WW2 Japanese Soldier Found in Ukraine

The incredible story of a WW2 Japanese soldier found alive 60 years later in Ukraine.
Dr. Mark Felton FRHistS is a well-known British historian, the author of 22 non-fiction books, including bestsellers 'Zero Night' and 'Castle of the Eagles', both currently being developed into movies in Hollywood. In addition to writing, Mark also appears regularly in television documentaries around the world, including on The History Channel, Netflix, National Geographic, Quest, American Heroes Channel and RMC Decouverte. His books have formed the background to several TV and radio documentaries. More information about Mark can be found at: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Fe...
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Disclaimer: All opinions and comments expressed in the 'Comments' section do not reflect the opinions of Mark Felton Productions. All opinions and comments should contribute to the dialogue. Mark Felton Productions does not condone written attacks, insults, racism, sexism, extremism, violence or otherwise questionable comments or material in the 'Comments' section, and reserves the right to delete any comment violating this rule or to block any poster from the channel.
Credits: US National Archives; Library of Congress; Adrian Jones; Kholodovsky; State Emergency Service of Ukraine

[@offgridcabinbelgium]

Watching this story reminded me of a German ex POW I've met in Baku, Azerbaijan in 2008. I was working for a Dutch oil company at the time and was in a village outside city to inspect an oil rig. When I was talking on the phone, a very old man approached me and in perfect Dutch asked for a cigarette. I gave him my cigarettes and coffee and He told me his amazing story about his labor camp in Baku after his capture by the red army in 44 and how he later became a Russian. He told me he never contacted his family in Germany after1956 when he was released. He worked for a building company, building bridges in Soviet Russia and liked his life. He was from a town near the Dutch border so spoke Dutch as well. I gave him my card and hoped he would contact me by phone or mail but he never did. There must have been more of them living in Russia.

[@MrSlanderer]

Interesting. Thanks for sharing!

[@tancreddehauteville764]

This is terrible! He would have a mother who assumed he was dead, maybe a wife or girlfriend as well. That's cruel behaviour.

[@kraanz]

He never bothered to contact his own family, why would he contact YOU? =D

[@tedwarden1608]

@@kraanz. He wasn’t allowed to. Don’t you listen?

[@offgridcabinbelgium]

@@tancreddehauteville764 going thru war at a young age i guess. Maybe guilt or uncertainty of what's home?

[@OleMisss]

The history channel should just tap out at this point. Dr. Felton has taken over.

[@GruntTV1776]

Dr. Felton needs a ufo channel to balance out all the high quality work he does. UFO lol

[@OleMisss]

@@GruntTV1776 I’d absolutely watch it. 😂

[@nematolvajkergetok5104]

@@GruntTV1776 Actually, it would be interesting if he made an episode on the Roswell Incident. He already made one about a similar case in the UK.

[@MrSabram07]

Yeah right

[@GruntTV1776]

@@nematolvajkergetok5104 shhhh don’t give him any ideas.

[@expandedhistory]

Stories like this are quite common among Japanese veterans of WW2. Thousands of Japanese soldiers volunteered to stay in Indonesia to fight against the Dutch after the war and some officers stayed in Vietnam to help train guerrilla warfare to the Vietnamese communists.

[@patriotenfield3276]

Some even stayed to the points of facing Americans in Round 3. Round 2 was already in Korea.

[@Chilly_Billy]

Indeed, and IIRC the Japanese were recruited, equipped, and paid by the British during their very brief administration in Vietnam.

[@huiyinghong3073]

​@CKS1949 But why not the Japanese soldiers stay in China, to help fight the communist there, the second largest communist country at that time. Heck should have kept the entire Japanese army intact in China even after the war to prevent the communist takeover of China.

[@ww3032]

@CKS1949 I had no idea the Japanese fought under the communists in China and Vietnam. I did read about Japanese soldiers being armed by the allies for peace keeping duties in Indonesia and Vietnam, and those that fought under the kmt in the Chinese civil war. In fact the communists used this as propaganda against the nationalists.

[@matty6848]

Well I never knew that although I’m not surprised at it.

[@SovietWomble]

I said it before on a different video, but yeah this sort of format is perfect for history stuff isn't it? Traditional media would probably try to stretch this out over an hour. You'd have talking heads interviews with historians, repeating the same details. And stock footage of stuff that isn't relevant. Padding on top of padding. Because making something 6 minutes long is unthinkable. But here it's a case of 'get in, tell the facts, get out'. Followed by thumbnails showing similar content that you click through. It's a clear example of nimble on-demand content outshining the older way of doing things.

[@Privatepain1234]

Womble aren't you supposed to he working on your own videos... or was your hand cramping to much "work"

[@Make_Fontaine_Great_Again]

Is that THE Sovietwomble?

[@ahistoric_gamer9716]

Well said Womble. Well said.

[@lorenzvincentpedrera8816]

Hello i am a fan

[@joecobb7153]

You ever though of trying your hand at being a propagandist womble

[@MrRugbylane]

A fascinating story is about the hundreds of French soldiers who were captured (or just left behind) during Napoleons retreat from Moscow in 1812. Local villagers, being entirely practical kept the Frenchmen as labour for the farms and eventually as husbands for their daughters.

