BAND OF BROTHERS | The UPOTTERY D-Day Airfield | Normandy WW2
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 20 ก.ย. 2024
- Inside abandoned control towers and USAAF buildings this video sets the scene for the MASTERS OF THE AIR series.
Upottery is the airfield where 506th PIR 101st Airborne set off from England to invade German occupied France. We visit the runway, the buildings still on the airfield and get inside the control tower that overlooked this momentous occasion for Easy Company, the unit made famous by the book and HBO miniseries Band of Brothers.
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#tactical #guns #military #history #british #army #soldier #ww2 #usa #history #hellletloose #veteran #mastersoftheair #usaaf
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That was an amazing virtual tour, thank you. When I see these places, my mind jumps to those men and the night before the big jump. The juxtaposition of excitement, fear and anxiety. The anticipation for that which they had been training so hard, I can't imagine. The greatest generation.
You are most welcome and thank you for the very kind comment
palayn hutto ynna@@thehistoryexplorer
Great video, we visited Upottery on our Wiltshire tour and the owner of the airfield saw us in the campervan parked next to the runway taking photos and he said "would you like to take a drive along the runway?"
I replied "are we allowed?"
He said "of course, I own it!"
So we got to drive up and down the length of the runway and picture to ourselves what it possibly felt like to leave the soil of home and never to return.
I filmed my experience and put it on my channel and I enjoy looking back on this massive historical moment
"lest we forget"
I've never been able to visit any Real World War II sites so this channel is such a blessing
I’m so glad you enjoyed it. You’ve made my day 👍
We have visited this air field twice..both times with permission..The second time we went there was a massive anti aircraft gun by one of the gates.The guy who let us through said "Oh they left that there" I dont know why but I didnt ask who "they" were...We found it a very moving place indeed, especially when we walked around the old barracks and the other outbuildings..You can almost feel the presence of the airmen around you.
If you stand in the control tower in silence you can hear the hustle and bustle of times past going on around you.
Thank you for posting this video I really enjoyed it and it..saves us going back again this 😀
Ha! I know exactly what you mean. So glad you enjoyed the video. I have many more coming from airfields in east Anglia
Hi I do Airfield Tours of Upottery Aiefield
@@davidbunney201 /
Can I hire you to show my son and I around? We’ll hopefully be there in 2 weeks
Many thanks for the airfield tour. It is very important to remember those who departed from those airfields who fought for the freedom we enjoy today. Those Orlit prefabricated buildings were common on RAF Stations up until the 1990s and on some Stations I stayed in them as they were used as an Officer's Mess
Wow really?! That’s interesting. There are lots of these buildings still in East Anglia
@@thehistoryexplorer Where those buildings are present there will have been an RAF or USAAF site in the 1940s
Eerie feeling watching this and knowing how many never returned. That runway was as close as they would ever again be to home. All of the Allied forces in every branch were courageous, but I think it took an added measure of courage for these guys - first of all knowing that they might be shot out of the sky and secondly knowing that when they got down they would be surrounded by enemy and that their only hope of survival depended upon the success of the beach landings.
It takes a special type of person to do what they did
That was like being there. I always feel so sad when I see abandoned airfields and the like. The empty echoes of rooms no longer used,silenced by time and committed to memory. I appreciate and thank you for your great content and I shall eagerly await the next trip.. 🏴
Thank you so much, I really appreciate your kind feedback
My sentiments exactly. Well put
Well stated and you are not alone in your feelings about these relics. Great video. Cheers from Texas.
Thank you for posting and keeping the history and memories alive. Truly the Greatest Generation. Cheers from Texas.
💯 spent over night at Syston near Leicester on my own .very creepy walking around at night think the poles were stationed their
Absolutely stunning visuals...they're incredibly atmospheric places.
As I said many times (didn’t realise I said it so often!) the light was brilliant at that time of day. It looked so nice
From Egypt, I extend my salute and glory to these soldiers who sacrificed for freedom.. Thank you 🙏
Thank you my friend
@@thehistoryexplorer You're welcome my friend
A brilliant video. I have visited and stood on the tarmac - very moving. I envy you having access to the buildings. The Heritage Centre is worth visiting and the guides are very knowledgable. 👍👍👍
I tried to go there but it was closed at the time- mid winter. I will definitely try and go back
if the rest of the series is like this it will be well worth the watch. What a channel
Oh my word! That made me chuckle! I think you are very brave that place is spooky!
Ha! Yeh I was a bit
Marvellous Rob. That was great fun. You've got a real skill and thank you for sharing
Thank you very much!
Brilliant video Rob! Thanks for showing this living history. Would be great to restore those buildings if ever the chance.
