Ardennes Alamo 1944 - Last Stand at Clervaux Castle
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 27 ก.ย. 2024
- The last stand at Clervaux Castle, Luxembourg, is not well known, but one of the critical defence actions of the Ardennes Offensive, and a story of great American heroism.
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This was great! My dentist as a kid Carole Frawley was a cook and given a rifle to fight with at Clervaux. His platoon made it west for a day or two. His Lieutenant had them dig in and told them to fight to the last man and then the Lieutenant LEFT! When the Germans approached they all surrendered. It was a long and hard trip east by foot and in boxcars to a Stalag. He told this story while cleaning your teeth. As a kid I thought it was great! Best dentist ever! I loved going to the dentist! I also think the movie Castle Keep is very loosely based on the Clervaux Castle.
What a nice anecdote. Bits of history like this get rarer by the day.
What about the nazi zombies?
oh wait that was wolfenstein
Would be interested in hearing about any after-the-fact reunion of the departing Lieutenant and the remaining surviving men led to the Stalag.....yep.......
:> He told this story while cleaning your teeth. As a kid I thought it was great!
Jeebus. Sounds like the beginning of a Stephen King story.
I bet you have awesome teeth!
I think my dentist was an ex Gestapo interrogator.
My wife's uncle was one of the few who made it out the third floor window to the hillside as the tank blew in the front door. Some trapped in the basement were captured, and some escaped to Bastogne and then north from there. We stayed in the hotel a few years ago, checked out the escape route, and visited with the present owner (who is a grandson of the original owner). The owner's uncle had been forced to the Eastern Front by the Germans, was injured and returned to Berlin, I think, and then "disappeared" from the German army. I told him I was glad that our uncles had never met.
We went to the military museum that is currently a part of the Castle. When we told them that we were there because of the uncle, they would not take any money. There is still a great deal of respect for what the GI's did there. Worth seeing, thanks for the video. Bill S.
Its amazing how the French claimed that it was impossible to get tanks through the Ardennes, even after French tankers used the Ardennes forest to circle around another French unit to win the french war games between the wars, and it was hushed up
I grew up in post-war Germany. My German mother married my father, a U.S.soldier in Germany in 1957. I lived in Stuttgart and Straubing. Just south of Regensburg. Signs of the war were everywhere. I went to Berchesgarten and OberSalzberg. It's a very insane part of history.
I never knew about these brave men fighting til the end. This battle is overshadowed by Bastogne but shouldn’t be. BTW thanks Dr. Felton your videos should be used in high school lessons on what the war was truly like.
BASTOGNE is most known for several reasons,but I been many times in Clerveax myself but also many little towns around,they all have very intriguing stories.
Hopefully we don't have to experience it again,you still see all the scars in the landscape and the stories are still alive.
A movie was made about it with Burt Lancaster called Castle Keep.
Is this the same Gen Cota who is known for his action at Omaha?
I live in Luxembourg and I ride my bike to Clervaux at least once a month. The history of the region is really amazing and for anyone interested you can find one of Europe’s best museums of military history in Diekirch ( a few kilometers south from Clervaux) where you can see the vehicles, equipment, arms, uniforms, supplies that were used by both sides during the batte of the Bulge.
fantastic another video. Its Fascinating learning something new everyday from you Mark.
Nice to see you here Ash
Ash Hello there
I see you all over lol, first on Shadowfrax and now here. I don't judge though, both very interesting and entertaining with their content.
Ah, spotted yet another gamer of culture. Very nice 👍
One hell of a story. These men had real grit. Thank you for telling it.
The men who built that castle exceeded all expectations, if they only knew.
The 28th Inf. Div is the Pennsylvania National Guard (Territorial Army). Pennsylvania is called the "keystone" state since it was geographically placed in the middle of the 13 colonies (six north and six south). The divisional patch of the 28th was a red keystone as can be seen on the jacket of the General pictured in Dr. Fenton's presentation. To the present day in remembrance of their fight in Hurttigen and the "Bulge" along with the red keystone patch the divisions nickname and patch are refereed to as the "Bloody Bucket". It is the United States oldest division tracing their lineage to a battalion formed by Ben Franklin in 1747, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The 28th fought as recently as Iraq.
