Imagine... You kill a soldier, you know you had to, but still you regret it. Then, an entire lifetime later, you get an email from his grandson, basically forgiving you. Imagine the load off of that man's shoulders. Imagine the strength and the opportunity of the grandson to forgive. The amount of suffering and lives lost on either side is unaimaginable.
It is difficult to imagine the horrors of war, and while they are sometimes necessary, they should never be taken lightly. The grandson of a German soldier demonstrated empathy in his understanding of the situation. I pray God gives everybody peace that surpasses all understanding
So the German machine gunner likely fought in the Eastern Front. How many civilians did he kill? He was not a hero but likely a True Believer in the Nazi horrors
@@georgekrausse3801 Stalin never said that. It was in a Book called "Black Obelisk" which was originally published in 1956, 3 years after Stalin had died.
@@Kpoole35 was it a fiction book? A fabrication? Because a quotation being published posthumously doesn't mean it was not said by him... although I have no opinion on it; it does seem a bit apocryphal.
Many stories lost... My mother's "first love" was a bombardier, from Australia, and was killed on a raid over Brest...she visited his grave once, but I found another piece of his story in an article about a Lancaster bomber wreck being recovered in about 2010, the very bomber that he was in that day... Little vignettes of lives lived and lost ..
My great grandfather's brother was an American pilot who died in a plane crash in Hawaii just after Pearl Harbor. His remains were recovered, but his plane was left on the side the mountain. In the 80's the plane was recovered and restored. It is now in a museum in Massachusetts. It's a bit eerie seeing photos of the plane knowing that my great uncle died in it.
@rlelesi All Gave Some. Some Gave All. One had bonespurs.....of course we know it wasn't your great uncle may he RIP and be remembered everyday....especially on Memorial Day and Veterans Day!!! 🇺🇲 Freedom ain't never been free......and heroes don't wear capes but they do wear dogtags! Thanks for sharing his story and keeping his memory alive!
Words cannot describe how amazing this video is! Extremely detailed and well done, sir! I have yet to watch anything that really brought the war home to me as this did. It’s heartbreaking to realize the millions of stories out there similar to this because of it. Rest in peace to all soldiers on both sides!
I agree" you'd think we all would have learned something" but I'm not giving up yet" stories like this are educating young people I'm sure of it" so maybe there's hope yet....with abit of luck right?
Stories like this are AMAZING. Seems surreal. I was born less than 8 years after this event. Reading this leaves me sad that after all these decades, humans are still slaughtering each other in mindless Wars. Thank you for your incredible tenacity/work of finding stories such as this to share with millions.
Fantastic work! What a sad but at the same time incredible story that really puts the second world war (or any war) into perspective. These were all human beings, they all had there own lives with families back home - with friends, hobbies, hopes and dreams. One should never forget that these regular soldiers were all regular people - for the most part. Again, thank you so much for sharing this beautiful film about your research! Best regards from Norway! 😊
@@ww2historyandreenacting True the were both human being but German speaking human beings in majority considered themselves Ubermensch and commited unspeakable atrocities. Poland, Greece, Serbia were most massacred countries. In Poland alone Germans and its allied managed to kill up to 6 million citizens - this is equal to population of Norway today. So there is no equality between perpetrators and victims or Allied troops killing German troops fighting for evil Third Reich. It was not "normal" country and what most striking is that majority of troops were not members of NSDAP - German National Socialist Party.
When I think of all the hours and hours of TH-cam videos I've watched, very little even comes close to the impact of this 21 minutes. Thank you for this amazing and poignant story.
@@danielebrparish4271 I’m 🇬🇧 & part 🇺🇦 but my American ex showed me just how bad your education system is. He would constantly mix upper & lower case letters, couldn’t do cursive writing at all & he was dumb as a rock. His general knowledge and things I’d teach to 3.5 -11 year olds we completely missing. I teach & 2 of my pet hates are homophones and greengrocers’s disease, random apostrophes where they shouldn’t be 😂Unfortunately he also thought he was far superior and was an expert in everything 🙄
@@lilacscentedfushias1852 It boggles my mind how native English speakers appear to know very little about their own language. English is my second language & yet i'm left dumbfounded by the grammar & spelling errors being committed by native English speakers. Not knowing the difference between 'your' and 'you're' is my #1 pet peeve. Another one is not knowing the difference between 'there', 'their' and 'they're'. I could go on & on.
@@lilacscentedfushias1852the fact that you think you can get an idea about a country’s education system based on one dumb person you used to date says plenty about your own intelligence. Also comical that, being part Ukrainian, you would insult with such vitriol the citizens of a country that are sending such a large percentage of their own hard-earned money to aid in defense. I’m sure these stereotypes and mass generalizations about an incredibly diverse country you espouse based on your ex are right, though.
Thank you ever so much for this valuable word. It brought involuntary tears to my face when reading the second email Georg Rieck's grandson sent to Henze to make sure the old man rested assured that no one hated him, but felt compassionate to him and all sent into war. Will we ever learn ? So far, we haven't. Seeing the misery which war inflicted and how it influenced the next two generations deeply may help us to come to our senses. Again, merci beaucoup from Germany.
Oh my god. Thank you so much for the hint to the grave search. I've just found my grandma's brother who went missing in 1944. 80 years of not knowing what happened and now we finally have a trace. I had no idea this search existed. Thank you!
Thank you for this excellent report. As a German I can confirm that we do learn a lot about this dark part of German history. The letter that the grandson wrote, assuring the soldier of having no grudge, was great. He has a wonderful attitude. It is important to keep history alive so that it will not be repeated.
It is a good thing that you have learned not to attack other countries but it is sad that you like us swedes and other european people have forgot that we have a duty to defend our countries and are letting our enemies take over.
I think as an intelligence officer, he was doing his job, he wasn't looting and had no idea personal photos would be in his pack, he was looking for maps or the movements of the German troops. If he hadn't kept these photos, this incredible story would've been lost. War is stupid, nobody wins. We all have to rise above the hate and show love to our fellow man.
If Sergeant Georg Rieck had tried to rise above the stupidity of war he would have been summarily executed. I wondered why the German NCO was permitting his men to surrender to the enemy and that he had not shot dead some of them to put some fighting spirit into them. Had a commissioned German officer been there, he surely would have emptied his postol into the backs of traitors. According to Nazi principles, soldiers fought to the death and never surrendered. I notice that Sergeant Rieck's headstone is not in the shape of a cross which certainly was the German custom. It must have been changed at some time.
@@Jean-rg4sp I think you have been propagandized pretty severely, and also have never been in combat. I would be very surprised if a company grade officer, in any army, would kill one of his own men. when you read stories of summary executions, in my studies, it was always an officer of another unit. and yes, Herr Feldwebel was re-buried. by the French.
When I tell you this is hands down the best documentary of this topic I may have ever seen on TH-cam. Letting the men tell their story while showing videos of how their childhoods looked is incredibly powerful. I can’t wait to see the next one.
There's a movie script here, you got tell a little different story, you can have the German soldier trying to surrender, and in German. " Don't kill me I have a family "" of course American soldier had no idea, and he whent home thinking for 70 years he murdered this German, he came back a bad man a bad dad, until he returned the album to the still living wife, and now he has complete closure, 😊😊, of course there's more to the story, Clint Eastwood would be great, make it a tearjerker, cause you really felt bad for this soldier thinking he murdered a man, and of course he didn't, at the end of the war both sides weren't taken prisoners of War it was really brutal GOD BLESS THESE HEROES, 😇😇😇😇
Thank you for this touching story. The fact that Mr.Hensleigh kept Mr. Rieks photos for so long shows that this incident haunted him. He was very fortunate to have contact with the familiy of his former enemy and be able to make peace with them.
For those who were Jewish I doubt any of them would've lived long enough to make friends with anyone. There's also the problem of Germany and Italy never being able to get rid of their strong arm dictators and building a peaceful democracy. Too bad Russia changed sides and got stuck with a dictatorship like a 3rd world country.
Thank you Dr. Gassend for sharing this poignant story. Excellent research on your part. I'm glad Lt. Hensleigh was able to communicate w/ the German soldier's grandson and provide the family with the wedding pictures he'd taken from the soldier's body. I found myself wondering if the German soldier's daughter might still be alive and able to enjoy the pictures of her parents. She'd probably be 79-80 years old.
I would like to add that World War II has cost the lives of uncountable numbers of civilians, meaning women, children and old people. unfortunately warfare isn’t just a fight soldiers versus soldiers anymore but is mostly and intentionally directed towards civilians.
