My great grandfather was a tank driver in France, he died before i was old enough to even talk to him so I never got o to hear his stories but he was a Purple Heart recipient after his tank was hit and forced to evacuate. Unfortunately that’s all I’ve heard about him and his time in WW2, he was a sweet southern boy from NC training out of Fort Brag, and was married to my great grandmother for over 50 years. Just wish I could have heard some of his stories or experiences as I have grown up to be so fascinated with what was WW2. RIP Grant Miller and all men and women who’ve died or lost there life serving. Never forget!!
The 12th SS were mostly former Hitler Youth who had been together since the mid 1930s when they were ages 7 -11. This was their first battle. Theirs was a military schooling. Long marches, camaraderie, tough physical challenges, Nazi ideology, teamwork, and sacrifice was all they knew. By the time of the battle of Caen they were mostly ages 16-18. They had witnessed their cities back home being carpet bombed and fire bombed with little regard to civilian areas. They were hardened exceptionally well trained soldiers who eagerly went into the fight to avenge what they saw happening back home. Most likely, the determination to avenge the deaths of their mothers, grandmothers, sisters, etc., back home in the German cities played much more into the intensity, violence, and unwillingness to take prisoners than their indoctrination into Nazi ideology. This is just a fact that victors are rarely going to put out to consider but a fact to consider none the less. This group of mere boys were able to repulse around 50 attacks over a period of three weeks. The 12th SS was wiped out in the end. The few survivors were sent to the eastern front after Caen. Of 12,000 who were sent to Caen only around 200 survived the war.
Most ss divisions were superior in part to training and combat experience.even the ss waffen divisions with volunteers from other countries were as disciplined and trained as the regular ss.
The Division began with 20,504 Men. Lost around 9000 men KIA, MIA, and WIA, which still leaves around 11,000 that effectively were intact out of Falaise. People get it out of context of sorts in that the effective Combat strength was destroyed, meaning its Armor, AFV, and Artillery somewhat were left behind. but the two combat Regt's were no longer combat effective, nor was its Panzer battalion. More than 2oo survived the war. would like to see your source. My sources are books from Maj. General Michael Reynolds "Sons of Reich II SS Pz. Korps", "Men of Steel, Ist SS Pz. Korps, and the Devils Adjutant" Along with the 12th SS of Hubert Meyer. Grenadiers by Kurt Meyer is my last source.
An incredibly powerful presentation. Hearing the men that were boys sharing their experiences along with the great archive films and realistic pyrotechnics, moved me more than most shows I've seen. Thanks Fellas! You will never think so, but you are heroes for many of us.
Unfortunately, the UA-cam and Facebook gestapo still oppresses freedom of speech and freedom in general despite the sacrifices of these heroes. They are no different than the Nazis.
As an old Apartheid SA solja I agree with you. Hulle almal was stalwarts. Hoekom wie was reg of verkeert. Ons was almal junk en vol Kom en kak. Nou lek ons net ons suigise wonde. Sal ons kinders ooit verstaan dat n droo vuurhoutjie n segeret Kan aansttek n warm tee of n was its is om dankbaar voor is. Mag hulle dit nie ervaar nie. Pertykeer wens ek hulle doen want hulle Kan nie die soet wardeur na ons bitter nie.
I complain about my junky boots when I deployed in the mountains of afghan, then I watch this legend complain about how junky the tanks were made. I swear these interviews humble me to the core.
From everything I have read,the British troops were outstanding…highly motivated, very gutsy. As an American who is in awe of our vets from that era, I am very impressed with the Brits. The Red Devils in Holland were amazing and were extremely respected by the US Airborne fighting nearby. Band of Brothers did not tell their story, just did the “rescue” across the river. These guys had been abandoned by Montgomery et al and hid out for a month after fighting hand to hand practically for a long time. Very brave
...yep, lived next door to one of them ...Long Range Desert group, captured twice and escaped ...and Parachute Regiment into Arnhem ...broadest Somerset and eccentric ...still regret not having stood up to say something at his funeral
...and my mother's brother was in a tank from the beaches of Normandy to Germany and survived to die shortly after the war from the stress ...my father (in the Home Guard) experienced a tank crew dying 'hunkered down' under a tank which sank in the mud ...and that was just an exercise
@@nlumby Wow. I am finishing up a four book series by a 101st vet whose first book was the only one endorsed by Eisenhower. This guy should have been dead 30 times over and that’s no exaggeration. Being on the front lines…and especially in a tank….was horrific. How any vet escaped the consequence of your uncle is beyond me. Oh and this guy’s first brush came when he was injured in a practice jump in Georgia. The next jump was the last and at night. The plane he was supposed to be on crashed with everyone dying. You cannot put your head around this sh*t
American author, Steven Zaloga author and proponent of the Sherman tank, needs to see this. He constantly creates the myth of how great the Sherman Tank was, which it never was. I received enough of an education from my dear Uncle, whom was stuck in one of them fighting in the Canadian Army. He lasted one month in them, and said no more and volunteered to be a Motorcycle Scout/ Dispatch rider in the 7th Recce battalion, also known as the 17th Duke of Yorks Royal Canadian Hussars. He told me he would rather be shot than burned alive.
Incredible thank you, my Welsh uncle "Hoppy" was killed in Caen, burred in Ranville ,he had been married just months before in our village of Ackworth ,These men were so special. thank you
All the generation's this is by far the bravest an best generation ever I'm so honored and proud to call myself and others American because if not for them an thousands of others we wouldn't be free thank you for your service an God bless you and your families an God bless America
@@johndawes9337 lol definitely not. A 19 yr old American, i served in Lebanon Then went over with the British Royal Air Force for 3 years in nato. On armistice day, Most each year it would be raining and yet the old World War II veterans would show up with all of their medals on. In wheelchairs, crutches or canes, Here they came. The rain would be pelting us as we stood in ranks with the British, And one of my friends remarked, We don't dare complain about the rain, After All consider what these men went through. I also did weapons work with the Royal Netherlands Marines. I found all of the European military men to be great fun to be around, And they were always professional.