And Major-General Norman Coda couldn’t be disturbed because he was having dinner...
Mark Wakefield an over officious aide most likely
Cota, best remembered by his decisive and examplary leadership at Omaha Beach. Yep, Robert Mitchum's portrayal was spot on.
Unfortunately, Cota's reputation was destroyed when he ordered the ill-advised assault through the Huertgen Forest.
What followed was WW1 style meatgrinder, ending in utter defeat for the Americans. If you want to get feeling what it must have been like, watch the 'When Trumpets Fade' movie from HBO.
The Huertgen Forest disaster was completely overshadowed by the Battle of the bulge that took place two weeks later.
He should have been tried for dereliction of duty and shot.
I thought it was reported, "...couldn't be reached because he was having dinner" in reply when it was requested to speak with him.
I'm loving the new long format videos Mark, keep it up!
As an American I honestly think we often have this over biased view of WWII that the U.S. goes in and kicked German ass without losing a battle however your cover of this and the hurtgen forest proves otherwise and I'm thankful for the true history you provide
when fed good food, for no apparent reason, the Infantry knew something was amiss
In the Pacific, the Marines always knew that a landing was imminent when they got steak and eggs.
Evan Friend feed the common soldiers well, then they know something soon will be expected from them. a common practice in every army throughout the ages.
COL Hurley Fuller was relieved of command of the 23rd Regiment, 2nd ID, in Normandy after the 23rd took heavy loses and failed to take Hill 192. General Gerow, commander of V Corps, fired Fuller during butt kicking meeting when Fuller (likely exhausted and stressed) failed to answer Gerow's questions about why the 23rd didn't press the attack (192 was a meat grinder and it was an impossible task). Fuller was escorted out by his aids and reassigned to the 28th ID in England. I believe that his stubborn defense at Clervaux was partly to regain his reputation after his humiliation in Normandy.
The detail and facts mixed with Mark story telling makes his channel and facts of wars and battles 2nd to nobody....the best on TH-cam
I swear Mark is the only history channel where it comes down to actually knowing what he’s talking about love your videos Mark!
My Great Grandfather fought in the Battle of the Bulge. I remember asking him for war stories when I was a kid. I only got a few tidbits, but here they are. The first time he ever came under German artillery fire he recalled and I quote, "I was fucking shitting my pants I was so scared." He also told a story about how during the Winter men would often keep water in their helmets to use for cooking or drinking or shaving or whatever. My Grandpa did the same thing, just like the rest. He soon regretted his decision when German artillery came pouring onto their position, they all had to dump often still freezing cold water onto their heads and dive into their foxholes.
This is all I can really recall with certainty. He served from 1944-1946 before being discharged honorably. He was also awarded a bronze star for his valor, though unfortunately all of his war relics were mishandled by my family and now are missing. But I cherish the memories of Grandpa Tom, and I can always be proud of what he did. Mark's excellent videos help bring history alive, and for that I cannot thank him enough. Even just thinking that my Grandpa was somewhere mixed up in Belgium in winter 1944, it is truly amazing to learn about all the brave men who fought and died at his side. Sorry for the long post, but please subscribe and support Mark Felton Productions if you can!
Are we blessed by heaven, a 17 minutes video by Mark?!
I was born in South Africa 1985, my Grandparents on my fathers side came from Austria after WW2, I enjoy your channel
My wife and I stayed there a few years ago. A wonderful little town with a great museum in the castle.
WOW! What a in depth and totally riveting presented video on a little known action.Truly exceptional work.......seriously way above the best I've seen in decades.