@@JaguarPriest Yes, WW1 set the stage for WW2 and today's conflicts. If you get time, listen to TH-cam videos from Sabaton, a Swedish heavy metal band, if you haven't already. Their most current two albums are only about WW1 events and people: The Great War and The War To End All Wars. Millions of people have listened to their songs, and as seen on TH-cam, many video makers react to their songs, as well as just make videos about WW1. I was lucky enough to go to Northern France last year to see the part of the Somme battlefield where the Red Baron was shot down. Like other visitors noted, once was not enough to take it all in, so I went again this year. The number of cemeteries filled with soldiers is simply overwhelming, and in every little town there is a memorial and more cemeteries, soldiers and civilians. "The Price of a Mile" is about Passchendale; "Christmas Truce" is about the 1914 impromptu cease fire because Christmas was "more important than war" to the German troops who got the truce started. "Cliffs of Gallipoli" is just heartbreaking. I didn't know anything about the ANZAC troops. Both albums (all their albums) are great, and they also have a Sabaton History Channel. All this means that WW1 is becoming a new, viral topic. Check out all the reactors who have reacted to Sabaton's songs. Listening to these songs have spurred so many people to want to learn more about WW1. Best Regards!
My dad was a 19-year-old soldier in the Philippines during World War II. He killed many Japanese soldiers in hand-to-hand combat. They were trying to kill him. He rarely talked about it. I never asked. I just listened. I think he had a lot of undiagnosed PTSD. We were fortunate that he was a mild mannered man, and a loving father. He just internalized everything.
@@PauloPereira-jj4jv Those “soldiers” were not experienced. They stuck them in the jungles, not trained, nor equipped and told them to kill Americans. Some didn’t have guns. They had make shift spears. Prior to my father going over there, he was trained. He started out as a MP transporting American POWs. He drove big earth moving trucks through the jungles. The Japanese would swing into the trucks from the trees. He would either fight them off by hand or shoot them off the truck. A 19-year-old boy in the 1940s is not the same as the wimpy beta 19-year-old boy we have these days.
@@PauloPereira-jj4jv apparently you must have been raised inside your safe zone. a 19 year old can be a bloody killer. Maybe go to Mexico and see a 14 year old cartel boy with a long list of body count.
@@PauloPereira-jj4jvBoth Japanese and Filipinos are very small in stature, very much a possibility That and the Philippines is mostly extremely thick jungle
“We’ll never know why he kept on fighting when he knew the war was lost” It sounds like he loved his men, and was trying to get them out alive. That’s why he kept fighting in the ambush surely.
@@rpm12091 Not every German was fanatic just because he was a German. Some were simply forced into the ranks, as Russian soldiers are today. May mankind some day find a way to bury the Universal Soldier and settle a peace!
Extraordinary research. You have rescued for history and posterity an event which otherwise would have been lost forever. I am sure all of the soldiers involved in this small action would be very grateful that you have at last told the story of their tremendous sacrifice for their countries. And the film is a great reminder, as you say, of the foolishness of war when we would otherwise be friends in different circumstances. This is a great lesson to ponder currently.
The German war machine was a very disciplined smooth operating bureaucratic system. When a German soldier was wounded, sick, captured, or killed his parents and spouse would receive a detailed summary report of the events. The bodies of German soldiers were reburied in cemeteries on the Eastern and Western Fronts or transported back to Berlin, unless frontlines became captured territories by the enemies. They were very meticulous about honoring their dead. *This letter is a reflection of that. Remember Herr Feldwebel's friend was just a young soldier himself, and look how detailed and specific this letter is reporting the circumstances of Herr Feldwebel's death to his wife and parents. The soldier that wrote this at the end of the war was very young. My Dad was in the Korean War, but I had many relatives in WW2. One uncle in the Battle of the Bulge. Another Uncle in the Pacific. I've done interviews with WW2 vets. One a D-Day Utah Beach survivor, who died just a few years ago, RIP, Joe Miner. He was 94. He was in Patton's army. A Hitler Youth, (still alive in his 90's), was liberated at age 16 by Montgomery's army.
Usually the CO send a more formal and less detailed letter. it is rarer for a friend to have sent a highly detailed and sincere letter such as here. US families in most cases never received anything more than the official telegram. That is why US families are often clueless about what happened. Richmonds family though he had been killed by a flamethrower while parachuting into France....
Thank you for your very interesting research and for caring about these soldiers no matter what side they were on. May all their souls RIP. You are all remembered
How could those German soldiers not expect to be flanked, given they were aware the Americans knew their position? I cant understand how in a group of experienced soldiers, not one thought the Americans might come back but flank around from the woods. Seems like a simple thing to figure out when your life is on the line.
Very good comment. These were their first days in combat against US troops and perhaps they were overconfident and believed their own propaganda, and didnt expect agressive infantry actions, but only overwhelming artillery from the Americans?
We can perhaps take the account of the letter with a grain of salt, but it sounded to me that Reick and the Germans were in the middle of being relieved by another unit and possible re-position right as the second attack occurred.
@@leonardwei3914 I would say this is most likely. Logistically it would of been challenging to move right away without a clear and easy way to communicate to the relieving force on such short notice. It's also likely they underestimated the Americans aggression particularly during small infantry maneuvers. Another possibility is their flanks were secure but these individual guards were called back to the group right as the relieving force arrived. This left the group momentarily vulnerable.
@@andydunn5673well no, it was the first time. In WW1, Germany JOINED the ongoing conflict between Austria and Serbia on Austria’s side as ally, which let Russia, UK and the other parties join too. At that time, every European nation was ready and eager for a war. WW2 was triggered by the contract of Versailles which made Germany the initiator of WW1 and responsible for all reparation costs. German people were fed up with that unfair contract they were forced to sign and people started revolting. Easy for Hitler to get them into another war. If there would not be the contract of Versailles, hitler would have had no chance to get anyone to war. Do your research.
@@andydunn5673 He had no choice but to go,or he would probably have been put into a camp as many German dissenters were, and we all know about them . Ordinary people do not start war's, they fight and die in them, the men who start them, never fight in them. There are many reasons for war's, we are never told the true reason's.
Excellent account of two men who should never have had to face one another as combatants. This helps us appreciate how events experienced during the war remain fresh in soldiers' minds even decades afterward. Thank you for your informative research.
Excellent account of the needless horror of war and devastation of families. My father fought in the Pacific (at 19 yrs. old) and had PTSD for the rest of his life due to kamikazes attacks .
My father was a marine in the Pacific at the Ryku Islands. He has severe PTSD and so bad I never new him. I understand why he was never right. So many of us were deprived of our service warriors familys torn apart . I respect their fight and duty.
I found myself near tears at the end. To all of those who know what such loss is, smile when you can and cry if you have to. S. Stoddard former Co. C 2/75th Ranger Airborne
Excellent video, that gives the family closure. My mother too never saw her father. A New Zealander, he was a bomber pilot for 51 Sqdrn RAF and was buried in Scotland. She is now 84 and feels his loss even more strongly now than she did when she was a child.
What cemetery is he in may I ask? I have no doubt he is visted and remembered. There are a few Commonwealth War graves including a Kiwi one in a village cemetery in Scotland where I have family, I always pay my respects when I go. ❤️
watching the video of the Lt, it reminds me of all the WW2 vets I conversed with @ the VAMC. That long term care room was a flashback where I heard many stories just like his. RIP Lt.
One of my neighbors Dad was in WWII. He recalled a time when he killed a German soldier and took his helmet. He was surprised and shocked to find a picture of the soldiers girlfriend in it. This made it more personal for him.
Wow! Fabulous video, one of the best I've seen on TH-cam. Thank you very much for creating and posting this. Every man killed, in every battle of of every war, was someone's son, brother, father, or grandfather. Or maybe just a friend. Each death is a family tragedy. Learning their names and hearing their stories brought it all to life today for me. And it made me cry.
I am so glad you took the time on this superb work. Having details like this brings those dark days to life that we may better understand them. My uncle was a BAR man in the Battle of the Bulge and went through tremendous combat and suffering. He was not the same when he came back from the war and shared very little of what he went through. It was only after his death that a war buddy of his contacted me and shared some of the combat they went through together. I would never have known. Thank you again.
WOW! You have done some awesome work sir . . . those of us that have experienced loss due to conflict appreciate the tireless research and care you have taken to bring closure for young souls lost to senseless wars. God Speed . . .
Thanks for sharing this, amazing how much information was retained about something that was quite a small contact, for those who where not present of course. Charles
I can imagine the family members stumbling on your channel and watching every detail of those events. I know hardly anything about my grandparents. It's a well made documentary. Thank you.
