Mark as always great research. But there was a 7th beach / island as well. I forget the name of the small island off Utah beach. It was thought to be a German artillery spotting position. It was attacked 1 hour before the attack in Normandy started. If I remember right it was found that the Germans weren't there.
@@brianschlicher59 don’t think so, but it’s embarassing because it’s not exactly an appropriate name for a military landing point, since it’s way goofier than the other fish names (e.g “My grandfather fought on Jellyfish. We lost a buncha boys that day”)
And you thought you knew about DDay. This is history done properly for all those that have an interest in this turbulent period in humanities recent past. Thank you Mark Felton.
I had never heard of Band beach, so I found this video fascinating. I would like to see Mark Felton do a video about the contingency plans for the British 1st Airborne Division to be used to reinforce or help expand the beachhead. I've seen evidence of at least two plans. One was a drop to reinforce the 82nd Airborne Division if needed. The other was a plan to drop to the south and southwest of Caen, in coordination with a ground assault from the beachhead, to outflank and capture the city. The second scenario is a major plot device in the alternate history book Disaster at D-Day by Peter Tsouras.
I can't understand why anyone would watch Mark's videos and "dislike" them. They're such an education and had we had this type of lessons in history class at school; it would have been so much more interesting. Mark - you really need to get in tough with the Department for Education and convince them to make these mandatory viewing. Keep up the great work.
I never dislike videos so its not me lol, but there are some slight issues with what he said, such as saying that the only landings were common wealth forces and US, since there was also FFI forces from Kiefer commando.
It's ashame that what's taught in highschools , and colleges are so distorted . For instance , most people/ students think that the Naz- German troops were just liquidating the Jewish people , and that's all the Nazi- German Army was adept I'm accomplishing , and would cowardly throw up their hands surrendering .Well , my grandpa , a medic , capt.s rank , was in the 508 PIR of the US of As 82nd A/BbDiv. ! From what he told me is that the Wehrmacht fought like lions from Normandy , Holland , and the Ardennes , "Battle of The Bulge " , where suffered a wound !
You are a great historian. French SS in Berlin, Estonian SS guarding the Nuremberg Trials, to the successful British counterinsurgency war in Vietnam, etc. Your stories are unique. Thank you for your work.
Only you Dr. Felton, would find a lost beach in Normandy, the most famous, studied and epic amphibious landing in history. And stole Eisenhower's homework. Ace
D-day, like most of the war in the west, has become a US dominated narrative, because the commonwealth nations are terrified of self-aggrandisement and go as far as only projecting their failures, and the US is the exact opposite and goes as far as actively side-lining it's allies - so there's no wonder fucking nobody knows about this beach lol
You inspire me to want to become an academic. Like sand being washed from from the beaches at Normandy to reveal what's underneath, so your exhaustive research has revealed a long forgotten aspect of those iconic landings and changed in part the way they will be remembered. Pretty impressive really!
My Great-Great Uncle used to supposedly rant about landing on a forgotten Beach during D-Day.....we just assumed it was PTSD, and dismissed him for years even after his death. Thankyou Mark for helping me to rehabilitate his image in the eyes of my family.
@@jonathanduplantis1403 He was a notorious boaster at times, so we assumed he was just inflating his role in the D-Day landings to have a good story. However he described what Mark described nearly to a T, so we think it likely this may be what he was referring to.
Every day is a school day. I thought I knew a lot about the D-Day landings, (and have visited Normandy several times) but this was a complete revelation. Thank you Dr Felton for your enduring and compelling research and your superbly informative videos.
@@minsapint8007 You'd've thought that, for a military operation, they'd've picked a fish that was more, well, ferocious. Or perhaps that was their way of lulling the Germans into a false sense of security.
A French tour courier told me the Jelly/Juno story some years ago but I thought it might be a myth. I'm glad to have it confirmed. I was also told the Canadian commander's wife was called June, hence the choice.
@@markhodge7 Nol think Mark is like Logan aka Wolverine. He was about 200 years old. He live to see action in ACW, WW1, WW2 Korea War and the Vietnam War.
My family is on the second generation. My father had a history degree, and faught in the Pacific theater. My uncle faught and died in the european theater (his grave is in the neatherlands). I have a degree in history too. Can not recall even a mention of it in anything I studied.
Great job, Mark! Thank you for all your work on this story. We all know the story of the “Band of Brothers,” which entered combat on D-Day. Now, thanks to you, we know the story of the “Brothers of Band” - Band Beach, that is. Keep up the good work!
I found this particularly interesting because I have a relative who was in 9 para C company who were tasked in the taking of the Merville gun battery. I only found out after his death because he rarely spoke of the war. Only two things he spoke about were a friend he parachuted into Normandy with kept saying he knew he was going to die my uncle said carry on like that and you will, within 2 minutes of hitting the ground he was dead. The other was when he was in the Ardennes and his para issue boots were killing him ...he took the boots off of a dead German and said they were the most comfortable he'd ever worn. He had those boots for years after the war and wore them for many years while he worked on construction sites. When he joined the fire service he put the boots away along with some nazi flags he'd liberated from The Germans at Merville and throughout his fight to Germany. But it was only when I traced his war records and spoke with the para association that I found out about Merville. He was one of the few from C Company that landed close enough to the battery to take it on. Most ended up miles away. I am sure he was part of anbout an 80 strong force from C Company (along with B Company) that attacked the battery. They took heavy casualties as I'm sure you well know, but as proud as he should have been he never spoke of it. Loved this video I think more than any of the others you've done and that I've seen. They're all fantastic though and so accurate. Keep up the good work. Oh and my uncle never claimed any of his medals either his nephew claimed them about 25 years ago. They're now proudly mounted in a case along with his para cap badge and the cloth insignia from his uniform.