Thank you very much! Yes I agree, they are privately owned and used for agricultural purposes though
That was bloody brilliant! Cannot wait for the next instalment
Next one is out next Friday my friend. Thorpe Abbotts- home of the 100th
Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. I’ll be sharing this.
Thank you so much. Really appreciate the positive feedback
One has got to watch the the original 1949 film Twelve O 'Clock High (starring Gregory Peck) about just this....the abandoned WW2 Bomber Airbase bringing back memories. Such a heartwarming film and full of the "I used to be there" recollections at the beginning that draw you in to the movie that then segues in to real time (in the past). The end of the movie brings one back to the present for a nice ending. Full of genuine WW2 camera footage this is a real movie . 12 out of 10 recommend.
I believe they used original airframes to film the footage but I’m not sure how much is from war footage. I watched a show on it but I can’t recall all the details
Fantastic video, some great history there, we owe all of them a great debt and should never forget their sacrifice
Thanks for the kind feedback. Much appreciated
I’m surprised the landowner you were speaking to in your video didn’t mention that he has been trying to develop all those buildings into luxury housing for the last three years. A number of us have been fighting the planning application and, miraculously, he finally withdrew his application last month!
Why would he tell me that? He owns the land and it is his prerogative to do with it as he wishes. Certainly no requirement to tell a stranger of his plans
Loved the control Tower the two Toilets one for officers and for Other Ranks nothing changes in time really good video well done
Thank you Jeff so glad you enjoyed it
From the UK I've had a long interest with the paratrooper's after having a past life regression, i recall fragments of memories being in the US seeing my house as i left and walking down a street with palm trees an seeing people pass me by in the clothes of that time. My final moments in that regression brought me to standing on the crest of a hill firing at an APC behind a hedgerow, i was firing a Thompson and a soldier appeared on my left side firing a garand rifle an as we was shooting a huge arc of soil exploded into the air between us, i saw him knocked back an i flew backwards seeing the sky above. After a moment I recall trying to sit up in the grass and seeing my left leg gone above the knee and my right leg was gone half way up the shin bone. I remember hearing a German shouting and screaming in pain behind the hedgerow and I turned to crawl away from the area, i saw a cobblestone wall ahead an a tree blowing in the wind an the blue skies behind with few cloud's. After crawling so far forward everything went black, i had this experience 12 years ago and it hasn't left me since an it's what's driven me to learn about the history of what happened during the war.
I call 🐂💩
I live just below the Blackdowns and know of the airfield, but not its history! Thanks for the information!
Thanks for watching!
I recently finished reading Master of The Air & it was excellent. Just watched the first couple of episodes and they were good as well. While we didn't have anyone in the Air Corp in WWII we did have a couple of family members in the Navy & USMC. I feel truly fortunate to have heard their stories first hand. We also had family members serve in WWI, Korea, Vietnam, & The Cold War. FLY NAVY!!!
I’m reading that book at the moment too and I watched the first couple episodes. I hope you’ll come back for my visits to the Masters of the air locations!
Would certainly like to see those locations when you get them posted. My father in law joined the Navy on 12/8/41 at 16. He was a torpedo man in the destroyer escort fleet. By early 1942 he was doing convoy duty in the North Atlantic. Made 37 passages through the canal seeing Naval combat in both the Atlantic & Pacific theaters. I feel truly fortunate to have heard his stories first hand. FLY NAVY!!! @@thehistoryexplorer
What a fascinating video and I imagine that there are more unseen inhabitants of the control tower...Old, abandoned airfields retain unique and poignant atmospheres, especially at dusk...
Yes I completely agree! I had no idea I’d find it all so interesting. I have a full series of videos coming up from airfields in east Anglia
Wonderful! My mother's first fiance was a WOp with 49 Sqn based at RAF Fiskerton. Sadly, he and the rest of the crew of Lancaster JB701 EA G for George were shot down on 29th July 1944 returning from a raid on Stuttgart. The crew are buried in St Martin-sur-Oreuse which is a CWG. You can search for JB701 and see how the local French community built a new memorial to the crew five years ago. I hope to visit the Fiskerton memorial this July to commemorate the 80th anniverary of the crash. I also have the original photograph of the crew with a pencil inscription on the back of it which my mother kept in her wallet until she died...Her fiance was just one of the nearly 58,000 men who died serving with Bomber Command. No wonder these old airfields reasonate with atmospheres! Thanks and best! @@thehistoryexplorer
@@suepalin9202what an interesting story! Thank you for sharing
I enjoyed watching this a lot, thank you! Much appreciated 😊
Glad you enjoyed it! Lots more to come
When you visit sites like these, you must feel overwhelmed knowing the history that happened there.
