First World War - Bayernwald Trenches

[@rob4b]

Excellent, thanks for all your work. This documentation is a memorial to the men of both sides. To the souls left there who where killed and those who saw actions and battled with that memory all their lives. You have given them a voice to their forgotten memories and lost lives in this horrendous war to a new generation.

[@StevenUpton14-18]

Thank you for watching and for your comments. They mean a lot.

[@geordie1032]

Daniel Stans. Hear, hear. nice comment.

[@Malegys]

Used to play there as a kid ,before they dug those trenches up for restoration. There was a motorcross track right near there & we'd go & ride our proto-type bmx bikes there & in those woods. This was 1979-1980.

[@StevenUpton14-18]

Thank you for sharing this memory.

[@GetUpTheMountains]

I've just found your channel and I am so very much enjoying your content. I do this kind of thing all the time on Google Earth, but your views and of course narration are superior. Thank you so much for sharing all this with us. Subscribed!

[@StevenUpton14-18]

Thank you for watching.

[@ArcAudios77]

Thanks Steve, a well delivered education on this WW1 location.

[@StevenUpton14-18]

Thank you for watching.

[@jackthebassman1]

Thanks again Steve, we visited these trenches about 6ish years ago, cheers for another look, and also for the added information on positions etc.

[@StevenUpton14-18]

Thank you for watching.

[@srb2897]

Incredible as always Steven. Thank you

[@StevenUpton14-18]

Thank you for watching.

[@VinnieCamilleriMusic]

Great vids these Steven.

[@StevenUpton14-18]

Thank you for watching.

[@saulikoivula6567]

I was there maybe same time this was filmed? I did Ypres-Somme-Verdun tour early June 2018. ;) . These videos are just great! Now I have to go Flanders and Somme again to find these places like these trenches.

[@StevenUpton14-18]

Thank you for watching.

[@barryolaith]

Your aerial shots and explanations really help in understanding what took place on the Western Front. Thank you very much for sharing your work. And to top it all you come across as a true gentleman. Very refreshing on today's internet.

[@StevenUpton14-18]

Thank you for watching and your encouraging feedback.

[@thomassutherland8020]

Thank you for sharing your films!

[@StevenUpton14-18]

Thank you for watching.

[@omegacouchpotatoe5998]

I am Loving your videos , please keep up the great work . Cheers mate !

[@StevenUpton14-18]

Thank you for watching.

[@jasonschofield37]

good video thankyou and well presented.

[@StevenUpton14-18]

Thank you for watching.

[@jafxdwg]

Heartfelt thanks for another fine video and commentary. My personal interest is my Grandfather's Battalion - CEF 26th New Brunswick Battalion, 2nd Division, 5th Brigade. The maps printed in the histories are reduced in size to the point of being useless, and your videos are extremely helpful. Total respect your way for your important documentaries. Cheers from Canada ...John M. Alan, Whitby On, Canada

[@StevenUpton14-18]

Thank you for watching. I will be in Canada in September. Unfortunately not to film.

[@LJLMovies]

visited this last weekend, had the drone with me but it was very windy, so limited droneshots, nice video and better drone sight during summer

[@StevenUpton14-18]

Thank you for watching.

[@wolfpack4694]

Steven, thank you for mentioning camoflex as countermining. I was reading the war diaries of my Great Grandfather's unit and read "camoflex" a few times and wondered what that was. As always, your videos are superb, especially for ex military men who have the eye!

[@FancyMcDancy]

I don't want to be a KZbin bore, but I think the word is "camouflet", as in "an artificial cavern created by an explosion".

[@StevenUpton14-18]

Thank you for watching.

[@StevenUpton14-18]

Thank you for watching. You are correct, it is 'camouflet.'

[@billweldon2434]

Hello Steven I hope you are well and still making these films I love the bike at the end best regards from America be blessed and stay safe

[@StevenUpton14-18]

Thank you for watching and your sentiments. Due to Covid I have not been able to do any filming since February. I hope to catch up in 2021 when/if we get back to normal. I have a bike trip with the Legion planned for May to the Somme and in August to the dams (Mohne, Eder and Sorpe of the famous Dam Busters raid in WW2).

[@Paleoman]

Another wonderful tribute to the memories of all who served. Thank you for sharing.

[@StevenUpton14-18]

Thank you for watching.

