angry ranger yes there was a movie made about this but as to how accurate to history im not sure. But still worth a watch, just look up Heydrich assasination
@@youserious6725 there are actually at least a couple of movies. The most recent (2016) is called "Anthropoid", I only saw that recently. Before that I was most familiar with the 1975 film "Operation Daybreak". Both tell exactly the same story (the earlier film just renamed the operation). They are basically the same movie. There are a few minor differences, but I'd say that given how similar the films are that they must both be pretty damn close to the facts. The story is incredible enough without the need for embellishments, and Hollywood obviously gave up trying to find a way to introduce an American in the save the day! TBH I think the 1975 version gets me in the feels more than the modern one, despite (or maybe because) the modern one being far more graphic in portraying the interrogations. A very daring operation, but the Czechs paid a hell of a price. I'm going to Prague this year and Saints Cyril and Methodius Cathedral will be getting a very respectful visit, and maybe Lubice if I can navigate there from Prague.
@@juststeve5542 I recently came across ''Operation Daybreak'' on YT. I never saw it before and was very impress by it .How I missed it in '75 is beyond me.
The best movie on this topic is 1964 "Atentát" by Jiří Sequens. It realy builts up the atmosphere of the time prior and and after the action and final battle in church is the best depiction of the real fight (however the paratroopers used only pistoles in reality)
Just another cowardly thug who was great at brutalising unarmed civilians who couldn’t fight back. He would have lasted 5 minutes on the Russian front.
Your ability to consistently dig up these details from the past is a constant amazement. Kudos and Thank You for such interesting historical facts, Sir.
"Mercedes said they had no information on the car" Don't kid yourselves. [Edit] I made this comment as a throw away joke over a year ago and have regretted it ever since.
@@tractionownersclub4827 especially if it was the only one built at that factory location lol.. Surprised they didn't say are you sure these aren't Volkswagen part numbers? Lol
The Germans are notorious record keepers. I find it hard to believe MB had no records on this vehicle. There is no mention of the cost to the museum on this one of a kind car. Thanks again Mark for a fabulous presentation.
Another fascinating piece of history. Penny dropped when I heard about damage to the rear right of the car. Your love of history is evident. Keeping history alive. Thank you.
Agreed! When he began to mention the damage I knew who it was! A piece of righteous history. If that car could talk it would have been proud to take that hit for humanity.
The photos of the green car used in this video are photos of yet another Mercedes found in the Czech Republic. That car is also suspected to be Heydrich's.
Funfact: Lauritsen finished the restauration in 1991, and he and he's wife got to drive 110.000 kilometers in it. One of their last trips was In 2018, when they decided to drive the car to Prague via Germany, to get the final confirmation on their Mercedes' heritage. But just a few hours after passing the Danish/German border, the car began to suffer with some oil issues. The German filling stations didn't had the right type of vintage oil, and the Mercedes unfortunately had to be returned to Denmark. But the Lauritsens continued, and after a meeting with an representative from the Prague army museum, they became sure that their car, the barn found from Denmark, bought by Lauritsen i 1980 for around 1650$, actually were the Heydrich car.
As a descendant of Czech grandparents, I find this story fascinating. Mark must have a hell of a research staff to come up with these stories and videos.
I believe it. If any records survived the bombing, they probably burned them in 1945. You certainly don't want the "We gave it to Heydrich as a gift" paperwork laying around when the allies show up. Then nobody working at Mercedes today was around back then. So there is a good chance they have no records of it.
They are probably just covering there asses. Everyone has seen what happens when you become a target of the outrage mob. Like most companies that supplied things to the Nazi government, they weren't aware of the atrocity's there government was committing. However a certain political side doesn't care about context, or historical fact. They will attack anything they even think can be associated with Nazism. They will even support the destruction of historical artifacts because it might offend someone.
@@BrettonFerguson The large German companies were making a killing (sorry, I can't help myself) selling engines and other weaponry for the war effort. Gift a flash car or two (or more...) to please the Nazi hierarchy and maybe win another juicy contract? Corruption, schmuption..... Sorry, can't help myself with these bad jokes
Excellent story. Here in Ottawa we also have one lying in the War Museum, which was believed to be the ride of Hitler himself. This particular car also went through some bizarre journey, first discovered by some US troopers in Laufen, the car was requisitioned by the officers and then sent back to the US. The car was then sold to a Montreal businessman in 1956, and eventually ended up in the Canadian War Museum as part of a tax settlement. A truly astonishing piece of their collection. On a side note, the War Museum also has tons of interesting items on display, from rare ones like the Raketenwerfer 43 to some newer stuff like ADATS. I would definitely recommend visiting the place and the Aviation and Space Museum.
I second the recommendation to visit the Canadian War Museum. It truly is a massive a excellently curated collection and includes a lot from the Boer War if I remember correctly as well.
My father was RAF in Germany in 1955. He was sold an armoured Mercedes by a farmer, one of his patients, for £100, which was a lot at the time. He only kept it for 12 months before emigrating to Newfoundland...where I was born. He looked into shipping the car but its weight meant it wasn't worth the cost, and Newfoundland was also somewhat basic for servicing etc. So he sold it - for that same £100 - to another Officer. I have often wondered whose car it was...and so wish he'd kept it....they are worth a fortune!
One correction. Heydrich's assassins were not killed; they took their own lives after a gunfight in the church, saving their last bullets for themselves.
Incredible. I am again at awe of your historical knowledge/Research. Thank you for these pieces of unbiased history, just plain simple historical facts.
The _Egholm Museum_ near Roskilde, Denmark, housing this Heydirch's car, I grew up in the nearby village 2 kms away. The museum has an impressive collection of WWII objects big and small, a very good Dansih Resistance collection, and a fine small arms collection as well. It's a bit hard to reach, nearest busstop is 2 kms away, but well worth a visit, I highly recommend the museum to WWII enthusiasts. I bought myself a "1 year card" because their collection is so large.
Awesome video as always. Just in case anyone was interested, as Mark mentioned, Heydrich's driver Klein (SS-Oberscharführer Johannes Klein) gave chase on foot, but was of big build and a slow runner. Klein and Josef Gabcik exchanged pistol shots and Klein was wounded in the leg and collapsed on the ground, unable to pursue them any further. He had an surgery in Bulovka-teaching hospital, was eventually promoted to SS-Untersturmführer and administered a SS driving school for the remainder of the war.
its a car with a inhumane history that had to be saved for humanity! Such historic artifacts are the only thing left to tell the real story in the future.
@@cptcrogge The irony is these are incredible good cars i once was lucky to be a passenger in an also rare civilian (compressor version ) of one these cars in a classic car meeting. The military (specials) are derivited from these civilian ones. You must agree that the only good things the Nazi's had was style.
As soon as you said damage to the right rear of the car.... I knew it was the Butcher of Prague from one of your previous videos... Thanks Dr. Felton... I have learned so much from your channel..