Back in the 1990s, I used to stop in the same diner enroute between two jobs. I met two old men. What ensued was fascinating... The old man I would chat with in the morning had been a USAAC bomber pilot over Europe. He was shot down and taken prisoner in 1943. I forget the date he said but it matched another man's story. The second man was a fighter pilot. He too had been shot down, same date, same battle, and taken as a POW. Amazed as I was yet? It gets more interesting.... The diner was in Delaware. Both men had been living there since the 1940s. The first man was restationed there with the Air Transport Command after returning from Europe. The ATC was in New Castle where the current Air National Guard is located. The second man told me he too had lived in New Castle, but didn't tell me when. Only that he later returned to Delaware in 1951 and still lived at the same house in nearby Newport. He did however, like telling "war stories" and, oddly, about how WELL he was treated as a POW!?!?! But it was that both men were shot down and captured on the same day, then lived just three miles apart for decades ( let alone were regulars at the same restaurant on different shifts) that motivated me to introduce them. The meeting of the two men was remarkably friendly! They had a great time with each other, and started eating together often. Even their wives became friends. However (maybe you can see where this is going?)... When I asked the men ( separately) if they wanted to meet, the second pilot confessed something... He was a German Messerschmitt pilot shot down by a B-17 he'd also damaged enough to force down. His stay in Delaware was at the Luftwaffe POW camp...at the New Castle, Delaware ATC base. These two men, that lived down the road from each other for years, but never crossed paths, but ended up being friends, had shot each other down in WWII. They had both been captured by enemy rescue teams looking for the other. The German was held at a camp, in the American's home State, and likely flown back to Germany after the war by the same American. I was totally dumbfounded! What are the chances???? Nothing else to add except the American said conditions at the Stalag were horrible, and the German said he was treated better as a prisoner by the US Air Corps than as an officer in the German Luftwaffe, so that's why he moved here. But, I thought the story was fascinating enough in itself to post. God works in mysterious ways and must've intended for those two men to meet.
@@CrocodileTear Sadly, both men are dead now, or I'd call one to review the details, but, yes, you are half correct... The combat was over German occupied territory. Thus, the Germans had an obvious upper hand regarding captures and rescues. In comparing their notes, they definitely went down the same day, though I seriously doubt that in all that chaos they could've been specifically responsible for each other's downing. That would be just too much of a coincidence to be probable, as much as they joked about it. But since you're curious, I'll add what I remember listening to them... Neither plane "crashed" but both were forced to land. The B-17 was heavily damaged. None dead at the time, but two gunners badly injured. I think one was a belly gunner (probable, that station was pretty much a death sentence in an emergency landing). If I remembered the plane's name or squadron it could be researched easily, but I introduced those men in 1992. I don't even remember the area the 17 was attacking or we could research the event together. Confirmed is the 17 sustained heavy engine damage and a fire, but the top turret gunner was credited with scoring severe wing damage to a 109 attacking them, and both were forced down. All crewmen of the 17 were injured in some way or another except the copilot and top gunner, but mostly from slamming across the ground. Their capture was quite prompt and obviously, their attempts at evasion a failure. But evidently, it was one of their own the Germans were actually looking for. As for the German Lt, he said he'd been attacking a B-17 directly, while others engaged the escorts (probably P-51s. Those still had a range problem in 1943, so that can narrow down the area of the fight. I'm familiar with that from having a C.A.P. flight instructor in the 80s that was a P51 pilot, and my knowledge of how Buick found the solution to the problem.) Anyhow, the Oberleutnant told me he'd suffered shrapnel to his left side and burns, plus a good blow to side of his head. He had no solid recollection of how he landed, or how he got out of the cockpit (whether on his own or pulled out). He said he awoke in the care of civilians, had been brought to them, and there Americans in the room. He was taken from that point. In between capture and camps would be procedural and I'm sure no thrill for either. The American told me the first few days at the POW camp were horrific. In particular, interrogation by gestapo. His barracks were all officers and military protocols of rank and file were followed. He had no idea for some time where the enlisted crewmen were, but such information circulates. As for the camp staff? He remembered mostly older officers that could no longer fly and guards that stole anything that wasn't nailed down. One officer in particular that like to summon pilots and ramble on about flying in the Great War. I think it underscores that these were just servicemen and couldn't have cared less about Hitler. As for the guards, he didn't think the guards had conditions any better than the inmates. Returning to the German... So long as he was alive, ambulatory, and no risk of getting away, his wounds were low priority. That goes without saying. POWs are at the bottom of the list. You take care of your own first. That would be true of both sides. As for being sent to Delaware, that I can explain on my own... Delaware had two POW camps. Luftwaffe were held in raised wooden barracks along what is now Airport Road (formerly Hog Swamp Road) on what today is the Air National Guard base. During the war, there were three groups there. One was the POW camp. The primary unit was the Air Transport Command, through which supplies and aircraft were processed to Britain ( historic note: EVERY piece of material from aircraft to a can opener, used by US troops in WW2 at some point came through Delaware by air or ship). The last unit is remarkable: The Woman's Air Service Patrol, AKA The Wasps. These were extraordinarily brave women (especially since FDR refused to arm them, but fortunately the Canadians did). WASPs flew finished aircraft ( including fighters) in a hopscotch from Delaware, to Ontario, to Nova Scotia, finally to Greenland, and usually encountered German fire. Once in Greenland, the new aircraft and supplies on board the transport planes, were swapped out for damaged but usable fighters, and C47s loaded with POWs. That these women are forgotten is inexcusable! The other POW camp was at Bethany Beach in southern Delaware. It's barracks are concrete and still used. Bethany is today a National Guard training base. I stayed in those barracks as a CAP cadet on a training exercise with Air Guard ( the MedEvac used cadets to simulate casualties). These just no breaking out of those barracks. This facility was for Kriegsmarine. Historic note: U Boats were a common occurrence in the Delaware Bay, particularly between Lewes, DE and Cape May, NJ. The river would take you straight to the Philadelphia Naval Yard and other strategic facilities ( the Campbell's cannery in Camden, NJ for example). I'm aware of three U Boats that were captured along the Delaware coastline. One has surrendered there just before US involvement in the war, carrying with it smuggled Jews, affiliated or related somehow to the boat's officers. I need to go about my day, so I'll conclude... The other Air Corps base in Delaware was the Air Mobility Command in Dover. ATC and AMC were merged when the USAAC became the USAF in 1947. The WASPs were disbanded. As for your actual question, I'm sorry I don't have more concise answers to the details. It was a long time ago and both men, and their wives, are dead. I've not kept in touch with their families. The two men were shot down the same day, but the details of the German's exact day of capture are sketchy. I'm sure there's a report in some dusty cabinet somewhere. Probably at Maxwell AFB's archive. The German records of the American capture are probably long gone. As for the men themselves? The American pilot is buried at a Veteran's Cemetery near Middletown, DE. I attended his funeral. It was in 2001 or 2002, full honours. Flag draped casket, but I was told he was buried in his uniform. The German? He's buried beside his wife whom died the year before. They are in a Catholic cemetery in Wilmington. That war is long over. Although it should NEVER be forgotten! I'm glad both men put it in their pasts and became friends. I hope both Rest in PEACE. ✝️ * My Dad's father was Air Corps, but in the Pacific (380th Bomb Group), so I know more about air raids in that Theater. My Mom's father served in Europe as an infantryman (and didn't enlist until he absolutely had to, he was running his parent's farm and pretty much raising his younger siblings). His brother was in Merrill's Marauders (82nd Airborne). So I know more about D Day onwards, and what my uncle saw liberating Wobbelin concentration camp.
@@stevedallas4942 Hi Steve. It doesnt make sence that the German was captured in 1943, except if this happened over Italy or north Africa, which doesnt seem to be the case. Perhaps he was simply shot down twice, and confusion the two times?
@@CrocodileTearenFrancais-cg9np And my own memory of them saying they were over Europe could be wrong too. Those conversations were thirty years ago. But the point is two former war opponents ended up living a stone's throw from each other, and once introduced, became good friends in their old age. That is the good memory I have of the two pilots. Not their specific theatres of operation or trivial details. Both of those men were old when I introduced them. I'm sure some of the more trivial details were lost on them as well. I could also be misremembering the year and the correct one would be 1944. That would be more likely and the error my own. It would explain the German being initially tended to by civilians that understood German, and the Americans being right there . So, the error is probably the year and thus my error, not their memories.
The quality of your research and presentations is exceptional. I am glad, I found this channel. Having a 10 months old daughter myself it is heartbreaking, that the fathers were never able to hold their children in their hands. I think it is important that during today´s wars we still keep stories like this one in mind. No matter how much the media demonises on party of a conflict, the people fighting also have family and loved ones.
