I was a loader and it gets very hot even when it's fairly mild outside. The breech and barrel give off a ton of heat after a few rounds and the turret becomes a self-heating oven. Add the noise from the ventilation fan, gun firing, orders being given, keeping out of the way of the recoil/turret rotation, and servicing the co-ax machine gun (which also gets pretty toasty). Now that's just during training.
My dad was a driver of a Sherman for the 2AD. He told me that they fried eggs on the hull of the tank. The crew kept a pebble in their mouth to keep salivating. Thats hot 🥵
Rommel and hes soldiers treated prisoners well. Also i do not know why you seem to have hatriot towards this man. He wasnt nazi and disliked them for the most part. Disliked Hitler too when saw how he controls the army.
Can't really compare these channels with Marks, since Marks is mostly military history and the others can be any kind of history, science, physics, etc. Nonetheless, love this channel regardless.
Rommel: wanna see me advance against allied forces? **captures 200 miles in the Blitzkrieg campaign* Rommel: *wanna see me do it again?* **advances 400 miles through the desert*
Indeed, I personally think the African front very interesting, and undoubtedly highly important to the war effort, being the springboard into Italy, thus putting more pressure on the Axis. And in turn was important for the landings in Normandy due to the extra front thus the diversion of forces that could have been in France.
yeh it clearly wasn't anywhere near as important, still interesting, but in 1941 there was a grand total of 2 German divisions in Africa, by the end of 1942 this was up to 6 whilst the Eastern front had the attention of up to 191 German divisions...
@@Bassjunkie_1 I agree. The only visuality I have of Rommel is from Films/Movies and he does not look nor sound like James Mason (I like James Mason btw).
I don't know how you do what you do, but this was a jaw-droppingly excellent piece of work. And I have been studying and reading the Desert Campaign since I got my hands on a copy of Robert Crisp's "Brazen Chariots" in 1963 and Avalon Hill's "Afrika Korps" war game a few years later. The short clip of Rommel was incredible. He is the only WW2 German general officer that I ever even remotely admired. I am in awe of your talents and dedication. Thank you!
One part of Rommel that did survive was his meticulous diaries. He always had the intent to write his memoirs after the war, so he was constantly sending his diaries home. Unfortunately, they were all confiscated by the Americans at the war's end. They also took the personal letters he wrote to his wife. She was able to get those back, but the diaries are still in storage somewhere in the USA.
@@MURDOCK1500 He was not a good man. Troops under his leadership committed murder and rape and the usual killing of Jews. He is no hero. Mark has a number of Rommel videos.
My father (radio operator on a german tank) was captured by the British in El Alamein. They covered in a cave and the british shot into the cave with a machine gun, shooting of the heel of his boot. He was captured and brought to Canada (Lethbridge). He always told me about the beauty of the canadian nature. He worked on a farm and was treated good. He learned english and always wanted to go back to Canada.
It's not just the fuel though. During the invasion of Poland, the army wanted to be fully motorized, but due to equipment shortages they still fielded large numbers of horses and carts.
@@the_tactician9858 Bah! They did not want to be fully mechanized because Germany had not the equipment-- and they KNEW IT! Maybe in their dreams, but German high command and the Wehrmacht had no illusions of being able to field fully mechanized armies. The Germans were realists, if nothing else, and didn't waste thoughts on fantasy.
Juan Zulu ~ Yeah, i couldn’t agree with you more my friend, Mark’s work is outstanding. i think that it’s very important that the public gets both sides of the debate and the other side of the propaganda. Check out the amazing documentary series called = “EUROPA THE LAST BATTLE” All Ten episodes are well worth watching Removed and Banned from many places, However You Can Still Find it iF You Look hard enough (it’s also available on DVD) It’s one of the most important & fascinating documentary series to come out this decade and should be shown in our schools and colleges worldwide. You won’t be disappointed ! Please share it with as many people as you can before it gets removed and lost forever The Censorship Continues but OUR WEAPON IS TRUTH !
@@blumenstejn Swabia is located in SW Wurttemberg. Rommel was one of the relatively few "southerners" in the German military leadership. Another was General Gunther Blumentritt who was a Bavarian. Perhaps interestingly, Hitler (a native Austrian) reportedly got along with both generals well.
@@GunsNGames1 The "Ain-Chent Astro-Nott The-O-Wrists" never seem to realise that the people who built the Pyramids had the same brains as people today who build Modern Infrastructure...
Man wish we could go back to these days. Just cruisin the beautiful desert in a comfortable tank with your best friends.. A/C blasting with all the room in the world to stretch your legs and lay back in the peaceful silence and security of the impenetrable armor. Man I'd love to be a young man in the early 1940s living somewhere comfortable like the Polish countryside. No need for a phone in such a peaceful place.
My father was a British North African (and Dunkirk) veteran (32nd Field Regiment Royal Artillery) and was captured just before El Alamein. He was in Derna, Tobruk and Benghazi and everywhere between. Fantastic video. I've watched a lot of documentaries on this but I've never, ever heard Rommel's voice. very cool!
The most valuable war prize item for the Axis in the N.A. campaign was the capture of intact enemy fuel dumps during attacks . All abandoned British equipment was also carefully looked at and any worthwhile amounts of gasoline removed. The greatest British early war prize was found in Tobruk after its first capture from the Italian army. Huge stocks of Krupp armour piercing artillery shells were discovered there and an enterprising officer worked out a way to convert them to fit British guns and tanks.
Excellent work in general. Unbiased, historically correct and well researched. Also Your work at War Stories. Thank You and keep up the good work Mark :)
Catering to a specific crowd with these edits and narrations. Love it. Reminds me of being a teen in the late 90s early 00s. History Channel greatness!
@@KironManuelCards reminds me of stories of Russian soldiers favouring the german mp40 MPs to their own PPsch-41 guns (because the german guns are obviously superior) and the German soldiers preferring the Russian PPSch-41 guns over their Mp40s (because the soviet guns are obviously superior), grass is always greener on the other side
@@kiliwami4086 reminds me that facilities and people are better in other countries.Have you heard that export quality is better?It is the way of the world.
