The Eagles That Landed - Forgotten Luftwaffe Cemetery Sandringham
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 21 ก.ย. 2024
- In a quiet Norfolk churchyard are the graves of 11 Luftwaffe personnel killed in action in WW2. Who are they and how did they end up buried in a cemetery on the edge of King Charles III's private estate at Sandringham?
Dr. Mark Felton FRHistS, FRSA, is a well-known British historian, the author of 22 non-fiction books, including bestsellers 'Zero Night' and 'Castle of the Eagles', both currently being developed into movies in Hollywood. In addition to writing, Mark also appears regularly in television documentaries around the world, including on The History Channel, Netflix, National Geographic, Quest, American Heroes Channel and RMC Decouverte. His books have formed the background to several TV and radio documentaries. More information about Mark can be found at: en.wikipedia.o...
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As a former US soldier, I was delighted to see that the German war dead were not shunted into some cow field but were accorded the very same dignified internment as their wartime adversaries. RIP.
yeah, not like in russia or eastern europe.
Quite right too.
Not so in the Normandy grave yards. The Germans are buried with their black headstones to the end of their grave so the headstone casts its shadow upon the grave denying sunlight.
@@goldmanjace You know nothing. Are you a Canadian Nazi?
lies, there is plenty of German war cemetaries in eastern europe, sorry to ruin your revisionist lies@@goldmanjace
To see this reminds me of my uncle, he was radio operator in U 76. After sinking his boat 1941 he was a POW, 2 years in Britain, 4 years in Canada. There he worked in a ketchup factory, he never touched a tomato again for the rest of his life. He always said: „ We were opponents not enemies“ and the survivors of both Kriegsmarine and Navy met every year to celebrate together and remember the fallen comrades , he was always there with them till he died of cancer. RIP uncle Günther
Thank you for his condiments service.
U-76 was sunk by the British destroyer HMS Wolverine and the sloop HMS Scarborough in position 58.35N, 20.20W, in the North Atlantic Ocean, south of Iceland. She was a type VIIB Boat, launched October 1940 and sunk just over a year later on 5th April 1941. All but one of her crew was rescued.
right, after hours of hunt the boat was damaged and Kapitän Oberleutnant von Hippel ordered to bring the boat up to surface and leave the boat. They swam for nearly 3 hours in ice-cold atlantic water to break any resistance will, 1 crewmember was shot with a rifle as a warning from 1 ship and the rest was rescued. I mean when you take almost 50 opponents on board with a relatively small crew of your own, you want to be sure. Official sources say the dead man died due to accident or malfunction of the diving equipment bit that makes no sense since all exited the boat. But i can just tell what it was told to me from my uncle and he had no reason to lie. He never showed any anger about it, just talked the facts. When he came back from Canada with around 4000 $ wages in his pockets he started a new life after the war. Interesting was the fact the International Red Cross arranged for them to be sent uniforms, their pay, mail, and also promotions and awards for almost the entire duration of the war. The grandpa of my wife, captured in Russia 1943 came back in 1953, non of his letters arrived and when he came back his wife was new married and had 2 kids, cuze his status was missed possibly dead.
@@spike7319 considering what the germans did to Russians, he should have never come back alive,
@@dave8599and the soviets were such nice fellows
As a former Luftwaffe TORNADO WSO, who received basic TORNADO and Instructor training at RAF Cottesmore and who worked closely with british Marham and Brüggen TORNADO crews during time in service, it warms my heart, that local folks in England take care of the graves of airmen from both sides. Wars are fought by governments. Not by the people. Thanks Mark, for reporting on this.
They might be started by governments, but they are very much fought by the people.
I'm wondering if the families know where these men are buried. It would make great a story if they found out.
@@hideakipage8151 I tried contacting the German War Graves over the Scottow graveyard, but they didn't seem interested.
Humans in a group can act in ways opposite to the individual desires of the same people who make up the group. We are pack animals and when the pack moves most of us will move with it.
@@Buckshot9796 Not everyone will though. Some germans fought the Nazis. These ones were Nazis. And gave their lives in service of tyranny and genocide.
In 1992, I was visiting my parents hometown in Gengenbach, Germany and I saw a tombstone for a “ Britisch Airman” in the local cemetery. It’s good to see that both the allies and axis sides gave their adversaries proper and respectful burials.
Not the Japanese, don't rope them in with the Germans or Italians
@@rogerkay8603 Or the Russians, or Germans to Russians
I wonder if he has been identified since then.