Always. It’s why I love it so much
Brilliantly done Sir.
Subscribed
Welcome aboard and thank you!
Your videos are incredible! Lots of information and historical details with serious research! Thank you very much!
Glad you like them!
Great video! But it is such a shame that those buildings have been left to rot! They are, after all worthy of preservation, considering their history.
There were so many airfields handed back to land owners after the war and people had to crack on with their lives. It’s only
In the last 20 years or so organisations have tried to refurbish some locations
@@thehistoryexplorer It is sad to see ruins which once meant so much to those who flew and fought from them. Many years ago (I was 14 now I'm 71) we were on holiday in Dorset and my parents took us to RAF Warmwell. It was 20 years after the war ended but I think they both somehow expected the vibrant airfield they remembered. There was nothing but a large grass field, a few decaying Nissen huts and some abandoned farm machinery. I could almost see my father deflate as the dream died. He rarely talked about the war but both he (Flt Lt T.C. 'Nick' Carter) and my mum (LACW Joy Knight) served and I will forever be immensely proud of both of them.
👋 hey , iam watching masters of the airs, and its amazing so far now.
So glad you’re enjoying it! Not as many people are watching it as they had hoped
You must come and visit us at the heritage center dedicated to the Airfield and 101st Airborne that’s situated nearby , we reopen on Easter Friday . I’m lucky enough to volunteer there and can often be seen tootling around the airfield area in my Willys Jeep :) , it’s a very special place , hallowed ground .
Sounds great! It was closed when I visited but I would love to come by. It’s a beautiful place.
@@thehistoryexplorer we close at the end of October and reopen Easter Friday . You are most welcome
Thank you for this video, very impressive 👍🇬🇧❤️🇺🇲
You are most welcome!
Thank you.
You are most welcome. I hope you enjoyed it
Incredible vid! TY!
My Gramps was AAF, B17 Engineer. MSgt.(8th/12th/15th 301st BG 419thSQ)
Much respect. I’m so glad you enjoyed the video
Incredible video mate, I dream of being there one day and this has just made me more desperate to go👍🏻
You should! But choose a day with good weather, it can be quite exposed there. Thanks for the positive feedback
OUTSTANDING VIDEO!!!
Thank you so much mate. Really appreciate the feedback
In the early 80s while stationed in Germany we flew over to Biggin Hill. In spite of being aware of the massive build up in England during WW2, I was amazed at the number and density of the WW2 airfields we observed. Everywhere you looked there was an airfield.
Absolutely. I’m pretty sure there were 100 or so built during ww2
Near to where I live is an airfield that SOE agents took off for their missions in occupied France from. The building where they were issued their radio equipment etc is still standing. There is information about some of them. Very interesting, these people were very brave.
That’s interesting, where is that?
@@thehistoryexplorer It was called Tempsford Airfield in Central Bedfordshire. I believe it’s on the OS map still as an airfield.
Great work 🫡
Thank you buddy. Much appreciated
I would love to visit all the landings but left travel till too late. For me. So, I subbed your channel and am an armchair history travel
I love WWll history.
This feels like I am there.
Beautiful.
For period pieces about this time period, I recommend
1, Piece of Cake
2. Danger UXB
These are wonderful movies. that were shown on bbc in, I believe, the 60s or early 70s.
Both series take place in England. Both were available from ACORN.
Thank you my friend. I will visit many more places don’t worry!
Awesome show. You do such a good job of explaining your shows!
Thank you very much Tom! Really appreciate the positive feedback and so glad you enjoyed it
thanks
Glad you enjoyed it
This is gorgeous!
Thank you so much. Glad you enjoyed the video
Very interesting.Thanks.
Glad you enjoyed it. You are very welcome
Bloody brilliant, as you Brits would say. Well done.
Thank you! Appreciate your feedback buddy
Amazing 😅
I worked in Long Beach in some of the original buildings where the C-47s (DC-3s) were built. They are knocked down now. Boeing has a nice museum with many artifacts from the building and products built there.
That would be brilliant to see. I love California too
@@thehistoryexplorer I was an engineer on the C-17 Cargo jet. I followed our designs into the shop. It was a lot of fun. Hard work and got to experience what they experienced in WWII on a factory line.
The past repeats the same thing over and over in different guises
අතීතය නැවත සිදුවේ....
Well said
There is a museum in the village which would be of great interest to your viewers,no doubt
Yes absolutely, unfortunately it was closed at the time. Would love to go back
@thehistoryexplorer it's open from Good Friday til last Sunday in October..they won't let you put film on TH-cam,as it means less visitors.I have been driven down the famous runway in a WWII Jeep,and the experience was special
No significant wind noise. As usual, we’ll done. That would be spooky, the noise in the bldg. at least it was just a lost sheep.
