As a lover of history, I've learned more from Thoughty2 then anywhere else. I love these little known amazing stories that don't always make it to the main stream documentaries. Thank you for doing them justice.
@@maxximus91 I might also recommend a little channel "Well, I Never" that seems to specialize in smaller known and dubious details of history that escapes the classroom and many of the mainstream resource books. Paul is in the UK, so a lot of it is local to him, BUT he likes to get photographs ON LOCATION and diligently makes the effort when he can to actually do some of the storytelling on site as well, giving a kind of "before and after" vibe to his presentations... ;o)
I was looking for this comment! Five years ago I was lucky enough to get the Dutch translation (De Laatste Slag) as a birthday gift and it is a treasure trove indeed 🙂
And it also taught us what it means to be courageous. Thanks to you, they can be remembered once again by me and hundreds of others 77 years after it happened.
@@davidseddon2157 years ago he explained thoughty2 was a play on the "42" as it is the answer to the life, the universe and everything...it was an qna video i think, but i am not sure
The first world war has amazing stories too . A British officer captured during World War I was granted leave to visit his dying mother on one condition - that he return. Capt Robert Campbell kept his promise to Kaiser Wilhelm II and returned to Germany, where he stayed until the war ended in 1918. So pleased these stories are known but not "" Hollywoodised "" into films.. Thank you Thoughty2 for this video ..
I love that he forgot Canada fought for the Allies...they even had their own beach on D-Day (Juno). I know as an American we normally kinda clown Canada for being too nice & polite, which is honestly more of an indictment on the US that we think that's a bad thing, but you guys definitely deserve respect & recognition for your part.
And plenty of irish too fought in the 2nd world war not suprised a english man wouldnt mention that ,also the french resistance fought with the allies and even to a smaller extent china too
Many German veterans of either major war said that their toughest opponents by far were the Canadians. Believe me, you do NOT want to get whacked with a frozen puck or a maplewood hockey stick.
A metal band, SABATON, wrote a song about this story actually and it is awesome. "The Last Battle(Battle for Itter Castle)" its a really awsome song I recommend you listen to at least once. Moreover, SABATON is just an awesome metal/rock band all around. Their songs about historic battles and war are pure genius.
Very good one! It's always fascinating to hear about this oddities of history. don't want to be nitpicky,but I noticed a small mistake at 11:46 .the plaque is showing a different Josef Gangl(actor and writer who died 1916 in Vienna). Sorry for being a smartass about it, but my past in history studies makes me do this 🙈
I also noticed how he forgot that France was also fighting against the nazis but before they even got raided and turned into a puppet state, they fought 300k+ nazis while the British soldiers just left.
This is quite a brilliant interesting story showing that history can sometimes be, absurd and truly comedic but also serious and dramatic !!! I thank you for bringing the story and crafting it so well for our entertainment and are historical betterment, thank you !!! Thank you for your hard work !!!
Can imagine John MacEnroe doing the same ...... 24 men and one tank "You can not be serious!" In all seriousness, an amazing story and a huge thank you for educating me on it.
I think it's about time Thoughty2 once more released one of his darker episodes. I think that a video on either "the Grizzly Man" or the 1997 North Hollywood shootout would both be great choices. I like all of his videos - but I can't deny that, the majority of the time, the most entertaining are the ones that take a turn for the worst.
LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT!! I cannot - literally cannot get enough of these accounts. These small niche battles are usually always the most interesting. More personal, more intricate, more worthy of being told. This would make a brilliant movie! Lots of character development and involvement of the prisoners and their time while there, the cultural differences between them playing out during their time there - and the ups and downs of escape and rescue. SO many stories left untold!
You know, I had already known of this for some time, having watched it on another channel. For that reason, I almost passed up on your video. Then, I thought to myself “Nah, this Limey has an unusually entertaining outlook on history”. Glad I watched 🤣😂☺️👍
Just wanna say I appreciate you thoughty2, you and the infographics show have taught me more about history than I would learn on my own, and I'm thinking of going to college to be a history teacher
Infographics is literally a propoganda channel, they go out of their way to be pro-west in every situation and glaze over anything the USA has done wrong while blaming the entire rest of the world. As a red blooded American who believes in personal responsibility, i have a deep hatred for obvious propoganda channels like that. Do yourself a favor and stop watxhing that garbage.
You sir are a master of digging up bizarre history. I'm always astounded at your skills, research and articulation. My only bitch is I have a really crappy moustache. Jealousy sux. Lvya bro
You left out my favorite part of this story. When Lt. Jack Lee was asked about the battle many years after the end of the war all he had to say was, "Well it was just the damndest thing"
While I use your videos to help me sleep, it's not because I find your voice, or anything about the topic particularly boring. It's similar to reading a book in the way that your videos make me feel at home and relaxed in anything you speak about. You are truly talented at storytelling and making anything you speak about interesting and what's better is you seem genuinely interested in everything you speak about. It's amazing. I love your videos and I appreciate you as a creator. You can simultaneously teach me obscure and interesting things that I can later bring up with my philosopher boyfriend and hold an interesting and intellectual conversation with (which is nice because he is specialised in debate and I'm not particularly good at words when it comes to speaking) I am aware of his talents however because of how simplistic the explainstions in these videos are and because of your natural talent at storytelling and your engaging and homely voice I can absorb the information in your videos pretty effortlessly and recount it to him leading to interesting and funny conversations with him. Idk what I'm saying to be honest cause I just finished puking from drinking too much and while I feel less sick I am still very much drunk. I guess what I'm saying is thank you :)))
I really appreciate your story telling. Thank you for bringing these stories to life! I have heard of this battle before. But it has never been as enthralling as you tell it. Also you discussed more details than any other time I have heard of this battle. Brilliant job!
