A Historian Reacts - THE LAST BATTLE - Sabaton (Castle Itter)

The Battle of Castle Itter was fought in the Austrian North Tyrol village of Itter on 5 May 1945, in the last days of the European Theater of World War II.
Troops of the 23rd Tank Battalion of the 12th Armored Division of the US XXI Corps led by Captain John C. "Jack" Lee, Jr., a number of Wehrmacht soldiers led by Major Josef "Sepp" Gangl, SS-Hauptsturmführer Kurt Siegfried Schrader, and recently freed French prisoners of war defended Castle Itter against an attacking force from the 17th SS Panzergrenadier Division until relief from the American 142nd Infantry Regiment of the 36th Division of XXI Corps arrived.
The French prisoners included former prime ministers, generals and a tennis star, as well as General de Gaulle's sister. It is the only known time during the war in which Americans and Germans fought side by side. Popular accounts of the battle have called it the strangest battle of World War II
See the original video here - • Sabaton - The Last Bat...
To learn more about the battle, see Yarnhub's video here - • When Germans, American...
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#History #WW2

[@terryhiggins5077]

The battle of castle Itter is in my opinion proof that history is far stranger than fiction. After all, the very concept sounds bonkers. "So American and German soldiers are fighting together against Nazi's to protect French prisoners ....oh and their in a castle." It sounds like a rejected script for the original Wolfenstein or something , but nope it's a real event. I personally would never have known about it if it were not for this song. Also wow that's awesome that Nuclear Blast reached out to you VTH.

[@bakubread9308]

same, the first time I heard this song I was EXTREMELY confused until I read the description of it on their website

[@Just_a-guy]

Some prisoners helped too, and that add much more "wtf" into it

[@ipadair7345]

don't forget the tennis player

[@MidnightmoonRR]

Don't forget an SS hauptsturmfurher also helped against the nazis.

[@michaellorke1980]

And that almost 70 y.o. Paul Reynaud took up arms to defend the castle between german Wehrmacht soldiers and American GIs under command of a Wehrmacht Major is almost surreal.

[@justinhubbard552]

This song is Sabatons most underrated song in my opinion. Such a good song and the history behind it just makes it all the better.

[@alexandersturnn4530]

In fact, Fans of Sabaton voted this as the Bands most underrated Songs a while ago.

[@starman6468]

Yeah just like Soldier of 3 armies and Ghost in the trencher. Wonderfull stories about wonderfull m'en behind both songs.

[@asphojdenkarlstad396]

And smoking snakes

[@lucas_h]

Back in Control ngl

[@SolidAvenger1290]

@@alexandersturnn4530, it's no surprise. Hollywood hates any positive stories about Germans/Austrians who fought Hitler. At the same time, FDR & the Allies appease the Russian's brutality. Since 1813, Russia has committed the most human war crimes in modern history. Even French civilians who didn't fight back in 1813 were assaulted & women raped by the Russians.

[@shadowpoet4398]

So many Sabaton songs bring up the same thought: "If there be any glory in War, let it rest on men like them."

[@olivierdubreuil-gagnon2201]

You said it better than I could ever say. I someone was to force me to say Sabaton glorifies anything about war, I’d say it’s the great men and women who carved their names in history with great deeds.

[@stonewall01]

I clicked on this so fast. Imagine my disappointment when I realized it was scheduled for tomorrow. lol

[@captainsponge7825]

happens a lot to me on this channel, lol

[@Kenneth-zk1nh]

So you were the one who was waiting when it was like 11 am for me

[@joshwood7204]

Fun Fact: something very similar happened during the Berlin Airlift where US pilots allowed former German Luftwaffe pilots to assist in the effort. They even made the handbooks for repairs in German for that reason.

[@raikbarczynski6582]

Yeah they did that. And they achieved so much together. The biggest middle finger to the soviets ever in my opinion from the us and germany

[@joshwood7204]

@@raikbarczynski6582 agreed

[@tramachi7027]

Honestly the ground-crews during the Airlift is the most amazing part about the whole airlift. Like you had planes landing every 45 seconds at Tempelhof at the later stages. Absolute magnificient story and the coin "Rosinenbomber" (=Raisin bomber) is one of my favourite words to this day because of it.

