Paratrooper kills german soldier and returns wedding photos to his family after 68 years
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- čas přidán 8. 07. 2024
- On October 2nd 1944, Lt Howard Hensleigh, of the 3rd Battalion of the 517th Parachute Infantry Regiment, was involved in two successive ambushes, during which he shot and killed a German non commissioned officer. When he searched the killed German's body, Hensleigh found the soldiers wedding photo, some other photos and a diary. He kept the photos in his photo album untill 2012, when the identity of the killed German was discovered. Hensleigh was then able to send the photos back to Germany 68 years after he had shot their original owner.
Crocodile Tear Productions
The author of this video is always searching for photos and documentation related to the war on the French Riviera (Nice, Cannes, Monaco, Monte Carlo, Grasse, Sospel, etc)
Based on the book "Autopsy of a Battle, the Liberation of the French Riviera". Schiffer publications.
battlefieldarchaeology.blogsp...
researchww2.blogspot.com/
Casualties of the ambush:
-Private Julius J. Richmond, Regimental HQ Company, 517th PIR
-PFC Jack Whitfield, HQ Company, 3rd Battalion, 517th PIR
-Unteroffizier Martin Janostik 6.3.1912, Breslau
-Gefreiter Hans Jantzen 20.9.1924, Siemersdorf
World War II - Peira Cava - 517th PRCT - First Airborne Task Force - Operation Dragoon - 1939 - 1945 - Militaria collection - Intelligence officer - Tête du Pin - Breil sur Roya - Moulinet - Col de Braus - Infanterie Regiment 107 - Infanterie Division 34 - Grenadier Regiment 107 - killed in action - missing in action - forensic - identification of war dead - M1 garand - mg34 - mg42 - Ellwangen an der Jagst - Foto Zirlik - Lieutenant Colonel Paxton - Zábava
Words cannot describe how amazing this video is! Extremely detailed and well done, sir! I have yet to watch anything that really brought the war home to me as this did. It’s heartbreaking to realize the millions of stories out there similar to this because of it. Rest in peace to all soldiers on both sides!
also tragic that this continues to happen everyday. especially again in Europe. :-(
I agree" you'd think we all would have learned something" but I'm not giving up yet" stories like this are educating young people I'm sure of it" so maybe there's hope yet....with abit of luck right?
After watching horrific videos of drones killing soldiers in the Ukraine conflict, I am left wondering who will tell their stories.
not the SS TROOPS - THEY WERE MURDERERS
Stories like this are AMAZING. Seems surreal. I was born less than 8 years after this event. Reading this leaves me sad that after all these decades, humans are still slaughtering each other in mindless Wars. Thank you for your incredible tenacity/work of finding stories such as this to share with millions.
This story is a tear jerker. Im an ex-Marine who served in Vietnam and this story really got to me. Thank you for posting this.
I'm a Marine as well (04-08): thank you for your service.
(Communism is the worse)
I have 4 brothers who are Marines, and they always said there are no ex-Marines! Once a Marine, always a Marine... are they right?
Thank you for this excellent report. As a German I can confirm that we do learn a lot about this dark part of German history. The letter that the grandson wrote, assuring the soldier of having no grudge, was great. He has a wonderful attitude. It is important to keep history alive so that it will not be repeated.
It is a good thing that you have learned not to attack other countries but it is sad that you like us swedes and other european people have forgot that we have a duty to defend our countries and are letting our enemies take over.
A lot of people don’t know that the Germans accepted losses of 1%-3% during live firing exercises. An ignominious way to go.
The understanding and forgiveness was remarkable. Bless their family. Their grandfather was very brave and dutiful.
Every culture has a dark past we need to learn from history so we don't repeat it
Lessons learned when you are in a war do not lose.
Many stories lost... My mother's "first love" was a bombardier, from Australia, and was killed on a raid over Brest...she visited his grave once, but I found another piece of his story in an article about a Lancaster bomber wreck being recovered in about 2010, the very bomber that he was in that day... Little vignettes of lives lived and lost ..
War is tragedies
Thank you for this touching story. The fact that Mr.Hensleigh kept Mr. Rieks photos for so long shows that this incident haunted him. He was very fortunate to have contact with the familiy of his former enemy and be able to make peace with them.
Theres a song about a soldier going to fight in the civil war. His father told him, " Be brave , but show mercy when you can". What a line.
Do you know or have the name of this song?
@victorverdi6919 written by Alison Krauss...forget the name of the song
@@ksrmk Thanks.
Bright Sunny South, by Alison Krauss & Union Station
@@scottc543 Thank you kindly.
What strikes me is how well written Gehart Hofig's letter is. A lost art in this day and age.
Not in most E.U. countries. Their public scholls are far superior to ours.
@@danielebrparish4271 I’m 🇬🇧 & part 🇺🇦 but my American ex showed me just how bad your education system is. He would constantly mix upper & lower case letters, couldn’t do cursive writing at all & he was dumb as a rock. His general knowledge and things I’d teach to 3.5 -11 year olds we completely missing. I teach & 2 of my pet hates are homophones and greengrocers’s disease, random apostrophes where they shouldn’t be 😂Unfortunately he also thought he was far superior and was an expert in everything 🙄
@@lilacscentedfushias1852 Resting on others laurels , obscures vision . Have to strain to see through the haze of reality .
