Harrison Summers' EPIC ONE-MAN ACTI ON on D-Day | With Al Murray & James Holland

[@TheHistoryUnderground]

If there was ever someone who wasn't awarded the Medal of Honor but deserved it, it was Harrison Summers. Completely wild.

[@PalleRasmussen]

There are a few in The Pacific too, at least one on The Big E.

[@TheCheshireWanderer]

Absolutely amazing. This has to be the best way to do historical documentaries. Just two fellas talking and clearly loving it.

[@WW2WalkingTheGround]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@davidlong1459]

I know that ‘rush’ walking the ground with a special family link last year… An extended family get together staying in North Devon. Decided to try and find the crash site of my dad’s brother and crew who died on exercise in a Fairey Battle plane early in the war. Various contemporary military, civil and personal records had been dug out before by a family member and one eye witness account of the exact site on a hillside above the local village sounded very plausible and in line with other records. We head along a very narrow steep country lane, down a track descending the valley into an area few people would pass through and you look around and realise there is a difference in a clearing where the embankments are lower and trees are younger and less established. It is precisely the spot from mapping and clearly an anomalous small area of ancient thick Exmoor field borders that had been damaged and was still re establishing. This was the spot. It was a rush of satisfaction to feel a family story of bits and pieces knowledge finally coming together, but ofcourse coupled with great sadness that it was the last place these young men came to. It’s thought they’d hit bad weather, descended through the clouds to get a fix and found they were in high ground and couldn’t climb to avoid the valley side. Having found the right place we could spend some quiet moments in beautiful countryside contemplating and paying our respects. Gentlemen - Thankyou and please keep up this excellent and fascinating work. It really builds up a picture of the realities encountered by so many in the war.

[@GriffonMerlin]

Amazing - thanks so much for sharing this!

[@WW2WalkingTheGround]

Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful comment - a perfect example of why it pays to walk the ground. As you say, it is ‘a rush’ when the details slot into place but it’s also a profound way to connect with and honour those who lived and died during the war. Thank you again.

[@adriang6259]

This is a fantastic series. Can't get enough of these two. Take nothing away from Harrison, (amazing feats) and especially from a bloke who has never been shot at. In similar circumstances, I wonder how hard it would be to keep oneself level? What war does to people.

[@oliverorchard2296]

My precious book BLURRGHWAW! Absolutley fantastic gentlemen, feels like time team making in the moment discoveries! Thank you look forward to more

[@ohorlando1187]

You could actually see the roof repairs at the end of the video! These episodes just keep getting better and better. Love it.

[@GriffonMerlin]

Thank you!

[@PalleRasmussen]

You two... Hard not to like you with your enthusiasm, humour and shenanigans.

[@wills681]

WW2 WTG is a KZbin gem. I really want you guys to drive north into Holland and cover Op Market Garden next. Happy to send you a mess tin full of sand and petrol so that you can effortlessly make a brew. Negative eyebrows doing so though, obvs. 🙂

[@WW2WalkingTheGround]

@@wills681 Thank you for the kind words. You are very much in luck, as last week we filmed our Operation Market Garden series and are back next week to grab some special 80th anniversary footage.

[@wills681]

@@WW2WalkingTheGround Yay!!! As nobody my age ever says... Edited to add: In the mid-1970s at Depot Para some of us were detailed to assist and chaperone some Arnhem vets (who were in wheelchairs) around Aldershot bars on Airborne Forces Day. "If there's any trouble, you will be held responsible..." we were told. Needless to say, there was trouble. Those blokes were considerably younger than I am now!

[@GriffonMerlin]

We’re keen…

[@kevinhendon]

Both of you are so knowledgeable about this era and you both bounse of eachother brilliantly. Please sort out a tour of shows on stage, it would be a sell out. Thank you again 👍👍

[@KingsfordMinis]

This is simply the best Walking the Ground exploration ever. Enthralling.

[@pinchus34]

Might be the best one yet…everything else has been telling the story (which is grand), but this fresh discovery is what it’s all about in my opinion.

[@WW2WalkingTheGround]

Thank you. We decided to try and find the correct route Summers took the night before, so viewers of this episode are literally coming along with us.

[@pinchus34]

@@WW2WalkingTheGround It was brilliant and your excitement was palpable.

[@jonnyref3475]

Even Sherlock Holmes took 45 minutes an episode to piece the jigsaw together. Solid work.

[@seanbradley2134]

Can podcasts find their way into the mix for a BAFTA or something? You really have a gem of a format here fellas. Superb knowledge and infectious enthusiasm. Loved every episode. When is the Arnhem stuff coming out?

[@Meanlonger]

Love this series well done to everyone involved.

