Das Reich Division - Hitler's last chance to stop D-Day 1944 Animated

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The 2nd SS Panzer Division (Das Reich) was an elite division ordered by the Führer Adolf Hitler to stop the Allied invasion of France on June 6, 1944 (D-Day). They were ordered to reach the Normandy landings to stop the invasion. Das Reich Division had to pass through small towns that were occupied by the French resistance, also known as maquis. This is a true story about the bravery of the French Resistance.
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[@TheWarline]

Also check this out:- Sinking of Blücher - The Battle of Drøbak Sound - kzbin.info/www/bejne/np2lnKyjlLCsbKc The Channel Dash 1942 - kzbin.info/www/bejne/f2eTY2x_ZdCWgqM The Saint Nazaire Raid - kzbin.info/www/bejne/mqrNloWNjMeIpNU

[@MichaelRoosendaal]

And Think about the FEUL Consumption, 1400 Vehicles, 900km..JEEZZZ.and the wear and tear.

[@AbsurdityViewer]

@@MichaelRoosendaal especially at a time when the Reich could not afford to waste any. i wonder about the placement of the Division... do you think Hitler was planning to invade Spain? or perhaps heard rumors about Spain joining the allies? I would think Lyon would be a better location.

[@alanmacification]

@AbsurdityViewer it was the only way to the American beaches. The British and Canadian armor had sucked the German armor coming from The Pas-de-Calais into a battle for Caen. The Germans would always have a problem with having to keep their supplies and reserves too far in the rear and having form up to far back in order not to be detected.

[@mynameisgladiator1933]

I truly hate it when idi*ts segway from their story using stupid, stupid segways. Instantly dislike, comment like this, and LEAVE never to sub ever.

[@BillBird2111]

@@AbsurdityViewer My guess, and this is just a guess, is that the division was placed at that location to safeguard it from enemy air strikes. The Allies had full control of the skies over France when the Normandy invasion took place. It's why the Luftwaffe was nowhere to be found. Allied pilots had already hunted down many of the squadrons placed near the coast. A second reason is the division could have also responded to an invasion of the southern coast, which eventually did happen. But these are just guesses. Nothing more.

[@_Saracen_]

I had no idea the Maquis had this kind of impact, always figured they did some sabotage in the lead up and mopping up later, I should have figured it was a lot more coordinated. Thanks for sharing.

[@Adonnus100]

Oh yeah. I had no idea recently until I read a bit more on Wiki about the French Resistance. They didn't do much actual fighting like Tito's men because it was impossible in their terrain and location. But they were all activated and firing on all cylinders when Overlord began and it helped tremendously.

[@jacquesmerley7717]

1st contribution of resistance was intelligence, very valuable intel on troop movements, supplies, logistics, fortifications... 2nd contribution was sabotage an disorganisation of production specially on telco and railways, fully activated just before DDay, but also military automobile coal industry... 3rd contribution was targeting killings on important leaders or symbolic figures notably of collaboration (J Ritter head of forced labour in France STO, P Henriot undersecretary of propaganda in Vichy gvt...) 4th contribution was agit prop (posters, graffitis, pamphlets...) as counterinformation

[@DavidSandeman]

@@jacquesmerley7717 All these claims in video are close to fiction see my comment above. From leaving Eastern Front re-equipping in S France and training several thousand new men, most were from Alsace, the Div lost less than 100 men, around 20 due to accidents. Even the SCNF historian will disagree with these claims on rail network which was simply inadequate and it takes and took almsot 80 train convoys which did in fact take the Das Reich tanks to Normandy last heavy movers arriving in July. It was "so urgent" to get to Normandy that Das Reich infantry were ordered to Bandenbekämpfung not to the front, Video say they fought their way into Tulle and Oradour, no they almost walked in with ineffectual resistance

[@Demun1649]

Read about the Vercors, and the betrayal of the Maquis by the British. "Wrong politics, you see, old boy".

[@Demun1649]

Read about the VERCORS. The place where the Resistance was betrayed by Churchill and CDG. The Nazi slaughter of all the injured Colonial troops, and men, women and children in the hospital caves. The Vercors is also known as the Massif Central. Some details in this report are inaccurate, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Vercors#

[@derrickstorm6976]

Makes no sense to me why they were kept at Montauban, but also how a single division was supposed to be able to stop a beachhead from expanding. Awesome video on something I've never heard about before!

[@flolow6804]

Because the town was outside of Allied air range and because the germans also expected an allied landing from the mediterranen sea (which did happen. But just a bit later)

[@Eric-kn4yn]

Bridgehead vulnerable to tanks as allies had little in weapons to counter german armour rommel said first 24hrs will be the longest day he wanted armour close to beaches ??

[@californiadreamin8423]

I thought they were in Toulouse.

[@markstott6689]

​@@Eric-kn4yn HMS Warspite and friends would like a quiet word in a dark alley. 🤣🤣🤣

[@Eric-kn4yn]

@@markstott6689 yes 16inch guns stop tanks but not accurate enough for tatical use on mobile tanks in small groups lucky shots were made very rarely to destroy tanks

[@MarktheMole]

Sir Tommy Macpherson, mentioned here, of the Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders was, I believe, the second most decorated British Army soldier of WW2. He spent much of the war on ultra-high risk missions behind the lines. He candidly told me he had three complete nervous breakdowns after such operations. he said it was common among soldiers in the hard fighting of 1942-43. He recovered from each, and promptly went back to battle. If you read his biography you'll be astonished by his escapades. A man in the finest Scottish military tradition..

[@bliaxiong6439]

Will read the book!

[@cactusplant2686]

wearing skirts doing such risky tasks seems funny to me

[@luketimewalker]

@MarktheMole how did you meet him? From France with love.

[@patpending8134]

A kilt is not a skirt.

[@DrikusRoor]

@@Roach32 in this thread. @cactusplant2686 said: "wearing skirts doing such risky tasks seems funny to me"

[@jimreilly917]

I’m 56. I was today years old when I learned about this aspect of the Normandy campaign in WWII. The Maquis had stones! And that town Das Reich wiped out, like the towns abandoned because of the chemical blight of WWI…was designated by Frances Parliament as POUR LA FRANCE…the highest honor France bestows upon groups that have literally sacrificed all for the liberty of France. Excellent presentation.

[@ImperatorAugustus]

So you learned this when you were just 1 years old?