My later father (God rest his soul) served in the artillery with the British commonwealth forces, in the battle at Bir Hakim. They were overrun by the German forces, 800 were taken prisoner, he was one of them. They were kept by the Germans for two days and then released, since the Germans were short of food and water, and reached the Free French fort. I wish he was alive to see this episode. He always spoke to us of his campaign, after a great deal of prodding. Thank you. I got to see some aspects of the war.
To be honest Rommel had to make do with what he could salvage given the fact that the Afrika Korps was seriously undersupplied thanks to the British dominating the sea way to Africa (and not to forget Malta the island turned aircraft carrier)
@Jacob Zondag But it's true. All throughout the Africa campaign Rommel and his successor(s) were hampered by a lack of fuel and supplies. It's kind or hard to run a successful offensive when you have to always keep one eye on your fuel gauge knowing that you probably need X tons of fuel/day to do what you need but only Y tons less than to actually use.
Rommel must have read Sun tzu. The Art of War has a section that deals with using captured enemy equipment. Chapter 2 talks about one cartload of enemy provisions being worth 20 of one's own. Furthermore, if 10 or more enemy chariots are taken, awards should be given to those who have captured the first. And then, substitute one's own banners and use those captured chariots. The Desert Fox applied these bits of ancient advice very well.
One lesson I take from Rommel is that even the best general fails if his state is weak. One has to wonder what the Germans could have done if they had a sane statesman leading them, a leader who listened to Rommel, Manstein, Guderian...
One reason Rommel was short on supplies was the Enigma being deciphered. Reading Enigma messages the British knew when the supply ships were leaving Europe for Africa, and their route, plus what the ships were carrying. British airplanes stationed on Malta would then sink the Axis supply ships.
He had feeling he was being heard, he tried not to use radio transmission frequently,he would give his sub commanders pre battle plans ,and only use radio in Las minute coordination attacks, knowing it takes time to desipher codes
But the US code was cracked early on by Germany so that gave Rommel a huge advantage too. The Brits kept the USA updated on their plans. So the Germans were able to find out what was going to happen via the then neutral USA.
I would think that the Germans valued their captured Matilda 2s, since they had come up against them in France in 1940. The Dorchester command vehicle must be a rarity now - there's one at Duxford, and I'd love to have a look round inside. Great video!!
My old neighbor was a tank crewmen of the Aussie unit that used the Italian M11/39 and M13/40 tanks( and customized them)that were captured at Beda Fom, he said that they were miles ahead of what they were using at the time,the Vikers Mk4 light tank and the Cruiser mk2 which were horrible to operate due to bad ergonomics and gun gas venting when firing.The 11/39 was decent in static defense/scouting and the gun on the 13/40 was better than the 2pounder at range, having a pretty effective HE round. Though only used for a short time by his unit,he still had fond memories of the Italian tanks especially the machine guns which they added to the Stuart and Matilda when they received them. Also the hatches were better placed (side and drivers)that enabled them to open them while moving during the heat of the day. I built an M13/40 model kit in his honour with the Aussie Roo markings shortly after he died and gave it to his family. Interesting subject to research and read about.
Always glad to hear some first hand experiences. I play Italians in Bolt Action, so hearing there were some upsides to their tanks is nice. For the Emperor and Sanguinius!
Its funny I was just thinking this morning about going to get some books on Rommel from the library and you pop up with this video!!! He was an awesome General very smart!!! I always enjoy ypur video they are so thorough and well investigated, thank you for your hard work!
Rommel once ordered Italian and German forces to move out as soon as they made landfall at Benghazi (i think). The Germans, once ashore, gathered themselves up and reached 80km before halting for the night. Rommel, arriving later, was astonished and furious when he found that the Italians had made 35 km and were stopped for the night and were sitting down to wine and white table cloths. He threw a complete strop and made it clear to the Italians that he expected them to match the Germans, km for km.
@@BrettonFerguson Just googled ''Laconia Incident'' and I'm amazed from the info I found on Wikipedia. Thanks for mentioning it and I really hope Mark gets to cover this in the near future. Cheers!
Mark you are certainly on your way to becoming THE authority of unknown stories of WW2. I have said and thought so many times over the years about how there are so many untold stories of the war that we'll never know the full extent of what happened. Enter, Mark Felton The master of the untold stories of WW2 Excellent channel Mark, I've been with you since you had around 100,000 subs.. Now look at you, over a million! Well done my man Well feckin done! We salute you! Greetings from rainy Ireland ;-)
There was a lot of equipment "borrowing" in North Africa and The Eastern Front, due to the fluid nature of the engagements. Not so much in the war in the Pacific. One exception was Guadalcanal. The US Marines made good use of captured Japanese equipment. Henderson Field.
I wish he survive through the Second World War, I would like to read his memoirs or his version during the war, he was a honorable man fighting for Germany not the Nazis.
@LUNAR BLOODDROP and also when he took Prisoners of War he treated them very well, even when Hitler ordered for him to kill Prisoners of War he refused.
@@Darkmirren my granddad was actually captured in noth Africa he said the germans treated him and others very well off cigarettes and food but the Italians treated him and others like ahit he even said te threw shit at him
That's why Germany had a destroyer-ship called "Rommel" after the war. Also a "Lütjens" and a "Mölders" destroyer. (land, water & air soldiers) But in today's Germany the left spirit is so big, they rename everything. Soon no baracks or march will remember Germany's past.
@@neinnein9306 bring back the Old Prussian uniforms for Germany's army they always look so cool, and try to rebuild Germany's army because it's literally falling apart.