Thank you! I always enjoy hearing the story of people who go out of their way to help others - something often found in the "greatest generation" and sadly missing from our current generation. Doing something simply because it's the right thing to do has gone out of style. These days people always want to know what's in it for them.
I never knew this happened! It's astounding to know that "enemies" could be allies long enough to save the lives of almost all involved. RIP Gangel, a German, but a brave fighter for the freedom of so many who found themselves on each others side and who had each other's back! And to Borotra, the tennis player, who bravely went to get help for those stuck basically in no man's land! Great story!!
thank you for acknowledging Andreas Krobot. Probably the first Czech that made it into your videos, as far as I know. Another major case of this Axis/Ally schizofreny was the Russian Liberation army in Czechoslovakia during WWII. Army put together from Soviet prisoners and traitors to fight against USSR, which they kinda did, but on 5th of May 1945 they understood Germany is toast and switched sides. They were a full-blown, trained and armed army and started beating the sauerkraut out of Germans. Without them, Prague uprising would probably be a tragic bloodbath, swiftly surpressed by Wehrmacht. But these guys helped tremendously and the scale tipped to Czechoslovakian side. In just couple days, 300 of them died and it is widely agreed they helped the defeat of Germans a lot. When Marshal Konev arrived with Red Army to Prague on 9th May, the city was pretty much liberated, but still, in upcoming 40 years of Soviet occupation, he was glorified as an ultimate liberator, while Vlasov army (named after their general Andrey Vlasov) were still seen as traitors. Until this day, this causes a big friction between Russia and Czech Republic as well as within the academic society. Statue for Vlasov army is a no-no for many politicians and finally removing the statue of Marshal Konev couple years ago (he was also responsible for bloodily surpressing Hungarian uprising in 1956) put Czech/Russian diplomacy to the freezer pretty much until this day.
I'm an old dog who has chewed on WWI material from various national archives for more years than I can now remember on the obscure subject of escape and evasion involving allied military personnel (mostly airmen), their helpers, their betrayers and the interesting personalities that chased after them and included the reasons for the fates of their own crews. It is very wrong to assume either the Wehrmacht or Luftwaffe was Nazi (political party ideologue). There certainly were Nazis in it, but also some of the most fervent anti-Nazi. The same thing goes for all the other services. At the base, most German military were simple patriots doing what they believed to be right. With a few rare exceptions, thanks to decades 'Hollywood' fantasy, real history has been rigorously type cast into a pre-scripted stage-presence mold that shows little of the basic humanity most civilized people value and share. The fascinating 'Great Bagel Survey' (found in 'Freakonomics' - 2006) seems to have shown, with little doubt, that given a group of 13 people. 9 of 13 are good all of the time. 3 of 13 are good if the can afford to be. 1 of 13 cannot be trusted to be good under any circumstances . . . so this person does all they can to appear to be good till they can get away with it.
Officially, the Wehrmacht and Luftwaffe weren't Nazis. It was expressly verboten for members of the military to join the Nazi party. However, this didn't apply to the SS. They were under the command of Hitler himself, and not that of the Reich. They were considered a distinct entity .
The answer is No. J.R.R. Tolkien was actually inspired by his experience in World War 1. The battle of Helm's Deep is inspired by his experience in Battle of Somme, the The Siege of Gondor and the Battle of the Pelennor Fields was inspired by the The Siege of Vienna and the charged of the Winged Hussars, and the famous quote of Gandalf, "You can not pass" was actually inspired by the French resistance motto "On ne passe pas" on the Fields of Verdun. Other battles hinted by Tolkien are Battle of Passchendaele, Battle of Argonne, and Battle of Mons.
Being a big history buff with a huge interest in WW2, I've heard of this battle but only for it being one of the few times the Americans fought along side with Germans against the Nazis. Did not know the details you amazingly gave. Can't get enough of your videos and how well you tell these stories.
Well ... the plaque shown @11:49 says: "In diesem Hause wohnte, wirkte u. starb der Böhmerwalddichter Josef Gangl. Errichtet von der Heimatgruppe Kaplitz und Umgebung des Sudetendeutschen Heimatbundes 1931" and at the top "25.08.1868" and "6.9.1916". So it's about someone called Josef Gangl who was a poet and who died in 1916 ...
once again, thank you for such a wonderful moment and an uplifting story albeit war is not my favorite subject. I have become accustomed to your unique delivery. live long and prosper.
Between thoughty2 and the history guy of “history that deserves to be remembered “ combined with warographics its really easy to learn and enjoy many little things.
The more you dig into the details the better the story gets. The 142nd infantry is a guard regiment out of Texas. A regiment of cowboys comes in at the end to save the day. The movie writes itself.
I heard that the tennis player accidentally ran into a group of ss soldiers and pretended to be a civilian and took a piss right in front of them before running off to find help. Which I was always been funny as hell if you mentioned it
Wow, this is amazing. I’ve never ever heard of this story before. Keep up the good 👍 work Thoughty2. I love how you narrate these stories, you’re an excellent storyteller.