You say that because you're uneducated, and can't see with your eyes. The problem taking Caen was not the bocage. Do you see any bocage in the video around the 15:00 Mark? Cause the open fields they show there is the terrain between the beaches and Caen and, Americans were not even involved in the Battle for Caen. This video is rubbish. Nothing but rubbish.
In many ways, pre 1939 .. America werent THAT different when it came to opinions om minorities, (jews, Gays, people of color and such.. ) Sure they didnt exactly put them in ghettos or camps.. But do a little reading on what life were like for them back then.. hardly what i would say make a "great generation"
So Very Well Done ......................... HIGH SCHOOL AND COLLEGE KIDS NEED TO SEE THIS ........................... MAYBE THEY WILL UNDERSTAND .......... EVEN JUST A LITTLE............ EVEN ALMOST 80 YEARS AGO ........ NEVER FORGET !!!!!
The narrator of this documentary had announced in it that American troops/units had also taken part in the Battle for Caen. This is absolutely incorrect & inaccurate! No US formations were ever directly involved in combat situations in either the British or Canadian sectors at anytime during this campaign for capturing this city between June to August 1944!!
Full blown Men.. every one who took part. My Grandpa fought in France WW2. His son my Dad was combat Veteran Vietnam 11th Cavalry 1966-67. Gött Segne dich to our Veterans
One minute: “How can people do that to other human people?” The next minute: “So I saw this German kid, couldn’t have been twenty, conscripted, no political affiliations, his mom sitting at home worried sick over him, and I shot him, and watched him fall like a sack of potatoes. I felt nothing.”
Exactly And when you bear in mind how America themself were around that time (regarding PoCs, Minorities etc. ) They were only a scrotum hair away from being No better than Hitler (Only difference were perhaps Americans didnt put people in camps, before Pearl Habour)
It is almost becoming tedious listening to the Canadians complain about the 12th SS murdering Canadian captives, not because it isn't true and criminal but, rather, no-one seems to quite get around to pointing out that the Canadians were guilty of doing the same thing as far back as the battle for Sicily. The commander of the 12th SS - Kurt "Panzer" Meyer had his death sentence commuted after the war by none other than the Canadians who knew their own men were just as guilty of doing exactly the same thing. Cheers!
How old is this? I personally don't know any WW2 vets alive. My grandfather is a marine PFC Frank Eugene Bradley. He obviously fought in the Pacific, many major battles. He died in 2006. I rarely see any WW2 vets alive these days. Heck... Vietnam vets are now in their late 60's to mid 70's.
22:33 not the highest decoration. It could be further raised with swords, and then with diamonds, and then the highest of all, golden oak leaves instead of bronze. This top award, knights cross with golden oak leaves with swords and diamonds, was awarded in the fewest numbers. One of whom was the Stuka pilot Hans-Ulrich Rudel who was credited with more than 500 tank kills, heavily damaged a battle ship, destroyed a cruiser and a destroyer, and even more trucks, trains and troops
12th Was impressive just to finally make it out because Hitler told His Gen to stay till last man , But someone changed and one of the other Gen .led them out the Pocket
Seconded. The vets testimony is vivid enough for our brain to figure out what it had been. But surely for interesting the younger generations, some SFX are needed.
Caen had been part of the original COSSAC plans and were not changed when Montgomery rewrote the COSSAC plan to become what it was for Overlord. It was expected that Caen would be taken on that first day, but there were always doubts that it was possible, as made explicitly clear by the operational orders for 3rd Div, which quite clearly state that if it can't be taken, then at least make sure that the enemy can't make use of Caen, either. 3rd Div were always going to have a hard time of it, given the congestion at Sword Beach. Those operational orders are shown here: (I Corps Operations Order No. 1, WO 171/258) 3 British Division a) The task of 3 British Division is to capture CAEN and secure a bridgehead over the R ORNE at that place. b ) The enemy may develop his counter-attack-- i) Through CAEN ii) Across R ORNE at RANVILLE - BENOUVILLE having established himself in the area East of R ORNE from which he can dominate the beaches West of OUISTREHAM and the Northern approaches to CAEN. iii) West of Caen, between R MUE and the CAEN Canal iv) Any combination of the above In cases (ii) and (iii) using CAEN as a pivot, if he suceeds in forestalling us there. c) To counter these enemy measure 3 British Division should, before dark on D-Day, have captured or effectively masked CAEN and be disposed in depth with brigade localities firmly established. i) North-West of BENOUVILLE, in support of 6 Airborne Division operating East of R ORNE (having relieved the airborne troops West of the canal and taken over the defence of the BENOUVILLE-RANVILLE crossings. ii) North-West of CAEN, tied up with the LEFT forward brigade locality of 3 Canadian Division. Should the enemy forestall us at CAEN and the defences prove to be strongly organised thus causing us the fail to capture it on D-Day, further direct frontal assaults which may prove costly will not be undertaken without reference to I Corps. In such an event 3 British Division will contain the enemy in CAEN and retain the bulk of its forces disposed for mobile operations inside the covering position. CAEN will be subjected to heavy air bombardment to limit its usefulness and to make its retention a costly business." (Richard Anderson - "Cracking Hitler's Atlantic Wall: the 1st Assault Brigade Royal Engineers on D-Day" ) So the INTENTION in the order is quite clear, here - take it, if possible, but if it's going to be problematic, then at the very least, ensure that the enemy doesn't use it as a mean of counter-attacking. Caen was not THE goal, the goal was to draw the German Armour Reserves onto 2nd Army frontage and grind them down with that aim to prevent them from interfering in Bradley's breakout into Brittany and the taking of Cherbourg. The fact that the Germans had to fight for it so long kept almost approximately 80% of the armour in Normandy including ALL the elite Panzer Divisions and all the heavy armour away from the US who took the same amount of time to take their D-Day Objectives.
Honestly VERY FEW Allied Soldiers ever saw a Tiger in Action, although if they did, I am sure it was a day to remember. Semper Fi Veterans, RIP. The Pz IV would look somewhat similar at a distance though. Although Villers Bocage was damaged, the Allies BOMBED it a bit later after the Germans had left. So it was the Allies who really devastated Villers Bocage. If we are being factual. Caen was the same way the Germans had left and they Bombed the hell out of it.