I also found this very interesting because my granddad was in 41 Commando along with his best mate who ended up after the war marrying my grandma's sister! My grandpa ended up after the War being a security officer at BP. When you only get taught to shoot someone, you're not gonna get a good job in Civvy street. But his son (my father) also joined the Marines, ending up in strange places like N.Ireland. I stopped the family tradition. My late-grandma who was Scottish told us after watching a BBC documentary that she recognized her future husband in Scotland where they were training for D-Day. Must have been a strange feeling for her.
At some point after D-Day, my fathers landing craft (he was a crewmember) went past HMS Roberts as it fired at a target. The landing craft was blown several yards sideways through the air, and my father had damage in his left ear thereafter. It's good to see a picture of the Roberts as it was on D-day. That scene where the assault craft door opens and a small house comes into view, that is the spot my father landed after dropping off a small truck and artillery gun of the Canadian artillery, at about 7.30am on D-Day. He and his mates then went into the small house for a look around and to see if they could "liberate" anything. Unfortunately it was mostly empty. It was also his first time in battle, just like his mates, and the first time he saw a dead body. There were many bodies around after that, mostly Canadian but some Germans, still in their pillboxes.
Absolutely fascinating and enlightening! I've studied WWII as an amateur most of my 57 years, and this is the first I've ever heard about Band beach. Thank you Dr. Felton!!! You're a treasure.
Now this is a jewel among History Videos ! As a Fan of WWII History I think this is the BEST video by Mr. Felton that I have seen so far ! As much as I’ve read about D-Day this is the first I’ve heard of Band Beach. Now I’ve gotta go and rewatch this.....
Thanks for featuring this. My grandfather was an officer in 46 RM Commando on D-Day slated to participate in the attack on the Houlgate battery and you've shared some additional information on the operation that I wasn't previously aware of. Co-incidently, my other grandfather who served in 9 Commando, participated in Operation Sunstar, a Commando raid against the Houlgate battery in 1941.
"Only Dr. Felton could get away with describing a ship’s artillery barrage as a “sound thrashing.” No doubt the amount of sound involved was quite substantial.
I have studied WW2 European Theater for forty years. I am humbled by you Dr.Felton. I never heard of band beach!As usual, your excellence is exceptional. BRAVO ZULU from the US Navy (retired)
Great shot prof!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! How can it be i havent seen this on video ever before? Christ I love this!!!!!!!!!! I don't think you were to proud of this production, a testament, among several, that no American citizen has ever read or heard about many thanx!!!!!! The photo avec Imperial Storm Troopers was best saved for this story!!!!!!!!!!!! Brit commandos, Brit marines, always seem slighty older school, slighty skinnier yet had to be as committed (if not poor, liviing only a 100 miles away, and maybe slightly goal driven, even than American marines!!!!!!!
My father was in RMC 46, B Troop, and was due to land on that (cancelled) BAND BEACH mission. Thank you for detailing it, as my understanding of his role had been virtually nil until recently when I began googling and found his military records. I knew nothing of his original mission, all I knew was that he had been captured 3 or 4 days after D-Day, along with surviving members of his troop, but he never spoke much about those 3-4 days of fighting (or perhaps I just never asked him). He died in 1990, aged 66.
That's not what Mark says - he says that the beaches were originally called "Goldfish" / "Swordfish" "Jellyfish" and "Bandfish" and that the Canadians objected to the name. (Obviously, referring to someone as a "jellyfish" denotes weakness and spinelessness - (think Boris Johnson post-Covid) - so is not exactly calculated to inspire the martial spirit amongst the soldiery...) So "Jelly" was changed to "Juno" and "the fish element of the names was then dropped." (1.36) There was never any intention of calling the beach "Jelly".
You done it yet again Mark. I have heard the story of the DDay Invasion countless times and never had an inkling that there was a 6th landing. Another story and another level of critical detail that shows just how complex Operation Overlord really was. Cheers.
I don't know why 85 viewer could possibly give a Dr. Felton presentation a thumbs down. I find all of his presentations to be well researched and on this channel they always have relevant pictures and video to accompany them. I missed this one yesterday but always enjoyable after a days activities. Dr. Felton always gets a Thumbs Up from me.
i never knew there was a 6th D-DAY beach, glad u made a video about it, mark felton. learning bunch of WWII stuff from u since 1 year, hope there will be more interesting topics in the future. keep it up, Mark Felton.
6th beach? I am a student of d day read 100s of book, watched hundreds of documentary films and have never heard of this! And this is why I sub to Mr Felton. He digs up stuff not in the mainstream.
Great information, I'd consider myself a D Day nut, I've read countless books, seen many a documentary and have visited and done the tour of the Normandy beaches, but that's the 1st time I've heard this, because I would have remembered if i did, Thanks, and keep them coming, this isn't the 1st time u have surprised me, and I know it won't be the last.
With Mark Felton it definitely won't be the last time! I personally have been eating too much humble pie served up by Dr Felton to ever admit to knowing more than a small book about history.
I'm a pretty big ww2 guy and love band of brothers and saving private ryan. So i thought i knew "everything" about d-day. Never even knew the fish naming issue or anything about this other beach. I always learn something new when i i watch another mark felton video.
The real question after yet another amazing discovery is WHEN will Dr Felton be Knighted? Seriously. Who has done more to uncover and recognize the accomplishments and sacrifices of Commonwealth force in WWII to a worldwide audience? Come on its high time.
If you think a person is worthy of an award in the Honours List, write to the Cabinet Office, Whitehall, London SW1 giving their name and why you think they are worthy. This is how many people from humble backgrounds receive awards, such as a woman who was a school dinner lady for 50 years!