The quality and uniqueness of Dr. Felton's videos simply support my decision in January 2016 to switch off the TV....and turn to UA-cam. And the TV has remained silent ever since. I haven't missed anything. What a fascinating story. Les Griffiths
This story neatly illustrates a real dilemma: assassinate a tyrant in the clear-eyed understanding that there will be reprisals on innocent civilians, or don't assassinate and leave him free to turn his oppressive thumbscrews on that same population. Impossibly difficult 'damned if you do, damned if you don't' decisions for the strategic leaders who have to make these calls. Thanks Mark, food for thought.
It's why the assassination of Hitler by allied paratroopers was scrapped. Not only someone more competent take over. But the revenge killings would be something else.
The car is on display at "Egholm Museum" in Denmark as told. It's also got the "Enigma" .codewriter. The best musee in Denmark has been partly shut down. Now the private owned musee "Egholm" is one of the finest
An outstanding historical report and another highlight reminding viewers like me of why Mark's videos are tops when it comes to the unusual twists and turns of the Second World War.
Hi. According to historians 2 German officers escaped in the Mercedes from Germany in 1945 to surrender to allied forces in Denmark instead of being captured by the russians. In 1946 the car was sold in an auction in Denmark and has ever since been owned by different Danish citizens without nowing it was Heydrichs old staff car. After a restauration period that took around 10 years from 1980-1990 by a new Danish owner, who had purchased it in Skælskør (Denmark) in 1980, where it had been left in a barn for years, he later on discovered the truth about his car by thorough examination. In 2018 it has come on display in Egholm Museum just north of Roskilde, Denmark. You can google Egholm Museum and go check the car out yourself!
@@heydihodi OK, but which German officers, in what service? Why Denmark? How did they get hold of the car? What happened to it after Heydrich's assassination?
Not necessarily. A story that was told to me nearly 50 yrs ago might explain. An elderly gentleman named Rod Searle whom I knew at the time told me about a plastic model of pre-war Mercedes he had that he wanted to "super detail", i.e. add details that were on the real car but had not been included on the plastic kit. He wrote to Mercedes explaining his problem and asked if he could be sent a copy of the original plans of the vehicle. Their reply was most courteous and along the following lines - "Dear Mr Searle, We would normally be delighted to assist you however our factory was bombed very heavily during the war and one of the sections that was destroyed was our plans room.". Rod told me that he told this story to a work colleague of his who was silent for a while and then said - "I don't really know how to tell you this Rod but I was flying one of the Lancasters that blew the place to pieces.". As they say it's a small world!
Yea maybe if you talked to the right guy at Mercedes. A lot of people think that a 50 year employee who is now a technical advisor is sitting around waiting on a call about this car so he can look through some documentation and answer your question. I’m sorry but that’s not how corporations work.
I have read about Heydrich and his assassination, but always assumed that the Nazis had destroyed his Mercedes. An incredible story. Thank you, Mark. Your videos never disappoint.
As a German allow me to ask what you mean with "the Nazis"? They were first of all Germans, then maybe Bavarians or Pommeranians and then maybe (!) also members of the Nazi party. In Germany we also don't say something like "the imperialist-fascist Victorian English" for 19th century English.
When I was in a park in Leamington spa Warwickshire some years ago , I saw a plaque commemorating the attack and I think the plane flew from somewhere near Leamington spa .David Rowe
I know a man locally in the western USA who found an old Mercedes in a barn. Long story short (and a similar story to this video) he decided to restore it one day (this was about 30 or so years ago). He called Mercedes-Benz in Germany to find out more about the car as he couldn't figure out exactly what model it was. They were puzzled by the car he claimed to have. A week later, a guy from Germany showed up on his doorstep. He was from Mercedes-Benz and asked to see the car and then offered to buy it. He held out for a large amount of money but did sell it to him. Turns out the car was the last car made by M-B before the war began in 1939 and was a gift by Hitler to one of his Generals (can't remember who exactly).
I live in Ottawa and this has always been my number one exhibit. My dad told me the story about how when they first obtained the car it wasn’t known as Hitler’s car back then and didn’t know the full story. So it’s now amazing to get the full story. Thank you Research and knowledge on this era in our human existence. You truly sound like a professional historian.
Mark I served for 22 years in the infantry and I love the documentaries you produces of the 2nd world war, I particularly like what you produce about heydrich, thank you brother.
Heydrich was a gifted pilot too and ordered by Hitler to stop flying in wartime. He was a child of his time, a very cold and disturbed time. The story of Heydrich is well known, but this Mercedes is a very unique car and a story of its own.
G'day Mark, Thank you for this outstanding video. Mr Lauritzen was, technically, wrong when he said the car was not to 'blame' or words to that effect. Many sources I've come across say that Heydrich's sudden relapse and death was due to an infection he got from a bomb fragment that went through the horsehair padding in the car's rear seat. Nazi surgeons removed the bomb fragment, however, the horsehair itself or something it was treated with during manufacture proved to be toxic to Heydrich's immune system. So, 'good on you' 320; in a weird, roundabout way you did finally kill the Butcher of Prague! Thanks again, Mark. Cheers, BH
My take was that Lauritzen meant the car shouldn't be destroyed simply because it belonged to Heydrich, that the car wasn't to blame for what the Nazis did.
Again done in excellent detail and comprehensive speech. Thank you for doing these exposures on the day to day events in WW2 and directly before and after. Wonderful ❣️
I would think they would have some records (always assuming they weren't bombed out of existence), but probably not of who used it where...there's no reason they would have been told that.
im only a little sceptical myself ...between the USAF and the RAF not too many production plants were left standing ...and yes I know bombing at the time was very inaccurate ...but "quantity has a quality all of its own" as another famous ****head once said
You fellows do realize that most of Germany was bombed into rubble by the end of the war, right? Especially anything that looked like a factory. The only reason a lot of the German manufacturing companies survived the war, was because they still had most of their engineers.
Being stationed in Germany, during the 1960, I seen a lot of pictures of towns I visited, and most were totally destroyed. You couldn’t find your own house, or Court House, if you were raised there. A lot of family records were destroyed from bombing churches and everything else. Factories were a bonus, when hit. Everyone wanted German Technology, and tools after the war. We all had enough Bibles!
Great story telling and research. Thank you. Every bit as good as his videos, Dr. Felton's publications on other media are just as well told and fascinating. Highly recommendable.
Heydrich's sepsis infection is attributed by forensic historic experts as being caused by horse hair used to pad the seats of the Mercedes. The hair entered the wound during the explosion and went undetected at the time. I believe there is also a period medical report that indicates the same.
@@orangelion03 I read somewhere it was two weeks - hopefully he was in horrible agony the entire time the hideous monster. Straight to Hell thereafter for his torments to continue.
A very interesting idea but with sepsis it doesn't take a adjative, Sepsis is aka a a bacterial infection is a top killer in the world. Skin your knees and it can be any of us.
