Germany's Secret Postwar Army - Schnez-Truppe 1949-53

In 1949, a group of former WW2 German generals secretly built an army without Allied or German permission, a secret army that would number 40,000 hardened WWII combat veterans. Find out why here...
Dr. Mark Felton FRHistS, FRSA, is a well-known British historian, the author of 22 non-fiction books, including bestsellers 'Zero Night' and 'Castle of the Eagles', both currently being developed into movies in Hollywood. In addition to writing, Mark also appears regularly in television documentaries around the world, including on The History Channel, Netflix, National Geographic, Quest, American Heroes Channel and RMC Decouverte. His books have formed the background to several TV and radio documentaries. More information about Mark can be found at: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Fe...
Visit my audio book channel 'War Stories with Mark Felton': • One Thousand Miles to ...
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Disclaimer: All opinions and comments expressed in the 'Comments' section do not reflect the opinions of Mark Felton Productions. All opinions and comments should contribute to the dialogue. Mark Felton Productions does not condone written attacks, insults, racism, sexism, extremism, violence or otherwise questionable comments or material in the 'Comments' section, and reserves the right to delete any comment violating this rule or to block any poster from the channel.
Other Credits: US National Archives; Library of Congress; Bundesarchiv
Sources:
- 'Nazi Veterans Created Illegal Army' by Klaus Wiegrefe, Spiegel International, 14th May 2014
- 'SS officers founded secret German army in 1949', WELT, 5th November 2014

[@sebastiangeller8637]

A video of what happened to the East German forces after the reunification in 1990, as well as their weaponry and equipment would be interesting to see. I believe not too many of them were allowed to join the newly reunified German forces.

[@chadkarr7394]

Most were integrated into the new Bundeswehr, from the amalgamation of both nations. However, much of the equipment was sold, and many former East German troops were disbanded, allowing only a certain amount to stay. I read up on this, and that's all I was able to ascertain. I FULLY agree with you, that a video indepth on this would be excellent

[@selfdo]

Mark's already done a video of the raising of the DDR "Volksarmee", which the Soviets staffed with officers from the WW2-era "Committee for a Free Germany", made of officers that expressed pro-Soviet sympathies (or simply felt their career prospects, or even the prospect of surviving captivity, would be enhanced thereof). They mainly used leftover Wehrmacht equipment but later, once the Warsaw Pact was set up, were re-equipped and re-organized along Soviet Army doctrines and tables of organization. What's interesting is that, in general, the DDR NVA got the "latest and greatest" of what the Soviets produced, as their capabilities seemed far better than most of the other Eastern European nations.

[@realQuiGon]

@@chadkarr7394 "Most" is quite far off. Actually only a very small percentage of former East German soldiers were accepted into the Bundeswehr.

[@chadkarr7394]

@@selfdo I've seen that one, it was great

[@wayneantoniazzi2706]

@@chadkarr7394 I concur, a video concerning "What ever happened too..." about the East German forces would be most interesting. I could be wrong, but I believe most enlisted men of the NVA were almalgamated if they chose to stay in uniform and company-grade officers were allowed to stay as well, but field grade officers and higher were discharged. Since then there's been a major draw-down of the Bundeswehr which had led to some recent controversy.

[@skittlesandfriends5710]

I’m 58 years old and have reading about the Second World War since I was in elementary school, and I’m always excited to see Dr Feltons Videos, because I know that I’m in for a another amazing chapter from that Time Period.

[@johnbaugh2437]

I’m 52 and feel the same. My son who is 16 loves history as well. He asked me the other day if I’ve heard of Felton. I laughed and said of course! We both have been watching this channel separately unknowingly

[@vblake530530]

Let me say what you just said another way. Dr. Felton is a MACHINE!!!

[@ghostmanscores1666]

Me too, I have Mark Felton so associated with WWII that I forget I'm actually older than him.

[@dwightburns6699]

p per se I'm 63 and Mark has been my historian the teaches me more than any class ever did all the best team Mark Felton

[@toddsmith1617]

Iam 60 and learning a lot more then I did in school. Thanks Mark.

[@Taco0718]

Because of Dr. Felton, I've become obsessed with learning more about Cold War era East and West Germany, especially their militaries.

