WWII German Mass Grave discovery - Exhumation, identification of bodies, causes of death
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 4 ก.ค. 2022
- A forgotten mass grave containing the bodies of 14 German soldiers was discovered by a local student in a forest near Villeneuve-Loubet, southern France, in 2006. The bodies were exhumed in colaboration with the German War Graves Commission. A long investigation then followed to find out who these soldiers were and the circumstances of their death. This video summerizes the results of the investigation and identification process.
The German soldiers were members of Reserve Grenadier Bataillon 372 who had been killed in combat against members of the First Special Service Force (Black Devil's Brigade, consiting of both American and Canadian soldiers) on August 26th 1944, with artillery support from the 602nd Pack Field Artillery Battalion.
All the events and people from this video can be found described in much greater detail in the book "Autopsy of a Battle, the Liberation of the French Riviera", by Jean-Loup Gassend. The book contains a report of the excavation, numerous first hand accounts of the battle by 1st Special Service Force veterans and local residents, as well as some German sources about the battle.
The author of this video is always searching for information, documents, photos, witnesses and witness accounts from Operation Dragoon and the fighting in the Cannes, Grasse and Nice area. If you have any information, please contact me at: jean-loup@gassend.com
For more information:
division148.blogspot.com/
autopsyofabattle.blogspot.com/
battlefieldarchaeology.blogsp...
We are still trying to contact the families of several of the soldiers found in this grave or who were present during the battle:
Allied
-Blackman Henry F 12183647 NY NY
-Bostrom Rodney W. 6858990 Vergas MN
-Boyle Walter B O-1175649 Sumter SC
-Brewster Jack H. 35012461 Ashtabula OH
-Crawford William H Passaic NJ
-Dodson Gerald L. 20734657 1915 Lyons Kansas
-Dyer Forrest L. 39384998 1917 Schatz Montana
-Erickson Carl 39025991 39025996 1906 Mammoth Utah
-Ibsen John H. 36368070 1912 Chicago IL
-Mothersell Don D. 20909552 Modesto CA
-Parker Maurice A 6154272 Lewiston Main
-Roach John D. 16125481 Detroit Mich
-Winchell Richard W. 32852974 Fort Anne Wash
Germans
-Konrad Blaschitsch / Blašić, 20.1.1926 in Gieshübl Klopce Slov. Bistrica
-Otto Forberger, 12.08.1925 in Kukele Zwittau
-Krafczyk Alois, 7.5.1926, Königshütte
-Josef Krzyzowski, 26.1.1925, Wyrow Kr Pless.
-Josef Lössl, 02.08.1909, Komotau / Raudnitz
-Hubert Pilch, 25.08.1926, Kattowitz
-Anton Kozik 1.1.1926 Kobielitz Pless
-Emil Prachowski / Praszowski 14.9.1919 Radlin Rybnik
-Josef Scholtyssek / Szoltysek 29.5.1926 Bismarckhütte
-Hauptmann Erich Heß 22.2.1901 Breslau
-Max Baron 31.3.1919 Ratibor
-Adolf Tann Tchorz 9.10.1912 Ostrosnitz
-Gerhard Pusch 15.10.1914 Sagan
-Otto Schöps 16.4.1914 Hartliebsdorf
-Norbert Negwer 7.10.1911 Ober-Neuland Neisse
-Hans Stange 10.8.1920 Oberhausen Düsseldorf
-Rudolf Werner 12.3.1914 Leimeritz Sud. Gau
-Siegfried Schön 17.7.1913 Johnsdorf Römerstadt
-Max Grehl 3.8.1912 Cosel
-Rudolf Danjek 30.7.1921 Söhle Neu-Ziethen
-Niedlich Hans 19.5.1893 Neusaltz Freistadt
Reserve Division 148, under General Otto Fretter-Pico, consisted of:
-Reserve Grenadier Regiment 8
-Reserve Grenadier Bataillon 7
-Reserve Jäger Bataillon 28
-Reserve Grenadier Bataillon 164
-Reserve Grenadier Regiment 239
-Reserve Grenadier Bataillon 327
-Reserve Grenadier Bataillon 372
-Reserve Grenadier Bataillon 444
-Ost Bataillon 661
A Crocodile Tear Productions documentary
World War II - Operation Dragoon anvil - Champagne Campaign - exhumation - helmets - identification tags - dog tags - battlefield archaeology - forensic archaology - forensic pathology -excavation - Wehrmacht - FSSF - 1st Special Service Force - First Airborne Task Force - metal detecting detector - digging - Invasion of southern France - 1939 - 1945 - Reserve Division 148 - Otto Fretter-Pico - General Robert T Frederick - anthropology - genealogy - ancestry - ID tags - Massengrab - Canadian army - American - Erkennungsmarken - First Special Service Force - Spearhead - The Devil's Brigade - The Black Devil's Brigade - 602nd Pack Field Artillery Battalion - D-Day Invasion - August 15th 1944 - forensic investigation - Cagnes sur Mer - Roquefort les Pins - Côte d'Azur - Villeneuve-Loubet - la Colle sur Loup - gunshot wounds - shrapnel fragment wounds - WWII - F. K. Robinson Vancouver 5-2 FSSF - forensic archaeology - 602nd Pack Field Artillery Battalion - problems with German ID tag coding - decoding identification tags - DNA identification - digging up - Katowice - Kattowitz - Regiment Schlesien - Silesia Poland - Volksbund - Bundesarchiv - WASt - German helmets - miliaria collection - glider troops - Grenadier Ersatz Bataillon - Gren.Ers.Btl.372 - Stamm.Kp.G.E.B.372 - oberstleutnant
