Hürtgen forest and the end of World War II | DW Documentary
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- Опубліковано 1 тра 2020
- Thousands of soldiers were killed in the last battles of World War II. US troops who fought in the Hürtgen Forest nicknamed it the "Death Factory." This documentary features original film from US archives that bring the battle back to life.
It's estimated that as many as 30 thousand US and German soldiers were killed in fighting in the northern Eifel region of Germany in the autumn and winter of 1944 and 1945. Traces of the battle - old bunkers, munitions, trenches and tank tracks - are still visible even today. The scarred landscape bears witness to a little-known chapter of World War Two. The "Hürtgen Forest" was the last obstacle standing between US forces and the Rhine River and Ruhr. Yet the decision to advance into the thick forest in September 1944 proved to be a fatal mistake. The Americans completely miscalculated North Eifel region's rugged terrain. They became disoriented in an area the German forces, the Wehrmacht, had crisscrossed with trenches and peppered with anti-personnel mines, making the wood into a veritable fortress. Continual rain and fog, followed by snow and frigid temperatures, turned the battle into a scene of dystopian butchery. Author Ernest Hemingway spent 18 days on the front in the Hürtgen Forest. He wrote later, "It was a place where it was extremely difficult for a man to stay alive even if all he did was be there."
This documentary reconstructs the stages of the battle using commentary from survivors of the clash. Among them are the well-known US photographer Tony Vaccaro, US Army veteran James K. Cullen and former Wehrmacht soldier Paul Verbeek. In addition, Hürtgen Forest residents tell of the legacy of the battle, including the threat posed by countless unexploded munitions left in the ground 75 years after the conflict in Europe ended.
Anthony Villarreal passed away peacefully on the evening of July 2, 2020, after a long battle with cancer. He was 95. Growing up in East Chicago, Indiana, upon graduation from High School at the age of 17, Tony enlisted in the US Army and served in World War II as an Army Medic. He saw combat in Normandy, Northern France, Rhineland, the Ardennes and Central Europe. Upon his Honorable Discharge, Tony settled in Michigan to raise his family. Rest in Peace papa...
my condolences to the family , and thank you Anthony Villarreal for what you did for our country, that war was hell and I can't imagine what it must have been like many souls must still wander that place ,not many soldiers left from that war and this Earth is a beautiful place , no more wars should be fought.
Aweee...💗💗💗
Marlene Holly still breaks my heart to see how many souls died in the war German or American it was unnecessary did you ever watch the Dire Straits Mark Kobner sing that song my brother in arms you’ll see exactly how he feels, that’s how I feel
My condoleances. May he rest in peace.
May he rest in peace. I extend my heartfelt 'thank you' to Mr. Villarreal. He was a difference maker for so many.
My dad was a WWII veteran. I never herd him or any of his friends promote or glorify war. Only those who never fought or never will are excited or turned on about going to war. They talk big but when it’s time to fight they are nowhere to be seen.
Yep. And it’s politicians who would never send their own kids to war that decide on who we’ll fight this time… They’ll sacrifice others, but rarely their own.
My father was there also and would never talk of it!
Old comment but, nonetheless found my way to it. Same goes today with all these kids and podcasters calling for civil war while our veterans are very quiet but when they do chime in (my brother included) they say "we need to do everything possible to avoid that".
Heard*
We call those people chickenhawks
My father was forced into the military in Germany at age 16, and they sent him to this battle right away. He was wounded and rescued and survived this. Yes, they all knew that there wasn’t a chance of winning and it was a horror he rarely talked about. He was extremely thankful when the American troops finally occupied the area. He talked more often about being in the American prisoners of war camp. The soldiers treated them well and while the future was incredibly uncertain, they felt so much safer and knew that they had a future again. I know all these villages, towns and cities well. Much of it had been rebuilt in the eighties. The words at the end of this documentary ring very true to me. My uncle loved visiting America and visited the prisoner of war camp in North Dakota a couple times where he was imprisoned in 1945 and where he met my other uncle (and married my aunt afterwards). I would have never thought that I would eventually spend most of my life in the US, but these ties and the stories of appreciation of the American occupying force are a big part of my history. It’s amazing that my father was lucky and that I exist today. Roll of the dice. It’s hard to realize how many others didn’t have that opportunity because they didn’t survive this horrible battle.
Thank you, all the modern ''Americans;'' need to know that. They're being indoctrinated by the media to hate this great country.
I've been to France and Belgium, they say the same as you. In France there is an American Cemetary, it is always maintained by an American.
So many people fail to realize that there is often a way deeper story of what happens during times of conflict. Most of my family is German and Dutch, but came to the states early on. I can't imagine what those that were back over there, fighting, thought. They still had ties to that area/country. Thank you for sharing this.
You've been brainwashed thoroughly, Odin will no longer see you. Scraling
@ManInAmerica Boohoo, sorry princess, you lefties can't hide truth.
My uncle was killed there. I was born after he died, but my aunt said he was just a great, great guy. RIP sgt. Gilman
We are all grateful to your family for your uncle's service to his country. Warmest wishes to your entire family.
Gilman was a true hero who fought for our freedom. God bless your uncle and your family.
Dad uncle died there to he was Machine gunner and a Grenade got him.
Sgt merlin harvey
When I was a preteen in Germany I would play in little forest areas around Wurzburg and Stuttgart. At the end of the war Wurzburg was bombed. While playing we found a shell that was barried where we were digging a fort. It was nose down and we found just the very back end of it. We marked the spot by hanging my red jacket from a tree. We ran down the trail to the edge of town and found a Polizi coming out of a store. We told him what we found. He did not beleive us at first but we convinced him to follow us. He walked up the trail and pointed it out. He had us get back and through my jacket to me. He called for help on the radio and told us to go to the bottom of the trail and guide the help back up. The help arrived in the form of many police cars and many vans. Four men with very heavy suits and helmets followed us up till we could see the waiting officer. The officer and us were ordered to go back down. A few hours later the men came down with the shell on a cart. It was a dud that was not going to go off. We did make it on the news and had a bit of fame for finding it.
Nice story, Joe, thank you. I'm sure many, many Germans have stories like yours.....and some tragic where they were not duds. This is the problem, my friend. we inherit the fuck stupid follies of our ancestors. And then mostly it would seem, commit them over again without learning the lesson. Right now, despite what many believe, the world is far more dangerous than it was in 1945. Most of the young boys going into WWI and WWII (including the young Nazi's) had NO idea what war is like.
@@gustavagenbacht6600 I'd like to see things from your point of view. What exactly would make life today more dangerous considering we live in an age with advanced medicine. Yes we have to consider the fact that biological war exists, but ofcourse you cannot compare how many people died then and now. Life expectancy in 1945 was 10 years less than that of today.
Hi Joe,
I was in the US Army and stationed in Kitzingen and Wurzburg. I remember a lot of construction projects being delayed when aerial bombs and munitions were encountered during digs, when I was stationed there in 1985-1987.
@Dan Cooper Preteen is preteen. 13-15 maybe?
Great Story Joe!!! Thanks for sharing, my Uncle was KIA around Hurtgen in 1944/45! Take Care...