Most of the Tigers and Panthers were in the British sector, so almost no Americans would have seen any, but the British and Canadian tankers most definitely did. The British and Canadians faced off against 80% of the German armour, including all of the big Cats. This is a large part of why their work was so much more of a grind - it was actually always the plan for the British and Canadians to tie up the German forces, allowing the Americans to take territory. This was what was presented at St Paul's school in Hammersmith Rd by Montgomery, Ramsay, and Leigh-Mallory when the plans for Overlord were presented to SHAEF back in April '44.
The great confusion in Normandy it was the allied "Paranoid" abaut the Tiger Tank. The majorety of allied tank crews never Saw a Tiger in Normandy because only abaut 120 Tigers were sent to cover all that area,and barely half of them got there in fighting conditions. They where few and far between. They were confused by the Panzer IV all the time. PS:just love that brittish private words and gesture abaut Montgomery Said that Caen was to be taken on the first day.
I was born fifteen years after WW2. I'm blessed I wasn't around for it, it was literally Hell for all who were affected. How lucky I'm not so sure now. The way the some leaders are behaving there is the possibility of another war. Will my blessing hold and peace prevail. I'm praying wishing and hoping for a miracle. We need the planet to come out and demand this stops. We have the numbers and Morally right on our side, we lack the will. We need hero's any kind who can light the fuse and exsite the people to come out., 🤔☘️
The film sequences featuring the use of the 40mm Bofors for urban street fighting were the best sequences of the entire production. The studio-produced pyrotecnique scenes, on the other hand, were largely overdone.
@@larryflint8351 the western allied soldiers had air superiority massive artillery support big guns of the navy huge advantages in men armor ammunition and to top it off the germans had already lost millions of men fighting Stalin and the germans kept on fighting, shear madness
@@victorgrech1136 besides.. Would "love" to see some of those "brave americans" fight on the easteren front As "harsh" As the West might have been. You have to admine Any "frontschwein" from the east (German or Russian) If ANYONE had balls the size of millstones.. it has to be an east front vet Everyone else was pretty much in for a nap and afternoon Tea compared to
@@SortenRavn freezing cold that a slight wound would mean gangrene russian massive rocket attack from stalin's organs Siberian snipers that would never sleep thousands of T34's, go in the rear area for a rest and bands of partisan's would sneak out of the marish and cut your throat while you slept, no thanks I have a laugh at the western mercenaries who go fight in ukraine, idiots
They “failed to take Caen in a day.” Montgomery failed in every battle other than Alemain where his superiority was greater than 10-1 in tanks. Sicily, failed. Caen, failed. Falaise, failed. Market Garden, failed. He was the best general the Germans ever had.
Civilians suffered enormously in Normandy. The bombardments were terrible. Cean was 90% razed to the ground and the victims numbered in the thousands. The reception of the allies by the population was not as enthusiastic as in Paris for example, one can understand them.
This is a bitter thing for the Anglo-American troops, when crossing shattered villages.They weren't welcomed like savors. I am living in Rouen, Normandy, and things here had been different. Destruction of the city was the air force fact, and few connections were made between the liberating troops and the desolation my city went through the past months.
Caen was planned to be bloody by the generals, they realised that the uS and Brit troops had to link up but the geography of the landings by the US forces made it hard for them and easy for the Germans, so the British had been ordered to take Caen and the fighing man didnt know why they were kept being fed in, it was to attract the Germans CLOSEST reserves, the troops in front of the Americans, this still made the American fight to link up hard, but it gave them the chance they needed at the right time.
It is a dstructive project despite as citizens of the desiros torise above their to enjoy the luxury of aging whic the youth could not have ebjoyed inamenanability to the priniciple to renounce war
And the generals who ordered the bombing did not get punished. Imagine all the innocent lives - children lost. Understandable that they had to take the city, but at cost of civilian lives?
Generals never gets what they deserve Take the last few weeks of WW1 Did anyone punish the english or french generals who did send men out to die for a pin on a map, that they would be given anyway after 11.11 ? Did anyone ever sentense Any for the bombardment of Verdun or all the other cities. Or in WW2 All the allied killings done by bomber squardrons No, generals never get what they deserve
None that I am aware of. Although this is a British production, it seems that the intended audience is probably Americans as much of the footage shows US soldiers.
Yes, right. Almost all Tigers were in independent Schwere panzerabteilungen. In 1943 the three premier SS divisions as well as Grossdeutchland had their own kompanie, and late 1944 there were a few independent Tiger 1 kompanies as well.
@@TTTT-oc4eb That is Not entirely correct dude. the battalions were subordinate to their respective Panzer Korps in Normandy. There were only 3 in Normandy (2 W-SS and One Heer). Peace out...
@@fallschirmjager0000 True, the Organization of the Tigers did change over time. HG had its own independent Kompany of Tigers. GD as well. I get what Mikey was trying to say, the "Independent Tiger Battalions were basically Korps Reserves, and although under Operational control 'Somewhat" by the Korps Commander, German thinking was always pro-active. Meaning the Battalion Commander of the Tigers really had operational control and was in contact with the local commanders on where their Tigers were most needed, or where they were to go and wait until called upon. In reading many books, those Commanders although in contact with the Korps commander, made many of their own calls in the sector they were to operate in. In Normandy Alone there was the 1st sSS Pz. Abt "LAH" Arrived around June 12-13th. 2nd sSS Pz. Abt "DR" Arrived in Late June 1944. Elements of Pz. Lehr Tigers (Porsche Turret) were few in number. There is a picture of a King Tiger Porsche turret #11 in France in the operational area of Pz Lehr Southern Sector. The 503rd sPz. Abt was mixed with Tiger I and Tiger II (Porsche Turret). 3rd Company.. most destroyed. The rest of the Pz. Abt was given to the Feldenhalle on its way back east. They were really few Tigers in the West all things considered.