[@andyshaw5378]

Best video yet. Really enjoying this channel thanks everyone

[@blue2sco]

This is proper walking the ground discovering what happened

[@localbod]

If anyone here has played Brothers In Arms: Road To Hill 30, you will know a quote a few of the details of Harrison Summers exploits at objective WXYZ. I found this presentation most interesting. Thank you for posting it.

[@GateXC]

Might be the best episode yet!

[@Neutronb0mb]

Today on “James Holland Interrupts” 😂

[@MartinSparks-ef9gr]

He can't cope with not knowing the story well enough to be the one telling it .

[@markthompson4096]

You guys nailed it with this episode. Simply great. Loved it. Keep up the good work 👍

[@brianpurcell9058]

Best series ever ! 👍👍

[@paulmelkis2976]

Brilliant guys, just in Normandy at the moment and plan to visit Utah on saturday so will follow your trip, as you say it is so interesting following the ground, keep up the great videos

[@WW2WalkingTheGround]

Great to hear!

[@hayleylicence6525]

Best episode so far. I may have said that a few times now but each time has been true, until the next one! Brilliant work, chaps!

[@WW2WalkingTheGround]

Thank you so much!

[@suepalin9202]

Another informative and witty video. It's like a Boy's Own Adventure, but this girl is tagging along, too! And, James, I love your old car which fits the era of WTG. Thanks and best to you and to Al!

[@GriffonMerlin]

Thank you - I love my car too!

[@hamsteronthepaintingtable6465]

Great stuff lads, really enjoyed this. Brings the story to life 😊

[@WW2WalkingTheGround]

Glad you enjoyed it. It was an exciting day!

[@qwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnm3937]

So many relatively unknown yet unbelievable small unit actions took place in Normandy we will never know about. The fighting at dead man’s corner springs to mind, 5 vs a company sized German element, artillery and mortars

[@scottlakey1136]

A fantastic you tube gem like the other gent mentioned.please do more of these.ive seen most of the other videos and look foward to the market garden videos.oh and good luck al with the new book.which i have recently bought.keep up the good work from a ww2 addict lol

[@tobytaylor2154]

These are brilliant, I get a kick out of this just like James

[@books742]

Been there, done that, but no T-Shirt. On June 6 1984 tried this very same walk, with my late friend Dick Davidson.I had a more detailed account than the one Al is using in this vid. Cannot recall, precisely, the source of that detailed account. At the time was pretty confident that we had identified the first house Summers stormed and the building where the Germans were eating breakfast.

[@ryanharris4964]

Just coming back from Normandy and finding this channel is great. Stories non the places I visited is fantastic. These AL and Tom are great 😂😊

[@WW2WalkingTheGround]

Welcome aboard!

[@ryanharris4964]

@@WW2WalkingTheGround absolutely loving it guys, it’s great and has so much meaning especially once you’ve visit. I am desperate to get back 👍

[@philsosshep4834]

I felt the pain in those old knees as they jumped at the end

[@DmG2007]

Really wish I could join you on your walk abouts, the things you could learn and the laughs you could have. One thing I can not stop thinking is "what would the pub land lord make of all this".

[@greeny_119]

This is what Walking The Ground is about!

[@PaulDouglasDouglas97]

Gust ordered my book al Murray book can't wait to read it really enjoyed the video mate can't wait for the next one

[@marcwebb687]

Beautiful village

[@paulgreen7906]

Is that the grass knoll where the 2nd gunman was? Who knew it was in Normandy. Well done guys! You deserve a cuppa.

[@natemcgaw221]

Been listening to the we have ways podcast and now I’ve stumbled across this channel,don’t think life could get much better!

[@justinmuse41]

Hey guys, just wanna same this Is an absolute great series your doing, this episode is depicted is a game called brothers in arms on the Xbox , follows the 502 though Normandy and you can play wxyz as summers

[@WW2WalkingTheGround]

Thanks!

[@stephenhill560]

Fantastic

[@WW2WalkingTheGround]

Thank you so much 😀

[@stuartmcarthur5863]

Amazing story, there must be others out there that just aren't widely known. Surely few people knew about Brécourt Manor prior to BoB? A couple of weeks ago I made a comment on a video about not being able to find things on the map (think it was Hill 112?). This one was so much better, I was able to find the spots you were filming from, so I was able to see the land almost first hand. Thank you.

[@allanburt5250]

Fantastic guys First class

[@allanburt5250]

Ps we have a family story from our US side, the Private Burt in the story may have been from our family, he jumped into Normandy

[@maverick4177]

There are so many individual stories of actions like this, you should make it your mission to tell them all 👍🏻 I have been to Normandy 8 times now and seen all the usual places and some not so usual like Donville manor near Carentan, you guys need to go there and visit Franc the owner, it’s an incredible place right in the middle of the bloody Gulch

[@nielshenkemans]

FWIW, there are different opinions on where Bloody Gulch was. Area of the cattle market is better supported by German and US records and accounts.