[@SolidAvenger1290]

@@raikbarczynski6582 in the end, as General Patton once stated, "We fought the wrong enemy."

[@michaelbuchinger6191]

My great grandfather was in the 45. Inf. Div. (former Upper-Austrian 4. Div.) He fought in during the invasions of Poland, France and Russia. Sadly he died on 25.9.1941 in Beresanj near Kiev. I plan to visit his grave as soon as Covid lets me.

[@nathantorresstanevil6958]

So what side was he on if he was Austrian? German as part of the Anschluss? Or against that?

[@getfriday5980]

@@nathantorresstanevil6958maybe It’s not the same as what my family went through as the original comment owners, but as someone who is Austro-Hungarian I can tell you: Our ancestors ether fled the country to fight against the nazis or got recruited or went willingly to fight with the nazis usually My great grandparents (father’s mothers father) got recruited and HAD to go to fight at the Don battle, my other greatgrandpa (dad’s dads dad) fought in ww1 AND ww2 and in the end he just deserted in ww2 he was an old soldier guarding bridges and he thought he had seen enough (had his fair share of adventures in ww1 anyway) and left My other great grandpa (moms moms dad) was forced into labor in a factory bc he couldn’t be forced into the military bc of his type 1 diabetes until the factory got bombarded and buried him alive (yes he died) Also if I may add Austria didn’t really exist that time bc of the “Anschluss” May your great grandfather rest in peace and be loved/ remembered forever @Michael it’s a pity for every soul lost in war if you feel like telling his tale in detail I’d be very interested in hearing it if you wish to tell more🫶🏻

[@roflc0re]

That someone hasn't made a movie about this story is beyond me

[@mannistef]

So true. They would not have to add anything to it.

[@Raigan_Avalon]

There is a french movie in pre-production about it, named The Last Battle. www.imdb.com/title/tt5138232/

[@mannistef]

@@Raigan_Avalon Great news but not much info on it

[@Raigan_Avalon]

@@mannistef Agreed, but it's hope.

[@DGARedRaven]

*chuckles bitterly* History is written by the victors.

[@dorlonelliott9368]

The tank was named "Besotten Jenny". I first heard about this fight in the 70s. "Jenny at the gates" was a phrase still used by the greatest generation - to indicate all hell was about to break out.

[@Anonimus693]

What I love the most about this song, is that line in the chorus - " Enemies leaving the past ", which obviously referring to the german and american soldiers fighting together. But it can also be interpreted as " Enemies live in the past " - and suddenly the same line critisizes and deposes the SS. I really love how much meaning can a one line can have, when a person who wrote it is good at his job ;)

[@brandonarmienti7734]

The story behind this song is so amazing!!! You have to ask yourself after hearing the story, why hasn't anyone made a movie about this!!!

[@jacksmith-vs4ct]

Pretty sure they did

[@brandonarmienti7734]

@@jacksmith-vs4ct Really? I haven't found a film about the battle of Castle Itter.

[@bradenmctavish7060]

@@brandonarmienti7734 they had it on a old HBO series called band of Brothers I think it was HBO I can’t remember but your band of Brothers was a series about a real group of American soilders of World War II and this battle is in one of the episodes I think the last one not sure

[@brandonarmienti7734]

@@bradenmctavish7060 Um I watched Band Of Brothers none of the events in the series was about Castle Itter.

[@bradenmctavish7060]

@@brandonarmienti7734 guess I’m more retarted then I thought shows how much I remember 😂

[@rbgerald2469]

For more info; an SS commander by the name of Kurt Siegfried Schrader helped plan the defense in the Castle. He was befriended by the French When he was recovering from wounds in Castle Itter.

[@raikbarczynski6582]

if you do hearts of iron by sabaton im willing to share a truely amazing story about my family with all of you. it just doesnt fit this song so my request it not just to get the song featured.