Thank you once again mr Felton my grandfather fought in ww2 and my dad served in the Korean War Your videos make me realize what primitive wars they were
Superb. Absolutely superb. History is in the everyday. What is just a tool to someone today, tells a wonderful story years down the road of history. Thank you, Dr. Felton!
I've seen both of the movies about the assassination of Reinhard Heydrich ("Anthropoid" and "The Man With The Iron Heart"). The scenes in those films where the assassination takes place are really exciting and both feature a car very similar to the one that is the subject of your video. I really like your channel. As a World War Two history buff, one hears most of the known stories after awhile. Your channel always seems to dig up new and very interesting new tales. Well done!
Mr. Felton, thank you so much for your documentary series on youtube. I am a student and I find your work very interesting and entertaining. I cannot support your channel on patreon since I am just a student, but I want to kindly thank you for all your hard work!
Anthropoid starring Cillian Murphy came out fairly recently. I would guess less than 10 years. What a shame that he won't be the next James Bond. I think he might have been able to pull it off
@PJ Scotland There have been a very large number of portrayals of Heydrich. Wikipedia has an article titled Dramatic portrayals of Reinhard Heydrich. I think the movie you may be referring to was called Operation Daybreak, aka The Price of Freedom.
@John Smith "English used exiles" - The English did not 'use' anyone. The Czechs wanted the monster killed, among others as a gesture to the allies that they, too, participated in the war effort, to secure the seat at the table after the war.
Another fascinating piece of WWII history that may have gone unnoticed without you, Mr. Felton. In 1991, I visited the church of Ss. Cyril and Methodius Cathedral where the resistance held out for as long as they could. There was (is?) a museum in the basement that tells the story of Heydrich's assassination, and of the Czech Resistance. It was a visit I will never forget.
As a child in the late 1960's, I lived in Greeneville, TN. In a garage at the local VFW was an old gangster appearing car that has been brought over to the states from Europe after the end of WW2. I was to find out later in 2018 that it was a 1939 Mercedes-Benz 770K originally thought to be a staff car of Heinrich Himmler's, but turned out to be one used by Adolf Hitler himself.
Mark, your headline on this video had me thinking of a different Mercedes. Quite a few years ago -- perhaps the mid-1970s -- a Mercedes 770K was found in an old barn owned by a VFW chapter. All this from memory, so forgive me if I make some errors here. That car had been donated by a high-ranking U.S. officer who'd brought the car from Germany, thinking it an officer's vehicle. It had been used in a few parades in the U.S., then stuck in the garage and forgotten for decades. I remember it allegedly sank in the dirt floor to the axles, all the rubber was rotted away, and oil in the oil pan was like dried tar. When the local VFW chapter decided to sell the derelict car, a collector paid quite a sum for it. During restoration he discovered some oddities. It had a platform for someone to stand on during a parade. And every last single piece of the body, frame and engine had a serial number stamped into it. When he wrote to Mercedes with the number, they replied demanding wax seal copies to prove the serial numbers. He complied. They finally came back with records confirming it had been one of Hitler's parade cars, specifically listed as Hitler's personal property. It was a big story in the papers at the time, hence my memories. Just now all I could find was a small story that it was sold in 2018 for around $7 million. Mark, I'm sorry I have no more details, but if you can find out more, it might make a fine follow-on video.
@@michaelp9707 I'm sorry, but I just don't recall for sure. For some reason Pennsylvania stands out in my mind as location of the VFW affiliate, but that could be completely wrong.
Thanks for extremely detailed materials, unique in their subjects, something really different and valuable, rare on UA-cam. I know I'm an irrelevant viewer, but, with my personal right to an opinion on your public materials, I rate them at the highest rank here, along with other specialised channels as qualitative as yours. Sincere congratulations, sir!
I've know for many years about the assassination of Heidrick, but I figured like so many people, that the car was probably destroyed in the war. I'm glad that the gentleman restored the car, because i consider it to be a fitting memorial to all the brave citizens who lost their lives in a noble effort to rid us of evil
Right? The people who carried out Anthropoid were true heroes. They were in the very heart of Nazi-occupied Europe and most likely knew they could never escape. But what needed doing was done.
This perspective of the car is better than the restorer's ('that the car did nothing wrong'). Makes a nice tribute to the heroes that helped dispose of Heydrich. Many thanks to post-op complications that finished the job, too!
I don't believe in ghosts, and I can't fault the car, it survived an anti tank mine after all. But if there was ever a car with some bad karma around it, it would probably be that one. You've seen the movie "Christine" right?
@@OakInch well there was the grenade the surgeon removed all the fragments of the grenade but they missed the horse hair which caused sepsis that killed him
@@JohnSmith-qv6hp could have been and the operator's or agent's who attempted the assassination which eventually killed where trained 2 miles from where i grow at RAF bowlee which was a maintenance unit no airfield there they trained SOE agents and bowlee is in Middleton nr Manchester England
OBSERVATIONSBYLENNY Yes, I agree, the war may have been different. But it’s simply one of those things we’ll never know, and can only speculate on. As far as Nuremberg is concerned, they passed the Katyn massacre through the courts, deliberating on them for two to three days. It was the Soviets that pushed this through as a German attrocity, and the courts knew full well it was the Soviets themselves. The courts perjured themselves.
Thanks much for that fascinating video. I was born in Germany in 1949 and immigrated to USA as a boy of 7 with my parents. In my new neighborhood i was called a Nazi by other children. Since then i have come to love learning about the horrors of Nazism. Why not ??? If accused wrongly, why not find out WTF i'm accused of ? Learning more and more . . . and some more . . .
This post means more to me than just a war-related anecdote. If you look into the libraries of amateur historians like myself you will find certain trends- events or persons that caught the imagination more than others, both good and evil. Heydrich has always been one of those for me since I read an old Ballantine book by Alan Wykes nearly 40 years ago. Wykes had a lot of information on Heydrich, and Heydrich's unrelenting zeal for knavery has fascinated me. A truly evil man! I know a great many things about him but not this. It is fitting that the few reminders of a man I would call the most dangerous of the Nazis are the car he was attacked in, his disturbed, unmarked grave, and the villages of Lidice and Ležáky- or, at least the sites. I am pleased the only positive artifact concerning the man is this beautiful car, surely a work of art used by evil men and not inherently evil itself. And my reasoning for naming him the most dangerous Nazi is that he used the party as a means to gain pure power, and enjoyed abusing that power. I believe that he would follow any banner that allowed him to have the power of life and death in his hands.
I'm like you, when I was young I came across two books that stick in my mind. One is ba ba black sheep, pappy boyington, and the other is stuka pilot, hans rudel.
The SS COL who was killed, died because after the surgery the doctors did not clean the area that was infected with horse hair from the seat of the car.