[@Otokichi786]

In the Pre-Internet age, I read about a Russian word, "Sheramy." This was a tramp, about the level of a Hobo. Supposedly, this entered the language after Napoleon's retreat from Moscow. Imagine a bedraggled French soldier meeting a Russian peasant, who gave him food, drink etc. "Cher Ami" is how this soldier regards his Russian savior, and the rest is left to your imagination.

[@jarnohiddingh4307]

Where did you find that story?

[@Otokichi786]

@@jarnohiddingh4307 I think it was a History magazine like "Horizon" that I subscribed to in college in the late 1960's.

[@faithlesshound5621]

So these men would have fallen into "modern slavery," as sometimes happens to runaways and young migrants today, but in those days Russia still had serfs, and they could have merged into that category.

[@MrRugbylane]

@@faithlesshound5621 Yeah basically. Although lots of smallholding farmers (Kulaks) werent serfs. They were just being practical. If your son died in the recent war, what else would one do? These were incrediby isolated communities. During the advance on Moscow in 1941, it wasnt unknown for peasants to ask for updates on the Tsar's health as they drove through!

[@purpleslog]

There were a couple of Korean soldiers in the Waffen SS that were captured by American forces on the D-Day invasion. They had started out being pressed into the Japanese army. Had been captured by the Russians. And brought into the Russian army. Then captured by the Germans. And then joined the Waffen SS. I think a video covering them and their whole journey would be interesting. I think a great movie could be made of this also which will allow us to to see a grunts IV of the war in multiple theaters.

[@htmcsgo]

I think there is a movie about them but I can't remember the name now

[@billscreations1999]

There is a movie about them.

[@carthy29]

There is a film about this very story, its called, " my way " 2011

[@wodthehunter8145]

I saw a movie that followed that story beat by beat, but cant remember what its called. I didnt think it might be based on a true story. I kinda figured it was another modernized version of candide like Forrest Gump. The film was either Japanese or Korean.

[@sp0ckz0mbi3]

Their is a movie about them called 'My Way'

[@cahg3871]

Mr.Onoda-The ultimate example of dedication to duty.Imagine spending all those years still waging a war that was over for 29 years just because you were instructed to never surrender?I understand he wasn’t aware the war had ended,but to still carry on mostly by himself is truly amazing.

[@cahg3871]

@@ronanbrennan8837 could you please tell me the title of that book?I would like to read it.

[@wrister729]

I thought this video was going to be about some 95-year-old imperial army soldier volunteering in Ukraine and banzai charging a T-90 :(

[@lablackzed]

😂😂😂👍

[@conzmoleman]

Same. A WW2 Japanese solider’s alliance with would make perfect sense given all the Azovs and Banderites in Ukraine. Just like old times.

[@its-all-happening2172]

Lol! My thoughts exactly.

[@trenaceandblackmetal5621]

@@conzmoleman Putin is a small hat

[@sussybakagaming2613]

@@conzmoleman, but Russia’s Nazi Wagner group is also up for volunteers; there’s a lot of options.

[@mks913]

This world can certainly dish out some terrible but fascinating life stories. Thank you Dr. Felton for uncovering and sharing these stories!

[@perotekku]

Similarly interesting story: A couple Koreans were drafted by Japan to fight against the USSR in Mongolia around 1937. Captured by the Russians, they were then made to fight on the Eastern Front against Nazi Germany. They were then captured again, and pressed into defense service on the Atlantic wall, until they were finally captured by the Allies during the D-Day invasion. What a journey.

[@eugenesummers8645]

I was stationed in Iwakuni. Japan, from 1996-1999. Towards the end of my tour, a story was in the news about a WWII Japanese soldier who had just been repatriated. He could barely speak his native language after 50 years, but he said that seeing the cherry trees blossoming brought back his memories of Japan.

[@davidrudd9846]

Back in the 70s while I while I was in the Navy we would go to Manila for long weekends. The Hotel we stayed had a middleage porter call Sam he swore to us he had deserted the Japanese army and had evaded American and Philippine authorities for years. Said he blended in and feed him himself by working on the many clean up and rebuilding crews in and around Manila during and after the war. Could never confirm or refute his story But stories like this often make me wonder and just maybe believe his story

[@helifanodobezanozi7689]

It sounds completely plausible my friend! In fact there are many Filipinos (275,000 in 2021) who have Japanese ancestors going back to the 17th century when many Japanese Catholics fled there due to religious turmoil.

[@trevorsmith7753]

Easy for E/SE Asians to blend into SE Asia and obtain ID, especially 1940s/50s.

[@TheRealRusDaddy]

Not everyone can possitively confirm their real life story because a lot of stuff just sounds insane but sometimes you just gotta have a little faith and skepticism

[@bevinboulder5039]

Thanks! I have really enjoyed your videos and learned so many interesting things like the current story. Thanks again Dr. Felton.

[@parallax9084]

Why youtube pissed on your comment?

[@nba4494]

@@parallax9084 cuh youtube gay

[@ariffdgenerationx7347]

@@parallax9084 cause he is the Choosen One.