Another Gem Dr. Felton. I always enjoy videos you make especially the ones concerning The 1944 invasion and the push into Germany. My late father Drove a DUKW during the landings and during the subsequent river crossings and the Dutch rescue missions after the Germans flooded the low countries. Dad served in 299Coy RASC which along with 199 Coy on Sword Beach and 257Coy on Juno did not just one landing but they operated around the clock dropping off POL, munitions and all sorts of kit then taking back wounded men on the trip back to the ships anchored off shore. The DUKW was always a bit of an unsung hero and the men that drove them always remembered their floating trucks with fondness. The DUKW Companies while operating under the RASC banner were made up of bloke from many different regiments who then in turn became grouped under the 51st Highland Brigade and each man also was expected to know about ship handling and sea craft so they all wore the Fouled anchor Flash. on their sleeve as part of the amphibious assault group. My Fathers collection of badges, flashes and Sergeants Stripes looked quite smart in the photographs I have! Royal West Kent, RASC Highland Division and Fouled anchor plus Marksman Badge and 3 stripes. Quite an Armful!
Great video, as usual. I cannot get enough of the intro music. Just like Drachinifel and Armchair Historian, you know you're going to get a banger video when you hear the intro
Once again Sir you provided information that I had not heard before. Your channel is so informative and important to keep the memories alive in respect for those that gave their lives.
My college history professor was MacArthur's G2 in charge of Japanese OOB; he was one of the most engaging and interesting educators I've ever known...until now. Bravo Dr. Felton!
This channel is so awesome. We have an ocean of "Top 10 things you didn't know about" channels and invariably it's all stuff that everyone already knew about. After 40 years of reading everything about WW2 I could lay my hands on, I'm continually learning about stuff on this channel that I had no idea existed. Fantastic content.
I just went to Evansville, IN to see the last functioning LST in the world, out of 1,051 built. My Grandfather served aboard an LST during WWII, and was at Juno. Thank you for all this history Mark. If you've never been to the museum, and have the means, I highly recommend!
I did know about the 6th beach, as a neighbour of my parents was involved in the planning, which he kept secret until the day he died. His son found out about it from documents his father kept. I did think that the name however was “ Silver “ for some reason, not “ Band”. As usual another outstanding piece of history, bought to light by Mark Felton.
Interesting from the planning map, foresight to protect Sword beach and Pegasus bridge was on Churchill's mind and the Orne estuary critical for inland movement with a protected flank and crossing point. British 6th AB Division tasks were noted and challenging and were needed to gain the beachhead security NE of SWORD - Roger beach. Splendid presentation and thank you for sharing. Cheers and stay safe
Another great video. As a cranky Canadian, I often say that Juno was a forgotten beach as well. I swear there's a campaign afoot to minimize or erase Canada's involvement in DDay. Certainly not helped by movies like "The Longest Day" where 3rd Cdn Div, 1 Can Para, Cdn ships and planes are ignored. Canadians were the third largest attacking force and rarely get mentioned.
The RCN had 110 ships at DDay. We are our own worst enemy when it comes to our own history. We fought up the spine of itally. Eventually took command of the Atlantic. The Canadian Army in about the last 6 months of WW2 were considered unbeatable by Eisenhower(sp) and Monty. In fact at one point British XXX corps was attached to it and the Canadian General deployed it south to take some pressure off of Patten during the Battle of the Bulge. During WW2 we had the highest percentage of people in uniform than any other country. WW1 we had the seldom mentioned but famous Canadian Corps that during the 100 days defeated German Units totalling 10X the Canadian strenght.
@@michaelb9529 During the op to clear up to the Rhine, Harry Crerar (Comd First Cdn Army) had near half a million men under his orders. The first and last time in history that a Canadian comd that many tps.
@@lib556 It truly was. The only command Canada would do after was the North Atlantic until wars end and in the 60's RCN commanded Northwest Atlantic NATO.
My Aunty ran off with a Canadian soldier after the war - he fought hard in Italy, as did they all. Also in WW1 the Canadians were formidable in taking enemy trenches under fire , probably the best by wars end.
Thank you Mr Fen Thank you Mr Felton, I enjoy your video's.. I'm learning something new every time I watch them...Our history should never be forgotten. Thank you.
Best reasons why to subscribe and listen to this channel. An unvarnished truth of history with a keen eye for the nuanced detail. Well done Mark Felton! I learn so much from you.
Thanks Mark. I have never before heard of Band Beach. Even though not used, you would think that someone would have written about it even if only as a footnote. This, like most of your programs, is a fascinating look at history we thought we knew. Thanks again.
Great Job Mark, some history that I had never heard of..!! And my Dad was a Royal marine, serving during WW2. But like Many he wouldn't talk about any of it..! He would just Say, How Lucky he was and move on..! Thank you for your Work. And Thank you to all who Served. Great and Small..! Cheers 😎
That is true. I have studied this invasion since I was a kid in the 60s. I never caught a hint of this. Real history. Dr. Felton's Phd. is the real thing. That is why I have subscribed to this channel for a good while now. Band Beach is now a part of my permanent D-Day file.
@Des Prenty Sometimes people forget Canada. Not me! One of my Great uncles , from Pennsylvania, fought with Canadians in World War One. Two friends of mine flew with Canadians in the Second.
Mr Felton, what a great historian you are, I personally thank you for informing me and others about historical events that are not published or spoken about. I can't wait for the next video.
Another D-Day landing beach ! I'm amazed that this piece of info had been forgotten.......until now !! Thank you so much Mark for your dogged research.