@@tensinkano6888 He said videos. Plural. Past uploads. If he said video, singular, then your stupid comment is valid. Are you getting on a short bus this September?
5th of May, V day's just around the corner 1945 the Führer's reign's at its end Jenny at the gates, as the SS open fire There's no time to waste, the final battle's begun After the downfall, a castle besieged Facing the Nazis awaiting relief Gangl and Lee and their men set the prisoners free And it's the end of the line of the final journey Enemies leaving the past And it's American troops and the German army Joining together at last
One last fight, it’s the death throes of the 3:rd reich Justice shall be done, the final battle remains Ammo is running low, they’re depleting their machineguns Every bullet counts until surrender is announced After the downfall, a castle relieved Defeating the nazis who held them besieged Gangl and Lee and their men set the prisoners free
So instead of all going to find help or refuge they decide to get reinforcements and fight for a castle that’s not even in their country? How does this make any sense
The area surrounding the castle was still under Nazi occupation, and the castle was practically encircled by SS well before the fighting began. They had no choice, they were stuck. the 2 they sent had to sneak out and get through the SS blockade. Plus, The SS were under orders to kill everyone, even the civilians and German troops in the area. The US and German troops were already fighting the SS prior to the message being given to them .
I thought this was a repost at first, until I realized that it was Wendigoon that went over this battle recently. Happy to watch both videos though to help stick the details
5th of May, V day's just around the corner 1945 the Führer's reign's at its end Jenny at the gates, as the SS open fire There's no time to waste, the final battle's begun
I'm glad your covering this event as well. The name of the lone tank was besotten jenny. Ps I have no doubt that peeps will probably comment about the sabaton song the last battle covering this event. Well safe journeys
More and more, I feel that Thoughty is just a smarter Ewan McGregor, that made a TH-cam channel, instead of acting. He will soon be our new History Channel narrator.
I have been watching for quite a few years now. I have to congratulate you for the acceptance of the human condition. You point out the truth of us as a abnormality. I see it as our evolution. Bravo for your efforts as a historical voice. I enjoy your videos as an educational evolution of humans as a species. A list of unique moments in history where humanity succeeded in spite of race or creed. Where the species mattered more than a flag or blood. You are a voice of what we could be. Thank you for that. Even spell check is against me while I write this. I will always hit the like button when I see the truth of humanity. Thank you for pointing it out. For good or not, you point out truth. I respect that. Keep up the good work boss.
The Soviet Union has never been classed as an ally in WW2. We fought the same enemy, and Britain sent supplies to Soviet Union by ships, and Stalin attended war meetings with Churchill and Roosevelt but Soviet Union was never classed or listed under allied nations during WW2. Don't forget Stalin had done peace deal with Hitler and both Germany and Soviet Union's Red Army invaded Poland, Poland being an actual ally, at the same time on the agreement they would split Poland between them and neither would attack the other, obviously a deal Hitler never planned to keep, he just didn't want to have to fight war on all fronts at once because he knew he didn't have the troops or hardware to do this. Of course that was before his syphilis really kicked in and messed up workings of his mind, because he ultimately lost the war because his forces, though greater by this time were spread too thin and far apart because he ended up fighting war on all fronts on the backfoot. Anyway it was Hitler's initial invasion of Poland, our actual ally that triggered WW2, so Soviet Union's invasion of Poland certainly did not make them an ally. But then the allies had let Hitler have Czechslovakia without a fight thinking that would satisfy Hitler without anyone needing to go to qno to her costly war, just 21 years after the last global conflict. But when he went after more important (to it's allies it was) Poland, Britain and France had little choice but to stand up for Poland and declare war on Germany. Soviet Union was never one of "The Allied" forces in WW2. No history book about the war has ever classed them as Allies, So nobody were actually saints in any of it. And halfway through WW2 Italy went from been an Axis power to being an Allied power/force. So you opening paragraph was wholly inaccurate.
@@ukaszbaranczyk1393 the Soviet Union have never been allies. And clearly you know nothing of WW2, or you would be aware that if I hadn't been for British ships supplying Soviet Union with supplies and arms, the Nazis would have taken Soviet Union in no time at all. There is only one country that was in war from start to finish that Nazis never managed to invade or cower and that was Great Britain,vfi two whole years+ Britain stood alone against might of Nazis and everything they threw at us, okay they captured by he Channel Islands, but mainland Britain, the real Britain remain s free and resolute despite the Nazis blitzkreiging us. If it hadn't been for Britain there would b no USA. Soviet Union did nothing to defend or protect or supply us,whilst we k or them supplied and qbl to fight back and on. Many British merchant naval men risked and lost their lives on Black Sea convoys to keep Soviets supplied. If it hadn't b en for British sqcrificesb Russians would have b en wiped out, and Russia would be aNqzi rather than Communist State.. You know so little of WW2, it's shocking. Btw, the Soviet Union never remained intact, some of its States (countries) joined the Nazis, so no,but couldn't have ever allied itself to anyone. Poland was once part of Soviet Union remember and I was Poland that was Britain's ally out of all Soviet States. BTW and if Soviet Union so great, where is it today???? Because if you haven't noticed it ceased to exist in the early 90ties after fall of aBerlin Wall/Iron Curtain in 1989.
yeah, GB was never invaded by Nazis... thanks to Polish soldiers that won Battle of England for them. And Poland was only one country that was in state of war with Nazis from day one: Poland.
he forgot...... we are usually force-feed with ads varying from capillary rejuvenation to game and other bigotries as common to our glorious days in the webs.