[@albertpirelius]

@@ariffdgenerationx7347 the pissen one..

[@person6171]

first time seeing such comment, interesting

[@jonleonard4031]

I got a job working in a brick factory during my university holidays during the 1980’s. Living inside the factory as a kind of janitor was an old man. The other workers shunned him. As the old man mainly spoke German I took the opportunity to practise my German with him. As the weeks passed we started to meet during lunch breaks and eat together. It was a revelation. At first I thought he was making up his stories, but he went into such details and I checked up on things when I got home. He had been a Stuka pilot in Poland then later with the Afrika Corp. He gave me details of what it as like flying Stukas that was fascinating. After Africa he was returned to Germany and was part of a group doing test flights on “small rocket aircraft”. I was fascinated but had trouble believing him with many of those stories until I discovered info on some rocket fighters Germany used in the final years of the war. He was spot on and so detailed about so many trivial facts and nuances I started to realise that this frail eccentric living in a pathetic hessian bag hut inside a factory had lived a life none of us could Really comprehend.

[@Shan5tanu]

That was intresting

[@joecobb7153]

I am 23 and I hole one day I get to meet the kid of s german veteran so he can share stories with me and I can share stories about my great grandfather who fought on the van doos

[@themudthedirtandthesand9079]

About 1980 in southwest Canada I used to patronize a laundromat where the age 60ish German owner used to stand on the edge of a raised platform where the washing machines sat, he wore a German Army Style Field Cap and was an aged but still youthful "spittin' image" of the countless German Troops we see in black & white newsreels of WWII. I talked to him a bit and he said he had been on the Russian Front, and he nearly broke down when I said he must have seen some terrible things. I wished I had talked to him more, but I was distracted by other things at the time. He still had some of that German Patriotism and Whermacht aggression in him, even though he had obviously lived in Canada for decades.

[@joecobb7153]

@@themudthedirtandthesand9079 it's not fair that we are the only side that is allowed to share our stories... The Van doos hung an innocent natso soldier I every occupied areas town square as a message it was their calling card you won't find that one online but my dad says that one kf my great grandpa's friends who spoke English and fought with him shared that detail and much more he probably won't tell me...

[@Anonymous-jm1lb]

Good on you for getting to know him. I always try to seek and talk to those that seemed shunned from society.

[@connorkilgour3374]

In my city of in Canada there was a former German POW living here until he passed in 2019. captured in 1944 and taken to northern Ontario in the Thunder Bay or Kenora regions Most of the pows were put to work in the lumber industry and even got a small paycheque because once a week they would be allowed under guard to go to a local bar. He met a Canadian woman and opted to stay in Canada after the war as to his knowledge his family was dead and his hometown was in Soviet hands so he felt there was nothing for him in Europe anymore. He passed away in summer 2019 and I got a chance to briefly meet him in 2018 and hear the story. There were a fair few Germans who opted to stay in Canada after the war

[@outinthesticks1035]

there is a story of a German pow who escaped a camp in Alberta , never to be heard from again . legend has it he made a cover story and integrated into the population and died here of old age

[@libertyprime2013]

I knew some like that in the US as well.

[@aryanscience]

Imagine if Princess Justine knew that these racist Nazis were in Canada !!

[@AudieHolland]

Would that be June 1944, following the Allied invasion of Europe (Operation Overlord)?

[@criaghuges4445]

Here where lots of Italians who stayed behind in the ice cream industry in Glasgow and in Bedford to work in the brick industry. Even today there are lots of Italian surnames in the Bedfordshire area

[@SweetBabyRey]

Just when you start to think you have some what of an understanding on WW2. Dr.Felton comes through and humbles you REAL QUICK

[@jonnibegood1]

Wow, what a wonderful story... ...so glad he had a reunion with his siblings.

[@miguelservetus9534]

Curious why you chose “wonderful “. Sad, tragic, reflecting man’s inhumanity to man, would jump to my mind first. The pain his mother must have felt.

[@jonnibegood1]

@@miguelservetus9534 in spite of all those difficulties and drawbacks he made a life, found someone to love, had a family and friends who supported him. That's humanity at it's best... 👌🏼

[@sto1238]

@@jonnibegood1 yea he made the best of a shitty situation and found a new life for himself. I can’t imagine how different it must’ve been for him in the first few years tho. Living in a completely different country, surrounded by people who look, talk and act nothing like you. Not to mention that they were communists, an ideology strictly forbidden by imperial Japan.

[@ballsack6547]

This is by far the best war related channel in my opinion.

[@SGTDuckButter]

That was a great story, I’m glad his grandchildren got out.

[@FrankCostanza456]

Such a fascinating story. Thank you Dr. Felton for always keeping us informed.

[@ANobodyatall]

Amazing story from a great series. I heard that a small number of Japanese/Korean soldiers were captured by the western allies in 1944-5 and that they were Imperial Japanese soldiers that had been captured by the Soviets during their brief war with the Empire in the '30s. They were then pressed into the Red Army, captured by the Germans, who in turn forced them to fight for them, and finally captured by the Americans!