Great video! Merci beaucoup for having the interest and passion for telling the stories of these men, their fate and highlighting stories from a front that might have otherwise been forgotten.
I suppose family can look back at now because of all that's been written about that era. We can appreciate how different the world could've been if the Allies hadn't won. I also think that Thank God the Allies won so myself and my children could lead free lives.
@@juliaforsyth8332 You got to be kidding me. The war had nothing to do with your freedom other than letting bolshevikism go worldwide. The results are in and the wrong side clearly won the war. Look around
@davidb2206 No. Most Europeans would have been relegated to a lower class of humanity and enslaved to serve the "superior" Aryan race. Children born with the slightest defect would be euthanized. The Jews, Romanis, Gays, Jehovah Witnesses, people of Poland, Ukraine, people of differing views would all have been cruelly murderer. Is that how you see a pure Europe?
This is one of the most interesting stories from WW2 I ever heard. Excellent research and just so many vibrant details that propel the story from 8 decades ago right into the present.
How tragic the deaths on both sides. I can't help remember what Darrell "Shifty" Powers once said: "We might have had a lot in common. He might've liked to fish, you know, he might've liked to hunt. Of course, they were doing what they were supposed to do, and I was doing what I was supposed to do but under different circumstances, we might have been good friends."
I really like your approach to these little vignettes of history. They are actually the big stories. your humanity enables the participants some closure. Thank you.
What a fascinating video and thank you so much for all the work you did, and for posting it. My grandfather fought in both world wars and my mother brought me up to hate the Germans but the older I get, I realise what a terrible mistake this was and when one starts to investigate the lives and families of these men one realises that the vast majority were not sadistic Nazis, but were ordinary conscripts with wives and families like us, and really had no choice but to do their duty when called up.
Great doc bro. Very good look into the intersection of 2 lives and the aftermath ofbtheir random encounter. Lets you know how fleeting and unscripted life is
Dear Jean-Loup, another amazing, well researched and documented part of history. I had mixed emotions. My first thought was about the taking of photographs from a body. I thought that immensely sad and felt sorry those belongings weren't returned to his wife at the time. On the other hand, you have uncovered a story, a series of events of which, without the taking of the photographs and your work we would be unaware. Absolutely fascinating. Your book will, I think make a good addition to my small library. Keep up the great work.
Wow! Great detective work for an amazing video. Reading about past wars in history it's easy to forget that these were fought by people like you and me who had previous lives with families and a history of their own. You captured that! Well done. My Dad was in 62nd field artillery under Patton.
Very sad , but a truly heartfelt story - once again , great work and I hope to contact you soon about the SS helmet I have that is in winter white camo , and appears to be a automotive type paint and is named !
Great research and shows how devastating the cost of war is on a person-by-person basis for all sides. This gives some closure to both families that will last generations. May the Lord have mercy on all of us.
This story is particularly touching to me. I can't imagine the emotions of that soldier's family to get details of his death and to know who killed him. I come from a family with a member who went to Vietnam and didn't come back alive. All these years we wonder about the last moments of his life. Did he know that death was just a few moments away? Who was it that took aim at him and killed him and why him and not another? So many questions. But if we had all the answers, it still would not relieve our grief. I would not want to know who killed him. All I would want is to have him back. That's what I would imagine what that family felt. The answer is, what does it matter. His life was taken and he was taken from us. No details could ever erase that.
This loss in the families creates long-lasting trauma. The last words had been hard to swallow and made my heart feel heavy and weighed down, due to the told story and due to incidents in the wider range of the family and my own experience. Thanks for your interest in history and for showing the results to a broader public audience.
I just subscribed your channel this morning and I went to check if this channel is still making videos and I see you've uploaded one while I have been watching! I love the WWII German stuff, great work man!
What a friggen shame. Two ordinary guys With ordinary jobs, ordinary homes and Families forced to take fatal actions against one another for a selfish dictator, who eventually took his own miserable life. These two soldiers probably would have been best of friends providing they were neighbors. What a shame!
First rate research Jean-Loup, honestly your videos are an education and 100% better than any of the 'so called' history channels on mainstream TV. Its very interesting hearing the battle from both sides and how the veterans recollection of the incidents are clouded with time. I've made a note of your book title and I've an upcoming birthday so I'm going to buy it.....hopefully the royalties from my one purchase will enable you to buy a nice bottle of wine 🍷, cheers m8 and keep up the good work 😊😊😊
That's some really good research and telling the story of war from both sides, for me this tells the story of the futility of war, both men hero's but forced into it by Government's, the human race never learns from the past.
![ลองสั่งของจากแอพ temu ถูกจริงหรอ?? ( part : 1/2 ) [โกงไหมครับ ep.89 ] | DOM](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/RTcZSQTiDZw/mqdefault.jpg)
Imagine... You kill a soldier, you know you had to, but still you regret it. Then, an entire lifetime later, you get an email from his grandson, basically forgiving you. Imagine the load off of that man's shoulders. Imagine the strength and the opportunity of the grandson to forgive. The amount of suffering and lives lost on either side is unaimaginable.
Forgiveness is a gift you give to yourself. Not the person who is being forgiven. That's possibly the most valuable lesson I've ever learned.
It is difficult to imagine the horrors of war, and while they are sometimes necessary, they should never be taken lightly. The grandson of a German soldier demonstrated empathy in his understanding of the situation. I pray God gives everybody peace that surpasses all understanding
So the German machine gunner likely fought in the Eastern Front. How many civilians did he kill? He was not a hero but likely a True Believer in the Nazi horrors
@@nitamay3534wars are never necessary.
"we defeated the wrong enemy" 5 star U.S general, George S. Patton. 1945
then he was assasinated in a "car accident"
It’s been said that one death is a tragedy, but 10,000 deaths is a statistic. This story is a perfect example of that truth.
I heard about a similar quotation , have to been said once by Stalin : " one death is a tragedy , but one million is but a statistic "
@@georgekrausse3801How else can a human see a tragedy ?
@@georgekrausse3801 True. Stalin said it.
@@georgekrausse3801 Stalin never said that. It was in a Book called "Black Obelisk" which was originally published in 1956, 3 years after Stalin had died.
@@Kpoole35 was it a fiction book? A fabrication? Because a quotation being published posthumously doesn't mean it was not said by him... although I have no opinion on it; it does seem a bit apocryphal.
Many stories lost... My mother's "first love" was a bombardier, from Australia, and was killed on a raid over Brest...she visited his grave once, but I found another piece of his story in an article about a Lancaster bomber wreck being recovered in about 2010, the very bomber that he was in that day... Little vignettes of lives lived and lost ..
War is tragedies
did you you ever show your mother the article?
My great grandfather's brother was an American pilot who died in a plane crash in Hawaii just after Pearl Harbor. His remains were recovered, but his plane was left on the side the mountain. In the 80's the plane was recovered and restored. It is now in a museum in Massachusetts. It's a bit eerie seeing photos of the plane knowing that my great uncle died in it.
Brest is home to a huge navy base (to this day).
@rlelesi All Gave Some. Some Gave All. One had bonespurs.....of course we know it wasn't your great uncle may he RIP and be remembered everyday....especially on Memorial Day and Veterans Day!!! 🇺🇲 Freedom ain't never been free......and heroes don't wear capes but they do wear dogtags! Thanks for sharing his story and keeping his memory alive!
A story that must touch everyones heart. The sadest thing is, that 80 years later is a war again and similar sad storys happen day by day.
Words cannot describe how amazing this video is! Extremely detailed and well done, sir! I have yet to watch anything that really brought the war home to me as this did. It’s heartbreaking to realize the millions of stories out there similar to this because of it. Rest in peace to all soldiers on both sides!
also tragic that this continues to happen everyday. especially again in Europe. :-(
I agree" you'd think we all would have learned something" but I'm not giving up yet" stories like this are educating young people I'm sure of it" so maybe there's hope yet....with abit of luck right?
After watching horrific videos of drones killing soldiers in the Ukraine conflict, I am left wondering who will tell their stories.
not the SS TROOPS - THEY WERE MURDERERS
Stories like this are AMAZING. Seems surreal. I was born less than 8 years after this event. Reading this leaves me sad that after all these decades, humans are still slaughtering each other in mindless Wars. Thank you for your incredible tenacity/work of finding stories such as this to share with millions.
