are now gone.
@@oldesertguy9616 But, the Germans controlled the food, not the Brits. As the video said the civilians were starving and starvation is a great aphrodisiac.
@@walterschumann2476 The Germans were starving as well. I have been to the Jersey WW2 museum. The locals were producing their own food, and hiding it from the Germans. Towards the end, the locals were better off and the Germans were buying food off them on the black market. Hard to believe, but true it seems.
mark felton is my favourite history teacher. bar none. i would have died of boredom without his programs and calming voice during this long covid lockdown.
Another interesting video. The barge you showed was of a type that my father would encounter frequently in operations of the 51st Gunboat Flotilla in the Mediterranean and Adriatic. They were used to help defend coastal supply convoys. To him they were known as F Lighters. The F standing for Flak as they were bristling with Flak cannons of 37mm and 20mm. E Boats were also very common. Overall the operations against these craft undertaken at night were very successful. His MGB, 659 did not have a single fatality between 1943 and 1945
They weren't entirely ignored - HMS Rodney shelled gun positions on one of the islands, and there were commando raids to gather intelligence. My mum's uncle was a commando on one of those raids, but due to bad navigation they landed on Sark, which was not their intended target. However, at that time there were no Germans on Sark, so to pass the time until they were picked up they went to the pub. 😀
@@Kevin-mx1vi My late father's eldest brother was in the commandos. Him and a few others popped over to France one night and he got into a fight with a German officer after both their weapons jammed. My uncle survived the war. The German officer didn't.
Well, wouldn't it be possible that the german fortification of the channel islands prevented easier shipping routes for the allies? Logiatics costs are often of greater importance in these scenarios than militairy ones
An interesting fact about Charles Lightoller is that he commanded a destroyer escort and then a destroyer in ww1, fighting both a u boat and a zeppelin, and took his personal boat over to Dunkirk in 1940
I read that Lightoller learned from the Titanic disaster to guide his leaking destroyer into port by going in reverse, to prevent forward motion from driving water into the hull.
@@rogerknights857 I don't get the connection? The Titanic was a bunch of holes down its side and stopped reasonably quickly. Going backwards or forwards at X speeds the waters still moving over the hull at X-ish speed. I guess in reverse there is a bit of turbulence in the water from the props? But either, or - both would have about the same affect on the Titanic. I don't know much about hit destroyer but did it have a big gaping hole in the front? Because yeah - yup would 100% agree that it would have probably have been a good idea to go in reverse.
@@5hiftyL1v3a "The Titanic ... stopped reasonably quickly." But, I've read in a book on what really happened on the Titanic, the owner of the White Star line (Ismee?) told the captain to restart her and head for Halifax. This forced water into the hull and caused her to sink many hours before she would have otherwise.
As always; first rate work. A rare content creator that earns a like from me as soon as I start a video. If only history class in school was this informative and compelling.
Thankyou - that was a brilliant presentation of a little known action. I remember first reading about it in the long out of print "War Monthly" magazine in the 1970's and being amazed that the Germans could still pull off something like this so late in the war.
I've been told I'm the go-to guy with my friends to ask about WWII. I've read a lot... seen a lot of movies... I'm almost 60.... and I never knew these islands were occupied until this... fascinating. I'm glad no one knows except you guys on the internet.
Mark - you must radar that allows you to pick up these obscure WW2 histories! I never heard of the Grandville raid. Perhaps because I'm an American and it was a German victory late in the war. I don't know if a movie was ever made on this military action, if not, then there should be. Great story and very daring of the Germans.
@Mark: TY so very much for your channel and important work: I can't help but say how much my father would have enjoyed your format of concise and accurate details.
@@Easy-Eight I'm guessing complacency. The war was almost over, you're hundreds of miles from the fighting, they call it "the element of surprise" for a reason.
The fact that only the one subchaser was sent is proof of two things: 1) The Allies mistakenly thought an offensive operation this late, in this sector, was unlikely. 2) All other Allied Naval vessels were engaged elsewhere. It's not as if the Germans were sallying forth with a pocket battleship or something--just a few small vessels of little real danger.
@@THE-HammerMan - your second point about the availability of a better equipped warship may well be a valid point. The Germans had already abandoned using their surface ships to fight the Royal Navy. So it’s possible that the nearest better equipped Royal Navy warship was too far away or tasked with something else deemed to be more important. It’s also possible that in the decision making chain of command, that it was thought that the German ships may have been making a run back to Germany...