[@suzyqualcast6269]

Bloody ell.... Theyd've had a job keeping up with who they were supposed to be representing, what uni to wear !! 😉

[@tommy-er6hh]

Ah yes, they made a movie about that.

[@speed65752]

I've read of at least one guy, a Korean, who was captured by the allies in Normandy '44. Forced by the Japanese to fight, captured by the Soviets and then by the Germans. I can only imagine how many stories he had for his grandchildren.

[@mushroom11g55]

Wow they were not very good at sneaking around, they kept getting caught! They weren't non-chalant, they were chalant.

[@aslamnurfikri7640]

Like that Korean soldier who was conscripted by Japan, captured and served in Red Army, then captured and served in Wehrmacht before captured in Normandy

[@davidm3118]

Also, I recall when I was at University many years ago reading an article in an academic journal about a US Military mission to Chiang Kai Shek in 1948 being astonished and appalled to arrive at a Military airfield outside Shanghai to be greeted by a line up of dozens of Japanese bombers with their crews - still in WW2 Japanese insignia, who were part of a Japanese "army" that had remained to fight "the communists". Apparently part of their reason for remaining was to protect the still sizable Japanese civilian community in the region.

[@williamharris9525]

This is absolutely incredible!!!! Thank you Professor Felton!!!!!

[@kazuhirala]

The fact that his family somehow is back in Japan is something out of a Devine Destiny scenario.

[@jetaddicted]

Many thousands of German POWs post WWII elected to stay in my country, France. A lot enlisted in the foreign legion and went to fight in Indochina (they brought their songs with them, that got adopted as well: my own regiment’s march song was the French version of “ich hatte ein kamerade”), and a large number simply settled in the place they had been sent for some reconstruction work. Likewise, French POWs in Germany were sometimes sent to farms for work, some ending up being the sole man of the farm because war-> enlistment of the owner, some actually defended their farm and the family that was there against the Russians. Humans have an incredible power of adaptation.

[@gp-network4370]

As always, I manage to learn something new and interesting thanks to your channel! Amazing video!

[@EnthusiastsGarage]

These unique and lesser known stories are always the most interesting. Keep up the good work mark.

[@RealNoface]

I have learned so much since subscribing to Dr. Felton's channel a couple of years ago and watching his amazing documentary's.... I even got my 18yo boy to watch you now also and we're learning more than we ever did in school, seriously the best channel ever

[@josephosheavideos3992]

You never cease to surprise me with these obscure, but well-documented stories of World War II.

[@hansulrichboning8551]

Long time ago, i think at least 15years , I read an amazing story about a russian POW. The man managed to escape from a german POW-Camp in 43 or 44(conditions for soviet POWs were much more brutal than for western POWs) and he fled into the bavarian mountains were a farmer gave him shelter and food.After Bavaria was occupied by US-Forces he left the mountains. But soon he heard rumors that the americans would overhand former soviet POWs to Stalin even against their will.He fled into the mountains and to the farmer again until the US changed their policy. He was or became a deeply religious man and stood in Bavaria ,he erected an orthodox Church/Chapel with his own hands and lived there as an eremite Monk until his death.

[@flabby2142]

That should be movie

[@John_winston]

Do you remember the name of the man by any chance?

[@christianfreedom-seeker934]

Plz 🙏 tell this story to American Christians! We need hope right now! The Left is putting all their insane policies into place!!!

[@joek600]

In Greece we call this a ''Tama'', it means a votive offering to a Saint or the Holly Virgin, after the fullfilment of some kind of salvation in desperate times. The offering can be something as simple as a ''Lampada'' (imagine a very very big candle), a commision of an icon or even to build a small chapel. So it doesnt sound weird at all to me that a Russian orthodox made some kind of ''deal'' with God, and kept it.

[@barkingstarz4730]

Thanks! Dr. Felton, your videos are always so very interesting: well produced & researched! I received my BA in History, I would LOVE to take an online course in WWII should you ever produce one!

[@michaelmitchell6476]

Thank you so much for this Dr. Felton I was looking for something to watch and be educated about and this has fulfilled that I thank you

[@rufust.firefly6352]

Fascinating! I am very curious about other stories like these, or the tales I heard while living in SE Asia of ex Japanese Imperial Army soldiers in Vietnam, ex German Army/SS soldiers in the French Foreign Legion, also in Vietnam and other brush wars of the 1960s. I met an older man in Thailand in the late 1980s, looked like boiled leather, who was ex FFA and claimed to have been at Stalingrad. Amazing stories.

[@daviddoran3673]

There's a relatively new ossuary in Avranches, Brittany....it's composed soley of the scattered remains of 1000's of Wehrmacht soldiers who were buried in 1945 onwards for 100's of miles around.....many were known and identified only by nicknames, 1st names etc...I was astonished at how many were Apparently African, Russian, Ukrainian, Caucasian etc.....they were probably HIWI's but they died completely unknown to their families...

[@DaveSCameron]

@@daviddoran3673 Brittany Murphy?

[@simoncullum5019]

FFA ?

[@DaveSCameron]

@Uncle Sam Dave Emory.

[@DaveSCameron]

@Uncle Sam Millieu?