I will start off by saying that I am a huge fan of history, especially war history but that is obvious because everyone else here also loves it but what I want to say is; I am very happy to have found this channel, I absolute enjoy listening to each story you tell, can't wait for more of your awesome videos
It is too simple-minded a view to call any German soldier fighting for his country a "Nazi." He was a soldier. And a very capable one at that. He was not a Nazi. He was also never in the party, although everyone was expected to be at the time. The war was wrong, of course. But on the contrary, one can rather criticize that Rommel was too apolitical. No, not a Nazi. Too apolitical. Rather, he did not want to see at the beginning who caused this war and for what reason. He also probably thought too much about his own career. But so have many others. Nevertheless, that has to be seen critically. For sure. But from HIS point of view, he fought for his country. In the end, however, he even turned against the Nazi regime and was murdered (driven to suicide) for it. As a soldier, he was an excellent tactician and troop commander. Robert E. Lee was arguably the ablest general in the American Civil War, fighting for the South even though he was always against slavery. He still fought for the South because that was his home. Rommel did the same. To dub every German soldier a Nazi is nonsense.
-"So what's your job ?" -"I'm a general's assistant." -"Oh, that's nice, so you have a comfy desk job somewhere way back, behind the front. What's the general's name ?" -"Erwin Rommel." -"Dear Lord...."
@@otgdy2081 saying there not a nazi or a confederate doesnt justify they were fighting for them, while nazis may have been forcibly drafted under threat of execution for treason, but leading the nazis is different
Do you hear that sound.... That's Mark Felton knocking the ball out of the park again ..... With ANOTHER excellent historical wartime video!!! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Mark is so professional in his presentation and his material so well researched that he could, single handedly, create an excellent TV series better than most I've seen. Superb!
Remember that the Brits, at the time of Operation Torch, referred to the US Army as "Our Italians". Even Rommel stated the the Italian troops fought well when they were well equipped and were under German command. The Italian senior officers were in the majority incompetent and dismissive of their men.
@Cpl. Rook The Americans learned from their mistakes. They promoted those officers who did not know their stuff(Fredendall) back to the states and replaced them with good officers. The green soldiers learned their lessons fast and were able to trust their leadership. A luxury the Italians never had.
It's always interesting to see what each side used of the others equipment. Kiwis who served in North Africa told me they seized Italian trucks which were often on solid tyres. They then fitted them with pneumatic tyres and the trucks proved useful after that.
Until now I have neglected to tell you how much I enjoy your channel. It is always informative and deals with little known episodes of history. The videos are always exactly the right length so as not to be boring and over-done. Thank you for your efforts in producing these great videos.
keep up the Good work Felton, big love from your Bulgarian Fans, l just love your narrating voice, always nice to see the Germans reuse allied tanks and armor
It’s my understanding that some of Rommel’s captured Beutepanzers were once again put back into British service once the tide had turned. I wonder if there are any surviving examples in museums of such tanks.
Mark you done be very proud always wanted to know more about that I've been researching the war special in the desert since I was 11 now I'm 24 and now even more amazed especially after watching this video never heard Rommel's voice before keep up the great work...
Britain called the M3 Light Tank a Stuart and the M3 Medium Tank a Lee or a Grant depending on turret configuration. I haven’t heard of a “Honey” and don’t think that name was used, at least not widely, by either the British or the Americans.
@@WJack97224 I heard that's not true as well. Something about that lighter not even existing at that time. I believe they did joke about their ease in catching fire, but even that seems to be in question now since the Sherman was as safe or safer than any other tank of the time.
We used plenty of captured equipment, the Aussies in Tobruk threw together the "Bush Artillery" made up of captured guns aimed by looking down the breech until Royal Artillery men were lent to polish up their efforts, we put Italian 20mm Breda guns on Marmon-Herrington armoured cars, I've seen many Breda machine guns (usually captioned as Brownings) on LRDG/SAS vehicles, pretty sure the PPA used captured vehicles and just about everyone used each others trucks.
I have spent many hours, likely a few man-years studying about WW2; yet I almost always learn something new from Dr. Felton's presentations. 👍👍 Bravo, sir !
"only mad dogs and englishmen go out in the midday sun" - a phrase i remember as i watch the footage of the engish not covering up in the desert sun :)
A few reasons behind that, first in battle you do not always get to choose the time of day you are moving about. Second, do not forget Britains climate and the fact that few of these men would have had experience with tropical or desert conditions. Midday in the UK is rarely an issue, so go around during the heat of the day, or going uncovered was normal to them. Lastly the desert uniform was pretty much shorts and short sleeved shirt and a greatcoat for the night. Pretty ridiculous to modern eyes but to be at least somewhat fair no one really did an in depth study of what troops needed in a desert environment until the Israelis in I believe the 70's or 80's, and what they found pretty much shocked everyone, like troops required 2 - 3 times more water than most armies issued in desert conditions during WWII....
Thanks Mr Felton , for presenting the facts and not opinions, that's what makes your videos so interesting, I'm in my fifty's now , but every time I watch one of your videos I can "feel" and remember when i was a kid watching world at war with my Dad, thanks for that.
Very interesting video on a little known aspect of the Desert War. I would however like to add a couple of points. The main reason for Rommel being short of supplies was the supply ships being sunk by British submarines operating from Malta. The most successful and best known of these was HMS Upholder. Rommel was often ahead of the action flying his own reconnaissance aircraft, a Fieseler Storch. I think he is the only General on either side to do this.
I'm convinced that the way in which Rommel used his creativity to lead from the front made his men go the extra mile for him. Truly an amazing video, Dr. Felton. The Kasta is truly an amazing unit.
@@johnlewins5023 I've read the Italian troops fought well under German command, and while German units were nearby with German equipment. It was on their own they fought poorly. Each Italian division didn't have as much artillery and other heavy weapons as they needed to be effective. The Italians lowered the amount of artillery per division so they could make more divisions. This made it hard for them to win when their enemies did have enough artillery.
@@BrettonFerguson Paraphrasing (and I'm sure someone will look up the correct quotes) - German General - 'The Italians have entered the war" Hitler - 'its ok, just send a division" German General - 'they are fighting on our side' Hitler - 'better send 10 divisions!'
@@bclmax His junior officers at the time hated him so much that he had to sack virtually all of them... I dare say he may be the most overrated commander of all time (due to both Germany and Allied propaganda).