[@jimreilly917]

@@ImperatorAugustus Read what I wrote more slowly until you get it.

[@poliznia]

@@jimreilly917He’s being sarcastic.

[@sleepysnake544]

A really important part of D day I had never heard about, thank you.

[@rmwarnick]

There is a movie, "Georges the Great" (2012) (*Le grand Georges*) about Georges Guingouin. It mentions the agonizing decisions that had to be made in 1944, because every time the Maquis fought the Germans it resulted in mass executions of innocent civilians.

[@fredgarv79]

thank you I saw the movie was available on you tube and am going to watch it

[@colindunnigan8621]

Max Hastings, who wrote a book on the march of 2nd SS, argued that armed resistance (as opposed to intelligence gathering) was actually counterproductive due to the afore-mentioned reprisals. Also, the Resistance was also not united with the Gaullist and Communist groups hardly speaking to one another. For what it's worth.

[@WielkaStopa-qh1rr]

@@colindunnigan8621that's something fishy they need so many soe agents and sas so that is proof allies could not rely on maquis with such easy missions

[@danis-nd1ik]

@@colindunnigan8621 les normands vous remercient pour vos bombardements !i

[@danis-nd1ik]

@@WielkaStopa-qh1rr pathétique !

[@alanmacification]

Two things the Germans learned in Italy that Rommel missed. One: it was easy to stop the Americans on the beach ( Salerno, Anzio ). BUT, 2, they could never push them into the sea due to the US and Royal Navy.

[@malcolm5514]

Interesting, I had never thought of it like that.

[@grahvis]

The US was not stopped on the beach at Anzio, they stopped themselves despite having complete surprise.

[@robertcottam8824]

@@grahvis True. Bad general leading poorly-trained troops. The Americans were a liability in North Africa, Sicily and mainland Italy.

[@fredgarv79]

I just watched the old movie Anzio with robert mitchem and that is what they showed. he played a journalist and they showed the american in charge as wanting to wait until he got more supplies etc and delayed things. The Germans couldn't believe it and had time to attack which nearly worked for them. There is as scene where mitchem grabs a jeep with 2 other guys and just drives to rome, wonders around until he's noticed, then gets out of there fast, he reports back to the general who can't believe it, but he still won''t do anything. I doubt this really happened but it was a good story. And yes the germans got close to "pushing them into the sea but were wiped out by the navel guns and artillery. That's another thing I did not know was how important our artillery was, we had so much of it no matter what the germans tried to do we just bombed the crap out of them with artillery and planes@@grahvis

[@grahvis]

@@fredgarv79 . That was the problem, waiting to consolidate before moving inland. I believe at one vital stage, B17s were used for low level bombing. A reconnaissance patrol did find the way was open to Rome so that story about getting to Rome could be true.

[@Hew.Jarsol]

The British and Canadians faced off against 8 panzer divisions (4 of which were SS) and 3 heavy panzer battalions (2 of which were SS) with Tiger and King Tigers. Despite this they managed to keep the enemy off balance forcing them to commit forces piecemeal and attrit the enemy forces to the stage where the units were shadows of their former selves. The allies supply situation was result of Patton not capturing the Brittany ports as he was ordered. The Brittany ports were to supply the US troops and the Channel ports were to supply the British and Canadians. The Canadian 1st Army having the task of clearing the ports and took Le Harve, Boulogne and Calais before repositioning and clearing the Scheldt. The broad front strategy was another contributing factor to the supply crisis of autumn 1944.

[@bobhowat640]

I cannot stand the narrative of French surrender and impotence which surrounds WW2; may we honour those brave members of the Resistance who made D-Day possible. Vive la France!

[@ShaithMaster]

Higher ups in France ignored the evolution of warfare and were still thinking of WW1. De Gaulle had the right idea when it came to taking the initiative and actually secured one of the only successes the French had at the battle of Montcornet. Unfortunately, he was mostly ignored. Also the French tanks with the one man turret were doomed to failure even if they had thick armor. The French turtle doctrine was bypassed, see the useless Maginot line.

[@damienthimonier4900]

@@ShaithMaster Maginot wasn't useless ... Belgium make it useless by breaking treaty with France. Maginot was set to be build from German border to North Sea, but Belgium begins to whine about it, so France ask for a treaty where French troops can enter inside Belgium border if the German attacks, so they can take position along the Rhin river. But in 1938, the Belgium government decide to revoke this treaty, they wanted to stay neutral between France and Germany (it works great ...) France tries to fortifies the border as much as they could, but it was too late.

[@leaveme3559]

@@damienthimonier4900 there were also a lot of mistakes by france belgium isn't the only one responsible....

[@Chilavertish]

And the lives of so many civilians were lost in the cause of this crucial delay

[@pyhead9916]

It was not the French people, but French leadership that surrendered so quickly. Frances leadership today is still impotent!

[@mrsupremegascon]

I am from the region (living in Bordeaux, but have family in Limoges). So I visited Oradour sur Glane multiple times. They kept the village as it was found after the massacre, this is quite a sad site and memorial.

[@rogercroft3218]

By this stage of the war, and arguably at all stages of it, there was nothing “brilliantly eccentric” about anything at Bletchley Park. It was highly professional and produced intelligence product on an industrial scale. David Kenyon’s book “Bletchley Park and D-Day” is a very good examination of this.

[@charlesburgoyne-probyn6044]

Well said it had far moved on from the rudimentary stages by 1944

[@JamesFrost74659]

So sad what happened to Alan Turing. What caused him to commit suicide.

[@michaeljackson2838]

About 7ish years ago I had the pleasure of meeting a codebreaker from Bletchley. She was well into her 80's then, and retired here in South Australia. She was thrilled that I knew a bit about the setup there, but her stories were spellbinding. Sadly she has gone now, but the work that she, and so many others did was beyond amazing.

[@robertcottam8824]

@@JamesFrost74659 Such was life for homosexuals. There never were any ‘good old days’. Pip pip.

[@MarktheMole]

I believe Alan Turing was credited with the breaking of Enigma code but was not responsible for the Colossus electronic computer, which decoded the vital D-day German signals, but Bill Tutte and Tommy Flowers deserve all the credit..

[@grf15]

Sensational! This is the first time I've heard about this. The focus was always on D-Day itself and the beach landings. Learning about the other action, especially by the underground, was fascinating.