[@TRHARTAmericanArtist]

Always interesting videos. I usually avoid war related history, but these war related videos by Dr. Felton always grab my attention. They bring a unique and fresh look at otherwise overlooked content. As usual,great job. Bravo mate!

[@m.aguirre6640]

How can anyone not to be subscribed to this channel? Awesome video, Dr. Felton, as always!

[@Sabrowsky]

Its nice to know he at least found a way to live a normal life while in Ukraine. Must've been very hard to spend so long away from one's homeland with no contact

[@projektkobra2247]

True, but not everyone loves where they are from. I lived in Japan 8 years, and would go back in a flash if I could.. anything’s better than living in Canuckistan under Turd The Lesser.

[@canuckprogressive.3435]

@@projektkobra2247 Please leave.Trudeau is not great but he is sure better than Harper was.

[@V0YAG3R]

@@canuckprogressive.3435 And communism and islam are religions of peace. Tras de ladrón, bufón.

[@TimSlee1]

@@canuckprogressive.3435 If you can consider his narcissism, disregard for basic freedoms, control over private bank accounts and partnership with the WEF as good things then yes, he's a great dict.. I mean democratically elected leader.

[@Chocolatnave123]

@@canuckprogressive.3435 Trudeau is straight up authoritarian. How anyone can defend that is beyond me.

[@lesames3743]

Always love the stories from mark. So well told and interesting. Well done mark. Keep them coming

[@kittymervine6115]

Thank you Japan, for taking in the grandchildren. Thank you Mark, for letting us know this story that I never even imagined.

[@myyou2b]

It's fascinating how many ways WWII still affects us today.

[@tywinlannister8015]

WWII is the birthing act of the modern world. Its consequences define your everyday.

[@mkeysou812]

I'm amazed at how much of the geopolitics of WW1 still affects the world... The evil that men do lives on and on

[@vk2ig]

@@davidb2206 You sound very bitter and triggered.

[@oneringtorulethemagicarp7199]

@@davidb2206 local man complains about not being able to move to the Philippines, imply's we should have done a colonialism

[@tywinlannister8015]

@@mkeysou812 The good as well mind you, but one tends to take it for granted. It's normal to have good things happen, and abnormal for bad things to happen, so we are biased in our perception of events.

[@geosqueezebox4016]

Dr Felton as always and as one of your number one fans Great Work...

[@wilsontheconqueror8101]

Well done! Fascinating story of survival,and reunion with one's family.

[@StuckOnAFireHydrant]

I actually didn't know about this particular story! Thank you Dr. Felton! I've always felt that WW2 stories from all sides need to be preserved and even more so now that there are so little of the Vets left. It's frightening to see just how little people actually know about WW2 and then prance their ignorance as fact all over the internet. Keep up your amazing content Doctor!

[@fastsetinthewest]

Nobody cares. I fought in Vietnam. Actually the USA government gives me schitt for medical care. I'm permanently disabled. I'm missing a right kidney.

[@huiyinghong3073]

But why not the Japanese soldiers stay in China, to help fight the communist there, the second largest communist country at that time. Heck should have kept the entire Japanese army intact in China even after the war to prevent the communist takeover of China.

[@koba2348]

There are people young and middle age in America who don't even know what the holocaust was

[@flabby2142]

@@koba2348 I remember seeing a Vid of a African American, thinking Hitler was a rapper XD

[@shephardparkschatzieh]

And about 90% of all Americans young and old never learned about WWII in Asia and the slave labor camps there; or that in SE Asia, it was white people and pro white Asian supporters who were interned with them. Also, the % of casualties was much higher in Asia than in Western Europe, yet the white european population was lower. And if we want to understand who were the most brutal executioners it was Stalin and Hirohito. Many Japanese soldiers made cannibalism of their prisoners a rite of passage. I know this only because both my Mother and Father were in those horrific camps -- my Father having witnessed it. Fortunately he passed this on to his offspring as I would have never learned it in school. I remember trying to talk to my high school friends about what happened there and they were clueless. They only thing they knew about WW2 was the German theatre. WW2 was a World War and all sides of the conflict need to be explored and taught. As my father who witnessed cannibalism of his Dutch and British comrades in the Molluccan Islands said "these horrible acts of violence don't happen for no reason. It's horrible to say, but it is also the truth.

[@ExVeritateLibertas]

On a visit to Tashkent some years ago, I noticed a plaque on the side of the opera house that said it was built by Japanese POWs in the 1950s. One of the many shames on Moscow - how long they kept these men (and the Germans) after the war as slave labor.

[@bosnyakz]

...and Hungarians, like my grandfather, who was a cilvilian not even a POW.

[@MrBrotigan]

They could keep them as long as they wanted and they deserved this. My grand grandfathers died because of these bastards

[@flabby2142]

@@MrBrotigan Commie, not everyone is a fascist, My Great Grandparents where murdered after the war by communist, and they where conscripts.

[@ExVeritateLibertas]

@@MrBrotigan Read history. They didn't deserve anything because Japan never attacked the USSR. Moscow broke the non-aggression pact it signed and attacked - and I guess today they continue the same behavior.