Gratitude once more Mark. As a relatively new subscriber. I have many posts from ur back catalogue to binge & catch up on. As well as the subject matter, it's ur concise, unbiased & informative narration that impress me. Ur posts are well received Sir. History should never be denied, but learned from.
Mark Felton ,this is first video/film of yours I've seen & I'll certainly try to watch some more - informative,entertaining ,precise...Excellent ,Thanks.
imagine how hot it was in those tanks
I was a loader and it gets very hot even when it's fairly mild outside. The breech and barrel give off a ton of heat after a few rounds and the turret becomes a self-heating oven. Add the noise from the ventilation fan, gun firing, orders being given, keeping out of the way of the recoil/turret rotation, and servicing the co-ax machine gun (which also gets pretty toasty). Now that's just during training.
As a desert warrior and veteran, it's a hell inside another hell,
My dad was a driver of a Sherman for the 2AD. He told me that they fried eggs on the hull of the tank. The crew kept a pebble in their mouth to keep salivating. Thats hot 🥵
Some troops are weiring long overcoats as seen in the images. At night temperatures drop below zero (°C) in the dessert.
there's a video clip of a German tanker actually frying an egg on a tank for breakfast.
My grandfather was in the British army in North Africa around this time. He got captured and actually saw Rommel. Thankfully, he managed to escape.
Polish Hero Witold Pilecki yeah!
He had a chance, but why would he kill a prisoner?
;P
Rommel and hes soldiers treated prisoners well. Also i do not know why you seem to have hatriot towards this man. He wasnt nazi and disliked them for the most part. Disliked Hitler too when saw how he controls the army.
And then he fought side to side with John Rambo right?
As long as Dr. Felton keeps them coming, who needs the Discovery, Smithsonian or other channels? Knew I was in for a treat Mark
Yeah I feel sorry for people who don't know Mark Felton
@@jimc.goodfellas Jim, all his subscribers know Mark
Mark is 'dat nigga'...aka 'the man'
Can't really compare these channels with Marks, since Marks is mostly military history and the others can be any kind of history, science, physics, etc. Nonetheless, love this channel regardless.
Yea... Reallly... Discovery is too main stream... We know all the basic... He adds only the best side stories.. Just awesome
Rommel: wanna see me advance against allied forces?
**captures 200 miles in the Blitzkrieg campaign*
Rommel: *wanna see me do it again?*
**advances 400 miles through the desert*
Another amazing video about a conflict that isn't as talked about as the European theatre but nevertheless just as important thank you mark
Indeed, I personally think the African front very interesting, and undoubtedly highly important to the war effort, being the springboard into Italy, thus putting more pressure on the Axis. And in turn was important for the landings in Normandy due to the extra front thus the diversion of forces that could have been in France.
yeh it clearly wasn't anywhere near as important, still interesting, but in 1941 there was a grand total of 2 German divisions in Africa, by the end of 1942 this was up to 6 whilst the Eastern front had the attention of up to 191 German divisions...
Maybe in america.
Its talked about a lot in the commonwealth.
@@lewistaylor2858 of course i bet it seemed really important for those serving in that theatre of operations
@@lewistaylor2858 indeed the eastern front was ridiculous. Total war in the truest sense of the word.
Notice the Commonwealth soldier surrendering at 6:51 ... "better drink this water in case they take it away from me!"
It was a pleasure to hear Rommel speak.
Never heard his voice in any documentary i have seen. So yes this was good for sure.
@@Bassjunkie_1 I agree. The only visuality I have of Rommel is from Films/Movies and he does not look nor sound like James Mason (I like James Mason btw).
same coverage in the hitlers henchmen series
Yes it was. Just imagine it's so AWSOME today that we can go back 90years and here real men's voices SOMETHING that is so AWSOME
@@jamesgoacher1606 And Patton certainly doesn't sound like George C Scott!
I don't know how you do what you do, but this was a jaw-droppingly excellent piece of work. And I have been studying and reading the Desert Campaign since I got my hands on a copy of Robert Crisp's "Brazen Chariots" in 1963 and Avalon Hill's "Afrika Korps" war game a few years later. The short clip of Rommel was incredible. He is the only WW2 German general officer that I ever even remotely admired. I am in awe of your talents and dedication. Thank you!
"The Brits also used Axis tanks."
Ooooh! Sounds interesting!
"They were Italian tanks."
Oh... Nevermind.
Not Brits but Australians during the seige of Tobruk.
" Fix it again, Tony" ;)
carmine paola it wasn’t a very good joke!
@@pdallen8355 yeah but typically Italian all bar one or two made it
how anout mexican tanks?............hehehehe a taco truck armed with lawnmowers?
I wish Rommel survived the war, he would have some badass interviews
He was a good man and a fine soldier
One part of Rommel that did survive was his meticulous diaries. He always had the intent to write his memoirs after the war, so he was constantly sending his diaries home. Unfortunately, they were all confiscated by the Americans at the war's end. They also took the personal letters he wrote to his wife. She was able to get those back, but the diaries are still in storage somewhere in the USA.
@@e-curb then how'd you know about that diary?? you've often working in area 51 or it's just a nonsense fake story?
@@MURDOCK1500 He was not a good man. Troops under his leadership committed murder and rape and the usual killing of Jews. He is no hero. Mark has a number of Rommel videos.
@@MURDOCK1500 hé was à war criminal
My father (radio operator on a german tank) was captured by the British in El Alamein. They covered in a cave and the british shot into the cave with a machine gun, shooting of the heel of his boot. He was captured and brought to Canada (Lethbridge). He always told me about the beauty of the canadian nature. He worked on a farm and was treated good. He learned english and always wanted to go back to Canada.
Hitler's idea of mobile infantry: On foot with horse-drawn equipment.
Rommel's idea of mobile infantry: Mounted on captured Allied vehicles!
One word: fuel
Only after they ran out of fuel. They sure kicked Russia's ass when they had ample supplies.
It's not just the fuel though. During the invasion of Poland, the army wanted to be fully motorized, but due to equipment shortages they still fielded large numbers of horses and carts.