[@stardustcrusader5018]

It’s been a bit since the last sabaton reaction, it feels. Very excited for this one. On another note, I think it’d be cool to check out some songs from the Carolus Rex album. It’s about the Swedish Empire and is kinda underrated as an album I think, so I think it’d be cool to check out.

[@Lord7979]

So many epic songs on that album definitely one of my favorites.

[@Kevichkovil]

A perfect song for the 5th of May as it is the 76th anniversary of liberation day in the Netherlands

[@VloggingThroughHistory]

It's also the 76th anniversary of the event the song is about.

[@tbayspotting]

As a Canadian my condolences to the Dutch for their suffering

[@ForgottenHonor0]

It's criminal that this isn't a movie! This could easily be one of the go to WW2 classics!

[@mayalackman7581]

Right?

[@eeveesmusic1938]

5th of may

[@heathercalicoep9756]

Vday Is just around the corner

[@DJ118USMC]

This is one of two times Germans and American soldiers fought together in WW2. Another time was to protect and free some prized horses that where being held. This is a lesser known incident, even more so than Castle Itter.

[@mayalackman7581]

Operation Cowboy

[@TheTeletrap]

A bit more elaboration on the “Jenny at the gates” line: In the tanks that were sent to Castle Itter, Besotten Jenny was the only one who made it across a hastily built bridge while the rest had to find a different way across. As such, Jenny was the only tank present at the battle. When the battle did begin, Jenny was parked right in the middle of the castle gates to block any SS from trying to run through. Thus: “Jenny at the gates.”

[@DrICHundrannere]

7:33 i know this probably wasnt supposed to sound like that, but i still wanna clarify a bit. We (in Germany) don't want to 'forget' the war. It's just difficult to honor the memory and/or achievements of many people, that have previously been closely associated with the Nazis. People pick their own reason why they should be remembered so people are rather cautious to honor someone for good deeds, if they have a list of warcrimes to answer for on the other hand. It's difficult to honor someone if there's a fear that it could be abused by right wing organizations. It's hard to explain in some cases. Just as an example: - Sophie Scholl, a student, along with her brother and other fellow students formed a resistance and were later caught and executed. To this day on their birthday/deathday you will hear about it, at the very least their names. a no-brainer basicly. a 'safe choice' to honor, if you will. - von Stauffenberg (operation valkyrie) and the 20th of july was and still is being remembered, although in the past few years, there have been debates about whether it should be. Yes they tried to kill Hitler and end the war. BUT, they were complicit Nazis before they joined the resistance group, with a few exceptions and were 'happy' to just go along with it as long as the war was going in their favour. Think of it as honoring confederate generals who switched sides 'last minute' as it came clear the war is over. And add a potential list of warcrimes to the mix. Obviously it doesnt diminish the good deeds that they did, lives they saved perhaps. But imagine how people could spin this narrative about controversial people like that, if the US government decided to dedicate a memorial or day to them.

[@lucromel]

Had to pause the video and come look for this comment.

[@lightdampsweetenough2065]

I love Austria. When I was skiing in Austria we landed in Innsbruck. On the way to the belts they showed historical airplane models and it went up the late 1930, then there was just a 7 year gap. Austria the country that convinced the world Beethoven was Viennese and Mustasch-man was German. The public relations team of Austria must be aweseome!

[@Wade8419]

Planning on skiing in Austria and landing in Innsbruck later this year. Anything in particular that you visited that you would recommend checking out?

[@nirfz]

It was less our PR team, than the little angry guy himself telling the whole world he was a german... And with Beethoven: nobody in austria claimed him to be of austrian origin. Thing is, he composed his most famous pieces while living in austria, so people assume he was austrian. (Even though the name part "van" is more usual for people from the netherlands) Just like with Frederic Chopin. (Most people you ask think he was french which he wasn't but he composed a lot in france)

[@lightdampsweetenough2065]

@@nirfz I was joking mate ;) But is it wrong to say that Austria has more of a "war? what war?" attitude whereas in UK for example it's some weird form of self loathing. I'm Swedish and here there is a unhealthy mix of both

[@nirfz]