Unlike civilians and soldiers in the east…
@@ianmc87He should have had his dog tags on.
It is quite amazing that local folks still care for the plots. Many Americans (WWII) are buried in foreign lands & I am so thankful that they are not forgotten & their final resting place is still cared for. Thank you
I would think that the whole Cemetery plot, including the German graves, is maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission using local contractors. Not sure if the German government contributes funds to the CWGC.
Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge, this is the German one caring for uncountable graves outside today's Gernany's border. They also still find lost soldiers.... I remember an article about an old woman traveling to Russia. She was a little girl when her older brother had to go. After sie had to live a life without him they finally found his remainings. In the last days of her life she was now able to say a last good bye..... I donated for these people. They do great work (not only for German soldiers).
Thanks for that.@@neinnein9306
Most of Europe honors American veterans and the deceased local scout troops often tend to the American cemetery and some countries like Romania are finding graves of Americans airman’s and returning them
I noticed that too, the stark contrast from the civilian graves outside and then you pass through the gate and it is pretty close to immaculately cared for.
As a U.S. Air Force combat veteran and amateur historian I admire how the British people have honored 🎖 🥇 all of these warriors. Thank you, Mark, for all your hard work.
TY for your service from an old veteran.
there's an interesting piece in Moving Zen by Chris Nicol, who went to Japan in the sixties to learn martial arts. He writes about an old man taking him to a clearing in a wooded area on the outskirts of Tokyo and showing him the graves of an American bomber crew who were shot down. The local people had gathered them up and made a memorial garden around their graves with a sign over them saying peace as they didn't know their names.
@@bellerophonchallen8861
G'day,
There's a story of a burning B-29 Crewman who parachuted into a lake in Rural Japan, horribly burned.
The locals fished him out and started treating his burns, realised that it meant Death for them all if the Kempe-Tai heard of it ; so they nursed him in secret until, inevitably, he died of Shock, days later.
Then, knowing he was Christian, they cast about for some clue or instruction as to Christian Burial Rites & funereal practices..., and what they arrived at was a Japanese Translation of
James Joyce's
"Finnegan's Wake..." (!).
Your homework for tonight,
Is to take a bottle of warm
Sake...,
And drink yourself under the
Table
Giggling at the thought-picture, of the whole
Village of Japanese Fisherfolk,
Solemnly getting smashed out of their heads,
Sitting around the shrouded Airman on the Kitchen Table ;
As they endeavoured to
Replicate
Joyce's description of
"Finnegan's Wake." !!!
All, done in secret, under penalty of execution for
"Giving Aid & Comfort to the Enemy..., in time of
Waaauughhh(!)..." !
There you go, &
Now you know,
So...;
First,
Lay your hands upon
A copy of
Finnegan's Wake ;
Then, sit and read it,
While drinking the Sake...
And then you'll understand
Comparitive
Theology,
At least as well as me...(!).
Such is life,
Have a good one...
Stay safe.
;-p
Ciao !
Its wild to pause this video, reading the names and dates only to realize how young these men were. Not much older than boys. Especially compared with what people face today at those ages. During the roaring 20s Heinrich Kaschner would be a teenager. At one point he was just six when the great war ended. Did he think about being a soldier? Did he wonder about retirement someday and think it would be in 1960s or 1970s? What inventions did he imagine? What dreams did he have before 1933 or 1939? But no. He died in a failed war on 8.23.1940. Just shy of 28th birthday.
It is really sad, lost young lives, so much ahead of them, all taken away by the war.
Was going to say same thing
RIP
My mother was born in a small village near Münster, NW Germany. The churchyard contains the grave of a 17 yo German soldier, killed just weeks before the German surrender. Gut wrenching to think about it.
yea. most people don't think about hundreds of thousands young people in RU and UA that now died over past few years. Scary how easy this can come to us in England. Most young people don't think about how fragile peace is when politicians and diplomats fail at their jobs, fail their country miserably
My uncle was an RAF pilot. He was killed during a training mission aged 21.
He had already attained the rank of Sgt.Pilot and was married.
His father, my grandfather of course, lied about his age to fight in World War One. He was at Ypres and the Somme, and was just a couple of weeks past his 20th birthday on Armistice Day. He served in the British Army of the Rhine, the occupying force of the Rhineland after Armistice and won a medal for marksmanship.
Thank you, Mr. Felton, for keeping the stories of my fellow countrymen alive. My heartfelt thanks go out to the locals who keep their graves in this dignified condition.