@@opoxious1592 Caen had been a day 1 objective of the original COSSAC plan and was never removed as such from Montgomery's rewritten plans, but there was always the note of caution about it. It was certainly "expected" to be taken. The actual operational orders for 3rd Div make it clear and are shown here to illustrate this point: (I Corps Operations Order No. 1, WO 171/258) 3 British Division a) The task of 3 British Division is to capture CAEN and secure a bridgehead over the R ORNE at that place. b ) The enemy may develop his counter-attack-- i) Through CAEN ii) Across R ORNE at RANVILLE - BENOUVILLE having established himself in the area East of R ORNE from which he can dominate the beaches West of OUISTREHAM and the Northern approaches to CAEN. iii) West of Caen, between R MUE and the CAEN Canal iv) Any combination of the above In cases (ii) and (iii) using CAEN as a pivot, if he suceeds in forestalling us there. c) To counter these enemy measure 3 British Division should, before dark on D-Day, have captured or effectively masked CAEN and be disposed in depth with brigade localities firmly established. i) North-West of BENOUVILLE, in support of 6 Airborne Division operating East of R ORNE (having relieved the airborne troops West of the canal and taken over the defence of the BENOUVILLE-RANVILLE crossings. ii) North-West of CAEN, tied up with the LEFT forward brigade locality of 3 Canadian Division. Should the enemy forestall us at CAEN and the defences prove to be strongly organised thus causing us the fail to capture it on D-Day, further direct frontal assaults which may prove costly will not be undertaken without reference to I Corps. In such an event 3 British Division will contain the enemy in CAEN and retain the bulk of its forces disposed for mobile operations inside the covering position. CAEN will be subjected to heavy air bombardment to limit its usefulness and to make its retention a costly business." (Richard Anderson - "Cracking Hitler's Atlantic Wall: the 1st Assault Brigade Royal Engineers on D-Day" ) So the INTENTION in the order is quite clear, here - take it, if possible, but if it's going to be problematic, then at the very least, ensure that the enemy doesn't use it as a mean of counter-attacking. Caen was not THE goal, the goal was to draw the German Armour Reserves onto 2nd Army frontage and grind them down with that aim to prevent them from interfering in Bradley's breakout into Brittany and the taking of Cherbourg. The fact that the Germans had to fight for it so long kept almost approximately 80% of the armour in Normandy including ALL the elite Panzer Divisions and all the heavy armour away from the US who took the same amount of time to take their D-Day Objectives.
@@johndawes9337 I have put up the complete plans from Crocker that explicitly back your summation. It was expected to be taken, but the plans definitely show that there was always that level of doubt. Given the congestion at Sword Beach, it was hardly surpriding that 3rd Div was going to struggle to make inroads in a timely fashion.
It probably was unnecessary except that it would have the effect on the Germans that the inevitible was happening, that probably made it a reason, BUT fancy oppressors of other poeples wanting to do this?
Documentário medíocre... E que tal menos FX e mais factos? E que tal o lado alemão da batalha? A única coisa que se aproveita é os depoimentos dos veteranos, pelos quais tenho o maior respeito.
Not very professionell warfare, I think....2000 Bombers because a complete outnumberd group of Hitler Youth, a few Panther and Tiger Tanks won't surrender. That's when the 17 Year old Grenadier Said: Oh, Churchill sends a Bomber For each of us.... My Father was a Tank Commander in the 101 heavy Tank Batallion at the age of 18. The Documentary is Missing also the Desaster of the Dessert Rats, getting completely wasted by one single Tiger (Wittmann) on the Road to Villargs Bocage. After that, something in His head got Out of Order. ? Driving a Tiger in a Village with narrow streets was a stupid thing to do
That's actually a myth about Wittman and the single Tiger. The whole Villers Bocage thing is grossly overplayed and whilst it was a spectacular propaganda episode, it actually hurt the Germans far more than it hurt the British, apart from pride.
Most of the Werhmacht units where crap. The Pegasus Bridge was defended by polish conscripts. Would you fight hard for a country that occupied your land five years ago? Some local defense divisions where manned by soliders got battlewounds like onelegged, one eyed wounds. Some units where surplus italian submarine crews. One of many units en.wikipedia.org/wiki/716th_Static_Infantry_Division_(Wehrmacht)
My great grandfather was a tank driver in France, he died before i was old enough to even talk to him so I never got o to hear his stories but he was a Purple Heart recipient after his tank was hit and forced to evacuate. Unfortunately that’s all I’ve heard about him and his time in WW2, he was a sweet southern boy from NC training out of Fort Brag, and was married to my great grandmother for over 50 years. Just wish I could have heard some of his stories or experiences as I have grown up to be so fascinated with what was WW2. RIP Grant Miller and all men and women who’ve died or lost there life serving. Never forget!!
The 12th SS were mostly former Hitler Youth who had been together since the mid 1930s when they were ages 7 -11. This was their first battle. Theirs was a military schooling. Long marches, camaraderie, tough physical challenges, Nazi ideology, teamwork, and sacrifice was all they knew. By the time of the battle of Caen they were mostly ages 16-18. They had witnessed their cities back home being carpet bombed and fire bombed with little regard to civilian areas. They were hardened exceptionally well trained soldiers who eagerly went into the fight to avenge what they saw happening back home. Most likely, the determination to avenge the deaths of their mothers, grandmothers, sisters, etc., back home in the German cities played much more into the intensity, violence, and unwillingness to take prisoners than their indoctrination into Nazi ideology. This is just a fact that victors are rarely going to put out to consider but a fact to consider none the less. This group of mere boys were able to repulse around 50 attacks over a period of three weeks. The 12th SS was wiped out in the end. The few survivors were sent to the eastern front after Caen. Of 12,000 who were sent to Caen only around 200 survived the war.
Most ss divisions were superior in part to training and combat experience.even the ss waffen divisions with volunteers from other countries were as disciplined and trained as the regular ss.
I couldn't agree More .
My Father in Law was Hitler Junged , 14 at wars end ...
