@@agdoren really freaking seems like it, doesn’t it?? I mean, how do you do that with so many children under your care & protection if not for nefarious purposes? Unless he’s just completely incapable of admitting that he made a mistake & needs to backtrack.
If any kids are reading this, please remember that just because someone is an adult in charge doesn't mean they know everything. If it feels wrong, defy them, stay back. Defend yourself if you know something is wrong. Better in some trouble than dead.
Amen! As a kid I was terrified to go against adults. I listened & remained very respectful around all adults. Which got me molested several times & almost kidnapped. I taught my kids to never do anything they don't want idc if adults are around. If it feels wrong don't do it! Stand up for yourself
@@camiloweinmann6440 20 years later? More like 3-4 years later. I lived in the mountains of southern Germany for a year and a half, lovely people there. People living in rugged and harsh environments tend to be good people in my experience
The children being foreign doesnt add anything to their acts. Good people will care about children no matter what. Heroes will go out into a deadly blizzard because children are there in need of help.
I read the The Guardian article on this some time ago. Keast said a week after the death of the boys that "today I've had the happiest day of my life" in a letter to his crush. I've no doubt that guy was either a manipulative pyscho or the worst type of narcissistic egomaniac or both. I'm sure in his mind he was the hero he'd told everyone he was, and I wish the truth had come out while he was alive so he'd have to watch everyone know him for the monster he was.
Does it seem this guy had a case of Van Munchausen by proxy, hurting and causing pain to others to draw attention to oneself? Not that I truly GAF about this ass, but scientifically I wonder if it may apply?
to think that with whatever serious personality flaws he must surely have had, he still had a long and successful teaching career... i would be lying if i said i never had a teacher that was as much of an asshole as he seems to have been. there just isn't much effort made at winnowing these types out
Jesus, the armchair diagnosing is ridiculous. Maybe he was just a terrible person? No no that's boring, he has to be a raging narc or a sociopath, right? Do you people have the qualifications to be saying this nonsense?
As a native, who has spent his childhood hiking all over the region with his parents, let me tell you it’s not called the Black Forest for nothing. It’s a rugged and mountainous woodland with treacherous weather and it’s difficult to navigate at the best of times. Even today in the age of GPS, hikers get lost all the time.
And yet, when I see or hear the words 'Black Forest' all I can think of is yummy Black Forest Cake! Yummo! I like it so much that, even though I rarely make desserts, I have turned this type of cake into a Black Forest Cheesecake, and more recently (with covid restrictions in Australia) I made Black Forest Icecream in Waffle Cones for my mother's 80th birthday in 2020. Since we couldn't be near each other I had to package them up and deliver her treats whilst we all sat a distance from each other in the driveway. It's sad to hear the name of this place with such dark connotations.
I was driving at the edge of the Black Forest in 1977 when everything went black for me. I had driven through a swarm of black flying insects the like of which I had never seen in my life before or since. My windshield was covered and I could see nothing. I immediately slowed down and tried using my wipers. At the next filling station I got help to wash the windshield. Good heavens! What a shock.
as a german living in the black forest, making someone go hiking in these conditions is basically murder. i never knew about this story, very interesting
Same, it should be normal to know its very dangerous to go into a forest when its snowing or even just very windy. At least wear proper clothes and helmets. Id even argue its tried murder if you lead people there when the weather is that bad.
As a pupil at Strand School myself in the 1960s and as one who saw Keast's name on the school honours board every day when he was head boy (he came back to teach there after university), I knew nothing of this. It was only in later life that a newfound friend turned out not only to be an Old Strandian but the younger brother of one of the survivors of the disaster. He had been contacted by Bernd Hainmuller as part of the latter's meticulous research that led to the truth being told and in turn to this excellent film. I hope it is some comfort to any surviving descendents of those who lost their lives that the real story has at last been publicised.
@@infinite4392 No, not really. He did say that the first his family knew of the disaster was when he and his mother saw headlines on a newspaper placard while out shopping in a local high street. I believe his brother lived to a good age and died only recently. There was a similarly good revelatory write up in a Guardian Long Read a few years ago and someone wrote a play which was performed in a SW London theatre - may have been Woking or Wimbledon but I'm not sure.
Thank you so much for your comment. I am in shock having come across this story only moments ago. The arrogant incompetence of Keast infuriates me and, as a retired schoolteacher, I am utterly ashamed how he abused those boys because he could, given the respect his students had for him. Those who covered up Weis' report, politicians and newsmen, share the guilt.
My heart breaks for that father who tried so hard to fight for justice. That man was broken and his life destroyed by a murderer who got off totally free.
Something quite horrifying to consider is, the German locals warning them about the severity of the storm and not to go would obviously be conversing in German with the teacher, which the children probably weren't able to understand/catch most of Edit: spelling
oh your right, I never thought about that. I kinda wonder why no boy left the groupe, because the postman tould them a camp is near but is was all in german. Oh that makes everything so much worse.
I thought the same thing. The boys would have no idea that they were being warned so even if their parents or others asked them what happened, they didn't know people were begging their teacher not to continue, that Keast KNEW what he was doing, because they didn't understand the language. And Keast knew they didn't know so he could lie without worrying that the boys would contradict him.
They trusted him, I cannot fathom why a grown man would put children through this after being warned and pretty much begged not to do it. Even if the threat wasn't great, if I had so many warnings from people who know the trail so well I would definitely take a step back and think 'yeah okay, I'm inexperienced, unprepared so maybe it's not safe' I'd rather not go and find another activity for the boys to do than put the kids or myself (their caretaker) at risk. Better to be safe than sorry.
@@Lil_lionessI’m thinking he’s totally incapable of admitting his own wrongs. I’d like to know more of how his colleagues & other people in his life viewed him.
@@grifyn882 I respectfully disagree.... how many times have we witnessed people turning their backs on those in need simply because they don't want to get involved or have the mentality that it's none of their business; therefore, they do nothing.....
Keast was my German teacher at Marlborough and none of us knew this story. I am pretty sure the school can't have done either; it was after all some 30 years later. At Marlborough he was known for driving a 1930s Rolls Royce and writing witty end-of-term reports. In one of mine, he wrote: "certainly my most intriguing pupil, but I feel I have failed to get anything across to him. However, I am game to go on trying." I am now ashamed of finding that witty. Watching this, I became angrier and angrier and more and more upset. Turns out, my sister lives in Freiburg and has done for 30 years. She married a German who works for the radio and knew the story. He had even interviewed the mayor of Hofsgrund who was an eyewitness to the tragedy before broadcasting the story. Next time I visit, I promise I will lay a wreath at the site.
Thank you for this insight, really. Comments like this make the work I do feel that much more real. Don't be ashamed - as much as I hate what happened, I'm certain Keast had his moments (he was generally very well-liked). I hope to visit Freiburg in the coming months to lay a wreathe also (just waiting for it to warm up a bit...)
The fact that Keast completely got away with it, and the case was mostly swept under the rug, is just disgusting. This was blatant murder, thank you for shedding light on this tragedy with such a well-made video Excited to watch this channel's growth
seriously- I'm stood in my kitchen literally yelling at my screen 🤬 and like "oh couldn't ever turn around so let's instead HIKE UP AND OVER ACROSS THE WHOLE DAMN MOUNTAIN" 😭😭😭
Yeah it was utterly disgusting, the fact that he had the guts to even "plan" another hiking trip after what he did and all the lies he told to cover his ass goes to show how purely psychopathic this mf is.
Well, he didn't though...not really. Right now, more people than Keast ever met in his whole life know he was just a pile of crap. It's not true justice. But Keast, in his egocentric way, cared more about how he was seen by others than nearly everything else. We see you for real, Keast, you human version of a bag of dirty diapers. I like to think his own personal demon in hell assigned to torture him reads the names of all the people who watch this video to him at bedtime.
Oh my god I feel so bad for Jack! He spent the rest of his life fighting to get the truth and ended up in a mental hospital. That broke my heart to hear.
They used to put you in asylums just to ‘hush’ you up back then, if you had anything to say and the powers that be didn’t like it they would claim you were mad and lock you up! Poor man, he must have suffered so
That's one tiny example of how karma is utter nonsense. The mentally sick man went on to abuse more boys while enjoying a long career, while the heartbroken father suffered in a mental hospital and saw no justice.
It was extremely compelling hearing that he went to Germany alone to find out the truth already broken from his sons death. I couldn’t imagine the pain he felt retracting his son’s footsteps up the mountain. The fire that grew in his heart when he discovered the truth. The determination of a furious heartbroken man can move mountains. Unfortunately when the government cover it up there’s no use. The fire in his heart drove him mentally insane he fought and dedicated his life for the truth he is the real hero.
Im not religious or anything, but the fact that church bells are the ones that led some of the boys to find help made me cry. Imagine hearing nothing but wind and snow and your own breathing, and you hear church bells. I cant even imagine the pain and horror those poor boys went through. That leader is a monster.
Religion or not, the church can be seen as a symbol or love, hope and safety. Or it should be seen as such. I agree with both comments, I can only imagine hearing the bells and what it might have felt like. The glimmer of hope. Religion or not, it's very powerful. ❤
"There's no need to go over the details of what happens when a young boy is made to march through sub-zero temperatures in shorts and sandals for hours on end. It's every bit as heartbreaking as you imagine it to be." This line alone deserves an enormous amount of respect. Thank you.
@@funkyfranxnobody else seems to be having issues, you’ve either something wrong with your speakers or have some low quality headphones, I’m using earbuds and checked with my computer and phone on the phone speaker, it was all very clearly audible to me. The narrator doesn’t have a loud booming voice is all, but she’s not as quiet as a mouse either.
Wut? It's part of a script someone wrote to entertain you and make themselves money. It's effectively monetising tragedy and here you are patting yourselves on the back for being swept away by some kind words? Wtf man
The thought of hiking up a mountain through a blizzard in SHORTS is absolutely horrifying. The testimonies of all the locals who tried to stop them, who begged their leader not to do this, are heart breaking. Thank you for sharing this story to TH-cam. This documentary is extremely well made and I'm looking forward to seeing what other stories you will cover in the future.
Honestly, you couldn't do a mountain in shorts in the summer! That's totally ridiculous! Even if it's technically comfortable weather, the temperature difference is enough to need it. Went to Hawaii once & we went up a mountain for stargazing. Was amazed at the number of people who went up there with nothing but shorts and tank tops. Just because it's 35°C down below doesn't negate the cold of the mountain.
Keast being treated like a hero is so infuriating. Saying it wasn't fair is an understatement. I'm surprised Jack didn't take things into his own hands. Excellent story telling and informative content.
He just got to live his normal life- oh not just normal, he was a hero apparently, and he killed 5 little boys. It seemed like he kinda did it on purpose too.. tragic.
@@iexist6677 Well, It would seem that Mr. Keast has gone to his eternal.... "reward".... such as it is. I wonder what he would do differently... if given a second chance?
@@marhawkman303 Well in my opinion, even if he had a second chance, I believe he would still attempt to go through the Black Forest because he was warned many many times about what was going to happen and he still ignored it.
@@Thatonek1d123 Well, I mean, with hindsight of what his actions would lead to? hmmm... hard to say. Sure if he was given the choice a few days after? I suspect he'd keep his original choice. Years later? hmmm.... maybe... but now that he's seen the end result of his actions? I do wonder how much he regrets it.
@@marhawkman303 well I do bring my point back and I will say again he was warned plenty of times and he was extemely unprepared. He also lied about his everything. Kinda hard not think he won’t do it again.
Incredibly, on his return to the UK, Keast began plans to lead a school trip to Austria. It was only thanks to Eaton's persistant harrying of him and the school that this was cancelled.
I couldn't believe it when I heard that in the video. Even privately, he clearly felt zero remorse for what he did to those boys and wanted another chance to do it again!! That's yet another reason why I think he intentionally put them in a deadly situation. Seems like a psychopath.
That's what infuriates me the most. The fact that he wants to lead another trip shows that he absolutely has no guilt over what happened. What an arrogant prick.
It wasn’t Keats’ extreme carelessness or the tragic deaths of the boys that pains me the most . The most heartbreaking thing is that there were several people who tried desperately to get the justice done but ended up failing and be traumatized for life. Life is so unfair.
This story is absolutely horrifying. Those poor boys never stood a chance. Keast was a monster, I don't know how he could live with himself except to assume he had no care for anyone but himself.
Agree, classic narcissist behavior. He set out to do what he had decided to do, and no nay-sayers, regardless of their experience and expert knowledge, was going to turn him back. It's the only explanation. It didn't matter if the kids died as long as he was -right-.
I've watched lots of stories of lost hikers, mostly in remote areas. The story usually starts with the hikers setting off, and then there's no contact with any other person. They simply vanish. In this case, there were many times the boys could have been spared. All those people who tried to warn them and who gave them directions. It's like Keast was trying to get them all killed.
@@vsnature7146they explained why if you read it. And what exactly is reality in this story to you? Clearly reality at that time the event occurred there was a series of conflicting realities. Even Keast is shown to have lied, so it's plausible he deliberately intended to kill them.
I wonder why he was trying to kill them. Were there children in the group who he needed to silence? Did he need to cover-up his other crimes by getting rid of the victims and witnesses?
So it seems to me. It is rather convenient that Hitler got involved in the funeral for the boys that mirrored the British funeral for the German Ambassador to Britian. There are too many instances where the teacher ignored all common sense and locals warnings to call this arrogance. It was murder.
He displays every trait of a personality disordered Narcissist, unfortunately prevalent in older generations of Germans. I know this because half my family is German, half English. Sounds sensationalist but once you're under the influence of them you're literally doomed. Absolutely and totally merciless and self centered individuals who love to see others suffer
Keast was an absolute coward. He knew the truth but chose to let those poor boys die with a hint of shame hanging over their heads. He was absolutely no hero. I am so thankful Bernd found the report and then put it to good use. The truth did indeed come out, Jack. May you, your son, and the other children, forever rest in peace now.
This is going to haunt me because Keast was not negligent, he was malevolent. I’m convinced there’s some huge missing piece, some unknown motive to endanger all those innocent boys. From the start he seemed to make intentional bad choices, first of which having the boys completely ill-prepared for the weather before even knowing of a snowstorm. Then he was angered by all attempts of persuasion from the locals to change his plans. He put them in danger on purpose, but the reason why is going to keep my brain going in circles.