[@nick21614]

They didn't do much besides get more people killed for no reason. An extra division even if left to travel freely up to Northern France wouldn't have done anything to the invasion.

[@gordonspicer]

Unfortunately is is nowhere comprehensive enough. I have tried to remedy this in my recent comments

[@michaeljackson2838]

So glad this popped up on my feed. We visited Oradour in 2017, and left with emotions shattered. For some reason, I thought the Waffen SS unit was retreating from Normandy, not rushing to engage. I now understand so much more, and having been in the cemetary in Oradour, it shows why man's inhumanity to man, is so profound. Even though the war touched us in Australia, it was a mere drop in the ocean on what Europe, Africa and Asia went through. Will we ever learn?

[@milferdjones2573]

To really fix it will require DNA manipulation to lower or eliminate the Tribalism instinct that makes Chimps and Man fight for no good reason at all. Until then it will be a constant education campaign and attempts at getting people to think with higher brain and not emotions to fight the instinct but thanks to heavy bias caused by the instinct it will be hard effort that is never actually won just holding back the instinct this year.

[@peterperigoe9231]

I've been to Oradour-sur-Glane it has been left as it was ,human ashes in the church, it was chilling.

[@RomanAquila]

The "So-Called Brave" Marquis.... Executed Many German prisoners(upwards of 100), and a High Ranking Officer....Soooooooo "Oradour" was the DIRECT German "Retaliation".....to "the Stupidity" of the half assed Marquis Actions. True examples of "Cause and Effect"....Do something "Extremely Stupid", then Expect to Find your town destroyed and many residents Executed. The Russians were NO different(actually worse), in their foul Occupation of Most of Eastern-Central Europe....Back Then or Now!.

[@BrucknerMotet]

Just another awful example of why the Third Reich had no business ruling anyone including themselves. They couldn't even seek vengeance properly, but instead invariably caved in to their worst craven desires and misanthropic weaknesses. When it came down to applying values to action, they made a horrible mockery of many of the programs for civilization and human values that the Reich propaganda machine kept yammering on about.

[@jebbroham1776]

My great uncle was a panzergrenadier in 2nd SS Panzer Divsion DR and he wrote in his war diary that losing the air war over Europe was the moment that Germany lost the war itself. They were sent to Normandy in May 1944, but all they managed to do was stall the allied advance once they landed, not repel them.

[@gordonspicer]

By the time the remnants arived the Division was decimated and virtually played no part delaying the allied advance. It certainly do NOT "stall" anything !

[@jebbroham1776]

@@gordonspicer For 77 days the Allies went absolutely NOWHERE in Normandy. It took them until mid August just to break out of the Bocage. I'm not saying you're wrong about the division being decimated, it was and he records that in his diary, but to say they didn't stall the advance is straight up FALSE.

[@gordonspicer]

@@jebbroham1776 Max Hastings may disagree with with you. DR played no part sincve it was completely mauled. It had so few servicable tanks & low in munitions. . The men were in poor moral and leaderless. Unless you can inform us what D Day battles they were involved in and when I do not change my assertion.

[@jebbroham1776]

@@gordonspicer I made no mention of their participation on D-day at all in my original comment, only that he was in Normandy with them.

[@thursfield3107]

that's a great commentary of what was going on way south of Normandy, it clearly had a great impact to help ensure breakout east towards Paris. I'm going to watch it again

[@salvadorvizcarra769]

From Dunkirk, at the beginning of World War II, to Normandy, almost at the end, the Allied Armies did not put a single soldier in Germany. Not a single one. The participation of the Allied Forces in Europe was limited to Aerial Bombing. These actions received a lot of publicity to make us believe that the Aerial Bombings were winning the war. But, there is a very long list of Bombing cities by “Mistake”. The bombing of Nijmegen in the Netherlands (February 1944), it occurred when US bombers returning from a failed mission, as occurred in most cases, were looking for "Optional" targets. Nearly 1,000 Dutch civilians were killed by the bombing. It is proven fact that Aerial Bombardment does NOT win wars, unless it’s Atomic. Aerial Bomb't can destroy cities but does NOT destroy armies. If there is any doubt, then Nazi Germany would have defeated England, after nearly a year of bombing, or the US would have won in Korea, Vietnam or Afghanistan. In fact, it wasn't until 1949-50 that Precision Instruments were available for aerial bombardment. Until then, if a bomber hit within 300 or 400 meters of the target, it was considered a "Bullseyes". In night bombing raids, 500 meters off target was then considered a "Perfect Shot". Propaganda has always led us to believe that we, "The Yankees", beat Hitler. But, I have news for you: The US did not win the war against Germany. The Russians won it. The Allied Army of the US, UK, Canada, Belgium and France (and Poland, and other countries), was able to reach Normandy, thanks to the Soviets destroying the Nazis in Stalingrad, Leningrad, in Kurks and in Kiev, in 1943. It took them 289 days but the Russians won and without the help of nobody… OF NOBODY! Normandy was until June 1944, and Mr. “Hollywood” Patton did NOT manage to set foot on Germany until February 1945, when the Red Army was going over Berlin. In Fact, General Patton was able to cross the border into Germany only when the Russians were 150 kilometers from the Oder River (LOL). The Allies were defeated at Arnhem (Market Garden Sep. 25-1944), and at The Battle of the Bulge (Jan. 25-1945). Now, "Operation Varsity" took place near the end of the War (March 1945), and only 85,000 German soldiers fought against almost 700,000 Allied Forces who could NOT cross the Rhine River due to the heroic resistance of an "Army" of 18-year-olds and 50-year-old Reserve Infantry. So, here General Patton was paralyzed without fuel, while the Red Army was preparing for its last offensive into Berlin. Look here: The average age of the German Army that fought in Normandy was between 18 and 24 years old. And these soldiers faced each other in a ratio of 37 to 1, without Tanks, without Artillery, no Navy nor Air Force. To make matters worse, knowing that four Parachute Divisions were inland behind their backs. This was the reason the Allies won in Normandy. Never the less, It took the Allies 8 months to advance only 500 kilometers from Normandy to Arnhem, and from there, start the Withdrawal back to the border of France/Belgium (What?), facing a virtually defeated German Army cuz USSR. It's a Verifiable Fact that is written in all the History Books, that the German High Command surrendered to the Russian Generals six days BEFORE the first US soldier set foot in Berlin.