@@lightdampsweetenough2065 That depends, my generation (am short over 40 now) was brought up in school with the sentiment (or maybe better: guilty feeling) that "we caused both world wars" and "only our side has ever in history commited war crimes". The "war, what war" generation (or at least where this was somewhat common for some time) is either gone or pretty old by now (80+). And in general, politics and media and education is pretty sensitive to always make sure people don't forget that we were prominently on the bad side. Which in terms occasionally leads to a bit of overcompensating in behaviour. Example: in some cities there are these engraved metal pieces placed in the ground in front of houses where jewish people lived before they got deported into concentration camps. Some of their names are engraved in those metal "cobble stones" called "Stolpersteine" =stumble-stones. And in the first winter there was a huge outcry/scandal and police investigation, as the metal turned a different colour. Media and left wing people were adamant that some rightwing idiot(s) must have poured acid or somewhat on them with the intention to destroy or damage them. Turned out (after months of investigation) what anyone with a bit of knowledge in metalurgy had tried to tell them: de-icing chemicals and moisture...The city itself had cleared snow and de-iced the ground during winter so that people don't slip and were able to read the engravings... (luckily) no one with bad intentions involved.

[@lightdampsweetenough2065]

@@nirfz I think the generational "shift" has to do with the fall of the Sovjet block. Self loathing and blame games is for the rich middle class with nothing better to. During the cold war it was much harder to do this since both blocks would have quite a bit to explain since they used tech, officers, police and scientists among others from the Third Reich. It turns out that German, American or Russian does not matter when it comes to geopolitical power struggles. My father is 60 now. He grew up during a period when Sweden had a HUGE air force, could field some 1 million men and under buildings we have shelters and many mountains look like Swiss cheese because there was a real fear of invasion. The defense strategy was designed to convince The Sovjets that it was not worth it. The slogan is STILL the official policy by the way "every message of surrender is false" In other words the whole country was going to go down in flames along with the people. Hard to find "safe spaces" in a country which was drilled to not only convince, but to be very unsafe indeed if the invasion came.

[@nfw4747]

I just realized this song came out on may 5th and that’s the day the battle happened!!

[@johndee277]

Can't be a coincidence.

[@Laprisu]

They did this with quite a few songs, if not all of the ones that have a specific date attached to them due to historic backgrounds :)

[@11mousa]

I have read so much about this battle (being an Austrian myself), and still confused about the exact buildup and progression of this battle, because its so convoluted. But I will try to give an approximate timeline for those who are interested: First, the last Commander of KZ Dachau (which was the Concentration Camp overlooking the prison Castle Itter) kills himself, knowing that the war is lost. At this point in time, the US army is already in Kufstein (roughly 30 km away from Castle Itter). Somehow (it's still a miracle how this was possible) a guy named Cuckovic (who was forced to work there as a lakey) left the castle with the message that history guy mentioned, and headed through the forrests to Wörgl (the next town, about 3km away). The SS guys in Itter recognized that he was missing and were swarming out to find him. Somehow, this guy got lucky and managed to get to Major Josef Gangl, who was responsible for this region. Gangl wanted to help the prisoners, but knew that he could not do this by himself (with very few troops being available and doubt who would help free "enemies". So he took all the soldiers he deemed reliable and marched in the direction of Kufstein, to capitulate and at the same time tell Captain Lee what was about to happen. Both of them knew that leading a large army to the castle would result in the immediate killing of the prisoners, so he himself took a small troop number, one Sherman (Jenny), and Gangl with his men. They somehow managed to avoid the swarmed out SS soldiers and get to the castle, blocked the entrance with Jenny, released and armed the prisoners and awaited the return of the SS. When they came back, the battle started, and they were running low on almost everything and under heavy fire, when just in time the main troops of the US army arrived and reliefed the castle.

[@thelinuxcolonel]

You've mentioned once that you get teary-eyed when listening to "No Bullets Fly"; well this is the song that does the same to me.

[@thedemon0843]

Just goes to show that the average soldier fights for much different reasons than what the leaders of their nation do.