[@DFisher-de1dw]

It's a very odd but fascinating time of transition from one polar opposite to the other, with a little grey area sprinkled in between the two sides. The societal aspect is really intriguing, I highly recommend looking at the cultural divide that was created and still persists in some part to this day. I know people in Germany who's older relatives will refuse to speak to people from "East" Germany and vice versa.

[@alerojas2952]

Dr Felton is incredibly pathetic

[@oemca1919]

Watch Deutschland 83!!! Best tv show

[@Taco0718]

@@DFisher-de1dw sounds good will do.

[@Taco0718]

@oemca1919 I will check it out, thank you.

[@jerryellis8033]

Mein Gott ! I'm 74 and have been studying WWII since I was a teenager! I've never heard of this secret army !! A real eye opener .Thanks to you , Mark Felton ! You're knowledge and impeccable research have and continue to contribute vastly to our knowledge of World War II ! KEEP up the great work ! Love your stuff !

[@vinniethepuuh7553]

Ich studiere Geschichte (8. Semester) teilweise sogar mit Fokus auf dem direkten Nachspiel des 2. Weltkrieges. Und ich habe auch noch nie davon gehört! Werde ich auf jeden Fall mal in der Uni ansprechen. Greetings to all non-Germanspeakers und an die Verfasserin des Ursprungskommentars!

[@RonaldoSerio7]

Perfect comment! Agree 100%.

[@lieninger]

Ditto- although it brings to mind a German newsreel I saw back in the '60's where there were some civilians who were practicing tactical drills with full-up weaponry, equipment, trucks, and uniforms reportedly as a kind of militia against potential communist incursion. I thought it was just some local group of a few dozen who had bought all that stuff (although most of the participants seemed a bit young to have afforded all that) and I was thinking with that little group they'd been better off studying resistance type insurgency tactics than small unit-level field combat, but now I wonder if I'd glimpsed a bit of these guys training the upcoming generation?

[@1987JohnMcClane1987]

I also didn't know this army as a german who is interested in german history for over 20 years now. That's a really outstanding information!

[@rambo6048]

why mention god, what has he got to do with this?

[@aeliusromanus9338]

Dr. Felton digs up histories and happenings we'd never found anywhere else.

[@nodarkthings]

Indeed.

[@motog4-75]

Sometimes I wonder how he does it............

[@divebomb99]

Albert Schnez. To think of the changes this man witnessed in his lifetime is somewhat staggering. WWI. The rise and rule of the NSDAP. The hell of WWII. The fall and destruction of his country. The literal division of his country. The wall. The Cold War. The fall of the wall and the Soviet Union. Atomic weapons. German reunification. The rise of modern technology. So much more. Amazing.

[@jockmazza]

Yep. Not everyone knows it was the national socialist German Workers Party .. as in "Nazi". I studied ss.. algemeine, Totenkopf and Waffen (Armed) and the various early years HQ Staff, ss-vt, cristal nacht and more

[@akiimo389]

@@jockmazza Everybody knows their name but its irrelevant since they werent for workers or socialists it was just a name to capture these voters. A topic that has been thouroughly covered.

[@evilchaosboy]

Wow! It's fairly amazing when you can tell 1 friend a secret and they will keep it completely. It's absolutely astonishing that 40,000 men kept a secret completely from a nation! What a swell show!! \m/

[@JesusChristDenton]

government secrets are srs bsns

[@mikeblair2594]

I seriously doubt that anyone cared at that point. Its the type of thing that is an open secret. As long as there's plausible deniability I'm sure they would have been useful to the powers that be.

[@catiline1]

Yeah you don't think these 40000 plus army will brag to people or tell their families that there is a secret army in place in case of WW3 breaking out lol No one cared or at least their concerns were alleviated to know west Germany will defend itself.

[@christopherholder9925]

@@mikeblair2594 Exactly; there is no way, with the number of people indicated, this effort was actually unknown. Even to the USSR. Obviously, not everything about it, but definitely the bare bones of it at the very least. The only real question is why the Soviets might not have revealed this-perhaps it was thought better to keep this operation untouched, while keeping an eye on it, rather than exposing it and having it shut down, which would naturally reveal Soviet penetration and the loss of an ongoing source of information.

[@Inception1338]

​@@christopherholder9925they didnt comabt Germany to defeat Hitler. They installed and funded him. By the time the allied had taken control of Western europe, arming Germany and creating NATO couldn't go fast enough. The chief of Staff of Hitler also became chief of staff of NATO.