[@JK-np8dr]

you can't really meme about the french surrender when you had these french resistance fighters with balls of steel that stalled the biggest nazi boss of the whole fight

[@frankvandergoes298]

But they didn,t, just pure fantasy.

[@mrsupremegascon]

@@frankvandergoes298 Like D Day is a fantasy ?

[@frankvandergoes298]

@@mrsupremegascon D Day was realiry. The fantasy is the presumtion that Das Reich was ordered to Normandy on June 6 and was seriously delayed by partisans who allegedly inflicted heavy losses on it. That's the fantasy.

[@colinshearring3934]

Survivors of oradour were involved in the battle of chabanais at the end of July we have a house just outside chabanais and the French locals were immensely brave the popular myth of the French always surrendering is just a caricature of some of the government at the start of the war the local French were heroes

[@rear9259]

@@frankvandergoes298 yeah, cause the German memoirs can be trusted when 90% of them came down to shit talking who ever was in command at the time and dead so they could get jobs advising NATO.

[@hiramabiff2017]

I haven't enjoyed a English speaking narration as good as this since Tim Piggot Smith did the Battlefield series. What a nice treat to come across this channel.

[@projektkobra2247]

Except its AI...and also probably ChatGPT..."Fuhrer thinks this..." uh huh.

[@robcain9324]

It seems to be autotranslated from another language and narration done with ai. The grammar is all wrong

[@apropercuppa8612]

Aha! The Battlefield Series is my all-time favourite Historical documentary for the exact same reason. Tim Piggot Smith has a wonderful way with words, along with all the maps, illustrations and video footage. No dramtisation of any kind. Just information and lots of it.

[@BillBird2111]

@@robcain9324 Hmm, if it's AI it's very good. I didn't catch those grammatical mistakes.

[@kiwifruit27]

A great topic to cover and you did it so well. Thanks

[@DCimmerian]

There's something deeply affecting about how these people absolutely knew they were going to lose these fights and probably die, but they did it anyway because they understood that the sacrifice bought time for the allies to secure their beachheads.

[@sandiagoism]

Most people don’t know the sacrifices made prior to d day or during d day that does not include paratroopers or landing personnel. A lot of people gave everything just to give d day and subsequent days a chance at victory. Knowing this lost history gives you a better idea of how massive the d day landing operation was; from acts of sabotage, espionage, deception, to infantry fighting and finally the landing.

[@pzkw6759]

Having been a student of the WWII since before high school (51 years ago), I knew of the trouble Das Rich had getting to Normandy but not in this much detail. Thank you for sharing.

[@Cjephunneh]

" Down this road on a summer's day, the soldiers came.." the opening of the World at war series, telling the story of the massacre at Oradour sour Glen. "They never rebuilt Oradour. Its monument stands for the martyrdom of thousands of villages in Russia, in China, in Greece, in Burma, in a world at war"

[@spudpud-T67]

That was a very somber episode. I heard it so long ago and you reminded me like it was yesterday. World at War.

[@fredvaladez3542]

Wow. What a great narration, script, and animation. Best job I have seen in a long time and absolutely fascinating.

[@TheWarline]

Thank you

[@bobbytellez7246]

Wow, I knew the Maqui had a significant hand in helping the invasion and keeping the Nazis at bay. But never knew how much and at what cost the French paid in lives…”Vive la France”

[@seandezart8294]

Very interesting to know the background behind the Das Reich move north via Tulle and Oradour, both of which I visited and learnt of the atrocities comitted there.

[@seandezart8294]

Been there....not a bird sung that day I was there - very eerie ! @@AndyCapt893

[@papapabs175]

Max Hasting wrote a very good account of Das Reich’s March through France.

[@adamrozsa9923]

Trying not to defend the nazis, but thinking with the average hans soldier's head a little, if any french civilian have a chance to be a resistance fighter, that will shoot you on the spot, you either kill some inocents, or let yourself be killed, when civilians and combat troops and not clearly distinguished, inocents die, and the allies and the germans are both to blame

[@ahram9896]

I guess the germans thought the children were resistance fighters@@adamrozsa9923

[@Brslld]

​@@adamrozsa9923A dilemma, commonly faced by an invading and occupying force. You invade a country, you get to face resistance. Only the germans can be blamed for this. Not the allies, and certainly not the french.

[@southwestsideandy]

No way one division could stop the invasion. Bottom line on June 6th US, UK and Canada landed 9 divisions. The battle was settled on that day

[@ppumpkin3282]

Thank you for posting this story. It deserves more recognition for the sacrifices made. Also thanks for not adding the usual music background.

[@2kt2000]

That was an EXTREMELY well done video w narration and of course MAPS!...You've forced me to sub. Thank You!

[@ShrekLorrain]

The turning point was the second half of 1942 with the battles of El-Alamein in October, and Stalingrad between November 1942 and January 1943 and Midway in June 1942. It was the beginning of the end. But in his madness, Hitler wanted to fight with the last German and burn Germany with him. The German generals knew the real capabilities of the German army. They tried to kill Hitler but unfortunately failed on July 20, 1944. In 1944. The Allies ruled the sky in Normandy and this operation could not fail. The Das Reich division could not change the course of the Battle of Normandy and the war. The actions of the resistance considerably slowed down the progress of this SS division and with other actions (bridges, telephone lines, railways were destroyed...) behind the front line and pressure on the allied forces in Normandy had become weaker. We must remember the enormous losses among French civilians (bombings, deaths in deportation, murders in retaliation and killed in combat). Do not forget their sacrifice against Nazi barbarism and for freedom and all those who have suffered Nazi occupation and persecution throughout Europe.

[@matthewbatchelor5084]

Really good videos Love these less common topics getting some attention

[@annex3762]

What an incredible story I knew nothing about, thank you for making this video

[@RUHappyATM]

The unsung heroes of Operation Overlord. We hear a lot about Band of Brothers and celebrates them, but imagine how small mobs of civilian-soldiers delayed the German counterattacks.

[@UKCountryball138]

Thank you for making this!

[@TheWarline]

No problem 😊

[@daniellebcooper7160]

great video on one of the more unknown battles of Normandy. It was deserving of being the opening for the classic BBC series 'world at war'.

[@richardwyse7817]

chilling intro in "World at War" yes.

[@SEAL341]

Thames Television, not BBC, but I get the point.