They deserve to have peace, along side there british brothers and a beautiful village churchyard in norfolk now there home.
Yes, excellent and thorough detective work, Herr Felton!
@@anniechrisbendy6000I disagree.
I find it moving that our former enemies were tenderly buried and lie in undisturbed peace with us. A reminder of history that we must never repeat. A terrible waste of the lives of these young men.
Thank you, as a German, for thinking and writing this true words.
Who are your current enemies? That's what I'm interested in.
@scottashe984 who are yours?
There are quite a few ww2 german graves in Gosport UK. The grass is cut, the graves are better tended that some uk graves. I've paid my respects a few times. War is pointless in as much some megalomaniac man starts it
Well we are repeating history unfoirtunately. Look toward East in Ucraine. We are wasting lives there for nothing... so the story repeats itself.
I used to work in Germany and had an apartment in a small village, while commuting back and forth on a 3 weekly basis to my family in the UK. For his 80th birthday, I invited my father to travel back with me for a break. Later, after he had returned to the UK, I was approached, in the village 'Kneipe', by several of the elderly village men wishing to meet my father. They were very disappointed to here he had gone home.
He had become a bit of a legend as he had been seen in the village church yard giving a 'Tommy' salute to the memorial for fallen German soldiers.
My father was a paratrooper in WW2, being take prisoner in Arheiim.
A proud son.
The dignified burial of our adversaries will always set us apart from less civilized persons. Another top shelf offering from Mr. Felton. Many thanks for your diligent work in providing us these videos.
Yeah, but I think we went a bit too far when we treated Bin Laden's corpse so well.
@@Lerxstification well, he paid the dues when our guys entered his room.
And who are these less civilised persons? I can recall Germans burying Russians, Americans and British with full honours. I also recall the execution of one of the the founders of my state whilst he was in a chair, too wounded to stand up. Your nationality does not make you special.
I've always believed that how a country treats the dead of former enemies shows their level of civilisation. No better example was the WW1 CWGC cemetery in Basra smashed up by Saddam Husseins lackeys. After the invasion it was repaired and new stones laid. The current government have agreed to make sure such treatment never happens again.
The UK's genocide in NA was used as a guide for the nazis. The english arent a whole lot better historically speaking.
I retired from US Army Civil Service last year. The base where I worked has a German POW cemetery. A couple years ago a team from Arlington came and straightened/aligned all the headstones after years of slow movement. Each November the German Army Liaison Office on the base does a "German Memorial Day" (Volkstrauertag) there in memory of those who died. The dead of all sides deserve a peaceful sleep while remaining in someone's memory. They were all someone's children, siblings, and spouses.
Keep up the great work, Mark!
The german army was pure evil.
Would that be Ft. Meade Maryland?
Fort Gordon now-Eisenhower.@@thomascollins844
I'm shaking my head at how well these are researched and presented. Amazing Dr. Felton.
Thank you so much for this work. My grandfather being a Luftwaffe veteran who survived the Rhine camps in 1945 I cannot thank you enough for your research
🇺🇸🇩🇪 🤝👍
As a first generation American of German descent I find it comforting to know that relatives lost in the Wars were treated with dignity in their deaths and final resting places. Thank you for bringing this to light.
I was stationed at Ft. Campbell while I was in the 101st Airborne. Campbell had a number of German POWs interned there during the war. A few had died during their incarceration, and are buried in a small cemetery on post. At that time (‘77-‘81) they were still being respectfully maintained with their info still plainly visible on their headstones. They were soldiers, too, serving their country.
It is touching to see how the graves of German soldiers are cared for in Great Britain, while in my own country you would like to forget the men, even if they were your own grandfathers... Thanks to the keepers of these graves!
Thanks to care takers. You all are preserving history. Salute.
Hoping the families of those young German soldiers are aware of the final resting place of their loved ones. Heartbreaking. Glad their final resting place is dignified & well kept. 😢
All WW2 German war graves in the UK, were notified to the Red Cross to be forwarded to the relevant authority in Germany from that point forward I don't know if the Germans notified their families, I would certainly hope so.
Hope being answered. The churchyard in Great Bircham with 11 Germans being buried there is registered by the Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgraeberfuersorge an organisation dedicated to the search and proper burial of Germans fallen abroad
@@phreakazoith2237Thank you. I had the same question.
@@phreakazoith2237 thanks for the info👍 always good to get the complete story from someone more knowledgeable 👌
According to their homepage one can research the gravesides of 5.5 million German soldiers buried all over Europe and they are still locating more.