The Division began with 20,504 Men. Lost around 9000 men KIA, MIA, and WIA, which still leaves around 11,000 that effectively were intact out of Falaise. People get it out of context of sorts in that the effective Combat strength was destroyed, meaning its Armor, AFV, and Artillery somewhat were left behind. but the two combat Regt's were no longer combat effective, nor was its Panzer battalion. More than 2oo survived the war. would like to see your source. My sources are books from Maj. General Michael Reynolds "Sons of Reich II SS Pz. Korps", "Men of Steel, Ist SS Pz. Korps, and the Devils Adjutant" Along with the 12th SS of Hubert Meyer. Grenadiers by Kurt Meyer is my last source.
@@JuergenGDB My source is the Kurt Meyer book as well. You need to re-read it.
200 haben überlebt die anderen wurden von den Befreiern hingerichtet
One of the best documentaries about Caen, if not the best. Well done.
Thank you for your sacrifices, services, and Valor, Greatest Generation!
An incredibly powerful presentation. Hearing the men that were boys sharing their experiences along with the great archive films and realistic pyrotechnics, moved me more than most shows I've seen.
Thanks Fellas! You will never think so, but you are heroes for many of us.
That was fantastic, true history, unbelievable courage, most lost to time but these few men have left a story for the ages. Bravo
As a Dutch native I can only say thank you to these heroes. 🙏🏻
Unfortunately, the UA-cam and Facebook gestapo still oppresses freedom of speech and freedom in general despite the sacrifices of these heroes. They are no different than the Nazis.
As an old Apartheid SA solja I agree with you. Hulle almal was stalwarts. Hoekom wie was reg of verkeert. Ons was almal junk en vol Kom en kak. Nou lek ons net ons suigise wonde. Sal ons kinders ooit verstaan dat n droo vuurhoutjie n segeret Kan aansttek n warm tee of n was its is om dankbaar voor is. Mag hulle dit nie ervaar nie. Pertykeer wens ek hulle doen want hulle Kan nie die soet wardeur na ons bitter nie.
I complain about my junky boots when I deployed in the mountains of afghan, then I watch this legend complain about how junky the tanks were made. I swear these interviews humble me to the core.
Brother those boots were still junk
From everything I have read,the British troops were outstanding…highly motivated, very gutsy. As an American who is in awe of our vets from that era, I am very impressed with the Brits. The Red Devils in Holland were amazing and were extremely respected by the US Airborne fighting nearby. Band of Brothers did not tell their story, just did the “rescue” across the river. These guys had been abandoned by Montgomery et al and hid out for a month after fighting hand to hand practically for a long time. Very brave
...yep, lived next door to one of them ...Long Range Desert group, captured twice and escaped ...and Parachute Regiment into Arnhem ...broadest Somerset and eccentric ...still regret not having stood up to say something at his funeral
...and my mother's brother was in a tank from the beaches of Normandy to Germany and survived to die shortly after the war from the stress ...my father (in the Home Guard) experienced a tank crew dying 'hunkered down' under a tank which sank in the mud ...and that was just an exercise
@@nlumby Wow. I am finishing up a four book series by a 101st vet whose first book was the only one endorsed by Eisenhower. This guy should have been dead 30 times over and that’s no exaggeration. Being on the front lines…and especially in a tank….was horrific. How any vet escaped the consequence of your uncle is beyond me. Oh and this guy’s first brush came when he was injured in a practice jump in Georgia. The next jump was the last and at night. The plane he was supposed to be on crashed with everyone dying. You cannot put your head around this sh*t
@@nlumby Thats terrible, poor men.
First class documentary. Really enjoyed watching this.
American author, Steven Zaloga author and proponent of the Sherman tank, needs to see this. He constantly creates the myth of how great the Sherman Tank was, which it never was. I received enough of an education from my dear Uncle, whom was stuck in one of them fighting in the Canadian Army. He lasted one month in them, and said no more and volunteered to be a Motorcycle Scout/ Dispatch rider in the 7th Recce battalion, also known as the 17th Duke of Yorks Royal Canadian Hussars. He told me he would rather be shot than burned alive.
Incredible thank you, my Welsh uncle "Hoppy" was killed in Caen, burred in Ranville ,he had been married just months before in our village of Ackworth ,These men were so special. thank you
All the generation's this is by far the bravest an best generation ever I'm so honored and proud to call myself and others American because if not for them an thousands of others we wouldn't be free thank you for your service an God bless you and your families an God bless America
America won ww2all on its own?
@@johndawes9337 lol definitely not. A 19 yr old American, i served in Lebanon Then went over with the British Royal Air Force for 3 years in nato. On armistice day, Most each year it would be raining and yet the old World War II veterans would show up with all of their medals on. In wheelchairs, crutches or canes, Here they came. The rain would be pelting us as we stood in ranks with the British, And one of my friends remarked, We don't dare complain about the rain, After All consider what these men went through. I also did weapons work with the Royal Netherlands Marines. I found all of the European military men to be great fun to be around, And they were always professional.
You say that because you're uneducated, and can't see with your eyes.
The problem taking Caen was not the bocage. Do you see any bocage in the video around the 15:00 Mark? Cause the open fields they show there is the terrain between the beaches and Caen and, Americans were not even involved in the Battle for Caen.
This video is rubbish. Nothing but rubbish.
Bravest .. perhaps
Best.
Far from it
Look at how they behaved ok subjects like LGBT and PoC
Hardly what I would call.. "the Best generation" 🙄
In many ways, pre 1939 .. America werent THAT different when it came to opinions om minorities, (jews, Gays, people of color and such.. )
Sure they didnt exactly put them in ghettos or camps..
But do a little reading on what life were like for them back then.. hardly what i would say make a "great generation"
Well done. Re-enactments well done as well. Worth watching for sure.
So Very Well Done ......................... HIGH SCHOOL AND COLLEGE KIDS NEED TO SEE THIS ........................... MAYBE THEY WILL UNDERSTAND .......... EVEN JUST A LITTLE............ EVEN ALMOST 80 YEARS AGO ........ NEVER FORGET !!!!!
No no no , now they burning American flags and chanting death to America.
Very good documentary. Thank you. And great thanks to those who served and told their story.
Only thing I can say is thank you to the greatest generation.so few left.