I think you are right. There must have been an additional motivating factor at play for Keast to have made the decisions he made. To still commit to your plan after having your reality checked by several other people several different times I don't think can be explained by just blind maliciousness. It's interesting to think about, but it's true we'll likely never know what Keast thought or what his true motivations were or factors were at play leading up to that day.
You haven't seen the kind of arrogance that appears in small petty people when they are given power? The reality checks are probably why he kept going as long as he did... It's unfortunate, and the desire for an evil motive is understandable, though I'll bet it was just like the major issue we have with police officers that do similar things, and end up shooting a kid or whatever because they just couldn't step back and act like a human being instead of an authority figure...
He was mentally unstable. You won’t be able to make sense of what he did because there is no coherent reason. Those boys suffered and died because of a crazy person.
He was just pig-headed and stubborn, in my view. I could imagine him thinking “I’m an English schoolmaster, I’m not going to let a lot of foreigners tell me what to do!”. I’m British and I regret to say that, in the wake of our once having been a great empire, such an attitude was not unknown among my countrymen.
No, his excuse was pure nonsense. He had multiple chances to turn back. Frankly, as soon as it started to snow, he should have turned back - he had boys in shorts with him. No sensible person would have pushed on with the hike at that point. It really does sound like he went up there with the intent to kill the kids.
I agree the school teacher murdered his students. Taking underaged boys up to a dangerous mountain in shorts in a blizzard despite every local forbidding them to go gives circumstantial evidence that the teacher planned on murdering his students. In today’s justice system the teacher would be charged with reckless endangerment of minors.
Yeah I doubt this was an accident. Nothing about the story makes sense if you think of it as an "accident". This guy kept pushing them until they died.
I'm a local living close to Freiburg, have been on the Schauinsland many times throughout my life, but I did not know about this story yet. Thanks for telling it, great video! Hits hard when you know all of those locations and see the absurd path this teacher and the poor children took.
a friend of mine got lost in the Swiss mountains during a snowstorm, and lost a couple fingers due to frostbite, and still tells stories about how horrified he was. he's a big dude, 6'3, 250 lbs of muscle and was scared to death. I can't even IMAGINE what those kids were going through...
I've been to Himalayas and trust me mountains are no joke. They're cruel, very cruel. Just the sound of the river in a valley can shake you, a blizzard is pure horror even for professional hikers. Never play with nature.
Homegirl really thought someone was gonna attack her and say “they were kids that’s why they died” by bringing up a fake buff friend who you probably heard of in an article 😹😹
when I heard how those villagers heard their cries and despite their own peril they chose to save them it made me tear up at how there is still some humanity left in the world
@@anticom6099 Yeah....before the proverbial hit the fan. But it is heartwarming to know that not all Germans were aficionados of the Austrian Painter and Decorator.
@@patagualianmostly7437 that's the true tragedy of WW2... and why there were so many "Resistance" cells in Germany.... the German people DIDN'T universally support their Fuhrer. Modern Germans almost all hate him with a burning passion.
I'm thinking that since they were locals, they had a better appreciation for the storm and how to search through it. Also, if you live in a small town, everyone knows everyone else, so there is more of a tradition of groups of locals helping others.
As horrible as this story is, it's the point where all these people risked their lives to find and save every last boy no matter the hardship, no matter the risk, no matter the boys not speaking their language, just humans saving humans, things like this give me hope in humanity and a little bit of light in an oft dark world, i.e. every single other part of the story.
Same. My philosophy is that evil can be big and great and powerful and cause despair. But goodness is individual -- a series of individual attempts to make the world just a little bit better and all that accumulates like a blizzard to smother evil.
When you realize that the youngest and smallest boys were only 4-4.5 feet tall, being in 2 ft of snow is literally half of your body... when the narrator says they had to kick their way through snow that is an understatement to say the least... some of these boys were basically swimming in the snow... i cant even imagine being almost totally submerged in snow with shorts and sandals on, no water, hardly any food, no bathroom breaks, no help at all... Jack Easton the first boy to collapse was almost 15 years old and was a boxing champion at his school in London... if the most athletic boy in the group was the first to collapse could you imagine the pain and fear the younger weaker boys felt? This is so messed up
Yes and something tells me maybe he was trudging trough the snow first in an effort to help the younger and smaller kids which led to him collapsing first. Its a very sad thought to think about.
My uncle was on that trip. We always heard how the teacher carried a dead schoolboy on his back. I feel horrified to hear the truth. My uncle had recurring nightmares but at least he survived.
I mean, I'm sure the teacher did do some pretty "impressive" things to survive, but that doesn't do away with just how stupid and cruel he was to be in that position in the first place
What an absolutely horrifying story. Encountering a group of people/kids determined to hike up the mountain through horrifying weather despite reasoning from others sounds... like something we can't comprehend. Something otherworldly or cryptically sublime, like out of an HP Lovecraft novel. And in the end, it was all due to one man's arrogance and the innocence of children. Then imagine answering your door at night mid-snowstorm, probably almost pitch black outside, only to see young children frozen and asking for help in as few words as possible. Then seeing more come down. Then the screams. How anyone could have marched into that snowy void of screams is beyond me. Those villagers were absolute heroes for that rescue.
That's a pretty bad comparison since nothing about it is supernatural. More like Dostoevsky or Kafka. Something about the absurdity of man. Especially those in charge
Sad that he didn’t face justice, but I’m glad the truth is out and Keast can be remembered as the murderer he was. My heart goes out to the victims, villagers, families, and investigators.
I grew up in Freiburg and as a child I was told about this incident. Up until now I thought it was only a scary story to prevent kids from going in the woods alone. Its really interesting revisiting this story in form of a documentary. Great job with the research!
I just can’t imagine how anyone could have their bare skin exposed to snow for multiple hours. I’m getting hung up on a technicality, but I just can’t imagine powering through severe frostbite for hours and hours. Extreme cold combined with moisture is immediately debilitating. Great narrator!
I was holding a bottle of milk in the supermarket line the other day balancing on my arm and even that ten minutes of cold against my skin actually hurt a bit (and that's not even snow or freezing!) - it's actually unthinkable what their poor little bodies went through. Just evil.
It's common. As a rule human beings are completely intolerant of truth. Some people can handle a veneer model that lets them live in a fantasy world where the truth can get in sometimes, but the majority are only content in complete fiction. The few people who live in the truth are routinely written off as insane, or will drive themselves insane if they don't realise that they are of a special type and normal people are not able to think about the truth.
This reminds me of the Sewol ferry tragedy - when the conditioning of young students to trust authority figures becomes deadly due to the error/selfishness of those authority figures
@Colleen Kelly It's as simple as the people in question not knowing just how great the danger is. they play along because they don't know they're going to die if they do.
@@mikaross4671 Back then trusting authority was normal, it's how people were raised. Students especially had no rights, you obey or you get whipped/caned/strapped.
I'd like to have more background on this Keast guy, I will guess he was in WW1. This made him dislike English people hence why he refused to listen to anyone telling him to turn back & not go any further. He wanted those children to die.
Im a local and live a few kilometers away from Hofsgrund. The street going from Todtnau to Oberried ( Hofsgrund is inbetween) is called "Notschrei" ,which means "distress-call", by locals. The story of the boys is the reason why. Great video about the story of the incident. Never heard it with this much details, love the extensive research.
Hi, another local here. Do you have any sources on that claim? Because 'Notschrei' is actually on the opposite side of the valley in which Hofsgrund lies (towards the Feldberg).
@droneage1138 Not a local here (Texan in the US), but looking at Google Maps tells me that Nicolaibehringer's correct - Hofsgrund IS in between Oberried and Todtnau. I think you misread what they said. They didn't say that the Notschrei runs through Hofsgrund.
@@LeftyLinda hi, thanks for pointing that out. Indeed, I know where Notschrei is. I just never knew the name had a regional association with that it incident. It’s like 10 km (~6 miles) away. Don’t get me wrong, I'd just really like to know, because I've always wondered how that name came to be.
@@LeftyLinda Clearly? The Wikipedia article I can access reads the following: „Der Name geht darauf zurück, dass die Straße über den Pass auf einen „Notschrei“ der Bevölkerung hin gebaut wurde, eine dringende Petition.“ That means that it was named after a call for a mountain pass from Oberried to Todtnau by desperate locals. It also states that it was given that name in 1848, so well before the incident in question. I know how to use Google, hence my request for a source on the claim.
There is an eeriness to this story and tragic as it was preventable. The teacher lived a comfortable life afterwards with 0 accountability. He sounds like a narcissist. This was an excellently executed documentary. I have subscribed for more great quality videos from this channel.
Couldn't agree more. He sounds like a very arrogant and overly prideful person, as he doesn't listen to any valuable advice strangers give him. He should have faced punishment for this
Sounds like a case of "I have much experience and am so well-known in my community that I might as well be a local legend whose skill knows no bounds. I know what I'm doing. The challenge will build their CHARACTER! PRAISE ME!"
Be careful drawing conclusions about people you don't know, a situation you don't have 100% information about, told to you by people you don't know. I mean, next thing you know, you'll think a presidential election has been faked.
This story is a little long, but relevant to the discussion. I spent a summer as a summer camp counselor when I was almost 19. Every Tuesday, we took the kids on hikes (these "outdoor adventures", along with off-campus excursions on Thursday, were the big draw of the camp). Most of the hikes were pretty easy, considering the group ranged from incoming K-7th grade, but there was one hike that we went to where it was legitimately dangerous. I was the 2nd/3rd grade counselor, and my friend was the K/1st grade one. This hike was, from the on-set, super hard for our littles. The incline was steep, there were lots of little off-shoots of trails where a child could easily wander off, and though they were fenced off with rope, there were also multiple little cliffs or overhangs of the mountain the kids could EASILY slip under if they were curious. Unlike our other hikes that were mostly paved cement or flat dirt trails, this one had roots and rocks the kids could easily trip on (many had scratches on their legs and knees by the end) and the dirt was uneven. My friend and I actually ended up getting separated from the older groups, as we constantly had to hang behind to help our children who were struggling to keep up, and we lost maybe 30 minutes trying to get reconnected with the larger group because cell service was bad. I had legitimately like 7 kids trying to hold my hand or cling to my T-shirt at the same time, just so they wouldn't get left behind and get lost. We stopped and took a lunch break, before we were meant to finish the hike to the peak. A couple was coming back down from the peak, saw us, and spoke to our director (who was sitting with us counselors). They asked if we were heading back down, and when the director said we were actually going up to the top, the couple both immediately went "with all those little kids? That's not a good idea." But our director kept trying to insist it was fine, but my friend and I kept glancing at each other, since this couple was echoing our concerns. The little kids didn't even want to go, complaining their feet were tired, they were hot, and many of them were bruised and scraped up at this point. After lunch, my friend and I went up to the director and insisted to her that we were going to take our groups of little kids back to the bus. The director argued with us at first, but we insisted we weren't going to take them up, and eventually (not because she cared, but because she didn't want to waste too much more time) she finally relented, basically saying whatever. My friend and I took our kids back to the bus and let them rest and played games like Categories and Duck Duck Goose, and when the others returned, our fellow counselors told us that there had been a SUPER steep, almost vertical portion to the top that our little kids would never have been able to do, and we made the right call in going back since even the older kids had really struggled. All of this happened when I was 18. At 18, I had the ability to recognize when something simply wasn't safe for children, and I refused to let them be put into harm's way because I would die before a kid got injured on my watch. And that was such a mild incident compared to TREKKING THROUGH A LITERAL SNOWSTORM IN AN ISOLATED FOREST IN A FOREIGN COUNTRY. I can never understand how a 30 year old man -- who was an actual teacher, not just a temporary camp counselor -- was unable to make that same call. RIP to those boys who passed away, I hope they are at peace and Keast is rotting in hell for what he did.
Well done! Sure there is a fine line between pushing yourself a little and being reckless. But ultimately, there is no shame in turning back, if you realise that a trail might get to dangerous for you. But then again, if it is just you (and maybe some other well informed and aware adults), it's your decision to take the risk. It's your body, your health, your life. But leading a group of people who trust in you knowing what you do, especially children, who might not even have the guts to question your authority and speak up, it's really better to be safe than sorry. And thumbs up to confront that director too!
@@OddSheep-Out Agreed! And I'm not even a confrontational person either, I tend to have too much anxiety for that, but again I would literally pass away and brave Satan himself before I intentionally hurt a child or put them in a dangerous situation. Like you said, kids tend to trust their adults completely and don't really have the developmental ability to even recognize the dangers in the way that adults can. It's our job to keep them safe, I'll just never understand how Keast couldn't do the same.
For what it’s worth, I thought that was a really interesting read. I understand helping kids’ development by encouraging them to test their limits. But what Keats (and your camp director did) was criminal. We had a tragedy on Lake Temiskaming here in Ontario in 1978 in which 12 boys on a school trip died of exposure after their canoes overturned. It all underscores how idiotic - and criminal - it can be to attempt to build character in children by forcing them to face extraordinary, adult hardships.
i am currently on a binge of this channel, this person is a hard working, talented, and incredibly intelligent. the way these videos are written and made shows how hard working she is. thank you for taking the time to put the effort in to creat such a beautiful piece
Absolutely love your narrative style - you not only tell the story, you talk to your listener - you make it 'real' instead of merely reading a report in a nonchalant, non-emotional manner. I was mesmerized by this tale from the excellent visual and your entralling storytelling style. I truly look forward to seeing future videos!
@@glowson8369 exact voice inflection, timbre, nuance, female soft-spoken voice, and *verbatim* narrative? I shall check out this channel you mention, and if it is not all of the above, then unfortunately your statement has no merit. While listening to a variety of disaster channels, many tell the same stories, in their own style and manner. None copy the style of their peers, merely tell the tale in their own individual perspective. As does this young lady.