[@nickshaffer9961]

Definitely one of my favorite stories from WWII. My wife’s great uncle fought in the 9th infantry division and saw action in North Africa and Europe. He was awarded a Bronze Star and Purple Heart, which we have both and the citations that came with them. We also have a Nazi arm band taken off a Nazi and it’s such a haunting piece of history to look at. Another story I’d love for you to react to, if there are any videos out there about it, is Pavlovs House from the Eastern front with Soviets and Germans. Talk about the tenacity of the Russian soldier!!! I’m sure you already know about it, but a reaction video regarding the story would be great and more people should know about it. On a side note...since I love your channel and your videos and original content I can forgive the Ohio State sweatshirt. At least it’s not Michigan!! We Are!!!!! Love your videos! Please keep them coming!

[@raikbarczynski6582]

The grain elevator would also bei a good Story. 12 soviet marines Held that damned sucker for i believe 3 days vs a whole Division

[@philipp0209]

wow, did not know anything about Gangl and that he is honored here in my homeland probably more of a tyrolean thing, you don't know nothing about when living in eastern austria haha

[@pmedic523]

YES!!!! I LOVE THIS SONG!!!! Talk about a catchy chorus for sure! So excited for this to be released!

[@alexandersturnn4530]

This is one of my favorite Battles in History...and one of my favorite Sabaton Songs as well.

[@samwhary5498]

Jenny was indeed a Sherman tank. They positioned her in front of the portcullis to seal off the castle behind a few tons of solid american steel. I think she was a tank buster variant but I don't remember for sure.

[@quasanchez6179]

She was

[@samwhary5498]

@@quasanchez6179 thanks! ^_^

[@ottomackensen]

The Browning and MG42 fired in the same direction that battle. If only Patton hadn't be killed.

[@mikepenny8940]

Well Chris I gotta say as a native of the great lake state, "Go Blue" but still a big fan of your channel and your work

[@owoairsoft4224]

Ha funny enough, bout half an hr ago i was playing this song on guitar. Great song

[@NatashaAvtonomova]

Посмотрите фильм Неизвестная война там много кинохроники и он на английском языке снят США в СССР . Многое станет наглядным и понятным , что люди пережили .

[@Kratos-uy1gd]

May 5th 200 years ago today Napoleon Bonaparte emperor of the first French Empire passed away at age 51 at the island of st Helena. Now whether you like the man or not you cannot deny that this man was a true military genius, VIVE LA PATRI🇫🇷.

[@Lucky424]

I really hope you do Back In Control some day.

[@bobman4395]

You should watch some cgp gray, ie. Rules or rulers

[@jasonpade4949]

There were actually two former French Prime Ministers at Castle Itter, Paul Reynaud and Edouard Daladier.

[@rosinenherzog908]

I absolutely adore this song and especially the story behind it. It wasn't a particular nation that won that day. It was humanity itself. The American and German troops cast aside any disputes and differences, they joined forces to do the right thing. Very moving story that shows that it does not matter where you come from, people are people, and they stay people, even in times of war. Greetings from Germany, my friend!

[@coltoncarson_UKR-RUS]

My Favorite Sabaton song!!!

[@MrCytree]

Mark Felton does a great comprehensive video about this battle and mentions a second battle when Germans joined the allies for a battle.

[@MrCytree]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/bmG9qoObpKmIp80

[@Lightman0359]

If you like melodic Viking metal with bitchin' solos, although they do not have a historical theme, check out LORDI. Especially the songs "The Riff" [which is about guitar solos] and "Hard Rock Hallelujah" [which features the synth organ, like many Sabaton songs]. I had the pleasure of doing lights for their 2017 North American tour, great bunch of Finns.

[@trololopez2437]

A German, fighting side by side with an American, helping a French politician escape from Austria, because a couple of decades earlier, a Bosnian-Serb shot an Austro-Hungarian prince.

[@spenkerdetanker9067]

I think this rivals the no bullets fly story for my favourite ww2 story

[@dylanmorris5352]

So, what you're saying is, that there is an alternate time-line in which Patton takes all of the German soldiers they have captured, rearms them into a combined American-German army, potentially has American forces try to occupy Germany, and they try to defeat the Russians after all the crap the Germans put them through, with the potential help of their allies (Lets face it, Churchill would've probably been down)? That would be fascinating to see how that would have turned out, and how different the world would've become as a result.