It hasn’t though. Google Band Beach D-Day and it brings up lots of hits about the beach being discussed on the WW2 Talk from 2008 and the ARRSE forum from 2014. Yes he’s brought it to light again but to claim anything more is not correct. It’s like saying about the unknown drop zones of the 82nd Airborne in Normandy, but all that happened was the planners changed their locations prior to June 1944. While I respect his professional qualifications and knowledge on the subject of the Second World War, I think there is a fair amount of ‘click bait’ when it comes to some of his TH-cam titles just to gain views/hits/likes/subscribers as I’m sure it acts as a revenue stream for him. It’s good business though!
Mark is a legendary gem among history channels
Agreed
hes the only history channel
Mark as always great research. But there was a 7th beach / island as well. I forget the name of the small island off Utah beach. It was thought to be a German artillery spotting position. It was attacked 1 hour before the attack in Normandy started. If I remember right it was found that the Germans weren't there.
PatrickMCcolley your a peanut
Well... there is that Lindyberg bloke...
Just saying
I am a huge WW2 history buff and I never heard the British beaches were named after fish, and that Juno's original name was jellyfish. Thanks Mark!
Ditto !
thank gold they rejected Jellyfish. Otherwise, it will be a little embarrassing as a Canadian.
@@Theoryofcatsndogs Is jellyfish Canadian slang for something?
@@brianschlicher59 don’t think so, but it’s embarassing because it’s not exactly an appropriate name for a military landing point, since it’s way goofier than the other fish names (e.g “My grandfather fought on Jellyfish. We lost a buncha boys that day”)
Same here !
And you thought you knew about DDay. This is history done properly for all those that have an interest in this turbulent period in humanities recent past. Thank you Mark Felton.
imagine how many things are forgotten about ww2 and banned...........
I had never heard of Band beach, so I found this video fascinating. I would like to see Mark Felton do a video about the contingency plans for the British 1st Airborne Division to be used to reinforce or help expand the beachhead. I've seen evidence of at least two plans. One was a drop to reinforce the 82nd Airborne Division if needed. The other was a plan to drop to the south and southwest of Caen, in coordination with a ground assault from the beachhead, to outflank and capture the city.
The second scenario is a major plot device in the alternate history book Disaster at D-Day by Peter Tsouras.
This should be a MOVIE!
Thank you for bringing Canada's important contribution to light.
and that is why he is a doctor of history, he does the research and presents it to us mortals.
really ?? PHD ??
a misleading title to get clicks?
@Robert Butcher, he has a Ph.D.
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Felton
@@MagiciansApprentice1 get a life
@sosy1178 Maybe he does not know the D in PhD stands for doctor? Few people even understand the difference that and a professional doctorate.
@sosy1178 Oh... he's "awkward." I see.
Doc Felton storms again! WELL DONE, Sir
🙏🙏
I love these forgotten, disregarded or untold little stories.
Gotta make sure those stuff be preserved so the rest of the peoples in the near future can see it by the time we died.
I can highly recommend Forgotten History then. A history channel that specifically focuses on small snippets of history that deserves to be remembered
I can't understand why anyone would watch Mark's videos and "dislike" them. They're such an education and had we had this type of lessons in history class at school; it would have been so much more interesting.
Mark - you really need to get in tough with the Department for Education and convince them to make these mandatory viewing. Keep up the great work.
Maybe the german gun crew from Bénerville gave this Video a dislike due to the substantial thrashing?
I never dislike videos so its not me lol, but there are some slight issues with what he said, such as saying that the only landings were common wealth forces and US, since there was also FFI forces from Kiefer commando.
It's ashame that what's taught in highschools , and colleges are so distorted . For instance , most people/ students think that the Naz- German troops were just liquidating the Jewish people , and that's all the Nazi- German Army was adept I'm accomplishing , and would cowardly throw up their hands surrendering .Well , my grandpa , a medic , capt.s rank , was in the 508 PIR of the US of As 82nd A/BbDiv. ! From what he told me is that the Wehrmacht fought like lions from Normandy , Holland , and the Ardennes , "Battle of The Bulge " , where suffered a wound !
Left Wing loons wouldn't like it, nor any Germans who fought the allies.
Probably Americns who still think WW2 was soley an American thing!
You are a great historian. French SS in Berlin, Estonian SS guarding the Nuremberg Trials, to the successful British counterinsurgency war in Vietnam, etc. Your stories are unique. Thank you for your work.
@fourteenlizard
Vietnam.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_in_Vietnam_(1945%E2%80%931946)
@fourteenlizard before Malaysia the British Empire was fighting the Viet Minh in Vietnam in 1946
Literally none of that is unique, fresh research. It’s all public knowledge that’s there for people interested enough to look.
@@HydroSnips Shut up.
„Successful“ lmao
Every counterinsurgency is „successful“ until you‘re forced to withdraw.
I enjoy military history, the big events are well covered but Mark finds all the interesting lesser known events, love this channel.
Only you Dr. Felton, would find a lost beach in Normandy, the most famous, studied and epic amphibious landing in history. And stole Eisenhower's homework. Ace
Totally underrated comment
Agree. Absolutely astonishing.
D-day, like most of the war in the west, has become a US dominated narrative, because the commonwealth nations are terrified of self-aggrandisement and go as far as only projecting their failures, and the US is the exact opposite and goes as far as actively side-lining it's allies - so there's no wonder fucking nobody knows about this beach lol
Incredible comment. Awesome on so many levels. ⭐️
@@tommeakin1732 Interesting comment and probably true
You inspire me to want to become an academic. Like sand being washed from from the beaches at Normandy to reveal what's underneath, so your exhaustive research has revealed a long forgotten aspect of those iconic landings and changed in part the way they will be remembered. Pretty impressive really!