[@EdBarry-l9v]

The video game Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30 covered this action in the chapter 'Operation XYZ'.

[@martinpower2439]

Quality!

[@battleguide]

Been coming here for years 😉😎

[@Ricco668]

Amazing work fellas! Can you just move to Normandy and do one of these a week please 😂

[@FlightDepartures]

Rather embarrassing to see they got the village the wrong way round! The cluster of buildings at the very end where James and Al climb the embankment was Objective W, the predesignated CP for 1st Bn of the 502nd under Lt Col Cassidy. It was stated in the pre jump orders that it was on the western side of the D-14 road which it is (all the AAR maps support this). On D-Day, it had been over taken by other elements of the 502nd (Michaelis if memory serves me correctly) and was designated as the new Regt CP. It was from Obj W or the new 502nd RCP that Summers and his men were tasked with entering the village from the eastern side heading west. The route summers took moving house to house and eventually with PFC Camien is well documented by 101st Abn expert Mark Bando on his Trigger Time website, forum and in his books. Mr Bando has been documenting the 101st in ww2 since the 70’s/80’s and has visited Normandy countless times and knows the WXYZ complex well. The village has also featured on a couple of other channels from 2/3 years ago so might be new to the audience here but not new per se

[@gorbalsboy]

Can I ask what book is Al carrying please)? Cheers guys fantastic, what a gift you are to us all😊

[@WW2WalkingTheGround]

Thank you for watching! The book is Dropzone Normandy by Napier Crookenden. A classic!

[@davidraynham1764]

You’ll have to do a fresh edition of Normandy 44 old chap!

[@user-oo8xp2rf1k]

Roll the energy around your body Al! 😅

[@iansanderson2567]

Great stuff one small point US Airborne did not have BARs. They had two 30cal per section in the TOE BAR was added and one 30Cal removed in 45.

[@radiantmessenger3369]

So peaceful there, but I can really picture the action being described. So cool! 👍 (Am I the only one who pictures history in black and white? )

[@nigelbarrett4741]

Great video, thanks. Did Summers survive the war?

[@WW2WalkingTheGround]

Yes he did. If you take a look at the video description we added some brief notes.

[@GriffonMerlin]

Yes, he did.

[@waynekerr5645]

Knowing of Mr Holland’s penchant for military jackets, does anyone know what he’s wearing in this episode?

[@davidryan4454]

It's a Luftwaffe Summer Flieger jacket that was made by Noble House but has been long out of production. His later repro Denison is from SOF Military, made by Kay Canvas 👍🏻

[@dominicsoave5090]

Jim’s car looks at home parked up

[@chriskostopoulos8142]

Fantastic series guys. I can't believe the Germans were busy eating. I know it would of been a very confusing day but they would of heard gunfire clearly from the short distance away they were. No wonder they lost the war if that the quality of soldiers they were.

[@westoncraig]

Did any of the locals come out and chat about the war with you guys? show you some of the barns / damage etc?

[@MyRammy1]

Night drop by SLA Marshall

[@brianford8493]

Ill never forget the quote "Why did you do that?" and his answer was "I dont know"

[@Ash-ju3xj]

If I read Normandy 44 by James Holland will I know about what he and Al are talking about in this series about D Day??

[@jeff2178]

Hey, hey, hey...I'm pretty sure Matt Baker did this with pvt Hartsock..

[@mylesfreeman1989]

What is the series/movie they mention relating to this story?

[@WW2WalkingTheGround]

@@mylesfreeman1989 Band of Brothers. Easy Company assault on Brecourt Manor.

[@ww2recon]

@ww2wayfinder tells this story so well on his channel

[@CS1174]

Outstanding work, for all of this series, can’t wait for the Netherlands instalment and Arnhem (which is now difficult to say without putting on a questionable accent). Time for a brew!

[@williamwibbels4401]

I was there in May and the owner of Manoir De Juganville told me that the main WXYZ building was right across the road from the Manoir de Juganville.

[@WW2WalkingTheGround]

This is such a unique action in that there are quite a few differing opinions on which buildings in Les Mezieres were WXYZ and the mess hall.

[@williamwibbels4401]

I believe the person who owns Brecourt Manor’s father or grandfather was the mayor of the area on DDay. He would be a wealth of knowledge. I believe he owns the building that I was referring to.