Sabaton has a song about this very incident called the last battle. It’s a great song and I got the gist of what it was about… But it’s great to see an in detail perspective on this. Thank you
I think there happened a mix-up at 11:46: The monument is from the writer (="Schriftsteller") Josef Gangl who died in 1916 not 1945 - de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josef_Gangl_(Schriftsteller) He is the one with the monument but in "Wien-Melding" not in Wörgl (see also on the monument "Böhmerwalddichter" = peotry of the Böhmer forest) The one you are talking about is the officer (="Offizier") Josef Gangl died in 1945 - de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josef_Gangl_(Offizier) He is the one who is memorized with a street name in Wörgl, so that is correct. ("Sepp Gangl-Straße" in "Wörgl" but you will have diffculties to type that in by yourself if you don't have the extra signs on your keyboard o_O)
Great story as always. But the commemorative plaque we see in the video, shows the poet "Böhmerwalddichter" of the same name who died 1916 as the plaque shows. The war hero Josef Gangl who died at Itter castle 1945, was honored 16. Oktober 2021 by the Ludwigsburger Oberbürgermeister Dr. Matthias Knecht with a plaque on the Karlskaserne. Before that he was given the Iron Cross of II. and I. class as well as the german cross.
Thanks for posting this comment. I noticed right away that the dates were off for the birth and death of Josef. Your explanation clears that up. I’m surprised Thoughty didn’t catch it.
I doubt we'd get a respectful film about this event. Nowadays, it would be turned into a virtual ott comic book style story, merely based on the facts, but nowhere near what actually happened.
@@KnowYoutheDukeofArgyll1841 True. The Germans would probably be shown as only being willing to fight alongside the Americans because they have to rather than out of choice, even though it wasn't like that
I've researched this topic before. I'm amazed we haven't had a film made about it just yet.
there are so many amazing historical events. But they seem to recicle the same old stories over and over
A vested and entrenched interest that insists on demonizing Germans.
That’s why
I was thinking the same thing how have I not heard this story before it'd make a great movie
I thought I had seen a movie of this but I guess it was just a different youtube video.
I’ve seen a video about this before
As a lover of history, I've learned more from Thoughty2 then anywhere else. I love these little known amazing stories that don't always make it to the main stream documentaries. Thank you for doing them justice.
Have you checked out Mark Felton Productions? He’s a great presenter and a professional historian.
Your final words were inspiring. The story was informative but the closing remark was BRILLIANT! Keep it up. We're listening.
@@jaybee9269 no I haven't but I will now, thanks for the suggestion.
@@maxximus91 I might also recommend a little channel "Well, I Never" that seems to specialize in smaller known and dubious details of history that escapes the classroom and many of the mainstream resource books. Paul is in the UK, so a lot of it is local to him, BUT he likes to get photographs ON LOCATION and diligently makes the effort when he can to actually do some of the storytelling on site as well, giving a kind of "before and after" vibe to his presentations... ;o)
Love this story. The book “The Last Battle” by Stephan Harding is a must read for a detailed account of this battle. Keep up the great work T2!
I was looking for this comment! Five years ago I was lucky enough to get the Dutch translation (De Laatste Slag) as a birthday gift and it is a treasure trove indeed 🙂
Just call him a piano playa!
@@ismarwinkelman5648 the only person ever happy to get a book as a birthday gift
/j
@@toast6375 Hahaha, it wasn’t the only gift 😄
@@FooTude you don'tch do that here might!
I originally found out about this topic from the song "The Last Battle" from Sabaton but it's nice seeing more people cover it!
Same here. This really is a weird historical episide but not enough people can learn about it.
Same
Same same
Same!
AND IT'S THE END OF THE LINE OF THE FINAL JOURNEY ENEMIES LEAVING THE PAST AND ITS AMERICAN TROOPS AND THE GERMAN ARMY JOINING TOGETHER AT LAST
And it also taught us what it means to be courageous. Thanks to you, they can be remembered once again by me and hundreds of others 77 years after it happened.
Man this guy is an amazing story teller. So glad I found this channel last week
An old professor of mine told me this story years ago. Gave me goosebumps then, and especially now with how well Thoughty2 narrated it.
Was his name I Jones by any chance?
42 here....
It would make sense. 42 is the answer to the meaning of life, the universe, and everything.
43
He already admitted to saying 42 years ago
@w saying what 42 years ago?
@@davidseddon2157 years ago he explained thoughty2 was a play on the "42" as it is the answer to the life, the universe and everything...it was an qna video i think, but i am not sure
"experiencing mixed feelings of gratitude and grave disappointment." Great writing. :)
The first world war has amazing stories too . A British officer captured during World War I was granted leave to visit his dying mother on one condition - that he return. Capt Robert Campbell kept his promise to Kaiser Wilhelm II and returned to Germany, where he stayed until the war ended in 1918. So pleased these stories are known but not
"" Hollywoodised "" into films.. Thank you Thoughty2 for this video ..
I love that he forgot Canada fought for the Allies...they even had their own beach on D-Day (Juno). I know as an American we normally kinda clown Canada for being too nice & polite, which is honestly more of an indictment on the US that we think that's a bad thing, but you guys definitely deserve respect & recognition for your part.
Thank you. Finally an American with knowledge of history.
@@ReneTheFox you mean knowledge of Canadian history.