Fantastic work! What a sad but at the same time incredible story that really puts the second world war (or any war) into perspective. These were all human beings, they all had there own lives with families back home - with friends, hobbies, hopes and dreams. One should never forget that these regular soldiers were all regular people - for the most part. Again, thank you so much for sharing this beautiful film about your research! Best regards from Norway! 😊
@@ww2historyandreenacting True the were both human being but German speaking human beings in majority considered themselves Ubermensch and commited unspeakable atrocities. Poland, Greece, Serbia were most massacred countries. In Poland alone Germans and its allied managed to kill up to 6 million citizens - this is equal to population of Norway today. So there is no equality between perpetrators and victims or Allied troops killing German troops fighting for evil Third Reich. It was not "normal" country and what most striking is that majority of troops were not members of NSDAP - German National Socialist Party.
When I think of all the hours and hours of TH-cam videos I've watched, very little even comes close to the impact of this 21 minutes. Thank you for this amazing and poignant story.
What strikes me is how well written Gehart Hofig's letter is. A lost art in this day and age.
Not in most E.U. countries. Their public scholls are far superior to ours.
@@danielebrparish4271 I’m 🇬🇧 & part 🇺🇦 but my American ex showed me just how bad your education system is. He would constantly mix upper & lower case letters, couldn’t do cursive writing at all & he was dumb as a rock. His general knowledge and things I’d teach to 3.5 -11 year olds we completely missing. I teach & 2 of my pet hates are homophones and greengrocers’s disease, random apostrophes where they shouldn’t be 😂Unfortunately he also thought he was far superior and was an expert in everything 🙄
@@lilacscentedfushias1852 Resting on others laurels , obscures vision . Have to strain to see through the haze of reality .
@@lilacscentedfushias1852
It boggles my mind how native English speakers appear to know very little about their own language. English is my second language & yet i'm left dumbfounded by the grammar & spelling errors being committed by native English speakers. Not knowing the difference between 'your' and 'you're' is my #1 pet peeve. Another one is not knowing the difference between 'there', 'their' and 'they're'. I could go on & on.
@@lilacscentedfushias1852the fact that you think you can get an idea about a country’s education system based on one dumb person you used to date says plenty about your own intelligence. Also comical that, being part Ukrainian, you would insult with such vitriol the citizens of a country that are sending such a large percentage of their own hard-earned money to aid in defense. I’m sure these stereotypes and mass generalizations about an incredibly diverse country you espouse based on your ex are right, though.
This story is a tear jerker. Im an ex-Marine who served in Vietnam and this story really got to me. Thank you for posting this.
I'm a Marine as well (04-08): thank you for your service.
(Communism is the worse)
I have 4 brothers who are Marines, and they always said there are no ex-Marines! Once a Marine, always a Marine... are they right?
@@Gwen-wo9xn he means he is a retired marine
🫡🇱🇻
tedd1091,
There is no such thing as an ex-Marine.
Semper Fi!
Theres a song about a soldier going to fight in the civil war. His father told him, " Be brave , but show mercy when you can". What a line.
Do you know or have the name of this song?
@victorverdi6919 written by Alison Krauss...forget the name of the song
@@ksrmk Thanks.
Bright Sunny South, by Alison Krauss & Union Station
@@scottc543 Thank you kindly.
Thank you for this fine post. It totally humanizes the soldiers & what they had to endure under the most stressful of circumstances.
Thank you ever so much for this valuable word. It brought involuntary tears to my face when reading the second email Georg Rieck's grandson sent to Henze to make sure the old man rested assured that no one hated him, but felt compassionate to him and all sent into war. Will we ever learn ? So far, we haven't. Seeing the misery which war inflicted and how it influenced the next two generations deeply may help us to come to our senses. Again, merci beaucoup from Germany.
Oh my god. Thank you so much for the hint to the grave search. I've just found my grandma's brother who went missing in 1944. 80 years of not knowing what happened and now we finally have a trace. I had no idea this search existed. Thank you!
Thank you for this excellent report. As a German I can confirm that we do learn a lot about this dark part of German history. The letter that the grandson wrote, assuring the soldier of having no grudge, was great. He has a wonderful attitude. It is important to keep history alive so that it will not be repeated.
It is a good thing that you have learned not to attack other countries but it is sad that you like us swedes and other european people have forgot that we have a duty to defend our countries and are letting our enemies take over.
A lot of people don’t know that the Germans accepted losses of 1%-3% during live firing exercises. An ignominious way to go.
The understanding and forgiveness was remarkable. Bless their family. Their grandfather was very brave and dutiful.
Every culture has a dark past we need to learn from history so we don't repeat it
Lessons learned when you are in a war do not lose.
I think as an intelligence officer, he was doing his job, he wasn't looting and had no idea personal photos would be in his pack, he was looking for maps or the movements of the German troops. If he hadn't kept these photos, this incredible story would've been lost. War is stupid, nobody wins. We all have to rise above the hate and show love to our fellow man.
If Sergeant Georg Rieck had tried to rise above the stupidity of war he would have been summarily executed. I wondered why the German NCO was permitting his men to surrender to the enemy and that he had not shot dead some of them to put some fighting spirit into them. Had a commissioned German officer been there, he surely would have emptied his postol into the backs of traitors. According to Nazi principles, soldiers fought to the death and never surrendered. I notice that Sergeant Rieck's headstone is not in the shape of a cross which certainly was the German custom. It must have been changed at some time.
War is human nature. Always has been, always will be.
@@Hunter_Nebid Refusing to take human life is also Human. Always was and always will be even when we have a nuclear war soon.
@@Jean-rg4sp I think you have been propagandized pretty severely, and also have never been in combat. I would be very surprised if a company grade officer, in any army, would kill one of his own men. when you read stories of summary executions, in my studies, it was always an officer of another unit.
and yes, Herr Feldwebel was re-buried. by the French.
War is horrible but sometimes necessary. The horrors the Nazis were committing needed to be stopped. We HAD to win.
Thank you for sharing this story of war and humanity.
When I tell you this is hands down the best documentary of this topic I may have ever seen on TH-cam. Letting the men tell their story while showing videos of how their childhoods looked is incredibly powerful. I can’t wait to see the next one.
There's a movie script here, you got tell a little different story, you can have the German soldier trying to surrender, and in German. " Don't kill me I have a family "" of course American soldier had no idea, and he whent home thinking for 70 years he murdered this German, he came back a bad man a bad dad, until he returned the album to the still living wife, and now he has complete closure, 😊😊, of course there's more to the story, Clint Eastwood would be great, make it a tearjerker, cause you really felt bad for this soldier thinking he murdered a man, and of course he didn't, at the end of the war both sides weren't taken prisoners of War it was really brutal GOD BLESS THESE HEROES, 😇😇😇😇
@@user-bl6ne3hc6n You can't place blame on someone !
Another fascinating story, Jean-Loup. Thanks for working on this for so many years... you brought closure to the families.
Thank you for this touching story. The fact that Mr.Hensleigh kept Mr. Rieks photos for so long shows that this incident haunted him. He was very fortunate to have contact with the familiy of his former enemy and be able to make peace with them.
In every soldier there is a little boy, his experience will turn him into a Man.
Sems the German NCO sacrificed himself so the rest could retreat, even the original MG man who was wounded, survived and retreated.
I see what you're saying now.
An amazing story, thank you for your effort in not only connecting the two but retelling it. ❤ RIP all lost souls.
I often wonder if there were no war how many friendships could have been friends. No one wins in war, everyone looses
For those who were Jewish I doubt any of them would've lived long enough to make friends with anyone. There's also the problem of Germany and Italy never being able to get rid of their strong arm dictators and building a peaceful democracy. Too bad Russia changed sides and got stuck with a dictatorship like a 3rd world country.
Powerful.......Thank you so much for this very moving tale.
Thank you for posting the story. May they rest in peace.
Thank you Dr. Gassend for sharing this poignant story. Excellent research on your part. I'm glad Lt. Hensleigh was able to communicate w/ the German soldier's grandson and provide the family with the wedding pictures he'd taken from the soldier's body. I found myself wondering if the German soldier's daughter might still be alive and able to enjoy the pictures of her parents. She'd probably be 79-80 years old.
Rieck's son was alive and well at the time I did the research.
That is the tragedy of war. Soldiers of opposing armies kill each other.
I would like to add that World War II has cost the lives of uncountable numbers of civilians, meaning women, children and old people. unfortunately warfare isn’t just a fight soldiers versus soldiers anymore but is mostly and intentionally directed towards civilians.
