Who were Germany’s Forgotten Elite Division? 116th Panzer Division | WWII

[@Brigadewolf]

My great grandfather was assigned to this division after he left afrika. I have his ID disk. It's awesome to learn more about this division

[@historyatwar]

Amazing! Very interesting division

[@John-se4nw]

He was that's great you have his id disk wow that's awesome cool tale dude

[@jurgenmachulla6208]

Deutsche Helden lm Einsatz💪schlimm das die Sieger infame Lügen über sie verbreiten,😡

[@fratersol]

Mine too buddy. . What's your great grandfather's name?

[@tillytilford2158]

I was on a battlefield study with the British Army about 20 years ago. On walking through a small town on the edge of the hurtgen forest on the German/Belgian, an old man slowly walked to a car that have the 116th Div badge on its boot lid. I just smiled and nodded to the gentleman but how I wish now I had spoken to him. He carried himself like a veteran and those that know, know.

[@historyatwar]

Wow! He must of moved there after the war.

[@tillytilford2158]

@@historyatwar Vossenack was the town. I couldn’t remember it earlier. He may have always been from there, who knows. I wish I’d spoken to him.

[@raymow9683]

Windhund (Greyhound) division.

[@historyatwar]

Another Interesting point we forgot to point out, most of the soldiers in this Division were veterans from Stalingrad and fall blau offensive, these men have seen years and years of the toughest fighting.

[@raymow9683]

Correct; I believe from the 60th motorized pulled out during the fighting at Stalingrad before the encirclement.

[@DerSchleier]

For those unfamiliar with the battle for Stalingrad simply envision Hades on Earth. Anyone surviving that battle survived a protracted hand-to-hand/close combat exchange not experienced by anyone since.

[@Haeuptling_Bunte_Murmel]

In May 2016 i found the last FieldHQ of the 116th in the Eastern Ruhrpocket, south of Dortmund. Therefore i found the Remains of their Enigma Chiffre Machine. During my 17 Years of detecting WW2 Artefacts in the Ruhrpocket, i also found two of their Cap Badges. Greetings from Germany 😊

[@Haeuptling_Bunte_Murmel]

@jonathans9537 Thanks for your Comment. Since i deleted 90% of my Videos, i only have the Karaoke Song "I'm just a little Digger", where i used the Enigma Remains as Background. 😁👍🏻 Greetz 😊👋🏻

[@burkinafaso64]

​@@Haeuptling_Bunte_Murmel Krass, sehr spannend. Kann man dich irgendwo kontaktieren um genaueres zu erfahren? Ich war selbst schon einmal in diesem Bachtal spazieren, konnte aber mit bloßem Auge keine Spuren entdecken.

[@AntiDefizitSyndrom]

My Grandfather was one of them, right from the first days to their last, as he survived the war. I can hardly express how much I appreciate you honoring him and all his many fallen comrades

[@historyatwar]

It’s our pleasure, they are just soldiers doing their duty! 🤝

[@giancarlogarlaschi4388]

Fair Play Sir . Klaus, My Father in Law , was German ( Hamburg ) , a fine True Gentleman. Kindest Regards First Lieutenant ( Ret ) Air Force of Chile

[@SteveSmith-kf9on]

Would have loved to have met the Gentleman! Respect

[@gerrykennedy7849]

The Greyhounds my Heroes!

[@sabahtaha1746]

my grandfather served as a lt with f marshal lehman von sanders staff in ww1 bestowed 1st nd 2nd class iron cross fr bravery

[@garyhardison9265]

A underrated division that fought like an elite division but never got recognition.

[@raymow9683]

They weren't out fought..... just outnumbered.

[@pzkw6759]

true

[@Clancy192]

Either way, they lost!

[@pzkw6759]

@@Clancy192 Yes, that's true. But they gave as good as they got

[@gordonfleming458]

Yeah the Slavs kicked you arse

[@jeroenvandenberg5750]

Very well put; Germany's tragedy-"they bit off more than they could chew"

[@Stueber84]

My great grandfather was the commander of the 60th Panzergrenadier Regiment. his regiment was assigned to the 116th. Thanks for the informing video.

[@burkinafaso64]

Was Zander or Voigtsberger your great grandfather? Did you or your family inherit something from his years in the war?