@@glowson8369 Ok, listened to nexpo, and the styles imo have nothing in common past a soft spoken voice. Nexpo sounds ~almost~ ai in the oddly placed pauses on some videos, and as I'd reading a book report in others. No copying there, so I stand on my belief that this young lady has a lovely conversational style of actually talking *with* her audience, not *to*, or merely *at* the listener. Interesting content though, if I can get past nexpo's style, that might be my next binged channel - thanks for the introduction. ☺️
@@eyeofthebeholder7936 they are similar in my opinion, both are great but I think credit is due. People are still going to watch the both of them but Nexpo has been around for a lot longer. Meh, I don’t know why I was so passionate before. I heard the first five minutes and all I thought about was Nexpo, but I finished the video and the quality is amazing and the channel is clearly well made even if I do believe it is copying Nexpo. Trends happen, hopefully they would be as good quality as these two channels.
Props to Bernd Hainmüller, who took up the torch from the prosecutor who could not, in the context of history, be heard. This is a real service to those boys, and to the German people who attempted to stop this tragedy, then helped when they could. Going out in a snowstorms takes real guts, and these people who helped on that day, and later by trying to get the truth out, need to be credited for their heroic acts.
What an infuriating story. Those boys deserved better but trusted an adult that completely failed them. I still cannot even imagine how awful it must have been hiking through a snow storm in summer clothes. It was completely avoidable and horrific how it was covered up. The teacher was a monster.
Stuff like this happens way too often. Look at what happened with that ship in Korea. Because the kids had it so ingrained in their heads that adults are always right, they trusted the captain when he told them to stay put while he escape. Had that not been drilled in, they probably would have acted on any thoughts to get to the outside of the ship, where they wouldn't have drowned trapped in rooms.
@@waves2378 I've heard that story with the korean students...pretty sad and similar bullshit happened with the costa concordia whose captain is still in jail I think...lying and instructing people to not fight for themselves is..."difficult" to say the least bc they're trying to prevent chaos while dooming people at the same time..sinking ships are another matter I think...check SS Arctic.
@@waves2378 That wasn't so much adult-child hierachy, it was Korean cultural obedience to the superior, the adult, the captain, the leader. East Asian obsession with obedience as a virtue can sometimes have very tragic outcomes. They aren't taught to argue with or stand up to any form of authority, whatsoever.
I find it absolutely heartbreaking how somebody could be so stubborn and irresponsible with a child's safety and well-being; let alone so many at such a young age. Not quite at that age to put their foot down and suddenly demand orders to turn around. When I was their age, I would've felt total trust and dependancy upon the adult. Very scary and sad.
Exactly. Especially a teacher. We had been well trained to act with blind obedience , and do as we were told by adults who were in charge. Even if we were terrified, freezing, and knew this was going to go very badly, we would have trecked after the person in authority. Im sure some of those children voiced their reluctance to each other, but having no other choice, followed this arrogant man to their painful , torturous ordeal. What should have been a fun adventure, became a life long trauma for those who survived. That man should have been put on trial. Im astounded that he was allowed to contine teaching children, as if nothing had occurred, and his negligence, foolishness, and obstinance hadn't caused the loss of five promising young lives. It really ticks me off that he was hailed as a hero, instead of locked up for manslaughter.
@@321scully yes. They were dressed in summer clothes. They said shorts and sandals. I don't know how they got as far as they did. Im sure the survivors must have had some frost bitten extremities, at the least. Those poor children suffered before they died.
It's so sad the people who tried to stop him, too. If they'd shared a language with the boys there's a small chance they could have convinced some of them to leave the group and come to safety. As it was, no point even trying.
So much work has been put into this....the effects, the editing, sounds and script....and not to mention the research. Incredible! this is what effort means, and you don't really find it much anymore nowadays. I know these things take a lot of time, and people kind of gave up doing this because for them the time working on such videos, didn't pay off enough because of how TH-cam works nowadays. Hence why effort becomes scarce, despite people wish to take more time on making high quality videos... That's why I'm happy people like you are still around. I got chills down my spine once again, this is such a creepy journey everytime!
This has had 160,000 views ! If everyone who watched it paid 10 c via Patreon the makers could easily afford to do more . Unfortunately everyone expects stuff like this for Free ..!
I live literally only 15mins away from where this happened and grew up with this story but you've layed out details even I did not know. Thanks for the great video, well done!
God damn, Jack's fight was a long one, and he ended up in a mental hospital, never getting justice for his son. What a cruel world. Jack just wanted justice for his son.
In all the awfulness, I can't explain how glad I am that you made this video, that has over half a million views. Over half a million more people know the truth of this story, and I hope that somehow brings comfort to the surviving families of the victims
Got to despise arrogance and narcissism . These people can never be wrong no matter how bad the circumstances they have to come out smelling like a rose it's always somebody else's fault. And they always make themselves out to be a hero. No matter what the era or decade
@@TC-dw6wg😂😂 I also couldn’t help but think of democrat voters when I read that. I hate to make everything about politics but if the definition fits….🤷♂️
@@dakotaflower5926 This is not the time nor place to be bringing up American politics. I can't help but find it a bit disrespectful considering the content of the video, this is not the time to throw shade at political parties you dislike but rather to remember the memories of 5 innocent boys who lost their lives due to ignorance, arrogance and narcissism. It's despicable (Mr. Keast, not you)
@@helloworlditskiwi it’s not throwing shade, it’s literally a perfect definition for their bad behavior. Narcissism spreads to many different aspects of who a person is and what they do. Also, look at this persons career choice where he is was able to insulate himself from the vitriol of the public. I understand your concern and the reasoning for your comment, but I don’t believe it’s disrespectful nor harming anyone.
Can I just say not only are your documentaries interesting, well written and informative, but there is a kindness to them that I don't see in a lot of channels that discuss tragic events. You show clear compassion for the victims of each video I have watched, and you do not delve into details that are unnecessary such as the details of what it was like trying to care for these poor boys after the rescue. It is a tragedy, everyone knows, and the details are not necessary. I thank you for your respect and kindness in that. Poor Jack... I hope he found at least even a glimmer of solace in the fact that he never gave up fighting for his son who I am sure would be so proud of him.
There may be an even more sinister underlying fact about Jack Eaton’s harrowing experience of telling the truth. During this time, being sent to a sanatorium or psychiatric hospital is the primary way for authorities to legally imprison individuals and paint them as crazy lunatics. This was what most likely happened to Jack Eaton. Just thinking about this breaks my heart. All he wanted was justice for the death of his dear, sweet boy and the authorities did all in his power to defile the truth. I wonder what the boys’ descendants thought of. I wonder how justice can be brought to Jack Eaton today, when even his final wishes for his epitaph was not followed. He knew deep in his heart that the teacher failed, yet no one listened. If there is justice in this world, I hope Jack Eaton can receive it - even if it was decades after his death.
As a truth teller, in defense of the people; the ignorant cannot tell that truth telling isn't craziness. I've dealt with enough people who legitimately thought I was crazy because I told the truth to my own detriment to see that many literally do see the truth as insane. It's not that they just use the accusation to silence the truth (though the most evil people certainly do suppress the truth consciously), it's much worse than that; they are so far into their own lies that the truth frightens and confuses them. Jesus said that the truth is like a fire that burns people and sends them scattering in fear. From the perspective of people who are deep in the lie, the truth is a terrifying force that threatens to destroy the whole world. They react from there
@@anderoo9260 Variously what you'd call 'stereotypical' Christian things really, nothing particularly special. Not much that wasn't totally normal in the 1950s
This was absolutely brilliant. The editing, the visuals, the sound was perfect, but what really put it up to 11 was your voice. This video is a masterpiece, thank you very much.
I thought the way she talked enhanced the story, BUT, at the same time, her voice was not much more than a whisper, so had to keep turning the volume up!!
I think it’s safe to say Keast murdered those boys, whether that be directly or indirectly. It also speaks to the psychology behind following an authority figure; of course, their age played an enormous role. Also, coupled with later reports of the abuse he administered as a teacher, Keast more than likely reveled in putting those boys through what they went through. I won’t bother labeling him as what he most likely is, I’m sure anyone can guess.
He really is! Bernd took a real chance handing over all his research to some random TH-cam channel and then he helped me every step of the way, nothing was ever too much. I owe him a lot.
What a terrible thing to happen to those poor boys, but I have to say hands down that these are some of the strongest kids I have ever heard of, hiking 9 hours in the snow in shorts it’s amazing that they didn’t all die , what brave kids they were
Your voice is so soothing and your empathy when reporting these stories is deep. Your investigation and supportive documents make the content even more interesting. What a horrible tragedy that could have been prevented.
@phillipproussier3723 Well, Canada is a big area, and so is Europe. Where I live in southwest Manitoba (about 40 minutes from the US border), on average, the winters are colder than anywhere in Europe. In British Columbia or parts of Alberta, much less cold in the winter.
@@Mrs.Currie I don't think that South-West Manitoba is colder than Scandinavian countries (Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland) and Northern Russia. Northern Russia in particular is hell in winter time.
I have NEVER encountered this story and I am so glad this is how I stumbled upon it. The narrator breaks your heart with her compassion and sadness and it makes it so much more than a historical information piece.
I'm crying for those children, and for the injustice their parents experienced. This is one of the worst non-fiction stories I've ever heard. Thank you for sharing it. I's got everything...innocent kids, concerned villagers, grieving parents, a lying "guardian," the detemined investigator, Nazi theatrics, deceptive politics and overall governmental neglect. Those poor, trusting children.
As a parent, this infuriates me. Putting your trust in a leader to guide and care for your child, and subject them to this is monstrous to say the least.
This story is heartbreaking, angering, sad, and infuriating all at once. How can a grown adult be so careless and reckless. To continue on while the boys were in shorts, without food or water, no clear direction, and ignoring the advice from all the locals telling them to turn back and seek shelter is equal parts ignorance and arrogance in the highest order. Idk how that man managed to live with himself after that day. He must've been a malignant narcissist and truly believed he was not to blame. Being the father of a son myself, I wouldn't be able to die fast enough after finding out my son had died in this manner
This reminds me of the 1986 Mount Hood disaster. The leader of the school kept pushing and insisting that the high school kids in his charge keep going up the mountain even though there was a raging storm. He also, came upon people descending the mountain telling him he did he and the children should turn around. But no, he insisted they keep on going. He, along with approximately 10 children died on Mount Hood.
@@dionst.michael1482um, can YOU say it? Because it sounds like you’re just stringing random words together with really no concept of what you’re saying. I know you want to trigger the libtards but you can’t trigger anyone if all you’re offering is word salad 😂😂
I am impressed and encouraged by the valiant efforts by the villagers and the doctors. I am impressed by the integrity of the public prosecutor. I wonder how many similarly exploited disasters like this there have been. It kind of makes me sick.
When I was 15 my friends and I were skiing and we got caught in a freak snow storm in Italy when we were quite literally at the top of a mountain and had to slowly walk down it to safety. Saying that sounds so simple but it was suddenly pitch black (it was the afternoon and had been sunny all week with no bad weather at all, nor was any forecast. The weather changed in less than a minute) and it was so loud- sounding like deep howls and terrifying shrieks all around us from the winds although they sounded like scary animals or ghosts, we were being knocked over as we tried to slowly and and carefully walk sideways whilst not falling or losing sight of each other, the snow just kept getting deeper and we had to keep shouting to each other as we simply couldn't see past our own hands in front of our faces let alone see each other. We also could no longer tell which direction we were shuffling down, we couldn't work out if we were going straight down or sideways, it was incredibly disorientating. And we were in full ski gear! Yet still freezing and suffering from the elements; Trembling with fear but also genuinely cold from the winds. The further down we got we could, at moments, see lights and hear sirens of some kind, and eventually (after almost 3 hours of slowly walking/staying upright) we miraculously managed to reach safety at the bottom of the mountain where rescue crews and first responders were. I will never forget the fear and grueling conditions of that snowstorm, how scared we were, how exhausted and cold.. and we were physically fit, mountain confident girls, all fully dressed for the cold.. As I was hearing each detail of these poor boys, and the conditions they were in, I cannot imagine the horrors they endured. The temperatures alone are staggering, you simply can't imagine how sharp the cold can feel all of a sudden, and how terrifying the sounds are in a snowstorm. The boys must have been beyond exhausted, a level of hell I can't comprehend, while being forced to continue on. No goggles, no boots, no layers, no hats... and marching miles with no food, water or shelter 😭😡 The sadistic coward who took them there and made them suffer, then lied and showed no remorse or any dignified care or response whatsoever afterwards... I just can't understand any of this? His mentality? His initial plan? It's so utterly confusing and shameful. What a ghastly excuse of a man.
@bkpk4hisapplesauce I was reminded of this just recently when I saw the news of that Australian social worker. Charged with 1,600+ counts of child abuse! It's an awful, awful case. Somehow it has never occurred to me that some people might want to become social workers exactly because they would have ready access to children, particularly ones that had experienced abuse/neglect and so were particularly vulnerable...
This is exceptional story telling. Better than anything I've seen on the big streaming sites. My sincerest compliments to this channel. This video was so moving. I'm absolutely blown away by the quality. Thank you so much for this.
I have to be honest, I'm only a third of the way through this story and am not sure I can finish it. I am so angry & horrified at this teacher's hubris. He was responsible for these children and acted as though they were disposable and indestructible. This wasn't just a simple, tragic mistake. After a number of people tell you it is too dangerous you should listen but his ego wouldn't allow him to fail achieving his goal. He murdered those boys as sure as if he had put a gun to their heads.
This is horrific. There is no other word for this aside from murder. The worst part is that this was uncovered so recently. It makes me wonder how many other incidents like this have yet to be put to light
This is a horrific tragedy I’ve (obviously) never heard of. Thank you for helping bring this to the light. I am positive Jack’s father would have been so grateful to you for showing everyone what a MONSTER that man truly was. He killed those children and doesn’t deserve to go down in history as any sort of hero. So many family members of the deceased died without knowing the truth… it breaks my heart.
Holy smoke, this video is virtually a professionally produced documentary. Fantastic quality!!! And covering a little known story. Immediately subscribed. You should have millions of subscribers--and hopefully you soon will! Many years ago I got lost on a hike from Freiburg into Schauinsland. It started getting dark in the forest while the sky was still blue overhead. It got so dark that I literally could not see my hand in front of my face, or my boots when taking a step; it was so disorienting I couldn't tell up from down. Since this experience I've always wondered if that's why it's called the Black Forest. Anyway, eventually I saw a light in the distance below, and I decided to hike cross country directly toward it. I tripped and fell repeatedly over rocks/logs/etc.--scraping and cutting up my bare legs because I, too, was wearing shorts. It was difficult not to completely panic. Eventually I made it to the light, which was a signal light on a railroad track, and I followed the railway back to Freiburg. It was summer with no weather challenges, I was an adult at the time, and it was still a harrowing, completely exhausting experience. I can't even imagine how HORRIFIC it was for these young boys.