@@Mark1024MAK You know, I thought of your last point after my reply...and I think you hit the nail on the head-- so to speak. They weren't going to make Venezuela in those little craft either! I like WWII history, and was reviewing the record of the Tirpitz again last night. Sad life for such a fine vessel. If I had been in charge of the Kriegsmarine, I would never have sent out the Bismarck without the Tirpitz. Both together with their support vessels. Unstoppable! Could you imagine the havoc if German surface ships were managed better? Good thing Herr Dummkopf...er, Hitler was in charge!
The Royal Navy were the largest during WW2 when you look at fighting ships. Shame the USA didn't call us in when they first picked up the fleet on radar.
Starving Germans in garrison in the Channel Islands: "We don't have enough food to feed all the men! We've got to do something!" Admiral Huffmeier orders daring raid to try and capture supplies and boost morale. Raid succeeds only in bringing back coal, but rescues 55 German POWs and brings them back. Germans: "Great, now we have 55 more mouths to feed!" LOL!
What more can I say ? ~THANK YOU DR MARK FELTON~ The best UA-cam channel I have ever come across with it. I LOVE THIS VIDEO❤️❤️🥰 I am obsessed with your video and voice ❤️
A great story well narrated as always Mark! The wartime history of the Channel Islands is quite fascinating. The story of the Dame of Sark during WW2 might be worth an episode. Cheers from the Right Coast of Canada!
A German soldier who got stationed on the Channel Islands might have had the best duty assignment of WW2. The survival rate was high and hunger the only peril.
Thank you for another excellent documentary! Before your production, I knew very little about the German occupation of the Channel Islands and had never heard about the raid. You do an excellent job of bringing such lesser known actions in WWII to light! Keep up the good work!
My dad served in the US Army, (HQ 204 Major Port Co). Went ashore at Utah unloading anything and everything. The 204th was one of the first units into Cherbourg moving supplies from the Mulberrys. There were also numerous raids by the Germans at night to steal anything they could. One night he confronted some individuals in the night and and after failing the password response/counter- response he started firing. Several hours later he was informed that a raid had in fact occurred. These incidents happened several times while his unit was stationed in the Cherbourg area.
It's the details of these smaller actions in WW2 that are overlooked by other established media, but luckily for history buffs we have historians like Mark Felton and his terrific channel! Another fascinating video.
Fascinating. Another episode of ww2 that I had never heard of or read about, which is what I love about this channel. One small detail stood out to me. Two US Marine officers killed. I was completely unaware of any USMC casualties in Europe. These were likely the only ones. Again, something new I've learned. Thank you for this and all your videos.
About three years ago, my brother in law, was working as a collector for a coin exchange outfit. Part of his job was to sort through the bits of metal etc that the machines rejected. One day he brought home a curious bit of triangular copper with some strange markings on it. After a bit of research, we determined that it was German currency only issued during their occupation of the Channel Islands (and only in the Channel Islands). Quite rare, but surprisingly, only worth about $5 He still has it.
A further raid was planned for 7 May 1945, but Admiral Karl Dönitz ordered Hüffmeier not to carry out any more offensive operations so close to the end of the war.
I was born on Jersey and went back for the first time in years recently. I remember thinking I couldn't live here now, every 10 minutes I was seeing another bunker and the nazis were popping into my head. The Martello towers are everywhere too but Napoleon is a nicer vibe than Hitler.
Very minor correction: the channel islands are part of the United Kingdom but not part of Great Britain, that term refers to the largest island in the British Isles archipelago.
If you want to get even more into it they're technically the British and Irish Isles now (all depending on ones definition of the British Isles, which has always been in flux) Terminology is an interesting and constantly shifting thing, especially when it comes to the Isles
Jersey is not part of the UK. The British Government liase with the Jersey authorities. Important legislation goes direct to the Queen for approval bypassing Westminster. It has been thus since the year 1204. Long before the UK was constituted. The Isle of Man is not part of the UK either. If the UK was to try to legislate for Jersey, it would lead to a constitutional crisis which both sides
Once again Doc you deliver another wild and forgotten tale straight out of a Hollywood movie. Only better because this is real history. Thank you again sir for making my day. A loyal viewer.
My great-grandfather was killed during this attack. He was stationed on PC 564, a small ship that engaged part of the German raid and was badly damaged. Thank you for bringing light to this often overlooked little tale right at the end of the war.
I have been reading about WWII for over 50 years, and this is the first I've heard about this. Nicely done.
These unknown bits of history are exactly what make Professor Felton’s videos such a treat
PROFESSOR Felton?