[@gorbalsboy]

Could I ask which book is Al carrying please? 😊

[@WW2WalkingTheGround]

@@gorbalsboy Dropzone Normandy by Napier Crookenden

[@DCS_World_Japan]

What's the TV series they referenced? I think the video game Brothers in Arms covers this action, but I couldn't track down a TV series.

[@WW2WalkingTheGround]

@@DCS_World_Japan They say there hasn’t been a TV series produced about this, meaning it’s not as famous as Brecourt Manor, a similar action made famous in Episode Two of Band of Brothers.

[@StephenBurch]

Were you tempted to knock on doors for better access?

[@jamesross1799]

Having breakfast 😂😂😂

[@richardmardis2492]

About time others are finding out! Once there was a video on KZbin , done by reenactors, (the only one on the subject) …and the reenactors happened to be Mexican! These Mexicans were the only ones at the time, that seems to know anything about the subject!

[@jonboulton]

You got Brecourt wrong and now this,!

[@EnglishShieldwall]

Don’t you think there’s a possibility that Summers might of exaggerated his account?

[@WW2WalkingTheGround]

Much of the reporting is from other witnesses in the after action reports. Those who witnessed this at Les Mezieres lobbied for him to received a Medal of Honor.

[@EnglishShieldwall]

@@WW2WalkingTheGround kill claims are famously unreliable though and soldiers often exaggerate.

[@malcolmhunt7108]

My thoughts exactly, if this had been a German account of a similar attack people would be all over it saying they exaggerated the numbers killed etc

[@EnglishShieldwall]

@@WW2WalkingTheGroundSoldiers are notoriously unreliable with their kill claims and claims such as these are usually taken with a grain of salt unless backed up by more than just eye witness accounts.

[@EnglishShieldwall]

@@malcolmhunt7108If it was a German account they would’ve dedicated multiple episodes to debunking every last detail.

[@pauldurkee4764]

Those germans were not exactly the most switched on, there is a full scale invasion taking place, and shooting going on down the lane, and they don't have the lane or the approaches to the building covered.

[@brianford8493]

little known to us.... big deal on the day.... Brilliant as usual chaps ta!✌️

[@WW2WalkingTheGround]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@Strawberry-12.]

I love the attempt at American accents 😂

[@cambellevans9945]

Do we know what happened to the 2 “kind” Germans in the cupboard? 🙁

[@richardmardis2492]

I think the Army might had been a bit embarrassed on how their elite troops didn’t back up a this (one man army) man. …and didn’t advertise it much.

[@ronboot2578]

World War 2 Wayfinder did a video on this action two years ago - and it looks like he was in Les Mezieres - I can't be sure. kzbin.info/www/bejne/r2O4fKmtltd_Z7c

[@WW2WalkingTheGround]

@@ronboot2578 He did! We love his videos and actually chatted to him about this one and our different interpretation regarding the details of the action. That’s part of the joy of walking the ground when there’s missing information, some of it needs to be filled in by historians as they read reports and visit.

[@ronboot2578]

@@WW2WalkingTheGround I agree - and his channel is a good companion to yours.

[@andrewjohnston9115]

Just watching this and its two blokes having a conversation, with neither listening to each other half the time, or are you both partially deaf? 😂

[@WW2WalkingTheGround]

Walking the Ground is exciting stuff - especially when you are making new discoveries. Thanks for watching!

[@matseriksson3262]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/f3XEmmOFeqqCg5Isi=iR3xvsnLyWBsfcU0 Same story, some different buildings. The "mess hall" doesn't match up.

[@WW2WalkingTheGround]

@@matseriksson3262 We know and it’s what we mean when James says some people think the action moved the other way through the village. We actually discussed with our friends at this channel and see the after action reports slightly differently. Depending on which way you begin, it can make the farm house either the 82nds CP or the mess hall. The WXYZ buildings remain in the same place as they are in the middle, it just changes your start and end points.

[@matseriksson3262]

​@@WW2WalkingTheGround 👍 Ok. Then I understand! Keep up the great job! I can't thank guys like yourself and James and J.D enough!

[@NormandyBattleTours]

Not being funny lads, but the Harrison Summers story should not really come as any kind of revelation for anyone who has studied D-Day in any kind of structured manner. There were plenty of sources readily available when I included a chapter on the story published in my own book over a decade ago. Night Drop, Vanguard of the Crusade, Koskimaki, RDV with Destiny - these are all core texts which anyone shoud be aware of when looking at the 101st Airborne in any kind of detailed way.

[@WW2WalkingTheGround]

Thanks. No suggestion that we were unearthing the story for the first time. We were surprised that the standard narrative about didn't seem to match what we saw on the ground but of course there is always more to read! Thank you for the references. Keep up the great work!