I so agree with you on the production value of this 'documentary.' The narrator/researcher (and every other role required to put this together) was entirely professional. I thoroughly enjoyed your voice, the pace of the content, the use of articles and photographs and the structure of the story. Kudos! This was my first time here but I'll definitely be looking for more.
These poor boys. This man's ego was fatal. (I'm honestly surprised more didn't die, though glad for it) And thank goodness for the villagers. What heroes. Thank goodness for Bernd.
this one of the saddest stories I've ever heard in my life, I had absolutely no idea. Never heard a single thing about it until today. My heart is shattered, and that poor father who went completely nuts losing his son and not seeing any justice! To see his son's killer praised as a hero! AGONY!!
Same never heard of it but I am glad the truth is !!finally!!! revealed even though it will never bring those boys back 😢 very sad 😞 it’s actually heartbreaking to hear how those boys suffered and the person responsible got away with it 🤦♀️I hope he suffers in hell
I can’t imagine being one of those boys who had to watch their classmates die and then never have the truth come out until so many years later. I’m happy that the truth was finally known and now those boys and their families have some justice.
Extreme cold affects your brain too, rather like drunkenness so with an official version of events so different from their own memories, and their memories confused due to the cold they probably started questioning their memories. That was like stabbing someone then twisting the knife.
@@nlwilson4892 And they were probably hushed their entire lives for it too, being told that it didn't really happen that way and their minds were too cold to know the difference. Infuriating!
@@nlwilson4892 human memories are complicated. As time passes, human brain tend to fabricate false relities in our past memories, sometimes. We might recall something as our past which never ever happened to us in reality. Again this phenomenon is rare but not impossible. Human memory is like that.
"It was too late to turn back" um sorry but you were told NOT to go ahead with your death march. Just madness. RIP you poor lads, sincere sympathy to your families. Tragic heartbreaking. Thankyou, Bering, for the truth.
This channel is insane. I have so much respect for the cases you cover. I am shocked that I have never heard of this. All cases are covered in such respectful and informative ways. Thanks for all the hard work
I LOVE this narrator’s voice. Wish there were more videos on the channel! Given the conditions as described, I’m surprised by three things; that, 1. the group was able to continue moving through such deep snow, 2. they ALL lasted so long, and, 3. in the end, more boys didn’t die.
I know it sounds odd but English schoolboys in those days always wore shorts, even in winter. The shorts were to just above the knee, with socks that came up to just a few inches below that. That is what they would wear when walking to school through snow in winter in England. So to a certain extent they were used to exposure to rough conditions. And in general kids were much physically fitter in those days than modern kids. I would bet if you took a group of modern boys in the same outfits into the same experience they would collapse far sooner and far more would die.
@@julierobinson3633 True. Was brought up in 60's on Pennine farm, 300m up. Serious snow nearly every winter. Me and little brother walked over a mile across fields to bus for school. Wellingtons and skirt for me, shorts for brother. Common to stop to shake snow out of boots, as drifts were knee high. Even at secondary school, he had to wear shorts - he was the only one then, times were changing, but poor lad had leg pulled about it. Brought up with winter snow, but still wary. More aware and capable than many but it changes conditions in an instant. Like the sea, never to be underestimated.
@@asilver2889 I'm from the Lake District area and although I lived in a small town you are still very aware how many people get caught out on the fells when the weather changes. People don't respect it enough. The amount of times the Mountain Rescue went out for people caught in bad weather in sandals and summer jackets etc...
What a heartbreaking (and anger-inducing) piece of history. Poor Mr. Eaton: a voice crying in the wilderness. Keats was a sadist pure and simple. This was so well done, and the narration was excellent. Thank you!
Side note this narration, story telling, images shown, music and sounds in the background….is amazing! It sets the tone of this horrific story. Thank you for this informative video and for sharing this story
What kind of abuse was he later accused of? Had he been abusing these young boys, too? Did he deliberately try to kill them or did he just not care? Cruel, to say the least.
Obviously the hike was a premeditated death march. But the teacher was a genius who had a plausible explanation for every fatal decision he made. The summer clothing because the children would get sweaty. The deviation from the recommended hiking path because of the "unexpected" snowfall. Et cetera. And for that matter, nobody can PROVE that the Holocaust actually happened. Common sense declares that it did, but you can't quite prove it to a legal standard.
@@evelynzlon9492 nicely observed...and yes.. many a villain has blagged his way out on such technically dubious mind swill! The teacher wouldve made a brilliant Hitler youth leader.."we either make men of you or or die"
@@cliveedwards2958I'm American but my dad's folks were prominent Nazis. He's the exact same way. I'm apparently all-black and was raised by a somewhat underprivileged single black mother. Yet I'm naturally attracted to guys like my dad, which is mad dangerous and taboo in my region of the country. He knows full well that he set me up to be attacked and persecuted, which can only be remedied by assisting the invasion of the British Empire. They explicitly legalized biracial slavery. Nonviolent resistance did not help because Martin Luther King had stringent standards for his followers' erotic and emotional disposition which excludes me from civil rights protection. I can't PROVE my dad's ulterior motives but he's way too smart to be ignorant to the consequences of his actions.
Here's to finally knowing the true story, the boys who lost their lives and those who lost their friends, and Bernd who was able to bring this truth to light and hopefully give those affected some peace. Thank you, as well, for an absolutely brilliant video on a tragedy I've never had the opportunity to learn about before.
Not a professional, but this so clearly to me seems like a case of narcissism. Keast was a narcissist who couldn't be wrong, even when everyone told him he was, even when the weather proved he was. And in the face of a tragedy, he capitalized on it and came out heroic and clean.
I've done a lot of hiking and I can't tell you how many people go hiking unprepared. I always carried plenty of water and had a first aid kit. When I would would go hiking, I would sign a logbook to let the community know when and where I was hiking. It's just too dangerous to go hiking in the mountains without preparations because you never know what is going to happen.
When I was in high school I worked the gate at a state park a few summers. One day a woman with two boys around 9 and 11 walked up to my station. All three were covered in mud. She started yelling angrily about how they'd gotten lost and stuck in the mud because the "trail" was horribly maintained. I got her to calm down enough to explain what had happened, and she said that they had decided to walk around the lake because every lake she'd been to before you could just walk around it and end up back where you started! Well, the lake at our park was over 12 miles and, though there were several trails, there was no perimeter trail. They'd gotten stuck in the mud because they weren't on a trail they were just walking through marshes. They were all dressed in casual street clothes and I didn't see any water, so I presume they used up any that they brought. This was during summer in the south where days get very hot and there are sometimes violent thunder storms with lightning in the afternoons. I used a map, which I had a supply of in my station for visitors, to figure out that their car was at another entrance several miles away, so I radioed for the ranger to come pick them up. As they sat down in the shade to wait for him, I heard the woman mutter that they should have gotten one of those. Um...yeah!
Even when I hike longer trails (5+) miles at the state park near me I bring nearly a gallon of water, food, first aid kit, and a map (even though trails are clearly marked) and I tell someone where I’m going and when I expect to be home. I consistently see people out there with absolutely nothing, sometimes even women alone in the woods with headphones on. It’s completely insane to me.
One thing I always have with me is at least one other layer for my upper body & head, even if it is hot. In the summer, this may be as little as a hooded shell stuffed into my waist pack.
Thanks to Mr Weiss and Eden fighting to get justice. Yes there are very psychotic cruel people out there including teachers! What a terribly sad story. My heart breaks for those poor boys.
When I studied abroad at the Uni in Freiburg one of our first activities, in late August/early September, was hiking part of the way up Shauinsland, to stay at the hostel on the mountain. We were all around 20 years old, took a bus to the base of the mountain, didn't have to carry our luggage, most of us wore our winter jackets, and we literally walked through a layer of clouds. It was beatutiful, but cold & wet. The walk all the way from Freiburg, during an April snowstorm, wearing shorts & sandals, most have been horrific for a bunch of 12-17 year olds. It's disgusting that their teacher was lauded as a hero, rather than being held to account for the result of his piss-poor decisions.
Calling it "nice" doesn't feel very appropriate for a video on this topic, but your voice is so well-suited to videos like these. The emotion and weight you give to everything you say does a great job of highlighting how terrible these events are.
"Ir was just too late to turn back" after multiple people openly told and then begged him to stop his madness. That man was a monster.
I hate sociopaths. Wish we could identify them at a glance. They're not human.
I told a friend of mine about this, she immediately concluded that he was actively trying to kill one or more of those boys.
@@agdoren really freaking seems like it, doesn’t it?? I mean, how do you do that with so many children under your care & protection if not for nefarious purposes? Unless he’s just completely incapable of admitting that he made a mistake & needs to backtrack.
As an outdoor adventure instructor myself, to exercise such poor judgment in duty of care is horrific. This is criminal.
@@Erosgates At some point in the video they briefly mentioned the word abuse, really makes me wonder.
If any kids are reading this, please remember that just because someone is an adult in charge doesn't mean they know everything. If it feels wrong, defy them, stay back. Defend yourself if you know something is wrong. Better in some trouble than dead.
Agreed.
Kids in the 1930s were far more biddable than they are now. They were brought up to obey adults unquestionably
Wish I would've known this in childhood. Could have possibly escaped abuse☹️
Amen! As a kid I was terrified to go against adults. I listened & remained very respectful around all adults. Which got me molested several times & almost kidnapped. I taught my kids to never do anything they don't want idc if adults are around. If it feels wrong don't do it! Stand up for yourself
I'm a teacher, and I actively try to teach my students this. If they think I'm wrong about anything, tell me. If something doesn't feel right, say no.
My deepest respect for the villagers who went into the blizzard in the middle of the night to save a bunch of foreign children.
Crazy, to think about that 20 yrs later they wher killing eacht others.
@@camiloweinmann6440weren't even the same people.
more like 3, this was in 1936@@camiloweinmann6440
@@camiloweinmann6440 20 years later? More like 3-4 years later. I lived in the mountains of southern Germany for a year and a half, lovely people there. People living in rugged and harsh environments tend to be good people in my experience
The children being foreign doesnt add anything to their acts. Good people will care about children no matter what. Heroes will go out into a deadly blizzard because children are there in need of help.
I read the The Guardian article on this some time ago. Keast said a week after the death of the boys that "today I've had the happiest day of my life" in a letter to his crush. I've no doubt that guy was either a manipulative pyscho or the worst type of narcissistic egomaniac or both. I'm sure in his mind he was the hero he'd told everyone he was, and I wish the truth had come out while he was alive so he'd have to watch everyone know him for the monster he was.
He was at the very least an extreme narcissist judging by how he handled every encounter with the local populace
Does it seem this guy had a case of Van Munchausen by proxy, hurting and causing pain to others to draw attention to oneself? Not that I truly GAF about this ass, but scientifically I wonder if it may apply?
to think that with whatever serious personality flaws he must surely have had, he still had a long and successful teaching career... i would be lying if i said i never had a teacher that was as much of an asshole as he seems to have been. there just isn't much effort made at winnowing these types out
Yes, he seems like a narc and a sociopath.
Jesus, the armchair diagnosing is ridiculous. Maybe he was just a terrible person? No no that's boring, he has to be a raging narc or a sociopath, right? Do you people have the qualifications to be saying this nonsense?
As a native, who has spent his childhood hiking all over the region with his parents, let me tell you it’s not called the Black Forest for nothing. It’s a rugged and mountainous woodland with treacherous weather and it’s difficult to navigate at the best of times. Even today in the age of GPS, hikers get lost all the time.
And yet, when I see or hear the words 'Black Forest' all I can think of is yummy Black Forest Cake! Yummo! I like it so much that, even though I rarely make desserts, I have turned this type of cake into a Black Forest Cheesecake, and more recently (with covid restrictions in Australia) I made Black Forest Icecream in Waffle Cones for my mother's 80th birthday in 2020. Since we couldn't be near each other I had to package them up and deliver her treats whilst we all sat a distance from each other in the driveway. It's sad to hear the name of this place with such dark connotations.
It's why the witch in hansel and grettle got away with it
I was driving at the edge of the Black Forest in 1977 when everything went black for me. I had driven through a swarm of black flying insects the like of which I had never seen in my life before or since. My windshield was covered and I could see nothing. I immediately slowed down and tried using my wipers. At the next filling station I got help to wash the windshield. Good heavens! What a shock.
@@loverlyme what an out of place comment.
I get lost getting out of bed in the dark
as a german living in the black forest, making someone go hiking in these conditions is basically murder. i never knew about this story, very interesting
I’m hoping to visit your beautiful country some day!
Same, it should be normal to know its very dangerous to go into a forest when its snowing or even just very windy. At least wear proper clothes and helmets. Id even argue its tried murder if you lead people there when the weather is that bad.
The Black Forest terrifies me, and I’ve been hiking and camping in the rugged California mountains since I was born.
I would love to live in the black forest. I bet you have some stories to tell!
@@skullykittie9889 to be quite honest i don't because i stay far far away from the woods i don't fuck with that
As a pupil at Strand School myself in the 1960s and as one who saw Keast's name on the school honours board every day when he was head boy (he came back to teach there after university), I knew nothing of this. It was only in later life that a newfound friend turned out not only to be an Old Strandian but the younger brother of one of the survivors of the disaster. He had been contacted by Bernd Hainmuller as part of the latter's meticulous research that led to the truth being told and in turn to this excellent film. I hope it is some comfort to any surviving descendents of those who lost their lives that the real story has at last been publicised.
did the younger brother say anything about the ordeal or about what his brother's life was like after?
@@infinite4392 No, not really. He did say that the first his family knew of the disaster was when he and his mother saw headlines on a newspaper placard while out shopping in a local high street. I believe his brother lived to a good age and died only recently. There was a similarly good revelatory write up in a Guardian Long Read a few years ago and someone wrote a play which was performed in a SW London theatre - may have been Woking or Wimbledon but I'm not sure.