My father was there. He was a Platoon Sargent with the 4th Infantry Division. He was also at Utah Beach on D-Day. He rarely spoke about the horrors of war but it was obvious that the Battle of the Hurtgen Forest held the worst memories for him. The one story that you could tell bothered him the most was that he and his buddy were in a foxhole having a conversation. My dad was talking to his buddy and his buddy didn’t reply. My dad turned to look at him and he had a bullet hole right between his eyes. My dad would always end that story by saying “Can you just imagine “ and then would become very quiet. His nightmares never went away. After my father passed my mother said that he had confided in her that during that battle many of the soldiers intentionally wounded themselves so they would be sent to the hospital and he never blamed them for it because the thought had crossed his mind but he was just mentally stronger than them. One of his 3 Purple Hearts was earned during this battle. He did say that the fire power from the bombs was so intense that as the bombs would drop the hair on your body would rise up. Amazing what they went through.
@Subi Scooby 105 000 US soldiers died in Europe.That's nothing.Only reason Germany was defeted in the west , was allied air force.
My old man was in the 4th division and was wounded there from shell fragments hitting the tree tops
God bless your Dad and may he rest in peace with the Lord.
Lots of horrors your father saw. Most people have no idea what the sights and smells of war is. Just glad that my age group never got into one. God bless him.
@@artmontesa1 Amen.
My great uncle Bill Morrison, died fighting in the Huertgen Forest November 8, 1944 at the age of 29. His remains were recently identified and brought home to be interred in the Alabama Veterans Memorial Cemetery earlier this year.
Rspect!
God bless you and your family
What a beautiful gesture. Bless him. My family was liberated in May 45, living in the Netherlands
You are the nephew of a true hero and a warrior. God bless your uncle Morrison and the family he left.
Your great uncle was so unlucky！
The German soldiers were led by the Fieldmarshal：
Walter.Model. ！
If a man can survive such horror and still find the world a beautiful place, everyone should be able to. What an inspiration.
My father was seriously wounded in the Hurtgen Forest. He would never talk about it. I am glad that this video explained his experience. He won a Purple Heart from his bravery during the battle.
You dont win a decoration, you must earn it. And a Purple Heart is NOT for bravery! Its for those those wounded or killed while serving!
Tena koe.
Firstly, I must convey my deepest respect and my deepest sorrow. If your father fought against the Germans, my deepest gratitude too.
How can we ever really come to terms with the suffering of your father's generation?
At least they will not be forgotten, the way we will be.
The bravery and sacrifice of people like him will always humble me and make me stop for a while in inconsolable sadness, with an inability to truly comprehend, and no way of ever thanking these heroes.
A purple heart is so significant as it is the taonga that represents bravery which is impossible for me to even comprehend.
It can be reverently touched and held by generations to come.
I worked as a medical nurse in a huge New Zealand hospital.
I cared for many many returned servicemen. Sometimes most or all my patients would have served in WW11 or Korea.
The first topic these men always asked eachother was where they had served.
Then I started asking them also.
They all knew what they were talking about. But I stood in ignorance, knowing absolutely nothing about all those life changing duties of honour..
I am very ashamed of my ignorance.
So now I have made an effort to learn 20th century history so I can share it with others.
I have a small piece of paper, in a frame which belonged to my best friend. The signed paper recognizes "gallantry" in the field. My friend's father was wounded by shrapnel and his hands gnarled for the rest of his life after serving o the Western Front in 1915.
We all feel a piece of paper seems an insufficient recognition. But how can there ever be enough? I think ongoing universal remembering is a start.
I often visit New Zealand graveyards. Sometimes the headstones stand out because they are all the cleanest in the cemetry.
A lady from the Commonwealth Wargraves Commision goes to every single urupa, cemetry, farm or place where a soldier rests and she cleans his headstone.
It takes 2 years for her to get around each one,
then the circuit is repeated. What a humbling task.
I am glad if you found answers and any closure from learning about the forest conflict.
Thankyou very much for your heartfelt comment.
Arohanui to your father.
My Grandpa fought there too, on the Wehrmacht´s side. Altough he never fought on the eastern front, he described the battles at Hurtgen as hell on earth. At times, fighting got so intense that both sides wont take prisoners, but in the aftermath you would see american medics treating german soldiers and vice versa.
@@MakeSomeNoiseAgencyPlaylists easy she is sincere
That people dont want to talk about it really shows how hard it is to live with the experiences.
How remarkable is Tony Vaccaro?! Aged 98, after all this and he's just survived Covid19. Total RESPECT, Mr Vaccaro. Those words at the end of the documentary should be on a plaque somewhere for all to see.
COVERT19 needs to be buried forever with the criminals running the lies, currently there is a new mutation of influenza doing the killing rounds, as usual, but they keep the stupid locked down with lies of "waves" that never existed in all of history and never will. Tony needs to be remembered, but as a survivor of something very real.
And no doubt if you'd been around in the early 1940's you'd be claiming WW2 was fake too. Zzzzz
@Flare And that's called Bull....
The virus may have originated in China. We know that. Why would you feel the need to emphasis it every time it's mentioned, if not as an unnecessary attack on a whole country.
And 'originated in' is not the same as "China made the virus", which appears to be an attempt to label it a deliberate act.
@@davidrobertson1980...it’s Covid-19
My Grandfather was shot six times during the battle of the budge. He ended up in a German hospital where they saved his arm and leg. They put a steel rod in his arm and he was not disabled. As an American soldier he was cared for by what at the time was his enemy. He spent a year healing.
Incredible..
thats because they cared about people they were just tired of being used and destroyed know the history of why there was an uprising in germany vs what the victors say
@@rattrapsupervisor4886 Yes, the German people are nice but the military was out of control. Concentration camps, citizens living in terror. The German military had to be destroyed at the time. The leadership was not good but the average soldier was just some average guy who wanted nothing more than for the war to end.
@Homegrown jones Hahaha... I hope this is a joke.
@@hermetischerhaufen I think there's neo nazi holocaust deniers on here
Rest in peace to all the brave young lives that were lost and may the world never experience such horrors again.
Happening in Ukraine now.
Still sad, but not even close
Just wait for what's coming
@@eddiegarcia2793what’s coming?
DW, you are the Masters of unbiased, meticulous and comprehensive story telling. The level of professionalism is unseen anywhere else. Keep up the good work.
nonsense they only talked about USA not USSR.
@@r3dpowel796 never realised Stalin was in the forest
My Dad fought in this battle and it wasn't until the last year or two of his life that he finally spoke of it. It wasn't heroism, it wasn't bragging, just the cold hard reality of the horrors of war. He said they did what they had to do. He spoke of people cut in half by machine gun fire. Of friends killed. How they were issued more "summer" clothing than winter. How as the battle raged and after thousands were killed that you could step on the ground that blood would ooze out of it. Oddly enough, for a 26 year old man who had thick glasses and had survived polio which nearly took his life 12 years earlier -- it was polio and the poor circulation from it that he got trench foot and was sent to hospital which remarkably saved his life as the very next day his entire platoon was killed. When he got out of hospital, and no one left to return to -- he was moved to Patton's 3rd Army. Where he stayed until the battle of the bulge. This battle never received the same attention as D-Day, Battle of the Bulge, etc. Nice to see the history told.
This was the first time I've heard of this grisly battle. I'm no military expert but I thought my knowledge of WWII was better than that. My heart goes out to both the fallen and survivors. Did Ike being from Kansas not know about forest cover. In Michigan, my home, we have a wealth of forests. It's hard for me to understand why someone in the brass didn't get this forest route changed.
This battle was a prelude to the battle of the bulge. This battle kept the Americans engaged and transfixed on this area while the germans built up the materials for the upcoming major offensive to the south (the battle of the bulge).
People must remember that when all of this failed, the nazi "high command" (bunch of misfits and ne're- do-wells living vicariously through beautiful people) in the end blamed the German people for it all.
Something in common my uncle was with Patton’s tank corps
Your father is a hero and thank you for sharing. Veterans telling their family about what they went through is never easy.