As a resident of Guernsey, it's amazing how many reminders there are of the war. When on the cliffs or beaches it's hard to find a place that isn't in view of a bunker or naval artillery gun mount.
I read in a book about the Atlantikwall, which included the Channel Islands, ages ago, that there are still some galleries/tunnels somehwere, closed by the germans before the end of the war, which have never been "rediscovered". I take it, that these are the usual myths that come up after a war. Or is there anything remotely true about that?
@@TheMjollnir67 The Commandant of a concentration camp had a tunnel from his house down to an escape route which was only 'discovered' in more recent years. Local Officials impeded and then stopped archaeological investigations of the Camp by a UK University --- too many deaths and SS atrocities. locals don't want the publicity.
@@michaelellis7787 So, when people are spreading rumors about forgotten tunnels, it's not completely b.s. all the time...thx.
@@michaelellis7787 Apparently nobody wants to talk about the Alderney camps, especially the two concentration camps. They haven't been preserved, either.
After a crappy day at work, seeing a Felton video pop up to watch has made my day👍
Absolutely.
It could be worse. You could have another crappy day without work, like me. I agree, I always look forward to a Felton video. Real history, not the propaganda taught in schools.
The fact that at the German boarding party got into the port managing to steal supplies, teardown cranes and steal a boat is impressive.
helps when you have an incompetent commander in charged. ignoring a mass on the radar.. its a wonder how the hell we win wars with all of these incompetent officers..
@@jackseaa3911 seriously. Even fighting the Japanese and later the North Koreans then the north Vietnamese, always considered their enemy “little Asian men” who couldn’t fight or were inferior. But they fought as hard as anybody else would. Underestimating has killed a lot of men.
@@jackseaa3911 : Remember early on the morning of December 7th, two US army men were operating a powerful portable radar unit on a mountain top above Oahu and the radar detected the massive Japanese aerial armada closing in from the northwest. They phoned their superior at Pearl Harbor who laughed it off, either as a malfunction or a flight of B-17's coming in from the east (not the northwest). They were told to shut down the unit and come back to Pearl.
@@Gallagherfreak100 exactly. The fact we even won WW2 against Hitler was really down to Hitler making the huge error of invading Russia. If he hadn’t; and all those divisions were located in France, d day may well have ended up a disaster for the Allies. Secondly he should have made the USA declare war against Germany, not as it became Germany declaring war against the USA.
@@Gallagherfreak100 rory gallagher would love RONNIE-GUITAR pls watch him.
Yet another story of the war we never learn in history class. Thanks.
The war is too big to talk about every story
It's a pretty epic raid just the "wrong" side of the war to ever hear about it except right here on this channel !
UA-cam is Dr Felton history class
Always written by the victors.
@@jrobertsoneff : I just saw a movie on YT where the solders were from Brazil fighting for the allies. I looked it up. Brazil did fight for the allies. They didn’t during WWI.
You Will never see a Hollywood production about this .i as a German haven't even heard of this raid untill today. Great content, the best WW2 channel on YT hands down
Hollywood knows nothing about the Western Front but D-Day and the Battle of the Bulge and even less about the East.
@Nitro Martini Have you always been a silly ass?
The American film industry would never make a film where the Germans would give the allies a flogging(which happened regular in the war) A film like that would not go well down with the American viewers (since they all think they had the best army, which by the way won the war and saved the world from the evil. Same as the first world war, they always showed up after the opponents had killed and bled them selves out
@@klauskainzinger9978 They would but the Germans would have to be portrayed as anti Nazi or betrayed by their own side in the last reel. 😄
@@jamesjack6769 you need JESUS CHRIST
Having spent my life studying WWII, I'm grateful for all of Mark's "little-known topics from the war" videos. Strangely, these subjects often reveal the character of the war better than the big battles and famous matériel you see in books and movies.
That intro music will never get old
True... The intro music always sounds like it has a sense of urgency about it, and seems to make us pay close attention to what Mark has to say.
Quickens the pulse
Norwich cathedral behind mark too if I’m not mistaken.
I want it as my ringtone.
I actually have it as my ringtone. Unless the call is urgent, I usually take the time to listen to it with each call 😂
Once again after studying WW2 for 40 years I am "today years old" upon learning of this fascinating story of a raid I never knew.
Thank you again Dr. Felton for showing me you ALWAYS have more to discover and learn.
I heard this comment recently from an old J Lawton Collins interview, and it made me think of you: “The historian, unlike the novelist, is never the master of his material,”.