Thank you so much for your comment. I am in shock having come across this story only moments ago. The arrogant incompetence of Keast infuriates me and, as a retired schoolteacher, I am utterly ashamed how he abused those boys because he could, given the respect his students had for him. Those who covered up Weis' report, politicians and newsmen, share the guilt.
Idk fam, how are we supposed know you are who you say you are?
@drippin wet *_How do we know you are really Dripping Wet, I wonder._*
My heart breaks for that father who tried so hard to fight for justice. That man was broken and his life destroyed by a murderer who got off totally free.
I agree with you. And the fact that they removed text from the tombstone was just--- words cant even describe the feelings i felt when I saw that.
Something quite horrifying to consider is, the German locals warning them about the severity of the storm and not to go would obviously be conversing in German with the teacher, which the children probably weren't able to understand/catch most of
Edit: spelling
oh your right, I never thought about that.
I kinda wonder why no boy left the groupe, because the postman tould them a camp is near but is was all in german. Oh that makes everything so much worse.
I thought the same thing. The boys would have no idea that they were being warned so even if their parents or others asked them what happened, they didn't know people were begging their teacher not to continue, that Keast KNEW what he was doing, because they didn't understand the language. And Keast knew they didn't know so he could lie without worrying that the boys would contradict him.
They trusted him, I cannot fathom why a grown man would put children through this after being warned and pretty much begged not to do it.
Even if the threat wasn't great, if I had so many warnings from people who know the trail so well I would definitely take a step back and think 'yeah okay, I'm inexperienced, unprepared so maybe it's not safe' I'd rather not go and find another activity for the boys to do than put the kids or myself (their caretaker) at risk. Better to be safe than sorry.
In 1936, Germany still had faint hopes of either keep England out of the looming war, or even possibly bringing them in on Germany's side.
@@Lil_lionessI’m thinking he’s totally incapable of admitting his own wrongs. I’d like to know more of how his colleagues & other people in his life viewed him.
Honestly bless those villagers and their families for risking their lives for children that weren't even theirs.
It was amazing how they helped those boys and the Doctors did everything that they could
Yes, major props to all of them.
everybody would do the same...great but nothing amazing
@@grifyn882 Everybody? Hmmm, not so sure about that. It's just good to see people come together for something like this.
@@grifyn882 I respectfully disagree.... how many times have we witnessed people turning their backs on those in need simply because they don't want to get involved or have the mentality that it's none of their business; therefore, they do nothing.....
Keast was my German teacher at Marlborough and none of us knew this story. I am pretty sure the school can't have done either; it was after all some 30 years later. At Marlborough he was known for driving a 1930s Rolls Royce and writing witty end-of-term reports. In one of mine, he wrote: "certainly my most intriguing pupil, but I feel I have failed to get anything across to him. However, I am game to go on trying." I am now ashamed of finding that witty. Watching this, I became angrier and angrier and more and more upset. Turns out, my sister lives in Freiburg and has done for 30 years. She married a German who works for the radio and knew the story. He had even interviewed the mayor of Hofsgrund who was an eyewitness to the tragedy before broadcasting the story. Next time I visit, I promise I will lay a wreath at the site.
Thank you for this insight, really. Comments like this make the work I do feel that much more real. Don't be ashamed - as much as I hate what happened, I'm certain Keast had his moments (he was generally very well-liked). I hope to visit Freiburg in the coming months to lay a wreathe also (just waiting for it to warm up a bit...)
@@Jarek768 He said he knew Keast as his teacher 30 years after the incident, that would have been in the 1960s
What a small world
@@Jarek768 You didn't really read his comment or you would know the answer to that. 30 years later.
@@StormLady04 OH so he's like 60
The fact that Keast completely got away with it, and the case was mostly swept under the rug, is just disgusting. This was blatant murder, thank you for shedding light on this tragedy with such a well-made video
Excited to watch this channel's growth
seriously- I'm stood in my kitchen literally yelling at my screen 🤬 and like "oh couldn't ever turn around so let's instead HIKE UP AND OVER ACROSS THE WHOLE DAMN MOUNTAIN" 😭😭😭
Yeah it was utterly disgusting, the fact that he had the guts to even "plan" another hiking trip after what he did and all the lies he told to cover his ass goes to show how purely psychopathic this mf is.
I don’t know how he escaped the wrath of the parents.
Well, he didn't though...not really. Right now, more people than Keast ever met in his whole life know he was just a pile of crap.
It's not true justice. But Keast, in his egocentric way, cared more about how he was seen by others than nearly everything else. We see you for real, Keast, you human version of a bag of dirty diapers.
I like to think his own personal demon in hell assigned to torture him reads the names of all the people who watch this video to him at bedtime.
@@coldchillin8382 thissssss
Oh my god I feel so bad for Jack! He spent the rest of his life fighting to get the truth and ended up in a mental hospital. That broke my heart to hear.
The boys had a voice through this brave man.
And mental hospitals were pits of hell in those days, that poor man
They used to put you in asylums just to ‘hush’ you up back then, if you had anything to say and the powers that be didn’t like it they would claim you were mad and lock you up! Poor man, he must have suffered so
That's one tiny example of how karma is utter nonsense. The mentally sick man went on to abuse more boys while enjoying a long career, while the heartbroken father suffered in a mental hospital and saw no justice.
It was extremely compelling hearing that he went to Germany alone to find out the truth already broken from his sons death. I couldn’t imagine the pain he felt retracting his son’s footsteps up the mountain. The fire that grew in his heart when he discovered the truth. The determination of a furious heartbroken man can move mountains. Unfortunately when the government cover it up there’s no use.
The fire in his heart drove him mentally insane he fought and dedicated his life for the truth he is the real hero.
Im not religious or anything, but the fact that church bells are the ones that led some of the boys to find help made me cry. Imagine hearing nothing but wind and snow and your own breathing, and you hear church bells. I cant even imagine the pain and horror those poor boys went through. That leader is a monster.
I am a Christian and had a similar reaction.
Religion or not, the church can be seen as a symbol or love, hope and safety. Or it should be seen as such. I agree with both comments, I can only imagine hearing the bells and what it might have felt like. The glimmer of hope. Religion or not, it's very powerful. ❤
Very true. We don’t hear those bells anymore these days…
How can u not be Christian?
@@adolfryan1930 Odd remark.
Nearly cried at the part where the villagers risked their lives to save the boys. True Heroes of the Story.
Actually cried. Quite a lot.
Settle down.
how can you say that. these are children we are talking about.@@VanSinder
Same!
I would say it was the boys that broke off the group their teacher was leading. If it wasn’t for them, no one would’ve survived.
"There's no need to go over the details of what happens when a young boy is made to march through sub-zero temperatures in shorts and sandals for hours on end. It's every bit as heartbreaking as you imagine it to be." This line alone deserves an enormous amount of respect. Thank you.
Why she whispered the entire video? I almost could not finish
@@ikmedialunaWhat lol? No one whispered. Sounds like an issue on your end with your speaker.
@@HollyCat504 It's a very breathy delivery, you know full well there's nothing wrong with his speaker
@@funkyfranxnobody else seems to be having issues, you’ve either something wrong with your speakers or have some low quality headphones, I’m using earbuds and checked with my computer and phone on the phone speaker, it was all very clearly audible to me. The narrator doesn’t have a loud booming voice is all, but she’s not as quiet as a mouse either.
Wut? It's part of a script someone wrote to entertain you and make themselves money. It's effectively monetising tragedy and here you are patting yourselves on the back for being swept away by some kind words? Wtf man
The thought of hiking up a mountain through a blizzard in SHORTS is absolutely horrifying. The testimonies of all the locals who tried to stop them, who begged their leader not to do this, are heart breaking. Thank you for sharing this story to TH-cam. This documentary is extremely well made and I'm looking forward to seeing what other stories you will cover in the future.
Couldn't agree more!
Idiot narcissistic man
There’s definitely something Nazi Youth-esque about it. I have read that Hitler had a fetish of sorts for wearing shorts in cold weather.
@@Tina06019 Would make sense looking at how they invaded Russia.
Honestly, you couldn't do a mountain in shorts in the summer! That's totally ridiculous! Even if it's technically comfortable weather, the temperature difference is enough to need it. Went to Hawaii once & we went up a mountain for stargazing. Was amazed at the number of people who went up there with nothing but shorts and tank tops. Just because it's 35°C down below doesn't negate the cold of the mountain.
Keast being treated like a hero is so infuriating. Saying it wasn't fair is an understatement. I'm surprised Jack didn't take things into his own hands. Excellent story telling and informative content.
He just got to live his normal life- oh not just normal, he was a hero apparently, and he killed 5 little boys. It seemed like he kinda did it on purpose too.. tragic.
@@iexist6677 Well, It would seem that Mr. Keast has gone to his eternal.... "reward".... such as it is. I wonder what he would do differently... if given a second chance?
@@marhawkman303 Well in my opinion, even if he had a second chance, I believe he would still attempt to go through the Black Forest because he was warned many many times about what was going to happen and he still ignored it.
@@Thatonek1d123 Well, I mean, with hindsight of what his actions would lead to? hmmm... hard to say.
Sure if he was given the choice a few days after? I suspect he'd keep his original choice.
Years later? hmmm.... maybe...
but now that he's seen the end result of his actions? I do wonder how much he regrets it.
@@marhawkman303 well I do bring my point back and I will say again he was warned plenty of times and he was extemely unprepared. He also lied about his everything. Kinda hard not think he won’t do it again.
Incredibly, on his return to the UK, Keast began plans to lead a school trip to Austria. It was only thanks to Eaton's persistant harrying of him and the school that this was cancelled.
This man had a very particular death wish
jesus..
I couldn't believe it when I heard that in the video. Even privately, he clearly felt zero remorse for what he did to those boys and wanted another chance to do it again!! That's yet another reason why I think he intentionally put them in a deadly situation. Seems like a psychopath.
Thank God! Keeping him from causing another preventable incident.
That's what infuriates me the most. The fact that he wants to lead another trip shows that he absolutely has no guilt over what happened. What an arrogant prick.
It wasn’t Keats’ extreme carelessness or the tragic deaths of the boys that pains me the most . The most heartbreaking thing is that there were several people who tried desperately to get the justice done but ended up failing and be traumatized for life. Life is so unfair.
‘extreme carelessness’ is too kind for what happened here
This story is absolutely horrifying. Those poor boys never stood a chance. Keast was a monster, I don't know how he could live with himself except to assume he had no care for anyone but himself.
Bingo.
Agree, classic narcissist behavior. He set out to do what he had decided to do, and no nay-sayers, regardless of their experience and expert knowledge, was going to turn him back. It's the only explanation. It didn't matter if the kids died as long as he was -right-.
@@sarahcoleman3125 ... I was thinking the exact same!!
Just like most Nazis lived without any guilt or consequences for their behavior. It’s a story as old as humankind.
@@nettewilson5926 i think actually a lot of them did
I've watched lots of stories of lost hikers, mostly in remote areas. The story usually starts with the hikers setting off, and then there's no contact with any other person. They simply vanish. In this case, there were many times the boys could have been spared. All those people who tried to warn them and who gave them directions. It's like Keast was trying to get them all killed.
And why do you think that might be the case? Reality is fare more frightening that fiction.
Thats exactly what I was thinking!!
@@vsnature7146they explained why if you read it. And what exactly is reality in this story to you? Clearly reality at that time the event occurred there was a series of conflicting realities. Even Keast is shown to have lied, so it's plausible he deliberately intended to kill them.
@@ktajax Thats my point exactly. Why do you think his reasons for lying are?
I wonder why he was trying to kill them. Were there children in the group who he needed to silence? Did he need to cover-up his other crimes by getting rid of the victims and witnesses?
Its been 84 years and this still enrages me, its almost like he was trying to kill them.
So it seems to me. It is rather convenient that Hitler got involved in the funeral for the boys that mirrored the British funeral for the German Ambassador to Britian. There are too many instances where the teacher ignored all common sense and locals warnings to call this arrogance. It was murder.
He displays every trait of a personality disordered Narcissist, unfortunately prevalent in older generations of Germans. I know this because half my family is German, half English. Sounds sensationalist but once you're under the influence of them you're literally doomed. Absolutely and totally merciless and self centered individuals who love to see others suffer
Yes, i think he was schizophren and he did exactly that. This sadistic piece of Wrack wanted to kill them all...Poor children...
I think he was. I think he wanted the fame of being a “hero”
people really showed their dark side more back then, just shows you what could happen now if we let our guard down
Thank you for showing the images and names of the brave villagers who rescued those boys. They deserve to be remembered.
Keast was an absolute coward. He knew the truth but chose to let those poor boys die with a hint of shame hanging over their heads. He was absolutely no hero. I am so thankful Bernd found the report and then put it to good use. The truth did indeed come out, Jack. May you, your son, and the other children, forever rest in peace now.
I gotta hand it to Weiss. If he hadn't given a copy to the press... it'd have never been found. It's seemingly the PRESS copy that Bernd used.
This is going to haunt me because Keast was not negligent, he was malevolent. I’m convinced there’s some huge missing piece, some unknown motive to endanger all those innocent boys.
From the start he seemed to make intentional bad choices, first of which having the boys completely ill-prepared for the weather before even knowing of a snowstorm. Then he was angered by all attempts of persuasion from the locals to change his plans. He put them in danger on purpose, but the reason why is going to keep my brain going in circles.
I think you are right. There must have been an additional motivating factor at play for Keast to have made the decisions he made. To still commit to your plan after having your reality checked by several other people several different times I don't think can be explained by just blind maliciousness.
It's interesting to think about, but it's true we'll likely never know what Keast thought or what his true motivations were or factors were at play leading up to that day.
You haven't seen the kind of arrogance that appears in small petty people when they are given power? The reality checks are probably why he kept going as long as he did... It's unfortunate, and the desire for an evil motive is understandable, though I'll bet it was just like the major issue we have with police officers that do similar things, and end up shooting a kid or whatever because they just couldn't step back and act like a human being instead of an authority figure...
He was mentally unstable. You won’t be able to make sense of what he did because there is no coherent reason. Those boys suffered and died because of a crazy person.
He was just pig-headed and stubborn, in my view. I could imagine him thinking “I’m an English schoolmaster, I’m not going to let a lot of foreigners tell me what to do!”.