@@Celisar1let's not forget world war 1 like everyone seems to do
@@JaguarPriest Yes, WW1 set the stage for WW2 and today's conflicts. If you get time, listen to TH-cam videos from Sabaton, a Swedish heavy metal band, if you haven't already. Their most current two albums are only about WW1 events and people: The Great War and The War To End All Wars. Millions of people have listened to their songs, and as seen on TH-cam, many video makers react to their songs, as well as just make videos about WW1. I was lucky enough to go to Northern France last year to see the part of the Somme battlefield where the Red Baron was shot down. Like other visitors noted, once was not enough to take it all in, so I went again this year. The number of cemeteries filled with soldiers is simply overwhelming, and in every little town there is a memorial and more cemeteries, soldiers and civilians. "The Price of a Mile" is about Passchendale; "Christmas Truce" is about the 1914 impromptu cease fire because Christmas was "more important than war" to the German troops who got the truce started. "Cliffs of Gallipoli" is just heartbreaking. I didn't know anything about the ANZAC troops. Both albums (all their albums) are great, and they also have a Sabaton History Channel. All this means that WW1 is becoming a new, viral topic. Check out all the reactors who have reacted to Sabaton's songs. Listening to these songs have spurred so many people to want to learn more about WW1. Best Regards!
My dad was a 19-year-old soldier in the Philippines during World War II. He killed many Japanese soldiers in hand-to-hand combat. They were trying to kill him. He rarely talked about it. I never asked. I just listened. I think he had a lot of undiagnosed PTSD. We were fortunate that he was a mild mannered man, and a loving father. He just internalized everything.
A 19-year old boy killed several experienced japanese in hand-to-hand combat...? 🤔
@@PauloPereira-jj4jv Those “soldiers” were not experienced. They stuck them in the jungles, not trained, nor equipped and told them to kill Americans. Some didn’t have guns. They had make shift spears. Prior to my father going over there, he was trained. He started out as a MP transporting American POWs. He drove big earth moving trucks through the jungles. The Japanese would swing into the trucks from the trees. He would either fight them off by hand or shoot them off the truck. A 19-year-old boy in the 1940s is not the same as the wimpy beta 19-year-old boy we have these days.
@@PauloPereira-jj4jv apparently you must have been raised inside your safe zone. a 19 year old can be a bloody killer. Maybe go to Mexico and see a 14 year old cartel boy with a long list of body count.
@@frebnewman6403 Nahh stop explaining to an idiot bro..
@@PauloPereira-jj4jvBoth Japanese and Filipinos are very small in stature, very much a possibility
That and the Philippines is mostly extremely thick jungle
Excellent work in recovering all the information for this touching story.
“We’ll never know why he kept on fighting when he knew the war was lost” It sounds like he loved his men, and was trying to get them out alive. That’s why he kept fighting in the ambush surely.
He was a fanatic. Common problem with Germans at the time.
@@rpm12091we don't know that for a fact.
@@rpm12091 So he's a fanatic while the Yanks coming back for revenge weren't?
The letter of the other German sounds as if he coverd the retreat of the wounded, maybe it was indeed his goal to save his comrades.
@@rpm12091 Not every German was fanatic just because he was a German. Some were simply forced into the ranks, as Russian soldiers are today. May mankind some day find a way to bury the Universal Soldier and settle a peace!
Extraordinary research. You have rescued for history and posterity an event which otherwise would have been lost forever. I am sure all of the soldiers involved in this small action would be very grateful that you have at last told the story of their tremendous sacrifice for their countries. And the film is a great reminder, as you say, of the foolishness of war when we would otherwise be friends in different circumstances. This is a great lesson to ponder currently.
Amazing job putting all that together - you've shown war at its most personal level.
What great research into a sad event for the families of these fallen soldiers. Fantastic work to find the complete story of this long ago action.
Brilliant channel. Fascinating stories that re thoroughly researched and well-presented.
The German war machine was a very disciplined smooth operating bureaucratic system. When a German soldier was wounded, sick, captured, or killed his parents and spouse would receive a detailed summary report of the events. The bodies of German soldiers were reburied in cemeteries on the Eastern and Western Fronts or transported back to Berlin, unless frontlines became captured territories by the enemies. They were very meticulous about honoring their dead. *This letter is a reflection of that. Remember Herr Feldwebel's friend was just a young soldier himself, and look how detailed and specific this letter is reporting the circumstances of Herr Feldwebel's death to his wife and parents. The soldier that wrote this at the end of the war was very young. My Dad was in the Korean War, but I had many relatives in WW2. One uncle in the Battle of the Bulge. Another Uncle in the Pacific. I've done interviews with WW2 vets. One a D-Day Utah Beach survivor, who died just a few years ago, RIP, Joe Miner. He was 94. He was in Patton's army. A Hitler Youth, (still alive in his 90's), was liberated at age 16 by Montgomery's army.
Usually the CO send a more formal and less detailed letter. it is rarer for a friend to have sent a highly detailed and sincere letter such as here. US families in most cases never received anything more than the official telegram. That is why US families are often clueless about what happened. Richmonds family though he had been killed by a flamethrower while parachuting into France....
Thank you for your very interesting research and for caring about these soldiers no matter what side they were on. May all their souls RIP. You are all remembered
Well done, 'Crocodile Tear' - amazing work & research
How could those German soldiers not expect to be flanked, given they were aware the Americans knew their position? I cant understand how in a group of experienced soldiers, not one thought the Americans might come back but flank around from the woods. Seems like a simple thing to figure out when your life is on the line.
Very good comment. These were their first days in combat against US troops and perhaps they were overconfident and believed their own propaganda, and didnt expect agressive infantry actions, but only overwhelming artillery from the Americans?
We can perhaps take the account of the letter with a grain of salt, but it sounded to me that Reick and the Germans were in the middle of being relieved by another unit and possible re-position right as the second attack occurred.
Hindsight ?
@@leonardwei3914 I would say this is most likely. Logistically it would of been challenging to move right away without a clear and easy way to communicate to the relieving force on such short notice. It's also likely they underestimated the Americans aggression particularly during small infantry maneuvers.
Another possibility is their flanks were secure but these individual guards were called back to the group right as the relieving force arrived. This left the group momentarily vulnerable.
Such a terrible loss of life , his poor wife. War is senseless.
This is very true but Germany had declared war on the world for a second time and invaded and occupied most of Europe.
@@andydunn5673well no, it was the first time. In WW1, Germany JOINED the ongoing conflict between Austria and Serbia on Austria’s side as ally, which let Russia, UK and the other parties join too. At that time, every European nation was ready and eager for a war. WW2 was triggered by the contract of Versailles which made Germany the initiator of WW1 and responsible for all reparation costs. German people were fed up with that unfair contract they were forced to sign and people started revolting. Easy for Hitler to get them into another war. If there would not be the contract of Versailles, hitler would have had no chance to get anyone to war. Do your research.
@@andydunn5673 your attitude is the exact reason this war happened. You are ignorant
@@andydunn5673 He had no choice but to go,or he would probably have been put into a camp as many German dissenters were, and we all know about them . Ordinary people do not start war's, they fight and die in them, the men who start them, never fight in them. There are many reasons for war's, we are never told the true reason's.
Excellent account of two men who should never have had to face one another as combatants. This helps us appreciate how events experienced during the war remain fresh in soldiers' minds even decades afterward. Thank you for your informative research.
I have been watching your presentations for a couple of years now. Your work is absolutely stunning in research and depth. Simply amazing!
Excellent account of the needless horror of war and devastation of families. My father fought in the Pacific (at 19 yrs. old) and had PTSD for the rest of his life due to kamikazes attacks .
My father was a marine in the Pacific at the Ryku Islands. He has severe
PTSD and so bad I never new him. I understand why he was never right.
So many of us were deprived of our service warriors familys torn apart . I respect their fight and duty.
I found myself near tears at the end. To all of those who know what such loss is, smile when you can and cry if you have to. S. Stoddard former Co. C 2/75th Ranger Airborne
Excellent video, that gives the family closure. My mother too never saw her father. A New Zealander, he was a bomber pilot for 51 Sqdrn RAF and was buried in Scotland. She is now 84 and feels his loss even more strongly now than she did when she was a child.
What cemetery is he in may I ask? I have no doubt he is visted and remembered. There are a few Commonwealth War graves including a Kiwi one in a village cemetery in Scotland where I have family, I always pay my respects when I go. ❤️
watching the video of the Lt, it reminds me of all the WW2 vets I conversed with @ the VAMC. That long term care room was a flashback where I heard many stories just like his. RIP Lt.
One of my neighbors Dad was in WWII. He recalled a time when he killed a German soldier and took his helmet. He was surprised and shocked to find a picture of the soldiers girlfriend in it. This made it more personal for him.
I am speechless...I don't know what to post. Thank you!
You're a good man with great soul. Thank you for your channel .
