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A Lesser Known MASSACRE of the Battle of the Bulge | American Artifact Episode 112
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 14 ส.ค. 2024
- Many have heard of the massacres at Malmedy and Wereth, but may not have heard of a barbaric event that took place just outside of Bastogne on December 19th, 1944 where a casualty clearing station was brutally attacked by the invading German army. We're going to the site of this lesser known massacre with a few artifacts from the collection of The Gettysburg Museum of History that belonged to a soldier who barely escaped with his life.
Learn more on the work of Reg Jans, visit regjans.com.
Map animation by @SandervkHistory
This episode was produced in partnership with The Gettysburg Museum of History. See how you can support history education & artifact preservation by visiting their website & store at www.gettysburg...
Support the effort to expand history education on PATREON: / historyunderground
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- Chef du Pont: Normandy's Forgotten Bridge (with Artifacts!) | American Artifact Episode 101: • Chef du Pont: Normandy...
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Awesome video, JD. My great grandfather CO of the 326th was one of the lucky survivors of this massacre. He led a 5 ambulance-jeep convoy from this division clearing station mentioned here, to the 107th evacuation hospital at Libin. From his after action report
Of this incident:
“At 1630 hours, 19 December 1944, the Commanding Officer formed a convoy of 5 ambulance loads of patients, the first evacuation from the Division Clearing Station and lead the way to the 107th Evacuation Hospital, set up at Libin. On the return trip the bridge located near Sprimont was found to be blown. Because of this and due to the dense fog and fluid conditions of the enemy forces in the area, the CO returned with the ambulance convoy to the 107th Evacuation Hospital to remain overnight.
At 2130 hours, 19 December 1944, 2 vehicles loaded with casualties were sent from the Regimental Aid Station of the 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment at Bastogne, to the Division Clearing Station, under the direction of Captain Carlos D. Lancaster, 501st PIR. These vehicles and personnel had not returned by 2330.
At 2400, Lieutenant Phalen, the Evacuation Officer of the 327th Glider Infantry Regiment, attempted to take casualties to the Division Clearing Station. He was stopped by the 327th GIR outpost guards and informed that the Germans had apparently captured or overrun the Division Clearing Company”.
Thank you for sharing this video. Had he never left with the convoy, there’s no telling if my family would even be here. In 28 December he relinquished his command of the 326 and was later appointed division surgeon 101st. Keep up the awesome videos!
Thank you for sharing this with the public it is awesome❤❤❤
Wow. Thanks for sharing!
Amazing -Went to Arlington - Dec 07-Paid hommage-lol
👏👏👏
That is quite a remarkable story!
My father was assigned to a medical unit with the fifth army. He traveled from North Africa all the way up to France until the war was over.
My hat is off to your father-I thank him for his service!
What a life. Thanks for sharing
My Dad was in Torch with the 1st Armored Division. Purple Heart.
@@edt8535oikĺ ppl lķĺp8😊
There’s another lesser known massacre at the village of Bande where civilians were hearded into a cellar and massacred. My dad helped to remove the bodies. 9th bn, 6th Airborne Division. Again, great video of an event that needs to be shared. R.I.P those who were murdered
Leon Praile
Watching these really hits home after I discovered my grandfather was a victim of the Wormhout massacre while serving with the British Armed Forces in France, May 1940. My heart breaks for those who made the ultimate sacrifice, unable to properly defend themselves against a brutal force. Thank you for highlighting these events, as always.
Again a piece of history that deserves a wider audience and was little known (unknown to me) until now. Thank you.
This channel is one of my best teachers
You brought me a rare moment of WWII that I have never have read or heard before thank you for this bit of WWII history!
Thank you for this information of that horrible day. My dad was in the battle of the Bluge. He never told us anything about the war. He was also on Utah Beach. All his records were among those destroyed in the fire of war records. He had a good friend in his older years who was a glider pilot. My dad always admired them.
My dad was an army medic at the Battle of the Bulge. I really appreciate these videos. Thank you!!
That’s terrible. When Hospitals and Doctors were considered non-combatants. For the Germans this is sinking pretty low for them. Thank you Erik for saving this man’s things and story. Thanks for sharing!
💯👍
The Germans were pure evil and when you finally understood that, well you just took no prisoners anymore. Fact!
Both sides committed war crimes.
good thing the american troops never commited any war crimes am I right?
Who were the german troops ?? SS ??