I’m British and I regret to say that, in the wake of our once having been a great empire, such an attitude was not unknown among my countrymen.
I disagree, he was a dimwitted victorian-minded schoolmaster with a power fantasy
No, his excuse was pure nonsense. He had multiple chances to turn back. Frankly, as soon as it started to snow, he should have turned back - he had boys in shorts with him. No sensible person would have pushed on with the hike at that point.
It really does sound like he went up there with the intent to kill the kids.
I agree the school teacher murdered his students. Taking underaged boys up to a dangerous mountain in shorts in a blizzard despite every local forbidding them to go gives circumstantial evidence that the teacher planned on murdering his students. In today’s justice system the teacher would be charged with reckless endangerment of minors.
Yeah I doubt this was an accident. Nothing about the story makes sense if you think of it as an "accident". This guy kept pushing them until they died.
He seriously committed homicide and was praised for ut
I'm a local living close to Freiburg, have been on the Schauinsland many times throughout my life, but I did not know about this story yet. Thanks for telling it, great video!
Hits hard when you know all of those locations and see the absurd path this teacher and the poor children took.
Good to see that Bernt Heinmueller properly credited with revealing the truth here
a friend of mine got lost in the Swiss mountains during a snowstorm, and lost a couple fingers due to frostbite, and still tells stories about how horrified he was. he's a big dude, 6'3, 250 lbs of muscle and was scared to death. I can't even IMAGINE what those kids were going through...
You sound in awe of your friends rock hard dong.
I've been to Himalayas and trust me mountains are no joke. They're cruel, very cruel. Just the sound of the river in a valley can shake you, a blizzard is pure horror even for professional hikers. Never play with nature.
@@justamanofculture12 Never underestimate the brutality of the cold.
Homegirl really thought someone was gonna attack her and say “they were kids that’s why they died” by bringing up a fake buff friend who you probably heard of in an article 😹😹
@@jayxproductions awww babe, some of us actually have friends. not that you'd know what that's like. :)
when I heard how those villagers heard their cries and despite their own peril they chose to save them it made me tear up at how there is still some humanity left in the world
Well that was in 1936, so…
@@anticom6099 yeah but really honor died before or at least around there so.
@@anticom6099 Yeah....before the proverbial hit the fan.
But it is heartwarming to know that not all Germans were aficionados of the Austrian Painter and Decorator.
@@patagualianmostly7437 that's the true tragedy of WW2... and why there were so many "Resistance" cells in Germany.... the German people DIDN'T universally support their Fuhrer. Modern Germans almost all hate him with a burning passion.
I'm thinking that since they were locals, they had a better appreciation for the storm and how to search through it. Also, if you live in a small town, everyone knows everyone else, so there is more of a tradition of groups of locals helping others.
As horrible as this story is, it's the point where all these people risked their lives to find and save every last boy no matter the hardship, no matter the risk, no matter the boys not speaking their language, just humans saving humans, things like this give me hope in humanity and a little bit of light in an oft dark world, i.e. every single other part of the story.
Those local people were magnificent.
This is what I choose to receive from this story. Thank you for your insight.
agreed
Same. My philosophy is that evil can be big and great and powerful and cause despair. But goodness is individual -- a series of individual attempts to make the world just a little bit better and all that accumulates like a blizzard to smother evil.
Especially during that time period.
When you realize that the youngest and smallest boys were only 4-4.5 feet tall, being in 2 ft of snow is literally half of your body... when the narrator says they had to kick their way through snow that is an understatement to say the least... some of these boys were basically swimming in the snow... i cant even imagine being almost totally submerged in snow with shorts and sandals on, no water, hardly any food, no bathroom breaks, no help at all... Jack Easton the first boy to collapse was almost 15 years old and was a boxing champion at his school in London... if the most athletic boy in the group was the first to collapse could you imagine the pain and fear the younger weaker boys felt? This is so messed up
Yes and something tells me maybe he was trudging trough the snow first in an effort to help the younger and smaller kids which led to him collapsing first. Its a very sad thought to think about.
My uncle was on that trip. We always heard how the teacher carried a dead schoolboy on his back. I feel horrified to hear the truth. My uncle had recurring nightmares but at least he survived.
I mean, I'm sure the teacher did do some pretty "impressive" things to survive, but that doesn't do away with just how stupid and cruel he was to be in that position in the first place
Which boy was he? I’m so very sorry that happened to him
@Colleen Kelly which story? The story the her uncle was on the trip or the bit he told her about the lad being carried?
@Colleen Kelly He Definitely wouldn't of gotten an apple or teacher of the yesr mug, that's for sure .
@@rosesweetcharlotte carrying a dead child on your back is more than just "impressive"
What an absolutely horrifying story. Encountering a group of people/kids determined to hike up the mountain through horrifying weather despite reasoning from others sounds... like something we can't comprehend. Something otherworldly or cryptically sublime, like out of an HP Lovecraft novel. And in the end, it was all due to one man's arrogance and the innocence of children.
Then imagine answering your door at night mid-snowstorm, probably almost pitch black outside, only to see young children frozen and asking for help in as few words as possible. Then seeing more come down. Then the screams. How anyone could have marched into that snowy void of screams is beyond me. Those villagers were absolute heroes for that rescue.
I don't think Lovecraft is an apt comparison, tbh. I'll say it's more Herzogian - i.e. see "Aguirre the Wrath of God"
@@mononoaware4932 Even less so knowing Lovecraft was an arrogant Nazi himself.
That's a pretty bad comparison since nothing about it is supernatural. More like Dostoevsky or Kafka. Something about the absurdity of man. Especially those in charge
Sad that he didn’t face justice, but I’m glad the truth is out and Keast can be remembered as the murderer he was. My heart goes out to the victims, villagers, families, and investigators.
I grew up in Freiburg and as a child I was told about this incident. Up until now I thought it was only a scary story to prevent kids from going in the woods alone. Its really interesting revisiting this story in form of a documentary. Great job with the research!
there’s a monument telling the story next to the hiking path
I just can’t imagine how anyone could have their bare skin exposed to snow for multiple hours. I’m getting hung up on a technicality, but I just can’t imagine powering through severe frostbite for hours and hours. Extreme cold combined with moisture is immediately debilitating. Great narrator!
I can't get by that either...shorts and no coats or boots, I don't see how they got that far...
@@susieq5270and no water right?.. only mention of food was the teacher being fed cake and an orange..
I was thinking the exact same thing, I'm shocked there weren't more deaths.
I was holding a bottle of milk in the supermarket line the other day balancing on my arm and even that ten minutes of cold against my skin actually hurt a bit (and that's not even snow or freezing!) - it's actually unthinkable what their poor little bodies went through. Just evil.
I dont think yall know anything about the human body😂
That poor father , I can’t imagine trying to get the truth out about your child’s horrific death and having no power to do anything about it
It's enough to drive a person mad. I can't imagine the pain and anguish.
It happens now around the world
It's common. As a rule human beings are completely intolerant of truth. Some people can handle a veneer model that lets them live in a fantasy world where the truth can get in sometimes, but the majority are only content in complete fiction. The few people who live in the truth are routinely written off as insane, or will drive themselves insane if they don't realise that they are of a special type and normal people are not able to think about the truth.
This reminds me of the Sewol ferry tragedy - when the conditioning of young students to trust authority figures becomes deadly due to the error/selfishness of those authority figures
Good point. The blindly trusting authority with no question is so sad.
This needs to be taught to children.
@Colleen Kelly It's as simple as the people in question not knowing just how great the danger is. they play along because they don't know they're going to die if they do.
@@mikaross4671 Back then trusting authority was normal, it's how people were raised. Students especially had no rights, you obey or you get whipped/caned/strapped.
Always question authority.
My God, through the blizzard in shorts... This teacher was insane. Or evil. Or both.
I'd like to have more background on this Keast guy, I will guess he was in WW1. This made him dislike English people hence why he refused to listen to anyone telling him to turn back & not go any further. He wanted those children to die.
@@geehammer1511 You seem a bit confused. Keast was English. Why would WW1 make him hate his own people and want to kill children?
Im a local and live a few kilometers away from Hofsgrund. The street going from Todtnau to Oberried ( Hofsgrund is inbetween) is called "Notschrei" ,which means "distress-call", by locals. The story of the boys is the reason why.
Great video about the story of the incident. Never heard it with this much details, love the extensive research.
Hi, another local here. Do you have any sources on that claim?
Because 'Notschrei' is actually on the opposite side of the valley in which Hofsgrund lies (towards the Feldberg).
@droneage1138 Not a local here (Texan in the US), but looking at Google Maps tells me that Nicolaibehringer's correct - Hofsgrund IS in between Oberried and Todtnau.
I think you misread what they said. They didn't say that the Notschrei runs through Hofsgrund.
@@LeftyLinda hi, thanks for pointing that out. Indeed, I know where Notschrei is. I just never knew the name had a regional association with that it incident. It’s like 10 km (~6 miles) away.
Don’t get me wrong, I'd just really like to know, because I've always wondered how that name came to be.
@droneage1138 There's an entire Wikipedia page about it that spells it out clearly.
@@LeftyLinda Clearly? The Wikipedia article I can access reads the following:
„Der Name geht darauf zurück, dass die Straße über den Pass auf einen „Notschrei“ der Bevölkerung hin gebaut wurde, eine dringende Petition.“
That means that it was named after a call for a mountain pass from Oberried to Todtnau by desperate locals. It also states that it was given that name in 1848, so well before the incident in question. I know how to use Google, hence my request for a source on the claim.
There is an eeriness to this story and tragic as it was preventable. The teacher lived a comfortable life afterwards with 0 accountability. He sounds like a narcissist. This was an excellently executed documentary. I have subscribed for more great quality videos from this channel.
Couldn't agree more. He sounds like a very arrogant and overly prideful person, as he doesn't listen to any valuable advice strangers give him. He should have faced punishment for this
Sounds like a case of "I have much experience and am so well-known in my community that I might as well be a local legend whose skill knows no bounds. I know what I'm doing. The challenge will build their CHARACTER! PRAISE ME!"
@@lexyshannon9428 Basically, every average conservative parent lol
edit: hurt the feelings of some conservatives in denial, I am happy with the catch
Be careful drawing conclusions about people you don't know, a situation you don't have 100% information about, told to you by people you don't know. I mean, next thing you know, you'll think a presidential election has been faked.
Narcisisst I was thinking too!!! He really must have been one!
This story is a little long, but relevant to the discussion. I spent a summer as a summer camp counselor when I was almost 19. Every Tuesday, we took the kids on hikes (these "outdoor adventures", along with off-campus excursions on Thursday, were the big draw of the camp). Most of the hikes were pretty easy, considering the group ranged from incoming K-7th grade, but there was one hike that we went to where it was legitimately dangerous. I was the 2nd/3rd grade counselor, and my friend was the K/1st grade one. This hike was, from the on-set, super hard for our littles. The incline was steep, there were lots of little off-shoots of trails where a child could easily wander off, and though they were fenced off with rope, there were also multiple little cliffs or overhangs of the mountain the kids could EASILY slip under if they were curious. Unlike our other hikes that were mostly paved cement or flat dirt trails, this one had roots and rocks the kids could easily trip on (many had scratches on their legs and knees by the end) and the dirt was uneven. My friend and I actually ended up getting separated from the older groups, as we constantly had to hang behind to help our children who were struggling to keep up, and we lost maybe 30 minutes trying to get reconnected with the larger group because cell service was bad. I had legitimately like 7 kids trying to hold my hand or cling to my T-shirt at the same time, just so they wouldn't get left behind and get lost.
We stopped and took a lunch break, before we were meant to finish the hike to the peak. A couple was coming back down from the peak, saw us, and spoke to our director (who was sitting with us counselors). They asked if we were heading back down, and when the director said we were actually going up to the top, the couple both immediately went "with all those little kids? That's not a good idea." But our director kept trying to insist it was fine, but my friend and I kept glancing at each other, since this couple was echoing our concerns. The little kids didn't even want to go, complaining their feet were tired, they were hot, and many of them were bruised and scraped up at this point.
After lunch, my friend and I went up to the director and insisted to her that we were going to take our groups of little kids back to the bus. The director argued with us at first, but we insisted we weren't going to take them up, and eventually (not because she cared, but because she didn't want to waste too much more time) she finally relented, basically saying whatever. My friend and I took our kids back to the bus and let them rest and played games like Categories and Duck Duck Goose, and when the others returned, our fellow counselors told us that there had been a SUPER steep, almost vertical portion to the top that our little kids would never have been able to do, and we made the right call in going back since even the older kids had really struggled.
All of this happened when I was 18. At 18, I had the ability to recognize when something simply wasn't safe for children, and I refused to let them be put into harm's way because I would die before a kid got injured on my watch. And that was such a mild incident compared to TREKKING THROUGH A LITERAL SNOWSTORM IN AN ISOLATED FOREST IN A FOREIGN COUNTRY. I can never understand how a 30 year old man -- who was an actual teacher, not just a temporary camp counselor -- was unable to make that same call. RIP to those boys who passed away, I hope they are at peace and Keast is rotting in hell for what he did.
Well done! Sure there is a fine line between pushing yourself a little and being reckless. But ultimately, there is no shame in turning back, if you realise that a trail might get to dangerous for you. But then again, if it is just you (and maybe some other well informed and aware adults), it's your decision to take the risk. It's your body, your health, your life. But leading a group of people who trust in you knowing what you do, especially children, who might not even have the guts to question your authority and speak up, it's really better to be safe than sorry. And thumbs up to confront that director too!
@@OddSheep-Out Agreed! And I'm not even a confrontational person either, I tend to have too much anxiety for that, but again I would literally pass away and brave Satan himself before I intentionally hurt a child or put them in a dangerous situation. Like you said, kids tend to trust their adults completely and don't really have the developmental ability to even recognize the dangers in the way that adults can. It's our job to keep them safe, I'll just never understand how Keast couldn't do the same.
Dude, you could have cut that whole thing down and stuck with the last sentence. Boring read
@@kcbh24 I wasn't trying to be entertaining lmao, and I specifically said the story was long but relevant. 😂
For what it’s worth, I thought that was a really interesting read.
I understand helping kids’ development by encouraging them to test their limits.