[@raziel8321]

As a German, it is always interesting to see how pragmatic and goal-oriented our grandparents led the country back then. Today, on the other hand, we have people who are only administrators, who work strictly according to regulations for fear of responsibility. Millions of regulations that try to consider every conceivable case and make everything impossible. Then roads are not built because the sidewalk is 2cm too narrow. And instead of changing something, they work on projects with which managers can distinguish themselves morally, but which do not bring any practical use

[@pierremainstone-mitchell8290]

I think that this type ("administrators") exist all over the world! We certainly have them here in Australia and we were on the other side!

[@raziel8321]

@@pierremainstone-mitchell8290 Yes, there are definitely people like that everywhere. But I can't imagine that there are many countries where it is as extreme as in Germany. The administration here is already extreme, and a system that creates new administration to feed itself. Everything goes around in circles and consumes billions of euros without achieving any result. and the employees in this system go along with it as long as they benefit financially and have secure work. Nobody wants to make important decisions and take the risk. So everyone just works according to the rules in the book. And every few weeks an attempt is made to cover even more eventualities with even more rules so that no one really has to think and decide free. And in the end, thousands of authorities and administrations but no one feels responsible or works properly with another authority. There was once a time when Germany was successful because it had a functioning administration, while chaos still reigned in other countries. But today other countries work efficiently and towards a goal, while in Germany administration has become a fetish.

[@Distracted_Productions]

@@raziel8321 2nd gen German in America, from what I heard from my own elders, it's a good thing. America is free for fall, and the bottom line for education at the public level is finding a new bottom line every decade or so. The freedom of business, and property ownership is great, but if you are somewhere in the middle or dumb, it's hard to make it in America to take advantage of those freedoms. I'm very blessed to be born into some knowledge that benefits society, but the majority unfortunately are not.

[@750triton]

Bureaucrats will always find work for more bureaucrats

[@freedomloverusa3030]

@@Distracted_Productions a part of America is in free fall, not all of America.

[@michae8jackson378]

I have studied WWII pretty well. Never heard of this before. I lived in Germany 13 years. Makes one wonder what else was not known. Thank you Prof Felton, as always such great information!

[@heribertfassbender5759]

There was a feature series of 4 episodes on ARD about that topic: Alte Freunde, neue Feinde. Based on historic events, with dramatization of certain aspects.

[@michae8jackson378]

@@heribertfassbender5759 is it available here on YT? I speak German

[@kevinpittman2517]

lots is not known

[@leoe.5046]

​@@michae8jackson378probably not on yt but only in the "ARD Mediathek"... You might need a vpn tunnel to germany to access the videos on their website though

[@shaheeralikhan9561]

You've only studied ally powers part of wwII

[@Edescho]

What an astonishing treasure trove of untold stories this channel is. Absolutely remarkable.

[@waltie1able]

Mr. Felton, my father was a tech sergeant in the US Army working directly for General Lucuis Clay, Chief of the US Army in Berlin in 1948. My father attended meetings with General Clay being present. I have ancient photos. My dad told me that General Clay stated that nothing was as bad and or as horrible as the Soviets. My dad met my German mother in Berlin back then.

[@theblackhand6485]

A four star romantic happening back then.

[@Smudgeroon74]

@waltie1able the so called Allies were just as bad as the Soviet Union. The Rhineland camps is a case in point. May 1945 to 1947 prisoners were held with very little food...

[@geraldbradner5801]

The “so called Allies” 😂

[@mikeblair2594]

@@Smudgeroon74 Rootin for the Russians are we?

[@jean6872]

@@Smudgeroon74 It is true that German prisoners of the Americans at war's end was criminal in nature due to restriction of food in particular. Contrary to international law, even German civilians aged 14-65 in the U.S. occupation zone of Germany were registered for compulsory labor, under threat of prison and starvation. (General Clay's Allied Control Law No. 3 of February 17, 1946)

[@meijiturtle3814]

Extremely interesting. I think we were all aware of the gendarmerie and border guards but the "secret army" is a surprise. Kudos to Mark Felton.

[@josepsamarrafarre]

I am still blown away when thinking how it's still possible for Dr. Felton to find AGAIN a new superinteresting but obscure topic to make a video of. I truly believe that this man never sleeps...

[@willmartin7293]

This story makes perfect sense. In any society that feels its safety is at risk, there are going to be men who will organize to whatever extent necessary to counter the threat and do it clandestinely if required.