Thank you. The mic I use is actually pretty good and nearly cost as much as the camera itself. It doesn’t tend to pick up the noise
Pity this guy did not Show the 101st Airborne Memorial Thats on the perimeter runway at Upottery.
I was quickly running out of light as you can probably see. My main effort was to get to the buildings
Go there at night and lisen to the place you will be amazed at what you hear.
I’m not sure I could do that myself! Ha!
If only the buildings could speak and tell us what they saw.
I always think that. How true
If those buildings could talk !!!!
I say that all the time!
Very good video, but question this is all part of history why not turn theses buildings into museums so that the world can see what theses heros did to give us our freedom?
There were over 100 airfields built during ww2. They couldn’t preserve them all
They are quite isolated and a museum would be robbed of anything saleable and posted on eBay. Sad but a fact of life I'm afraid.
Do you or have you made a video on the SOE in the west coast of Scotland?
I have a series planned for Scotland actually but I’m not aware of the SOR locations you’re referring to. I’d love to know more!
Hi, Lochailort, was SOE school, i believe , dont quote but a famous actor , David Nivon i think attend the SOE school of dirty tricks ….Achnacarry, home of commandos.. lots of war time history up and around Fort William.
@@ewenb1733 I’ll check it out!
why not making a museum of that place
There are over 100 airfields
Does anyone knows who wrote the music in the background?
Assume it’s the one in Devon, be a good idea to let us know. Chers.
Are you aware of another Upottery airfield?!
Location please 🥺♥️
It’s in the title!
What are all theses white dot on theses buildings? Some kind of moss
It’s lichen - a kind of moss I guess although someone may correct me
@@thehistoryexplorer ah ok, thank you
O main Goth
Hi jjs dad
Poor lonely sheep.
Poor me!
@@thehistoryexplorer
Lol
What was the scufferlng down stairs the sheep ??😂😂😂 may have a spook or 2 ????
It was a lone sheep that looked a bit lost! The field next to it was full of sheep so I suspect it had escaped!
@@thehistoryexplorer thanks much appreciated
❤😂😂😂🎉😢😮😮😅😅
American Airborne, nothing like it ay Brits ?
Are you trying to say the British don’t have an airborne capability like America?
@@thehistoryexplorer pip pip cheerio mate 😆
@@user-wy1dl2me2p The British airborne forces during WW2 consisted of the Parachute Regiment, the Glider Pilot Regiment, the airlanding battalions, and from 1944 the Special Air Service Troops. Have a read about the 1st and 6th Airborne Divisions.
Someone who wakes up and decides to be a troll doesn’t annoy me, in fact they have my sympathy.
@@thehistoryexplorer pip cheerio love you your queen u subject . That's a troll !
WHY DO YOU WAIT FOR NEAR DARK TO FILM INTERIORS OF STRUCTURE WHEN NOTHING CAN BE SEEN OR IDENTIFIED BY YOUR VIEWER'S ? YOU CAN DO BETTER THAN THIS ,,,, AMEN
Because I had to wait until the landowner had finished work. I respect other people by not trespassing on private property and not leaving derogatory comments. Not everyone is as respectful
I UNDERSTAND AND AGREE WITH YOUR HONOR AND CURTACY THANK YOU , YOUR FRIENDS MARY AND JAMES , U. S. OF A.
I live nearby and walk my dog regularly and a lot of your comments are not accurate. The marking on the runway were put there for filming band of brothers. You need to get your facts right before commenting on our airfield.
Good to hear you walk your dog regularly 👍 the marking I referenced isn’t even near the runway, it’s on Private Land near the technical buildings. The information I passed on is from the land owners and from historical sources
You’re the owner now ?
@@garysharman3981 no. One of the owners appears in the video. Funny how in order to walk dogs at this location these people would be on private land 🤷♂️
@@thehistoryexplorer I had to laugh because he said it was his land these sites are valuable to everyone!
Looks like the control tower was the object of some target practice by the locals. I was with the 1/29th FA 5th MECH. DIV. for a few months before stationing in Germany, then Nam. My unit with the 5th was a 155mm SP unit. Good leg unit. My Nation Guard unit was originally 155SP but transitioned to towed. Anyway, I enjoyed the video very much.
Gunner from another mother 🤙 Glad you enjoyed the video buddy and I hope you’re well
Amazing recall and video, thanks for the superb work. Any idea why the control tower wasn't kept in reasonable condition considering the historical significance?
It was privately purchased so it is not owned by a trust or a museum. Thank you for the very kind feedback 👍