[@ExVeritateLibertas]

@@bosnyakz Yeah, they kidnapped and held hostages for 20 years (and many other crimes) and they wonder why Eastern Europe is not grateful to them for their "liberation." Of course the average Russian is not taught any of this in school, only a Soviet version of events, so one can't judge them too harshly.

[@gregoryemmanuel9168]

Unique, well researched and very interesting. Thank you Mark!

[@gregoryemmanuel9168]

Mark, may I suggest a topic you might be interested in covering? What happened to European or other refugees during WWII? From my personal history I know of Greek and Polish women refugees (wives of Greek and Polish troops serving in the Western desert), who were evacuated from Egypt during Rommel’s advance and sent to refugee camps in Kenya and what was then Tanganyika, that were managed by the UN. From there many were sent to other camps in the Congo until the end of the war, but after that what happened to them? Were they repatriated? What are their stories? I have tried to get information by writing to the UN, without result. I have in my possession correspondence between the UN and an irate British colonial farmer at the time who took exception to the fact that some of those Greek women dared to socialize with Indian residents of that particular area! Thank you doing what you do.

[@dr.barrycohn5461]

Woo hoo, another fascinating story from the sagacious Dr. Felton. Thank you, your historical curiosity and investigations are endless! How lucky is your audience, very.

[@VodkaRob]

Absolutely fascinating yet again and it shows how things can go in a full circle. Thank you. ✌️ 😎

[@odysseusrex5908]

I read once about two Koreans who were drafted into the Japanese army and sent to fight in China. They got captured. Eventually, the Chinese offered to let them out of the POW camp if they would join the Chinese army and be sent to guard the border with the Soviet Union. They accepted. In some kind of border clash, they got captured by the Soviets. When Germany invaded Russia, the Russians put them into their army. They got captured by the Germans. The Germans then offered them the same deal and they wound up being captured by the Americans on D-Day. They sat out the rest of the war in a POW camp in the United States and were eventually repatriated, having traveled all the way around the world.

[@blackwolfhaley]

They made a movie about this story it’s called “My Way” really good movie shows the whole story

[@odysseusrex5908]

@@blackwolfhaley Oh wow, thanks for telling me. I need to look for that.

[@blackwolfhaley]

@@odysseusrex5908 yeah you should definitely check it out, it’s a really good movie it’s crazy how it’s based on true story too

[@lenas6246]

germany invaded soviet union, not russia. most warfare was happening on ukrainian and belarusian territory, not in russia

[@steven2212]

This was fascinating, leave it to Dr Mark to always surprise and never disappoint. Bravo!

[@Fuckthathoe]

Mark, your videos are pure treasure for a history buff like me. Thanks for another good one!

[@ntnko]

Mark the randomness of your topics is insane

[@rolandocastaneda4429]

Thank you Mr Felton for sharing such amazing stories. One just never knows where the currents of life take us. That's what makes interesting and unique.

[@Aundrich]

Sir your video and audio quality over interesting historical events is impeccable!

[@thegreatid3595]

Imagine coming back home in the 70s to find out that once small prop planes have been replaced with large supersonic jets along with all the other improvements of technology.

[@albertjabs1644]

And asked if their country really lost the war after seeing the modern technological marvels all around in his homeland!

[@vincentyeo88]

This man didn't live in isolation like Robinson Crusoe. There were newspapers and television sets.

[@kfraser3783]

We learn more from Dr. Felton than history class.

[@jeffg6008]

Unfortunately with the emphasis on insane CRT today, many kids graduating HS today know absolutely nothing about “real history.” My granddaughter could debate me for hours about the slave owners like Washington and Jefferson, yet has no clue who compromised the Allies or Axis in WWII.

[@seanbrautigan7906]

Dr. Felton's content is extremely interesting, but history class (at least the ones I was in) offered a more well rounded education on history, from early recorded history to today. If history classes were just made up of his videos, we'd struggle to know too much before the 1930s and after the 1940s.

[@ToneTraveler]

Having been first fascinated by Military History by John Keegan’s Second World War back in the 80’s as a teenager, taken many courses in College, I have learned so many fascinating facts of History from Dr. Felton. Surely, One semester with Dr. Felton and it would equal almost everything learned about WW2 History up to this point.

[@brucewilliams6292]

What an incredible story. Thank you for bringing it to light!

[@manolakisferguson]

Thank you for the content

[@hoffmiermp]

Absolutely brilliant Mark, thank you.

[@kevins6285]

An absolutely remarkable story. Thanks for sharing it with us.

[@nervsouly]

The fact that the grandfather remained silent in Ukraine has now saved his grandchildren. Extraordinary.

[@Itspapacritz]

Thanks! For all the content you inspired me years ago to start my channel

[@adriaanboogaard8571]

One of the best stores you could share. Keep up the great work😁 👍.

[@michaelcapeless3268]

Always interesting, Dr. Felton. I don't know how you manage to dig up and analyze so many fascinating stories, but they are all appreciated. Good work and thank you!

[@Roller_Ghoster]

You just couldn't make this up. Great original content.