[@timothy2431]

It's happening in the United States as we speak.....

[@stevef8606]

@@timothy2431 Based on please? We read all the QAnon stuff after the election. Every military movement becomes 'its happening'

[@sync9847]

​@@timothy2431Go back to your basement man.

[@jlqe3401]

Ill admit I found this piece of history heartwarming in a way. As in, General Schenz did succeed not only in helping rebuild one of Germany's core institutions, but also in helping veterans get jobs and purpose after the war. And after everything came through, he kept everything he knew secret, being content with the fact that the plan worked. It speaks volumes about the German veterans, and the German society in general, that even after being defeated, they didn't just lie down, but they indeed sought to rebuild with the same discipline and tenacity they once showed in combat.

[@Occident.]

Because they are the best people on this planet.

[@808bigisland]

German Rearmament is well documented.

[@TheMudworm]

Also it ssems there was at least an effort to keep the worst nazis out.

[@cleightorres3841]

heartwarming? you must have something seriously wrong with you these men were complicit with germanys genocide of jews slavs and others i submit that you are more likely a heartless german

[@tavish4699]

whatsa nazi anyway? is it the guy who joins the party as a pssive member so he can actually achieve something in such a society ? or is it only the guy who really is believing into the idiology and openly shows it? @@TheMudworm

[@nickymaz05]

One thing I really appreciate about Dr. Felton is how well he pronounces German names, words etc. Another outstanding video!

[@ThePainterr]

Schnez is a true patriot and son of Germany. So glad men of his initiative and calibre existed. So too of all those that joined and supported him.

[@utpharmboy2006]

loved the gentlemen taking off the hats and the officers saluting them around 2:30

[@billmalone5050]

I love watching these videos because I learn about and discover new chapters of history that I would never get exposed to anywhere else.

[@chevelle1]

I don’t comment much, but Mark is always reminding me that no matter how much I thought I knew about WW2, I am light years behind others. Thanks Mark for your knowledge and tireless work ethic to tell these stories and educate us. There are so many great YT history channels, but yours stands above all others. I appreciate your diligence in verifying facts and your non biased approach to these events. Long time viewer of yours and have never sensed a bias or agenda in your work. Also, please don’t ever change your video intro. This one you’ve had for a couple years now is perfect. It’s relaxing and stimulating in a weird way.

[@carlmontney7916]

Another awesome home run video! Dr. Felton. It never ceases to amaze me how much more I learn from watching your videos. Your channel is by far one of the best sources of historical information on the Internet. I always learn something I never knew before.

[@StevenKeery]

I couldn't help smiling at the thought of a secret army in Germany, following the war. Since so many high-ranking German Officers were involved in positions of authority in post- war Germany. They were the ones with the experience and the connections. As in other countries, it would be from these groups that the new Governments would evolve.

[@dustylover100]

The stuff he sends us on a nearly daily basis is nothing short of brilliant.

[@-.Steven]

When I click on a Mark Felton video, I simply click like immediately, before Mark even says a word. There's no need to watch it first, you already know it's going to be good, and time we'll spent! Never a disappointment!

[@Jermster_91]

Fascinating how the old veterans took up the call to defend Germany once again in the event things had gone south.

[@stefanmolnapor910]

MEN

[@openwheela]

They didn't defend Germany in WW2, they were eventually pushed back into defense in what they had started as a pure war of aggression and expansion.

[@mrwhips3623]

​@@openwheelawhat a load of Jewish propaganda. They attacked Poland to recover land that was taken from them in WW1. Which is why the Allies declared war on him

[@motog4-75]

@jermster17 what do you mean by once again? & Had things gone south? No one attacked them pre 1939, they were on the attack. Nothing went south for them other than a poor economy because they had just fought ww1 ...........................

[@MrGamer21]

Again?

[@61diemai]

As a German being interested in history I did not know this. Thanks a lot, Dr. Felton.

[@fancyultrafresh3264]

Dr. Felton, thank you as always for finding bits of history that are lost to many students of it.

[@bevinboulder5039]

It's amazing that organization was kept so secret for so long.

[@milferdjones2573]

Probably an open secret. Sort of like cracking the German Enigma devices was known to all American Papers by the end of the war but no one discussed this for a good while after the war. Everyone who learned the secret went good idea to not share it.