Waffen SS under the command of Joachim Peiper.
Thank you for sharing their story. There is so much history that is being lost. I’ve read a lot, watched a lot of documentaries and have talked to men and women that lived through so much. May we never forget…
Thank you Eric and JD for all you do.👍🏻I’m too old now to make the trip and experience all that you’ve shown us. But you make it such a real experience that I don’t feel like I’ve lost anything. Thank you again for all you do. We appreciate it!!👍🏻👍🏻
Hearing about things like this, it's easier to understand how some of the men held grudges after the war. My great uncle wouldn't let a Japanese car into his driveway because of what he had seen. And then you think about the soldiers who came home and they put all this aside and it just makes me see what an incredible group of people they were
Yes but many came home with PTSD and it was not a recognized disorder back then. The famous Patton slapping the hospital soldier was a classic case as many broke down while others pushed it aside and moved on. I think my uncle had it; he landed at Normandy and fought across. I recently obtained his DD214 and he got a chest full of medals for only being a captain but we never knew why he got them or even that he got them. The 1973 fire in St. Louis destroyed all the records.
When Eugene “Doc” Roe first heads back to Bastogne to get supplies from the nurse, Renee, in Band of Brothers, his Jeep driver is casually rumor milling about this exact story. Excellent screen writing and aside from episodes 1-3 it’s my favorite episode
I am shocked and saddened by what the Germans did at Malmedy and this clearing station on December 19, 1944. Anyone who honors the Germans for serving Hitler should be ashamed. The deaths of these Americans soldiers should be remembered. What a despicable massacre. It breaks my heart to know this truth. I am glad you guys made this film. We must never allow fascism or the Nazis to run and ruin humanity ever again.
I've heard of this incident before And you're right, this is one of the massacres that is not always mentioned when people talk about this battle And i'm glad you mentioned this
Thanks Eric and JD. Desperate times often lead to desperate actions. I had not heard about this massacre. Guess the Malmedy and Wereth captured the historical headlines.
I’ve been to Bastogne three times with the Scions of the 17th Airborne and don’t recall hearing about this event.
Never heard this story before 😢! Sicking what happened
Great video, thank you. My father, James L Query, was a medic ( 326th) and was captured at this location...was assisting with surgery when the machine guns began firing into the tent. They were taken, on foot and in trucks, to a german POW camp...there til April '45. Most of these men had glided into Normandy after midnight on D-Day to set up the first field surgical hospital. Heros all!
I'm sure you tire of hearing this but thank you JD. This is important work.
Thank you. I appreciate that more than you know.
Thanks JD! Just wondering, or if anyone can tell me where I could buy artifacts from a reputable website from the UK, was looking at Gettusburg but I see they don't ship to the UK, thanks in advance.
JD I say it all the time thank you for all the hard work!!! Best channel on TH-cam!!!
I appreciate that!
Thank you for a well done video. The drone views dramatic to think about the scenes in those fields back almost 80 years ago.
Thank you all veterans who served and those who made so many sacrifices.
On those days in December 1944 my great uncle, Private Everett H. Glenn was killed in action about the last day of December 1944 or first
days of January 1945 in the area of mount porchia, Italy.
That drone shot of the clearing is awesome; it really helped me envision the scope of what happened there. Crazy! Superb work as always guys!! 👍💯
👊🏻
@@TheHistoryUndergroundHistory underground is obviously the best great job as usual❤❤❤❤❤❤
@@TheHistoryUndergroundDo you know which unit these German war criminals were from and whether any were ever held accountable? Since they disguised themselves as civilians they could actually have been executed, correct?
On my last visit we had to do a detour and our guide showed us the Location Its hard to take in the evil of the Germans who did this its despicable and i hope some were brought to justice for there deeds
Evil -is a real entity -God BLESS-See CC/22SAS
JD bringing us another story of the war that most probably didn't know. And Eric bringing the photos and artifacts too. Thank you both!
JD your content is top notch! Keep up the great work my friend!
These type of stories is why I follow you JD, I had never heard of this action until now.
Thanks for another great video JD. Another small detail that I had never heard about. I learn so much watching you, and look forward to every new post. I will admit I am more informed about the war in the Pacific, since that was the area my father served in, in the USN aboard liberty boat, the USS Terry E. Stephenson
I love the comments in your videos.of people sharing their personal family anecdotes. So fascinating.