@@the_tactician9858 Bah! They did not want to be fully mechanized because Germany had not the equipment-- and they KNEW IT! Maybe in their dreams, but German high command and the Wehrmacht had no illusions of being able to field fully mechanized armies. The Germans were realists, if nothing else, and didn't waste thoughts on fantasy.
@Alexander Challis moscow, leningrad, stalingrad, vladivostok gone, 'mother russia' wiped from map lmao
I thought I knew everything about the North African battles. Mark proved me wrong.
Juan Zulu ~ Yeah,
i couldn’t agree with you more my friend, Mark’s work is outstanding.
i think that it’s very important that the public gets both sides of the debate and the other side of the propaganda.
Check out the amazing documentary series called =
“EUROPA THE LAST BATTLE”
All Ten episodes are well worth watching
Removed and Banned from many places, However You Can Still Find it iF You Look hard enough
(it’s also available on DVD)
It’s one of the most important & fascinating documentary series to come out this decade and should be shown in our schools and colleges worldwide.
You won’t be disappointed !
Please share it with as many people as you can before it gets removed and lost forever
The Censorship Continues but
OUR WEAPON IS TRUTH !
@@jamesguy1030 what's it about please? Thanks.
He generally does!! 😁
That’s the beauty of studying the Second World War. There’s always more to learn. Love it
Iv studied history for years mate, it is physically impossible to know everything lol being a student of history is a life long endeavour lol
Never expected Rommel's voice to be like that, then again I realized this is the first time I actually heard him talk. Great video Mark!
He has a heavy suebian accent, by the way.
@@blumenstejn Swabia is located in SW Wurttemberg. Rommel was one of the relatively few "southerners" in the German military leadership. Another was General Gunther Blumentritt who was a Bavarian. Perhaps interestingly, Hitler (a native Austrian) reportedly got along with both generals well.
This was history channel before aliens and pawnshop arrive. Great job mark felton 🔥
And garbage pickers
"Aliens!"
"Dating bigfoot"
Lmao true history channel pants lately.
@@GunsNGames1
The "Ain-Chent Astro-Nott The-O-Wrists" never seem to realise that the people who built the Pyramids had the same brains as people today who build Modern Infrastructure...
Not a cellphone insight, just people living the moment.
Lol
Man wish we could go back to these days. Just cruisin the beautiful desert in a comfortable tank with your best friends.. A/C blasting with all the room in the world to stretch your legs and lay back in the peaceful silence and security of the impenetrable armor. Man I'd love to be a young man in the early 1940s living somewhere comfortable like the Polish countryside. No need for a phone in such a peaceful place.
@@tripleo4255 lmao you got it
My father was a British North African (and Dunkirk) veteran (32nd Field Regiment Royal Artillery) and was captured just before El Alamein. He was in Derna, Tobruk and Benghazi and everywhere between. Fantastic video. I've watched a lot of documentaries on this but I've never, ever heard Rommel's voice. very cool!
The most valuable war prize item for the Axis in the N.A. campaign was the capture of intact enemy fuel dumps during attacks . All abandoned British equipment was also carefully looked at and any worthwhile amounts of gasoline removed. The greatest British early war prize was found in Tobruk after its first capture from the Italian army. Huge stocks of Krupp armour piercing artillery shells were discovered there and an enterprising officer worked out a way to convert them to fit British guns and tanks.
Interesting.
Excellent work in general. Unbiased, historically correct and well researched. Also Your work at War Stories. Thank You and keep up the good work Mark :)
Catering to a specific crowd with these edits and narrations. Love it. Reminds me of being a teen in the late 90s early 00s. History Channel greatness!
This is why Mark Felton is my favourite channel. You learn something new each time that intro music strike up. Rommel what a man.
Now I am wondering if there was ever a battle between a British unit in German tanks vs a German unit with British tanks.
Huh good question
The joke of the year,each side using the materials of the other side.
@@KironManuelCards reminds me of stories of Russian soldiers favouring the german mp40 MPs to their own PPsch-41 guns (because the german guns are obviously superior) and the German soldiers preferring the Russian PPSch-41 guns over their Mp40s (because the soviet guns are obviously superior), grass is always greener on the other side
@@kiliwami4086 reminds me that facilities and people are better in other countries.Have you heard that export quality is better?It is the way of the world.
@@KironManuelCards Like the Russian S-300 "export quality"? xD It depends, really.
"Vee give ze Engladers 60 Italian tanks.... Zis vill slow zem down ya..."
What are you babbling about?
@@KristerAndersson-nc8zo about how bad Italian tanks were
@@ManOnTheMoon2 hahahaha your dad was a legend
That would be Australians not the British. They even painted kangeroos on the turrets to aid identification during the seige of Tobruk.
British Commonwealth forces used captured M13/40 tanks. They were quite good. Armour was average, mobility, average, gun, not too bad.
Once again Mark, you've managed to inform me of something I'd never heard of before this. Keep doing what you do.
posted less than 40 minutes ago and already 8500 views and 139 comments... People love this stuff.. cheers
BIG BUCK almost 100k views in 6 hours
Covid-19.
"Rommel, You...Bastard, l Read Your Book!" (George C. Scott, 'Patton') Another Excellent Video, Mark!
Always pleased to see a new video from you, Dr Felton.
My later father (God rest his soul) served in the artillery with the British commonwealth forces, in the battle at Bir Hakim. They were overrun by the German forces, 800 were taken prisoner, he was one of them. They were kept by the Germans for two days and then released, since the Germans were short of food and water, and reached the Free French fort. I wish he was alive to see this episode. He always spoke to us of his campaign, after a great deal of prodding. Thank you. I got to see some aspects of the war.
Rommel knows a good tank when he sees one.
Mean while, the Brits end up with FIAT tanks, WTF?
Germany in WWII : Any tank is better than no tank...