Well, Heydrich actually ruled over Czechs, since the Slovaks had their own puppet state (and most of the German speaking population of Bohemia and Moravia lived in what had been ceded to the Reich after the Munich Agreement). So you neither can say the German revenge was carried out on Czechoslovaks, because this term actually applies only to the citizens of the country factually inexistent at the given moment. Something like a Czechoslovak nation was only a political construct, nothing real. Nevermind however, Central Europe is complicated, or at least it used to be until the summer of 1945. Still a great video :)
Thank you again, Mark. I just had a curious flashback. I first learned of Operation Anthropoid from a TV show long ago, "General Electric True" hosted by Jack Webb (of "Dragnet" fame). The gun fight at the cathedral was a big deal, according to the TV show. You might want to do a separate video on that episode, Mark. The resistance of Heydrich's assassins was genuinely heroic. Heydrich's grave vandalized. Although appropriate, I am sure Satan has much worse to visit on that maniac.
An extremely dark yet fascinating story. You do find some really interesting bits of history I'll give you that as well as a professionally presented. Yet the darkness sends chills down my spine. Makes me wonder if humanity has a chance?
Wow. I stumbled on this looking for another one of your vids but this one was SO good also that I watched it to the end and went back just to look at the 320 again in the first restoration photos where it's blue. Maybe that's the primer. The lines of the car are very pleasing to the eye. What a Beauty.
I love this channel & now he’s got a War Stories channel as well!! You learn more from Mark Felton than you ever would in a European History course about WW2
Good little story; both films about the assassination are worth a watch (Op Daybreak and Anthropoid). Also worth a read is Jeremy Paxman and Robert Harris' "A higher form of killing" which discusses chemcal and biological warfare. It suggests that the modified antitank grenade used may well have contained anthrax, and that Heydrich's symptoms matched typical anthrax poioning symptoms. All interesting stuff Mark - thank you for a great story.
Simply amazing. The hit on Heydrich alone is a fascinating story, but his car still exists and shows the bomb damage.............incredible.
angry ranger yes there was a movie made about this but as to how accurate to history im not sure. But still worth a watch, just look up Heydrich assasination
@@youserious6725 there are actually at least a couple of movies.
The most recent (2016) is called "Anthropoid", I only saw that recently.
Before that I was most familiar with the 1975 film "Operation Daybreak".
Both tell exactly the same story (the earlier film just renamed the operation).
They are basically the same movie. There are a few minor differences, but I'd say that given how similar the films are that they must both be pretty damn close to the facts.
The story is incredible enough without the need for embellishments, and Hollywood obviously gave up trying to find a way to introduce an American in the save the day!
TBH I think the 1975 version gets me in the feels more than the modern one, despite (or maybe because) the modern one being far more graphic in portraying the interrogations.
A very daring operation, but the Czechs paid a hell of a price.
I'm going to Prague this year and Saints Cyril and Methodius Cathedral will be getting a very respectful visit, and maybe Lubice if I can navigate there from Prague.
@@juststeve5542 I recently came across ''Operation Daybreak'' on YT. I never saw it before and was very impress by it .How I missed it in '75 is beyond me.
@@youserious6725 the recent movie "Anthropoid" is fairly accurate.
The best movie on this topic is 1964 "Atentát" by Jiří Sequens. It realy builts up the atmosphere of the time prior and and after the action and final battle in church is the best depiction of the real fight (however the paratroopers used only pistoles in reality)
When Hitler calls you the "Man with the Iron Heart".... Yikes.
Right! The video of him walking while staring at the camera confirms that he was an A-Hole!
Just another cowardly thug who was great at brutalising unarmed civilians who couldn’t fight back. He would have lasted 5 minutes on the Russian front.
@@America-First2024 IKR! What a creep
"Best compliment he ever received no doubt." - I think he should have satisfied himself with "the most talented violin player in SS".
Brian Anderson. I agree and it’s like Attila the Hun calling you Jack the Ripper.
“Mercedes said they had no information on the car.”
I know nothing! NOTHING!
I hear Nothing, I know nothing
Schultz:-))
😂 Shultzey ol boy..
Mercedes will do anything to get out of their warranty.
I know notheenk!
Your ability to consistently dig up these details from the past is a constant amazement. Kudos and Thank You for such interesting historical facts, Sir.
I love that quote, "The past was no fault of the car." To many people think otherwise about inanimate objects with no will of their own.
Yes, like guns !
@@almilani4300 was implied but I didn't want to start the argument
@@almilani4300 100% true the weapon itself can't kill anyone it's the idiot behind the weapon that does the killing.
@@U812-k7j And idiots that enable idiots to be behind dangerous weapons.
@@U812-k7j ,ditto for cars.
"Mercedes said they had no information on the car"
Don't kid yourselves.
[Edit] I made this comment as a throw away joke over a year ago and have regretted it ever since.
Looks like good minds think alike lol
. I typed basically the same thing before I saw your post
Adam Presley every nut and bolt doesn't just have a part number, it has a name.
@@tractionownersclub4827 especially if it was the only one built at that factory location lol.. Surprised they didn't say are you sure these aren't Volkswagen part numbers? Lol
Ric Goesinya I don't believe you fritz.
someone got fired after that; they failed to get rid of all the evidence. Or maybe a black merc drove over them?:D simbolic
The Germans are notorious record keepers. I find it hard to believe MB had no records on this vehicle. There is no mention of the cost to the museum on this one of a kind car. Thanks again Mark for a fabulous presentation.
Must have been destroyed in the war
Another fascinating piece of history. Penny dropped when I heard about damage to the rear right of the car. Your love of history is evident. Keeping history alive. Thank you.
Agreed! When he began to mention the damage I knew who it was! A piece of righteous history. If that car could talk it would have been proud to take that hit for humanity.
I was guessing that or Rommel
The photos of the green car used in this video are photos of yet another Mercedes found in the Czech Republic. That car is also suspected to be Heydrich's.
Me too Lance and, like yourself, before Mark said it was Heydrich's vehicle
Funfact: Lauritsen finished the restauration in 1991, and he and he's wife got to drive 110.000 kilometers in it. One of their last trips was In 2018, when they decided to drive the car to Prague via Germany, to get the final confirmation on their Mercedes' heritage. But just a few hours after passing the Danish/German border, the car began to suffer with some oil issues. The German filling stations didn't had the right type of vintage oil, and the Mercedes unfortunately had to be returned to Denmark. But the Lauritsens continued, and after a meeting with an representative from the Prague army museum, they became sure that their car, the barn found from Denmark, bought by Lauritsen i 1980 for around 1650$, actually were the Heydrich car.
As a descendant of Czech grandparents, I find this story fascinating. Mark must have a hell of a research staff to come up with these stories and videos.
It’s called The BBC news service. You see, they actually cover world news over there. All we get in America is fluff news to keep you asleep.
@@davethompson3140So ...you DON'T want fluff covered?😚
You can find all this information on the internet.