But what Keats (and your camp director did) was criminal.
We had a tragedy on Lake Temiskaming here in Ontario in 1978 in which 12 boys on a school trip died of exposure after their canoes overturned.
It all underscores how idiotic - and criminal - it can be to attempt to build character in children by forcing them to face extraordinary, adult hardships.
i am currently on a binge of this channel, this person is a hard working, talented, and incredibly intelligent. the way these videos are written and made shows how hard working she is. thank you for taking the time to put the effort in to creat such a beautiful piece
Absolutely love your narrative style - you not only tell the story, you talk to your listener - you make it 'real' instead of merely reading a report in a nonchalant, non-emotional manner. I was mesmerized by this tale from the excellent visual and your entralling storytelling style. I truly look forward to seeing future videos!
Well this channel literally directly copied everything about their style from Nexpo, so they are the credit not this channel.
@@glowson8369 exact voice inflection, timbre, nuance, female soft-spoken voice, and *verbatim* narrative? I shall check out this channel you mention, and if it is not all of the above, then unfortunately your statement has no merit.
While listening to a variety of disaster channels, many tell the same stories, in their own style and manner. None copy the style of their peers, merely tell the tale in their own individual perspective. As does this young lady.
@@glowson8369 Ok, listened to nexpo, and the styles imo have nothing in common past a soft spoken voice.
Nexpo sounds ~almost~ ai in the oddly placed pauses on some videos, and as I'd reading a book report in others. No copying there, so I stand on my belief that this young lady has a lovely conversational style of actually talking *with* her audience, not *to*, or merely *at* the listener.
Interesting content though, if I can get past nexpo's style, that might be my next binged channel - thanks for the introduction. ☺️
@@eyeofthebeholder7936 they are similar in my opinion, both are great but I think credit is due. People are still going to watch the both of them but Nexpo has been around for a lot longer. Meh, I don’t know why I was so passionate before. I heard the first five minutes and all I thought about was Nexpo, but I finished the video and the quality is amazing and the channel is clearly well made even if I do believe it is copying Nexpo. Trends happen, hopefully they would be as good quality as these two channels.
@@glowson8369 😆
Have yourself a very Merry Christmas 🎄
Props to Bernd Hainmüller, who took up the torch from the prosecutor who could not, in the context of history, be heard. This is a real service to those boys, and to the German people who attempted to stop this tragedy, then helped when they could. Going out in a snowstorms takes real guts, and these people who helped on that day, and later by trying to get the truth out, need to be credited for their heroic acts.
What an infuriating story. Those boys deserved better but trusted an adult that completely failed them. I still cannot even imagine how awful it must have been hiking through a snow storm in summer clothes. It was completely avoidable and horrific how it was covered up. The teacher was a monster.
One word " Stupid"...why why I mean why the monster took these boys to hike in worst situation at first place...
Stuff like this happens way too often. Look at what happened with that ship in Korea. Because the kids had it so ingrained in their heads that adults are always right, they trusted the captain when he told them to stay put while he escape. Had that not been drilled in, they probably would have acted on any thoughts to get to the outside of the ship, where they wouldn't have drowned trapped in rooms.
@@waves2378 I've heard that story with the korean students...pretty sad and similar bullshit happened with the costa concordia whose captain is still in jail I think...lying and instructing people to not fight for themselves is..."difficult" to say the least bc they're trying to prevent chaos while dooming people at the same time..sinking ships are another matter I think...check SS Arctic.
@@waves2378those children were failed by cowardly adults many many times. At least, their families got some justice.
@@waves2378 That wasn't so much adult-child hierachy, it was Korean cultural obedience to the superior, the adult, the captain, the leader. East Asian obsession with obedience as a virtue can sometimes have very tragic outcomes. They aren't taught to argue with or stand up to any form of authority, whatsoever.
How sad for the father who tried so hard to get justice for his son.
I find it absolutely heartbreaking how somebody could be so stubborn and irresponsible with a child's safety and well-being; let alone so many at such a young age. Not quite at that age to put their foot down and suddenly demand orders to turn around. When I was their age, I would've felt total trust and dependancy upon the adult. Very scary and sad.
This. At 12 years old you’re just not in a position to question authority, especially the authority of someone you really look up to.
Exactly. Especially a teacher. We had been well trained to act with blind obedience , and do as we were told by adults who were in charge. Even if we were terrified, freezing, and knew this was going to go very badly, we would have trecked after the person in authority. Im sure some of those children voiced their reluctance to each other, but having no other choice, followed this arrogant man to their painful , torturous ordeal. What should have been a fun adventure, became a life long trauma for those who survived. That man should have been put on trial. Im astounded that he was allowed to contine teaching children, as if nothing had occurred, and his negligence, foolishness, and obstinance hadn't caused the loss of five promising young lives. It really ticks me off that he was hailed as a hero, instead of locked up for manslaughter.
@@lilacsnroses247 This rotten story has made me so angry. If the photo was anything to go by the children weren't even wearing suitable clothing.
@@321scully yes. They were dressed in summer clothes. They said shorts and sandals. I don't know how they got as far as they did. Im sure the survivors must have had some frost bitten extremities, at the least. Those poor children suffered before they died.
It's so sad the people who tried to stop him, too. If they'd shared a language with the boys there's a small chance they could have convinced some of them to leave the group and come to safety. As it was, no point even trying.
this is no longer manslaughter, it’s plain murder
agreed. He did this on purpose .
He was a deranged man.
I hope you are joking.
@@azazello1784he killed children.
@@Omega-lj9tq He didn't.. It was nature that killed them.
So much work has been put into this....the effects, the editing, sounds and script....and not to mention the research. Incredible! this is what effort means, and you don't really find it much anymore nowadays. I know these things take a lot of time, and people kind of gave up doing this because for them the time working on such videos, didn't pay off enough because of how TH-cam works nowadays. Hence why effort becomes scarce, despite people wish to take more time on making high quality videos...
That's why I'm happy people like you are still around. I got chills down my spine once again, this is such a creepy journey everytime!
Deserves more subs imo
Y’all convinced me!
U
This has had 160,000 views !
If everyone who watched it paid
10 c via Patreon the makers could easily afford to do more .
Unfortunately everyone expects stuff like this for Free ..!
well said
I live literally only 15mins away from where this happened and grew up with this story but you've layed out details even I did not know.
Thanks for the great video, well done!
God damn, Jack's fight was a long one, and he ended up in a mental hospital, never getting justice for his son. What a cruel world. Jack just wanted justice for his son.
In all the awfulness, I can't explain how glad I am that you made this video, that has over half a million views. Over half a million more people know the truth of this story, and I hope that somehow brings comfort to the surviving families of the victims
Already 1 1/2 million views now.
Got to despise arrogance and narcissism . These people can never be wrong no matter how bad the circumstances they have to come out smelling like a rose it's always somebody else's fault. And they always make themselves out to be a hero. No matter what the era or decade
Just described a group here in the USA. Sad isn’t it how mentally and emotionally immature people act.
@@TC-dw6wg😂😂 I also couldn’t help but think of democrat voters when I read that. I hate to make everything about politics but if the definition fits….🤷♂️
@@dakotaflower5926 This is not the time nor place to be bringing up American politics. I can't help but find it a bit disrespectful considering the content of the video, this is not the time to throw shade at political parties you dislike but rather to remember the memories of 5 innocent boys who lost their lives due to ignorance, arrogance and narcissism. It's despicable (Mr. Keast, not you)
@@helloworlditskiwi it’s not throwing shade, it’s literally a perfect definition for their bad behavior. Narcissism spreads to many different aspects of who a person is and what they do. Also, look at this persons career choice where he is was able to insulate himself from the vitriol of the public.
I understand your concern and the reasoning for your comment, but I don’t believe it’s disrespectful nor harming anyone.
@@dakotaflower5926 sigh
Can I just say not only are your documentaries interesting, well written and informative, but there is a kindness to them that I don't see in a lot of channels that discuss tragic events. You show clear compassion for the victims of each video I have watched, and you do not delve into details that are unnecessary such as the details of what it was like trying to care for these poor boys after the rescue. It is a tragedy, everyone knows, and the details are not necessary. I thank you for your respect and kindness in that.
Poor Jack... I hope he found at least even a glimmer of solace in the fact that he never gave up fighting for his son who I am sure would be so proud of him.
There may be an even more sinister underlying fact about Jack Eaton’s harrowing experience of telling the truth. During this time, being sent to a sanatorium or psychiatric hospital is the primary way for authorities to legally imprison individuals and paint them as crazy lunatics. This was what most likely happened to Jack Eaton. Just thinking about this breaks my heart. All he wanted was justice for the death of his dear, sweet boy and the authorities did all in his power to defile the truth.
I wonder what the boys’ descendants thought of. I wonder how justice can be brought to Jack Eaton today, when even his final wishes for his epitaph was not followed. He knew deep in his heart that the teacher failed, yet no one listened. If there is justice in this world, I hope Jack Eaton can receive it - even if it was decades after his death.
As a truth teller, in defense of the people; the ignorant cannot tell that truth telling isn't craziness. I've dealt with enough people who legitimately thought I was crazy because I told the truth to my own detriment to see that many literally do see the truth as insane. It's not that they just use the accusation to silence the truth (though the most evil people certainly do suppress the truth consciously), it's much worse than that; they are so far into their own lies that the truth frightens and confuses them.
Jesus said that the truth is like a fire that burns people and sends them scattering in fear. From the perspective of people who are deep in the lie, the truth is a terrifying force that threatens to destroy the whole world. They react from there
@@jonlannister345 I agree, people will rather avert their eyes than look a harrowing truth in the eye. Just curious what were you speaking up about?
@@anderoo9260 Variously what you'd call 'stereotypical' Christian things really, nothing particularly special. Not much that wasn't totally normal in the 1950s
This was absolutely brilliant. The editing, the visuals, the sound was perfect, but what really put it up to 11 was your voice. This video is a masterpiece, thank you very much.
Agree! Her voice was perfect.
Agreed
I thought her voice was the only off-putting part! Funny how different people are.
I thought the way she talked enhanced the story, BUT, at the same time, her voice was not much more than a whisper, so had to keep turning the volume up!!
True, she's perfect. Most female narrators on YT shout and have vocal fry which is unbearable to listen to.
I think it’s safe to say Keast murdered those boys, whether that be directly or indirectly. It also speaks to the psychology behind following an authority figure; of course, their age played an enormous role. Also, coupled with later reports of the abuse he administered as a teacher, Keast more than likely reveled in putting those boys through what they went through. I won’t bother labeling him as what he most likely is, I’m sure anyone can guess.
the father that changed his name to his sons and fought so hard was absolutely soul crushing to hear about, i wish justice was served.
Go, Bernd! A retired teacher working 20 years on uncovering the truth. Amazing person.
He really is! Bernd took a real chance handing over all his research to some random TH-cam channel and then he helped me every step of the way, nothing was ever too much. I owe him a lot.
@@AbstractThat’s beautiful
What a terrible thing to happen to those poor boys, but I have to say hands down that these are some of the strongest kids I have ever heard of, hiking 9 hours in the snow in shorts it’s amazing that they didn’t all die , what brave kids they were
Your voice is so soothing and your empathy when reporting these stories is deep. Your investigation and supportive documents make the content even more interesting. What a horrible tragedy that could have been prevented.
As a born and bred Canadian from Québec I can totally imagine how painful it must have been to trek through that weather in shorts... Truly horrifc...
I think Quebec's terrain is a walk in the park in comparison to European mountainous regions. 😐
@@phillipproussier3723by 'painful', I believe they mean the cold (not the terrain itself).
@@Mrs.Currie It's only Northern Canada that is colder than Europe.
@phillipproussier3723 Well, Canada is a big area, and so is Europe. Where I live in southwest Manitoba (about 40 minutes from the US border), on average, the winters are colder than anywhere in Europe. In British Columbia or parts of Alberta, much less cold in the winter.
@@Mrs.Currie I don't think that South-West Manitoba is colder than Scandinavian countries (Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland) and Northern Russia. Northern Russia in particular is hell in winter time.
I have NEVER encountered this story and I am so glad this is how I stumbled upon it. The narrator breaks your heart with her compassion and sadness and it makes it so much more than a historical information piece.
I'm crying for those children, and for the injustice their parents experienced. This is one of the worst non-fiction stories I've ever heard. Thank you for sharing it. I's got everything...innocent kids, concerned villagers, grieving parents, a lying "guardian," the detemined investigator, Nazi theatrics, deceptive politics and overall governmental neglect. Those poor, trusting children.
this comment just right sums up the video
As a parent, this infuriates me. Putting your trust in a leader to guide and care for your child, and subject them to this is monstrous to say the least.
This story is heartbreaking, angering, sad, and infuriating all at once. How can a grown adult be so careless and reckless. To continue on while the boys were in shorts, without food or water, no clear direction, and ignoring the advice from all the locals telling them to turn back and seek shelter is equal parts ignorance and arrogance in the highest order. Idk how that man managed to live with himself after that day. He must've been a malignant narcissist and truly believed he was not to blame. Being the father of a son myself, I wouldn't be able to die fast enough after finding out my son had died in this manner
This reminds me of the 1986 Mount Hood disaster. The leader of the school kept pushing and insisting that the high school kids in his charge keep going up the mountain even though there was a raging storm. He also, came upon people descending the mountain telling him he did he and the children should turn around. But no, he insisted they keep on going. He, along with approximately 10 children died on Mount Hood.
Hopefully we are now moving past the era where we taught young men that death was more favourable than humiliation.
@@demo2823 I don't think humiliation was why he refused to turn around. Rev. Thomas Gomas was just batshit crazy.
Why would any of these men in power force children up a pints in against elements???
@@demo2823 Umm, can you say, gender ideology and transition? Lol.
@@dionst.michael1482um, can YOU say it? Because it sounds like you’re just stringing random words together with really no concept of what you’re saying. I know you want to trigger the libtards but you can’t trigger anyone if all you’re offering is word salad 😂😂
I am impressed and encouraged by the valiant efforts by the villagers and the doctors. I am impressed by the integrity of the public prosecutor. I wonder how many similarly exploited disasters like this there have been. It kind of makes me sick.