My Great-Great Uncle used to supposedly rant about landing on a forgotten Beach during D-Day.....we just assumed it was PTSD, and dismissed him for years even after his death. Thankyou Mark for helping me to rehabilitate his image in the eyes of my family.
Wow that's a hell of a story
Seems disrespectful. Why didn't you believe him?
@@jonathanduplantis1403 Probably because there was nothing in the average history books to back him up.
@@jonathanduplantis1403 He was a notorious boaster at times, so we assumed he was just inflating his role in the D-Day landings to have a good story. However he described what Mark described nearly to a T, so we think it likely this may be what he was referring to.
@@MethaneHorizon glad to hear it. My grandfather was on juno. Be well sir
We were never taught this at school or anytime since, until now! Fantastic piece of history retold.
See, this is what I love about Mark Felton. He brings to light a lot of operations that would have otherwise been forgotten - in great detail too.
Every day is a school day. I thought I knew a lot about the D-Day landings, (and have visited Normandy several times) but this was a complete revelation. Thank you Dr Felton for your enduring and compelling research and your superbly informative videos.
I always learn something new from this channel.
I've just learned that there is such a thing as a bandfish.
Me too - I checked it out on Googlr Images
@@minsapint8007 You'd've thought that, for a military operation, they'd've picked a fish that was more, well, ferocious. Or perhaps that was their way of lulling the Germans into a false sense of security.
same
A French tour courier told me the Jelly/Juno story some years ago but I thought it might be a myth. I'm glad to have it confirmed. I was also told the Canadian commander's wife was called June, hence the choice.
@JZ's Best Friend I can't see Operation Clown being much more popular than Operation Jelly.
Man....I stand in humbled awe.
Thank you for that wonderful nugget.
Wow----20 years studying WW2 and never heard of this until now. Well done!
I got 50 years studying and never heard of it!! I think Mark has a Tardis he travels back in time with. No one else comes up with this stuff!!
@@markhodge7 Nol think Mark is like Logan aka Wolverine. He was about 200 years old. He live to see action in ACW, WW1, WW2 Korea War and the Vietnam War.
My family is on the second generation. My father had a history degree, and faught in the Pacific theater. My uncle faught and died in the european theater (his grave is in the neatherlands). I have a degree in history too. Can not recall even a mention of it in anything I studied.
Great job, Mark! Thank you for all your work on this story. We all know the story of the “Band of Brothers,” which entered combat on D-Day. Now, thanks to you, we know the story of the “Brothers of Band” - Band Beach, that is. Keep up the good work!
I found this particularly interesting because I have a relative who was in 9 para C company who were tasked in the taking of the Merville gun battery. I only found out after his death because he rarely spoke of the war. Only two things he spoke about were a friend he parachuted into Normandy with kept saying he knew he was going to die my uncle said carry on like that and you will, within 2 minutes of hitting the ground he was dead. The other was when he was in the Ardennes and his para issue boots were killing him ...he took the boots off of a dead German and said they were the most comfortable he'd ever worn. He had those boots for years after the war and wore them for many years while he worked on construction sites. When he joined the fire service he put the boots away along with some nazi flags he'd liberated from The Germans at Merville and throughout his fight to Germany. But it was only when I traced his war records and spoke with the para association that I found out about Merville. He was one of the few from C Company that landed close enough to the battery to take it on. Most ended up miles away. I am sure he was part of anbout an 80 strong force from C Company (along with B Company) that attacked the battery. They took heavy casualties as I'm sure you well know, but as proud as he should have been he never spoke of it.
Loved this video I think more than any of the others you've done and that I've seen. They're all fantastic though and so accurate. Keep up the good work. Oh and my uncle never claimed any of his medals either his nephew claimed them about 25 years ago. They're now proudly mounted in a case along with his para cap badge and the cloth insignia from his uniform.
I thank your relative for his service.
Appreciate you're family contributions in WW2.
Thank you for sharing that wonderful story. Your relative is a true hero.
Great story mate, bet you are real proud of your relative. Keep those medals safe, as they are worth more than any money. Cheers
I also found this very interesting because my granddad was in 41 Commando along with his best mate who ended up after the war marrying my grandma's sister! My grandpa ended up after the War being a security officer at BP. When you only get taught to shoot someone, you're not gonna get a good job in Civvy street. But his son (my father) also joined the Marines, ending up in strange places like N.Ireland. I stopped the family tradition. My late-grandma who was Scottish told us after watching a BBC documentary that she recognized her future husband in Scotland where they were training for D-Day. Must have been a strange feeling for her.
At some point after D-Day, my fathers landing craft (he was a crewmember) went past HMS Roberts as it fired at a target. The landing craft was blown several yards sideways through the air, and my father had damage in his left ear thereafter. It's good to see a picture of the Roberts as it was on D-day. That scene where the assault craft door opens and a small house comes into view, that is the spot my father landed after dropping off a small truck and artillery gun of the Canadian artillery, at about 7.30am on D-Day. He and his mates then went into the small house for a look around and to see if they could "liberate" anything. Unfortunately it was mostly empty. It was also his first time in battle, just like his mates, and the first time he saw a dead body. There were many bodies around after that, mostly Canadian but some Germans, still in their pillboxes.
Me learning too many D-Day stuff:Guess that is all about this topic
Mark Felton Productions: *Oh no you didn't*
Pretty awesome comment actually. 10/10
OMG only the one and only brilliant historian Dr. Felton. could find out about another beech! You sir keep outdoing yourself time after time.👏🏻
Absolutely fascinating and enlightening! I've studied WWII as an amateur most of my 57 years, and this is the first I've ever heard about Band beach. Thank you Dr. Felton!!! You're a treasure.