Stop lying. Your dad was a cook at McDonalds.
My (American) father was in the Hurtgen forest, then transferred to the Ardennes in mid December to fight the Bulge. Most of his units were decimated, from the Hedgerows up to the end of the war. He never spoke about it until some 30 years later when he wrote his memoirs. 83rd infantry, 329th regiment. Was awarded a Silver Star and a Bronze Star. He never saw himself as a hero, since everyone was terrified the entire time. Thank God for men with the strength of my dad and his contemporaries.
Tony Vaccaro was in 83rd Division, 331st regiment. My dad in the 329th. They fought and traveled in the same zones.
My father was there at that time. He suffered a nervous breakdown after being shelled for hours. He recoopered in Texas, my mother said that he was never the same person after that.
These WWII documentaries from German Television are some of the best, most balanced and meaningful documentaries that any major network produces.
I would agree with you by about one thousand percent. As the son of an American fighting for the Canadian Sixth Army, a father that was captured on the beaches of Dieppe, France, I truly do appreciate this very much. It is masterfully well written and contains archival footage as well as interviews conducted decades ago. This is how it should be done.
Well, they've got a lot to think about.
Bleys McNutt I wish we all would think a bit more about the usage of military force and the meaning of it for our society. I am glad we have this broad discourse in Germany today which makes the country the advocate of peace it is.i am proud of my country in a very different way than generations before.
DW documentaries in general are very good, whatever the subject may be.
D. P. They are not really balanced in the sense that they focus overwhelmingly on the Western Front, essentially writing the Soviet Union’s contribution to defeating the Nazis out of history. This is a political decision.
The western allies got involved only in the last years of the war after the German military had been significantly depleted and ground down by fighting on the eastern front. Yet in countless documentaries and news stories the US, UK and the western allies are credited with “winning the European war.”
A glance at the casualty numbers on the Eastern vs. Western fronts and looking at how long the battles lasted speaks volumes.
Writing the Red Army’s much greater contribution, and sacrifices, out of history because of contemporary political squabbles between governments is shameful.
I am utterly lost for words. This is the most amazing WWII documentary I've ever seen from a 'both sides' perspective. The last thoughts of Tony Vaccaro brought tears to my eyes. RIP Mr. Vaccaro, you led an amazing life sir and may you always be remembered.
I like the documentaries that give both perspectives. If you weren't a SS Nazi I can find sympathy for the Germans. You had no internet, no international phone calls, small towns and cities relied on their countries local papers to get news that could take weeks and months for the papers to get. Propaganda worked at its best in these types of conditions so the regular Germans who weren't SS and didn't work in or around concentration camps had no idea what was happening. All they had was propaganda to inform them. I don't believe they were evil.
@@dontcare7086 Unfortunately the American propaganda was far more severe. America attacked and destroyed Europe, leaving it broken and in ruins after countless American atrocities from the air and intentionally targeting and bombing known civilian targets.
And it's still just swept under the carpet. It's so pathetic.
Yes indeed those last words by Tony Vaccaro the photographer gave goose bumps wow and I didn't he had pass away
@sem exceção Unfortunately there are people who actually say this sort of utter uninformed nonsense.
@@adambane1719 We did not destroy Europe, Germany, yes. Germany declared war on America and that was their mistake. War is hell.
My dad was wounded in the Hurtgen Forest. He was hit in the knee and transported to a hospital in England to recuperate and then back to Germany again. The US had a manpower shortage in 1944 and many people, who were older than the normal draftee, were conscripted. My dad was 29 with a wife 3 kids but he was still drafted. All he wanted to do go home to his family!
Beautifully done. Incredible story of war.
RIP all the souls lost. HISTORY must be preserved, taught and remembered, FOREVER!
A faultless documentary about a pointless battle that cost thousands of lives. Thank you for making this brilliant film and for making it available for people to watch on youtube. If only all WW2 history documentaries were like this. No heavy metal guitars, no endless repetition of the same information, no macho commentary. Just facts, communicated calmly and concisely.
Millions of lives*
@@diwakarsingh5056 The battle for the Hurtgen Forest, which is the subject of this discussion, cost the combattants roughly 20,000 dead, NOT millions. However, all of WWII killed at least 75 million people.
Derek Baker
85 million people* or around that were killed
The yank,s could have just bombed their way through, a 10k wide forest, what did the brits do in Dresden ? ,they leveled it
Better to pinch off a forest from the north and south instead of going through it. A real blunder by Courtney Hodges.......
Honestly, DW documentary channel provides documentaries with the best background music and narrators on UA-cam.
I agree that the music in the background is good. I’m trying to find the song in the background from 34:05 to 34:30
I can propose Mark Felton Productions on UA-cam.
His Hurtgen Wald contribution is strongly fact oriented. DW production has a political undertone instead, thus making the history less historic.
Mark felton production
@John Borzecki Grow up kids
The music is quality
The fact that we get free documentaries on UA-cam by DW Documentary is truly a gift 👍
Thank you for watching. We're glad you like our documentaries!
@@DWDocumentary you should do more on WWII
My father fought in that forest. All he ever said about it was it was awful. He was captured near the end of the war and was a prisoner for two to three weeks. Thankfully it was the end of the war and he was released
How heart touching and so true is the final message from Tony....
"We're all humans on this beautiful paradise that is our earth. BEAUTIFUL"
But unfortunately we're not learning from history and have been shedding blood even after those bloody world wars...very awful.
That will continue unless we can stop our leaders from dividing us because of their own agenda and desire to hold onto power.
We’ve always allowed our leaders to control our thoughts and manipulate us into believing another race or religion is responsible for our own countries failures when in fact it’s our leaders failures.
Ordinary Russians, Americans, British, Europeans, Chinese, Japanese, Christians, Muslims and all citizens of all other nations and religions all only want the same things in life.
A job, financial security, children and happiness.
John F Kennedy once stated...
...Our most basic common link is that we all inhabit this planet. We all breathe the same air. We all cherish our children's future. And we are all mortal.
So true.
Very nice statement by the gentleman at the end:
"It was ugly. Ugly for mankind, to have wars. The trouble that mankind makes is that he thinks he's Italian, he's German, he's Spanish. We're all humans. In this beautiful paradise that's our earth. Beautiful..."
I agree, something for us all to remember and live by. Speaks to how ridiculous patriotism is. Total propaganda and nonsense
All the effort & production to be able to blow up & shred bodies. A damned if you do, damned if you dont madness that we all aware of yet cant extricate ourselves from.
@@fredfinks I think the problem, actually, is that we are not all aware of it. And many of us are resisting awareness... because it's painful...
@@aem8160 Depends how do you understand it. Nations differ in many ways, and that's okay. The problem starts when people start thinking their nation has better rights, or other don't matter.
@@SparrowNoblePoland Like Britain or the USA for example.
Some thirty years ago I walked through Hurtgenwald and I found a small war cemetery. Only some forty graves or so. Age, some where sixteen or so, some where fifty when they were buried. It was also impressive that on some stones the date of death was "fall of 44".
I tried to find it on a later hike but could not. It still brings up a lot emotions to think of those who fell for a lost cause.
And I wonder if their families knew what became of them. Horribly sad.