So they destroyed a 320 to make it look like it was more important, meanwhile the actual 320 was restored to mint condition. Ooookay
People trying to profit from the past 😔
Really hope that they restore the "fake" one now as well.
@Kathy Mack mmmkay., karen
My exact thoughts.. Checz...
Today nobody would restore that car. It would be worth far more in original condition, no matter how dilapidated.
Only 34 every made: Mercedes, nope, never heard of it. Who would actually believe that?
There were 6000 or so of the Type 320 made, perhaps the 34 is the number of Model B convertibles made
I believe it. If any records survived the bombing, they probably burned them in 1945. You certainly don't want the "We gave it to Heydrich as a gift" paperwork laying around when the allies show up. Then nobody working at Mercedes today was around back then. So there is a good chance they have no records of it.
Bretton Ferguson exactly.. and they didn't exactly have the convenience of computers then either
They are probably just covering there asses. Everyone has seen what happens when you become a target of the outrage mob. Like most companies that supplied things to the Nazi government, they weren't aware of the atrocity's there government was committing. However a certain political side doesn't care about context, or historical fact. They will attack anything they even think can be associated with Nazism. They will even support the destruction of historical artifacts because it might offend someone.
@@BrettonFerguson The large German companies were making a killing (sorry, I can't help myself) selling engines and other weaponry for the war effort. Gift a flash car or two (or more...) to please the Nazi hierarchy and maybe win another juicy contract? Corruption, schmuption..... Sorry, can't help myself with these bad jokes
Excellent story. Here in Ottawa we also have one lying in the War Museum, which was believed to be the ride of Hitler himself. This particular car also went through some bizarre journey, first discovered by some US troopers in Laufen, the car was requisitioned by the officers and then sent back to the US. The car was then sold to a Montreal businessman in 1956, and eventually ended up in the Canadian War Museum as part of a tax settlement. A truly astonishing piece of their collection.
On a side note, the War Museum also has tons of interesting items on display, from rare ones like the Raketenwerfer 43 to some newer stuff like ADATS. I would definitely recommend visiting the place and the Aviation and Space Museum.
And I believe Mr Felton made a video about that very car - it may have been for last Halloween...
I second the recommendation to visit the Canadian War Museum. It truly is a massive a excellently curated collection and includes a lot from the Boer War if I remember correctly as well.
@@rexjaru I just watched that video about a week ago! Just one more great one!!
Ive seen the car. Kind of a weird and seemingly incredibly rare item and definitely interesting that its all the way in ottawa, lmfao
My father was RAF in Germany in 1955. He was sold an armoured Mercedes by a farmer, one of his patients, for £100, which was a lot at the time. He only kept it for 12 months before emigrating to Newfoundland...where I was born. He looked into shipping the car but its weight meant it wasn't worth the cost, and Newfoundland was also somewhat basic for servicing etc. So he sold it - for that same £100 - to another Officer. I have often wondered whose car it was...and so wish he'd kept it....they are worth a fortune!
One correction. Heydrich's assassins were not killed; they took their own lives after a gunfight in the church, saving their last bullets for themselves.
How do you know this, were yo there?
@@pappyodanial The movie is a reasonably portrayal of the assassination.
I've visited the church, where there is an excellent exhibition. Any more questions?
@@Milton1079 If they faked the car how can you trust the story?
@@MrFritzthecatfish Very good point.
History and cars? I'm being treated
I know, right?!
Agreed! Me too.
e.g. try to find in where Mr. Porsche learned her style ;)
Incredible. I am again at awe of your historical knowledge/Research. Thank you for these pieces of unbiased history, just plain simple historical facts.
The _Egholm Museum_ near Roskilde, Denmark, housing this Heydirch's car, I grew up in the nearby village 2 kms away. The museum has an impressive collection of WWII objects big and small, a very good Dansih Resistance collection, and a fine small arms collection as well. It's a bit hard to reach, nearest busstop is 2 kms away, but well worth a visit, I highly recommend the museum to WWII enthusiasts. I bought myself a "1 year card" because their collection is so large.
Even though I had been continuously impressed by your channel, nothing NOTHING prepared me for this episode. What a brilliant piece of research!
I'm Danish and have known about this story for some years now. A remarkable tale!
This story is fake. This car was found but in Czech Republic. This car bought guy who restore it but here in Czech Republic.
@@MartasZLA no
@@alexanderpedersen1432 yes
Awesome video as always. Just in case anyone was interested, as Mark mentioned, Heydrich's driver Klein (SS-Oberscharführer Johannes Klein) gave chase on foot, but was of big build and a slow runner. Klein and Josef Gabcik exchanged pistol shots and Klein was wounded in the leg and collapsed on the ground, unable to pursue them any further. He had an surgery in Bulovka-teaching hospital, was eventually promoted to SS-Untersturmführer and administered a SS driving school for the remainder of the war.
It looks like the car was saved just in time.
its a car with a inhumane history that had to be saved for humanity!
Such historic artifacts are the only thing left to tell the real story in the future.
We should thank the person who took care of it and Felton for his video :) I would love to drive one of these.
@@cptcrogge The irony is these are incredible good cars i once was lucky to be a passenger in an also rare civilian (compressor version ) of one these cars in a classic car meeting.
The military (specials) are derivited from these civilian ones.
You must agree that the only good things the Nazi's had was style.
@@obelic71 Hugo Boss would certainly agree!
Yeh but the only original part is the hood badge
Absolutely fantastic story! You sir have one of the most relevant historical channels anywhere!
Oh the love i have for these cars. The craftsmanship, the lines even the interiors are absolutely gorgeous
As soon as you said damage to the right rear of the car.... I knew it was the Butcher of Prague from one of your previous videos... Thanks Dr. Felton... I have learned so much from your channel..
You can see how much care and love he put into the restoration of that car :) Greetings from Germany.
Great vehicle restoration indeed. . costly & time consuming preservation effort for historical posterity..amazing!
Fascinating stuff! I love these little bite sized pieces of history.
The quality and uniqueness of Dr. Felton's videos simply support my decision in January 2016 to switch off the TV....and turn to UA-cam. And the TV has remained silent ever since. I haven't missed anything.
What a fascinating story.
Les Griffiths
This story neatly illustrates a real dilemma: assassinate a tyrant in the clear-eyed understanding that there will be reprisals on innocent civilians, or don't assassinate and leave him free to turn his oppressive thumbscrews on that same population. Impossibly difficult 'damned if you do, damned if you don't' decisions for the strategic leaders who have to make these calls. Thanks Mark, food for thought.
It's why the assassination of Hitler by allied paratroopers was scrapped. Not only someone more competent take over. But the revenge killings would be something else.
The car is on display at "Egholm Museum" in Denmark as told. It's also got the "Enigma" .codewriter. The best musee in Denmark has been partly shut down. Now the private owned musee "Egholm" is one of the finest
Thanks for the recommendation. I'm gonna visit that museum, I grew up two km's from Egholm.