[@Stueber84]

@@burkinafaso64 It was Zander. Sadly no as far as I know. He never received the Knights cross since he was captured before it could be handed to him. Perhaps my Grandmother has other things of him but none that I know of.

[@The-Shadow-Realm]

The manner in which they fought to hold “Festung Aachen” and then going on the offensive during Unternehmen Wacht am Rhein was almost unmatched in terms of combat prowess. I’d go as far to say that they and the Grossdeustchland Panzer Corps were the two finest units of the Heer!

[@michaelram3411]

Respect and eternal glory from Turkey to the glorious german army.Unfortunately the glorious german army was extremely outnumbered by its enemies

[@davidbarr9343]

URA Tube and a Plonker, are you Richard Cranium in disguise?

[@michaelram3411]

@@davidbarr9343 who is he?

[@kiowhatta1]

Turkey could and should have entered the war during the Fall Blau campaign-ensuring the conquest of the Caucasus without needing to March more than a few dozen miles. It could have struck between the border with Iran ( also blocking British and Soviet troops stationed on the border) and the Caucasus mountains. Army group A was desperately short of infantry division’s so a pincer move involving Turkey in the south moving up through the Georgian and Ossetian military roads towards Army group A would have surrounded the Soviet forces of the Transcaucasia front. Additionally Turkey could have provided a perfect base for supplies as well as challenging the Black Sea Fleet. Turkey and Russia had been fighting for centuries so why get cold feet at the most opportune moment? Turkey’s entry would have tipped the balance and also enabled Caucasian oil to be shipped through Turkey. Such a disappointment, though I understand they weren’t ready for war.

[@kiowhatta1]

Talk about hyperbole! Sounds like a poetic memorial to the division rather than a sequence of facts. Completely left out the divisions split into both the 16th Pz and 16 mot. The 16th mot peculiar involvement in Fall Blau where it was the only force holding the yawning gap between Army group B and Army group A at Elista. It also carried out reconnaissance in force towards Astrakhan and achieved the greatest advance East into Soviet Russia.

[@daviddalton9214]

Glorious my foot.😊

[@asullivan4047]

Interesting and informative. Excellent photography job enabling viewers to better understand what/whom the orator was describing. Professional class A research project!!! Fortunately for the allies. The 116th slowly ran out of supplies/preventing much higher allied casualty rates.

[@voroshilov3916]

Your channel posts the best videos of divisions on the Eastern Front hands down. Great work.

[@historyatwar]

Thank you!

[@davecopp9356]

Respect and RIP for this german soldiers.

[@garylabita8843]

I’ve been to the divisional cemetery in the Hurtgenwald. Feldmarschall Model is buried there.

[@RandyLahey-x2s]

You should cover Herman Goring Panzer Division in one of your videos.

[@ransommeade3325]

They for quite the warriors, always outnumbered but never backing down!!

[@stearinlys1000]

Small error in commentary. The 116th Panzer Division "Windhund" did not have "Bloody Bucket" as a secondary nickname (0:14 in video). That nickname was given to the US 28th Infantry Division en.wikipedia.org/wiki/28th_Infantry_Division_(United_States)

[@historyatwar]

If was given to them during the Battle of Hurtgen, you are correct. It was given due the divisions heavy casualties in the battle, both of them deserve this name, the battle was ferocious, but yeah our mistake it was for the 28th Infantry Division, not the 116th division.

[@pat5882]

Yes, the Pennsylvania 28ID. Their insignia was the Keystone and it was red.

[@rcgunner7086]

@@historyatwar The "Bloody Buckets" of the 28th would face them, the Windhunds, at least twice- in the Hurtgen at Schmidt and down south for the Bulge.

[@chipmunkhunt]

28the ID earned it's reputation as the bloody bucket division. I served with the 28th.

[@Sirilere]

Outstanding! I look forward to seeing you folks do one on the 3rd Panzergrenadier Division.

[@georgeohwell7988]

Fantastic video...thank you

[@BrianHayter-zl2uc]

To all the brave men who fought in the war, thankyou for your service,🙏🙏🙏🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺👍👍👍

[@jimrutherford2773]

The soldiers on both sides were brave.

[@sebbonxxsebbon6824]

Both served evil leaders.

[@eijijivjiv]

​@sebbonxxsebbon6824 who the British and Americans?

[@michaelstudd533]

Another brilliant video

[@jimkennedy7050]

Rommel had a great fondness of Geronimo and it came out in a book written about him called the desert fox.