[@808bigisland]

German rearmament is well documented. The Bundeswehr, Lw and Marine are legal tender of Hitlers forces. Same people too. The Bundeswehr and Luftwaffe was a very formidable and experienced force right from the beginning and knew how to fight the Soviet threat. The GDR built their forces with WW2 veterans. A European war was problematic because the Germans would probably refused to fight other Germans, and, thus was averted.

[@TheKulu42]

I can always count on Dr. Felton to share military history that I never knew about. It's amazing how those German veterans created a secret army and actually kept it secret.

[@paulkoza8652]

Wow. This was a good one. It reminds me of the secret German Bundsbank bunker in Cochem that I visited last fall while in Germany. I have to applaud Schnez for taking much of the secrets of this division to his grave. Not many people today know how to keep their mouths shut.

[@jeffjohnson3780]

I was stationed at Rhein-main airbase 1973 -77 it’s runways were shared with the Frankfurt airport. The chapel had a huge round Stainglass window with the scene, visualizing swallow, birds, bringing supplies to Berlin to support them after the war. Yours after I had left, they memorialized a C 46 or maybe C 47 for Rhein-mains assistance in the Berlin airlift

[@wolfgangwust5883]

They have both C-47 and C-54 on display. I always pass them en route on Autobahn A5. Btw. In the seventies, as a little boy I walked through a Lockheed Galaxy during Open Days at Rhein-Main Airbase. Warm regards from Frankfurt.

[@manuelsteiner9480]

Yeah, I'm from Frankfurt and the 2 Douglas airplanes are really iconic when you enter Frankfurt through the Autobahn. Just behind them there is also an event location now, where you got a great view on the whole airport scenery. I sometimes work there as a student job and it's the coolest spot I know

[@TTULangGenius]

It's always a treat to see a new Mark Felton video pop up in my feed! I love the amount of detail and loving care you put into your work! ❤❤❤

[@Dionaea_floridensis]

Super fascinating as always Dr. Felton! Thank you for your hard work!

[@danielnewman134]

Thank you for this very interesting story. You illuminate many stories that we normally would never happened. Great job.

[@thedangler8273]

THIS IS ANOTHER CERTIFIED MARK FELTON CLASSIC

[@briannicholas2757]

Thank you Dr. Felton. We always learn something meaningful from your presentations, and your narrative style is very captivating. For those who haven't read any of your books, I highly recommend them. You writing style matches your presentation style so it never feels like reading some dry history tome.

[@IvorMektin1701]

That explains some of weapons caches we found in the eighties. Like grease guns in buried crates with panzerfausts, covered in wax paper and cosmoline.

[@stevef8606]

but the Germans also had stay behind territorial units in the event of a Cold War

[@thewaterdrop123]

most likely Werwolf caches. the Nazis planned to keep fighting for ever like Afghanistan and hid weapons in germany

[@IvorMektin1701]

@@thewaterdrop123 No, M3 Grease Guns with Panzerfausts. These were definitely postwar.

[@IvorMektin1701]

@@stevef8606 There was a Cold War going on.

[@thewaterdrop123]

@@IvorMektin1701 yeah. And no. The Werwolf did on purpose use some allied weapons because they would be easier to maintain in an insurgency

[@wayneantoniazzi2706]

I can't hep but wonder if a lot of those German veterans remembering the formation of the Polish Home Army after the fall in 1939 and how it was kept secret until they rose in 1944 might have thought: "Hey! If the Poles could do it we can do it too!" Great video Doctor Felton! There's some great Cold War stories unknown to us, thanks for finding them!

[@robertshepherd8543]

Self defense. When nobody would help Israel, they turned to the black market for weapons, and communist Czechoslovakia, and France. Britain was being jerks for a while, and the USA was afraid of criticism. In Germany's case, Berlin was very vulnerable, and Stalin was being a Bully.

[@henrikmelder379]

Again Dr. Felton has realized how many historians have flown over without noticing anything. Where you are getting your information from must be great. And the way you present the story is one of the most exciting and educational. Keep up the good work so that posterity can get the right impression of what happened back then. Thanks for good programs.

[@aaronholmes8568]

What absolute pleasures i have watching these videos. Dr Felton, you have a gift. I would gladly listen to you reading audiobook versions of your papers.

[@guyfawkesuThe1]

As a former US military veteran from West Germany I always wondered about those old German soldiers.... Do you know most US military bases in West Germany had German civilians on them who were former WWII vets?? Every 4th of July they practically ran the US military bases while US military personnel were enjoying the day off ;)

[@charleskiel2299]

Another great video Dr Felton. You have a magnificent gift of teaching sir.