And plenty of irish too fought in the 2nd world war not suprised a english man wouldnt mention that ,also the french resistance fought with the allies and even to a smaller extent china too
canada like australia and india for example fought for the british commonwealth
Many German veterans of either major war said that their toughest opponents by far were the Canadians.
Believe me, you do NOT want to get whacked with a frozen puck or a maplewood hockey stick.
Thank you. I love these stories of the small battles that made up the larger war. Inspiring to say the least.
A metal band, SABATON, wrote a song about this story actually and it is awesome. "The Last Battle(Battle for Itter Castle)" its a really awsome song I recommend you listen to at least once.
Moreover, SABATON is just an awesome metal/rock band all around. Their songs about historic battles and war are pure genius.
My favourite song of theirs. Such a killer riff.
I love Sabaton they’re a heavy metal band not rock.
Jenny's at the door
@@MisterZealot Gate, buddy, gate.
@@bensmith1689 same difference ^^
Very good one! It's always fascinating to hear about this oddities of history. don't want to be nitpicky,but I noticed a small mistake at 11:46 .the plaque is showing a different Josef Gangl(actor and writer who died 1916 in Vienna). Sorry for being a smartass about it, but my past in history studies makes me do this 🙈
I also noticed how he forgot that France was also fighting against the nazis but before they even got raided and turned into a puppet state, they fought 300k+ nazis while the British soldiers just left.
It makes me very happy that this incredible event in history is gaining the notoriety it deserves
This is quite a brilliant interesting story showing that history can sometimes be, absurd and truly comedic but also serious and dramatic !!! I thank you for bringing the story and crafting it so well for our entertainment and are historical betterment, thank you !!! Thank you for your hard work !!!
Would make one hell of a movie for sure
Can imagine John MacEnroe doing the same ...... 24 men and one tank "You can not be serious!" In all seriousness, an amazing story and a huge thank you for educating me on it.
I think it's about time Thoughty2 once more released one of his darker episodes. I think that a video on either "the Grizzly Man" or the 1997 North Hollywood shootout would both be great choices.
I like all of his videos - but I can't deny that, the majority of the time, the most entertaining are the ones that take a turn for the worst.
Cannibal island
Even the filler episodes are masterfully written, truly the writers of this “earth” show are geniuses
LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT!! I cannot - literally cannot get enough of these accounts. These small niche battles are usually always the most interesting. More personal, more intricate, more worthy of being told. This would make a brilliant movie! Lots of character development and involvement of the prisoners and their time while there, the cultural differences between them playing out during their time there - and the ups and downs of escape and rescue. SO many stories left untold!
You know, I had already known of this for some time, having watched it on another channel. For that reason, I almost passed up on your video. Then, I thought to myself “Nah, this Limey has an unusually entertaining outlook on history”. Glad I watched 🤣😂☺️👍
yes, me too!
Just wanna say I appreciate you thoughty2, you and the infographics show have taught me more about history than I would learn on my own, and I'm thinking of going to college to be a history teacher
Infographics is literally a propoganda channel, they go out of their way to be pro-west in every situation and glaze over anything the USA has done wrong while blaming the entire rest of the world. As a red blooded American who believes in personal responsibility, i have a deep hatred for obvious propoganda channels like that. Do yourself a favor and stop watxhing that garbage.
This was one of the most amazing war stories I never heard of before. This is why I love this channel.
You sir are a master of digging up bizarre history. I'm always astounded at your skills, research and articulation. My only bitch is I have a really crappy moustache. Jealousy sux. Lvya bro
Doesn't take much digging or research its already been covered many times on TH-cam.
@@101Mant thanks karen
I look like I have mange🙊
@@Cj-yw8cs ha he ha! Now I don't feel so bad. Thanks 👍
Something tells me he stumbled across Wendigoon who just covered this recently. Could be wrong but wouldn't surprise me.
I wish my history professors were like Thoughty2 when I was going to college. Lectures would be much more entertaining & enjoyable!
Got your 1st book on audible a few months back I have to say it's probably the most accessible and cleverly written books on history I've read.
You left out my favorite part of this story. When Lt. Jack Lee was asked about the battle many years after the end of the war all he had to say was, "Well it was just the damndest thing"
Your videos are always so fascinating, unique, and thought(y)-provoking! Thank you for being you!
While I use your videos to help me sleep, it's not because I find your voice, or anything about the topic particularly boring. It's similar to reading a book in the way that your videos make me feel at home and relaxed in anything you speak about. You are truly talented at storytelling and making anything you speak about interesting and what's better is you seem genuinely interested in everything you speak about. It's amazing. I love your videos and I appreciate you as a creator. You can simultaneously teach me obscure and interesting things that I can later bring up with my philosopher boyfriend and hold an interesting and intellectual conversation with (which is nice because he is specialised in debate and I'm not particularly good at words when it comes to speaking) I am aware of his talents however because of how simplistic the explainstions in these videos are and because of your natural talent at storytelling and your engaging and homely voice I can absorb the information in your videos pretty effortlessly and recount it to him leading to interesting and funny conversations with him. Idk what I'm saying to be honest cause I just finished puking from drinking too much and while I feel less sick I am still very much drunk. I guess what I'm saying is thank you :)))
Wendigoon made a very long and detailed video not too long ago about this as well
I really appreciate your story telling. Thank you for bringing these stories to life! I have heard of this battle before. But it has never been as enthralling as you tell it. Also you discussed more details than any other time I have heard of this battle. Brilliant job!