Yes. Very sad. Many are forgotten too in war. War is hell. Nothing is good in war. All wars are lost causes regardless of victors. Ultimately it damns humanity to repeat its same mistakes. We must always compromise with each other, but we never do. Battlefields are the reminders that we must change this. We must do something better to avoid any wars or killing of others. But then we tell ourselves as with WW2, we will always have that one individual like Hitler that defies the order of peace we require. And thus force good people to do horrid things to stop them from doing horrific things to innocents. I guess that is what they mean by a vicious cycle. That is why we must find a way to make these wars stop, or find another way to have a competition that resolves a dispute, but ultimately that would require us rewinding back on inventions of guns and nukes for weapons etc, a vicious cycle. I reckon all we can do is pray.
@@dontask6863 You are ignorant. Hitler made more peace offerings to Poland and Britain than any other national leader.
Look over Churchill's speeches, which are available on line. He was a paid warmonger who, along with Roosevelt, wanted war with Germany at any cost.
They got their wish, with the only decent country destroyed (USA General Patton), and their own countries turning into cesspools.
@@BasementEngineer Hitler made peace offerings to Poland and Britain? Please sources of that claim.
@@Peter_Scheen is that a joke?
An excellent documentary. Thanks for putting this out for the rest of the world to watch
I love the lightning face of the old man when he says " beautiful " !
His wisdoms know, how givig identity to us human becomes painful for everyone. Whether the identity is based on religion, or country
The older I get, the younger the faces of the men in these videos. After all the death and suffering they endured, I can't help but feel we are squandering the gift of freedom these amazing young men passed on to us.
It’s an optical illusion. They actually stay the same age but you think they get younger because you got older. It’s based on perspective.
I've noticed the same. Many were so young. Kids really. A generation the like of which we'll never see again.
@@stichclark3980 So true. When I listen to the complaints of young people today I wonder if we could ever see that same level of courage and sacrifice. With China and Russia on the move we may need that kind of courage again soon. I only hope we can find it.
@@michaelsmulkowski5088 Thank you for stating the utterly obvious. 🙄
@@stichclark3980 Nonsense. There’s absolutely no reason to believe today’s kids wouldn’t rise to the occasion if thrust into the same situation.
My dad was a medic with the 3rd Armored Division in the Hurtgenwald. He told me his primary memory was one of darkness. "Dark, dark", he told me. "The trees and canopy were so thick that on the forest floor in full daylight it looked like dusk. And on a cloudy day... really dark". He said the effect from German shelling was awful...the rounds would burst in the tree trunks overhead and shrapnel would rain down. "A lot of guys got terribly chewed up by it", he said.
Wouldn’t the tree canopies be gone after a half dozen artillery shells
@@spannaspinna even if thats the case there is a good chance the shells hit the trees and act as air burst shells so to say by exploding 20-30 meters in the air
The forest in most places was thick as walls. That means seeing a yard was long distance. One can visit Mendocino after logging at the turn of the century. Trees 200 to 250 and as high as 300 feet next to a tree with the same hight just a inch away. These trees tan oak, redwood and madrone would maybe be a foot wide all looking for light. Now in this forest it was similar but younger. So total walls. Very hard way to fight in and shelling only made things impossible to servive if above ground.
My uncle, Alexander Easton, Pfc in the 28th Infantry Division, was killed in November, 1944, in the Battle of the Hürtgen Forest. He was born in Gillespie, Illinois, and was survived by his wife, Marie. I was able to visit his grave in the American Cemetery near Liege, Belgium, a few years ago, and leave flowers on his grave. I was only a year and a half old when he died, and only remember seeing him once or twice.
You have a good memory to remember things from when you were 18 months old and met an uncle "once or twice".
@@Amped4Life I had a very close-knit family.
Thank you for your family's sacrifice and God bless your family.
What a moving documentary! I grew up in this area and know all of the places and villages very well. As a child in the 80s, I would secretly play with my friends in the forest. We would quite innocently run through the trenches and hide in the foxholes. One would easily find grenades, pieces of shrapnel and ammunition everywhere. This forest is full of history and you can feel it even today.
Thank you for sharing your experiences!
Mein Elternhaus stand auch im Hürtgenwald. Ich kenne die Spuren, die Gefahren und die große Traurigkeit dieser wunderbaren Landschaft. Ich habe mich als Kind (jahrgang 78) auch an Munition verletzt. Ich fand sehr persönliche Dinge von den Soldaten die dort Ihr Leid ertrage haben. Ich sah wie die Natur sich zurückholt, was der Mensch zerstört aus krankem Geist. Sie hat mich geprägt. Nie wieder Krieg!! Der Wald wird es Dir erzählen.
My dad was stationed at Prum 74-75. We played in the bomb craters in the woods. I guess B 17's dropped them.
Never knew about shrapnel as a kid ,when u found could u see the
Ex- sharpness (with it being blunt when u found it but was it thin at the ends)?
I was an airforce officer's kid in this area in 1952-1956 and half of the town Bitburg, outside the base was still ruined, because it seemed that they started on one side of town and rebuilt it foot by foot. we would play in the forests around there in doug outs and concrete bunkers. they kept warning us kids and we had heard stories of kids being blown up. I still have a german bayonet i found and it still has the leather part that hooked on the soldiers belt. When we were in transit from germany and stayed in New York City for a while, when my brother and i looked out of the window of the hotel i remember asking my day. Who bombed this city?
Well done... this is an excellent video.
I leave this comment in memory of my deceased husband Robert Parker Cook, 1925-2011, an American veteran of the Hurtgen Forest and many other battles and subsequent US occupation of the region. He was a member of the 100th Infantry Division.
He was wounded by shrapnel, recuperated in England, and was shipped back to continue fighting.
"There were many brave and persistent soldiers on both sides," Bob used to say, "who fought and died there. To me the biggest tragedy was the number of boy conscripts the Nazis pressed into service at the last. I took hundreds of prisoners, mostly boys, a duty given me because I spoke good German. These prisoners would be shot from behind, by hardened Nazi troops, if they didn't fight, but knew we would not shoot them. They surrendered in droves, usually on first sight. The winter of '43-'44 was the coldest in many decades. I learned that head colds don't come from being cold or wet. Dry socks were my best friend."
After the privations of his service, when faced with any challenge in his life, Bob's favorite response was, "That's nothing."
He received a Purple Heart, which he received, and was written up for a Bronze Star afterward, but the papers for it were lost in transit to England.
Much respect for him .. he must have been a wonderful gentleman .. may God rest his soul 🙏
Wish you a very happy long life Ma'am 😊
Yikes good thing the american soldiers were not in that cold cold area in 43-44. We didn't land in Europe till the middle of 44. It would have been tuff if we were there on that cold cold winter of 43-44
@@johnw3078 The Americans landed in Sicily in July 1943 and moved up into mainland Italy in Sept. 1943. That is possibly what the reference was to. Italy isn't that far from Germany and actually bordered Nazi Germany during the war.
my utmost respect to your husband. they eill never be forgotten. Thanknyou very MUCH SIR
@@osamamousa7157 When Bob was landed in Marseilles after transiting the Atlantic on the SS Robin, he and the others were put in a troop train, 40 men per car. The train stopped to disembark them at the edge of a battlefield. The order was given to move out and it was each man for himself until they could regroup. "My first step was over an American corpse, hit by a shell, lying in four pieces by the railroad track. From that moment on, I knew there was no god." I respect your opinion, but have to side with Bobby in this one. "I can be inspired, but not thought-controlled," he said, commenting on all religion. His was an enthusiastic, positive- minded personality. His favorite saying was, "Relax and enjoy!"
People often use deity references or phrases offhandedly, not realizing and understanding that about 1/3 of their audience does not believe gods or godesses exist, and most of the remainder are pretending, or simply believe in belief. At a veteran rally a man once said to Bob, "God bless you," pretentious at best, and Bob replied, "Why me? Why not everybody?" When he heard the phrase, "God bless America", he opined, "Why not say the same for all countries? Why just us?"