I had no idea about this horrible massacre! Thanks for keeping their memories alive for future generations! Travel safely and God bless!
Thanks. Hope that this video brings a bit more awareness to what happened here.
Well Done JD and Erik! I think it makes it more personal and humbling when Artifacts along with getting a glimpse of the soldier comes back to it's location. Thank you for keeping History Alive!
Our pleasure! Thanks for watching.
When you started to talk about a massacre involving medical personnel I thought this was going to be about the Chenogne massacre
Amazing, thank you JD and Erik. I wonder what became of the family that hid him? Incredibly brave of them as well.
Seeing close up video of war now you can almost visualize the brutality of events from the past great Vidor again.
Sandervk History did an excellent video on this subject.
My Father was with British Army REME.Went ashore at Sword on D+7(13th June-First V1 launch and Whittmans action at VB!!)-He told me a story of young SS Troopers from 12th HJ
getting behind his lines and raiding a forward aid station -stabbing several medical personel and wounded soldiers in their beds -War is HELL-TIMOTHY
That sounds very like typical behavior of Germans especially SS troops. Your father is part of the greatest Generation! Men like him saved us.
That wasnt typical at all of the regular German army or the SS , despite how many movies you have seen @@philipnestor5034
Thank you so much! I appreciate you correct usage of when/whenever. Great content!
Wow JD! Dragging himself with his bayonet ~~~He had to be weak and in pain and…just wow!
Awful.
Nice to see monuments set up and left in place and not being tore down.
War is strange, it can bring out the worst in people but can also bring out the best in people. Thanks to the Greatest Generation for our Freedoms we have today......
mike
Thanks for this video. Was unaware of this terrible event. Just tragic.
Its important that there be a French, and German translation at that moument. Europeans must never forget either.
So well done JD! You memorized these brave American soldiers from 80 years ago in such away that we can experienced it again in our time. Thank you! We need to know that freedom comes at a great price.
Your videos are a constant reminder that real freedom is paid for
in blood.
Love your content, hope to see somehting on the twin villages Krinkel - Rocherath and the story of the 99th infanty division when you visit again!
Another awesome video. I was not aware of this action. Keep up the great work!
Thanks for this! I definitely had no idea about this, which I guess isn't too shocking since there are probably thousands of untold stories/situations from WW2. Anyways, I would really like it if you in the future you could do a more in-depth History Traveler video on this particular event.
You make truly brilliant videos. Thank you, from Bakewell, in Derbyshire, England.
Wishing you a Happy Healthy and Safe 2024
🏆🤗💙🙏💪🎖️
If you read the book "Seven Roads to Hell" written by a Bulge combat veteran he details what happen to the Germans who they caught still on site when they snuck up on them.
I was just looking for my copy when I read your note! Best book ever about the bulge battle. In my opinion
@@jimkilloran9038 YES SIR !! Don tells it first person and straight. Hubba Hubba one time .
👍🏻
I love learning new things about the war and this is one of those moments that you don’t learn about in school while growing up. Very sad that it happened and that the desperation of the German soldiers brought them to commit such atrocities.
My good friend Carmen passed through that exact area after they had to evacuate the area. Andy Biggio interviewed him when I introduced him to Carm. I wish he was still here so I can show him this. He told me they were guys from part of the 2nd SS Panzer Division. Guys who were still hooked up to IV lines were laying there with their throats sl**. I have a copy of that area with the tents I have to find.
Your videos are great man! Love your content keep them coming!
Another nice one JD. You and Eric always present interesting content to those of us who can’t actually get to these sights ourselves. My father was an infantryman in the 79th division. These videos help me understand what it must have been like for him.
Thanks! I’ve got some video on the 79th in Normandy on this channel that you may like if you haven’t seen it already.
Really enjoyed the video mate 👍
You have to wonder what they were hoping to achieve by attacking a medical station. It sounds like they knew exactly what they were doing.
Hard core SS! The Germans had no chance. Once planes were able to fly it was game over.
Perhaps they had family member die in Dresden.
@@weirdshibainu what's your point? This happened in December of 1944. They must have been prescient Nazis.
@@Wreckdiver59 Perhaps they were. Either way, hospitals are fair game.
dont get butthurt , cause he pointed out a legit reason @@Wreckdiver59
Love the artifact portion of your videos.
Glad you like them!
Every view, every comment, every like and every subscriber is well deserved JD. Another awesome video. Thank you!