An outstanding historical report and another highlight reminding viewers like me of why Mark's videos are tops when it comes to the unusual twists and turns of the Second World War.
You are undeniably one of the best historian I have ever listened to. Truly great. Keep those stories coming.
But who drove it to Denmark and why? That's what I'd like to know.
Didn't he say ..escaping nazis ?
Lots of different type vehicles were driven out of Germany from what I have read. Many higher up officers had access to pool vehicle fleets.
Hi. According to historians 2 German officers escaped in the Mercedes from Germany in 1945 to surrender to allied forces in Denmark instead of being captured by the russians. In 1946 the car was sold in an auction in Denmark and has ever since been owned by different Danish citizens without nowing it was Heydrichs old staff car. After a restauration period that took around 10 years from 1980-1990 by a new Danish owner, who had purchased it in Skælskør (Denmark) in 1980, where it had been left in a barn for years, he later on discovered the truth about his car by thorough examination. In 2018 it has come on display in Egholm Museum just north of Roskilde, Denmark. You can google Egholm Museum and go check the car out yourself!
@@heydihodi OK, but which German officers, in what service? Why Denmark? How did they get hold of the car? What happened to it after Heydrich's assassination?
Pub crawl.
Mercedes knew EXACTLY the history of that car, their records would have been meticulous.
Not necessarily. A story that was told to me nearly 50 yrs ago might explain.
An elderly gentleman named Rod Searle whom I knew at the time told me about a plastic model of pre-war Mercedes he had that he wanted to "super detail", i.e. add details that were on the real car but had not been included on the plastic kit. He wrote to Mercedes explaining his problem and asked if he could be sent a copy of the original plans of the vehicle.
Their reply was most courteous and along the following lines - "Dear Mr Searle, We would normally be delighted to assist you however our factory was bombed very heavily during the war and one of the sections that was destroyed was our plans room.". Rod told me that he told this story to a work colleague of his who was silent for a while and then said - "I don't really know how to tell you this Rod but I was flying one of the Lancasters that blew the place to pieces.". As they say it's a small world!
Yea maybe if you talked to the right guy at Mercedes. A lot of people think that a 50 year employee who is now a technical advisor is sitting around waiting on a call about this car so he can look through some documentation and answer your question. I’m sorry but that’s not how corporations work.
With so many years that passed, I highly doubt if they could track it down, probably lost to time.
@@oliviaswarden6077 Yeah, most documents dont survive that long
there’s a good chance the records may have been destroyed
I have read about Heydrich and his assassination, but always assumed that the Nazis had destroyed his Mercedes. An incredible story. Thank you, Mark. Your videos never disappoint.
As a German allow me to ask what you mean with "the Nazis"? They were first of all Germans, then maybe Bavarians or Pommeranians and then maybe (!) also members of the Nazi party. In Germany we also don't say something like "the imperialist-fascist Victorian English" for 19th century English.
@@g.f.w.6402 Yeah, I think that's who he was refering to, Hanz. Memebers of the National Socialist German Workers' Party.
I see a new video by Mark Felton, I press play immediately...
That extra long look into the camera lens says it all.
When I was in a park in Leamington spa Warwickshire some years ago , I saw a plaque commemorating the attack and I think the plane flew from somewhere near Leamington spa .David Rowe
I noticed that also and it got my attention.
Yeah, that was probably a sign to the cameraman that you better get my good side or you're going in the oven.
I was thinking the same thing; I know that basic personality type...you can wither under their stare lol.
Glaring at the lens with such contempt, pure evil right there. Gave me the shivers, and nothing gets to me like that. Pure evil, nothing less.
I know a man locally in the western USA who found an old Mercedes in a barn. Long story short (and a similar story to this video) he decided to restore it one day (this was about 30 or so years ago). He called Mercedes-Benz in Germany to find out more about the car as he couldn't figure out exactly what model it was. They were puzzled by the car he claimed to have. A week later, a guy from Germany showed up on his doorstep. He was from Mercedes-Benz and asked to see the car and then offered to buy it. He held out for a large amount of money but did sell it to him. Turns out the car was the last car made by M-B before the war began in 1939 and was a gift by Hitler to one of his Generals (can't remember who exactly).
Wow 😯😯❤
I live in Ottawa and this has always been my number one exhibit. My dad told me the story about how when they first obtained the car it wasn’t known as Hitler’s car back then and didn’t know the full story. So it’s now amazing to get the full story. Thank you Research and knowledge on this era in our human existence. You truly sound like a professional historian.
Mark I served for 22 years in the infantry and I love the documentaries you produces of the 2nd world war, I particularly like what you produce about heydrich, thank you brother.
Heydrich was a gifted pilot too and ordered by Hitler to stop flying in wartime. He was a child of his time, a very cold and disturbed time. The story of Heydrich is well known, but this Mercedes is a very unique car and a story of its own.
G'day Mark, Thank you for this outstanding video. Mr Lauritzen was, technically, wrong when he said the car was not to 'blame' or words to that effect. Many sources I've come across say that Heydrich's sudden relapse and death was due to an infection he got from a bomb fragment that went through the horsehair padding in the car's rear seat. Nazi surgeons removed the bomb fragment, however, the horsehair itself or something it was treated with during manufacture proved to be toxic to Heydrich's immune system. So, 'good on you' 320; in a weird, roundabout way you did finally kill the Butcher of Prague! Thanks again, Mark. Cheers, BH
My take was that Lauritzen meant the car shouldn't be destroyed simply because it belonged to Heydrich, that the car wasn't to blame for what the Nazis did.
@@furyfantooExactly!
I first learned about the Anthropoid attack from watching Operation Daybreak, one of my favourite war films. Keep up the top-tier content, Mark!
Again done in excellent detail and comprehensive speech.
Thank you for doing these exposures on the day to day events in WW2 and directly before and after.
Wonderful ❣️
Incredible! Never thought this car still existed. A valuable piece of history.
I read "Seven Men at Daybreak" when I was a kid, but I never knew until this video that the car was still around. Amazing story.
Thanks for mentioning that book; I want to read it sometime.
The only thing I have in my garage are some rusty yard tools and some half dried up paint cans. Dang!
You have a garage? Lucky chap
I find it difficult to believe that Mercedes have no record of the car
I would think they would have some records (always assuming they weren't bombed out of existence), but probably not of who used it where...there's no reason they would have been told that.
Germans are meticulous record keepers ! Mercedes Benz knows who's car that was. They were likely fearful of negative publicly about the vehicle
im only a little sceptical myself ...between the USAF and the RAF not too many production plants were left standing ...and yes I know bombing at the time was very inaccurate ...but "quantity has a quality all of its own" as another famous ****head once said
You fellows do realize that most of Germany was bombed into rubble by the end of the war, right? Especially anything that looked like a factory. The only reason a lot of the German manufacturing companies survived the war, was because they still had most of their engineers.