To be honest Rommel had to make do with what he could salvage given the fact that the Afrika Korps was seriously undersupplied thanks to the British dominating the sea way to Africa (and not to forget Malta the island turned aircraft carrier)
@Jacob Zondag But it's true. All throughout the Africa campaign Rommel and his successor(s) were hampered by a lack of fuel and supplies. It's kind or hard to run a successful offensive when you have to always keep one eye on your fuel gauge knowing that you probably need X tons of fuel/day to do what you need but only Y tons less than to actually use.
@Jacob Zondag It really was the case tho. Rommel could've very well took Suez if he was kept well supplied during his long drive across Africa
Rommel must have read Sun tzu. The Art of War has a section that deals with using captured enemy equipment. Chapter 2 talks about one cartload of enemy provisions being worth 20 of one's own. Furthermore, if 10 or more enemy chariots are taken, awards should be given to those who have captured the first. And then, substitute one's own banners and use those captured chariots. The Desert Fox applied these bits of ancient advice very well.
One lesson I take from Rommel is that even the best general fails if his state is weak. One has to wonder what the Germans could have done if they had a sane statesman leading them, a leader who listened to Rommel, Manstein, Guderian...
@@pozloadescobar If Germany at the time had a sane leader, then there would not have been a Second World War, in all likelihood.
Mark, thanks for including clips of Rommel speaking. This is one of those times that my German language skills came in handy. Downright fascinating!
Ever since the history channel stopped showing histories, I relied on this channel
One reason Rommel was short on supplies was the Enigma being deciphered. Reading Enigma messages the British knew when the supply ships were leaving Europe for Africa, and their route, plus what the ships were carrying. British airplanes stationed on Malta would then sink the Axis supply ships.
Yet the German leadership didn't believe Enigma had been cracked till pretty much the end of the war.
Correct. And the amazing British pilots flying out of Malta played an important part of keeping Rommels forces under supplied.
He had feeling he was being heard, he tried not to use radio transmission frequently,he would give his sub commanders pre battle plans ,and only use radio in Las minute coordination attacks, knowing it takes time to desipher codes
But the US code was cracked early on by Germany so that gave Rommel a huge advantage too. The Brits kept the USA updated on their plans. So the Germans were able to find out what was going to happen via the then neutral USA.
After deciphering Enigma messages, the British were able to supply Rommel's forces with much needed equipment.
I would think that the Germans valued their captured Matilda 2s, since they had come up against them in France in 1940. The Dorchester command vehicle must be a rarity now - there's one at Duxford, and I'd love to have a look round inside. Great video!!
My lunch break just started, and now we're getting some Africa action? Mate, you've yet again made a video I cannot wait to enjoy!!
" ONE OF MY " favorite channels !! It's right up there with other great ones from back in the day like , "Victory At SEA , and WINGS " Thanks .
Fantastic once again !
My old neighbor was a tank crewmen of the Aussie unit that used the Italian M11/39 and M13/40 tanks( and customized them)that were captured at Beda Fom, he said that they were miles ahead of what they were using at the time,the Vikers Mk4 light tank and the Cruiser mk2 which were horrible to operate due to bad ergonomics and gun gas venting when firing.The 11/39 was decent in static defense/scouting and the gun on the 13/40 was better than the 2pounder at range, having a pretty effective HE round. Though only used for a short time by his unit,he still had fond memories of the Italian tanks especially the machine guns which they added to the Stuart and Matilda when they received them. Also the hatches were better placed (side and drivers)that enabled them to open them while moving during the heat of the day.
I built an M13/40 model kit in his honour with the Aussie Roo markings shortly after he died and gave it to his family. Interesting subject to research and read about.
Always glad to hear some first hand experiences. I play Italians in Bolt Action, so hearing there were some upsides to their tanks is nice.
For the Emperor and Sanguinius!
Its funny I was just thinking this morning about going to get some books on Rommel from the library and you pop up with this video!!! He was an awesome General very smart!!! I always enjoy ypur video they are so thorough and well investigated, thank you for your hard work!
Rommel once ordered Italian and German forces to move out as soon as they made landfall at Benghazi (i think). The Germans, once ashore, gathered themselves up and reached 80km before halting for the night. Rommel, arriving later, was astonished and furious when he found that the Italians had made 35 km and were stopped for the night and were sitting down to wine and white table cloths. He threw a complete strop and made it clear to the Italians that he expected them to match the Germans, km for km.
I love these lesser known tidbits. Keep up the super excellent work Mark!
I love how Dr.Felton just talks facts and history no bias great work I hope Dr.Felton gets into Live-streams and Podcasts
thank you mark! for your nice work without getting racist or hateful against the germans
Danke aus Deutschland
"Don't Let's Be Beastly To The Germans"
I don't see anybody being hateful to germans. That's literally only me.
Superb presentation Mark. Fascinating and most enlightening as usual, but with added dimensions.
Amazing work Mark we appreciate it.
Simply amazing stories by Mr. Felton. The BEST source for war history on TH-cam. Thanks again
Can i ask you for a video on the battle of Rzhev? One of the most forgotten 'meatgrinders'
That would be a good video. Also the Laconia Incident.
I would suggest supporting on patreon, that’d be the best way to get a topic you want
Another forgotten "Meatgrinder" on the eastern front was Konev's armies annihilating the Cherkassy pocket in the battle of Korsun!
@@BrettonFerguson Just googled ''Laconia Incident'' and I'm amazed from the info I found on Wikipedia. Thanks for mentioning it and I really hope Mark gets to cover this in the near future. Cheers!
Yes please, Mark get on it!
Mark you are certainly on your way to becoming THE authority of unknown stories of WW2.
I have said and thought so many times over the years about how there are so many untold stories of the war that we'll never know the full extent of what happened.
Enter, Mark Felton
The master of the untold stories of WW2
Excellent channel Mark, I've been with you since you had around 100,000 subs..
Now look at you, over a million!
Well done my man
Well feckin done!
We salute you!
Greetings from rainy Ireland ;-)
It's all fun and games until your Matilda cannot destroy the enemy Matilda.
It's all fun and games until you come across one of your own tanks in enemy colors.