Thank you for sharing. Amazing work as always.
Thank you JD and Erik! 🇺🇸 ⛑️
The horrible thing about WWII - and other wars - is that atrocities like this weren’t just a result of desensitisation to violence over time.
The very first German action of the war was the bombing of the Polish town of Wielun. Despite there being no Polish military presence in the town whatsoever, the Luftwaffe bombed it, and strafed patients who fled the hospital that had been set alight by the bombs. Ten days later, the Luftwaffe bombed the similarly undefended and unimportant town of Frampol as a practice run for future missions, and, once again, civilians were strafed as they fled the bombs.
Such brutality is what the men of the 326th helped put an end to with their service and sacrifices. Remember them.
Outstanding video
Great video
Wow. Thank you.
Great ww2 content
Good job JD
🙏🏼
Love the series
👊🏻
At this point in the war, most Germans knew the end was near - they knew the Soviets would soon be in Germany and there was nothing any of them could do to stop them. They were also tired of Allied carpet bombing raids all over Germany that were annihilating their cities and killing their friends and families. Even the most dedicated of Nazis at this point knew they were simply playing for time. When they entered the Ardennes in December of 1944, they wanted vengence, and unfortunately, some units committed unspeakable acts. Certainly, not all German units resorted to barbarity, but those who did surely did it out of frustration and anger for the sheer fact that they knew they were doomed and nothing was going to change that.
December 19th is my Birthday and I have never know about this until now. I am going to go down the rabbit hole and do some research and reading about this event now.
Bahhhhh you beat me to it (first comment ) I absolutely love this channel. I have to live vicariously through you. Thank you for what you do and bringing awareness to history that was hard earned.
Its unfortunate that history has overlooked this tragedy.
Hoping that people will share this video out to help change that. 🙂
Nice Job JD & EriK!
I have looked into this story more. The history written on the AMEDD Historian website is greatly confusing and notes the number of Americans captured in the camp, but then adds "One (1) enlisted man from the Medical Company, Pfc Henry G. Sullivan, was killed. A total of eighteen (18) officers and one hundred and twenty-five (125) enlisted men were lost. " An addendum lists the names of all the missing soldiers who must be the ones who were "lost." It would seem that such a report would have included the number of missing who were located afterward, or at least those who returned home after the war. If only one man was killed, it is not a massacre but rather one man killed, seven men wounded while 125 men escaped capture and 142 were captured. It also states that six armored vehicles including half tracks and tanks as well as 100 supporting infantry made up the attack, and apparently since it happened at 22:30 the Germans did not realize they were attacking a medical clearing station until their fire caused six trucks to start burning so that the red crosses became visible to them, however, the shooting continued for an undetermined amount of time. It stopped and a German officer and the commander of the medical company parlayed and the German gave them 30 minutes to gather their gear.
If it wasn’t for your TH-cam Channel, I would have never heard about this tragedy.
6:25 Good Lord I hope he carried a pocketful of Syrettes
Wow, when I see videos like this, I want to go back to Belgium and see all the sites like this that I didn't see when I lived there.
I wish I knew more about my grandfather’s time in WWII. I know he received several medals including the Purple Heart but his military records were destroyed in the fire. 😢 I have enjoyed your videos on this because it has given me a little insight into what he went through
i know the feeling a friend of my family fought in the buldge received a silver star,, when i contacted the archives they said his records were destroyed in the 1974 fire
Please make research and a video about the Allied war crimes among German POWs in the "Rheinwiesen" camps...
MY Father was in the Battle of the Bulge second armed division..
The Germans who did this (SS I'm assuming?) couldn't plead ignorance of what the site was. Hospitals, field or otherwise, were always plainly marked so there'd be no mistakes and those markings (large red crosses) were for the most part ALWAYS respected by both sides. What happened here was despicable, to say the least.
I wouldn't dignify the Germans who did this with the title "soldiers." They were assassins.
They could’ve been regular German Army. The Heer was no stranger to atrocities - during the Fall of France, German Army troops murdered 124 civilians in the Oignies and Courrières Massacre, and numerous massacres of black POWs were committed by German Army troops at Bois d’Erane, Lyon, Erquivillers, and Chasselay. Even more atrocities were committed in the USSR.
You’re absolutely right; the perpetrators aren’t worthy of the title ‘soldier’.
@@Cybermat47 No argument with you there, they could have been regulars. I wonder if anyone knows for certain?