Being stationed in Germany, during the 1960, I seen a lot of pictures of towns I visited, and most were totally destroyed. You couldn’t find your own house, or Court House, if you were raised there. A lot of family records were destroyed from bombing churches and everything else. Factories were a bonus, when hit. Everyone wanted German Technology, and tools after the war. We all had enough Bibles!
Great story telling and research. Thank you. Every bit as good as his videos, Dr. Felton's publications on other media are just as well told and fascinating. Highly recommendable.
Your channel is excellent. Every subject interesting. Well done 👍
Wow! The amount of information contained in this video is impressive! I wish my history class was this informative!
Heydrich's sepsis infection is attributed by forensic historic experts as being caused by horse hair used to pad the seats of the Mercedes. The hair entered the wound during the explosion and went undetected at the time. I believe there is also a period medical report that indicates the same.
Did they have anti-biotics to use on him?
Penicillin was at this time only available to the Allies.
@@orangelion03 I read somewhere it was two weeks - hopefully he was in horrible agony the entire time the hideous monster. Straight to Hell thereafter for his torments to continue.
A very interesting idea but with sepsis it doesn't take a adjative, Sepsis is aka a a bacterial infection is a top killer in the world. Skin your knees and it can be any of us.
Joe Reeder I’ve read that too.
Thank you once again mr Felton my grandfather fought in ww2 and my dad served in the Korean War Your videos make me realize what primitive wars they were
Almost all innovation comes by war. Airplanes, internet, microwaves, ect
All wars are primitive.., especially the ones coming up.. what will be found in barns 100+ years from now? If any are left.
@@vtbrian3252 What war were the Wright Brothers fighting in 1903?
That's an amazing tale from the annals of History,great stuff as always Dr.Mark
Superb. Absolutely superb. History is in the everyday. What is just a tool to someone today, tells a wonderful story years down the road of history. Thank you, Dr. Felton!
MFP video on a Saturday night. My week is complete....
I've seen both of the movies about the assassination of Reinhard Heydrich ("Anthropoid" and "The Man With The Iron Heart"). The scenes in those films where the assassination takes place are really exciting and both feature a car very similar to the one that is the subject of your video. I really like your channel. As a World War Two history buff, one hears most of the known stories after awhile. Your channel always seems to dig up new and very interesting new tales. Well done!
He might have had a iron heart, but his spleen was most certainly not, ah well no loss.
Thanks go to the horse hair padding in the seat for providing the source of the infection which killed him.
@FTW 111 it's pretty well known heydrich died from blood poisoning from scraps of upholstery getting into his bloodstream from the explosion.
i do wish he had suffer more. lidce lidce lidce never forget lidce
I recall reading a long time ago, that the fragments from the springs from the car's seats were propelled into Heydrich and caused a lot of damage.
@Reg Johnson it was a great loss, they were nice cars
Mr. Felton, thank you so much for your documentary series on youtube. I am a student and I find your work very interesting and entertaining.
I cannot support your channel on patreon since I am just a student, but I want to kindly thank you for all your hard work!
Have a Merry Christmas, I appreciate all your great videos and the knowledge you convey.
My older brother has a striking resemblance to Heydrich, he's even the same height and build. Great video as always Mr Felton !
My former co-worker as well, he was two inches shorter, but EXACT in every other way!!
People will welcome him in Prague
@@myblueandme In all sincerity if he actually put on a SS/SD officer uniform he's even scare me it would look EXACTLY like him!!
3:33 - The men which killed him were brave and knew the risk which they paid for with their lives.
absolutely, they knew it was a suicide mission
Anthropoid starring Cillian Murphy came out fairly recently. I would guess less than 10 years. What a shame that he won't be the next James Bond. I think he might have been able to pull it off
@PJ Scotland There have been a very large number of portrayals of Heydrich. Wikipedia has an article titled Dramatic portrayals of Reinhard Heydrich. I think the movie you may be referring to was called Operation Daybreak, aka The Price of Freedom.
@John Smith "English used exiles" - The English did not 'use' anyone. The Czechs wanted the monster killed, among others as a gesture to the allies that they, too, participated in the war effort, to secure the seat at the table after the war.
@@JohnSmith-qv6hp Who else could they have infiltrated incognito into the local population ?
Another fascinating piece of WWII history that may have gone unnoticed without you, Mr. Felton. In 1991, I visited the church of Ss. Cyril and Methodius Cathedral where the resistance held out for as long as they could. There was (is?) a museum in the basement that tells the story of Heydrich's assassination, and of the Czech Resistance. It was a visit I will never forget.
Brilliant! The historical connection is amazing!
Bravo!
As a child in the late 1960's, I lived in Greeneville, TN. In a garage at the local VFW was an old gangster appearing car that has been brought over to the states from Europe after the end of WW2. I was to find out later in 2018 that it was a 1939 Mercedes-Benz 770K originally thought to be a staff car of Heinrich Himmler's, but turned out to be one used by Adolf Hitler himself.
Hitlers personal mercedes is in Ottowa, and has been historically certified.
@@davidmarshall1259 Ottawa.
@@maxwebster7572 sorry about my spelling mistake!!
@@davidmarshall1259 The museums suck since they moved from the ww2 era airbase hangers.
@@maxwebster7572 i agree, they become somewhat clinical now.
I love the opening music. Makes me want to watch a good war film.
wow, another great video Mark
0:26 Now there's a new definition of barnfind... When the barn lies ON the find. Thanks for the vid 👍
Fantastic presentation. Thank you.
these are like what the history channel used to be like... dude thanks
Mark, your headline on this video had me thinking of a different Mercedes. Quite a few years ago -- perhaps the mid-1970s -- a Mercedes 770K was found in an old barn owned by a VFW chapter. All this from memory, so forgive me if I make some errors here. That car had been donated by a high-ranking U.S. officer who'd brought the car from Germany, thinking it an officer's vehicle. It had been used in a few parades in the U.S., then stuck in the garage and forgotten for decades. I remember it allegedly sank in the dirt floor to the axles, all the rubber was rotted away, and oil in the oil pan was like dried tar. When the local VFW chapter decided to sell the derelict car, a collector paid quite a sum for it. During restoration he discovered some oddities. It had a platform for someone to stand on during a parade. And every last single piece of the body, frame and engine had a serial number stamped into it. When he wrote to Mercedes with the number, they replied demanding wax seal copies to prove the serial numbers. He complied. They finally came back with records confirming it had been one of Hitler's parade cars, specifically listed as Hitler's personal property. It was a big story in the papers at the time, hence my memories. Just now all I could find was a small story that it was sold in 2018 for around $7 million. Mark, I'm sorry I have no more details, but if you can find out more, it might make a fine follow-on video.
Where in the USA did this occur?
@@michaelp9707 I'm sorry, but I just don't recall for sure. For some reason Pennsylvania stands out in my mind as location of the VFW affiliate, but that could be completely wrong.
Wow, that’s a very unique car!! I’ll bet the Czechs would like to have it in their museum to commemorate the attack on the monster called Heydrich.