Congrats on nearly 5 million subscribers, and remaining consistent. Love your videos.
I love that Thoughty2 keeps the weapons used by various people so accurate. Warms this grognard's heart.
Thank you! I always enjoy hearing the story of people who go out of their way to help others - something often found in the "greatest generation" and sadly missing from our current generation. Doing something simply because it's the right thing to do has gone out of style. These days people always want to know what's in it for them.
Histories like this deserve a good movie. Mate, You're great storyteller.
If this battle wasn't already turned into a film I think they definitely should turn it to a film
I never knew this happened! It's astounding to know that "enemies" could be allies long enough to save the lives of almost all involved. RIP Gangel, a German, but a brave fighter for the freedom of so many who found themselves on each others side and who had each other's back! And to Borotra, the tennis player, who bravely went to get help for those stuck basically in no man's land! Great story!!
Surprised no one has made a movie out of this fantastic story.
thank you for acknowledging Andreas Krobot. Probably the first Czech that made it into your videos, as far as I know.
Another major case of this Axis/Ally schizofreny was the Russian Liberation army in Czechoslovakia during WWII. Army put together from Soviet prisoners and traitors to fight against USSR, which they kinda did, but on 5th of May 1945 they understood Germany is toast and switched sides. They were a full-blown, trained and armed army and started beating the sauerkraut out of Germans. Without them, Prague uprising would probably be a tragic bloodbath, swiftly surpressed by Wehrmacht. But these guys helped tremendously and the scale tipped to Czechoslovakian side. In just couple days, 300 of them died and it is widely agreed they helped the defeat of Germans a lot. When Marshal Konev arrived with Red Army to Prague on 9th May, the city was pretty much liberated, but still, in upcoming 40 years of Soviet occupation, he was glorified as an ultimate liberator, while Vlasov army (named after their general Andrey Vlasov) were still seen as traitors. Until this day, this causes a big friction between Russia and Czech Republic as well as within the academic society. Statue for Vlasov army is a no-no for many politicians and finally removing the statue of Marshal Konev couple years ago (he was also responsible for bloodily surpressing Hungarian uprising in 1956) put Czech/Russian diplomacy to the freezer pretty much until this day.
I'm an old dog who has chewed on WWI material from various national archives for more years than I can now remember on the obscure subject of escape and evasion involving allied military personnel (mostly airmen), their helpers, their betrayers and the interesting personalities that chased after them and included the reasons for the fates of their own crews. It is very wrong to assume either the Wehrmacht or Luftwaffe was Nazi (political party ideologue). There certainly were Nazis in it, but also some of the most fervent anti-Nazi. The same thing goes for all the other services. At the base, most German military were simple patriots doing what they believed to be right. With a few rare exceptions, thanks to decades 'Hollywood' fantasy, real history has been rigorously type cast into a pre-scripted stage-presence mold that shows little of the basic humanity most civilized people value and share.
The fascinating 'Great Bagel Survey' (found in 'Freakonomics' - 2006) seems to have shown, with little doubt, that given a group of 13 people.
9 of 13 are good all of the time.
3 of 13 are good if the can afford to be.
1 of 13 cannot be trusted to be good under any circumstances . . . so this person does all they can to appear to be good till they can get away with it.
You're a dog?!
Officially, the Wehrmacht and Luftwaffe weren't Nazis. It was expressly verboten for members of the military to join the Nazi party. However, this didn't apply to the SS. They were under the command of Hitler himself, and not that of the Reich. They were considered a distinct entity .
That is a brilliant part of history I didn't know yet. Thanks for that!
Maybe J.R.R. Tolkien took inspiration from this event. He did take part in the war, and this story really looks like the battle at Helm's Deep.
He was at the battle of the Somme in WW1
The answer is No. J.R.R. Tolkien was actually inspired by his experience in World War 1. The battle of Helm's Deep is inspired by his experience in Battle of Somme, the The Siege of Gondor and the Battle of the Pelennor Fields was inspired by the The Siege of Vienna and the charged of the Winged Hussars, and the famous quote of Gandalf, "You can not pass" was actually inspired by the French resistance motto "On ne passe pas" on the Fields of Verdun. Other battles hinted by Tolkien are Battle of Passchendaele, Battle of Argonne, and Battle of Mons.
Being a big history buff with a huge interest in WW2, I've heard of this battle but only for it being one of the few times the Americans fought along side with Germans against the Nazis. Did not know the details you amazingly gave. Can't get enough of your videos and how well you tell these stories.
Wooo it's thoughty time 👌💃 grab your popcorn 🍿 😍
Well ... the plaque shown @11:49 says: "In diesem Hause wohnte, wirkte u. starb der Böhmerwalddichter Josef Gangl. Errichtet von der Heimatgruppe Kaplitz und Umgebung des Sudetendeutschen Heimatbundes 1931" and at the top "25.08.1868" and "6.9.1916". So it's about someone called Josef Gangl who was a poet and who died in 1916 ...
This would make one hell of a movie. Why it hasn't been made yet blows my mind.
I though so too. Seems like it would be something very interesting and entertaining to watch.
here before the shitty netflix adaptation
Because of woke idiots.cant make any movie with white people.even if that is historical accurate.
once again, thank you for such a wonderful moment and an uplifting story albeit war is not my favorite subject. I have become accustomed to your unique delivery. live long and prosper.