I’m grateful that, with you, factual and objective history remains just that.
I met J. Lawton Collins in the early 70's...he said we have to get this boy into West Point. My dad was in the 25th Infantry division after Gen Collins left Guadalcanal. Dad fought and was wounded in Central Luzon campaign.
@@Calventius Well, I’d say the more time be read of him and seen him (he did a great interview on his role before the Vietnam War), as well as his nephew “Old Mike” Michael Collins (Gemini 10 and Apollo 11), I’m convinced of his decent-ness and fine qualities.
Well said!
SADLY FACTUAL HISTORY DIED along with people like Eisenhower and Montgomery!
Since then LIE-berals have been chopping away at it and inserting THEIR PROPAGANDA into the cracks!
One might think that after the Ardennes disaster, somebody might take the Germans a little more seriously when it looked like they were on the move.
@@nickdanger3802 well it didn’t achieve any of its primary objectives and managed to destroy much of the German airpower left.
@@nickdanger3802 Approximately 19,000 soldiers killed in action, 47,500 wounded and 23,000-plus missing. Had the Germans had more fuel, they might have made it to Antwerp. For nearly a month, the Allies got their ass handed to them, because they thought the Germans were finished and didn't imagine they would start an offensive in the winter. Sure, the Germans lost, but that's cold comfort to Allied dead that got run over because they let their guard down.
@@nickdanger3802 It wasn't over when Patton reached Bastogne, and I noted the lack of fuel for the Germans. I used the Ardennes as an example of getting complacent and assuming your enemy is unable to conduct operations. Just like the example in the video. That's all. The Ardennes was a tactical disaster for the Allies, despite their eventual victory.
Good point.
@@nickdanger3802 Are you panties in a bunch because I used the word disaster? You're dumping out a bunch of irrelevant data that has nothing to do with my comment. The allies let their guard down, the Germans, though weak, took advantage of both occasions. Moral: Don't let your guard down with the Germans. That's my message. I'm not debating you about history. I'm commenting on tactical and operational attitude.
Thank you Mr. Felton. You are probably the best modern war historian, bravo.
Almost 40 years ago, I spent two years researching the Normandy Campaign at The National Archive's Captured German Documents Section for my war game "The Longest Day" by Avalon Hill. Three things that stood out in my research that I thought remarkable but received little notice were: (a) The presence of the III Sturm Flak Korps, consisting of 144 88mm dual-purpose flak cannon, positioned behind the lines between Isigny and Bayeaux on D-Day that impeded the American/British linkup; (2) The critical role played by the 8th and 9th Nebelwerfer Brigades during the campaign, contributing a major share of the German artillery "throw weight," and (3) The immense size (40,000+) of the 319th Infanterie Division in the Channel Islands and its constituent parts that included such exotics as French Char B flamethrower battalions, Luftwaffe heavy and light flak units galore, and Kriegsmarine special warfare units. If this sizable force would have been easily transferred to the Cherborg defenses, it could have had a significant impact on the campaign. I would love to see the Mark Felton treatment on any one of these three topics. Love and peace!
Avalon Hill made some great games. Did you work on any others besides The Longest Day?
A: Yes. Richthofen's War, 1776, Starship Troopers, and development of a handful of others, as the VP of R&D from 1972 to 1979. I spent the following nine years designing tabletop wargames for the US Marine Corps.
@@randallreed9048 if i remember right those games where available for ZX Spectrum, great games !
@@Deere66Bob Bob, you are very kind.
Mr Reed......firstly allow me to thank you personally for creating two of my most favorite wargames in my collection TLD & 1776.....I wonder if you had considered making the successful transfer of the 319th Infantry to Cherbourg an option within the game? That would have been an interesting scenario.
Been a WW2 aficionado my whole life. Never heard of this raid. Your channel is invaluable.
The name Lightoller rang a bell...thanks Mark for making the Titanic connection.
His father commanded a small craft to rescue the BEF from Dunkirk.
Also Lightoller Sr was at Dunkirk on one of the Little Ships
My father was a Dunkirk veteran with the Royal Artillery. When he was a boy his father (my grandfather) took him to St. Albans to buy a mastiff dog from Charles Lightoller. As far as I know the Titanic sinking was not discussed. I still have the breach pin from a 25 pounder my father and his crew got when they had to destroy their gun at Dunkirk.
When I heard the name Lightoller, immediately the RMS Titanic always comes to mind. Thanks for making the connection!