He often commented that there are atheists in foxholes.... mostly because they see hardship and wounding and death face on, and no help comes from the sky.
This documentary takes us on a haunting journey back in time to a lesser-known chapter of World War II. The sacrifices made by soldiers on both sides are deeply moving. Thank you for shedding light on this historical tragedy.
Watching documentaries like this make me think more and more about what my gpa would say. How he will never forget the things he seen to the smells and sounds of his dying friends. How he felt like he lost everything when his best friend died in his arms. They had been side by side from the day go and i just remembered him going out to see his friends headstone and just being lost in thought and then you would see the few tears running as he would turn to leave telling him he would see him soon.
When Trumpets Fade. The beat goes on. I hope every one has a Merry Christmas.
You too my friend, God Bless 🎀🙏
i grew up in the Eifel region in the 70`s. I remember taking the dog out for walks in the forest, occasionally i would stumble across a rusty old German helmet, gas canisters, fuel canisters, empty and full rifle cartridges . Parents in those days were worried about unexploded ordinance left in the woods. We were told not to pick up anything metallic. Immediately after the war, my relatives told me, people were scared to go into the woods, because there were remains of dead soldiers everywhere.During the summer of 1947, unexploded ammunition is believed to have sparked huge forest fires in the Eifel region between Monschau and Aachen, and Huertgen Wald was severely affected. It was an exceptionally hot summer. After the fire people were confident to go back into the forest.
Well told shane, good to hear from people who know about it 1st hand
my father also fought in this battle he stepped on a bouncing betty and survived. he told me stuff he went through, dont know how he made it out alive miss you Dad
God bless america
Thank you. My uncle Frank Legerski was KIA here November 31, 1945. He is buried at Henri-Chapelle, Belgium.
Lots of respect for him. I live in Margraten and adopted a grave on the American Cemetery there. I'm also familiar with Henri-Chapelle.
My uncle was killed there.Thank you for creating this video.I browse pictures hoping to catch a sight of him.
So sorry to hear about your uncle. Are you able to access his war records? Have you looked at photographs from the places your uncle was stationed at? Time, and other magazines wild be a place to start along with books about the area. You never know. Good luck.
Try and ask your oldest relative if they have any photos, it worked for me
Salute! R I P
Ah yah ??? How old is your father 120???
@@henrirommel9800 you're a fucking idiot, he's probably dead.
What a beautiful documentary depicting some of the bravest men in our history. RIP to all the fallen soldiers ... Never Again.
Yes , the the bravest men in history, Rip the fallen German soldiers.
@@edgein4808 hahaha i see what you did there
Fighting the german u douche
@@superuchic3153 Ah yes, another knowledgeable "brain".
ZeLOONYsky seems to want it again.
41:35 - Best part of the entire documentary. I love how he says the last word we hear in it _”beautiful.”_
My grandfathers brother died in the Hurtgen forest on November 19th 1944. God rest his soul. He landed on Omaha beach was wounded in Sainteny France and lost his life in Germany. I have his two purple hearts. His memory will live on and always be a reminder for our family generations.
Your grandfather's brother was a true hero. He paid the ultimate price for our freedom. God bless your family.
My Uncle died there. God bless him. See You Someday Uncle Leon.
My Uncle Walter died there, too. On Christmas Day, 1944.
@Mr. FASTB621 Mare Island He was serving in the Wehrmacht for his glorious nation
Lot of my uncles have died in russia, against England in the Luftwaffe, but most of them in Stalingrad
@@benauwarter6261 long live your uncles they died fighting for a good cause and if they won the world would have been a better place
yes my uncle Leon and my uncle Walter died there.
Tony Vacarro is an exceptional human being, his photographs are utterly stunni ng and to think they were taken and developed under such harsh conditions is breathtaking. Only a person with a very unique gentle soul could take such photographs.
The last words he said on this video made me tear up. What an inspiration of a man.
Thank you, DW for the documentaries that show different angles and maintain the humanity of others. My grandfather was on PT-107 during the war. Peace...
I spent 32 years in the military, 7 in the infantry and never understood why people take pictures of the dead.
Imagine a 19 year old man being asked to fight .I remember a Vietnam memorial in front of a high school who were graduates were drafted after they received their diplomas. They never came back. It sends a lump into my throat because I have a son and I can just imagine how family members felt.
Such a well-done piece, free of the bombastic nonsense of so many war documentaries. Bravo!
Living near the Eifel/Ardenne region, I pass lot's of these memorial places from WWII while driving. Now and then is time to stop for a while, sit down at the remains of the battlefields, and remember those who fought there for our freedom.
My friend is from the Eiffel region and I have been there myself. He's from Kyllburg.
I grew up and am currently living in Grosshau. Even in the 80s we kids were told and knew to leave munitions alone, when we played in the woods. The war is ever present everywhere in our community.
My friend Deitmar Nix,
often found working Panzerfausts
among other neat things that went boom
Fired them at a cliff face
Safest way to get rid of them
Loved our GI Lemon powder on the local ice cream...
A RR stop out south of Aachen
Closed by the greens...
For an autobahn
SAD!
I miss his email...
Pvt. Ryan set us off!
Never an argument....
Gute abend!
J.C.
@@375GTB Your friend was very lucky. The explosive materials in old WWI & WWII ordinance can become quite unstable over time, explode spontaneously, or explode with just a mild disturbance (the ground freezing or thawing, someone gently lifting the ordinance, etc.). So yourr friend could have had a Panzerfaust projectile explode in his faceeven before he pressed the trigger! 😞
Bless the photographer for taking those pictures and sharing them in the way he did.
I was impressed that he processed his film and prints there in the woods. Even black and white photography requires a dark space, dektol, D-76, acetic acid, chemical fixer and plenty of rinse water. Not to mention a way to project film and expose paper. The awful conditions of Hurtgen would seem to make all that impossible.
This is such a great documentary with perfect explanation of the battle and original and todays footages. And what a great last words, just so true! I went to the Hürtgenforest today because I live not so far away in the very South of the Netherlands. It's very impressive to be there.
Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment. Be sure to check out our channel for more content.
T. Vaccaro takes “the cameraman never dies” to another level
There are very few people still alive today who have fought in the world war. My great grandfather, who is now an amazing 102 years old and who is still sprightly and healthy for his age, has told me countless stories of torture and hardship he endured as a youth during the occupation of Malaysia ( then knowned as Malaya ) by Japanese troops during the years 1941 - 1945 .
There were hardly any food to eat and he would go for days starving while hiding in the jungles. Being a Chinese, meant he would either be beaten , tortured or eventually starved to death whilst working as prisoners of war.
That he survived, started a family and built a business is testament to his resilience. His following generations now counts more then a few hundred. I am one of them and am now 23 year old.
I hope your grandfather is still alive to give testament. When I was a little girl we had friends (neighbours) I in London, two girls and their 'aunt' who had 'come from Malaysa'. I understood she was Chinese (with bound feet) whilst they were only her Wards, neither sisters nor Malayans as they were left to believe, for safety. In any case they'd share their Malayan food with us (like Thai food now, I think. We felt for whatever threat they lived under (1958ish) & if part of what you describe. Lovely people, Mrs Ng, Mei Ping & Mei Pang, we never forgot them after we moved away.