There's another thing this research does that is very important to me and the work I do. WWII was so large in scale that it's hard to fully grasp. We talk about millions dead here, millions dead there, and, like Stalin said, we get lost in a soup of numbers. When we find these soldiers, we see their bones: they become real. We see the wounds on their bones and it's a story cemented in place. We see the helmets with holes in them lining up with the holes in some of the skulls and it really packs a punch. I work hard to make WWI and WWII personal so we know who these people were as people not statistics. We see the soldiers in pictures and then in the ground and the full impact of war (as best we can) is brought home. "I am this man, I had family, I died here." The day we stop crying for all the men/women/children who died, were maimed, were displaced, is the day we lose the most precious piece of our humanity. God bless you for making this. God bless all of you who share your stories!
❤thank you very much for the work that you all do. What a fascinating and sad tale that is brought to us through your amazing research. A south african fan.❤
The same can be said of WWI soldiers. My paternal great grandfather was listed missing in action at Ypres in October 1914 when his position was overrun by the Germans and his name appears as such on the Menin Gate.
My parents attended the Centenary Memorial of the battle and while there had a professional researcher go through records and he was found through German records in a German mass grave along with 2 others of his unit and 18 German soldiers uncovered in 1956 while rehabilitating fields for farming. The German and Belgian authorities overseeing the exhumation had his body and that of the two other men of his unit reburied in a Commonwealth graveyard. One was identified by his rank insignia while he and his companion were buried as unknown soldiers. It is known that he is one of the unknown soldiers due to the excellent records in German archives on the original burial for that particular battle and the further detailed recording carried out on the later exhumation.
His British service records had been destroyed during bombing in WWII.
It is thanks to people like you that families like mine can have closure after so long.
So many young men never got to grow old and experience life… so sad.
Hitler condemned his own people.
17... that's so young... That's still a kid, not even a young man :/ imo
Your content I believe is what something like TH-cam should’ve been intended for. This work you do will outlast any of us… you’re creating records of history that likely didn’t exist before.. I hope you take great pride in this.. you deserve it.
Bitte Deutsch sprechen
Not everyone speaks German. English are also appreciative of their work and have sympathy for the lost@@Gerhard-lb1vd
@@Gerhard-lb1vdThis is on English language YT. Not many German speakers around here.
@Gerhard-lb1vd
Sie sollten wie alle anderen im Internet einen Übersetzer verwenden, anstatt zu erwarten, dass die Leute Ihre Sprache sprechen.
As a U.S.Army Soldier myself and being overseas in these areas and seeing mass Graves in many places . All Soldiers deserve to be buried in a place of Honor and to be known where they rest for the family....or to also to be brought home to a family Cemetery...I commend and Salute you and the others who help bring these Soldiers home ....
Beautifully said.
thanks (from Fr)
Genocides.
Thank you for doing this. Soldiers that died in combat have to be handled with respect regardless of the army to which they belonged. A boy who dies at 17yo was truly not to blame for the conflict, but was a victim.