Between thoughty2 and the history guy of “history that deserves to be remembered “ combined with warographics its really easy to learn and enjoy many little things.
Nothing you learn in History lessons in school - not even in Austria (at least not 20 years ago). Thank you for teaching me something new. 😊
This is a PERFECT story to show that not al germans are bad. They are just normal people
The more you dig into the details the better the story gets. The 142nd infantry is a guard regiment out of Texas. A regiment of cowboys comes in at the end to save the day. The movie writes itself.
I heard that the tennis player accidentally ran into a group of ss soldiers and pretended to be a civilian and took a piss right in front of them before running off to find help. Which I was always been funny as hell if you mentioned it
Wow, this is amazing. I’ve never ever heard of this story before. Keep up the good 👍 work Thoughty2. I love how you narrate these stories, you’re an excellent storyteller.
I love your videos
How do you know you loved this video? You had to make a sheep comment before you even watched it
@@tensinkano6888
He said videos. Plural.
Past uploads.
If he said video, singular, then your stupid comment is valid.
Are you getting on a short bus this September?
YESSSSS!!!! I AM SO HAPPY SOMEONE'S TALKING ABOUT THIS!
5th of May, V day's just around the corner
1945 the Führer's reign's at its end
Jenny at the gates, as the SS open fire
There's no time to waste, the final battle's begun
After the downfall, a castle besieged
Facing the Nazis awaiting relief
Gangl and Lee and their men set the prisoners free
And it's the end of the line of the final journey
Enemies leaving the past
And it's American troops and the German army
Joining together at last
One last fight, it’s the death throes of the 3:rd reich
Justice shall be done, the final battle remains
Ammo is running low, they’re depleting their machineguns
Every bullet counts until surrender is announced
After the downfall, a castle relieved
Defeating the nazis who held them besieged
Gangl and Lee and their men set the prisoners free
Ah Sabaton
th-cam.com/video/BwfJsKfCnaM/w-d-xo.html
What a great story! Thank you!
So instead of all going to find help or refuge they decide to get reinforcements and fight for a castle that’s not even in their country? How does this make any sense
The area surrounding the castle was still under Nazi occupation, and the castle was practically encircled by SS well before the fighting began. They had no choice, they were stuck. the 2 they sent had to sneak out and get through the SS blockade.
Plus,
The SS were under orders to kill everyone, even the civilians and German troops in the area. The US and German troops were already fighting the SS prior to the message being given to them .
Your work gets better and better. Thank you.
Strangest battle in history....
You mean this beats the ostriches winning that war in Australia?
It was emus
And tbf most countries would of lost
Man, your enthusiasm on storytelling is something else!
Please do Battle of Vienna
Sabaton has a great vid
I thought this was a repost at first, until I realized that it was Wendigoon that went over this battle recently. Happy to watch both videos though to help stick the details
5th of May, V day's just around the corner
1945 the Führer's reign's at its end
Jenny at the gates, as the SS open fire
There's no time to waste, the final battle's begun
After the downfall, a castle besieged
Facing the Nazis awaiting relief
Gangl and Lee and their men set the prisoners free
I'm glad your covering this event as well.
The name of the lone tank was besotten jenny.
Ps I have no doubt that peeps will probably comment about the sabaton song the last battle covering this event.
Well safe journeys
More and more, I feel that Thoughty is just a smarter Ewan McGregor, that made a TH-cam channel, instead of acting. He will soon be our new History Channel narrator.
Soy
I heard this story many times before, but you tell it best!
Wendigion covered this. However, I also like this video as well
I have been watching for quite a few years now. I have to congratulate you for the acceptance of the human condition. You point out the truth of us as a abnormality. I see it as our evolution. Bravo for your efforts as a historical voice. I enjoy your videos as an educational evolution of humans as a species. A list of unique moments in history where humanity succeeded in spite of race or creed. Where the species mattered more than a flag or blood. You are a voice of what we could be. Thank you for that. Even spell check is against me while I write this. I will always hit the like button when I see the truth of humanity. Thank you for pointing it out. For good or not, you point out truth. I respect that. Keep up the good work boss.
The Soviet Union has never been classed as an ally in WW2. We fought the same enemy, and Britain sent supplies to Soviet Union by ships, and Stalin attended war meetings with Churchill and Roosevelt but Soviet Union was never classed or listed under allied nations during WW2. Don't forget Stalin had done peace deal with Hitler and both Germany and Soviet Union's Red Army invaded Poland, Poland being an actual ally, at the same time on the agreement they would split Poland between them and neither would attack the other, obviously a deal Hitler never planned to keep, he just didn't want to have to fight war on all fronts at once because he knew he didn't have the troops or hardware to do this. Of course that was before his syphilis really kicked in and messed up workings of his mind, because he ultimately lost the war because his forces, though greater by this time were spread too thin and far apart because he ended up fighting war on all fronts on the backfoot. Anyway it was Hitler's initial invasion of Poland, our actual ally that triggered WW2, so Soviet Union's invasion of Poland certainly did not make them an ally. But then the allies had let Hitler have Czechslovakia without a fight thinking that would satisfy Hitler without anyone needing to go to qno to her costly war, just 21 years after the last global conflict. But when he went after more important (to it's allies it was) Poland, Britain and France had little choice but to stand up for Poland and declare war on Germany. Soviet Union was never one of "The Allied" forces in WW2. No history book about the war has ever classed them as Allies,
So nobody were actually saints in any of it. And halfway through WW2 Italy went from been an Axis power to being an Allied power/force. So you opening paragraph was wholly inaccurate.