Now this is a jewel among History Videos ! As a Fan of WWII History I think this is the BEST video by Mr. Felton that I have seen so far ! As much as I’ve read about D-Day this is the first I’ve heard of Band Beach. Now I’ve gotta go and rewatch this.....
As usual Dr. Mark Felton produces a better and more detailed documentary in ten minutes than every history channel on tv could do in an hour.
Thanks for featuring this. My grandfather was an officer in 46 RM Commando on D-Day slated to participate in the attack on the Houlgate battery and you've shared some additional information on the operation that I wasn't previously aware of. Co-incidently, my other grandfather who served in 9 Commando, participated in Operation Sunstar, a Commando raid against the Houlgate battery in 1941.
Only Dr. Felton could get away with describing a ship’s artillery barrage as a “sound thrashing.”
Bravo doctor. My day has commenced on sound footing.
"Only Dr. Felton could get away with describing a ship’s artillery barrage as a “sound thrashing.” No doubt the amount of sound involved was quite substantial.
The British would call such a barrage a stonk back in the day, and regularly gave Jerry a good stonking.
He's not the only one. Have you ever watched "Tank Chats" with Alan Fletcher?
I have studied WW2 European Theater for forty years. I am humbled by you Dr.Felton. I never heard of band beach!As usual, your excellence is exceptional. BRAVO ZULU from the US Navy (retired)
Mark your research is superb. Yet again new fascinating insights!
Great shot prof!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! How can it be i havent seen this on video ever before? Christ I love this!!!!!!!!!! I don't think you were to proud of this production, a testament, among several, that no American citizen has ever read or heard about many thanx!!!!!! The photo avec Imperial Storm Troopers was best saved for this story!!!!!!!!!!!! Brit commandos, Brit marines, always seem slighty older school, slighty skinnier yet had to be as committed (if not poor, liviing only a 100 miles away, and maybe slightly goal driven, even than American marines!!!!!!!
Thank you Mark for digging up these forgotten gems of history, please keep it up
My father was in RMC 46, B Troop, and was due to land on that (cancelled) BAND BEACH mission. Thank you for detailing it, as my understanding of his role had been virtually nil until recently when I began googling and found his military records. I knew nothing of his original mission, all I knew was that he had been captured 3 or 4 days after D-Day, along with surviving members of his troop, but he never spoke much about those 3-4 days of fighting (or perhaps I just never asked him). He died in 1990, aged 66.
“Yeah we’ll run ashore under machine gun fire and liberate France... but no WAY are we doing it on a beach called Jelly”
Canadians have standards
Funny enough a lot of footage in this episode features our wonderful Canadian allies
My dad served in the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) during WW2 and I agree Jelly is a very poor name (#100 like)....
I loved that reason.
That's not what Mark says - he says that the beaches were originally called "Goldfish" / "Swordfish" "Jellyfish" and "Bandfish" and that the Canadians objected to the name.
(Obviously, referring to someone as a "jellyfish" denotes weakness and spinelessness - (think Boris Johnson post-Covid) - so is not exactly calculated to inspire the martial spirit amongst the soldiery...)
So "Jelly" was changed to "Juno" and "the fish element of the names was then dropped." (1.36)
There was never any intention of calling the beach "Jelly".
It’s amazing just how much history is missing -
( But NOT by this man ❗️)
Another great one.
📻🙂
You done it yet again Mark. I have heard the story of the DDay Invasion countless times and never had an inkling that there was a 6th landing. Another story and another level of critical detail that shows just how complex Operation Overlord really was. Cheers.
But there was no 6th landing. It was called of at the last minute.
"The Canadians rightly objected to landing on a beach code named Jelly"
Is a sentence I never thought I'd hear.
today there goverment is made up entirely of jelly
@@PeterOkeefe54 their*
@@ISawABear stick it up your behind grammar nazi
@@PeterOkeefe54 You go off topic and gratuitously make a political slam and you deserve to have your ignorance pointed out.
@@trig5454 put on your strap on and heels and go F yourself!! hows that for grtootoitis??
Thank you Dr. Felton!
Thankyou Mark...another reason why it's so very important for our educational institutions to teach history at all levels. Awesome History lesson.
Brilliant Mark. As a former RM I you have filled in a big blank in Corps history - thanks.
I concur Royal, the DLs at CTC will be getting excited about this 😀.
@@GoreTexTillEndEx Cheers Royal. I'm only glad I was a camping instructor, not a walking instructor ;)
I don't know why 85 viewer could possibly give a Dr. Felton presentation a thumbs down. I find all of his presentations to be well researched and on this channel they always have relevant pictures and video to accompany them. I missed this one yesterday but always enjoyable after a days activities. Dr. Felton always gets a Thumbs Up from me.
I feel like Dr. Felton is my History dealer. Every time I need a fix, he's here to hook me up.
Hes a mason
He gives the kids free samples because he knows full well that today’s young, innocent faces will be tomorrow’s clientele.
Thank you Professor for shining light on an obscure aspect of one the most talked about events in Western history.
i never knew there was a 6th D-DAY beach, glad u made a video about it, mark felton.
learning bunch of WWII stuff from u since 1 year, hope there will be more interesting topics in the future.
keep it up, Mark Felton.
6th beach? I am a student of d day read 100s of book, watched hundreds of documentary films and have never heard of this!
And this is why I sub to Mr Felton. He digs up stuff not in the mainstream.
Great information, I'd consider myself a D Day nut, I've read countless books, seen many a documentary and have visited and done the tour of the Normandy beaches, but that's the 1st time I've heard this, because I would have remembered if i did, Thanks, and keep them coming, this isn't the 1st time u have surprised me, and I know it won't be the last.