[@oscarmadison8530]

Extraordinary and insightful.

[@giancarlogarlaschi4388]

A Soldier is a Soldier ... and then we have The Germans.

[@melissawilkinson2636]

The Warriors

[@AngelicaPetersson-jj1rd]

THE best army in THE world

[@davidbarr9343]

Hmm, I think you mean the Japanese.

[@davidbarr9343]

@@AngelicaPetersson-jj1rd At the time, although the atrocities cannot be forgotten.

[@AngelicaPetersson-jj1rd]

@@davidbarr9343 THE russians was worse THE killed a lot of ukrainiens No One talks about that

[@schwatzy6362]

An uncle of mine was killed there at Aachen. An SS Tiger tank commander, I believe part of the 507 but may have been transferred to another division after the refit. He had survived over two years on the Eastern front. His Battalion was sent back to Germany for refit and then assigned to the Western front. While on a recovery mission to retrieve a broken-down Tiger, he suffered a shrapnel wound to the head. He was a Polish volunteer, who joined to fight the Communists.

[@burkinafaso64]

There was no SS heavy tank batallion 507. Since SS 501 was withdrawn to Paderborn after the retreat in the west I would say he served in the Wehrmacht's heavy tank batallion 506, which was present during the battle for Aachen.

[@schwatzy6362]

@@burkinafaso64 Another uncle was a Panzer Grenadier with the Gros Deutschland div They ended up together caught behind the Rissian lines I assumed he was in the Gross Deutschland too They fought their way back after freeing about 800 Germans that had been captured by the Russians Sad that he never survived the war but my uncle who was a P Grenadier did survive

[@byron8657]

The 116th Panzer Division has this motto Loyalty is my Honor! Salutes to the Brave soldiers on both sides of the World War Two conflict k!

[@romegavadquez6310]

Hardest men that ever walked the earth

[@barryrammer7906]

Yes USMC

[@user-user-user-user.]

Immer und Ewig….

[@Matt-qh9lm]

when doing research on this unit in years past, i recall reading that they were chosen to lead (and fight for good) had hitler's assassination gone through. by lead, i mean their leadership had agreed to handle any units that were still following hitlers orders or remained pro-nazi. it was such an interesting fact i couldnt forget it, although i obviously forgot further specific details and dont have a source, but im sure it can be easily found through google :)

[@BrianHayter-zl2uc]

Great story/topic, well done. Love it👍👍👍❤️❤️❤️

[@jamesbodnarchuk3322]

Informative

[@richard3536]

This unit exists to this day in the in the Bundeswher. !

[@kevinbabu8919]

Great video historyatwar, your content always educate me the lesser known facts of WW2 !!!!!! Thank you very much 🙏❤️. Can you make a video of Finland during WW2 and Finnish volunteers in the Waffen SS?

[@historyatwar]

Really glad you enjoyed! For sure it’s on our list 🤝

[@kevinbabu8919]

@@historyatwar Thank you. 🙏☺️❤️

[@jimkennedy7050]

116th division was like Lees last division at Danville in the war between the states. so shot up and destroyed over and over again only those who were lucky at dodging a bullet were left.

[@peterrooney9461]

I have never heard such dramatic narration in my life. But good pictures And video

[@정복희-h5o]

How can they are brave like tiger amazing ss army panzer wonder Germany 🇩🇪

[@briankorbelik2873]

I was most impressed by the Windhund's (A part of Army Group A) long range recon towards the Astrakan oil fields in the Kaukasus, during the time Army Group B was in the middle of it's many of its Blau phases.

[@StephenBaird-cp1fc]

The 116 panzer division was originally 16 motorised division then became the 16 panzer grenadier then the 116 panzer division

[@barryrammer7906]

I knew an ole timer who fought in the American army. In this battle they used quad 50 cal half tracks to kill Germans in cities. They got a dose of those 4 50 cals and decided to call it a day. This was used to kill Germans in the city. After a while the came out fast with white shirts. But he said it was very hard fighting the Germans there. American superior fire power ruled the day. He had no hate for regular Germans units. But, he said he never saw an alive SS man. They just killed them. No mercy for the SS. But regular German soldiers they had the highest respect for and treated them good. He really said the Germans were tough as nails. Very hard to beat. They used everything except frontal assults. They knew the war was over and did not want to die for a won cause already. They let the heavy weapons do most of the work and moped them up after. If you cornered the Americans he said we fight man to man. Seems like most Germans thought Americans would not fight them straight up. They are right they used every advantage to win with the least American deaths.