Işte Ben var ya ben bu savaşlardan nefret ediyorum boşu boşuna bu kadar insan öldü boşu boşuna bu kadar millet öldü bir sürü insan kemikleri bulundu Kim bilir daha bulunmayan bir sürü insan kemikleri var hep boşu boşuna öldüler Toprak için ya Toprak için savaştılar bilmem ne halen de savaşlar devam ediyor Biz ölürsek bile bu savaşlar Böylece devam edecek Yazık ya hepsi ana baba kuzuları yazık bir insan kolay mı Dünyaya Geliyor ya bir insana bakmak öyle kolay mı bir çocuğu büyütmek öyle kolay mı Ben Anne olduktan sonra anladım ya kim bilir ne zorluklarla Anneleri onları büyüttüler babalar onlar büyüttüler belki açlık bile çektiler kim bilir neler gördüler neler çektiler ya bakıyorum yazık günah ya hepsini Kurşun sıkılmış geçenlerde yine gösterdiler Bir askerin ya Kurşun sıkmışlar ayaklarına kemiklerinde hep Kurşun izleri ya bu insanlar mecbur mu mecbur mu bu ölmeye😢😢
Now the 17-year old boy is in Valhalla
@@user-ei8nz6xu1e be carefull , valhalla is another name for hell... the king of the earth is ah shatan the accusor. Untill the Son of man, Lord of lords and of hosts comes back...
@@YllmazDalgaSakin ol abla
@@frederickpile3599Your wrong on that account of Valhalla . look it Up Heaven ,Where all Good warriors go into the Hall of Hero’s
I respect you for your thorough research to have these brave soldiers identified and treated with dignity! Rest in peace!!
It's so tragic seeing the face of a 17 year old that died a day before turning 18. The other pictures showing how much a boy gets turned into an old man by 'seeing the elephant' is breathtaking. It reminds me of photos of American Civil War soldiers 'before' and 'after' in which you can see a marked difference of someone that lost their innocence by seeing things that would haunt them for the remainder of their days. As usual, great video and detective work.
Thank you for going the extra miles to make sure those you exhume are indentified.
This is just a wonderful study of an unknown soldier's burial - families have received information about their dead relatives.
You’re doing fantastic work. It’s heartbreaking to see these young boys used in war.
Silesians feel themselves as Silesians, not Poles. (similarly Basques or Catalans are not Spaniards and Bretons do not feel French). The Silesians live at home, that is in Silesia. They've always lived here. The fact that Silesia is now in Poland does not automatically make them Poles, but only citizens of the Polish state. In Silesia, every family knows who is a Pole, a German or a Jew (although most feel simply Silesian). They have long been fighting for official recognition of their ethnic identity and autonomy (this was promised to them after the First World War in exchange for joining the Polish state).
It was only after 2004 (after joining the European Union) that Poland had to agree to install in Silesia bilingual nameplates of towns (in Polish and German), but it has problem with such nameplates at Silesian railway stations. Silesians are also allowed to commemorate only those Silesians who opted for Poland (despite the fact that outstanding artists, engineers, poets, composers, all associated with the history of Germany, lived and worked here for half of millennium). The current government often accuses the Silesians of being so-called "V column" and "hidden German option" (i.e. potential traitors to Poland). The Poles cannot forgive them not only for the fact that the ancestors of the Silesians served in the Wehrmacht or the SS, but also that they previously fought alongside the Prussians (especially Frederick the Great) and that in the Middle Ages they fought on the side of the HRE Emperor and the Teutonic Order. This justifies the refusal to recognize their autonomy.
Recently, government subsidies for Silesian schools have been suspended, so that the German language is not taught there (other minorities, Russians, Ukrainians, Lithuanians and Jews, and even Gypsies have no problem with such subsidies and can freely teach their own languages and dialects).
Also the local Silesian dialect (similar to Polish and Czech with German elements) is not welcomed and ridiculed. According to the current government, there is no such thing as Silesians, there are only Poles.
As far as surnames are concerned, they do not indicate national affiliation. It should be remembered that in the Middle Ages there were no surnames, these began to appear only in the eighteenth century and originated from occupations, local geographical places, nicknames , etc. In a multicultural and multilingual area (located on the border of Poland, Germany, Czechia and Galicia) the surnames were specific and reflected the complex history of this region. So, there are ethnic Poles with purely German surnames and vice versa. In Silesia, the larges group of surnames come from the local Silesian dialect.
Tacitus wrote that in the first century Silesia was inhabited by a multi-ethnic league dominated by the Germanic tribe Lugii, and Vandals and also the Silingi- hence the Indo-European prefix "SIL" appearing in the name of Silesia) Later some Slavic tribes came, hence the separateness of Silesia and its slowly Slavization.(Historically, Silesia was separate from Poland).