[@MrBigNicholas]

do you ever plan on doing some canadian history stuff? i would love to see that

[@seanrussell9039]

Liked and Commented before the video goes live

[@abrakadabra5391]

React to the great northen war

[@chase.lehmann]

I highly recommend the song The Last Stand. It's about the last stand of the Swiss Guard in 1527

[@VloggingThroughHistory]

Did that reaction a while back. One of my favorites!

[@chase.lehmann]

@@VloggingThroughHistory Oh, oops lol. I must have missed it in the playlist. Watching it now

[@lolloblue9646]

To be specific, Besotten Jenny was a Sherman tank. M4A3E8 "Easy Eight"

[@knightleeb3606]

My Grandfather was in WW2. I'll look up what platoon he was in. But he was in the 3rd armor division. In the 90's he wrote a journal remembering his experience. He has a lot of letters he wrote to my Grandmother, I would occasional read. I have all of his draft papers and discharge papers. He even has the news paper clippings of General Maurice Rose. I believe my grandfather was a town south when General Rose was killed. Also, long story of probably one of the darkest experiences my grandfather told us was the morning when 1st Lt. Hughes of Ohio was killed. My grandfather was like Lt Hughes's right hand man. He drove Lt. Hughes around everywhere, wherever Lt. Hughes was my grandfather was right beside him. The morning Lt. Hughes walked up to my grandfather and one other G.I and he said" let's go" So they when on a small patrol up to a open, in the distance there was a farm house and Lt. Hughes saw someone run by so he called them up yelling " comrade , comrade" Three Germans walked up up to him. Note: my grandfather and the other G.I where in a ditch on along the side of the road. Behind them was bunch of trees. So the Germans had no idea they where there. So, Lt. Hughes was talking to them in German, and he called up a translator. Probably like 3 seconds later the German in front just opened fired. In less than a slip second my Grandfather and the other G.I open fired on the three soldiers. My grandfather ran up to the farm house and shaking so badly he couldn't load his rifle. But he got loaded and walked back to the his squad. This happened April 17th or 18th 1945 and my grandfather would be wounded April 23rd 1945 in Grepplin, Germany. My grandfather unfortunately passed away Jan. 1 2016.

[@drrakw2432]

Today is Napoleon's 200th death anniversary, and also the 75th anniversary of the battle in this video, great timing both for this song and the Napoleonic war series. Great content, thanks for posting!

[@VloggingThroughHistory]

76th anniversary of Castle Itter but yes.

[@drrakw2432]

@@VloggingThroughHistory ah right, thx for the correction.

[@supersasukemaniac]

during the fight some of the VIPs where given weapons and joined the fight. The Tennis Star was acting as a runner to grab the ammo, once they started running low Lee, (By this point Gangl, the de facto leader, was killed by a sniper.) Told him that an America Tank division, his divisions sister, was nearby and gave him orders to go get them. He ran off to relay the relief message. He returned riding on one of the tanks.

[@padascos]

I Sadly was unable to be here for the Premier, Was busy fighting Crusaders in M&B Full invasion 2. Still happy we got here, I waited for this for a while now. you know i did :P

[@Padawanfr]

Also something that I didn’t hear you say there was also a SS officer helping Gangle and Lee and this SS officer was called Kurt-Siegfried Schrader and because of that he only had 2 years in prison

[@WWllbuff]

Avengers end game was the most epic crossover of all time. People who battled in castle itter: oh yah? And why has one of the most unlikely alliances happened in the battle of castle itter 1945? Next time you think avengers endgame being the greatest crossover look back to a even greater cross over in 1945. An American army captain a ss german soldier and a german army major were to defend French hostages against loyal nazis in a medieval Austrian castle. Id say its an even better crossover then avengers endgame.