Both my parents served in WW2, my father in the Battle of the Atlantic and the Arctic Convoys, amongst other areas. One of my father's best friends after the war was a Luftwaffe bomber pilot who took part in the raid on Coventry. They kept in touch until their deaths in their late 80s. Two veterans in peacetime.
The Allied war cemetery in Bayeux France also contains German graves. When I visited I was interested to see the birthdays of many young men, who were born between 1914 and 1918. They came into the world during war and departed during war. So young on both sides.
The Second was really a continuation of the First, brought about principally by a single madman. Without respite for an intervening generation, sons followed their fathers into the maw of Hell.
How tragic the price paid by perhaps 80 million souls for the grievances harbored in the shriveled, black heart of one.
War is waste. Colossal, pointless waste, instigated by a few petty tyrants and paid for by the blood and treasure of whole nations.
As a 21-year active duty veteran of the U.S. Navy & U.S. Coast Guard, now 59 years old, it is oddly comforting to see that these young German men are buried with their counterparts in such a dignified manner. I applaud the locals of yesteryear that made the decision, and the locals of today that maintain the cemetery. May the soldiers on each side rest in eternal peace...
Much respect for treating these graves the way they are treated!
This hits me somewhat personally, as i have an uncle buried in North Coates in St Nicholas' church that was a German bomber pilot. I only learned of his exact resting location a short while ago after doing some online searching. I think it gave my father and his family some comfort knowing he received a proper burial, as opposed to some other family members whose gravesites are unknown. Thank you Dr. Felton
In Odense, Denmark, there is a very nice memorial with two bronze eagles commemorating the 23 British and Canadian airmen who lost their lives over the island of Fyn. The graves are arranged in two neat rows. I used to visit often when I lived on Fyn. I couldn't think of a more pleasant place to be at rest.
A similar one exists at Gravelund near Esbjerg, containing German as well as Allied war dead. Most of the Allied ones were shot down over the North Sea or the coast, incöluding some Poles who were on their wy to Poland for some commando/secret service mission. It's near the famous white "men by the sea" statues.
I have seen those graves too.
Personally, im having great difficulties with placing a human being behind a simple tombstone in a churchyard...But when Mr Felton tells the role and achievent of these men, they really come back from history again...And it really goes to show that these men were not forgotten...
There are also a handful of German war graves in the churchyard of St John The Baptist church in Scampton, Lincolnshire. I believe these airman were killed during attacks on the nearby RAF base. The story goes that the relatives were asked to move the remains to Cannock Chase but refused when they they saw how respectfully treated the graves were.
Just had a look on google street view and they can be seen near the main road.
Yes that’s right, they are very close to the road in their own section of the churchyard.
I drive through Scampton village quite often & have had a good look at those graves (there’s nine I think), plus the others in the main churchyard.
I grew up in Scampton village, across the main road from the church. As a teenager I met the relatives of one of the airmen whose grave is in the churchyard. The graves are of crews from two four seater bombers that were shot down on separate missions. One of the aircraft carried five crew rather than the standard four. The story goes that the „fifth“ crewman was either on an observation mission or thought the the aircraft was destined to fly over friendly territory rather than an enemy air base. Check it our Dr Felton. i can highly recommend the Dambusters pub in the village!
I noticed from all the downed planes that there were no survivors, just a few crewmen recovered and the rest succumbing to the waves. Goes to show just how dangerous of a job it was flying missions over the isles and how cruel of a mistress the ocean can be. Much respect to the fallen.
You are so right. At the Commonwealth Air Forces Memorial at Runnymede in England, the memorial lists the names of over 20,000 British and Commonwealth Air Forces aircrew who were 'Missing - Presumed Dead' with no known grave. Many of these brave brave men will be laying at rest in the English Channel.
My Mum grew up in Great Massingham, Norfolk. Her Father (my Grandfather) was a veteran of WW1. He owned an Inn, and Pub (Rose and Crown). His land was taken over by the RAF and an Aerodrome was built.
Mum had different stories about The Battle of Britain. Many times the Luftwaffe flew over from Norway to pay a few visits..
I know this is not a humorous issue. Recently watched the "Battle of Briton" movie. There's a scene in the subway station. The title of pub was "The Rose and Crown."
My great grandpa was a successful Stuka pilot for the Germans and shot everything out of the sky and survived the war. I was able to get to know him as a child. The typical cliché about the Germans at the time but true.....he was very tall, powerfully built a big heart...