The current language of eastern (Upper) Silesia is a mixture of Polish and Czech with German elements. The language of central (Opole) and western (Lower) Silesia was a collection of entirely German dialects with Slavic elements (after World War II, all these dialects died out, over 98% of the population was forced to move to Germany, only Upper Silesians remained, because after WWI they agreed to join their territories to Poland).
The issue of serving in Hitler's army was a cause for shame and discrimination against Silesians (for obvious reasons - the great crimes of the Nazis during the war) - especially in the communist era. So many Silesians hid it or cut themselves off from this "German" past. (In Poland until today there is a proverb "Slazacy nie Polacy" - "Silesians are not Poles"). Admitting that someone feels German required more courage than admitting (in a strongly Catholic country like Poland) that someone feels gay. Nevertheless, it is in Silesia that the largest group of Poles who admit to German origin live, the overwhelming majority of the rest consider themselves as Silesians (data from the last census) - although they fully recognize Polish statehood and do not seek to separate Silesia from Poland. (It's just about the autonomy they were promised).
Besides, the Nazis started recruiting true Polish volunteers only in the second half of 1944, out of desperation. They knew that the Poles feared the Soviets and were ready to offer them anything in exchange for slowing down the Soviet offensive. They only managed to recruit less than 10,000 (but only to fight on Polish soil), which did not change anything. Most of them deserted anyway. During the war, Poles collaborating with the German army were sentenced to death by the Polish resistance movement. So-called Volksdeutsche were considered traitors and socially excluded. In Silesia, the situation was different.
It feels good that those people are found and not forgotten after all those years
Finding dead nazis is the best bro I agree.
RIP to all soldiers who died in WW2 🙏
Fantastic work mate, as a ex soldier myself, the very least every service man or woman deserves is to be identified and give a proper burial no mater their nationality..well done again dude...keep up the excellent work!
My uncle was lost over Anzio never to be seen again, all these years later I can still see the tears
In Italia curiamo e rispettiamo i morti di wualunque paese😢❤
He was murdered by the American commanding General. The Americans landing unopposed. There was not a German soldier between the beach and Rome by the General refused to move forward. He gave the Germans time to organize and attack.
Wasn't till I started to watch your videos that I realized how deadly shrapnel really was in war and actually seeing the trauma it caused really drives it home
It is horrible stuff usually causing around 80% or so of the casualties.
I noticed in quite a bit of your videos that majority seem to be from shrapnel.
It blows my mind how long it took for simple steel helmets to be replaced with something that provided more protection and how even these were an improvement for many countries after world war 1.
Same here. I was amazed at how deadly shrapnel actually is.
@@MrNobody-bv4ec You are lucky that your mind was only blown in a symbolic way.
Many of the soldiers had their minds blown physically by these shrapnel fragments.
Really eye opening.
You’re a saint sir for locating these missing soldiers and bringing them home. Your videos and research put into them is amazing. God bless you.
Thank you very much for your research. Those killed in the war were not forgotten but as you have shown they were brothers and fathers not nameless entities. Most interesting video!
such a sad labour...you're gracious to undertake it...mille mercis, copain
But for having had rheumatic fever as a teenager, any one of these men could have been my father, And I would not have been born, luckily for me, in a great country, Canada. How absolutely tragic that they lost their Ives and, for some of them, even their identities, all for the ‘glory’ of war. Thank you for all the videos you make, you give form to something that is passing out of living memory, something that many of us alive now have no idea how horrible and brutal the experience of war is. May even the unidentified be remembered for their sacrifice, albeit in a false cause. War is hell, something we should never forget. You help us remember, and I hope you never lose your passion for showing the world what war is really like. Many thanks to you for your time and energy spent bringing these men home after so many decades. ❤️
Thank you for your detective work bringing back loved ones and giving closure to relatives. My grandfather was from Annaberg Silesia and fought in that war but somehow survived. This could easily have been him in one of these graves but we got to keep him until his 94th birthday.
Tobias, "This could easily have been my then soldier grandfather, but we got to keep him until his 94th birthday".
I am almost sure you don't mean what you're saying (?)
??? . . .
Amazing research and video. I did not know there were so many unmarked burials. In hindsight, that is a little naive of me. Your research and exhumations give recognition to these men, even if unidentified. It’s like saying « We see you. You were here. You are human »
German alone lost about 4000000 soldiers. In summer of 44 the lost alone more than 1000000 and in march 45 1000000 in Poland. I don't know how many of them had just been put in an unmarked grave if they get any grave. But I guess that the russians in advance didn't put to much effort in that. Next interviews with soldiers having this job reveals that not all of them were interested in finding dogtags or wallets to identify the body because sometimes the body was such in a mess that it was to discusting to check the body. I know for sure that germans soldiers regarding russians soldiers find then underhuman and often didn't care at all. So I guess there in total will be at least 1000000 - 2000000 unmarked graves in europe alone. Then there is the asian areas...