They were allied, Italy was not, get your fact straight en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allies_of_World_War_II#/media/File:British_Commonwealth_and_allies.jpg
If they were not allied there would be no Britain and no USA to xd
@@ukaszbaranczyk1393 the Soviet Union have never been allies. And clearly you know nothing of WW2, or you would be aware that if I hadn't been for British ships supplying Soviet Union with supplies and arms, the Nazis would have taken Soviet Union in no time at all. There is only one country that was in war from start to finish that Nazis never managed to invade or cower and that was Great Britain,vfi two whole years+ Britain stood alone against might of Nazis and everything they threw at us, okay they captured by he Channel Islands, but mainland Britain, the real Britain remain s free and resolute despite the Nazis blitzkreiging us. If it hadn't been for Britain there would b no USA. Soviet Union did nothing to defend or protect or supply us,whilst we k or them supplied and qbl to fight back and on. Many British merchant naval men risked and lost their lives on Black Sea convoys to keep Soviets supplied. If it hadn't b en for British sqcrificesb Russians would have b en wiped out, and Russia would be aNqzi rather than Communist State.. You know so little of WW2, it's shocking. Btw, the Soviet Union never remained intact, some of its States (countries) joined the Nazis, so no,but couldn't have ever allied itself to anyone. Poland was once part of Soviet Union remember and I was Poland that was Britain's ally out of all Soviet States. BTW and if Soviet Union so great, where is it today???? Because if you haven't noticed it ceased to exist in the early 90ties after fall of aBerlin Wall/Iron Curtain in 1989.
yeah, GB was never invaded by Nazis... thanks to Polish soldiers that won Battle of England for them. And Poland was only one country that was in state of war with Nazis from day one: Poland.
@@alisonjmiller5339 POLAND WAS NEVER PART OF SOVIET UNION!!! (as you claimed in the comment that was removed by TH-cam due to my report)
Amazing..... If you ever do more videos on battles, please consider the Battle of Saragari
He Has made one
No advertisement? Just pure storytelling for this well deserved event? Awesome.
he forgot...... we are usually force-feed with ads varying from capillary rejuvenation to game and other bigotries as common to our glorious days in the webs.
Sabaton has a song about this very incident called the last battle. It’s a great song and I got the gist of what it was about… But it’s great to see an in detail perspective on this. Thank you
I’m addicted to your Channel man keep it up
Thank you! This was such an excellent and informational video. What an awesome story
Thoughty2 ; Helping me through my periods of crazy depression.
This may just be my favorite of your videos ever.
your editing is fantastic and i love it thank you
Great research job and one impressive, high quality, captivating video!
Thank you...
TH-cam took a while to come up with this gem. But it's a nice gift for a Friday evening.
Yes i never heard of it. Thanks for sharing.
This great young man has the most informative and enjoyable channel on TH-cam!
This is probably my favorite battle of all time now
That's just might be my favorite documentary yet!
i’ve heard this before it is very interesting! i hope every person that is starting to get into history should know about this
Thank you for the story of these courageous men
Amazing story, thanks for this video 😺
5:39 i appreciate the effort
Love this guy so marvellous at narrating bring it to life excellent thanks yet again
Love this. I have heard of the castle before but not about this battle.
So glad you made a video about this! It's probably my favourite story from WW2 and I really wish more people knew about it
I think there happened a mix-up at 11:46:
The monument is from the writer (="Schriftsteller") Josef Gangl who died in 1916 not 1945 - de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josef_Gangl_(Schriftsteller)
He is the one with the monument but in "Wien-Melding" not in Wörgl (see also on the monument "Böhmerwalddichter" = peotry of the Böhmer forest)
The one you are talking about is the officer (="Offizier") Josef Gangl died in 1945 - de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josef_Gangl_(Offizier)
He is the one who is memorized with a street name in Wörgl, so that is correct. ("Sepp Gangl-Straße" in "Wörgl" but you will have diffculties to type that in by yourself if you don't have the extra signs on your keyboard o_O)
I knew about this for quite a while yet never the specifics. Great video
I read a lot about the Nazis and WW2 history but first time I hear about this story that was, as always, brillantly told by Arran.
This and other unusual moments of history collected in this channel could make very interesting Netflix productions.
Fascinating story & as pointed out would make a great movie. Brilliant work Thoughty2, again 👌🏼
Great story as always. But the commemorative plaque we see in the video, shows the poet "Böhmerwalddichter" of the same name who died 1916 as the plaque shows. The war hero Josef Gangl who died at Itter castle 1945, was honored 16. Oktober 2021 by the Ludwigsburger Oberbürgermeister Dr. Matthias Knecht with a plaque on the Karlskaserne. Before that he was given the Iron Cross of II. and I. class as well as the german cross.
Thanks for posting this comment. I noticed right away that the dates were off for the birth and death of Josef. Your explanation clears that up. I’m surprised Thoughty didn’t catch it.
The fact that there's no movie about this battle is insane
I doubt we'd get a respectful film about this event. Nowadays, it would be turned into a virtual ott comic book style story, merely based on the facts, but nowhere near what actually happened.
@@KnowYoutheDukeofArgyll1841 True. The Germans would probably be shown as only being willing to fight alongside the Americans because they have to rather than out of choice, even though it wasn't like that
Fascinating history!
That was a great story thanks Thoughty 2