Me too, I rewinded the video 3 times thinking lightoller, lightoller, lightoller where do I know that name from? Paused video to do a quite google only to come back and have mark tell me as soon as I pressed play
Best history Channel on UA-cam imho
"German forces remained professional, and very dangerous opponents."
That's really good praise to have from an enemy that defeated you.
That's not a praising, he said it with a factual tone
It is not unusual to have the victors praise the soldiers they were fighting. The reason? The better the defeated enemy was the more awesome you must have been.
@@donaldcarey114 or... because the enemy were exceptional at their job.
I talked with numerous US vets of the European front. Never did any of them say the German soldier was weak willed slob. Common theme from all of them was Germans were tough, hard fighters and very skilled....unlike much of the US Army in Europe. The Waffen-SS were especially feared as the US grunts had learned the hard way. No love for the German soldiers but great respect for the hard fighters they were.
@@LuvBorderCollies That wasn't my point - it is basic psychology.
Anyone else here from Jersey? Its an amazing place to grow up. I remember exploring miles of german bunkers and tunnels along the island when I was a kid.
Does New Jersey count ?
@@martenikaeltheroy3621 You can thank De Cartret for that .We Crapauds do get about. His family home St Quen's Manaor wa sthe site of the execution by firing squad of a French 188 year old named Francois Scornet. He and some others had escaped fromFrance in a small boat and thought they had landed in England. Actually it was Guernersey. He was sent to Jersey tried by a German court and excecuted.
Jersey Shore
@@martenikaeltheroy3621 i spend my whole explaining to people there is an old jersey 😂
@@SNOBYMILLS I’ve never been to New Jersey but I’m sure old Jersey is 100% better lol
Mark you are an excellent writer and I’ve enjoyed all of your books. But I’m extremely glad you came to UA-cam as well. You are a natural storyteller, whether written or oral, and you’re doing a great service, to younger generations especially, by bringing to life the events of this amazingly destructive period in human history.
I don't understand that there could be any dislikes of these Mark Felton videos. I have been a history buff for many years, and I am always amazed at how little we know about the TRUE history - often forgotten/ignored. I am still waiting for Mark to be Knighted by the Queen for all of his contributions to WW2 history.
Always a pleasure to get the notification of a new video from you Dr. Felton 👍
As a historian I can say this is pure gold to watch!
What a remarkable story - as always well researched and perfectly presented. Thank you Mark.
Letssss goooooo! New Mark Felton content yesssss! Notifications on people 😁😁😁
@@QuantumMechanic_88 your mom
Happy Monday to you good sir, Mark. When the day has been stressful, I get this ding...and it's a welcomed break.
My mate is is from Jersey and he was always telling me about the German gun emplacements and pillboxes they had built and were still there.
And his name is Mark too..
I just love these unknown stories from WWII. Never would have thought this could even happen so late in the war. Impressive work as always!
Having grown up on Guernsey it's nice to see a video about my childhood home.
There's so much history on the islands still waiting to be documented and the work of Festung Guernsey, a group that preserve and conserve fortifications is great.
And the CIOS, Channel Island Occupation Society.
Is there much that can be done regarding the Alderney camps?
@@scottcharney1091 A lot of research has been done over the years. It's just not well known . There were camps, for proisoners on Guernsey and Jersey.All are small Island's ,so most sites are now gone.
German POW's after being rescued: 😃
German POW's after being taken to the Channel Islands: 😟
Considering the amount of fraternizing by the local women, I'm sure some smiles would be produced.
@@walterschumann2476 Yeah, but there's that pesky lack of food thing that would dampen even that.
@@oldesertguy9616 But, the Germans controlled the food, not the Brits. As the video said the civilians were starving and starvation is a great aphrodisiac.
@@walterschumann2476 The Germans were starving as well. I have been to the Jersey WW2 museum. The locals were producing their own food, and hiding it from the Germans. Towards the end, the locals were better off and the Germans were buying food off them on the black market. Hard to believe, but true it seems.
@@Simonsvids Just going by what the video said. Still, that makes some on the Island, traitors for feeding the enemy.
Incredible story from Mr. Mark Felton. Thank you so much !!!!
Fascinating stuff! Thank you for taking us through the story of the often forgotten Channel Islands during WW2.
Love your videos Dr Felton. I rewatch them over and over as to not forget these legendary events that you’ve shed light on!
Greetings from Guernsey. It feels strange to see landmarks I recognise in one of your videos.
mark felton is my favourite history teacher. bar none. i would have died of boredom without his programs and calming voice during this long covid lockdown.