What a marvellous job you did the whole team… bringing those soldiers out and identify them giving them a proper burial but most of it… informing the loved ones that they fallen relative have been found… ahhh I watched this video with such a satisfaction and happiness within myself that no matter where they come from we must never ever forget them… CONGRATULATIONS to each and everyone who worked hard to put this together…🙏
Amazing video. I subscribed as a result. I am a retired police officer and amazed at the amount of investigative work you did. Thank you. I am very interested in history and videos such as this.
The futility of war so many young lives taken, i thank you for the time and research that you did, you brought these young men back to life, thank you.
Thank you very much for bringing closure to the families and burying the soldiers with honor.
I used to live in a small town south of Chicago named Frankfort that had a great German restaurant. A WWII German sailor, who's name escapes me, knew the owner well. The bar was decorated with WWII German period firearms, photos, and military decorations. The sailor was on the Bismarck when it sunk and as a result a few weeks later his parents received a letter notifying them of his death. Obviously he was one of the 200 or so fished out of the water. When walking into the restaurant there was a glass case with an 8 x 10 black and white photos of the Bismarck, the sailor, and a photo copy of the letter sent to his parents advising of his death. On some Sundays he would come to the restaurant for lunch and sign photographs he would provide of his ship. Those who came to see him would talk with him and leave him 5 or 10 bucks.
Interesting. Please tell us if you remember his name
You are a man of honor, along with those who assist you in bringing PEOPLE home to there families.
Clearing up facts and resolving fiction.
Being the grand child of ww2 dutch soldier, my Opa served in the 113 infantry.
I dont have any stores of his service.
Although he and my Oma part of the dutch underground .
And lived through it, till bringing my father and his siblings to the US in 1957.
I hope many people watch and learn the value of what do, shair, guide and teach.
Blessings to you and families whom you assist in answering what Happened.
My grandpa was in the Korean war and sometimes late at night he would sneak into the living room where us grandkids were watching MTV, underneath covers on the couch and we'd have to yell for grandma "GRAMMA! GRAMPA IS ROLLING ON THE FLOOR LIKE HES HUNTING US WITH A RIFLE!!" she came running yelling at him "Go back to bed, the wars over". It was frightening and a strange memory but just imagine how he felt. RIP Bertrum St. Elmo Smith of Muskegon Michigan. Unfortunately he became a drunk and eventually was hit by 2 cars as he walked back from the liquor store.
Really terrifying that these things haunt you for life.
My step grandfather (still alive and had his 87th birthday this week) in russia had to live through german occupation as a kid and often told me about the hunger he experienced. Even to this day 80 years later he has a habit of hiding food. These mental scars haunt you for life.
Many years after WWII I discovered how much detail exists to document that war within USA archives. Frankly, I had no idea how much they saved. As organized as the Germans were I would be surprised if they didn’t have records, as well. This is a tremendous amount of work, but you should have great satisfaction that you have provided closure for several families. Thank you for your work.
Thank you for your outstanding work and dedication to the humanity of the dead. Being an American artilleryman it was of great interest to me that this grave contained mostly those killed by shrapnel. Artillery the world over is known as the King of Battle due to the fact that most casualties in recent warfare (in the last 275 years or so) have been from artillery.
My Grandfather's unit was here Thank you for posting this. Interesting to see where he was at yet at the same time sad to see what War does to people
Outstanding work, especially for the families of those killed.
As an American who's father was in WWII in '45... he never talked about the war... as a teenager I read many books about the German atrocities and would not have cared if none of them had survived... but I never thought of those "Unknowns"... I watched your entire video and honestly respect your efforts to identify and reunite them with their families... it was a difficult time for many as ALL WARS are... I found it interesting and sad how much that one young soldier had aged in just 2 years... I was in the Navy during the Viet Nam conflict and there must have been thousands of NVA that never returned home and were never identified or found...
you are a truly wonderful person .
Incredibly interesting and makes them live again . I was a soldier in 1970 in VN. I still think about it all the time .
After watching one of your other recent uploads it saddens me to think just how many of these poor souls have not been identified or even misidentified.