Wow! Fabulous video, one of the best I've seen on TH-cam. Thank you very much for creating and posting this. Every man killed, in every battle of of every war, was someone's son, brother, father, or grandfather. Or maybe just a friend. Each death is a family tragedy. Learning their names and hearing their stories brought it all to life today for me. And it made me cry.
Another fascinating story. Thanks for reporting your research findings.
I am so glad you took the time on this superb work. Having details like this brings those dark days to life that we may better understand them. My uncle was a BAR man in the Battle of the Bulge and went through tremendous combat and suffering. He was not the same when he came back from the war and shared very little of what he went through. It was only after his death that a war buddy of his contacted me and shared some of the combat they went through together. I would never have known. Thank you again.
WOW! You have done some awesome work sir . . . those of us that have experienced loss due to conflict appreciate the tireless research and care you have taken to bring closure for young souls lost to senseless wars. God Speed . . .
Thanks for sharing this, amazing how much information was retained about something that was quite a small contact, for those who where not present of course. Charles
I can imagine the family members stumbling on your channel and watching every detail of those events. I know hardly anything about my grandparents. It's a well made documentary. Thank you.
Back in the 1990s, I used to stop in the same diner enroute between two jobs. I met two old men. What ensued was fascinating...
The old man I would chat with in the morning had been a USAAC bomber pilot over Europe. He was shot down and taken prisoner in 1943. I forget the date he said but it matched another man's story.
The second man was a fighter pilot. He too had been shot down, same date, same battle, and taken as a POW. Amazed as I was yet? It gets more interesting....
The diner was in Delaware. Both men had been living there since the 1940s. The first man was restationed there with the Air Transport Command after returning from Europe. The ATC was in New Castle where the current Air National Guard is located.
The second man told me he too had lived in New Castle, but didn't tell me when. Only that he later returned to Delaware in 1951 and still lived at the same house in nearby Newport. He did however, like telling "war stories" and, oddly, about how WELL he was treated as a POW!?!?! But it was that both men were shot down and captured on the same day, then lived just three miles apart for decades ( let alone were regulars at the same restaurant on different shifts) that motivated me to introduce them.
The meeting of the two men was remarkably friendly! They had a great time with each other, and started eating together often. Even their wives became friends. However (maybe you can see where this is going?)...
When I asked the men ( separately) if they wanted to meet, the second pilot confessed something...
He was a German Messerschmitt pilot shot down by a B-17 he'd also damaged enough to force down. His stay in Delaware was at the Luftwaffe POW camp...at the New Castle, Delaware ATC base.
These two men, that lived down the road from each other for years, but never crossed paths, but ended up being friends, had shot each other down in WWII.
They had both been captured by enemy rescue teams looking for the other. The German was held at a camp, in the American's home State, and likely flown back to Germany after the war by the same American.
I was totally dumbfounded!
What are the chances????
Nothing else to add except the American said conditions at the Stalag were horrible, and the German said he was treated better as a prisoner by the US Air Corps than as an officer in the German Luftwaffe, so that's why he moved here.
But, I thought the story was fascinating enough in itself to post.
God works in mysterious ways and must've intended for those two men to meet.
I dont think the Geman was captured that day, perhaps when he was shot down again at a later date?
@@CrocodileTear Sadly, both men are dead now, or I'd call one to review the details, but, yes, you are half correct...
The combat was over German occupied territory. Thus, the Germans had an obvious upper hand regarding captures and rescues.
In comparing their notes, they definitely went down the same day, though I seriously doubt that in all that chaos they could've been specifically responsible for each other's downing. That would be just too much of a coincidence to be probable, as much as they joked about it. But since you're curious, I'll add what I remember listening to them...
Neither plane "crashed" but both were forced to land. The B-17 was heavily damaged. None dead at the time, but two gunners badly injured. I think one was a belly gunner (probable, that station was pretty much a death sentence in an emergency landing). If I remembered the plane's name or squadron it could be researched easily, but I introduced those men in 1992. I don't even remember the area the 17 was attacking or we could research the event together. Confirmed is the 17 sustained heavy engine damage and a fire, but the top turret gunner was credited with scoring severe wing damage to a 109 attacking them, and both were forced down.
All crewmen of the 17 were injured in some way or another except the copilot and top gunner, but mostly from slamming across the ground. Their capture was quite prompt and obviously, their attempts at evasion a failure. But evidently, it was one of their own the Germans were actually looking for.
As for the German Lt, he said he'd been attacking a B-17 directly, while others engaged the escorts (probably P-51s. Those still had a range problem in 1943, so that can narrow down the area of the fight. I'm familiar with that from having a C.A.P. flight instructor in the 80s that was a P51 pilot, and my knowledge of how Buick found the solution to the problem.)
Anyhow, the Oberleutnant told me he'd suffered shrapnel to his left side and burns, plus a good blow to side of his head. He had no solid recollection of how he landed, or how he got out of the cockpit (whether on his own or pulled out). He said he awoke in the care of civilians, had been brought to them, and there Americans in the room. He was taken from that point.
In between capture and camps would be procedural and I'm sure no thrill for either.
The American told me the first few days at the POW camp were horrific. In particular, interrogation by gestapo. His barracks were all officers and military protocols of rank and file were followed. He had no idea for some time where the enlisted crewmen were, but such information circulates. As for the camp staff? He remembered mostly older officers that could no longer fly and guards that stole anything that wasn't nailed down. One officer in particular that like to summon pilots and ramble on about flying in the Great War. I think it underscores that these were just servicemen and couldn't have cared less about Hitler. As for the guards, he didn't think the guards had conditions any better than the inmates.
Returning to the German...
So long as he was alive, ambulatory, and no risk of getting away, his wounds were low priority. That goes without saying. POWs are at the bottom of the list. You take care of your own first. That would be true of both sides.
As for being sent to Delaware, that I can explain on my own...
Delaware had two POW camps. Luftwaffe were held in raised wooden barracks along what is now Airport Road (formerly Hog Swamp Road) on what today is the Air National Guard base. During the war, there were three groups there. One was the POW camp. The primary unit was the Air Transport Command, through which supplies and aircraft were processed to Britain ( historic note: EVERY piece of material from aircraft to a can opener, used by US troops in WW2 at some point came through Delaware by air or ship). The last unit is remarkable: The Woman's Air Service Patrol, AKA The Wasps. These were extraordinarily brave women (especially since FDR refused to arm them, but fortunately the Canadians did).
WASPs flew finished aircraft ( including fighters) in a hopscotch from Delaware, to Ontario, to Nova Scotia, finally to Greenland, and usually encountered German fire. Once in Greenland, the new aircraft and supplies on board the transport planes, were swapped out for damaged but usable fighters, and C47s loaded with POWs. That these women are forgotten is inexcusable!
The other POW camp was at Bethany Beach in southern Delaware. It's barracks are concrete and still used. Bethany is today a National Guard training base. I stayed in those barracks as a CAP cadet on a training exercise with Air Guard ( the MedEvac used cadets to simulate casualties). These just no breaking out of those barracks. This facility was for Kriegsmarine.
Historic note: U Boats were a common occurrence in the Delaware Bay, particularly between Lewes, DE and Cape May, NJ. The river would take you straight to the Philadelphia Naval Yard and other strategic facilities ( the Campbell's cannery in Camden, NJ for example). I'm aware of three U Boats that were captured along the Delaware coastline. One has surrendered there just before US involvement in the war, carrying with it smuggled Jews, affiliated or related somehow to the boat's officers.
I need to go about my day, so I'll conclude...
The other Air Corps base in Delaware was the Air Mobility Command in Dover. ATC and AMC were merged when the USAAC became the USAF in 1947.
The WASPs were disbanded.
As for your actual question, I'm sorry I don't have more concise answers to the details. It was a long time ago and both men, and their wives, are dead. I've not kept in touch with their families. The two men were shot down the same day, but the details of the German's exact day of capture are sketchy. I'm sure there's a report in some dusty cabinet somewhere. Probably at Maxwell AFB's archive. The German records of the American capture are probably long gone.
As for the men themselves?
The American pilot is buried at a Veteran's Cemetery near Middletown, DE. I attended his funeral. It was in 2001 or 2002, full honours. Flag draped casket, but I was told he was buried in his uniform.
The German? He's buried beside his wife whom died the year before. They are in a Catholic cemetery in Wilmington.
That war is long over. Although it should NEVER be forgotten! I'm glad both men put it in their pasts and became friends.
I hope both Rest in PEACE. ✝️
* My Dad's father was Air Corps, but in the Pacific (380th Bomb Group), so I know more about air raids in that Theater. My Mom's father served in Europe as an infantryman (and didn't enlist until he absolutely had to, he was running his parent's farm and pretty much raising his younger siblings). His brother was in Merrill's Marauders (82nd Airborne). So I know more about D Day onwards, and what my uncle saw liberating Wobbelin concentration camp.