[@otfriedschellhas3581]

"No mercy for SS (WAFFEN SS I suppose)- Just shot them." Hmmm, so why complain when they did the same at Malmedy etc? My dad fought "Amis" in the West, and Soviets in the East as a W/SS soldier, (3. SS, 9.SS), but never spoke with hatred of the enemy. That's usually the domain of chairborne warriors, don't you think?

[@georgeszaslavsky]

Thanks for sharing this very ineteresting history👍 so they are comparable to the Gross Deutschland and Leibstandard divisions regarding combat prowess and courage

[@arthurnawrath6701]

Heroes!

[@Anullu22]

Top👍

[@pzkw6759]

Tough bastards, weren't they?

[@hyrondongle2473]

I have a greyhound myself … its unbelievable that nazi Germany trained greyhounds to drive tanks

[@oldcynical2845]

Hard to call yourself elite if you lose the war.

[@historyatwar]

Not really, US Marines are elite they lost the Afghan war, so with the Vietnam war, many elite formations have lost many battles and wars.

[@otfriedschellhas3581]

Losing the war is strategic, winning a fight like Huertgen is tactical, down to battle performance. Oh, do try not to sound more inane than you can help, will you,?

[@knackerEv]

The narrator that covered the hurtgen forest segment should have done the whole thing.

[@knackerEv]

There sure was a lot of footage of the geschutzwagen 39h(f). I got so many screenshots.

[@THINKincessantly]

18:31 Like to have heard their conversation

[@conceptalfa]

👍👍👍

[@byron8657]

In the Hurtgen forest alone US forces lost 24k soldiers with the 116th Panzer Division for three weeks of fighting k!

[@daviddalton9214]

Ran all the way to Berlin .

[@SteveKanterakiss]

🖤

[@thedoctor755]

Pretty good history in this! Windhund was a great unit. The narration must be AI though... it keeps repeating the same phrases, and really tries for the dramatic :)

[@TheYeti308]

Nice Job ; HAW . !

[@d.neilmccullough6779]

Could you get much more melodramatic?

[@historyatwar]

Yes we sure can.

[@Todd3246]

the only division who refused to swear loyalty to hitler but sworn to germany. Windhund meant greyhound

[@DURCHFALLSUPPE]

As a German I have say this: I read the devisions book and I have it at my place. But what is this what kind of drug is the narrator on??

[@hossdelgado2]

Genuine Question - Do you just use a ChatGPT script with an automated voice over?

[@historyatwar]

We write our own work, we use different tools for better engagement, if only they could right our scrips for us, Lol

[@helmuthaberkost4901]

@Hystoryatwar : This is the best way you did!!! Thinking with the own mind and find the own words!!! I'm from Schwarzwald in Deutschland, and I thank you so much for your intention and all that what you do for the Truth and also for Deutschland!!!! Regards - Helmut

[@1958HHH]

Methamphetamine gave them their speed and aggression nothing else.

[@panther8504]

Grey hound divison idk where you got bloody bucket

[@cameronbrown9080]

Very brave men who have been to hell and back and fought all the way glad to see that they did all die and some got to go home

[@SaintJavelin2022]

If we‘re really talking the best Panzer Division, the answer is perfectly clear… The 4. Panzer-Division is the obvious choice.

[@sabahtaha1746]

100,000 men trapped in the falaise pocket 50 to 60,000 escaped but lost all the heavy equipment, a testimony to german military acumen in breakouts. led by guderian's son the 116th was never implicated in war crimes

[@0ldb1ll]

Greyhounds are the fastest but the most idle of dogs.

[@burkinafaso64]

Having watched a couple of videos of you today I am really disappointed by this one about my favorite division. This video contains many errors, but what I really don't like is the lack of content. If you cut out all the parts which are emotional, but empty of content there wouldn't remain much of this video. You fully gloss over the defence of operation Veritable/Blockbuster and barely mention the Ruhrpocket but drivel about "rambling tank engines, overwhelming artillery fire and fierce resistance". This video really needs an updated version. If you want input I would gladly contact you.