Such amazing research! Body 1 & 4 are so haunting, smiling carefree photographs with the fascinating backstory juxtaposed with the tragic remains left in an otherwise unmarked pit grave. I wonder about the survivors did they ever think of returning to collect their comrades, seek them out or mark their resting place
The Germans pulled out and lost numerous prisonners. It wasnt clear who had died and who had survived. I have since found out that the company commader of the 7th Co Btl 372 wrongly listed 4 other soldiers as dead on that day, but who were in fact POWs, like the Alois Wühr case shown in the video.
The bodies were buried by local civilians and to my knowleadge no German soldiers or POWs ever came back to the area to try to mark the grave. The family of Franz Guder/Ficker did come back looking for the body after the war, but were not told about the grave by the people they met at Villeneuve.
In any case, this was a training unit of soldiers mostly from Poland, so there was very little "esprit de corps".
You sir are a remarkable man..I'm an American that served in the US Army during The Gulf War era..This is important work you do..Thank you
Nothing short of fantastic work, I salute you.
Super recherchiert ! Unglaublich ! Absolut Top-Arbeit ! Danke !
When you look at the description, almost all the soldiers buried here are from the eastern areas of Germany which are now part of Poland, or from the Sudetenland in what is now the Czech Republic. That's crazy and sad. RIP Helden.
Your effort, I’m sure, is very greatly appreciated by families.
So awful that so many young men passed away far too early.
Knowing the whereabouts of a lost family member can be enormously important for some people. The work you do could have tremendous value socially and historically. I know of people who are personally affected, and knowing what happened is a huge life event.
Whermact ID disks were initially made from corrosion resistant aluminum, but as the war progressed, non ferrous metals like aluminum become much more critical to war production, so late in the war they used cheaper and more plentiful material like iron and steel, thus the illegible disks.
Very interesting historical information showing how violent war is and how so many young men died fighting this war.
It has to be rewarding to be able to give families closure after all of these years.
Thanks for sharing the results of your work.
What a tremendous service you provide the world.
I can not begin to understand how in the year 2023 this madness of war still goes on in Europe and around the world. Your work should be proof that kinetic warfare should be outlawed for good.
An investigation for an unmarked WW2 German grave has no business being THIS detailed and painstakingly good!!
Hats off to you sir for bringing this piece of history back to life. Keep it up.
Fantastic job! This is true history...I have to say what you are doing for these souls is unmeasurable and top notch research!
Very interesting! I cannot imagine how those young boys deaths affected their families. My son's are those ages. Unimaginable! This discovery speaks volumes. What brave men.
❤️❤️❤️ thank you for not forgetting all this man's... I was born on 1975..I been had a dreams about the war...since I had 5... interesting about where's all the body..see a few documentary,then movies and now videos...the are lot job but beautiful to know then people like you try to find them ❤️🙏🏻
Very informative. Researching must have been exhausting. Closure is important, so I can only imagine how grateful these deceased soldiers' relatives were.
You did an amazing job identifying those soldiers....
Thank you for doing this. It was very interesting and so sad as well. Glad that some families could get some closure.
I just wanted to say thank you!!!
Because you were listening,
you’ve given many loved ones closer! And answers! hopefully the dead some peace!
Thank you for your hard work and persistence in recovering and identifying these men!
I really appreciate the work it must have taken to get these results. I believe anything we learn about those who came before us is worth the time. Thank you-
Only Upper Silesia belonged to Poland between the First and Second World Wars and had a mixed German and Polish population. Excellent detective work.
I am affraid my detective work was substandard regarding Silesia.
And when we see a soldier in a German uniform, we assume German. Work like this reminds people that every military is made of many ethnicities. German-clad soldiers like these men reiterate the use of conscripted men/boys that were not ethnic Germans. This is where WWII really gets personal in this video. We have a name, a photograph, a story of a 17 year old boy in a man's uniform, taken from Poland and sent to France where he died fighting for a country that enslaved his nation, dying in a war that ultimately liberated his nation, his family. What did he think about that as his unit roared west? What were his last thoughts? This research is one more step closer to healing some of the wounds of war.
Most interesting thing I've watched for a while, great work I can't believe they were able to figure exactly who they were and how they died and puttin that jigsaw skull puzzle back together at all blows my mind!!!
Lucky for you, your mind was only blown metaphorically, unlike that guy with the jigsaw puzzle skull
Excellent presentation. Thank you fir the sharing of information
Little correction: Silesia was German already before the war except a part of Upper Silesia which became Polish after the First World War. The German parts of Silesia were annexed by the Poles after the war and its German population was deported. My mother was from Silesia and her whole family had to leave their home in 1946. Otherwise thank you for your work! Much appreciated!