@@stevedallas4942 Hi Steve. It doesnt make sence that the German was captured in 1943, except if this happened over Italy or north Africa, which doesnt seem to be the case. Perhaps he was simply shot down twice, and confusion the two times?
@@CrocodileTearenFrancais-cg9np And my own memory of them saying they were over Europe could be wrong too. Those conversations were thirty years ago.
But the point is two former war opponents ended up living a stone's throw from each other, and once introduced, became good friends in their old age.
That is the good memory I have of the two pilots. Not their specific theatres of operation or trivial details. Both of those men were old when I introduced them. I'm sure some of the more trivial details were lost on them as well. I could also be misremembering the year and the correct one would be 1944.
That would be more likely and the error my own. It would explain the German being initially tended to by civilians that understood German, and the Americans being right there .
So, the error is probably the year and thus my error, not their memories.
It's wonderful you did this research! It reunited people. A miniature moment of World Peace ❤ ✌️ 🌎
You never cease to amaze me with you every last detail. Thanks for this touching story. What a waste of life so close to the end.
The quality of your research and presentations is exceptional. I am glad, I found this channel. Having a 10 months old daughter myself it is heartbreaking, that the fathers were never able to hold their children in their hands. I think it is important that during today´s wars we still keep stories like this one in mind. No matter how much the media demonises on party of a conflict, the people fighting also have family and loved ones.
This is beautiful 🙏🏻 man it’s exciting to see what your doing to restore the lost, broken but valuable memories ❤
Great video! Merci beaucoup for having the interest and passion for telling the stories of these men, their fate and highlighting stories from a front that might have otherwise been forgotten.
Wow! As a combat veteran, the response from the grandson gave me cold chills! What a wonderful family and out come! Great work Sir
I suppose family can look back at now because of all that's been written about that era. We can appreciate how different the world could've been if the Allies hadn't won. I also think that Thank God the Allies won so myself and my children could lead free lives.
@@juliaforsyth8332 Yeah, Europe would still be for Europeans.
@@davidb2206 Absolutely correct! 👍
@@juliaforsyth8332 You got to be kidding me. The war had nothing to do with your freedom other than letting bolshevikism go worldwide. The results are in and the wrong side clearly won the war. Look around
@davidb2206 No. Most Europeans would have been relegated to a lower class of humanity and enslaved to serve the "superior" Aryan race. Children born with the slightest defect would be euthanized. The Jews, Romanis, Gays, Jehovah Witnesses, people of Poland, Ukraine, people of differing views would all have been cruelly murderer. Is that how you see a pure Europe?
Fascinating story...very well researched.
This is one of the most interesting stories from WW2 I ever heard. Excellent research and just so many vibrant details that propel the story from 8 decades ago right into the present.
Wow, During this videos - What a conflict of emotions, for all parties . . . . . . .
Respect to all those
R.I.P. - Brave they've souls !
A beautifully researched and presented story which was deeply moving; THANK YOU!
How tragic the deaths on both sides. I can't help remember what Darrell "Shifty" Powers once said:
"We might have had a lot in common. He might've liked to fish, you know, he might've liked to hunt. Of course, they were doing what they were supposed to do, and I was doing what I was supposed to do but under different circumstances, we might have been good friends."
I really like your approach to these little vignettes of history. They are actually the big stories. your humanity enables the participants some closure. Thank you.
Excellent work as always, Jean-Loup.
This was a very touching story of lives lost from the view of opposing sides. Thank you.
Another brief time in history brought back to life as if it happened yesterday! Merci Jean Loup 👏🏻
Thank you for your tireless research, and for keeping history alive. Invaluable!
What a fascinating video and thank you so much for all the work you did, and for posting it. My grandfather fought in both world wars and my mother brought me up to hate the Germans but the older I get, I realise what a terrible mistake this was and when one starts to investigate the lives and families of these men one realises that the vast majority were not sadistic Nazis, but were ordinary conscripts with wives and families like us, and really had no choice but to do their duty when called up.
WOW. Kept those pictures all those years. Keep those things, folks. You never know when they can be used to close the loop on a human connection.
Amazing story. Thanks for sharing it with us and give some comfort to the family.
Fascinating, and a superb video & story once again. Thank you!
Thank u for recording this history before its for ever lost
a hell of a story, thanks for sharing.
Great doc bro. Very good look into the intersection of 2 lives and the aftermath ofbtheir random encounter. Lets you know how fleeting and unscripted life is
Thanks again Jean-Loup for a wonderful and also sad snapshot of the history of those days. Great work. =)
It just shows how random death can be in a war. Fantastic job with this story as it relates to the generational impact of war.
Genuinely heartbreaking, I'm glad the family has them now.
That was incredibly sad. What a waste it all was, on all sides. Fantastic video, thank you.
Dear Jean-Loup, another amazing, well researched and documented part of history. I had mixed emotions. My first thought was about the taking of photographs from a body. I thought that immensely sad and felt sorry those belongings weren't returned to his wife at the time. On the other hand, you have uncovered a story, a series of events of which, without the taking of the photographs and your work we would be unaware. Absolutely fascinating. Your book will, I think make a good addition to my small library.
Keep up the great work.
Thanks Paul. Taking photos was pretty common in WWII. I have a couple more cases that could make potential videos.
@@CrocodileTear If your previous work is anything to go by, they will make great viewing!
Powerful. Next-level history and content.
Thank you, but what does that mean?
Wow. So impressed with this whole Story. Thank you for all your hard work.
God Bless
What an interesting vignette from WW2! Thanks for making this video and sharing it.
Wow! Great detective work for an amazing video. Reading about past wars in history it's easy to forget that these were fought by people like you and me who had previous lives with families and a history of their own. You captured that! Well done. My Dad was in 62nd field artillery under Patton.
Very sad , but a truly heartfelt story - once again , great work and I hope to contact you soon about the SS helmet I have that is in winter white camo , and appears to be a automotive type paint and is named !
Great research and shows how devastating the cost of war is on a person-by-person basis for all sides. This gives some closure to both families that will last generations. May the Lord have mercy on all of us.
This story is particularly touching to me. I can't imagine the emotions of that soldier's family to get details of his death and to know who killed him. I come from a family with a member who went to Vietnam and didn't come back alive. All these years we wonder about the last moments of his life. Did he know that death was just a few moments away? Who was it that took aim at him and killed him and why him and not another? So many questions. But if we had all the answers, it still would not relieve our grief. I would not want to know who killed him. All I would want is to have him back. That's what I would imagine what that family felt. The answer is, what does it matter. His life was taken and he was taken from us. No details could ever erase that.
Did you ever try to contact members of your relative's unit? Get his army file? Get his unit history?
This loss in the families creates long-lasting trauma. The last words had been hard to swallow and made my heart feel heavy and weighed down, due to the told story and due to incidents in the wider range of the family and my own experience. Thanks for your interest in history and for showing the results to a broader public audience.
Absolutely incredible. Thank you SO much for your work.
I just subscribed your channel this morning and I went to check if this channel is still making videos and I see you've uploaded one while I have been watching! I love the WWII German stuff, great work man!
One should note how politely they speak to each other. If you cannot do the same, it is always best to keep your mouth closed.
15:40 a very nice example of the German script (that was abolished by the Nazis who wanted to use the Latin script)
What a friggen shame. Two ordinary guys With ordinary jobs, ordinary homes and Families forced to take fatal actions against one another for a selfish dictator, who eventually took his own miserable life. These two soldiers probably would have been best of friends providing they were neighbors. What a shame!
Thank you for this poignant story.
Very well-done historical documentary.
First rate research Jean-Loup, honestly your videos are an education and 100% better than any of the 'so called' history channels on mainstream TV. Its very interesting hearing the battle from both sides and how the veterans recollection of the incidents are clouded with time. I've made a note of your book title and I've an upcoming birthday so I'm going to buy it.....hopefully the royalties from my one purchase will enable you to buy a nice bottle of wine 🍷, cheers m8 and keep up the good work 😊😊😊
Thanks. I dont believe the royalties would even allow me to buy a bottle of the cheapest vinegar-wine 😄
@@CrocodileTeara piece of bread and a can of fruit ?
That's some really good research and telling the story of war from both sides, for me this tells the story of the futility of war, both men hero's but forced into it by Government's, the human race never learns from the past.
One heartwarming but sad story, highlighting the pointlessness of war. Fortunately kindness can be found in the midst of it all.