[@johnhouchin9663]

☆☆☆☆☆

[@Dimythios]

Nope the 116th is not the best elite panzer division. It is a very good one and it is an elite panzer division but not the best. FACT. The 11th Panzer (The Ghost) Division carries that crown for they were so respected by the US and allied Armies that THEY were invited in the 1946 Allied parade over the defeat of German as they filled the US army ranks during the parade. They are THE ONLY German division in the entire German army to hold that distinction during and after the war.

[@soldat2501]

WTF?!? The Bloody Bucket? Where TF did you get that misinformation or did you make that up? Windhund was hardly unknown. It was close Großdeutschland in terms of operating as a fire brigade. When they finally moved to the West Front, they had a formidable reputation.

[@alexread4803]

Enlisted be like

[@010bobby]

The best do not lose battles…against the allies, they lost and their country conquered… enough said

[@davidbarr9343]

You obviously know nothing about tactical or strategic warfare. Read a few military history books and then come back and admit you were wrong.

[@helljumper7101]

Name a single army that can operate this well while outnumbered, fighting on multiple fronts, critically short on resources of every kind and under overwhelming air superiority Hell most armies would be incapable of functioning with controlling the skies let alone under any kind of enemy air superiority

[@helmuthaberkost4901]

@bobbybaby: you know nothing, because that you write stupid nonsens!!!

[@010bobby]

@@davidbarr9343 the bottom line, they still lost and no matter how you spin it they failed their country…

[@gordonfleming458]

@@helljumper7101army ??? How many women and children did they murder ??? Very brave . Lots of idiots around .

[@johnmcpherson1713]

This is an interesting vid, but the bad German pronunciation is distracting. Windhund is pronounced "vindhoond" and Panzer is pronounced with an open "a" - more like "Pahnzer"

[@anglesachse7654]

While the video in itself is interesting, as someone trying to give acurate information I would suggest you at least make the effort with the footage aswell instead of mixing early and late war footage that is noticable within the uniforms, as well as not showing US troops when talking about British etc. The miss matching footage and commentary is realy annoying and makes it that many folks will not watch it in its entirety

[@Cormano980]

Good stuff, but a little over poetic

[@briankorbelik2873]

,The video maker skips lightly, leaving relevant facts and important points in history behind, as it skips on it's merry way, towards history lite.

[@jacquesstrapp3219]

The butchering of the pronunciation of German names ruins an otherwise good video.

[@JSPnolifer]

o/

[@LeveretteJamesClifford1955]

I hate all this fake voice that starts this video, the same voices over and over on one channel after another. I would rather hear a real human like the one who takes over soon after the fake voice turns off. It's a good thing, too, because the fake voice was about to make me go to another channel. Now it comes back so I am giving this video a thumbs down!

[@tremainetreerat5176]

The "Bloody Bucket Division" is the US 28th Infantry Div--a nickname it earned for the very high losses it suffered in the Battle of the Hürtgen Forest fighting against (amongst others) the 116th Panzer Div. That's really not up for debate...

[@chesterwortham5525]

Yes the 28th was from Pennsylvania national gaurd

[@helmuthaberkost4901]

I am from Germany and I want to contact you! My father was Oberleutnant in GD. Please let me know how. Regards from Schwarzwald - Helmut

[@historyatwar]

Sure! Message our Instagram @HistoryAtWar

[@Will-ux1dg]

You should not make heroes of those people. As they were anything but .

[@historyatwar]

Nobody said that or implied that?

[@Will-ux1dg]

@@historyatwar Have you listened to the commentary , they sure made out they were heroes of the Wehrmacht to me.

[@AntiDefizitSyndrom]

There has a monument been near Aachen for exactly them, because their commander did not blow a Damm to slow the us. Therefore no civilians have been hurt, and he was shot. 2 days later, that's what heros do...

[@gordonfleming458]

@@Will-ux1dgwell you should have a good look in the mirror they are no heroes just criminals

[@AntiDefizitSyndrom]

i Wish you Said this into my face, i might teach you some Written in the Monument remembering the 116 because Graf von Schwerin, and with him the division, repeatedly disobeyed Hitler's orders, for example in the Kalmyk steppe - in the Sapaorohsje bridgehead - and on the western front. This was also the case in Aachen, when the evacuation of the population was stopped on his orders. He prevented the ordered destruction of the city of Aachen, preserved the Rhenish-Westphalian division in September 1944 and saved the population from facing an even harder lot