I was stationed in the Eifel for three years, beginning in 1961. It was mind boggling to stand on Luxembourg soil and imagine taking the bunkers and gun emplacements on the other side of the river, three hundred feet higher on the cliffs. Becoming very close to the German people, and speaking their language, it was difficult for them to relate to me, what had happened to them and their villages. The decisions of the leaders to fight through this terrain were insane, and seemingly only for their own egrandizement. The idiocy of some leaders continued as evidenced by the policy of driving up and down the roads of Afghanistan till you get your legs blown off. Man's inhumanity to man continues. Folly.
Basically it was a personal competition between Montgomery (British) and Eisenhower (US) who would be the first to cross the rhine (and both of them wanted to be in Berlin berfore the Russians). So the british launched "MARKET GARDEN" and were annihilated but the US had already taken Aachen. So the obvious choice would have been to pass the rhinish low-lands between Aachen and Cologne and cross the Rhine there. Problem was that there was the Rur-dam above this valley and behind the Hürten Forest. The Germans would have flooded the valley between Aachen and Cologne.. So it made kind of sense to go through the forest, capture the dams and then push through the vally. And the Germans had pushed through the same Woodland (Ardennes) 4 years earlier with ease.
Europeans are what they are due to their preparedness to fight for the cause. We should equally respect and honor all sides in this conflict. They were heroes.
In comparison with the old generation, we are pathetic. We believe life is best spent by staring at screens and watching others do what we cannot
Each vehicle that got blown up had to be replaced. $$$ follow the money. "War is a racket" Smedley Butler
@@gdiwolverinemale2745 I disagree with that assessment. Those actions have never been needed. Just because life is different now, does not mean the people do not have the capacity to fight for freedom. There are self centered people and there always have been. The fighters in WWII were so brave, but there is no reason to think if such a cause arose now, that the same couldn't be said.
This was such a horrifying battle. Huge numbers of soldiers deserted or shot themselves to get away than anywhere else during the war. It was where Private Slovik was arrested following his desertion, which ultimately led to him being made an example of, in a devastating way. All because some commander somewhere didn’t want to hurt his ego and say going through the forest was a bad idea.
My great uncle was in several KZs he died in Neuengamme March 13 1945.I still remember him in my heart.
When I watched this what a tragedy.Still I cry when I see videos like this.
Giving the Germans the food from the fallen men at Christmas was so touching, a small expression of common Humanity.
My grandad was 3rd Armored. Drove a tank destroyer. He may have been here. Got his Purple Heart first day in country. Made it home safe and sound.
Kindest gentlest man I ever knew. To think he survived this kind of thing boggles my mind.
He would acknowledge that he served,but he never really talked about the war.
Cancer did what the war couldn't.
Howard R Lukachie,I love and miss you.
The vets, including my Dad, mostly don't talk about what they went through. We owe them.
10:09 I was never wounded but I remember walking around Afghanistan and thinking about the same thing "I don't want to die in some lousy dirt pile". I pray that one day we can move past this. War is such an ugly and unnecessary process and these stories just further sadden my heart. 😕
I hear yeah that brother. I'm so happy I didn't die in that s*** hole. I hated Afghanistan.
I went there as a ANA mentor, but also ended up getting thrown in as a driver for my unit. I ended up driving in about 130 convoys. (Mostly SUVs, that were supposedly 'up armored')
While driving, I got mortared twice, and survived 1 VBIED, that peppered my vehicle and blew out my back windshield, and the driver side windows. I had a headache for like 2 days straight but other than that we got lucky.
We just left Camp Phoenix just after 10pm, made it maybe 3km when a truck came out of nowhere, and drove up on to the road beside us, but didn't blow himself up until about a good 50m after we drove by it. (very lucky us) apparently the guys on the gate, back at Camp Phoenix seen the explosion from there, and being the only vehicles out, and we just drove that way, they thought we were we got hit when we didn't respond to our coms, they sent the QRF out, who only found a smoking hole and ruins from the truck that blew itself up.
My vehicle and the other one with me, (front of me) was actually able to drive away, I think we both extinctively just hit the gas when that vehicle pulled up beside us, it saved our lives, we drove like the devil was chasing us and made it to Camp Alamo.
We probably weren't thinking properly, and didn't realize our hand radio was facing down and with our ears ringing couldn't hear radio, that the TOQ was trying to communicate with us the entire time, after they heard about the explosion, they actually thought the 4 of us were all dead. (2 per vehicle)
My best friend at the time, who was working in the TOQ that night at Camp Alamo, was quite relieved when we finally radioed in that we were okay, and at the gate with both vehicles. Because we weren't responding, he thought I was dead for sure. Only time I ever saw him cry, I think he was more shooken up than I was (Though this happened only a few weeks after our friend MCpl Griff and about 20 Americans he was riding with were killed by a VBIED) And I could've been in shock myself. That one was a very surreal experience.
Anyways, hope all is well for you. If you made it this far, thanks for reading about my more interesting experiences there. Cheers brother!
@@veruspatri Fuck man, that's some hard shit to go through. I was infantry and got incredibly lucky and never had to do any mounted patrols, we usually just ran support for the cool guy units to do their cool guy stuff. We had some Czech units that would do presence patrols outside the wire, one time they got hit within 500 meters of leaving and heard the bomb go off. 3 of the 5 that were in the truck died 😕 We would train with them every once and awhile(maybe 3-4 times over the deployment) and each time we did 1(or 3) of them would be missing. Hope all is well for you and hope TBI didn't hit you too hard.
We will never move beyond war as long as the military-industrial complex is effectively the government. Fasten ur seatbelts. The New World (corporate) Order is our next stop, and it's all built on American imperialism and endless war. Listen to Dr./Professor Richard D. Wolff on UA-cam for all the details.
41:30 - thats the point, DO NOT follow your political leaders, do not listen to them - leaders HAVE TO BE STUPID! so the mass would follow them. Do not be a mass - listen to your friends and family and kick the ass of everybody else that says you need to obey :) - its that simple :)
War is an Abomination WAGE PEACE ☮️
That look…that look Mr. Vaccaro gives in the end.. pure chills
We need to teach our children and ourselves compassion for all humans. There is no victory in war. Every human is someone's loved one.
You are so right .
@Johnny silverwang To an absolute 100% certainty I can guarantee you would never fight in it
@Johnny silverwang no it doesn't
@Johnny silverwang true, too many people..13 Billion by the year 2045 I think
@Johnny silverwang People like you have never been forced to exist with your loved ones and loved pets in war, so you speak and live stupidly.
Those final words from Tony Vaccaro (the photographer) l, right at the end at 41:21, moved me to tears. Very powerful!
My father had 3 brothers fight in WW2. One was wounded in Black Forest and MIA. The war was over
a year later he got off a bus in his
hometown..found alive.
Incredible video!
One of the best I have ever seen.
Thank you.
❤
I hope you win an Oscar!
💌
I am glad you got to speak with these wonderful old men, while they are/were still alive. There are less and less of them each year.
Salute for DW for making this documentary. Tony Vaccaro isn't just a veteran, he is a famous photographer who worked mostly for LIFE magazines.
Same as so many other's comments.. My Father was there, he never talked about the experience..before his passing. Many years later, I discovered a manuscript about that time Dad had started, yet never finished, maybe because it was to vivid in his memory. I remember as a boy, seeing Dad sitting in front of TV, a show showing aa excerpt of the Zigfried line and tears would begin to roll down his face in pain. He would only say "he was one of the lucky one's" I did not know about it until his passing in 2003. This Documentary on the Hurtgen forest is one of the best - Thank You for sharing. Well Done
Thanks for watching and taking the time to share your experiences and thoughts!