The narrator of this documentary had announced in it that American troops/units had also taken part in the Battle for Caen. This is absolutely incorrect & inaccurate! No US formations were ever directly involved in combat situations in either the British or Canadian sectors at anytime during this campaign for capturing this city between June to August 1944!!
Very good video, thank you for uploading it.
Full blown Men.. every one who took part. My Grandpa fought in France WW2. His son my Dad was combat Veteran Vietnam 11th Cavalry 1966-67. Gött Segne dich to our Veterans
One minute:
“How can people do that to other human people?”
The next minute:
“So I saw this German kid, couldn’t have been twenty, conscripted, no political affiliations, his mom sitting at home worried sick over him, and I shot him, and watched him fall like a sack of potatoes. I felt nothing.”
Exactly
And when you bear in mind how America themself were around that time (regarding PoCs, Minorities etc. )
They were only a scrotum hair away from being No better than Hitler
(Only difference were perhaps Americans didnt put people in camps, before Pearl Habour)
Forever remembered..
It is almost becoming tedious listening to the Canadians complain about the 12th SS murdering Canadian captives, not because it isn't true and criminal but, rather, no-one seems to quite get around to pointing out that the Canadians were guilty of doing the same thing as far back as the battle for Sicily. The commander of the 12th SS - Kurt "Panzer" Meyer had his death sentence commuted after the war by none other than the Canadians who knew their own men were just as guilty of doing exactly the same thing. Cheers!
Winners write history, and point out those guilty, Wether they are or not
Again, as they say: Only the victors write their own good stories.
Fantastic documentary!!
How old is this? I personally don't know any WW2 vets alive. My grandfather is a marine PFC Frank Eugene Bradley. He obviously fought in the Pacific, many major battles. He died in 2006. I rarely see any WW2 vets alive these days. Heck... Vietnam vets are now in their late 60's to mid 70's.
Gut tells me old interviews, maybe from an unreleased doc series with modern re-enactments stitched in with cohesive narration
22:33 not the highest decoration. It could be further raised with swords, and then with diamonds, and then the highest of all, golden oak leaves instead of bronze. This top award, knights cross with golden oak leaves with swords and diamonds, was awarded in the fewest numbers. One of whom was the Stuka pilot Hans-Ulrich Rudel who was credited with more than 500 tank kills, heavily damaged a battle ship, destroyed a cruiser and a destroyer, and even more trucks, trains and troops
12th Was impressive just to finally make it out because Hitler told His Gen to stay till last man , But someone changed and one of the other Gen .led them out the Pocket
You guys should add more commercials in this, because, as it is, it's still watchable. Thanks
Content of this documentary is good but I can live without the slow motion explosion scenes
Seconded. The vets testimony is vivid enough for our brain to figure out what it had been. But surely for interesting the younger generations, some SFX are needed.
Seen a lot of the WWII footage that exists out there, but I believe this is the most brutal I’ve ever come across. Yikes man. Yikes.
If you’ve seen a lot of footage, then you’d find nothing new here. All stock, all regurgitated from every other documentary
Caen had been part of the original COSSAC plans and were not changed when Montgomery rewrote the COSSAC plan to become what it was for Overlord. It was expected that Caen would be taken on that first day, but there were always doubts that it was possible, as made explicitly clear by the operational orders for 3rd Div, which quite clearly state that if it can't be taken, then at least make sure that the enemy can't make use of Caen, either. 3rd Div were always going to have a hard time of it, given the congestion at Sword Beach.
Those operational orders are shown here:
(I Corps Operations Order No. 1, WO 171/258)
3 British Division
a) The task of 3 British Division is to capture CAEN and secure a bridgehead over the R ORNE at that place.
b ) The enemy may develop his counter-attack--
i) Through CAEN
ii) Across R ORNE at RANVILLE - BENOUVILLE having established himself in the area East of R ORNE from which he can dominate the beaches West of OUISTREHAM and the Northern approaches to CAEN.
iii) West of Caen, between R MUE and the CAEN Canal
iv) Any combination of the above
In cases (ii) and (iii) using CAEN as a pivot, if he suceeds in forestalling us there.
c) To counter these enemy measure 3 British Division should, before dark on D-Day, have captured or effectively masked CAEN and be disposed in depth with brigade localities firmly established.
i) North-West of BENOUVILLE, in support of 6 Airborne Division operating East of R ORNE (having relieved the airborne troops West of the canal and taken over the defence of the BENOUVILLE-RANVILLE crossings.
ii) North-West of CAEN, tied up with the LEFT forward brigade locality of 3 Canadian Division.
Should the enemy forestall us at CAEN and the defences prove to be strongly organised thus causing us the fail to capture it on D-Day, further direct frontal assaults which may prove costly will not be undertaken without reference to I Corps. In such an event 3 British Division will contain the enemy in CAEN and retain the bulk of its forces disposed for mobile operations inside the covering position. CAEN will be subjected to heavy air bombardment to limit its usefulness and to make its retention a costly business."
(Richard Anderson - "Cracking Hitler's Atlantic Wall: the 1st Assault Brigade Royal Engineers on D-Day" )
So the INTENTION in the order is quite clear, here - take it, if possible, but if it's going to be problematic, then at the very least, ensure that the enemy doesn't use it as a mean of counter-attacking.
Caen was not THE goal, the goal was to draw the German Armour Reserves onto 2nd Army frontage and grind them down with that aim to prevent them from interfering in Bradley's breakout into Brittany and the taking of Cherbourg. The fact that the Germans had to fight for it so long kept almost approximately 80% of the armour in Normandy including ALL the elite Panzer Divisions and all the heavy armour away from the US who took the same amount of time to take their D-Day Objectives.
Honestly VERY FEW Allied Soldiers ever saw a Tiger in Action, although if they did, I am sure it was a day to remember. Semper Fi Veterans, RIP. The Pz IV would look somewhat similar at a distance though. Although Villers Bocage was damaged, the Allies BOMBED it a bit later after the Germans had left. So it was the Allies who really devastated Villers Bocage. If we are being factual. Caen was the same way the Germans had left and they Bombed the hell out of it.