Another interesting video. The barge you showed was of a type that my father would encounter frequently in operations of the 51st Gunboat Flotilla in the Mediterranean and Adriatic. They were used to help defend coastal supply convoys. To him they were known as F Lighters. The F standing for Flak as they were bristling with Flak cannons of 37mm and 20mm. E Boats were also very common. Overall the operations against these craft undertaken at night were very successful. His MGB, 659 did not have a single fatality between 1943 and 1945
Another interesting story that most (including me) have never heard about. Thank you Dr. Felton!
Funny how much time and resources were poured into the Channel Islands only for the Allies to just ignore them.
They weren't entirely ignored - HMS Rodney shelled gun positions on one of the islands, and there were commando raids to gather intelligence. My mum's uncle was a commando on one of those raids, but due to bad navigation they landed on Sark, which was not their intended target. However, at that time there were no Germans on Sark, so to pass the time until they were picked up they went to the pub. 😀
@@Kevin-mx1vi what an epic story. Reminds me of my own military service - Catch 22 lives on
@@Kevin-mx1vi My late father's eldest brother was in the commandos. Him and a few others popped over to France one night and he got into a fight with a German officer after both their weapons jammed. My uncle survived the war. The German officer didn't.
Well, wouldn't it be possible that the german fortification of the channel islands prevented easier shipping routes for the allies? Logiatics costs are often of greater importance in these scenarios than militairy ones
@@Kevin-mx1vi lol 😂 wouldn't you? Your uncle did the right thing 🤣🤣 good on him.
An interesting fact about Charles Lightoller is that he commanded a destroyer escort and then a destroyer in ww1, fighting both a u boat and a zeppelin, and took his personal boat over to Dunkirk in 1940
Beat me to it. A fascinating man.
I read that Lightoller learned from the Titanic disaster to guide his leaking destroyer into port by going in reverse, to prevent forward motion from driving water into the hull.
@@rogerknights857 thats very cool
@@rogerknights857 I don't get the connection? The Titanic was a bunch of holes down its side and stopped reasonably quickly. Going backwards or forwards at X speeds the waters still moving over the hull at X-ish speed. I guess in reverse there is a bit of turbulence in the water from the props? But either, or - both would have about the same affect on the Titanic.
I don't know much about hit destroyer but did it have a big gaping hole in the front? Because yeah - yup would 100% agree that it would have probably have been a good idea to go in reverse.
@@5hiftyL1v3a "The Titanic ... stopped reasonably quickly." But, I've read in a book on what really happened on the Titanic, the owner of the White Star line (Ismee?) told the captain to restart her and head for Halifax. This forced water into the hull and caused her to sink many hours before she would have otherwise.
The moral of the story is "It ain't over 'till it's over!"
If the enemy's still out there never fail to take him seriously.
As always; first rate work.
A rare content creator that earns a like from me as soon as I start a video.
If only history class in school was this informative and compelling.
Thankyou - that was a brilliant presentation of a little known action. I remember first reading about it in the long out of print "War Monthly" magazine in the 1970's and being amazed that the Germans could still pull off something like this so late in the war.
I've been told I'm the go-to guy with my friends to ask about WWII. I've read a lot... seen a lot of movies... I'm almost 60.... and I never knew these islands were occupied until this... fascinating. I'm glad no one knows except you guys on the internet.
Mark - you must radar that allows you to pick up these obscure WW2 histories! I never heard of the Grandville raid. Perhaps because I'm an American and it was a German victory late in the war. I don't know if a movie was ever made on this military action, if not, then there should be. Great story and very daring of the Germans.
Mr. Felton never ceases to amaze me!!
I shall try to contribute to this wonderful channel.
Danke Schön!
These shows are ridiculously good. Thanks Mark Felton.
@Mark: TY so very much for your channel and important work: I can't help but say how much my father would have enjoyed your format of concise and accurate details.
"We have the world's largest navies, let's send this subchaser to check this out."
@@Easy-Eight I'm guessing complacency. The war was almost over, you're hundreds of miles from the fighting, they call it "the element of surprise" for a reason.
The fact that only the one subchaser was sent is proof of two things:
1) The Allies mistakenly thought an offensive operation this late, in this sector, was unlikely.
2) All other Allied Naval vessels were engaged elsewhere. It's not as if the Germans were sallying forth with a pocket battleship or something--just a few small vessels of little real danger.