One cannot believe that the beautiful castle as seen today in the footage was so completely wrecked just 75 years ago, during the heroic defence by the American soldiers stationed there. Great story, great video, as always ! 🌟🌟🌟
This reminds me of the movie 'Castle Keep'; it stars Burt Lancaster and other actors, it's a movie worth watching. Thank you for another enjoyable video. Continue to keep up the good work.
Being a Texan, the word Alamo brings very strong feelings of patriotism and pride. It's in our blood to never back down, even if outnumbered. This is very inspiring.
Great video today Mark, that was the shortest 17 minutes I can remember in a long time.
That fighter pilot sure showed that field of wheat who was boss. @2:34
Someone has to keep that wheat in line before things get out of hand. There's alot more wheat than soldiers and if that wheat were to gang up and get any crazy ideas it could cause a real problem.
Lol what an idiot pilot
General Chuck Yaeger flew strafing missions over 1944/1945 Europe before becoming a test pilot and breaking the Sound Barrier.
He commented: the war was very dirty at that time and both sides committed atrocities. During strafing missions without a preset objective, Allied fighter pilots were ordered to shoot up towns and horse carts to 'break the enemy's morale' (terrorize).
The winter pics and videos especially with the panzers and Sherman’s are incredible and exceptionally well edited.
It was the same at St Vith American 7th Armoured Division being surrounded by 5th Panzer and about to be enveloped and destroyed. I think Monty ordered their withdrawal to more defensible position against the wishes of Hodges and Ridgeway. Monty said they can come back with honour. The question i have is how the hell Bradley wasn't fired after the Hurtegen and the Ardennes fiascos. That needs explaining.
'Ol monty woulda been fired years before for his African fiascos if he wasn't a cousin of the royals!
With 20/20 hindsight, it's easy to judge. Macarthur squandered his airpower in the Philippines, letting his planes get shot to pieces on the ground in the first few days of US involvement. Rommel's aggressive armored pushes without infantry support nearly ended in not only disaster, but nearly cost him his own life multiple times. And Halsey fucked up quite badly costing 7-8 unnecessary US warship losses, over 1400 men, and almost 150 aircraft, between Leyte and a typhoon, and I think the only reason he wasn't handed his own ass was because the heroism and sacrifice of 4 of those ships lead to one of the most unbelievable outnumbered and outgunned naval victories in human history, keeping an even longer death toll off his tab by keeping an invasion force safe from japanese warships... Despite his best efforts to fuck up his one and only job of keeping said force safe.
Point is, generals and admirals are people too. They make mistakes, sometimes they learn, and they have highlights... But above all else... Never forget... Patton's sidelining for 2 years over slapping a GI was completely retarded XD
Truth is, the world of military leadership is rife with politics, those who make it to those positions often abuse their power, and who is held accountable for what boils down to who licks whose boots. And it's a lot worse today than I think it was back then.
Mark Felton is The History Channel. Thanks you so much for the extra long video!
You have to do the 551 PIB at the bulge. one of two known fixed bayonet charges on the western front. Unit was annihilated.
Iam Dutch and grew near the Ardennes. Visited the place many times in both winter and summer. Its beautiful but here and there you can find traces of the battle.
Lots of museums and tank wrecks.
Awesome video and a little-known battle. God bless our WWII vets, or which, my dad was one. So few are left.
You sir amaze us
You continually amaze me with the history you bring forward to us
Thank You sir
Excellent footage, information, content and commentary once again. The research you put into these videos Mark is fantastic. From all these battles that are not common public knowledge, to even the biggest battles, I look forward to watching each and every one. Again, thanks for your time and work. Amazing channel.
Please continue to share more. What sacrifice and courage, I will be forever grateful for their service.
Never knew this battle took place - always thought the only time in history American troops have defended a medieval castle was Itter in '45...
Thanks, Mark, for a very interesting film
I’m surprised the Americans didn’t allow a retreat.. Another great video. I love how you capture ever little detail to how many tanks by the Americans were even in the battle.
Die Wacht Am Rhein amazes me to this day how the germans were able to stealthily mobilise 300,000 troops and two full panzer armies just miles from the front line. The Americans called the Ardennes the "ghost sector" due to it being so quiet.