With Mark Felton it definitely won't be the last time! I personally have been eating too much humble pie served up by Dr Felton to ever admit to knowing more than a small book about history.
@@markfryer9880 me too, his knowledge on WW2 is right up there with the best of them
I'm a pretty big ww2 guy and love band of brothers and saving private ryan. So i thought i knew "everything" about d-day. Never even knew the fish naming issue or anything about this other beach. I always learn something new when i i watch another mark felton video.
Mark Felton, thank you for providing the gems that you do. Truly appreciated from an American man ... Truth is gold!
Great video! My Grandfather served on the HMS Ramillies earlier in the war during the time is was going to be pressed into the hunt for the Bismarck.
This is new! Thank you sir, your videos are a treasure amongst the sea of knowledge
The real question after yet another amazing discovery is WHEN will Dr Felton be Knighted? Seriously. Who has done more to uncover and recognize the accomplishments and sacrifices of Commonwealth force in WWII to a worldwide audience? Come on its high time.
MBE or OBE first. Maybe 20 years from now, a knighthood.
The US also owes him an award or two - :-)
If you think a person is worthy of an award in the Honours List, write to the Cabinet Office, Whitehall, London SW1 giving their name and why you think they are worthy. This is how many people from humble backgrounds receive awards, such as a woman who was a school dinner lady for 50 years!
Thank you for keeping history alive.
Cracking video. This channel is always catching me off guard by how much there is still to know about these historical events.
That's why I loved History back in the 80's. I have had some few good teachers. Even today I love to learn more History. Thank you, Felton.
I learn so much from your documentaries.
Another Gem Dr. Felton. I always enjoy videos you make especially the ones concerning The 1944 invasion and the push into Germany. My late father Drove a DUKW during the landings and during the subsequent river crossings and the Dutch rescue missions after the Germans flooded the low countries. Dad served in 299Coy RASC which along with 199 Coy on Sword Beach and 257Coy on Juno did not just one landing but they operated around the clock dropping off POL, munitions and all sorts of kit then taking back wounded men on the trip back to the ships anchored off shore. The DUKW was always a bit of an unsung hero and the men that drove them always remembered their floating trucks with fondness. The DUKW Companies while operating under the RASC banner were made up of bloke from many different regiments who then in turn became grouped under the 51st Highland Brigade and each man also was expected to know about ship handling and sea craft so they all wore the Fouled anchor Flash. on their sleeve as part of the amphibious assault group. My Fathers collection of badges, flashes and Sergeants Stripes looked quite smart in the photographs I have! Royal West Kent, RASC Highland Division and Fouled anchor plus Marksman Badge and 3 stripes. Quite an Armful!
I'm adding "jelly beach" to the arsenal of random history facts I use at parties.
Ah you do that to
Haha nice my guy, I see we are quite alike
Me too! If I ever attend a party again! 🇨🇦😱
I too have a list, I use them on dates. Only nerdy girls are impressed...
That’ll impress the Ladies👍
Great video, as usual.
I cannot get enough of the intro music. Just like Drachinifel and Armchair Historian, you know you're going to get a banger video when you hear the intro
They say you should learn something new everyday. Very easy to do, just watch another one of Mark Felton's amazing videos.
Once again Sir you provided information that I had not heard before. Your channel is so informative and important to keep the memories alive in respect for those that gave their lives.
Wow, thank you Mark this is HISTORY!
My college history professor was MacArthur's G2 in charge of Japanese OOB; he was one of the most engaging and interesting educators I've ever known...until now. Bravo Dr. Felton!
This channel is so awesome. We have an ocean of "Top 10 things you didn't know about" channels and invariably it's all stuff that everyone already knew about. After 40 years of reading everything about WW2 I could lay my hands on, I'm continually learning about stuff on this channel that I had no idea existed. Fantastic content.
This is the kind of story only Mark Felton could uncover!
Thank you so much for this Mark!
🍻🍻🍻 Cheers 😀🍻🍻🍻
What a nice way to finish a weekend
I have learned more about WW2 from Dr. Felton in 1 month of viewing his videos than I did over the previous 50 years.
“I had three friends who died in jelly”
Oh.... It makes sense when you put it like that!
Jelly was a hard target
Sounds like quite the pickle
"Would you please pass the jelly?"
th-cam.com/video/hawQ5wobi1Y/w-d-xo.html
They were probably thinking of the famous Canadian kids' poem, Jelly Belly.
I remember hearing something about it growing up, but nobody really knew anything about it until now. Impressive history lesson Mr. Felton, thank you.
I just went to Evansville, IN to see the last functioning LST in the world, out of 1,051 built. My Grandfather served aboard an LST during WWII, and was at Juno. Thank you for all this history Mark. If you've never been to the museum, and have the means, I highly recommend!
I did know about the 6th beach, as a neighbour of my parents was involved in the planning, which he kept secret until the day he died. His son found out about it from documents his father kept. I did think that the name however was “ Silver “ for some reason, not “ Band”. As usual another outstanding piece of history, bought to light by Mark Felton.
This is why we watch the Doc. D-Day is well know historical event and yet he manages to amaze and inform us of the lesser known.
No subtitles
I have never heard this . Thanks for the great Video.
Thought I was pretty familiar with D-Day history. Trust Mr. Felton to educate me further on the subject. Thank you sir, excellent video!
Brilliant as always; thank you.