@@THE-HammerMan - your second point about the availability of a better equipped warship may well be a valid point. The Germans had already abandoned using their surface ships to fight the Royal Navy. So it’s possible that the nearest better equipped Royal Navy warship was too far away or tasked with something else deemed to be more important. It’s also possible that in the decision making chain of command, that it was thought that the German ships may have been making a run back to Germany...
@@Mark1024MAK You know, I thought of your last point after my reply...and I think you hit the nail on the head-- so to speak. They weren't going to make Venezuela in those little craft either!
I like WWII history, and was reviewing the record of the Tirpitz again last night. Sad life for such a fine vessel. If I had been in charge of the Kriegsmarine, I would never have sent out the Bismarck without the Tirpitz. Both together with their support vessels. Unstoppable! Could you imagine the havoc if German surface ships were managed better? Good thing Herr Dummkopf...er, Hitler was in charge!
The Royal Navy were the largest during WW2 when you look at fighting ships. Shame the USA didn't call us in when they first picked up the fleet on radar.
Thanks for another unknown piece of WWII Dr. Felton. You never cease to amaze. 👍👍👍
Starving Germans in garrison in the Channel Islands: "We don't have enough food to feed all the men! We've got to do something!" Admiral Huffmeier orders daring raid to try and capture supplies and boost morale. Raid succeeds only in bringing back coal, but rescues 55 German POWs and brings them back. Germans: "Great, now we have 55 more mouths to feed!" LOL!
Yeah the Germans left 3 hots and a cot to go hungry.
Plus the US POWS they took. I mean, really, should've just left the prisoners ashore.
Lol .😳😳 That's funny. As Marie antoinette said, 'let them eat coal'!! Or was it cake?!!!😜😜
Plot twist: 55 people were eaten
Actually there were more POW's freed but they decided to slip away.They thought that it was better to be recaptured than going to the Channel Islands.
Another gem of a documentary.
Made my week.
Thank you Mark.
What more can I say ?
~THANK YOU DR MARK FELTON~
The best UA-cam channel I have ever come across with it.
I LOVE THIS VIDEO❤️❤️🥰
I am obsessed with your video and voice ❤️
A great story well narrated as always Mark! The wartime history of the Channel Islands is quite fascinating. The story of the Dame of Sark during WW2 might be worth an episode. Cheers from the Right Coast of Canada!
A German soldier who got stationed on the Channel Islands might have had the best duty assignment of WW2. The survival rate was high and hunger the only peril.
Thank you for another excellent documentary! Before your production, I knew very little about the German occupation of the Channel Islands and had never heard about the raid. You do an excellent job of bringing such lesser known actions in WWII to light! Keep up the good work!
My dad served in the US Army, (HQ 204 Major Port Co). Went ashore at Utah unloading anything and everything. The 204th was one of the first units into Cherbourg moving supplies from the Mulberrys. There were also numerous raids by the Germans at night to steal anything they could. One night he confronted some individuals in the night and and after failing the password response/counter- response he started firing. Several hours later he was informed that a raid had in fact occurred. These incidents happened several times while his unit was stationed in the Cherbourg area.
There must be thousands of little remembered small actions like this from the war. May Dr. Felton never run out of material.
Mark Felton is time traveller. I saw him Holding up binoculars in the introduction.
It's the details of these smaller actions in WW2 that are overlooked by other established media, but luckily for history buffs we have historians like Mark Felton and his terrific channel! Another fascinating video.
Love your videos. Thanks for uploading.
Literally the best WW2 source on UA-cam. I have a massive interest and appreciate your videos very much. Thank you! 👍
Mark’s content makes me feel like I’m bout to graduate as a second lieutenant
Fascinating. Another episode of ww2 that I had never heard of or read about, which is what I love about this channel. One small detail stood out to me. Two US Marine officers killed. I was completely unaware of any USMC casualties in Europe. These were likely the only ones. Again, something new I've learned. Thank you for this and all your videos.
Never heard this story before. Thanks
Thank you for redoing this episode in more detail, this story is epic and quite interesting to understanding the end of the War’s German operations.
About three years ago, my brother in law, was working as a collector for a coin exchange outfit. Part of his job was to sort through the bits of metal etc that the machines rejected. One day he brought home a curious bit of triangular copper with some strange markings on it. After a bit of research, we determined that it was German currency only issued during their occupation of the Channel Islands (and only in the Channel Islands).
Quite rare, but surprisingly, only worth about $5
He still has it.
1970s fantasy pieces. Nothing like this was issued in Channel Islands during the war.