The proper burial and respect of the site is a mark of the goodness of your people.
Thank you for this video, Dr. Felton. It's both sad and delighting to see that on both sides the fallen men received a proper burial and were recognised as what they were, young men who died for what they believed was right. Greetings from Germany, let there never be war between our nations ever again.
I remember visiting a German war cemetery in France while touring WW1 battle sites on the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge. I've always found it interesting that so many men lay buried in forigen soil rather than their homeland. Thanks so much for this video, Mark! Another interesting watch, as always!
The Vimy Memorial erected by Canada (on land given to them by the French) honours the 11285 canuck boys who's final resting place is there.
As a Licensed Pilot, there is a strong mutual respect and admiration of fellow pilots no matter their national origin. It is extremely difficult flying at night with very basic avionics, and I can imagine despite the ideological differences, that the two nations’ airmen at that time respected each other highly.
The Eagle has Landed, one of my favorite movies. Thanks Dr Felton.🏆👍🏻
I watched it two Saturdays running at my local cinema. So great for young lads interested in WW2.
The book is much better than the film. Jack Higgins wrote some great books.
Remember it is fiction.
Many thanks to the locals who maintain these graves! The show of respect for human life, regardless of nationality, speaks volumes about the people who keep this cemetery in pristine shape.
I'm Canadian and very happy to see old adversaries honored for their sacrifice. Rest in Peace.
That is true British spirit and respect and honour. Given what the Luffwaffe did to British towns and cities and still giving then the respect of decent burials is truly remarkable. Great work as ever Dr Felton keep up the brilliant videos!
It's a great pity that your comment brings up what the Germans Luftwaffe did to British towns. What do you think the RAF was doing to German towns, tossing out flowers to the local people?
In the mid 70's I was temporarily assigned to RAF Sculthorpe in this area. The sense of history is so pungent. Leaving my permanent duty station of Rhein-Main Germany,exploring the English countrysidee. Having a small knowledge of world wars history, I only wish I would've been exposed to Mark's research then. To this day, I still look back at everythig I had seen and only wishing i would have known more.
Thank you Mark, 50 years later for exposing things I missed. I'm still enjoying memories of those days.
When I saw the video name, I was very excited, thinking Dr Felton had unearthed another rousing tale of WW2 daring and bravery. What followed was no less eye-opening. A solemn thought-provoking walk through the cloisters of history. I have visited war cemeteries in Kolkata(Calcutta) with the graves of allied servicemen being maintained beautifully. This sort of mutual respect was very much evident in the European theatre however was conspicuously absent in the Asian campaign. When fighting the Japanese, it was often kill or be killed, being taken prisoner was often a slow death, as the Japanese regarded all other races as beneath them and held them in contempt. My compliments to Dr. Felton for another beautiful video. I would also request Dr Felton to look at the contingents of soldiers sent by the erstwhile princely states of India for service in the European theatre.
Beautifully presented.
Quite a moving story.
Thank you
My Father now 91 was playing in a small village in Wiltshire in 1942 when he and his friend watched a Spitfire chasing and eventually shooting down a Messerschmitt. They quickly ran across the fields and found the plane and pilot. He had landed and was being held by the local farmer. Eventually the police arrived and took him away. It must have been amazing to see.
Thanks for a wonderful story, Dr Felton. Our local cemetery at Caversham in Reading used to have a few German war graves, but they were moved to Cannock Chase. There are still a few German war graves in the enormous cemetery at Brookwood near Guildford. That site has several war cemeteries inside a wider collection of fascinating civilian cemeteries. There is a French war cemetery and the only USA First World War cemetery in England, along with an American temple. Brookwood would be a very rewarding subject for one of your documentaries.
I'm guessing that you know Brookwood Cemetery had its own railway station opened by the London Necropolis Railway.
@@jerribee1If you like the history of London the necropolis railway is a fascinating topic. I think it only stopped operating after the its terminal at Waterloo was bombed in the blitz.
I grew up in Brookwood and yes a wander around that beautifully kept cemetery is very rewarding, as is the Runnymede Air Forces memorial at Englefield Green.
Many thanks Dr Felton,
When you mentioned these young men's names, the war suddenly became a more poignant and personal tragedy for us who did not experience it.
Big thank you for the locals taking care of these graves , allied and axis alike
As a former soldier it is good to know some dignities are still an unwritten soldiers code...Respect of a comrade at arms even though an adversary are still given...so sad how young they were!😢
zero respect to the people that fought for hitler, zero.