Mark, you are a blessing to TH-cam. Keep this coming!
There was a lot of equipment "borrowing" in North Africa and The Eastern Front, due to the fluid nature of the engagements.
Not so much in the war in the Pacific.
One exception was Guadalcanal. The US Marines made good use of captured Japanese equipment. Henderson Field.
This channel has honestly became my favourite channel out of the shear fact that it's so incredibly interesting.
I wish he survive through the Second World War, I would like to read his memoirs or his version during the war, he was a honorable man fighting for Germany not the Nazis.
@LUNAR BLOODDROP and also when he took Prisoners of War he treated them very well, even when Hitler ordered for him to kill Prisoners of War he refused.
@@Darkmirren my granddad was actually captured in noth Africa he said the germans treated him and others very well off cigarettes and food but the Italians treated him and others like ahit he even said te threw shit at him
That's why Germany had a destroyer-ship called "Rommel" after the war. Also a "Lütjens" and a "Mölders" destroyer. (land, water & air soldiers)
But in today's Germany the left spirit is so big, they rename everything. Soon no baracks or march will remember Germany's past.
Man that's sad
@@neinnein9306 bring back the Old Prussian uniforms for Germany's army they always look so cool, and try to rebuild Germany's army because it's literally falling apart.
I will start off by saying that I am a huge fan of history, especially war history but that is obvious because everyone else here also loves it but what I want to say is; I am very happy to have found this channel, I absolute enjoy listening to each story you tell, can't wait for more of your awesome videos
Thank you for your exciting presentation, bringing these events back to life.
Australian divisional cavalry also used Italian M13 tanks captured at Bardia .thanks for posting a very interesting segment about the desert war.
Rommel might have been on the wrong side but by god, he was one hell of a tanker and tactician. Massive respect to him.
@Garry Nevill are you implying the Germans where on the right side of the war dipshit
It is too simple-minded a view to call any German soldier fighting for his country a "Nazi." He was a soldier. And a very capable one at that. He was not a Nazi. He was also never in the party, although everyone was expected to be at the time. The war was wrong, of course. But on the contrary, one can rather criticize that Rommel was too apolitical. No, not a Nazi. Too apolitical. Rather, he did not want to see at the beginning who caused this war and for what reason. He also probably thought too much about his own career. But so have many others. Nevertheless, that has to be seen critically. For sure. But from HIS point of view, he fought for his country. In the end, however, he even turned against the Nazi regime and was murdered (driven to suicide) for it. As a soldier, he was an excellent tactician and troop commander. Robert E. Lee was arguably the ablest general in the American Civil War, fighting for the South even though he was always against slavery. He still fought for the South because that was his home. Rommel did the same. To dub every German soldier a Nazi is nonsense.
@@otgdy2081 exactly this
-"So what's your job ?"
-"I'm a general's assistant."
-"Oh, that's nice, so you have a comfy desk job somewhere way back, behind the front. What's the general's name ?"
-"Erwin Rommel."
-"Dear Lord...."
@@otgdy2081 saying there not a nazi or a confederate doesnt justify they were fighting for them, while nazis may have been forcibly drafted under threat of execution for treason, but leading the nazis is different
Do you hear that sound.... That's Mark Felton knocking the ball out of the park again ..... With ANOTHER excellent historical wartime video!!! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
I'm a simple man. I see Felton & Rommel together.. I click like.
Me too.
Yup! It's like, "nature documentary + Attenborough = excellent ".
Mark is so professional in his presentation and his material so well researched that he could, single handedly, create an excellent TV series better than most I've seen. Superb!
Never saw the clip of the Desert Fox before at 0:43. Brilliant!
It's amazing how much equipment was captured and put to use by all sides.
"60 intact Italian tanks..." ... Im guessing with well-worn reverse gears though.
Now Rommel had the Arriete armoured at his disposal he said it never let him down.
And crews with sun-burnt armpits
Did anyone count how many reverse gears they had? ;)
Remember that the Brits, at the time of Operation Torch, referred to the US Army as "Our Italians". Even Rommel stated the the Italian troops fought well when they were well equipped and were under German command. The Italian senior officers were in the majority incompetent and dismissive of their men.
@Cpl. Rook The Americans learned from their mistakes. They promoted those officers who did not know their stuff(Fredendall) back to the states and replaced them with good officers. The green soldiers learned their lessons fast and were able to trust their leadership. A luxury the Italians never had.
Felton's videos are more informative concise and better produced in 10 minutes than two one hour history channel presentations. Bless.
It's always interesting to see what each side used of the others equipment. Kiwis who served in North Africa told me they seized Italian trucks which were often on solid tyres. They then fitted them with pneumatic tyres and the trucks proved useful after that.
Until now I have neglected to tell you how much I enjoy your channel. It is always informative and deals with little known episodes of history. The videos are always exactly the right length so as not to be boring and over-done. Thank you for your efforts in producing these great videos.
keep up the Good work Felton, big love from your Bulgarian Fans, l just love your narrating voice, always nice to see the Germans reuse allied tanks and armor
He also liked the British army issued goggles, always see them on his headgear
Awesome as usual. Keep the history coming. This must NOT be forgotten........
It’s my understanding that some of Rommel’s captured Beutepanzers were once again put back into British service once the tide had turned. I wonder if there are any surviving examples in museums of such tanks.
No there all scrapped dude
There is a tank museum in England.
They wouldn't have bothered shipping back. They would have been sold in the region, for defence or scrap.
Most Matilda's ended up getting shipped to Australia and New Zealand
Your best bet to find (re)captured Beutepanzer is Kubinka armor museum.
Bovington might also have some. I don't think Ottawa does.
Mark you done be very proud always wanted to know more about that I've been researching the war special in the desert since I was 11 now I'm 24 and now even more amazed especially after watching this video never heard Rommel's voice before keep up the great work...
the british didnt call the M3 "honey"
to quote david fletcher:
"Honey is a sticky thing. If they did call it that, we got it from the yanks"
I was just about to write that myself!