@@wayneantoniazzi2706 can’t say for sure, but apparently the only German units fighting at Bastogne around the time of the massacre were all German Army units - the 26th Volksgrenadier Division, the Panzer Lehr Division, and the 2nd Panzer Division. The SS only arrived at Bastogne later.
That’s just from a few minutes of googling, so take it with a grain of salt, but I would guess that the German Army was responsible for the massacre.
@@Cybermat47 Thanks, I guess we'll never know for certain.
That was the 116. Panzer Division's reconnaissance unit (under the command of a certain Major Eberhard Stephan). They pulled back the way they came from after, taking prisoners, supplies and even captured vehicles with them.
Great video and important story. How many casualties from this event? A company is decent size unit (90-120 soldiers) + patients? Wont change history, just trying to grasp scope of event. Is there any estimates? Nice details, always love your video.
That field was sizeable
Can't fathom the destruction and the german motivation to commit such an act.
Very interesting
Amazing the stories you post these many hidden gems
My Uncle was in the Battle of the Bulge, he heard about the massacre and wanted to kill every Nazi he could. After WWII Uncle stayed in Europe for a year in helping with local police & logistics & such. I did an interview with him in the mid 1970's for a school project for the European War. He got to see things that no human should ever witness, the Nazi concentration camps. He told me you never forget the smell of death rotting out in the open. People stacked like cord-wood. My father U.S. Army was in the South Pacific getting ready for the evasion of Japan. Grandfather was in the U.S. Army Air Corp. stationed in England. Thank to all that served! 🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🥰
My dad was in Europe as a combat engineer then was sent to the Philippines for the Japanese invasion just like your dad..thankfully that never had to happen.
@@stephenarno2032 My father 30yrs ago stated, if the Atomic Bomb failed, the invasion of Japan would've been a blood bath and he knows him & others serving would not be coming back home, & me & my brother would've never been born either. Its interesting. Father was in charge of Army Mules & supplies, they were building up stuff. Thank you for your Father Service!
Those scissors in the US kit are of a German design origin KNY Scheerer (or even the Heitz) company medical equipment.
Jetter and Scheerer New York, Langbein. made this pattern until the 1950s.
Interesting. Thanks!
Germany still makes the highest quality surgical instruments. My preference was towards Codman instruments. Thomas Codman was from Massachusetts and founded his company in 1838. The company supplied instruments for surgeons during the American Civil War. Their current manufacturing facility is in Tuttlingen, Germany. The company was purchased by Johnson & Johnson, then by Symmetry Surgical. Hopefully they continue to make German instruments of the highest quality.
My dad was. There under. Patton
This is mentioned in Donald Burgett's "Seven Roads To Hell".
There back in ancient times where an army was order to take no prisoners.
Hey JD, how many passports have you filled up? Just curious, excellent video!
I may have missed it, what were the numbers of KIA, wounded and captured?
War is hell.
So many brutal crimes committed during war.
So many SS were not taken prisoners after malmedy. No quarter
I guess with success comes a bigger budget. Nice graphics but you are still the Boss! Congratulations on your success. A family man too!! A good man and I bet a good father
Thank you. I appreciate that.
Never heard of this. I wonder if it was kept quiet because we wanted the German scientist and this story would have made it hard for Americans to work with them.
Have you ever been to or thought of going to Mourmelon
Can’t see any info on how many died.
Thanks.
With the many thousand missing GI's in the Ardennes it is likely there were other massacres of wounded and others who had surrendered as the Germans on the move did not bother to process them as prisoners.
My ,my ,the Evil men do.😥😭
The American soldiers also killed German POW, would be nice to see both sides of the stories after 80 years.
I retaliation perhaps who declardes war on who?
Truly Barbaric !
I wasn't aware of this one. Horrific - goes against all all unwritten laws of warfare. The Japanese did the same during the fall of Singapore. How appologists for the SS still exist I will never understand.
This massacre could’ve been carried out by the regular German Army - they were no strangers to such atrocities.
As for SS apologists, they’re either outright Nazis or very shallow people who think that the uniforms looked cool.
What would be the process to have the error on the memorial corrected? To correct "memorize" to "memorialize"? Seems like it might be an easy fix and not too expensive.
🤷🏻♂️
Man!!! Would you please slow down on making these dang videos!!! I'm way behind!! Gonna have play catch up!!! 🤣🤣🤣
Ha! I'll see what I can do.