Thanks for giving the fallen back their humanity, you are a great historian!
Jack Higgins's "The Eagle Has Landed" is also one of my favorite books. I could not put that book down, I got no sleep that day. As for the resting place in question, it's a nice place to rest for eternity. They are not forgotten, you remember them and in turn the 2 million subscribers of your channel. Come to thing about it, I just might read Higgins's book again this evening. It's such a good yarn.
Another interesting graveyard can be found on the Dutch island, Shiermonnikoog. It is a bit scruffy. I was there about 25 years ago, and was 38 at the time. The oldest person I saw buried there was 35, and most were in their early 20s, with a few under 20. There was a mixture of Allied and German airmen. When you are a 38 year old 'immortal' it really hits you to see so many in the ground who had hardly lived. Yet another interesting one Ivisited was next to Kåfjord, Alta, Norway. There are Norwegian resistance fighters there, including Harry Petterson, who survived the war. There are also graves of X-craft submarines that attacked the Tirpitz, and I think one or two airmen from the Operation Tungsten attack.
Schiermonnikoog.. With Sch. Oog is a very very old name for island.
How about the Georgian cemetery on Texel? A group of Georgian soldiers were forced to assist the Germans with the occupation of the island but rebelled.
My father is buried in the national cemetery in Battle Creek, Michigan . That national cemetery also has a large, very dignified burial area set aside for German war dead. I'm sure it could be looked up on line. They've even had representatives from the modern German government lay wreaths there from time to time. Very interesting video Dr Felton. Gives us all alot to ponder how many sons of foreign lands we have buried here ,as well as many of ours buried elsewhere.
It's likely, that with all the German and Italian POW camps in the US during World War II, that many of us have Axis war graves nearby and don't even realize it.
There are a few Luftwaffe graves in the cemetery at the church on Thorney Island, Chichester Harbour. It is on the military base, but there is a footpath around the edge of the island which can be accessed with permission from the gatehouse: you leave your name and details and the buzz you through a gate- you can visit the church and return or continue around the island to the other gate (it's a fair old walk , but worth it!). There is a picnic spot about half-way round and nailed to a post there was (last time I did it, a few years ago) an ammunition box nailed to a post with a book of memorial to a Hercules crew KIA in Afganhistan (IIRC). Sit and eat your sandwiches and watch the Harbour Seals.
Indeed. I walked right around the Island about 40 years ago. Don’t think I could manage it now though!
Beat me to it. You can access the church and graves via car/gatehouse depending on threat level, it’s army base now but used to be RAF and driving through original buildings is fascinating, particularly for me as my grandfather was briefly stationed there. The Church has a board showing the squadrons that passed through and what they were flying. The walk is all coastal and takes you past the runways with a couple of SAS trooper memorials, well worth the effort.
Young men who died just doing their duty, commanded by those on top who thought of them as only numbers. So good to see that these nice folks take care of their graves, granting them the dignity war took from them.
when a soldier dies hes no longer the enemy but another brother in arms
Despite the differences on the two sides and the horror of the war, it's nice to see the respect that was maintained with the proper burial of these soldiers: soldiers, following their orders for what they thought was right. I'm sure there were exceptions to this, but it's good to know that was likely the minority and not the majority. Great video as always
A brilliant referral to a great movie and book. Another great piece of work from Mark Felton, in Denmark we have several Allied pilots buried across the country and many thousands of German refugees and soldiers. I learn something new by these stories. The respect for the graves of German airmen really speaks volumes. Thank you for yet another history lesson.
Thank you so much for such an interested doco video 🙂.
I only looked at it because I saw Sandringham in the heading.
I am a UK Ex-pat living in NZ and now just about to hit 70, anything
that triggers a pleasant memory is worthy to be looked at.
I spent much of my youth in Norfolk and many of the towns and
villages mentioned I've spent time in.
It is so good that the fallen servicemen are remembered, thank you.
Might break out The Eagle Has Landed from the archives after work tonight.
Thank you Mark Felton.
I recently found the director's cut version with some scenes added I hadn't seen before. I too love that film!
Thank you for taking so much care of the graves of our fallen ones. And for treating them with so much dignity.
Your eloquent and subdued narrative is so descriptive that the images were hardly necessary.
Thank you for making yours, one of the finest history channels on any platform.