TheFirst actual warning the Americans received was in an extremely quiet part of The Ardennes, where guard duty was carried out by a single jeep patrol every hour. Fortunately, the patrol escaped enemy attention long enough to radio back that the area was "crawling with Germans."
That might have been the best 17 minutes I’ve ever spent on TH-cam
In my kitchen on the edge of my seat! This story is better than any Hollywood movie.
Ardennes Alamo
you have my attention as a texan!
Absolutely fantastic video and narration. This is the first video I've seen on the channel and I'm glad to have found it. Looking forward to checking out other content, great job.
This channel satisfies my cravings for the glory days of the history and military channels
Yet another intriguing installment from history, this has been the best one to date!
This is the best channel i've been subscribed to in my TH-cam time so far. Every time good narrated videos!
Keep up the good work Mark, you are a real addition to TH-cam ! I still can't imagine that people down vote these really good videos.
Those men are unknown hero's! Thanks for telling their story.
Wow my heart is still raising from you explaining the mission as it unfolded.
Another good one. I was not that familiar with the battle at Clervaux castle, despite having read extensively on the Western Front in WW2. Thanks for posting. The brave defenders of the castle and the hotel had to fight both against overwhelming enemy strength and poor leadership from their own General staff. Ironically, (perhaps) Dutch Cota had become famous for his statement to the men at Omaha Beach who were pinned down by heavy fire: "The only men on this beach are the dead or those who are about to die, so get off this beach!" Some have even questioned whether he really made that statement, but it was attributed to him in the American press and he became a hero. Further, the publicity surrounding that quote probably helped get him promoted faster than he probably should have been. He clearly did not seem ready to command an entire Division facing a major German attack.
I could watch your programmes all day. Like what the history channel used to be before it went all weird.
thank you, i agree this should be mandatory viewing for high school students, too quickly we forget history and are brainwashed by social media & "news" agency that we are invincible. Thank You again.
My great grandfather was in the 106th. He got to the forest like two or three days before the offensive started. St Vith isn’t talked about nearly as much as Bastogne. Props to you sir
Thanks for the hard work on these videos Mark!
This was really interesting. Liked the longer format with more in depth information. Well done!
Brilliant Mark, I hope you every success with your book, I'll be picking up a copy for sure
Idk how anyone can dislike the videos.... They're put together good and are easy to understand
This channel is growing! 👍
I've watched many of your videos, all very good, but this one is amazing.
Read "Alamo In The Ardennes" by John McManus. One of the best books I ever read on the subject.
The hairpin bends are an interesting example of how a single tank on tank engagement can ripple up to the operational/strategic levels
Mark you certainly have a way of telling a detailed story and putting pictures put in our minds it's dying art
Really an excellent summary. Great use and timing of clips. Thank you, Mark!
Thank you Dr. Felton. I am excited to see this slightly longer film
I had no idea that I'd stayed in a town with Battle of the Bulge history. I stayed in the Hotel du Commerce in Clervaux in a room that looked directly at the back side of the castle. I was staying there on my way to go to the museums in Bastogne. Thank you Mark for this video.
This I have never seen! Thank you Mark!
Great vid as usual also and I know this is so left field but I’d like to see a vid on the Iran Iraq war in the 1980s If has some firsts and the only fighter Helicopter kills on other Helicopters.I know there are tons of other stuff people would rather see but be interesting to get a vid on that.Keep on making these amazing vids on history
Those damn Yankees. Stubborn as mules they are.
Another excellent video.
Watching this as a german feels eerily sad.
Incredible production tho and massive respect to Feltons attention to detail.
Without a doubt the best military history channel.
I hope TH-cam won’t get stupid and demonitize this channel like other history channels
Another Brilliant informative video!
The guy sleeping with a hand grenade over his chest. Can't even imagine what he went through.
Currently my favorite WWII/History channel!