[@chrisparsons2791]

Simply fascinating ! I had no idea such a thing existed ! Thank you Dr. Felton for yet another informative video.

[@bengreen6980]

Captivating as ever Dr Felton, thank you.

[@Hairnicks]

You never fail to amaze me with the fascinating information you impart, your research is impecable, you content educational and the entertainment first class. Without history we cannot understand the present or the future. You help us in that way.

[@utpharmboy2006]

how the hell does Dr. Felton keep finding this amazing stuff ive never heard about!? many thanks!!! 🇺🇸

[@mebymyself2816]

Thank you Dr Felton, it is amazing the information you manage to ferret out, and put into these productions.

[@mikewingert5521]

I’m 68….former 24 year army type. I had never heard of this. Extraordinarily erudite research….🇬🇧

[@jonclassical2024]

All peoples should have a right to defend themselves, Schnez saw a grave danger in the Warsaw Pact forces and moved to make ready until the allied forces woke up to the Cold War.....excellent topic Dr. Felton!

[@jean6872]

It would be better if disputes could be resolved diplomatically rather than through violence. All children have a right to grow up in peace.

[@josephpadula2283]

Yes, it would be better. Now explain that to the Polish after Hitler attacked, Finland after Stalin attacked, and Ukraine after Putin attacked …

[@jonathanwilliams1065]

All peoples and all people

[@BasementEngineer]

@@josephpadula2283 Read "Polish Atrocities Against the German Minority in Poland".

[@martinwarner1178]

@@BasementEngineer You got it in one. Felton would not do a slot on that one!

[@lexploresoutdoor6938]

Man merkt wie sehr du dir mühe gibst die deutschen Wörter zu sprechen. Super Video! Grüße aus Deutschland!

[@nodarkthings]

Absolutely fascinating, Dr. Felton. Thank you.

[@nepe1282]

Top Quality Content ! ! ! ! ! Thank You Mark Felton ! ! ! 👍

[@The_Republic_of_Ireland]

Now this is gonna be interesting

[@feefreyer8506]

Das what im thinking

[@George-romanul1918]

Very interesting. Thank you Dr. Felton!

[@borisvos1971]

Thank you for your diligent research and detailed visualisation and explanation. Super interesting!

[@Thereisalwaysmore]

This is why I love history Thank you Mr. Felton

[@user-co7dr3rl8b]

Thank you Mark. I had A good chuckle about hearing that the German veterans formed there own army. And the allies were completely oblivious to it.

[@sijul6483]

Would not be the only time either, the Western Allies were quite oblivious to quite a few things back then.

[@Grimenoughtomaketherobotcry]

​@@sijul6483Yes. Wilfully oblivious.

[@barryfletcher7136]

This is the first I have ever heard of the "secret" German forces. Amazing.

[@nordmann50]

Thanks for this (as usual) beautifully done video. We had just finished watching the German mini-series "Bonn- Alte Freunde-Neue Feinde" (Bonn- old friends new enemies) and had wondered about the basis for its plot, as I'd never heard anything about this "secret army" portrayed in the mini-series. Your video has given us a great insight into what happened back then in the early 50''s, and how this is explored in the mini-series. Once again, thank you, it was superb!

[@RonaldoSerio7]

Outstanding research work! Dr. Felton keeps surprising us with his excellent videos even when we think we knew enough about a subject.

[@victorbeauvois]

Always a treasure trove of history and facts great content

[@philipbrowne7620]

Incredible story. I was living in the old East Berlin in 1993. Got to know some of the history lecturers from Humboldt University, they used to like to practice their English over a beer. Heard this story from one of them and also a veteran German soldier who survived the eastern front. I don’t know if Dr Felton can confirm this from his sources but I heard that the allies only found out about this much later on in the 1980s? The allies were astounded.

[@e.foster1284]

They say "learn something new every day". On this channel, I always do. Thank you!

[@MrXdmp]

Thanks Dr. Felton!

[@diethardnowag9545]

Very impressive to hear about a group of brave men who bridged the German security gap until the formal army came in place. Chapeau! ...and thanks, Prof. Felton for this revelation. Though very interested and involved with history matters, this was totally unknown to me...