Massive floods where I live on the Mid-North Coast of NSW. Thankfully this video took my mind off things for a short while.
Nice one Mark! The Germans were clearly still quite capable of putting up a fight right up to the end!
Another amazing story of a little-known part of the war. Well done, Dr. Felton!
A further raid was planned for 7 May 1945, but Admiral Karl Dönitz ordered Hüffmeier not to carry out any more offensive operations so close to the end of the war.
Another can't miss video..thank you Mark!
Last time I was this Early, the Luftwaffe still had fuel in its aircraft to intercept Allied Planes....
I am putting my bets on this being top comment...don't let me down Smokey, get those chinese bots going! >.
Last time I was this early, the world seemed to be winning over the bankers.
last time I was this early, this joke was still funny.
@@GarioTheRock It won’t be the top.... It’s just there to make people chuckle for a few seconds.
@@idyllsend6481 I'm curious to know how you define "world", "winning" and "bankers"?
How fascinating! After a lifetime (57 years) of being a WWII history buff, this was news to me. Thank you, Dr. Felton!
I never heard this before. Amazing feat so late in the war.
Love these period movies. Your reviews are well done and very informative. Ty for sharing.
Doctor. These stories about lesser known raids are fascinating. Perhaps you could highlight some of the OSS operations?
Mais oui!!!
This has made my pandemic isolation a lot more interesting! You keep researching and find new topics regularly. Thank you Mark.
I live in Jullouville! The town South of Granville!
Thanks to Mark Felton productions for a battle that would otherwise would be forgotten
I was born on Jersey and went back for the first time in years recently. I remember thinking I couldn't live here now, every 10 minutes I was seeing another bunker and the nazis were popping into my head. The Martello towers are everywhere too but Napoleon is a nicer vibe than Hitler.
Fascinating and in-depth article, Mark. It's the little vignettes of information like the Titanic connection that sets the seal on your work. Thanks.
The fighting spirit and abillity of the Germans even in april 1945 is insane!
Great story Mark, I did not know it, nor did my friends here in France. So, keep on teaching us these meaningful events of WWII.
"What happened to that Minesweeper we sent out?"
"No idea. Should we do something?"
"Nah, it'll be fine."
lol I'm subbed to that guy too
BBB, I see you were in the military, too.
I love when I open UA-cam page and see a new post by Mark.
Imagine getting a heart from mark felton :)
Wow! Thank you mark! Greetings from the philippines :)
@@pinoypooltv ohhhh A LOT of WW2 battlefields in the Philippines
Yeah! Battle of Manila for one was featured by Mark :)
Damn!!!! I was driving on the highway when I received notification. Had to stop beside the road for 12 minutes to get my Felton Fix
Last time I was this early, the Kriegsmarine still had a fleet of capital ships.
Thanks for the upload Dr. Felton! Learning time for me!
Very minor correction: the channel islands are part of the United Kingdom but not part of Great Britain, that term refers to the largest island in the British Isles archipelago.
If you want to get even more into it they're technically the British and Irish Isles now (all depending on ones definition of the British Isles, which has always been in flux)
Terminology is an interesting and constantly shifting thing, especially when it comes to the Isles
And there were lots of British protectorates that fell to axis powers in south east Asia.
Jersey is not part of the UK. The British Government liase with the Jersey authorities. Important legislation goes direct to the Queen for approval bypassing Westminster. It has been thus since the year 1204. Long before the UK was constituted. The Isle of Man is not part of the UK either.
If the UK was to try to legislate for Jersey, it would lead to a constitutional crisis which both sides
@@davidwarren17 I'll accept that correction, it's better described as a dependency of the UK rather than part of the UK.
@@davidmurphy563 It's actually a crow dependancy
I may not always comment ....But you can bet im watching..!!! Thanks Dr.Felton
I urge anyone to watch "Enemy at the door". Excellent TV series on this topic.
I've most of Season One; now I'm going back to finishing it (binge!) to see if it covers this raid in the final episodes. Good series indeed.
Again, you have told the story of an event hitherto totally unknown.I am, as always, impressed!
Hans Strömberg
Sweden
"Right up to the final surrender, German forces remained professional and very dangerous opponents."
Thanks mark your work makes Monday amazing thanks from Canada
Proud to be here before first 10 views!
same
Heard the ding, finally had time to sit down and watch it.Another great video keep them coming please Mark.
Hi Mark.
Once again Doc you deliver another wild and forgotten tale straight out of a Hollywood movie. Only better because this is real history.
Thank you again sir for making my day. A loyal viewer.