[@Cjephunneh]

Lawrence Olivier made the unforgettable narration

[@Hillbilly001]

Well done. A change of pace from the Naval vids. Excellent stuff. Cheers from Tennessee

[@TheWarline]

Thanks 👍

[@Hillbilly001]

@@TheWarline No, no. Thank you. It was brilliant. Cheers

[@Rusty_Gold85]

Im from South Australia .I watched this too

[@leaningforward5294]

The transition you made into your cyber-security add read was fantastic.

[@JohnnyNorfolk]

It shows the French people reacted far better than the French state.

[@danis-nd1ik]

roosevelt soutenait vichy !

[@timfriesen3079]

Shhhhh

[@deanforward9226]

Thank you for the Canadian Red Ensign on the map. 99.9% of You Tubers put in the 1965 Flag which has no relevance whatsoever when the video is about WW 1, WW 2 or Korea.

[@neilritson7445]

The Maple Leaf flag was a sop to De Gaulle who wanted Canada back as part of the Frech 'Empire'! Quebec Libre! he shouted. Why? We saved France.

[@sv5813]

Yeah? Now the Canadian Military can’t support a training contingent in the Baltics/Poland…pretty pathetic!

[@mapleveritas2698]

@@neilritson7445No. Google Suez Canal crisis. With the Union Jack on the flag itself, Canada was not considered a honest broker.

[@lukestrachan3677]

Federal government has declared it a hate symbol now.

[@vincentlefebvre9255]

​@@neilritson7445 Come on you know nothing about history. De Gaulle came in 67 and the new flag was official in 64.

[@abdihassan7208]

Incredible video. You have enlightened me about a topic i once thought i knew much about!

[@82dorrin]

Das Reich's push to the north was like a road trip with friends where everything goes wrong. Your cars break down. Several times. The places you planned to visit are all closed/super crowded. Someone's dog get a bad case of diarrhea.

[@1969biohazard]

Excellent story. I’ve been studying WWII history my entire military career. However, I always learned something new.

[@FreGZile]

great video, as a Frenchman, I knew about Oradour but not the whole context and resistance actions that were the origin behind it. It's crazy to think that the SS led by pure hatred and revenge lost so much time in fighting the maquis and organizing massacres when their comrades in Normandy were waiting for support, how stupid and tragic at the same time.

[@gruntforever7437]

psychotic thugs will always act that way

[@Simon-vv3kl]

@@gruntforever7437i mean the maquis tortured soldiers en masse and committed war crimes, both sides are at fault

[@matthuber9925]

​​@@gruntforever7437 funny thing is, if you had lived in those times, you very likely would have been one of the psychotic thugs.

[@L_Train]

Read about the Jedburgh teams who parachuted into Eurpoe to help coordinate and resupply the Maquis. They also planned and executed sabotage and diect action missions. Tommy MacPherson, noted in the video, was one. A good book is Colin Beavans The Jedburghs.

[@robintasker9078]

It was not just Turin please acknowledge the other brilliant people at Station X.

[@SmilingIbis]

The story of Das Reich sounds just like recurring nightmares I had as a child. I had to go to school and I forgot this or that and could never get going and then en route I'd be distracted by things I forgot or ran into...

[@CimbomFanFiction]

Lmao yes. They were probably also unable to squeeze their triggers as theywere too heavy and when they ran it felt like they were stuxk in mud

[@GGdeTOURS37]

If you ever know the number of young French resistants who died under torture WITHOUT speaking including many young women) : You would be very surprised!

[@michaelwoehl8822]

Always wondered what was happening behind the lines in France during this time, thanks for the information. Nice job.

[@alexamerling79]

The bravery of the Maquis came at a cost. Tulle and Oradour.

[@arvi7281]

please make part 2 of this. What town did the allies captured next? How did the germans fought with das reich finally reassembled? We need part two!

[@csabaszep8162]

Nothing that the Germans had could have stopped that invasion after the first day's landings. It may have taken longer but the allies would have done what they always did and drown the Wehrmacht in airstrikes.

[@jimwelke1286]

People tend to forget the naval guns off shore. Any tank column operating within range of the big guns of the battleships would have been cut to pieces.

[@jonathanfell688]

Nonsense. Had British Intelligence not fooled them that the landings were a bluff and the real invasion was still coming in Calais, then the Nazis could have unleashed all the Panzer Divisions around Calais. The Allies would not have got onto the beaches let alone off them. Stick to video games.

[@Cjephunneh]

Rommell knew that very well, and repeatedly tried to convince Hitler to keep the Panzers close to the shores.

[@ShrekLorrain]

A tribute to the French resistance and innocent French civilians killed brutally by these fanatical nazis, during this war, and especially in 1944.

[@coach1336]

One of the most useful tasks given to the maquis was to cut telephone wires. This forced the Germans to use radios to communicate and enabled the interceptors in the UK to listen in.

[@ShrekLorrain]

Yes but not only, the maquis destroyed many railways and bridges in the summer of 1944 and managed to stop and capture a German division, the column of Elster on September 10, 1944 (15 000 nazi soldiers). And remember, the maquis gave London a lot of information about German units, their movements and the fortifications of the Atlantic.@@coach1336

[@AbsurdityViewer]

most history buffs are aware of the crime at Oradour sur Glane but not aware of the back story; thank you for this very good video presentation.

[@adamboydenfromesomerset]

Yes I remember the massacre of the whole village of Oradour Sur Glane at the start of The World At War. Pure evil

[@richardbays1311]

@@adamboydenfromesomerset Pure Evil: So was deliberately burning alive a captive German officer by the Maquis. That triggered this horrific reprisal.

[@philipb2134]

Thank you for acknowledging the combat by the Resistance / maquis. In much of suffering Europe, Partisan/Patriot combat behind the lines had been crucial to achieving an earlier Victory, but is not often given its badges of honour.

[@MegaMark0000]

1:56 The muzzle breaks are sideways and it doesn't bother me as much as the fact I am immediately aware of this fact.

[@danskkr]

This would make the best war film or netflix show

[@knackerEv]

Refreshing to see a video that tells what happened, without a lot of might have happened. All while not taking an encampment on either side. I also liked how there wasn't a lot of speculation on any gray areas of knowledge.

[@Grow5ft]

Excellent video. Had me hooked from second one.

[@peteralflat281]

The best book i have read about the French resistance is "Cruel Victory" by Paddy Ashdown. It is simultaneously an inspiring and heartbreaking of very brave resistance fighters.