My Uncle was there and was wounded. All he ever said about it was "I was helping my Sargent" when he was wounded. He passed away in 1991 at the age of 72 and you would never had known he had walked through that little corner of hell itself.
The bias here was way more neutral than other war documentaries Ive seen.I enjoyed this.Thanks!
I grew up in a small town in Michigan and knew an American veteran that lost part of his foot in that forest during the first American attack . And I was lucky to have a German neighbor who was in the battle of Stalingrad . And was sent west 2 days before the Russians encircled the city . And lost his home in East Prussia . And my grandfather was on Guam . So I have been lucky to be educated by men and women that were there .
OMG! I know that story😊 Ron, you wouldn't be from Dearborn??? THNX!
Tell your story, don't hide it, the world deserves to know everything.....
So what you’re telling me is that this isn’t the Battle of Endor?
Interesting what you write. I was picking high bush berries on a farm in the 80's and overheard two men talking in the other row. One said he was a Canadian vet the other German. German said he was in Stalingrad. " We were shooting at each other, then they were coming over the lines with pitchforks, then pieces of wood, then with nothing. It was about then we figured out what they were doing,.They wanted us to waste away our ammunition.." (Soviets don't care about Russians)
My mother lost 3 brothers to the Nazis, one in an 'experiment' in Dachau. When occasionally I would ask her who was worse-the Nazis or the Communists- she said every time without any hesitation - the Communists.
She saw the Reds did much more damage to her country than the Nazis . Imagine that. And the Reds are forever allies with the 'West' - not one 'war criminal' to this day.
We have to know know our history - or we'll become 'history' sooner than we think. Lookin' around these days...
@@truth7294 No clue as to which was 'you mother's country.
Now we have 'Communist' Russia in Ukraine on a 'special military operation' & implying its nuclear use if it is opposed.
Time to reconsider which was worse. Communism or Nazism. Or now, oligarch & money-driven Communism or neo-nazi ideology trying to gain a political foothold. Gulags or concentration camps, both filled with forced Labour, disease & death. No competition. Communism &:Nazism are each a side of the same coin. Humanity at its very worst without a speck of humanity. Different but the same.
My father was in the Normandy Landings at Omaha Beach, the Battle of the Bulge, Huertgen Wald, which he said was the worst. He endured it for 4 months, then went on to help liberate Bergen-Belsen and then to Berlin, which was hand to hand combat. He was in the 28th Infantry Division. He had shrapnel wounds in the legs and as soon as he recovered, he was back in the war. Dad got a Purple Heart, among other medals and citations. He never talked about it.
I talked to my uncle who was in Patton 3rd army he said it was loud you could not hear each other talking .
The Americans were not involved in the Battle for Berlin
@@marcusfieldfield4069 i think he means the push in the direction of Berlin!! After allied forces crossed the Rhine the main goal for the us wat to US push east to meet up with the Russians, for the British to push north and for the Canadians to push north west in to the northern half of the Netherlands. The US forces met with the Russians in Torgau at the Elbe about 100 km south southwest of Berlin..When the Russians started their attack on Berlin the western allies wanted to cross as much land possible to have as little as possible german territory fall in the hands of the Soviets. So after Hurtgen wald they had to race towards Berlin and i guess thats what he meant and Bergen Belsen was on their path towards Berlin!!
@@marcusfieldfield4069 We could have been, but Ike & George Marshall wanted to save lives and knew they were going to have to move Troops
to the Pacific as the Invasion of Japan Plans were already under way.
The purposely slowed the Allied advance and let Stalin take the losses.
Germany had already been divided up @ The Potsdam Conference.
I was able to talk to a great man that helped Chase after Rommal and he fought in Italy as well. His stories and photos were epic, but not in a good way. One photo of him and his ammo mate sitting in a window that he defended with huge holes in the walls from 20mm cannons and bullet holes everywhere. These were brave men and your father was too.
I may be only be 63yrs, but thanks to your father and all the other brave boy's, I have my freedom, I can't tell you how grateful I am to your father and the boy's. I personally will never forget what I saw and heard from my friend, it was very real to see him sitting there with what he called his two best mates, his loader and his 50 caliber machine gun.
Rest in peace all.
Great video DW! I learn something new from your work every day.
Fascinating, thank you. My grandfather was regimental S-2 of the 60th infantry which reached the Hurtgen Forest in September 1944 and fought until it was relieved in November. I remember him telling stories of flatbed trucks with bodies, and of having to brief multiple officers throughout a day due to casualties. He and the 60th fought from Morocco to Tunisia, Sicily, Normandy and past the Hurtgen into Germany. He always said the battle of Hurtgen Forest was the worst fighting he saw.
I just thought of something about Hurtgen Forest it's like house-to-house fighting urban combat might as well call it "STALINGRAD" in a forest..... I believe your grandfather that it was the worst.
Tony Vaccaro, what a message, what a reforged view of life you can see in his eyes. His eyes sparkle about the beauty of earth.
@StandardSizeSpaniard Bourbon The only men who want war are those who will NEVER see it, these are the criminals of mankind running things - even today with the stealth war running enslaving the stupid and terrorizing the intelligent. These are the so called men who sit back and pull the strings, of the media, governments and police.... the propaganda goes on as it did back then. I often wonder why the police don't turn around and scream "Stop all this, I just want to get back to the pub, and the parks with my kids" but instead they go on obeying the orders of the few, even to their own detriment.
BEAUTIFUL
@@davidrobertson1980 I’ll stop you right there. Hitler saw war well before he started WWII.
@StandardSizeSpaniard Bourbon I don’t know??? A lot of the Nazi leaders including Hitler had seen a bit of war.., it was called World War 1
Both American and German soldiers just wanted to survive the war
Best war doc I’ve ever seen. Wish I could give tony a hug & a good conversation.
Leave me free nothing to prove to your words
I like how the person who actually fought there is respectful, and forgiving, yet the lady, whose probably never had to do anything hard in her life 39:19 demeans the fact that people have placed memorials for all soldiers. She's a real piece of work.
Yeah, I vehemently disagree with her sentiment. I’m anti-military and anti-war, but I also believe in honoring our servicemen, because they have essentially zero control over how and when they are sent to fight. It isn’t their fault that our leaders (past and present) squander their lives on pointless fights. (I recognize that there have been necessary fights here and there, but I don’t think that most wars meet that standard.)
We know from studies that, given the chance, over 90% of soldiers won’t shoot at the enemy. So we have to use various training tactics to get them to do it anyway. We don’t know whether a German soldier actually _wanted_ to kill an American, even as he was actively shooting at one, and vice-versa. Nor do we know how much ideological indoctrination a given soldier had been subject to. Even if he thought of the enemy as subhuman, would he have done so if he hadn’t been brainwashed? We don’t, and can’t, know that for everyone who fought.
So yes, every fallen soldier deserves the same memorial, regardless of which side he was on.
@@tookitogo .
We know ...90%.
We're you get this conclusion from?
Sources statistics with accurate data please !?
@@erwinsell184 It was in a video I watched recently, unfortunately I’m not going to be able to go through the hundreds and hundreds of videos I’ve seen in the past few months just for you, I just don’t have the time. But it was about a study done sometime before the Korean War, because by then the US military used training measures to counteract it.
@@erwinsell184 Apparently one source is the book “On Killing: The Psychological Cost of Learning to Kill in War and Society” by Lieutenant Colonel Dave Grossman.
It is understood that post war Germans lived a very different but very real hell of their own, but don't lose sight of the big truth, we are all the same dead. However it was a great program, well done.