Hi. Lets say we are both right. One of the soldiers came from Kattowitz, which was retaken by Germany in 1939: de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katowice
@@CrocodileTear However, to be in the army he had to have some German family ancestry (and be classified as Reichsdeutsch or Volksdeutsch). Descendants of German settlers lived throughout all Central and Eastern Europe and the Balkans.
@@charlesgrant-skiba5474 How do you define "German ancestry" when Germany was not even 100 years old at the time?
As far as I know the residents of areas annexed by Germany were considered German wether they liked it or not (and except with exceptions such as people the Germans didnt like).
In Reserve Division 148, that the soldiers in this video were from, the survivors and POWs clearly said that "70% of the soldiers are Polish" and that many dont speak German. Many POWs of the Division later served in the Free Polish Forces.
@@CrocodileTear Dear Friend, the fact that the modern history of Germany is usually counted from 1871 (when the second German Empire was created - this time without Austria, there was the so-called Lesser German option, the connection with Austria was called the Greater German option - this is what Hitler later called his country - Greater German Reich), doesn't mean Germany didn't exist before. The old German statehood dates back to 843 and started with the Treaty of Verdun - when the eastern Germanic Frankish state separated from the western part (later France). From this arose the Holy Roman Empire (962) which was a German state (despite the misleading name) and continued (at least theoretically) the traditions of the ancient Western Roman Empire (the Eastern Roman Empire was called Byzantium). In the fifteenth century, the name of this state was changed to the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation. The highest authority in this State (in theory) was the Emperor, who also always bore the title: King of Germany. This German state union also included other countries, such as the Kingdom of Bohemia, the Duchy of Moravia, the Duchies of Pomerania and also multiple duchies of Silesia (even some Italian Duchies, the Netherlands, etc. also were part of this Empire). Many of these lands separated over time (eg, Switzerland, Luxemburg), others changed affiliation (eg, Alsace, Lorraine). The German state was commonly called the Reich, because it consisted of many subordinate countries (medieval feudal hierarchy). Other European states had a different system of government - with one monarch concentrating all the power and one capital). The Reich had a different political structure (on top the Emperor, later Kings, Princes, Prince-Bishops, Counts, Free Cities, Hanseatic Cities - all interconnected, however, without a central authority and without a one capital city. The Emperor had limited powers and ruled fully only over the so-called Imperial Cities and over the Jews inhabited in the Reich). Many of the Habsburg emperors do not like such limited power and so they slowly began to accumulate some lands for themselves, which became a separate Empire - Austria). This lasted until 1806, when the victorious Napoleon liquidated this outdated country and created the so-called German Union. Later, Prussia led the rebellion against Napoleon and after many fights with many countries united most of the German lands (including Silesia and Pomerania) from which the modern German state was created in XIX century (although, as a punishment after World War II, Germany was divided and lost it many former historical territories, such as Silesia, Pomerania or East Prussia). In these areas, German settlers had lived for centuries and the population mixed with each other. You can also talk about modern Germany counting only from the unification in 1990, but this does not mean that there was no German statehood before. So, in many modern European countries people have German (Austrian) ancestors.
@@charlesgrant-skiba5474 What I am saying mate, is that the notion of nationality can be very vague, particularly at time periods when people barely had ID papes, lived in empires or regions that regularly changed hands, and spoke local dialects.
For these soldiers, many had polish names, spoke poor German, and their families are in Poland nowadays. That, to me, means is a sign they were more Polish than German, just like the conscripts from Alsace-Lorraine.
You are to be commended for your incredible dedication to finding all these young soldiers identity's !
My grandfather fought with the 45th Thunderbirds Infantry Division. I overheard him telling his war experiences to an uncle. He said that many captured German prisoners never made past the "company cooks." He told my uncle that the cooks would execute them. My grandfather said both sides killed prisoners...
I dont think this happened at all as often as people think.
Did you mean kooks instead of cooks?
Sir, you are an excellent historical researcher, and humanitarian. Thank for producing & sharing these video of your work.
Congratulations on your determination and thoroughness. A remarkable saga involving the dead and their living relatives.
Fascinating and moving documentary! Good work!
Thank you for your humanity and diligence.
Fascinating. Thanks for you diligent research and interesting information. War is hell!
Absolutely incredible, thank you for the work that you do!