[@ShrekLorrain]

Hitler had already lost, having declaring war on the USSR and the USA. The industrial strenght makes the difference and the mass population too. In 1944, the Allies controlled the sky. At the end 1942, it was already over. It was just a question of time. Two years of long agony for nazis.

[@neilritson7445]

Hardly 'over' - you are missing the service and pain of millions. My Uncle served in 48 Commando on Walcheren Island attacks. 80% casualties.

[@ShrekLorrain]

Yes, the last two years were the deadliest. The beast didn't want to surrender alive but the hope of winning for Hitler's regime disappeared day after day when the USA was at war .@@neilritson7445

[@ShrekLorrain]

A tribute to those civilians who were brutally killed and those soldiers who gave their lives for freedom. We must hope that the beast will not be reborn.@@neilritson7445

[@ShrekLorrain]

I whished to explain that Das Reich division could not change the battle of Normandy in 1944. British and US ruled the sky and destroyed Hitler's armoured vehicles easily in Normandy. But Hitler didn't accept this new defeat for his country and preferred to fight until the last German soldier. German's army could not win against US and UK together. British VIIIth army of Montgomery defeated AfrikaKorps in Al-Alamein in Lybia on october 1942 and it was the beginning of the end. After the D-Day, german's generals knew that was the end and so they tried to kill Hitler on July 20th 1944 but they failed unfortunately.@@neilritson7445

[@BajanEnglishman51]

I beg to differ 1944 the German war machine actually produced the most amount of planes for the entire war

[@Handi2478]

I wasn’t aware of these details of the Normandy Invasion. I had no idea that it was so close to failing should the reinforcements have arrived earlier in force.

[@Rusty_Gold85]

That would make a great Movie but it wont get done cause it doesn't involve Americans

[@charlesbland1073]

Excellent narration.

[@NickGillings-vf3ye]

Max Hastings wrote a great book about the Das Reich and its long march up to Normandy, the harassing by the Maquis , its terrible reprisals on French civilians and its final reckoning in Normandy.

[@salvadorvizcarra769]

From Dunkirk, at the beginning of World War II, to Normandy, almost at the end, the Allied Armies did not put a single soldier in Germany. Not a single one. The participation of the Allied Forces in Europe was limited to Aerial Bombing. These actions received a lot of publicity to make us believe that the Aerial Bombings were winning the war. But, there is a very long list of Bombing cities by “Mistake”. The bombing of Nijmegen in the Netherlands (February 1944), it occurred when US bombers returning from a failed mission, as occurred in most cases, were looking for "Optional" targets. Nearly 1,000 Dutch civilians were killed by the bombing. It is proven fact that Aerial Bombardment does NOT win wars, unless it’s Atomic. Aerial Bomb't can destroy cities but does NOT destroy armies. If there is any doubt, then Nazi Germany would have defeated England, after nearly a year of bombing, or the US would have won in Korea, Vietnam or Afghanistan. In fact, it wasn't until 1949-50 that Precision Instruments were available for aerial bombardment. Until then, if a bomber hit within 300 or 400 meters of the target, it was considered a "Bullseyes". In night bombing raids, 500 meters off target was then considered a "Perfect Shot". Propaganda has always led us to believe that we, "The Yankees", beat Hitler. But, I have news for you: The US did not win the war against Germany. The Russians won it. The Allied Army of the US, UK, Canada, Belgium and France (and Poland, and other countries), was able to reach Normandy, thanks to the Soviets destroying the Nazis in Stalingrad, Leningrad, in Kurks and in Kiev, in 1943. It took them 289 days but the Russians won and without the help of nobody… OF NOBODY! Normandy was until June 1944, and Mr. “Hollywood” Patton did NOT manage to set foot on Germany until February 1945, when the Red Army was going over Berlin. In Fact, General Patton was able to cross the border into Germany only when the Russians were 150 kilometers from the Oder River (LOL). The Allies were defeated at Arnhem (Market Garden Sep. 25-1944), and at The Battle of the Bulge (Jan. 25-1945). Now, "Operation Varsity" took place near the end of the War (March 1945), and only 85,000 German soldiers fought against almost 700,000 Allied Forces who could NOT cross the Rhine River due to the heroic resistance of an "Army" of 18-year-olds and 50-year-old Reserve Infantry. So, here General Patton was paralyzed without fuel, while the Red Army was preparing for its last offensive into Berlin. Look here: The average age of the German Army that fought in Normandy was between 18 and 24 years old. And these soldiers faced each other in a ratio of 37 to 1, without Tanks, without Artillery, no Navy nor Air Force. To make matters worse, knowing that four Parachute Divisions were inland behind their backs. This was the reason the Allies won in Normandy. Never the less, It took the Allies 8 months to advance only 500 kilometers from Normandy to Arnhem, and from there, start the Withdrawal back to the border of France/Belgium (What?), facing a virtually defeated German Army cuz USSR. It's a Verifiable Fact that is written in all the History Books, that the German High Command surrendered to the Russian Generals six days BEFORE the first US soldier set foot in Berlin.

[@projektkobra2247]

Thanks for using the real flag of Canada as was used in 1944.

[@robrussell5329]

The Brits played cricket. The Yanks... baseball. The Canadians... hockey. Maybe that explains it.

[@tommyhaynes9157]

I thought I knew everything about WW2 and D day but I didn't know this . Amazing how smart, organized and determine the allies and the Maquis were

[@johnking6252]

I've read of many parts of this story, you have stitched them together very informativly in relation to the invasion 👍 thx. It's the little tales from history that makes it more...... interesting?

[@Ramboost007]

It's kind of funny that the tank division that was supposed to support the D-Day defense kept being distracted by doing war crimes

[@noahdegraaf8625]

Pls make more of these styled videos, this is the best ww2 video ive seen in the past 10 months!

[@TheWarline]

Working on it..

[@Barney_Wharam]

incredible bravery from some French heroes not known enough about in the UK. Great vid.

[@tommonk7651]

The French Resistance was incredibly brave. Check out Army of Shadows, a movie by Jean-Pierre Melville, who himself was in the Resistance and used some of his experiences along with others in the movie.

[@AnimatedWarMapper]

Very well made mate! Keep up the great content!

[@TheWarline]

Thanks a lot! I appreciate your support!