[@Patrick_0n]

This is the new history channel. Bravo! Amazing information. Thank you.

[@theblackhand6485]

WoW! That's a real great story. Just amazing. Well done. Good digging. Well done! 👍👍👍

[@banana_larry]

It's surprising that the massive amounts of Japan POWs that are send into camps,and how many of them died in it.The worst part is that some of them have never heard of their family and set foot on their homeland ever. Glad that guy made it and reunion with his family again

[@joenuts5167]

Boo hoo nanking

[@XxBloggs]

Sad he made it home. All imperial Japanese Army soldiers were war criminals.

[@mikloridden8276]

It was actually worse, once they surrendered the Soviets attacked Manchuria and devastated the Japanese population, which was conducted by troops that attacked Berlin earlier.

[@banana_larry]

@@mikloridden8276 And after some of them get released back to Japan,they were thought as communist spies,and were cast aside by the society. Sometimes there are worse fates than death.

[@RobertLewis-el9ub]

Have little sympathy - considering the conditions allied pow had to endure under the Japanese.

[@grumpyboomer61]

War produces some wild stories. I never realized how many Japanese ended up as POWs of the Soviets. And that's why I keep coming back to this channel.

[@huiyinghong3073]

But why not the Japanese soldiers stay in China, to help fight the communist there, the second largest communist country at that time. Heck should have kept the entire Japanese army intact in China even after the war to prevent the communist takeover of China.

[@thunderbird1921]

Interesting how he was able to marry a Ukrainian woman and raise a family in the Soviet Union. My guess is that there was much less hatred toward Japanese folks in the USSR because their war was very brief and thus Soviet troops likely didn't receive the same attrocities that the other Allied Powers suffered.

[@franzjosefkerkhoff592]

@@thunderbird1921 There are a lot of other asean people around in the Sowjetunion.

[@SirAntoniousBlock]

Amazing to think any of them survived.

[@revolter7094]

@@thunderbird1921 By the time when the GDR was created there was less and less hatred for Germans. In fact I even know a Red Army veteran who married a German woman. He died last year due to Covid.

[@leonrobinson2053]

Some of these video are unbelievable. Brilliant as always

[@patrickf2671]

You are a great story teller...it's a gift...

[@StandTallTx]

Imagine being gone from your homeland since 1943 due to war and coming back to anime and waifu's plastered all over the place.

[@Grubnar]

"What the Hell is that?" "Oh, that's Pikachu." "What the Hell is a Pikachu?!?"

[@nocolo123]

Takes the evilness out of them.

[@randomuser1596]

Lol

[@StandTallTx]

@@nocolo123 As a grown man who watches anime and has a waifu myself (Kurumu Kurono from Rosario Vampire - I like em slutty don't judge me), you are correct. It's just hard to fathom the amount of disappointment a person must feel after being raised under a samurai-esque code and being told they were racially superior to everyone else.

[@nocolo123]

@@StandTallTx but the rightwing politicians in Japan still thinks the war criminals in WW2 were the nationalist hero lol

[@joshx022]

Super interesting. What a story. Thanks!

[@iakazul]

Thank you for sharing this amazing story.

[@salchaw]

amazing story ....thank you for posting .

[@BertReno]

I half expect an Imperial Japanese soldier to pop up in my area after hearing about so many of these stories

[@huiyinghong3073]

But why not the Japanese soldiers stay in China, to help fight the communist there, the second largest communist country at that time. Heck should have kept the entire Japanese army intact in China even after the war to prevent the communist takeover of China.

[@olegloginov2953]

I lived in a Japanese pow built building in Moscow in the mid 90s, the quality of construction was far superior to Russian labor or even German Pow built structures.

[@tristanbackup2536]

They know how to built things to last.

[@jeromelapig5946]

Thats why I've always like to watch stories of Dr. Felton it was interesting and never before heard.

[@Antaragni2012]

Thanks for your top quality work!

[@graved1gger]

In one of the villages in Khmelnitsky region we had an actual Japanese elderly man with his family living a couple of houses down the street, if I recall it correctly, in late 90s he made back to Japan, though his children and grandchildren stayed in Ukraine.

[@nnamdianyadike3131]

With war currently raging in the Ukraine that is one heck of an episode title, I have to say😄! If I hadn't seen it was done by Mark Felton, I would have thought it an 'Elvis found alive on the moon' story.

[@nnamdianyadike3131]

Absolutely fascinating story though, I hasten to add!

[@mattallen100]

Thanks Dr. Felton

[@shawnnewell4541]

I always learn something new about WWII here. Thank you sir!

[@roakawlni3661]

Very informative....

[@Itssmial_Ova]

My favorite story is of that German Submarine seaman who washed up on the shores of Florida, And happened to meet a women who's husband had just been killed whilst training pilots in brittan. Initially keeping him to take her revenge, She found out his family had been killed by a bomb. They both were filled with Hate, but eventually forgave each other. The man burried his German ID and lived as her husband for years until one day someone happened upon his burried ID and started to investigate.

[@standupstraight9691]

Amazing. I heard this story of a group of US GIs who broke far behind Nazi lines to secure a bank containing gold bullion so the Nazis couldnt steal it. Apparently they came to terms with the Germans guarding the bank and everything worked out ok.