Most of the Tigers and Panthers were in the British sector, so almost no Americans would have seen any, but the British and Canadian tankers most definitely did. The British and Canadians faced off against 80% of the German armour, including all of the big Cats. This is a large part of why their work was so much more of a grind - it was actually always the plan for the British and Canadians to tie up the German forces, allowing the Americans to take territory. This was what was presented at St Paul's school in Hammersmith Rd by Montgomery, Ramsay, and Leigh-Mallory when the plans for Overlord were presented to SHAEF back in April '44.
The great confusion in Normandy it was the allied "Paranoid" abaut the Tiger Tank.
The majorety of allied tank crews never Saw a Tiger in Normandy because only abaut 120 Tigers were sent to cover all that area,and barely half of them got there in fighting conditions. They where few and far between.
They were confused by the Panzer IV all the time.
PS:just love that brittish private words and gesture abaut Montgomery Said that Caen was to be taken on the first day.
I was born fifteen years after WW2. I'm blessed I wasn't around for it, it was literally Hell for all who were affected. How lucky I'm not so sure now. The way the some leaders are behaving there is the possibility of another war. Will my blessing hold and peace prevail. I'm praying wishing and hoping for a miracle. We need the planet to come out and demand this stops. We have the numbers and Morally right on our side, we lack the will. We need hero's any kind who can light the fuse and exsite the people to come out., 🤔☘️
god bless them all
The film sequences featuring the use of the 40mm Bofors for urban street fighting were the best sequences of the entire production. The studio-produced pyrotecnique scenes, on the other hand, were largely overdone.
bit different from hollywood movies isn't it
in our sheltered lives we will never grasp the sheer brutality of this war, let alone the scale of it...
@@larryflint8351 the western allied soldiers had air superiority massive artillery support big guns of the navy huge advantages in men armor ammunition and to top it off the germans had already lost millions of men fighting Stalin and the germans kept on fighting, shear madness
@@victorgrech1136 besides..
Would "love" to see some of those "brave americans" fight on the easteren front
As "harsh" As the West might have been.
You have to admine Any "frontschwein" from the east (German or Russian)
If ANYONE had balls the size of millstones.. it has to be an east front vet
Everyone else was pretty much in for a nap and afternoon Tea compared to
@@SortenRavn freezing cold that a slight wound would mean gangrene russian massive rocket attack from stalin's organs Siberian snipers that would never sleep thousands of T34's, go in the rear area for a rest and bands of partisan's would sneak out of the marish and cut your throat while you slept, no thanks I have a laugh at the western mercenaries who go fight in ukraine, idiots
@@SortenRavn Nothing compared to what US Marines withstood in the Pacific, smartass.
God bless our veterans!
God bless all soldiers who were pressed into service in WW2
They “failed to take Caen in a day.” Montgomery failed in every battle other than Alemain where his superiority was greater than 10-1 in tanks. Sicily, failed. Caen, failed. Falaise, failed. Market Garden, failed. He was the best general the Germans ever had.
Hello:) I think my Dad was there in a tank
They didn't produce that many Tigers...
But the P 47s And Spitfires.with those rockets and no Opposition even out your blindness sir All y'all got Our Admiration Sir
Civilians suffered enormously in Normandy. The bombardments were terrible. Cean was 90% razed to the ground and the victims numbered in the thousands. The reception of the allies by the population was not as enthusiastic as in Paris for example, one can understand them.
This is a bitter thing for the Anglo-American troops, when crossing shattered villages.They weren't welcomed like savors.
I am living in Rouen, Normandy, and things here had been different. Destruction of the city was the air force fact, and few connections were made between the liberating troops and the desolation my city went through the past months.
Der Feind war im Osten. Soe kämpften auf der falschen Seite
the civilians of Caen were warned that the bombing was coming. Not all chose to leave, unfortunately.
I don’t think there were enough commercials
what have we learned? Not much. We continue to disrepect their memory
The bocage is mostly south of the Cotentin peninsula. Not between beaches and Caen.
Not nowadays, it's been cleared
Caen was planned to be bloody by the generals, they realised that the uS and Brit troops had to link up but the geography of the landings by the US forces made it hard for them and easy for the Germans, so the British had been ordered to take Caen and the fighing man didnt know why they were kept being fed in, it was to attract the Germans CLOSEST reserves, the troops in front of the Americans, this still made the American fight to link up hard, but it gave them the chance they needed at the right time.
Never has commercials been more out of place…
37:18 Count Dooku!
poor Bill ❤
And decades later the same infantry against infantry and tank against tank in Ukraine.
Theirs is the glory.
It is a dstructive project despite as citizens of the desiros torise above their to enjoy the luxury of aging whic the youth could not have ebjoyed inamenanability to the priniciple to renounce war
And the generals who ordered the bombing did not get punished. Imagine all the innocent lives - children lost. Understandable that they had to take the city, but at cost of civilian lives?
Generals never gets what they deserve
Take the last few weeks of WW1
Did anyone punish the english or french generals who did send men out to die for a pin on a map, that they would be given anyway after 11.11 ?
Did anyone ever sentense Any for the bombardment of Verdun or all the other cities.
Or in WW2
All the allied killings done by bomber squardrons
No, generals never get what they deserve
👍👍👍
it is a myth that Caen was a D Day objective.
The simulated explosions became tiresome... Good show though.
Killing prisoners was done equally by both side
Great documentary. Cannot figure the facial close ups tho', cuts better than 50% of what these brave men are saying. Dang stupid.
Hardly an accurate documentary. What US units were involved in encircling Caen, does anyone know because this is the first I've heard about it?
None that I am aware of. Although this is a British production, it seems that the intended audience is probably Americans as much of the footage shows US soldiers.
correction, the German 101st SS Heavy tank was not a division but a Heavy Tank battalion
Yes, right. Almost all Tigers were in independent Schwere panzerabteilungen. In 1943 the three premier SS divisions as well as Grossdeutchland had their own kompanie, and late 1944 there were a few independent Tiger 1 kompanies as well.
@@TTTT-oc4eb That is Not entirely correct dude. the battalions were subordinate to their respective Panzer Korps in Normandy. There were only 3 in Normandy (2 W-SS and One Heer). Peace out...