Thanks for extremely detailed materials, unique in their subjects, something really different and valuable, rare on UA-cam. I know I'm an irrelevant viewer, but, with my personal right to an opinion on your public materials, I rate them at the highest rank here, along with other specialised channels as qualitative as yours. Sincere congratulations, sir!
Thank you Mr Felton. Great investigative historic journalism!
When busy, I immediately like the video so I can watch it later. Enough said
Aryan doggo
I've know for many years about the assassination of Heidrick, but I figured like so many people, that the car was probably destroyed in the war. I'm glad that the gentleman restored the car, because i consider it to be a fitting memorial to all the brave citizens who lost their lives in a noble effort to rid us of evil
Right? The people who carried out Anthropoid were true heroes. They were in the very heart of Nazi-occupied Europe and most likely knew they could never escape. But what needed doing was done.
This perspective of the car is better than the restorer's ('that the car did nothing wrong'). Makes a nice tribute to the heroes that helped dispose of Heydrich. Many thanks to post-op complications that finished the job, too!
Sees Mark Felton video notification smashes like button, emailed Netflix again to sign him up.
LJP Morgan Netflix doesnt want us watching educational materials! It must be mind numbing drab like the office
Mark your productions are intriguing. Thank you.
Glad this man saved a true piece of history. So many times things like this are scraped and lost to time. Thanks for saving this piece of history.
I don't believe in ghosts, and I can't fault the car, it survived an anti tank mine after all. But if there was ever a car with some bad karma around it, it would probably be that one. You've seen the movie "Christine" right?
great movie !
This is an incredible historic find.
Amazing find and the mighty heydrich was killed by horse hair from the Mercedes seats
Germany didn't know what Penicillin was, thank goodness
And fragments of leather.
And the grenade.
@@OakInch well there was the grenade the surgeon removed all the fragments of the grenade but they missed the horse hair which caused sepsis that killed him
@@JohnSmith-qv6hp could have been and the operator's or agent's who attempted the assassination which eventually killed where trained 2 miles from where i grow at RAF bowlee which was a maintenance unit no airfield there they trained SOE agents and bowlee is in Middleton nr Manchester England
Fascinating. Thank you for posting as always. Those who forget history are bound to repeat it.
Love when historical artifacts are discovered in unlikely places. Thank you Mr. Felton!
The scariest episode of American Pickers ever
Fascinating story, beautiful car
I just saw the movie Anthropoid a few weeks ago with Cillian Murphy, amazing story!
OBSERVATIONSBYLENNY Who painted the picture of Heydrich in the first place?
OBSERVATIONSBYLENNY Was the case passed through the Nuremberg Trials?
Tbf, I could have searched myself..
OBSERVATIONSBYLENNY I’m not referring to the movie.
I mean the actual accusations of the final solution.
OBSERVATIONSBYLENNY Yes, I agree, the war may have been different.
But it’s simply one of those things we’ll never know, and can only speculate on.
As far as Nuremberg is concerned, they passed the Katyn massacre through the courts, deliberating on them for two to three days.
It was the Soviets that pushed this through as a German attrocity, and the courts knew full well it was the Soviets themselves.
The courts perjured themselves.
A very interesting story, that has been told by you superbly. Please keep up the good work.
Thanks much for that fascinating video. I was born in Germany in 1949 and immigrated to USA as a boy of 7 with my parents. In my new neighborhood i was called a Nazi by other children. Since then i have come to love learning about the horrors of Nazism. Why not ??? If accused wrongly, why not find out WTF i'm accused of ? Learning more and more . . . and some more . . .
This post means more to me than just a war-related anecdote. If you look into the libraries of amateur historians like myself you will find certain trends- events or persons that caught the imagination more than others, both good and evil. Heydrich has always been one of those for me since I read an old Ballantine book by Alan Wykes nearly 40 years ago. Wykes had a lot of information on Heydrich, and Heydrich's unrelenting zeal for knavery has fascinated me. A truly evil man! I know a great many things about him but not this. It is fitting that the few reminders of a man I would call the most dangerous of the Nazis are the car he was attacked in, his disturbed, unmarked grave, and the villages of Lidice and Ležáky- or, at least the sites. I am pleased the only positive artifact concerning the man is this beautiful car, surely a work of art used by evil men and not inherently evil itself. And my reasoning for naming him the most dangerous Nazi is that he used the party as a means to gain pure power, and enjoyed abusing that power. I believe that he would follow any banner that allowed him to have the power of life and death in his hands.
I'm like you, when I was young I came across two books that stick in my mind. One is ba ba black sheep, pappy boyington, and the other is stuka pilot, hans rudel.
That gave me a shiver as the description of the damage to the car got me thinking and yes I was right...scary that it still exists
The SS COL who was killed, died because after the surgery the doctors did not clean the area that was infected with horse hair from the seat of the car.
Another brilliantly researched piece of history. Please keep them coming Mr. Felton.
Another great story by you again mr Felton 👍👍
Well, Heydrich actually ruled over Czechs, since the Slovaks had their own puppet state (and most of the German speaking population of Bohemia and Moravia lived in what had been ceded to the Reich after the Munich Agreement). So you neither can say the German revenge was carried out on Czechoslovaks, because this term actually applies only to the citizens of the country factually inexistent at the given moment. Something like a Czechoslovak nation was only a political construct, nothing real. Nevermind however, Central Europe is complicated, or at least it used to be until the summer of 1945. Still a great video :)
Even worse after 45 , under bolshevick occupation...
Thank you again, Mark. I just had a curious flashback. I first learned of Operation Anthropoid from a TV show long ago, "General Electric True" hosted by Jack Webb (of "Dragnet" fame). The gun fight at the cathedral was a big deal, according to the TV show. You might want to do a separate video on that episode, Mark. The resistance of Heydrich's assassins was genuinely heroic.
Heydrich's grave vandalized. Although appropriate, I am sure Satan has much worse to visit on that maniac.
An extremely dark yet fascinating story. You do find some really interesting bits of history I'll give you that as well as a professionally presented. Yet the darkness sends chills down my spine. Makes me wonder if humanity has a chance?
Wow. I stumbled on this looking for another one of your vids but this one was SO good also that I watched it to the end and went back just to look at the 320 again in the first restoration photos where it's blue. Maybe that's the primer. The lines of the car are very pleasing to the eye. What a Beauty.
I love this channel & now he’s got a War Stories channel as well!! You learn more from Mark Felton than you ever would in a European History course about WW2
Good little story; both films about the assassination are worth a watch (Op Daybreak and Anthropoid). Also worth a read is Jeremy Paxman and Robert Harris' "A higher form of killing" which discusses chemcal and biological warfare. It suggests that the modified antitank grenade used may well have contained anthrax, and that Heydrich's symptoms matched typical anthrax poioning symptoms. All interesting stuff Mark - thank you for a great story.