Thank you, Mark. One never knows where one will find the overlooked or forgotten resting places of the soldiers, sailors and airmen who died in the terrible global conflicts we call WWI and WWII. By coincidence, about 5 days ago I unexpectedly passed by a German war cemetary at El Alamein in northern Egypt. As I was a passenger on a commercial omnibus, there was no oportunity to investigate. The hotelier at the hotel where I stayed in the coastal city of Marsa Matruh (near the Lybian border) informed me that there is Rommel museum there in Matruh, and showed me pictures of some of the exhibits, including a greatcoat belonging to the famous Desert Fox, as well as a number of the General's personal items that had been donated by the Rommel family.
I've been fortunate enough to visit this lovely Cemetery, and as you rightly alluded to in your video, "these brave young men were victims of a war not of their own making", I feel that it is fitting they should share the same cemetery.
My uncle is buried in France. My, lot younger, uncle goes over to Normandy often. He tells me the French look after the (ALL) Allie’s grave with respect, great care, and love. War is ugly. Nonetheless, the gratitude is Magnificent!
Despite being a small and isolated village, it is very heartening to see the graves are well-maintained. Many thanks to the people who care for these sites.
I love the respect that the Allies showed to the German fallen. I also appreciate that you take the time and effort to pronounce German names correctly, unlike many channels (even history-based ones) that either do not try or do not seem to care.
I have to say that I have never found any of your vids boring. Many thanks to you and the faceless assistants that work with you. Another good story !
Thanks. No assistants - just little old me!
@@MarkFeltonProductionsI wonder which assistant could possibly keep up with you😂.
Again, thanks for your great work on my undisputed favorite TH-cam channel!
@@MarkFeltonProductions Doing the noble work of scores of people by yourself. Another reason to commend you.
@MarkFeltonProductions "Impressive, most impressive!"
Very nice tribute Mark. Good to see the German chaps remembered too ... 🇬🇧
As always, you educate us so much more! Cheers, Mark!
Mark, your commitment to history is overwhelming! Thank you for your comments at the end of the video. The ravages of war are extensive all round.
Respectful tribute to these men - thanks.
My recently passed away father is buried at a lawn cemetery in Tatura, a small rural town in Victoria Australia. Adjoining the lawn cemetery is a curiosity. A WW2 German POW cemetery also beautifully presented and maintained.
I have been there.
My warmest congratulations on having passed the 2M subscriber point. Richly deserved!
My perspective about a war grave for a crew member on a bombing aeroplane, is now altered forever. I have seen a few war cemetery's of infantryman, where usually all the fallen are each marked with a headstone. But in this historical analysis, every headstone represented more than 1 person.
So that makes it even more significant, as 11 headstones actually represent 34 German Luftwaffe Crew. The others lost at sea, maybe forever.
Thank you Dr Felton, for raising our knowledge, about what is really behind the crosses, in a small cemetery, in a quiet Norfolk churchyard.
All of those in the war graves, British, Commonwealth, or German, were someone's son, brother, husband, father. May they all rest in peace.
The reflection that viewing this account gives me is that as citizens of this world, we must fight war, not wars.
Was showing my wife the German grave in St Mathews church, Sutton Bridge, and wondered how he was buried there. Thanks for the information.
“The Eagle Has Landed” is one of my all time favorite book and movie. I keep a copy of each on my iPad to keep me occupied in waiting rooms.
A favorite quote from the movie is “Colonel, there's no such thing as "death with honor". Just death.”
My grand uncle Hans (not of relation) was a crewman in a Luftwaffe bomber that was shot down over Great Britain; he bailed out and spent the rest of the war in a British prison camp. When the war ended, he moved to the U.S and worked in the medical field. He didn't like to talk about the war, so little else is known. Your video makes me wonder how many German POWS were held in GBR during the war given that you cited ~5,000 being buried there. That could make an interesting video.
Most were shipped to Canada. Britain had enough problems going on.
I believe you can tell everything you need to know about a country, its leadership and the value it places on its own citizens , even the value of human life, by how they treat their enemies
As a former American soldier I can say that only the British have this much class!
Both the Germans and the French also buried the dead on both sides and the graves are still maintained today. Not just the British.
There are German u- boat graves in Newport, Rhode Island that are maintained, and the German consulate honors them with a special service wherever they have deceased service members interred
@@musicandbooklover-p2o in the city where i live there are graves for both sides,
as far as i know they are all well maintained,
they are not in the same cemetery though,
There is something quite admirable about respecting the dead of an enemy. No matter how terrible the circumstances and struggles, we too will be dead one day.
I love the dignity shown.
Things like this give me a glimmer of hope.