[@pascoett]

If the first two tank divisions failed, the third one arriving later couldn’t have changed the outcome at Normandy. Total air and sea superiority was already in place from day 1 and we’re talking about D-Day+3 at the very best. By 1944 half of Italy had gone too and everybody saw the end of the Reich looming at the horizon and more people started to act and fight against them. The Germans could have only won if the Allies landed in the midst of them.

[@tonyadeney1245]

spent a week touring D day area - if you have the time and enjoy history well worth a visit ... does get busy in summer and best book accomodation slightly away from the coast hire car is easy // which you need as it is a huge area and difficult to appreciate unless you are there ..

[@tommyhaynes9157]

This is a very important part of the D- Day story I was not aware of and I expect many people aren't aware of

[@charlesharper2357]

Placing this division so far from any likely landing place was a daft mistake.

[@ghostdivision7]

They where at a likely landing place. The Germans feared that the Allies would invade southern France from sea. Which actually happened one month later (operation Dragoon).

[@charlesharper2357]

@@ghostdivision7 Thanks...I'll look into it further.

[@wulfhart2653]

they were 24hours away without the french resistance factor

[@Pakal77]

Rebuilding a Panzer division near the enmy treat would be a daft mistake too.

[@johnwhite2576]

they needed to regroup beyond allied air forces, which by june had air dominance/

[@stephenhill545]

These were some of the international heroes of D-Day Richi Sunak failed to honour when he left Normandy to do a TV interview with ITN, which will go out Wednesday.

[@jimmycburfield5997]

Vie Le France! Courageous stuff. The French resistance were amazing and should not be forgotten. It would be a fantastic film. Very Good Wonderful video of immense importance

[@Al-Rudigor]

Dude parachuted into enemy territory, in a kilt. 😂😂😂 He gave them quite the show.

[@robertmorey4104]

Very interesting, great graphics and maps! Brave maquis held up the best german division.

[@RedlandShed]

Brilliant. Never heard this story before. Eloquently done.

[@Banana_Split_Cream_Buns]

I felt like I was watching a movie. Well done!

[@davef8345]

You barely mentioned the massacre at Gabaudet, in fact there were a total of 36 resistance fighters and 4 civilians killed, either summarily executed or died in deportation. The intervention had taken 71 prisoners. There were also several missing persons. The farmhouse at Gabaudet was destroyed and never rebuilt , a memorial monument was erected there. The neighbouring hamlet of Donnadieu was also destroyed and a farmer shot while releasing his sheep from a barn that the SS were going to burn. Donnadieu was rebuilt after the war.

[@luketimewalker]

FANTASTIC!!! This Frenchman salutes your incredible work.

[@benjaminheath9329]

Kudos to you and your channel! I was watching this thinking it was some huge channel with an equally huge production budget 😮. Looking forward to see more!

[@TheWarline]

Wow, thank you!

[@coinkcoink4851]

My grand mother was 12, living west of Caen. Theses 2weeks are of course engraved in her memory. She always talk about how they feared the das reich counter offensive and how oradour massacre was a hard signal for civilians. Luckily allies took over just in time. The bocage fight with das reich took place just outside their village

[@evanh.9420]

I love the shift of here’s there’s incredibly dangerous elite SS tank battalion with panthers to “what’s scarier then that? Online scammers!”

[@rb2287]

This was a First Class video! Well done and PLEASE keep them coming. I learned SO much which helps me to better understand and appreciate the sacrifices the Maquis AND the French civilians endured during this terrible war. Once you mentioned the breaking of Enigma, I had an "ah-ha" moment. The Germans had already lost the war. They just didn't know it. As a suggestion, maybe you can do a video on strategic deception and how it played a vital role during this war.

[@wleeclark7696]

Reprisals by the French for partisan attacks: One of the most iconic paintings to depict the horrors of war is Francisco Goya’s The Third of May 1808, which depicts an incident during the Peninsular War against Napoleon in Spain.The nighttime scene of a group of Spanish civilians facing execution by a French firing squad was remarkable for its time, being utterly devoid of the patriotic glorification of war that characterized most contemporary war art. Goya based the painting on reprisals the French army carried out against citizens of Madrid in the wake of the Dos de Mayo Uprising against Napoleon’s occupation forces. . . .These were exactly the arguments made in both American and British concepts of laws of war well into the 20th century. As the American Rules of land Warfare on the eve of the Second World War stated “…commanding officers must assume responsibility for retaliative measures when an unscrupulous enemy leaves no other recourse against the repetition of barbarous outrages.” The British Manual of Military Law of the same era declared that reprisals “are by custom admissible as an indispensable means of securing legitimate warfare.” In a nutshell, taking reprisals seems to have been legal during WWII then declared illegal by the victors as to the defeated afterwards . . . For an indepth analysis, read F.J.P. Veale's books on WWII and war crimes - such as "Advance to Barbarism" and "Crimes Discreetly Veiled"

[@JamesFrost74659]

I did not know this. Thank you, well done.

[@frankvandergoes298]

There are a lot of inaccuracies here. June 6 D Day along with a Partisan uprising in France. Combat ready elements of Das Reich were placed on 24hr alert. On June 7 they were ordered to depart June 8 to the area of Tulle, Brive, Limoges to put down a Partisan uprising, they were not ordered to Normandy. The entire Division did NOT travel, about 8,000 men stayed behind in Montauban, lack of training, equipment and especially vehicles. At Tulle they found the decapitated bodies of 42 German soldiers at the town rubbish tip. Plus a former Partisan has just led authorities to the burial site of another 48 German prisoners + 1 female French collaborator who were murdered after being captured at Tulle. In reprisal the Germans hanged 99 Partisans. After Oradour sur Glane there were no further Partisan attacks. The Division was ordered to proceed to Normandy on June 12, wheeled elements leaving on June 13 arriving June 16. When it arrived in Normandy June 13-19 Division Das Reich was placed in Army reserve as they thought it was not needed. During June/July when the follow up units travelled from Montauban to Normandy there was No interference from Partisans

[@phlm9038]

"Plus a former Partisan has just led authorities to the burial site of another 48 German prisoners + 1 female French collaborator who were murdered after being captured at Tulle. In reprisal the Germans hanged 99 Partisans." Inaccuracies in what you say here : The 99 people in Tulle were hanged on 9 June 1944. The German prisoners were executed on 12 June 1944. Thus the executions of the German prisoners were in reprisal of the hanging of the people in Tulle. Many of them had nothing to do with the partisans.