Interesting from the planning map, foresight to protect Sword beach and Pegasus bridge was on Churchill's mind and the Orne estuary critical for inland movement with a protected flank and crossing point. British 6th AB Division tasks were noted and challenging and were needed to gain the beachhead security NE of SWORD - Roger beach. Splendid presentation and thank you for sharing. Cheers and stay safe
Yup never heard of that after 60yrs of interest !!! U r amazing- again; thanks for keeping the valentry alive
🇨🇦❤️Felton
Thank you ~Mark Felton~
You just made my day, HAPPY NEW MONTH MARK❤
Thanks!
Another great video. As a cranky Canadian, I often say that Juno was a forgotten beach as well. I swear there's a campaign afoot to minimize or erase Canada's involvement in DDay. Certainly not helped by movies like "The Longest Day" where 3rd Cdn Div, 1 Can Para, Cdn ships and planes are ignored. Canadians were the third largest attacking force and rarely get mentioned.
Us Americans have a need to be the sole Hero.
The RCN had 110 ships at DDay. We are our own worst enemy when it comes to our own history. We fought up the spine of itally. Eventually took command of the Atlantic. The Canadian Army in about the last 6 months of WW2 were considered unbeatable by Eisenhower(sp) and Monty. In fact at one point British XXX corps was attached to it and the Canadian General deployed it south to take some pressure off of Patten during the Battle of the Bulge. During WW2 we had the highest percentage of people in uniform than any other country. WW1 we had the seldom mentioned but famous Canadian Corps that during the 100 days defeated German Units totalling 10X the Canadian strenght.
@@michaelb9529 During the op to clear up to the Rhine, Harry Crerar (Comd First Cdn Army) had near half a million men under his orders. The first and last time in history that a Canadian comd that many tps.
@@lib556 It truly was. The only command Canada would do after was the North Atlantic until wars end and in the 60's RCN commanded Northwest Atlantic NATO.
My Aunty ran off with a Canadian soldier after the war - he fought hard in Italy, as did they all. Also in WW1 the Canadians were formidable in taking enemy trenches under fire , probably the best by wars end.
Thank you Mr Fen
Thank you Mr Felton, I enjoy your video's.. I'm learning something new every time I watch them...Our history should never be forgotten. Thank you.
Can't sleep l. Saw notification. Realized I didn't need sleep
He would probably want you to sleep and watch it in the morning tbh. He wanted some kid that watched his vid in online class to actually attend.
Sleep dude
Best reasons why to subscribe and listen to this channel. An unvarnished truth of history with a keen eye for the nuanced detail. Well done Mark Felton! I learn so much from you.
Thanks Mark. I have never before heard of Band Beach. Even though not used, you would think that someone would have written about it even if only as a footnote. This, like most of your programs, is a fascinating look at history we thought we knew. Thanks again.
Dr. Felton, thank you for keeping the memories of heroes alive!
Thanks Mark! Your history lessons are appreciated and a gift to future generations. FYI, I never knew about BAND beach. Cheers!
Thank you Mark Felton Productions. What public school cannot squeeze in all history in a semester, you have done in post studies for us. Thank you.
Crackin as always Mark .🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧
Good job Dr. Felton.....for finding this new beach
When that now-iconic music starts, you know you're gonna learn something new and exciting.
Great Job Mark, some history that I had never heard of..!!
And my Dad was a Royal marine, serving during WW2. But like Many he wouldn't talk about any of it..!
He would just Say, How Lucky he was and move on..!
Thank you for your Work.
And Thank you to all who Served.
Great and Small..!
Cheers 😎
Give Mark Felton a battle you thought everybody and their dog knew all about, and he will come back to you with something brand new and amazing. :-)
@@batgoat28 he's The double best!!!
try reading any decent history of Operation Overlord, it is mentioned but NEVER claimed to be a sixth beach
That is true. I have studied this invasion since I was a kid in the 60s. I never caught a hint of this. Real history. Dr. Felton's Phd. is the real thing. That is why I have subscribed to this channel for a good while now. Band Beach is now a part of my permanent D-Day file.
@Des Prenty Sometimes people forget Canada. Not me! One of my Great uncles , from Pennsylvania, fought with Canadians in World War One. Two friends of mine flew with Canadians in the Second.
I learn more and more every time I watch this channel ............well done chap..pip pip
Mark Felton everybody. I haven't even watched the video yet i know it's going to be good! Keep teaching us Mark, love your channel!
It’s 2024 heading to Juno beach today Vimy 2 days ago from 🇨🇦.
“Lest we forget.”
Thank you for your work Mark Felton.
Me on my first date: "did you know there is a 6th beach during D-Day?"
Too right. Filters out all the dull ones.
And I was there. Lol
And your last date, too...?
Doomed to die a virgin.
LMFAO sounds like my kind of a date hahahahaha
Mr Felton, what a great historian you are, I personally thank you for informing me and others about historical events that are not published or spoken about. I can't wait for the next video.
I haven't been keeping up with recent videos unfortunately, coming back and seeing you've achieved almost 1million subs is no surprise to me.
As a WWII history buff, this is fascinating. I've never heard of this beach, so thank you for digging this up and sharing it!
Another D-Day landing beach ! I'm amazed that this piece of info had been forgotten.......until now !! Thank you so much Mark for your dogged research.
It hasn’t though. Google Band Beach D-Day and it brings up lots of hits about the beach being discussed on the WW2 Talk from 2008 and the ARRSE forum from 2014. Yes he’s brought it to light again but to claim anything more is not correct. It’s like saying about the unknown drop zones of the 82nd Airborne in Normandy, but all that happened was the planners changed their locations prior to June 1944.
While I respect his professional qualifications and knowledge on the subject of the Second World War, I think there is a fair amount of ‘click bait’ when it comes to some of his TH-cam titles just to gain views/hits/likes/subscribers as I’m sure it acts as a revenue stream for him. It’s good business though!
4:34 B-26 Marauder cameo. Awesome!