When I was 15 my friends and I were skiing and we got caught in a freak snow storm in Italy when we were quite literally at the top of a mountain and had to slowly walk down it to safety. Saying that sounds so simple but it was suddenly pitch black (it was the afternoon and had been sunny all week with no bad weather at all, nor was any forecast. The weather changed in less than a minute) and it was so loud- sounding like deep howls and terrifying shrieks all around us from the winds although they sounded like scary animals or ghosts, we were being knocked over as we tried to slowly and and carefully walk sideways whilst not falling or losing sight of each other, the snow just kept getting deeper and we had to keep shouting to each other as we simply couldn't see past our own hands in front of our faces let alone see each other. We also could no longer tell which direction we were shuffling down, we couldn't work out if we were going straight down or sideways, it was incredibly disorientating. And we were in full ski gear! Yet still freezing and suffering from the elements; Trembling with fear but also genuinely cold from the winds. The further down we got we could, at moments, see lights and hear sirens of some kind, and eventually (after almost 3 hours of slowly walking/staying upright) we miraculously managed to reach safety at the bottom of the mountain where rescue crews and first responders were. I will never forget the fear and grueling conditions of that snowstorm, how scared we were, how exhausted and cold.. and we were physically fit, mountain confident girls, all fully dressed for the cold..
As I was hearing each detail of these poor boys, and the conditions they were in, I cannot imagine the horrors they endured. The temperatures alone are staggering, you simply can't imagine how sharp the cold can feel all of a sudden, and how terrifying the sounds are in a snowstorm. The boys must have been beyond exhausted, a level of hell I can't comprehend, while being forced to continue on. No goggles, no boots, no layers, no hats... and marching miles with no food, water or shelter 😭😡
The sadistic coward who took them there and made them suffer, then lied and showed no remorse or any dignified care or response whatsoever afterwards... I just can't understand any of this? His mentality? His initial plan? It's so utterly confusing and shameful. What a ghastly excuse of a man.
he was a predator. they come in all sorts.
@bkpk4hisapplesauce I was reminded of this just recently when I saw the news of that Australian social worker. Charged with 1,600+ counts of child abuse! It's an awful, awful case. Somehow it has never occurred to me that some people might want to become social workers exactly because they would have ready access to children, particularly ones that had experienced abuse/neglect and so were particularly vulnerable...
Also a sadist.
This is exceptional story telling. Better than anything I've seen on the big streaming sites. My sincerest compliments to this channel. This video was so moving. I'm absolutely blown away by the quality. Thank you so much for this.
I have to be honest, I'm only a third of the way through this story and am not sure I can finish it. I am so angry & horrified at this teacher's hubris. He was responsible for these children and acted as though they were disposable and indestructible. This wasn't just a simple, tragic mistake. After a number of people tell you it is too dangerous you should listen but his ego wouldn't allow him to fail achieving his goal. He murdered those boys as sure as if he had put a gun to their heads.
"My boy was everything to me" this made me tear up.
I read an article that quoted him saying his son was everything he wanted to be himself
This is horrific. There is no other word for this aside from murder. The worst part is that this was uncovered so recently. It makes me wonder how many other incidents like this have yet to be put to light
So many sadly. This hit me hard. I'm just as sad as I am angry
Many because it's only recently some adults woke up to the fact kids are human beings. And still so much child abuse accross the world, eveywhere
This is a horrific tragedy I’ve (obviously) never heard of. Thank you for helping bring this to the light. I am positive Jack’s father would have been so grateful to you for showing everyone what a MONSTER that man truly was. He killed those children and doesn’t deserve to go down in history as any sort of hero. So many family members of the deceased died without knowing the truth… it breaks my heart.
If only it came out when he was still around.
Holy smoke, this video is virtually a professionally produced documentary. Fantastic quality!!! And covering a little known story. Immediately subscribed. You should have millions of subscribers--and hopefully you soon will!
Many years ago I got lost on a hike from Freiburg into Schauinsland. It started getting dark in the forest while the sky was still blue overhead. It got so dark that I literally could not see my hand in front of my face, or my boots when taking a step; it was so disorienting I couldn't tell up from down. Since this experience I've always wondered if that's why it's called the Black Forest.
Anyway, eventually I saw a light in the distance below, and I decided to hike cross country directly toward it. I tripped and fell repeatedly over rocks/logs/etc.--scraping and cutting up my bare legs because I, too, was wearing shorts. It was difficult not to completely panic.
Eventually I made it to the light, which was a signal light on a railroad track, and I followed the railway back to Freiburg. It was summer with no weather challenges, I was an adult at the time, and it was still a harrowing, completely exhausting experience. I can't even imagine how HORRIFIC it was for these young boys.
That was smart of you to follow the railroad track. I know for a lot of people it might seem like a no-brainer , but still
I so agree with you on the production value of this 'documentary.' The narrator/researcher (and every other role required to put this together) was entirely professional. I thoroughly enjoyed your voice, the pace of the content, the use of articles and photographs and the structure of the story. Kudos! This was my first time here but I'll definitely be looking for more.
These poor boys. This man's ego was fatal. (I'm honestly surprised more didn't die, though glad for it) And thank goodness for the villagers. What heroes.
Thank goodness for Bernd.
this one of the saddest stories I've ever heard in my life, I had absolutely no idea. Never heard a single thing about it until today. My heart is shattered, and that poor father who went completely nuts losing his son and not seeing any justice! To see his son's killer praised as a hero! AGONY!!
Same never heard of it but I am glad the truth is !!finally!!! revealed even though it will never bring those boys back 😢 very sad 😞 it’s actually heartbreaking to hear how those boys suffered and the person responsible got away with it 🤦♀️I hope he suffers in hell
Fantastic narration work. Truly scary story
The villagers were insanely courageous
I can’t imagine being one of those boys who had to watch their classmates die and then never have the truth come out until so many years later. I’m happy that the truth was finally known and now those boys and their families have some justice.
Extreme cold affects your brain too, rather like drunkenness so with an official version of events so different from their own memories, and their memories confused due to the cold they probably started questioning their memories. That was like stabbing someone then twisting the knife.
@@nlwilson4892 And they were probably hushed their entire lives for it too, being told that it didn't really happen that way and their minds were too cold to know the difference.
Infuriating!
@@nlwilson4892 human memories are complicated. As time passes, human brain tend to fabricate false relities in our past memories, sometimes. We might recall something as our past which never ever happened to us in reality. Again this phenomenon is rare but not impossible. Human memory is like that.
Not sure what justice you are referring, since there was none.
Justice? Keep dreaming fool! There is and was NO justice!
"It was too late to turn back" um sorry but you were told NOT to go ahead with your death march. Just madness. RIP you poor lads, sincere sympathy to your families. Tragic heartbreaking. Thankyou, Bering, for the truth.
A haunting yet fascinating story, captivating narration full of personality, and professional editing to pull it all together. Another masterpiece!
Thank you so much 🥹
@@Abstract yeah this is a top notch documentary. I watch a lot of these on here but this is amazing. Keep up the good work. Please
This channel is insane. I have so much respect for the cases you cover. I am shocked that I have never heard of this. All cases are covered in such respectful and informative ways. Thanks for all the hard work
That’s horrible, not only were the boys murdered by an person in power. Their parents are thrown under the bus and their stories are almost forgotten
I LOVE this narrator’s voice. Wish there were more videos on the channel!
Given the conditions as described, I’m surprised by three things; that, 1. the group was able to continue moving through such deep snow, 2. they ALL lasted so long, and, 3. in the end, more boys didn’t die.
I know it sounds odd but English schoolboys in those days always wore shorts, even in winter. The shorts were to just above the knee, with socks that came up to just a few inches below that. That is what they would wear when walking to school through snow in winter in England. So to a certain extent they were used to exposure to rough conditions. And in general kids were much physically fitter in those days than modern kids. I would bet if you took a group of modern boys in the same outfits into the same experience they would collapse far sooner and far more would die.
@@julierobinson3633 True. Was brought up in 60's on Pennine farm, 300m up. Serious snow nearly every winter. Me and little brother walked over a mile across fields to bus for school. Wellingtons and skirt for me, shorts for brother. Common to stop to shake snow out of boots, as drifts were knee high.
Even at secondary school, he had to wear shorts - he was the only one then, times were changing, but poor lad had leg pulled about it.
Brought up with winter snow, but still wary. More aware and capable than many but it changes conditions in an instant. Like the sea, never to be underestimated.
@@asilver2889 I'm from the Lake District area and although I lived in a small town you are still very aware how many people get caught out on the fells when the weather changes. People don't respect it enough. The amount of times the Mountain Rescue went out for people caught in bad weather in sandals and summer jackets etc...
What a heartbreaking (and anger-inducing) piece of history. Poor Mr. Eaton: a voice crying in the wilderness. Keats was a sadist pure and simple. This was so well done, and the narration was excellent. Thank you!
Side note this narration, story telling, images shown, music and sounds in the background….is amazing! It sets the tone of this horrific story. Thank you for this informative video and for sharing this story
What kind of abuse was he later accused of? Had he been abusing these young boys, too? Did he deliberately try to kill them or did he just not care? Cruel, to say the least.
Yeah I agree..I wanted to know more about the allegations of abuse
Obviously the hike was a premeditated death march. But the teacher was a genius who had a plausible explanation for every fatal decision he made. The summer clothing because the children would get sweaty. The deviation from the recommended hiking path because of the "unexpected" snowfall. Et cetera. And for that matter, nobody can PROVE that the Holocaust actually happened. Common sense declares that it did, but you can't quite prove it to a legal standard.
@@evelynzlon9492 nicely observed...and yes.. many a villain has blagged his way out on such technically dubious mind swill! The teacher wouldve made a brilliant Hitler youth leader.."we either make men of you or or die"
@@cliveedwards2958I'm American but my dad's folks were prominent Nazis. He's the exact same way. I'm apparently all-black and was raised by a somewhat underprivileged single black mother. Yet I'm naturally attracted to guys like my dad, which is mad dangerous and taboo in my region of the country. He knows full well that he set me up to be attacked and persecuted, which can only be remedied by assisting the invasion of the British Empire. They explicitly legalized biracial slavery. Nonviolent resistance did not help because Martin Luther King had stringent standards for his followers' erotic and emotional disposition which excludes me from civil rights protection. I can't PROVE my dad's ulterior motives but he's way too smart to be ignorant to the consequences of his actions.
@@evelynzlon9492 this seems like an Uncle Ruckus monologue minus the being attracted to you’re dad thing
Here's to finally knowing the true story, the boys who lost their lives and those who lost their friends, and Bernd who was able to bring this truth to light and hopefully give those affected some peace. Thank you, as well, for an absolutely brilliant video on a tragedy I've never had the opportunity to learn about before.
Can we please talk about that the voice talking is perfect for this kind of stuff? It’s so calm and smooth.
This story makes me thankful that kids today do question and do not blindly follow instructions of their elders.
Not a professional, but this so clearly to me seems like a case of narcissism. Keast was a narcissist who couldn't be wrong, even when everyone told him he was, even when the weather proved he was. And in the face of a tragedy, he capitalized on it and came out heroic and clean.
He was just pure evil imo
Narcissistic psychopath with no remorse or empathy.
npd doesn't make people capable of murder
I've done a lot of hiking and I can't tell you how many people go hiking unprepared. I always carried plenty of water and had a first aid kit. When I would would go hiking, I would sign a logbook to let the community know when and where I was hiking. It's just too dangerous to go hiking in the mountains without preparations because you never know what is going to happen.
When I was in high school I worked the gate at a state park a few summers.
One day a woman with two boys around 9 and 11 walked up to my station. All three were covered in mud.
She started yelling angrily about how they'd gotten lost and stuck in the mud because the "trail" was horribly maintained.
I got her to calm down enough to explain what had happened, and she said that they had decided to walk around the lake because every lake she'd been to before you could just walk around it and end up back where you started!
Well, the lake at our park was over 12 miles and, though there were several trails, there was no perimeter trail. They'd gotten stuck in the mud because they weren't on a trail they were just walking through marshes.
They were all dressed in casual street clothes and I didn't see any water, so I presume they used up any that they brought.
This was during summer in the south where days get very hot and there are sometimes violent thunder storms with lightning in the afternoons.
I used a map, which I had a supply of in my station for visitors, to figure out that their car was at another entrance several miles away, so I radioed for the ranger to come pick them up.
As they sat down in the shade to wait for him, I heard the woman mutter that they should have gotten one of those. Um...yeah!
Smart man!
Even when I hike longer trails (5+) miles at the state park near me I bring nearly a gallon of water, food, first aid kit, and a map (even though trails are clearly marked) and I tell someone where I’m going and when I expect to be home. I consistently see people out there with absolutely nothing, sometimes even women alone in the woods with headphones on. It’s completely insane to me.
One thing I always have with me is at least one other layer for my upper body & head, even if it is hot. In the summer, this may be as little as a hooded shell stuffed into my waist pack.
Thanks to Mr Weiss and Eden fighting to get justice. Yes there are very psychotic cruel people out there including teachers! What a terribly sad story. My heart breaks for those poor boys.
When I studied abroad at the Uni in Freiburg one of our first activities, in late August/early September, was hiking part of the way up Shauinsland, to stay at the hostel on the mountain.
We were all around 20 years old, took a bus to the base of the mountain, didn't have to carry our luggage, most of us wore our winter jackets, and we literally walked through a layer of clouds. It was beatutiful, but cold & wet.
The walk all the way from Freiburg, during an April snowstorm, wearing shorts & sandals, most have been horrific for a bunch of 12-17 year olds. It's disgusting that their teacher was lauded as a hero, rather than being held to account for the result of his piss-poor decisions.
This is so traumatic to listen to. The narration is fantastic. It seems as if the poor boys died for nothing by trusting their teacher.
Not teacher but a total monster!
In my opinion, the teacher was a murderer and should have been prosecuted
That's just your opinion.
@@tmilesffl my opinion as well.
He should have at least been charged with involuntary manslaughter
@@brenchengbrencheng4794 Same here.
I agree with you, Allen. This man was criminally reckless.
"What would these people know about the weather and terrain of the place where they live?" -Keast's internal monologue.
Calling it "nice" doesn't feel very appropriate for a video on this topic, but your voice is so well-suited to videos like these. The emotion and weight you give to everything you say does a great job of highlighting how terrible these events are.