[@marcogoncalves8631]

A truly sad story . War only brings sadness and misery .

[@danrook5757]

There’s a video of a Russian soldier who settled in Afghanistan after he was taken prisoner. He was from Ukraine.

[@danmason6116]

Mark you are the best I have enjoyed your channel so much thank you and keep up the hard work

[@syahareensharani6869]

Seriously Mark is a true historian digging and finding hidden treasures of the past

[@taterkaze9428]

Yet another fascinating story of which I had no prior knowledge.

[@oneshotme]

Enjoyed your video and I gave it a Thumbs Up

[@fordfairlane662dr]

And amazing story from beginning to end..as always fasinating history!

[@drmarkintexas-400]

🏆🏆🏆👍🇺🇲🙏 Thank you for sharing

[@c0nstantin86]

His one final journey to his homeworld... 10 days before his death... very emotional... #Honour!

[@sventheparrotman9970]

Lovely vid dr felton!

[@jaredevildog6343]

Thanks Dr. Felton. Hadn't heard about this story before.

[@kerder8660]

During Ww2 Japanese helped Polish orphans from Syberia, So did maharaja in India who opened his palace & organized Christmas for them. The kids were taken through Persia to India under Father Franciszek Pluta. He was my priest in Toronto for years he died long ago. He's grave is still in Toronto cemetery Forgotten, true hero who saved over 1000 kids. I never knew that side of history when he was alive.

[@gflucas4285]

ker der. Nice story but how and why would the Japanese firmly onside with Hitler's Germany be in any position to help Polish orphans from Poland or Siberia. The journey to India is implausible. It seems the narrative has been 'Lost in Translation'.

[@morrigangg]

@@gflucas4285 Japan had very good relations with Poland in the interwar period.

[@kerder8660]

@@gflucas4285 bfr Ww2 Poland had good relations with Japan (common enemy) Poland wanted military cooperation with Japan, but bcs Japan already started with Germans they hesitated.. Persia India at time were British...

[@muhammadrehman6395]

@@gflucas4285 I read a book by a pakistani colonal who as a junior officer was a part of reception team organised on a caspian seaport in iran where polish civilians ,mainly women and children , were received after their release from siberian camps where they have been taken by soviet secret service for being potentially a threat to USSR. He recorded the aweful smell they felt long before the starving poles wrapped in rags smeared in there own crap and stinking to high heavens came to view.Made them almost puke he recorded. They were told to strip , and washed in antiseptic ,their hair cut and cloths burnt.They needed hospital care..most of those thst survived. Poles in india story more then a story..it is a well recrded tragedy.

[@kerder8660]

@@muhammadrehman6395 if they did smell.. Hehehe was less then sheep fckers

[@steffenritter7497]

Many veterans of the Afrika Korps were held in Fort Chaffee, Arkansas. When I lived there, years ago, chances are if you spoke to an elderly man with a German accent, he was one of the these veterans, who had decided to stay near Fort Chaffee, in the general area of Fort Smith.

[@Articulate99]

Always interesting, thank you.

[@Myhandlenagluho]

Thanks Mark! Another amazing story

[@shuukenji6585]

Wow... Thats quite interesting..

[@frogstamper]

As a youngster in the early seventies I remember our history teacher telling us about the two Japanese soldiers who didn't know the war was over, interestingly the teacher himself was a WW2 veteran, as were a few of my teachers in those days. He had served in N Africa and Europe but had a brother who'd been captured at Singapore by the Japanese and didn't have a lot of sympathy for them, understandably. Sadly as a kid I didn't have much interest in the war then and look back wishing I'd known these guys later in life.

[@michaelmurphy6869]

When i was in high school back in the late 70's, i had a couple of shop teachers who would were veterans of WW2 and Korea. One had told me that he was at Anzo during the invasion and was stationed at the port when two German planes had came in and bombed the port. He had said it was bad, allot men got killed. After his unit had continued to move north though Italy and had experienced allot of german resistance, he said "the german soldiers were very fearce fighters and very well disciplined, and had very fine weapons." After the war when he came home he had, what he said was "combat fatigue" (PTSD) and would "duck for cover" everytime he heard a loud noise mainly streetcar bells almost drove crazy. Eventually he got over it he said. The other teacher was in Korea when the conflict had started and was a member of bomber flight crew, his plane was shot down over N.Korea and he was captured by the Chinese and held prisoner for a year and half. He said that the cell he was in was about the size of a small closet ( won't able to ley down in) and food was a bowl of rice filled with bugs, he said he had to fight the bugs to get the rice. He had also said that he was beated allot by the guards and sometimes starved out for a week or more. He said that it had taken a "very long time" to let go of his hatred for Asian people (particularly Chinese people). At that time you've won't have known that neither of those men were combant vets, they held their composure very well and adjusted to society. The both have probably passed by now but their stories and teaching had made an impact in my life. I wish now that I should've stayed in contact with them after high school.

[@balancedactguy]

Excellent Video Mark!!👍

[@avagrego3195]

Thank you for this informative video.