Tony Vaccaro is such an interesting person, his dedication to maintaining a personal pictorial account of his experiences and observations is amazing. His future success, in civilian life, as an acclaimed photographer, goes to show how often men went underutilized throughout their service. This man, along with many others, deserves to have a movie made about him.
It emphasises the fact of how many thousands of young men died, senseless, how many of those men would have been leaders in society, potential Pulitzer winners, Nobel laureates ......... that is what the death of each and every young soldier reminds me off, the potential wasted, lost in blink of an eye !!
@@wesseljordaan7781 I read and watch a lot of history. My mantra for those lives lost so senselessly, men killed far from home, has become "Stay home. Grow food. Make love."
No man is an island, Entire of itself; Each man is a piece of the continent, A part of the main. If a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, As well as if a promontory were: Just as if a manor of thy friend's Or of thine own were.
Each man's death diminishes me, For I am involved in mankind. Therefore send not to know for whom the bell tolls; It tolls for thee.
Bit of a bullshitter though. The soldiers gave dead GI's packages from home to Germsn civilians??
Gimme a break. The civilians bore the brunt ffs
There is an HBO documentary about Tony Vaccaro, called "Under Fire". Well worth watching. He's an remarkable man who will celebrate his 100th birthday late this year (2022).
This is an outstanding documentary. Thank you so much.
I am very grateful for never having had to go through any of this. I really believe we all should value peace much more. And I regret I never took the time nor effort to make my grandpa tell me more about the war. I am German btw. War was a non topic, and I never dared to ask my Opa. When I was somewhat older, in my teenage years, I remember this old fellow who was a friend of my grandparents, strike up a conversation with me while I was working in my grandparents garden. He told me he served on a U-Boot as a young man and that he was taken prisoner of war by the British. I wish I hadn´t been so ignorant back then. I just couldn´t be bothered by the ramblings of an old man. I imagine he must have felt like noone cared to listen. So frigging ignorant of me.
Hmm, I feel for you, I think that is why wisdom comes with age and experience. Based on your admission, i'd say you picked up something positive from the interaction, even if years later. It could be worse, ...you could be a summerchild
Alot of of U boat POW's stayed on in britain after the war and married and had families, not far from my town where i was born, was one of the first POW camps for Kriegsmarine personnel in britain! , and then after the italian collapse in africa it housed lots of italians to, who also done the same, in fact my gramp would argue like cat and dog with a veteran called zeppy over garden field allotment buisness as if they hated one another then would buy each other drinks later that night down the band club as if they was best mates? it was a bizarre thing to witness growing up as a kid... But i wouldnt change it for the world...
This is an excellent documentary. I could not help by being moved by the contrast of the beauty and innocence of the forest with the extreme violence and death that was occurring in it.
Mr. Vaccaro took very compelling stills - one can feel the emotion and intensity - Mr. Vaccaro captured the present moment - priceless. Thank you for sharing with the world 50 years later . . . at 72 years old. Be well.
He became quite a famous photographer after the war.
My grandfather was in this battle and lost most of his friends and got frostbite, he always spoke of the horrors of war.
The image (face of the old soldier) and the last word (tone) were more than great: Beautiful!
Captain John Vivian David Taylor known as Tinker was awarded the highest British military honour the MC - military cross for staying in his crippled tank, a sitting duck during a ferocious tank battle against the Germans in Normandy France.
Despite not being able to move after shelling he sat in his tank and continued to fight and coordinate the other allied tanks to win with the odds in the Germans favour.
He returned to England and lived his days as my kind, polite eccentric grandpa before dying of old age.
He never spoke about Normandy or he was a famous recipient of the MC.
Instead he focused on his family and his beloved wife Heather. He was definitely the greatest man I ever met in so many ways. A lost generation of courtesy and etiquette. Sleep well Tinker.
Whats a MC? , is it a 🔨?
The ending is perfect! This man spoke the absolute truth, one which we all seemed to have forgotten
Hopefully yes as a new wave is sweeping presently and war conditions are born from this 😒
@E mills There are human beings and there are human animals, there is a difference.
Excellent and comprehensive documentary. Thank you for recording this.
Thank you for watching!
Great video, very informative, thanks for posting.
May our grandfather's rest in peace.
Regards from Düren (Germany).
Amen. Greetings from Canada. :)
@@rogerauger7766 🇺🇲 ❤ 🇨🇦. 🚫😷
🇺🇲 & 🇨🇦 ❤ 🇩🇪.
@@brianjob3018
That's the belgian flag
@@jeongna Are you in Korea 🇰🇷 or a 'je-Mi-kyo-p'o' (Korean living in America)?
Thank you for the correction. I get tired, spending hours on YT typing some nights. BTW, how did you recognize the Belgian flag?
Ahn-nyeong!
The old soldier who said he didn't know how he survived still has that bewilderment and confused look about what took place all those years ago. God bless him and all those who survived by his grace.
That's because life for us is very short. 75 years ago isn't in years really that long ago, we just get old fast and die. By the age of this planet shouldn't God let us live at least 500 years? 1000 years? Yes very sad i cried and i seen hell in my own family from mental illness to drug addiction and many deaths from my daughter of 24 years to many of her friends, wife of 28 years killled herself, son in a group home due to schizophrenia/bipolar type illness. All that's left is this 55 year old man and a 19 year old son short of joining the Marines in the summer. .
I think that kind of battlefield trauma has the same exact effect on the brain as a physical head injury would - it changes the way it functions permanently and it never goes back to the way it was. My dad's family - my grandparents, grew up in Germany on the frontlines during the worst parts of World War I and they always had that slightly shellshocked look to them even into their 90s. My grandmother especially never really recovered. She was afraid of everything.
@@Sarah.Riedel I think a very astute observation. And sad.
And probably survivors guilt sometimes which is awful.
Another brilliant documentary from DW. Words of wisdom at the end from Tony Vaccaro, the Italian American photographer. I've travelled throughout Europe and been in Germany many many times....the size of the forests there is amazing. Poland also has some huge forest areas.
very fascinating seeing all this documented, Well done to the editors and people apart of this project
Thanks for watching us and happy new year!
All my best to those families who had someone they loved there. My dear grandfather who fought here and in the Bulge told me when I was a child, " I fought there so my grandchildren wouldn't ever have to do what I had to."
You may have to, unless you want the USA to turn into a cesspool.
I pray he is right
@Homegrown jones There is always one exactly like you,.
What does that mean?
That photographer Tony Vaccaro is awesome, what a beautiful human!!! That final smile and look in his eyes is just wonderful.
PS. Tourists, please show some respect in all these areas.
Yes , please . When visiting remember you're in a cemetery with unknown soldiers remains that still have not been sent home. Please do not go there for war relics .
Wow!!! What a refreshingly honest and informative account. Finally!
The 1st hand testimony interviews of common German ground foot infantry soldiers in this documentary is extremely profound.
My dad was in WW2. He was in the Battle of the Buldge. He died on Nov.26th, 2011. He was 95. He was not wounded in WW2. He did have some frost bite on his right foot.
My dad spoke Danish, so he was hired by OSS (precurser to CIA) to work with the Danish Underground.
@@brahmburgers Well your dad and my dad were real Americans heroes.
@@keithparrish6166 without Americans and Russians (and of course the English too) we were not here or maybe we were in a totally different world. I think always to all those that lost their life and the survivors with gratitude.
@@markmilan8365 Me too.
Thank you DW. You've done a simply marvelous job on this and many of your other documentaries. Even handed, factual, and respectful of both sides; this is a wonderful show. Thank you for introducing me to Mr. Vaccaro and Herr Verbeek. Both are very thoughtful and gentle souls.