Always a pleasure to watch your lessons, Mark. But are the lessons learned? If I watch the news today, I doubt. Let´s pray. My grandfather was also a pilot of the Luftwaffe. First Ju 88 and then FW190, born 1917 as some in your video. He luckily survived. Greetings from Germany.
The fact you consistently produce such beautiful, educational, fascinating and well researched content continues to amaze me. This has got to be my favourite video so far. Where I live, we have a German military cemetery thats tucked away in a small corner of a much larger cemetery. It contains 187 German war dead from both world wars that perished here in Canada. I make it an effort to donate every month to the German Remembrance Society of Canada to keep up with the upkeep of the cemetery and Volkstrauertag (German Remembrance Day). One of the soldiers has the same last name as I do. And upon further research, he was born in a village very close to where my family came from in Germany. Makes me think of how that could have been me. Many years ago. Bless you for all that you do. And let us never ever forget.
Brave men who died too young. I hope all of those guys buried there are resting peacefully
There's a Luftwaffe graveyard at Glencree Co Wicklow too.
One of the filming locations of The Eagle Has Landed is in Mapledurham near Caversham/Reading in Berkshire. The church and water mill from the key scene are here.
"Ye advocates of war, come here and look, and answer what compensation is there for this carnival of death." July 15, 1863. Written about Gettysburg, but equally applicable to this somber presentation.
So young. Thank you for recognizing the fallen from all sides.
As the narrator reviews each headstone, looking at each date of birth I couldn't help but imagine the joy their parents must have had on that day. Then to see their dates of death and realizing how young they were when they died is sad. The sadness their parents must have experienced and their unrealized potential. For what? Think about it...
When I first saw the German graves, I wondered why their loved ones made no effort to bring them home to Germany after the war. I would certainly try to bring my three relatives home. Then it occurred to me that their loved ones probably died in the war, too. That makes the whole thing even more poignant. It was a tragic war.
Both my grandpas didn’t have a grave. The Russians treated German conscripts quite differently to say the least.
Another brilliant and heart-felt episode. You do a great service to the world by creating these!
Thank you, Professor Felton, for this touching video. As with The Great War, SO many of the soldiers, marines, and airmen were barely out of high school---with their entire adult lives ahead of them. It speaks VERY highly of the British people that these dead airmen's bodies were treated with such respect---especially when considering the brutality and horror of The Blitz. May God rest their souls.
Very interesting content and particularly so when you are able to tell more about the servicemen. When visiting Thorney Island I chanced upon over 20 Luftwaffe graves there which took me by surprise, all respectfully maintained just as our Commonwealth fallen have been which are next to them.
Excellent episode as always. Respect to all those that fought and died on both sides.
Rest in peace
Thank you Dr Felton for bringing these young boys lives up for us to remember the losses on both sides and the young lives cut short
Another outstanding production. Amazing detail and knowledge.
Near me in Dorset was one of Cats Eyes Cunninghams earlier victories with the crew of an He111 shot down and buried in the town of Sturminster Newton. There were 3 graves for the crew until 1962 when they were exhumed and re buried at Cannock Chase. This sadly gave rise to a rural myth that persists to this day, because post war it was possible to identify all 5 of the He 111 crew. And some believe that only 3 were dug up from the aircraft wreckage and that 2 are still at the crash site. I was told about 1990 that they couldn’t be bothered to dig any further to get the rest. Reality is from a friend who saw the fight and crash as a boy that it came straight down in flames from 9000 feet like an arrow and little was found that could be identified, and in 1962 all the guys got their names back.
There is a similar collection of German graves at Littlehampton cemetery in West Sussex. They to are buried in a Commonwealth war graves plot. It would be interesting to know their stories. In fact touring round the country there are many individual British servicemen and women buried in cemeteries with CWG headstones or in small plots. They can at least be found on the CWG web site for a little more information.
Another example of your remarkable gift of not just explaining, but demonstrating history in a way that is memorable. You are a really great teacher. For me, a retired librarian and university library administrator, genealogy holds an important niche in the library's collections and services. You appear to be a master at negotiating this always well-organized, but frequently Borges-like 'Library of Babel' Mysterium.
Have to agree, The Eagles that Landed is a great film and has been a favourite since I was a kid. Fascinating piece again, thank you.
My wife and I have visited the German war cemetery on Cannock Chase. This is the one referred to by Mark when many graves around the UK were moved there. It is also the final resting place of a Zeppelin crew shot down over the UK during WW1. There is also a smaller Commonwealth Graves cemetery nearby.