Vă felicit pentru toată munca ce o depuneți, sunteți adevărați oameni 🙏🙏🙏 !!!!
23 years old in 1944. So long ago.
Never to grow old....
So many thousands on both sides.
Such tremendous and important work. Great video.
You my friend are a great person, appreciate all your hard work and going the extra mile!
Always enjoy your videos..
Great work! Sudetenland and greater Silesia are not within the borders of post-WWII Germany, but were in 1944.
Those fools posing with dead bodies of German soldiers make my blood boil.complete idiots.thank you for digging them up finding the bodies and bury the soldiers.for you guys low bow of respect
Fine work you did here sir. I'm sure the families of the soldiers were grateful.
Great vid mate,I love it that people like you're self are trying to and are finding lost soldiers,its a great thing as there ancestors finally know what happened to them
Fantastic! Though enemies of US troops. They also had families, loved, ones, and a life. All stories that needed telling. Thank you to you and your mates.
Another great video! This gives the final chapter of what happened
It is impossible to picture the unimaginable horror those young men endured as they each fell, one by one. Hell, by any definition. And still the madness continues, today. Thank you for your superb endeavours.
So glad I found this channel.
'Just visiting this planet' is a statement on T-shirt that I once bought. So true. But sometimes our visit is very short or rather: cut short..😢
Absolutely fascinating.
It just shows how easy it was to misidenttify bodies , especially in the chaos of battle.
Two things. I stand in awe of your efforts, its matters no more but to the families and a lot to them. 2nd thing. Dont trust your helmet just keep your head down. Thanks
Always fascinating, thank you for the video
Amazing work sir but damn their ages 18,22,19,23 it’s so sad didn’t even get a chance to live I hate war
May God Bless you for your good work, Sir.
You do great work. Thank you.
Oooo waking up and seeing a new video 🥰 thank you
Cher Jean-Loup, incredible work you are doing, you deserve a lot of credit. Very impressive your fair and exact comments and discriptions, the way you are ready to go on your research for the benefit of the dead and their family members. Even more striking and even bewildering that you seem to forget that Germany was much bigger before 1945 compared to nowadays. Selesia for example was never annexed by (NAzi-) Germany on the cost of Poland, rather vice versa (after 1945). Could well be, that the Selesian Soldiers came from a part of Upper Selesia that was taken "Heim ins Reich" after being lost after WWI. Judging from their first names, they were either 'normal' Germans or 'Volksdeutsche' from parts, that had been lost to Poland or ever had been Polish. Complicate history in this region .... While almost all (remaining) Germans previously inhabitating Lower Selisia were expelled, many Germans from Upper Selesia were allowed to remain for two main reasons: heavy intertwinning with Polish Silesians and/or miners, that were needed to carry on with the mines. You seem to have stambled over such a family.
There still exists a large German minority in Upper Selesia, some very famous former members of the German national soccer team came from there.
This was my second video I saw from you, curious for more! Et encore une fois: très bon travail! Merci beaucoup!
Part of Upper Silesia was annexed by Germany in 1939. I wasnt aware that other parts had remained German after 1918, until people commented here about my partial mistake.
A brilliant job. These guys were mostly like the Allies. Young men, conscripted by their Country, ultimately to die in a foreign land. Well done for restoring them to their families.
Absolutely fascinating and very moving. Your research and efforts to remember all these young men is ve3ry commendable. 'Lest we Forget'.
I love your videos because people need to remember how horrible these wars were. These bodies were mostly young men also. 17 to 30 maybe. Mostly 17- early 20s. There's so many dead that were literally just lost
Very good work brings back the sad history of this poor young man...
I’m American so sad these young men died in such a brutal way my father was in Vietnam and will not speak about it so sad and here we go again with the Russian Ukraine war when will we learn thank you for your efforts to find lost souls god bless you
Excellent work, very thorough, and fulfilling, glad to see you didn't give up, when running into adversity, Thank you for your work!!
Starts with the Mozart Requiem one of my favorite requiems. I have song it many times as a first tenor. Appropriate way to begin this mass grave.
Top notch sir! Thank you for sharing this. Very intriguing stuff.👍
Thank you for your work
Excellent vid. Your work is very important. Thank you.
Danke für Eure unermüdliche Arbeit um die Gefallenen nach "Hause" zu bringen! Best Regread´s from Germany! 😇😇😇😇😇
Fantastic detective work and really interesting video. I'm pleased for the families who've been reunited with their loved one's. They were just boys. RIP.