[@TheReturn26]

Viva la FRANCE!! I've always wanted to hear more about the French Resistance, awesome video! Thanks.

[@glenngiles7307]

Maquis - amazing bravery.

[@Chilavertish]

Have never heard of this before. Amazing to think that without this delay the d day invasions may have been a failure

[@salvadorvizcarra769]

From Dunkirk, at the beginning of World War II, to Normandy, almost at the end, the Allied Armies did not put a single soldier in Germany. Not a single one. The participation of the Allied Forces in Europe was limited to Aerial Bombing. These actions received a lot of publicity to make us believe that the Aerial Bombings were winning the war. But, there is a very long list of Bombing cities by “Mistake”. The bombing of Nijmegen in the Netherlands (February 1944), it occurred when US bombers returning from a failed mission, as occurred in most cases, were looking for "Optional" targets. Nearly 1,000 Dutch civilians were killed by the bombing. It is proven fact that Aerial Bombardment does NOT win wars, unless it’s Atomic. Aerial Bomb't can destroy cities but does NOT destroy armies. If there is any doubt, then Nazi Germany would have defeated England, after nearly a year of bombing, or the US would have won in Korea, Vietnam or Afghanistan. In fact, it wasn't until 1949-50 that Precision Instruments were available for aerial bombardment. Until then, if a bomber hit within 300 or 400 meters of the target, it was considered a "Bullseyes". In night bombing raids, 500 meters off target was then considered a "Perfect Shot". Propaganda has always led us to believe that we, "The Yankees", beat Hitler. But, I have news for you: The US did not win the war against Germany. The Russians won it. The Allied Army of the US, UK, Canada, Belgium and France (and Poland, and other countries), was able to reach Normandy, thanks to the Soviets destroying the Nazis in Stalingrad, Leningrad, in Kurks and in Kiev, in 1943. It took them 289 days but the Russians won and without the help of nobody… OF NOBODY! Normandy was until June 1944, and Mr. “Hollywood” Patton did NOT manage to set foot on Germany until February 1945, when the Red Army was going over Berlin. In Fact, General Patton was able to cross the border into Germany only when the Russians were 150 kilometers from the Oder River (LOL). The Allies were defeated at Arnhem (Market Garden Sep. 25-1944), and at The Battle of the Bulge (Jan. 25-1945). Now, "Operation Varsity" took place near the end of the War (March 1945), and only 85,000 German soldiers fought against almost 700,000 Allied Forces who could NOT cross the Rhine River due to the heroic resistance of an "Army" of 18-year-olds and 50-year-old Reserve Infantry. So, here General Patton was paralyzed without fuel, while the Red Army was preparing for its last offensive into Berlin. Look here: The average age of the German Army that fought in Normandy was between 18 and 24 years old. And these soldiers faced each other in a ratio of 37 to 1, without Tanks, without Artillery, no Navy nor Air Force. To make matters worse, knowing that four Parachute Divisions were inland behind their backs. This was the reason the Allies won in Normandy. Never the less, It took the Allies 8 months to advance only 500 kilometers from Normandy to Arnhem, and from there, start the Withdrawal back to the border of France/Belgium (What?), facing a virtually defeated German Army cuz USSR. It's a Verifiable Fact that is written in all the History Books, that the German High Command surrendered to the Russian Generals six days BEFORE the first US soldier set foot in Berlin.

[@jwiles545]

Fascinating story, and the first time I have heard it. The actions of the resistance were magnificent. And the commander of the division was a fool for wasting time with retribution when his division was needed at Normandy. That being said, I don't think a single division would have stopped the invasion at that point. The Allies were pouring men ashore at an ever-increasing rate and the breakout was only a matter of time.

[@frankvandergoes298]

The division was not ordered to Normandy, totally false. Remember this unit was under reconstruction and training, lacked men, weapons and vehicles. On June 7 D+1 combat ready elements were ordered to proceed to the area Tulle Brive Limoges to put down a partisan uprising, leaving June 8.. This they did very effectively. They were only ordered to Normandy on June 11. About 8,000 men remained behind in Montauban due to lack of training, equipment and especially vehicles, these followed later.

[@jwiles545]

Your comment is confusing. In your first sentence, you say that the division not ordered to Normandy, then later you say they were. I assume you meant they were not ordered to Normandy until the 11th. But this story got me interested in Hasting's book. Per Hastings, they actually were ordered to begin the move to Normandy on the 7th, but via several different routes that changed on occasion.

[@frankvandergoes298]

@@jwiles545 Max Hastings, page 97. On the morning of June 7 Army Group G ordered 2nd SS Panzer Division Das Reich is to deploy to the Tulle - Limoges area where substantial formations of gangs appear to be gathered They departed June 8 for Tulle - Limoges, not Normandy. After quelling the partisan uprising they were ordered to Normandy on June 12, departing June 13. Upon arrival in Normandy they were placed in Army Group Reserve as it was thought they were not needed. These dates are confirmed in History of Das Reich volume 5 and comrades to the End, history of Der Fuhrer Regiment.

[@PacoOtis]

I'm a Vietnam vet and got to see the ugliness of war, but nothing compared to what the Marquis went through. Best of luck to all of us.

[@chadparsons50]

Kampfe was put to death, not murdered.

[@neilritson7445]

I edited Wikipedia to change 'executed' to 'murdered' when it described the massacre of US POWs. This however is more like an execution.You take issue with ONE example of retribution but not the thousands of innocents murdered by the German army.@@jamesmarkey5946

[@marcuscicero4372]

And he was executed after the Oradour massacre, not before. Guingouin ordered his execution after he learnt about the massacre.

[@oliverklosov5153]

I just learned a lot! Thank you for this history lesson.

[@arnarninson4413]

It took the whole world to defeat the Nazis!! the littlest actions taken be everyday human beings Defeated the Nazis!!!! those who stand up to bullies will always have my ❤ and my and my support!!!! Never back down to Bullies regardless of the Time you live in!

[@kkkkjjjj8113]

nope...... it was defeated only by soviets

[@applesandgrapesfordinner4626]

​@@kkkkjjjj8113It was a collaborative effort. No one carries the whole thing.

[@kkkkjjjj8113]

why not @@applesandgrapesfordinner4626

[@Someone-vq6jk]

The "bullies" were the allies

[@applesandgrapesfordinner4626]

@Someone-vq6jk Bro, Hitler literally started the war.