[@balintkovacs4089]

In my hot take opinion, the true hero of this battle was Castle Itter itself. We're talking about World War 2 and only weeks or at most a couple months away from the nuclear bombings in Japan. Yet a centuries-old castle still made this much of a difference between the opposing forces that 35 soldiers plus the prisoners were able to hold out until the reinforcements arrived.

[@Spitfire_1940]

Not only were germans and americans fighting together but a couple of African American troopers went to fight as well. So it wasnt just enemy's fighting together but also equality among which wasnt normal during the war for the U.S troops.

[@gerardor1702]

I watched the Sabaton History on this. Joakim said that the song was never that popular so they have never performed it live. Both Parts of that fact blew my mind.

[@anthonydiaz4803]

Can you react to alternet history hub what if jfk was never assassinat

[@Alex-bb7pe]

React to Wehrmacht by sabaton, its an awesome song.

[@potatodragon3764]

i hope you could read this comment, i love your reactions to human history, and i hope you can review the filipino contribution in the korean war..thanks

[@potatodragon3764]

i hope you could read this comment, i love your reactions to human history, and i hope you can review the filipino contribution in the korean war..thanks

[@alexgitano]

want to hear another one of those histories of former enemies joining together? check out this boxer rebellion video kzbin.info/www/bejne/noWziaiGi9N9btk its such a great story! when Americans germans russians Japanese and more fougt together side by side

[@Glenn-kc5eu]

This battle is one of those moments that make you think maybe some of these outlandish scenarios in movies are a little less impossible history is full of these moments

[@TexanJet1836]

I wonder what happened to the SS officer that helped Lee and Gangle after the war.

[@quasanchez6179]

He was pardoned actually, lived the rest of his life in reletave peace til he died of cancer i believe in 2007 or maybe 2008

[@TexanJet1836]

@@quasanchez6179 Oh nice.

[@dandybus1582]

This is yet another example of a WW2 story I didn’t know before hearing it from a Sabaton song.

[@johndeitman5059]

I think you should check out qxir he has a video about it either way thanks for making great videos

[@WaywardVet]

A great song, and such a great battle. Such a great example of soldiers taking initiative. Working with the enemy because... Are you really my enemy? Or can we do something good together?

[@alexandersoderqvist4141]

the describe how strange the battle really good in the sabbaton history chanel, if you havent sen it, check it out.

[@HavocParadox]

My great grandfather passed away like 15 years ago and i did get to talk to him about his experience in the war. I had a history project when i was in school it had to of been 7th or 8th grade and it was talk to your grandparents or great grandparents and ask them about their life. I choose him and he told me a lot about his experiences and told me he fought at iwo jima. Honestly i think that one project is what made me so interested in history.

[@noahperry7022]

My dad served in the Gulf War I'd like to know more but he doesn't like to talk about it

[@lordcommissar7813]

My great grandpa is almost 100 years old and he was in wwii but he has dementia so his memory is gone its kinda sad cuase one day he will remember and tell a story then the next day he won't even remember there was a war

[@Tydides64]

Wait, where do Russians come from? I didn't get that.

[@sergiuosan8674]

Nice :) I really hope you will do one day Resist and Bite. I would be really interested to hear a reaction to that story :)

[@kristian_thick]

This isn't World War 2 military history, but I really hope you watch the video of the first medal of honor ever recorded if you haven't already. It's drone footage of a lone navy seal who gets left on a mountain injured after being shot and passing out, who then wakes up and despite his injuries goes against the taliban by himself as they continue to rush his position. Its a really great video.

[@kristian_thick]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/aaCufp2KpsmHj9E I left a link to the video!

[@hank780]

This is a great music. Tied with To Hell and back. If you didn't reacted to it, do it

[@stefanmijic7449]

Jenny was the only tank at itter 4 tanks went to relive itter but only jenny come all the way

[@istrysii]

prisoners had already sent their Yugoslavian handyman, Zvonimir Čučković, to get help from the advancing Americans. Čučković made contact with U.S. troops in Innsbruck, but the castle was outside their division’s military jurisdiction. In defiance of orders, Maj. John T. Kramers dispatched a small rescue group.