Britain called the M3 Light Tank a Stuart and the M3 Medium Tank a Lee or a Grant depending on turret configuration. I haven’t heard of a “Honey” and don’t think that name was used, at least not widely, by either the British or the Americans.
@@@oarsteed, And I heard that the Brits called the M4 "Sherman" a "Ronson" but not sure if that is just a rumor or fact.
@@WJack97224 I heard that's not true as well. Something about that lighter not even existing at that time. I believe they did joke about their ease in catching fire, but even that seems to be in question now since the Sherman was as safe or safer than any other tank of the time.
@@WJack97224 Because it was easily lit I assume.
Excellent as always! Thanks Dr. Felton.
We used plenty of captured equipment, the Aussies in Tobruk threw together the "Bush Artillery" made up of captured guns aimed by looking down the breech until Royal Artillery men were lent to polish up their efforts, we put Italian 20mm Breda guns on Marmon-Herrington armoured cars, I've seen many Breda machine guns (usually captioned as Brownings) on LRDG/SAS vehicles, pretty sure the PPA used captured vehicles and just about everyone used each others trucks.
I have spent many hours, likely a few man-years studying about WW2; yet I almost always learn something new from Dr. Felton's presentations.
👍👍 Bravo, sir !
"only mad dogs and englishmen go out in the midday sun" - a phrase i remember as i watch the footage of the engish not covering up in the desert sun :)
A few reasons behind that, first in battle you do not always get to choose the time of day you are moving about. Second, do not forget Britains climate and the fact that few of these men would have had experience with tropical or desert conditions. Midday in the UK is rarely an issue, so go around during the heat of the day, or going uncovered was normal to them. Lastly the desert uniform was pretty much shorts and short sleeved shirt and a greatcoat for the night. Pretty ridiculous to modern eyes but to be at least somewhat fair no one really did an in depth study of what troops needed in a desert environment until the Israelis in I believe the 70's or 80's, and what they found pretty much shocked everyone, like troops required 2 - 3 times more water than most armies issued in desert conditions during WWII....
Thanks Mr Felton , for presenting the facts and not opinions, that's what makes your videos so interesting, I'm in my fifty's now , but every time I watch one of your videos I can "feel" and remember when i was a kid watching world at war with my Dad, thanks for that.
Hey Mark you should do 1 hour videos, I love your videos and I think that they would be greatly accepted
Well done sir. Just finished your book on the escape from the Berga prison camp. That was well done as well.
Wow this is my first time hearing Rommel’s voice.
Very interesting video on a little known aspect of the Desert War. I would however like to add a couple of points.
The main reason for Rommel being short of supplies was the supply ships being sunk by British submarines operating from Malta. The most successful and best known of these was HMS Upholder.
Rommel was often ahead of the action flying his own reconnaissance aircraft, a Fieseler Storch. I think he is the only General on either side to do this.
Its infuriating to think that Hitler wanted him to kill himself fearing he would turn on him. Legends shouldn't die that way.
Rommel was forced to take poison to protect his family from reprisals.
@@DTavona He wasn't forced.He chose to in order to protect his family.
@Heart Throb That's YOUR opinion- millions will disagree with you!
Fantastic video, another superb program Mark, well done,
6:35 "Treffer im Turm" - Hit to the turret
congratz on reaching 500k subscribers Mark, hurrah!
I remember seeing a video of a German soldier in the African campaign, cooking eggs on his panzer. It was very hot to say the least.
Mark, thank you for your fantastic content. It is appreciated.
I'm convinced that the way in which Rommel used his creativity to lead from the front made his men go the extra mile for him.
Truly an amazing video, Dr. Felton. The Kasta is truly an amazing unit.
Awesome video again Mark Felton , thanks
Also how about some of the Balkan battles?
How to create a documentary about some battle if you dont know who is fighting whom?
Evryone against everyone for millenia
Thank for making this video Mark!
1:45 "I'm not like other generals! I position myself near the front lines!"
You are the absolute best at this. You should be on TV. Seriously.
Imagine Italian troops seeing the British tank and shooting, but when they’ve seen the markings, they’ll switch sides.
That's a good one but most people aren't going to get it
The Italians would probably have ran away or surrender if British - (however this would have also helped the Germans :-) )
Frank Castle most people here are self made historians so most will get it. I put it mostly around a topic and joke.
@@johnlewins5023 I've read the Italian troops fought well under German command, and while German units were nearby with German equipment. It was on their own they fought poorly. Each Italian division didn't have as much artillery and other heavy weapons as they needed to be effective. The Italians lowered the amount of artillery per division so they could make more divisions. This made it hard for them to win when their enemies did have enough artillery.
@@BrettonFerguson Paraphrasing (and I'm sure someone will look up the correct quotes) -
German General - 'The Italians have entered the war"
Hitler - 'its ok, just send a division"
German General - 'they are fighting on our side'
Hitler - 'better send 10 divisions!'
no one makes videos like this. You are amazing and please keep the videos coming.
Rommel was one of the greatest military leaders in history.
not really...he was very good with propaganda...his 1st attack on tobruk was a disaster
LMAO
@@bclmax His junior officers at the time hated him so much that he had to sack virtually all of them... I dare say he may be the most overrated commander of all time (due to both Germany and Allied propaganda).
@@zexal4217 Americans and Brits think a lot more of Rommel than Germans do, from what I've heard.
@@scockery Germany still has military bases named after him so who knows.
Gratitude once more Mark. As a relatively new subscriber. I have many posts from ur back catalogue to binge & catch up on. As well as the subject matter, it's ur concise, unbiased & informative narration that impress me. Ur posts are well received Sir. History should never be denied, but learned from.
Hey Mark, have you noticed how we pounce on your great videos? Almost 3,000 views in under 15 minutes!
Very much appreciated!
Mark Felton ,this is first video/film of yours I've seen & I'll certainly try to watch some more - informative,entertaining ,precise...Excellent ,Thanks.
David Irving wrote a well researched book on Rommel.
Thxs for your amazing research! Spectacular 🙌🏻