@@fallschirmjager0000 True, the Organization of the Tigers did change over time. HG had its own independent Kompany of Tigers. GD as well. I get what Mikey was trying to say, the "Independent Tiger Battalions were basically Korps Reserves, and although under Operational control 'Somewhat" by the Korps Commander, German thinking was always pro-active. Meaning the Battalion Commander of the Tigers really had operational control and was in contact with the local commanders on where their Tigers were most needed, or where they were to go and wait until called upon. In reading many books, those Commanders although in contact with the Korps commander, made many of their own calls in the sector they were to operate in. In Normandy Alone there was the 1st sSS Pz. Abt "LAH" Arrived around June 12-13th. 2nd sSS Pz. Abt "DR" Arrived in Late June 1944.
Elements of Pz. Lehr Tigers (Porsche Turret) were few in number. There is a picture of a King Tiger Porsche turret #11 in France in the operational area of Pz Lehr Southern Sector. The 503rd sPz. Abt was mixed with Tiger I and Tiger II (Porsche Turret). 3rd Company.. most destroyed. The rest of the Pz. Abt was given to the Feldenhalle on its way back east. They were really few Tigers in the West all things considered.
it is a myth that Caen was meant to be taken on d day
Than why does the all the official documents, battle plans and dairy from Montgomery tell otherwise?
@@opoxious1592 put up links to OFFICAL plans and documents then mate
@@opoxious1592 Caen had been a day 1 objective of the original COSSAC plan and was never removed as such from Montgomery's rewritten plans, but there was always the note of caution about it. It was certainly "expected" to be taken. The actual operational orders for 3rd Div make it clear and are shown here to illustrate this point:
(I Corps Operations Order No. 1, WO 171/258)
3 British Division
a) The task of 3 British Division is to capture CAEN and secure a bridgehead over the R ORNE at that place.
b ) The enemy may develop his counter-attack--
i) Through CAEN
ii) Across R ORNE at RANVILLE - BENOUVILLE having established himself in the area East of R ORNE from which he can dominate the beaches West of OUISTREHAM and the Northern approaches to CAEN.
iii) West of Caen, between R MUE and the CAEN Canal
iv) Any combination of the above
In cases (ii) and (iii) using CAEN as a pivot, if he suceeds in forestalling us there.
c) To counter these enemy measure 3 British Division should, before dark on D-Day, have captured or effectively masked CAEN and be disposed in depth with brigade localities firmly established.
i) North-West of BENOUVILLE, in support of 6 Airborne Division operating East of R ORNE (having relieved the airborne troops West of the canal and taken over the defence of the BENOUVILLE-RANVILLE crossings.
ii) North-West of CAEN, tied up with the LEFT forward brigade locality of 3 Canadian Division.
Should the enemy forestall us at CAEN and the defences prove to be strongly organised thus causing us the fail to capture it on D-Day, further direct frontal assaults which may prove costly will not be undertaken without reference to I Corps. In such an event 3 British Division will contain the enemy in CAEN and retain the bulk of its forces disposed for mobile operations inside the covering position. CAEN will be subjected to heavy air bombardment to limit its usefulness and to make its retention a costly business."
(Richard Anderson - "Cracking Hitler's Atlantic Wall: the 1st Assault Brigade Royal Engineers on D-Day" )
So the INTENTION in the order is quite clear, here - take it, if possible, but if it's going to be problematic, then at the very least, ensure that the enemy doesn't use it as a mean of counter-attacking.
Caen was not THE goal, the goal was to draw the German Armour Reserves onto 2nd Army frontage and grind them down with that aim to prevent them from interfering in Bradley's breakout into Brittany and the taking of Cherbourg. The fact that the Germans had to fight for it so long kept almost approximately 80% of the armour in Normandy including ALL the elite Panzer Divisions and all the heavy armour away from the US who took the same amount of time to take their D-Day Objectives.
@@johndawes9337 I have put up the complete plans from Crocker that explicitly back your summation. It was expected to be taken, but the plans definitely show that there was always that level of doubt. Given the congestion at Sword Beach, it was hardly surpriding that 3rd Div was going to struggle to make inroads in a timely fashion.
They saved the world
Wo vor? Vor Freiheit ? Vor dem Kommunismus? Vor der Wahrheit. Sie kämpften auf der falschen Seite
By giving Stalin half of Europe - sure OK
Is it not possible for them just to by-pass the bocage country?
No. That was the nature of the terrain they were fighting in.
It probably was unnecessary except that it would have the effect on the Germans that the inevitible was happening, that probably made it a reason, BUT fancy oppressors of other poeples wanting to do this?
Documentário medíocre... E que tal menos FX e mais factos? E que tal o lado alemão da batalha? A única coisa que se aproveita é os depoimentos dos veteranos, pelos quais tenho o maior respeito.
And we now face socialismen again. But this time from the inside.
German Heroes
j6
Not very professionell warfare, I think....2000 Bombers because a complete outnumberd group of Hitler Youth, a few Panther and Tiger Tanks won't surrender. That's when the 17 Year old Grenadier Said: Oh, Churchill sends a Bomber For each of us.... My Father was a Tank Commander in the 101 heavy Tank Batallion at the age of 18. The Documentary is Missing also the Desaster of the Dessert Rats, getting completely wasted by one single Tiger (Wittmann) on the Road to Villargs Bocage. After that, something in His head got Out of Order. ? Driving a Tiger in a Village with narrow streets was a stupid thing to do
That's actually a myth about Wittman and the single Tiger. The whole Villers Bocage thing is grossly overplayed and whilst it was a spectacular propaganda episode, it actually hurt the Germans far more than it hurt the British, apart from pride.
Ostfront .... Thats what WWII was all about !!..
Most of the Werhmacht units where crap. The Pegasus Bridge was defended by polish conscripts. Would you fight hard for a country that occupied your land five years ago? Some local defense divisions where manned by soliders got battlewounds like onelegged, one eyed wounds. Some units where surplus italian submarine crews. One of many units en.wikipedia.org/wiki/716th_Static_Infantry_Division_(Wehrmacht)