[@istrysii]

Not knowing the fate of Čučković, the Itter prisoners sent out a second emissary, the cook, Andreas Krobot. He encountered Maj. Sepp Gangl, a Wehrmacht officer who had given up the Nazi cause and was leading a small band of German soldiers.

[@Wtf-cw6bb]

I think you should do Last dying breath its really cool story behind the song.

[@Steelers4life6969]

@ 4:25 the American Tanker is using a Lee Enfield rifle 😂

[@noobpear5506]

10 hours left

[@FoxLosst]

The tank at the gate was called the Besotten Jenny I believe

[@matheusimon7316]

You should react to smoking snakes as well, is a hell of a song

[@Andtares830]

There was only 25 men In the defence of the castle

[@HingerlAlois]

In a different event a bunch of prominent hostages were also rescued from the SS and SD in South Tyrol in 1945 by a Wehrmacht unit. One of the prisoners who had been a high-ranking officer in the Wehrmacht himself managed to call the command of Army Group C in Bolzano which dispatched an officer to monitor the situation. The officer then requested a number of armed NCOs, later followed by a unit of 150 Panzergrenadiers for the protection of the hostages. They managed to convince the SS and SD guys to leave when they got a high-ranking SS officer on the telephone to back up their request. The Wehrmacht then protected the hostages in a hotel until American troops arrived.

[@Akane-T-012]

you should chek hearts of iron by sabaton

[@leviburki8722]

I believe Jenni was the only tank who made it to castle itter. The others couldn’t cross a bridge or something

[@VloggingThroughHistory]

That's correct. I should have mentioned that.

[@kevinnorwood8782]

I know this song is about the Battle Of Castle Itter, but every time I hear it nowadays, a completely different battle enters my mind: The Battle Of Airbase Y-29 on New Year's Day 1945, which was part of Operation Bodenplate by the Luftwaffe.

[@Hendricus56]

Btw, the footage is as far as I know part of a documentation about the battle. Seen it a few months ago on TV (no idea which channel, I think Welt, formerly N24 [German TV channels]). So probably just taking fitting footage and cutting it together with a fitting song. Another cases are for example Shiroyama with The Last Samurai or Rorke's Drift with Zulu

[@kineuhansen8629]

? will you ever do a video on the uss intrepid

[@GrAYvTrAnE]

talk to them! For sure, both my grandmothers died before I could REALLY appreciate that. My 1 grandmother was a Polish refugee following WW2 she had no home to go back to and my other grandmother was an Irish refugee, she fled when the Black and Tans were going around razing towns. I learned a lot from my Polish grandmother, but still I know I could have learned SO much more. But, before she left this world she instilled a healthy distrust of authority in me.

[@thebadgamer5167]

Did you get to know any ww1 veterans

[@Kuki-oe6bp]

You should react to Life in German-Occupied Poland | Animated History by The Armchair Historian, it's a really good video showing the reality of living under the German occupation. Great video btw ;)

[@BONENBERGER]

You should react to "The Battle of Midway 1942: Told from the Japanese Perspective" by Montemayor. I think you'll enjoy that

[@raikbarczynski6582]

and its american troops and the german army fighting TOGETHER at last. and to think they only had 1 KIA (Josef Gangl himself pulling a prisoner to safety) in that defence und 4 WIA. i have a funny story to the lyrics. some freinds and me "rewrote" them to fit for mass effect 3... sadly i lost the file but we found it was a great thing

[@samuel.andermatt]

My grand-grand mother was a child during WW1 and lived in Alsace (today france, before WW1 germany). She told me about her fathers experience in WW1, where he got wounded, also about her siblings joining the Nazis in WW2 (she was already in Switzerland at the time of WW2). The point you made about recording would have been so valuable, I really should have done that.

[@HonestVRde]

i want a movie about it !! german here!

[@Brandon210-q4n]

I'm glad you picked acotter's video for this. The guy has some truly outstanding videos.

[@pontiacfan76]

Yarn Hub did a episode on this.

[@pinking6517]

A really cool story, i didn‘t knew about! Whish stuff like that would have happend more often. Have you ever been to Germany? Which place would you like to visit there most?