[@GillesvanZeebroeck]

As a Belgian I applaud you sir! Don’t worry about the accent as you might already have guessed most Belgians and especially those from the Flemish region, are perfectly able to understand what you are saying! Thanks for your dedication and work!

[@StevenUpton14-18]

Thank you for watching and for your encouraging remarks. A number of people have chastised me over my pronunciation of Belgian and French place names.

[@GillesvanZeebroeck]

@@StevenUpton14-18 well it wouldn’t surprise me that the ones complaining about your French are Dutch speaking and the ones complaining about your Dutch are French speaking people, it’s something that we like to do in our country (just kidding). It’s like having a go at the Welsh for not having enough sheep 😜... Oh and there is no such thing as the “Belgian” language 😉... Flemish people speak Dutch and Walloon people speak French, both have their own accents and have their own official language closely resembling that accent. And to complicate things even more, we also have a German speaking part of the country... After all, we do need all these politicians to actually have something to do, don’t we. I think we are unique in that sense that we are proof that you don’t need to have deeply rooted patriotic feelings to form a country... I find this to be an interesting subject 😉! After all one does need to ask himself where all these lines on a map come from in the first place. Looking down from high up above to the earth, these lines are not visible. Astronauts have an interesting view on the subject and completely do not understand why we don’t work together more often... Like I said, politicians need something to do... Oh and do keep up the drone work it makes understanding the topology of the terrain easier, something I had difficulty whilst visiting on location!

[@alexdetrojan4534]

Great video. The drone footage makes a huge difference in understanding the front lines, considering there have been over a hundred years of agriculture and human activity on the site. 👍

[@StevenUpton14-18]

Thank you for watching.

[@wallyhaskett6737]

Thanks for this amazing work. Great piece of history. Please keep them coming.

[@StevenUpton14-18]

Thank you for watching. More to come in December. Weather permitting I intend filming Hill 70 near Loos.

[@58pixels79]

Absolutely loving these videos good to see you back sir upton!

[@StevenUpton14-18]

Thank you for watching. I still have some raw footage from last weeks trip. Hope to post two more videos next week.

[@lingerslongest]

Great vid Steven. Have watched a few of your vids now, so you've got my sub.

[@StevenUpton14-18]

Thank you for watching.

[@janetrickwood2484]

Your camera-work is excellent, Steven.

[@StevenUpton14-18]

Thank you for watching.

[@BabyFarkMcIsaak]

nice to see you posting ww1 related material again! keep on keeping on ;D

[@StevenUpton14-18]

Thank you for watching. More to post in the next few days.

[@tooyoungtobeold8756]

I walked round these trenches late last year. You need to buy an entry ticket from the Tourist Office in Kemmel as entry is via a turnstile. I found an unused 303 bullet in the field to the right of the wood, next to the road, just by the red car at the end of the video.

[@StevenUpton14-18]

Thank you for watching. The red car is mine! I found quite a lot of shrapnel in those fields.

[@rivet4431]

Have subscribed.great fiims and narration.

[@StevenUpton14-18]

Thank you for watching.

[@ronaldwhite1730]

THANK - YOU !! also for drone elaboration !

[@StevenUpton14-18]

Thank you for watching.

[@blueband8114]

Thanks very much. Your giving me plenty more ideas to add to my November trip.

[@StevenUpton14-18]

Thank you for watching. Have a look at my other videos. The best places are away from the usual tourist areas of Ypres and the Somme.

[@774Rob]

A fantastic resource, thank you Steven.

[@StevenUpton14-18]

Thank you for watching.

[@clive.r1414]

Another well filmed and presented piece Steven, thank you. Your descriptions are easily understood. What drone do you fly? I have a Phantom 3 Pro, which I love flying when time allows.

[@StevenUpton14-18]

Thank you for watching. The earlier films are with a Phantom 3 pro and since about March 2018 a Mavic Pro.

[@StevenUpton14-18]

Sorry, made a mistake. I had a Phantom 3 Advanced 2.7k camera. I now have a Mavic Pro with a 4k camera.

[@clive.r1414]

@@StevenUpton14-18 I think a Mavic Pro is my next call on the drone front. Although the Phantom is a bit of a bind to get ready and pack up I do like the footage and stills I get from it. I feel attached to it as well because I rebuilt it after finding it had the common fault of fractured motor mounts! p.s. Have you seen the Dji Osmo pocket?