[@vinrico6704]

Outstanding.... I dont always agree with your opinions but the facts are always solid. And really its the only reason I watch, the little tid bits are simply amazing. Thank you.

[@bohuslavhumplik6744]

Outstanding episode. Your in depth research is amazing!

[@curtisdaniel9294]

Yes, this was something new for me to learn. But Not exactly unexpected as I am sure the Allies would easily have welcomed another 40 000 troops had they needed them. Thanks again, Dr Felton, for another fascinating story!

[@milferdjones2573]

Probably an open seriet to top Allied leaders in a few years but no need to actually point it out to anyone as they were clearly only interested in defending Germany vs Warsaw pact. .

[@avian68tb]

I can definitely see why West Germany was keen on raising a military considering the constant Soviet sabre rattling.

[@Theshropshireratter]

The way they rearmed and regroped after Germany was flatened is amazing

[@MrRay2364]

You did it again Mr.Felton!👏

[@philippschwartzerdt3431]

Schnetz never discussed the forming of a secret army. And so did some 40,000 men, given the fact that it was found out officially only in 2014. Maybe same as Christopher Lee, he Knew how to keep a secret. Something unimaginable today to have 40,000 men not blasting it all over the social media for some 5 min of fame.

[@tomhenry897]

Hand picked More a list of names then anything else Like the IRR

[@stevef8606]

@@tomhenry897 sounds more like that than an actually army that did any covert training etc

[@MsPaintMr]

Exactly. 40,000 men and, to our knowledge, not a single one let the secret out even years after it was disbanded after having too much to drink. The past is a different country.

[@tavish4699]

training for what? you think 6 years of war arent training enough? those guy went through hell and were ready for more @@stevef8606

[@tavish4699]

sure they probably did, but nobody listens to that guy who sits drunk in the bar every day@@MsPaintMr

[@L1V2P9]

A lot of willful blindness was likely exhibited during these years, as any German who caught wind of this organization would view it with a sigh of relief knowing that at least some Germans are endeavoring to protect the nation.

[@jobaecker9752]

My father was 16 in 1945 and had been training in the Glider Reconnaissance Corps at war's end. I hadn't heard anything about Schneztruppe from him. He's 95 and still around, so I guess that will be our next conversation.. Thanks to Mark Felton for another batch of incredibly interesting information.

[@Bald_Menace]

I really love the Post-war Armed forces of West Germany due to the Mixture of WWII weapons and US uniforms.

[@jasonrodgers9063]

Dr. Felton never fails to put forth excellent, informative videos! Thanks! I've learned so much stuff that I wouldn't have even known to ask about!

[@petergreenwald9639]

I always learn something new. And like another commenter, I have been reading history books about the European and Pacific theaters since the late 1960s. Thank you.

[@musabbent9647]

I was wondering when our dear Doctor would make a video about these mad lads!!! Thanks Felton!!!❤❤❤

[@juanzulu1318]

German here. Never heard about this. Thanks, Mark. Super interesting!

[@Marco187Polo]

me too 👍🏻

[@jaws666]

Now THIS is something the so called "history channel" would NEVER cover

[@Iauchmitschlauch]

tbf it wasnt made public that long ago. The historychannel just relplays the same 3 topics

[@jaws666]

@@Iauchmitschlauch and thats my piont...its the same reguriatted documentries over and over again...i dont need to hear the story of the battle of britan for the 50th million time...and if that channel had ACTUAL and REAL historians they should have been able to uncover this,after all Dr Felton did and its not like he has the advantage and budget of a television station to support his work.

[@user-kb9lx1yv2b]

Thanks for the post. Surprised but hardly shocked. It makes perfectly sense.

[@QuantumMechanic_88]

Thank You once again Dr. Felton.

[@amartin4423]

Dr. Felton is the best historian I know!

[@christophlima7982]

Sounds like an early "Stay behind" Troop. @markfeltonproductions maybe a topic for a video: western Stay-behind-Organisations & Gladio? ❤

[@williamhernandez3201]

Yes. Very interesting. There's a great documentary from the BBC 1992. That I found on here about the Italian Gladio.

[@cptcalico2]

Deeply fascinating. I thought I knew somewhat of early postwar Germany and yet this force is completely new to me.

[@maxgreer6960]

Seeing this video come out has made my day, after commenting to check out the secret German army on your “Herman Gorring’s mysterious death” video 3 years ago. Again thank you for the amazing content!