Thank you Mark! For so many little known war stories, I for one, have never heard of. Just goes to show history is indeed written by the conquerors. But all the intricate facts regarding WWII, such a vital part of human history, should be exposed. You have helped to this end. So thank you!
I have loved your book Guarding Hitler. A very nice, informative, yet vivid prose. Much information that I, a historian of the era, was not cognitively aware of. Those, "Oh..." moments. Very nice.
Wow ! another battle that I never knew about until today ! Thanks Mark for another great video.
My great-uncle was at the Battle of the Bulge. He was a tanker under the future 4 star General Creighton Abrams when they saved the 101st Airborne from certain annihilation. And yes, it was certain annihilation. I understand that the Airborne are supposed to be surrounded but 101st was getting pounded hard til armor showed up and saved the day.
getting used to that intro sound every few evenings you upload, very comfy
Reminds me of the 1969 movie, "Castle Keep" with Burt Lancaster and Peter Falk.
This Reminds me of Battle of Yultong in Korean War. Where in 1000 Filipino Soldiers fought against 40000 Chinese Soldiers. The cooks, medics, clerks from the Philippine Forces was issued with weapons and ammunition to help fend off wave after wave of Chinese Attack.
I just want you to know that I thoroughly enjoyed this documentary I have recently subscribed to your channel and I'm very impressed by the detail and clear narration that you do. I am going to buy this book and I am looking forward to this story. The break down of timelines and troop movements are captivating. There are many documentaries out there about major battles, but I love the more personal tales that you discuss. I'm going to keep enjoying them and your books. Thanks
Wow! What a story! Thank you for sharing
Love ur vids so much thanks for uploading
Still one more time congrats for you incredible task of research and your admirable way to explain these stories. Great work!
Love it. Thank You Dr.
I've been there numerous times, and when the movie came out with brat pit towards the end, I saw clerveaux in my mind,i Iike to explore those sites and the stories behind it
It's nice that Mark pays tribute and is respectful to America and our contribution to the war, instead of being one of the Brits who tries to downplay America's role in WWII. Everyone contributed a hell of a lot.
Luxembourg, a HOI4 superpower
U changed ur profile pic :O
virgin Germany vs chad Luxembert
An absolute smashing video. Please do more like this from all sides and army's of the war.
I went to Clervaux on business about 20 years ago, I was surprised to see a statue of a WWII American soldier on a plinth in the town square, when I came home I did some research to find out why it was put there, and this is the story.
Commemorating the General who ate dinner?
Excellent mark! Please do operation Market Garden aka A Bridge too far.
And suddenly my day is going great
Wonderful!!! The regiment is under attack and the General can't be reached because he is at dinner!!! Love the sense of priorities-with friends lie that who needs enemies?
Would have expected such a response from the German side......
So muscular with facts, so well served by original footage, and such telling details.
Gen. Bradley was right: the Germans SHOULD HAVE used those forces to good effect on the Eastern Front, driving the Soviets from Germany, rather than squandering them in the Ardennes.
They would have made even less of a lasting impact on Ostfront.
Patton was right. The US was fighting the wrong enemy.
I doubt that would have worked either. Sometimes there is NO right answer.
@@edgein3299 both are correct enemy. One is a National Socialist dictatorship the other one is a Pan-Socialist/Communist dictatorship.
I think the idea is not to win, but to slow down the commies, so the West grabs more territory. Which makes sense, from Bradley's perspective.
It's sad that war doesn't even spare old cultural buildings with hundreds if not sometimes thousands of years of history behind.
I agree, but if I'm taking fire from a building, I'm gonna do my best to level it.
Great video as always
Awesome story, and it should be given more notice within the span of WWII battles.
It would also make a great Hollywood production (hint, hint Mr. Spielberg?).
Bravo, Mark! Fascinating research and presentation.
Wow Mark! Great video and with a longer format and you write books as well. I know what I am ordering for Christmas.
I've been an author for 16 years - I came to TH-cam rather late!