[@StevenUpton14-18]

I first noticed the ‘Pocket’ a couple of days ago and lost interest when I saw the price. I already have the Osmo gimbal mount for my iPhone X and they work very well together.

[@klaralazaretnik2875]

Hello Steven. is this real trenches?thinks for your work,good job.

[@StevenUpton14-18]

Thank you fro watching. They are the original trenches in a maintained condition. No one has been trying to blow them up for a while.

[@klaralazaretnik2875]

@@StevenUpton14-18 ok thinks

[@nickraschke4737]

Important to remember these details. Great work.

[@StevenUpton14-18]

Thank you.

[@ralach]

Interestingly Wijtschate is subject to a crowd funded excavation, currently (if you google "Dig Hill 80" you will find info on the project) if i recall, the dig will continue over the summer of 2018. (and thank you for the very informative videos :)

[@StevenUpton14-18]

Thank you for watching. I hope to be back in the area soon and will ask if I can film Hill 80.

[@billyslittlebigadventurech9050]

Hi Steven. You have less that 2- 3 weeks to film the site mate, before its turned over to the builders. Visited Dig 80 last week. Very interesting indeed.

[@StevenUpton14-18]

The earliest I can get there will be 21st July. Sound like I will be too late.

[@billyslittlebigadventurech9050]

Steven Upton it sounds like you will steven. No harm in sending them a message through their web site. 😊

[@thomasimburgio272]

I visited these trenches back in 1986 when it was privately owned and had a marvelous three hours chatting with the owner.

[@StevenUpton14-18]

Thank you for watching.

[@blueband8114]

Numerous times tried to give a thumbs up. Keep getting 'an error ocurred'

[@StevenUpton14-18]

Thank you for watching. I have no idea why thee is the 'thumbs up' problem. But thank you for trying.

[@lilmike2710]

Nice Goldwing too. I've one myself. Not a bad old bicycle.

[@StevenUpton14-18]

Thank you for watching.

[@pureloyalist9277]

Brilliant Steven 👏

[@StevenUpton14-18]

Thank you for watching.

[@jimscott3980]

Love your videos,, very interesting

[@StevenUpton14-18]

Thank you for watching.

[@srb2897]

Steven are you still travelling to France and videotaping?

[@StevenUpton14-18]

Thank you for watching. I did my first post-Covid trip in September, but have not yet edited the footage.

[@srb2897]

@@StevenUpton14-18 it’s such an incredible insight My wife’s grandmothers, brother Thomas Fraser was killed on 1st

[@srb2897]

@@StevenUpton14-18 1st july 16. He was in 2nd Essex reg. I believe waiting in Ellis Square area. They went forward between Redan Ridge and redoubt where the large cemetery is now. (With The Kings Own and 2nd Lancs Fusiliers) a runner was sent to stand them down as it was clear it was going badly, but they had gone forward. His body was never found. Thanks again for all you do, your drone shows the madness of that war.

[@StevenUpton14-18]

@@srb2897 It is important that we remember them.

[@StevenUpton14-18]

@@srb2897 I am familiar with Redan Ridge. I want to film it sometime. My GF was a couple of miles along the front just beyond Serre on the 1st July.

[@MyJeffreyJones]

Very enjoyable. Thank you!

[@StevenUpton14-18]

Thank you for watching.

[@efoster9968]

Very good videos. Thank you. Do you know if in WW2 whether both sides or either side tried to generally avoid fighting in or nearby WW1 battlefield sites?

[@StevenUpton14-18]

Thank you for watching. I am not aware of any consideration being given to avoid or to protect WW1 sites during WW2.

[@efoster9968]

Thanks for replying. I wonder if in your travels throughout the WW1 Western Front if you recall coming upon overlapping battlefields from the two world wars. Even if not, there probably were some and restorations were maybe done in the post-WW2 years.

[@StevenUpton14-18]

There was battles in both wars near Amiens. In 1918 and 1940. In 1944 during the breakout from Normandy the Germans, after the debacle at Falaise, retreated right across France and most of Belgium. Thereby passing through the WW1 battlefields without fighting there. Due to that they were largely untouched. One thing that the Germans did do during their occupation of France (1940 to 1944) was to destroy some of the Demarcation Markers. Most are still there, but about dozen were destroyed during WW2. You can see a couple of Demarcation Markers on my video at: kzbin.info/www/bejne/mKLUXoWefbibg6M There are over 100 of these along the front line of September 1918 showing the furthest extent of the German advance in their 1918 offensives.