[@cior8837]

Great Content again from the great Dr. Mark Felton! thanks again for all the historical work you do!

[@notsosilentmajority1]

Generalleutnant Albert Schnez never discussed the "secret army" or other events, right up until his death at 95 years of age. It's less likely that the same behavior would be exhibited today by a public official in his position.

[@aroncells3120]

The way you pronounce the former WW2 German generasl name plus unit and rank makes these videos so authentic. Thanks mark yet again

[@daryllamonaco3102]

Who would think or know about this? only Dr. Felton, the best!

[@marcoantoniodelarasilva1516]

I want to congratulate Dr. Mark Felton for his impeccable way of exposing and explaining the history of a crucial time of humanity as it was the twentieth century. I hope you will consider making a compendium of the chronicles of the Second World War. And my greatest respects and my best greetings to you, from an Auslander am Mexiko, who all, absolutely all your family lived that conflict directly, both on the military side and on the civilian side.

[@PuckDudesHockey]

I have to think that somehow this must have become known to at least a few U.S. or UK representatives at the time, and that they would have quietly sat on the information. Everyone would have known that allowing the formation of the Bundeswehr was only a matter of time, and the idea that that was quietly starting to happen would have likely been seen as a good thing (albeit perhaps with great caution at first). But certainly not something that would have gone down well in the press at the time. I wonder if it might have been in the category of "we're okay with it as long as you don't talk about it publicly".

[@LTPottenger]

Due to national security press is not really free. This would definitely fall under that and so could many other things.

[@Grimenoughtomaketherobotcry]

They just had to wait until the Americans could provide them with Forest Green uniforms and M1 helmets.

[@milferdjones2573]

@@LTPottenger Press knew the German Enigma machines were cracked by end of war but never published till secret officially ended decades later. No major reason to reveal something the public would not want revealed.

[@CHRIS_5226]

Another great video! Thank you Mark

[@PUBHEAD1]

Yippee, Its Friday, work weeks is almost over, and a fresh video from Mark to start the weekend 👍

[@robertjanicki5906]

I always enjoy Dr. Felton's videos and look forward to every new video. Thank you for all you do to fill in details of this period in history. It is appreciated and enjoyed.

[@andreasschrader6925]

There where many underground groups/organizations/organized veterans some managed by anticommunists or secret/intelligence services of the allies. They all didn’t trust the Eastside of Germany/Europe and wanted to be prepared in case of need. Still many story’s to share, hope you will have an eye at this storyline at both sides of Germany/Europe As every time good job from you and your team.

[@jean6872]

The western countries and the rump of the Third Reich as a demilitarized BRD carried on the Nazis anti Bolshevik stance as a Cold War after WWII. The DDR considered itself as representing the German socialist and communist tradition or those Germans who resisted fascism during Hitler's rule before WWII, naming regiments of their Volksarmee in honor of Rosa Luxemburg, Ernst Thälmann, etc.

[@youtubesketches110]

Outstanding content from Dr. Felton.

[@martiniv8924]

Learn something new everyday, thanks for sharing Mark 👍🏻

[@kenibnanak5554]

I have a friend who was there in that time frame. They had at least one underground bunker full of WWII German tanks and vehicles hidden underneath a NATO command center.

[@dylanwilson2556]

Hey. Do you know any other way I can find out more info about this? I'm having trouble finding anything

[@TheRealRedRooster]

Bullshit to start with, as NATO didn't even exist in such form that there would have been any command center in Germany, certainly not any with large enough "underground bunkers"...

[@RaoulThomas007]

They were a member in (maybe under) NATO, yet no one knew about it!

[@BrassLock]

​@@dylanwilson2556Just use the same contacts and references that Mark Felton used.

[@2000rayc]

where is it

[@cohenworrior898]

We'll never know how this _army_ would have performed on the field, or if it was a army on paper only. Either way, another interesting vid Mr. Felton.

[@Jreb1865]

Pretty well I would think, considering the pool they were drawing from. I doubt there were too many volunteer cowards...

[@cohenworrior898]

@@Jreb1865An army is more than the heroes fighting at the front. An army needs to be lead, it's efforts coordinated with other units fighting on your side, they need to be supplied . . .

[@Jreb1865]

@@cohenworrior898 Whatever you say...

[@tavish4699]

they would have fought like the partisans they themselves had faced, only that they would have worn uniforms unlike the other cowards.....