[@GumbootZone]

There is a huge Canadian memorial near Vimy Ridge. I can't confirm it, but I thought I read once that the armies in WW2 intentionally avoided fighting there to prevent damage.

[@rickjohnson9673]

Can you imagine what drone footage taken back than would have looked like

[@StevenUpton14-18]

Thank you for watching. If one side had drones it would've been a game changer. Knowledge of what was happening on the front line, or ever where it was during a battle was often hours out of date due to poor or non-existent communications. The generals get a lot of bad press; however, once a battle started they had virtually no control over what happened.

[@fasthracing]

The crypt of the church you mention is also the final resting place of William the (Bastard) Conqueror

[@StevenUpton14-18]

Thank you for watching. Thank you for this information. I did not know that.

[@fasthracing]

Another great video. Just a point, I'm sure Adolf was in the "Bavarian" army and not the "Barbarian" army as you said! Though I do see your point. As regards what you were told about Adolf revisiting the trenches highlighted and recovery from his initial injuries in the church at Messines both are true. Another interesting fact about the same church is that William the Bastard or more normally known as William The Conquerer....his mother is buried in the same church.

[@StevenUpton14-18]

Thank you for watching and your feedback.

[@retiredafce3373]

Very well done.

[@StevenUpton14-18]

Thank you for watching.

[@SirDamned]

Gold wing was just the icening on the cake. Also didn't know there was a legion riders club

[@StevenUpton14-18]

Thank you for watching. It's not actually a club, but a branch of the Royal British Legion.

[@geordie1032]

Great work you are doing, Steven, thank you. I visited the British trenches there in 2016, the centenary year of 7 Field Company's time on that site. They worked on those trenches 4 April to 21 July 1916 while serving in the 50th Northumbrian Division. It was a notorious area for German sniper fire of which, 7 Field Company lost two excellent men. I have some photos and info on my website, www.shiny7.uk/blackhorsetrail2016.html

[@StevenUpton14-18]

Interesting website. Is that you in the uniform? I also filmed Hill 60 last week, but have not yet edited the raw footage.

[@geordie1032]

Yes, that is me in the uniform. Looking forward to more of your videos.

[@StevenUpton14-18]

I have enough raw footage for a couple more; probably post them next week. My next trip is in July. I want to film more of the mine craters around Messines associated with the June 1917 attack. There is also an excavation going on at Hill 80 at 'Whitesheets' and if I have time I will ask if I can film that with the drone.

[@Malegys]

Wijtschate would be pronounced as "weights harter" in English phonetics.

[@StevenUpton14-18]

Thank you for watching. British soldiers called it "White Sheets".

[@Malegys]

@@StevenUpton14-18 Yeah i know :)

[@Malegys]

& Voormezele is pronounced (in Phonetic English) "Vore muh zeeluh" :)

[@StevenUpton14-18]

Thank you for watching.

[@elijacobson3896]

Excellent.

[@StevenUpton14-18]

Thank you for watching.

[@sinisterted4564]

Whos narrating? Jeremy Clarkson?

[@StevenUpton14-18]

Thank you for watching. I wish I had a £1 for everyone that has said that; better still, I wish I had Jeremy Clarkson's bank account!

[@sinisterted4564]

@@StevenUpton14-18 on a serious note im glad the youtube algorithm suggested your page. Not enough out there in regards to what remains of WW1 battlefields. I have been hooked on your channel! Keep up the excellent content sir!

[@themancalledx]

Thank you

[@StevenUpton14-18]

Thank you for watching.

[@martindrewelius2425]

All German veterans were awarded the iron cross.

[@StevenUpton14-18]

Thank you for watching.

[@thhseeking]

Hitler was a gayfritter? XD XD XD XD I've never heard "Gefreiter" mispronounced in such a hilarious way, particularly applied to the little corporal :) That brightened my day, that did :P

[@StevenUpton14-18]

Thank you for watching.

[@NicoLesageMenen]

Your English guys have the right to say Voormezele wrong . There is enough english blood in the ground

[@StevenUpton14-18]

Thank you for watching.

[@fasthracing]

Should of said William the Conqueror's mother.

[@StevenUpton14-18]

Thank you for watching. Okay, thank you.

[@ja37d-34]

Nice touch with the Goldwings. :)

[@StevenUpton14-18]

Thank you for watching.