Amazing job putting all that together - you've shown war at its most personal level.
That is the tragedy of war. Soldiers of opposing armies kill each other.
A story that must touch everyones heart. The sadest thing is, that 80 years later is a war again and similar sad storys happen day by day.
When I tell you this is hands down the best documentary of this topic I may have ever seen on CZcams. Letting the men tell their story while showing videos of how their childhoods looked is incredibly powerful. I can’t wait to see the next one.
There's a movie script here, you got tell a little different story, you can have the German soldier trying to surrender, and in German. " Don't kill me I have a family "" of course American soldier had no idea, and he whent home thinking for 70 years he murdered this German, he came back a bad man a bad dad, until he returned the album to the still living wife, and now he has complete closure, 😊😊, of course there's more to the story, Clint Eastwood would be great, make it a tearjerker, cause you really felt bad for this soldier thinking he murdered a man, and of course he didn't, at the end of the war both sides weren't taken prisoners of War it was really brutal GOD BLESS THESE HEROES, 😇😇😇😇
@@user-bl6ne3hc6n You can't place blame on someone !
Fantastic work! What a sad but at the same time incredible story that really puts the second world war (or any war) into perspective. These were all human beings, they all had there own lives with families back home - with friends, hobbies, hopes and dreams. One should never forget that these regular soldiers were all regular people - for the most part. Again, thank you so much for sharing this beautiful film about your research! Best regards from Norway! 😊
@@ww2historyandreenacting True the were both human being but German speaking human beings in majority considered themselves Ubermensch and commited unspeakable atrocities. Poland, Greece, Serbia were most massacred countries. In Poland alone Germans and its allied managed to kill up to 6 million citizens - this is equal to population of Norway today. So there is no equality between perpetrators and victims or Allied troops killing German troops fighting for evil Third Reich. It was not "normal" country and what most striking is that majority of troops were not members of NSDAP - German National Socialist Party.
I think as an intelligence officer, he was doing his job, he wasn't looting and had no idea personal photos would be in his pack, he was looking for maps or the movements of the German troops. If he hadn't kept these photos, this incredible story would've been lost. War is stupid, nobody wins. We all have to rise above the hate and show love to our fellow man.
If Sergeant Georg Rieck had tried to rise above the stupidity of war he would have been summarily executed. I wondered why the German NCO was permitting his men to surrender to the enemy and that he had not shot dead some of them to put some fighting spirit into them. Had a commissioned German officer been there, he surely would have emptied his postol into the backs of traitors. According to Nazi principles, soldiers fought to the death and never surrendered. I notice that Sergeant Rieck's headstone is not in the shape of a cross which certainly was the German custom. It must have been changed at some time.
War is human nature. Always has been, always will be.
@@Hunter_Nebid Refusing to take human life is also Human. Always was and always will be even when we have a nuclear war soon.
@@Jean-rg4sp I think you have been propagandized pretty severely, and also have never been in combat. I would be very surprised if a company grade officer, in any army, would kill one of his own men. when you read stories of summary executions, in my studies, it was always an officer of another unit.
and yes, Herr Feldwebel was re-buried. by the French.
War is horrible but sometimes necessary. The horrors the Nazis were committing needed to be stopped. We HAD to win.
It’s been said that one death is a tragedy, but 10,000 deaths is a statistic. This story is a perfect example of that truth.
I heard about a similar quotation , have to been said once by Stalin : " one death is a tragedy , but one million is but a statistic "
@@georgekrausse3801How else can a human see a tragedy ?
@@georgekrausse3801 True. Stalin said it.
@@georgekrausse3801 Stalin never said that. It was in a Book called "Black Obelisk" which was originally published in 1956, 3 years after Stalin had died.
@@Kpoole35 was it a fiction book? A fabrication? Because a quotation being published posthumously doesn't mean it was not said by him... although I have no opinion on it; it does seem a bit apocryphal.
When I think of all the hours and hours of CZcams videos I've watched, very little even comes close to the impact of this 21 minutes. Thank you for this amazing and poignant story.
Another fascinating story, Jean-Loup. Thanks for working on this for so many years... you brought closure to the families.
I often wonder if there were no war how many friendships could have been friends. No one wins in war, everyone looses
For those who were Jewish I doubt any of them would've lived long enough to make friends with anyone. There's also the problem of Germany and Italy never being able to get rid of their strong arm dictators and building a peaceful democracy. Too bad Russia changed sides and got stuck with a dictatorship like a 3rd world country.
Such a terrible loss of life , his poor wife. War is senseless.
Extraordinary research. You have rescued for history and posterity an event which otherwise would have been lost forever. I am sure all of the soldiers involved in this small action would be very grateful that you have at last told the story of their tremendous sacrifice for their countries. And the film is a great reminder, as you say, of the foolishness of war when we would otherwise be friends in different circumstances. This is a great lesson to ponder currently.
Wow! As a combat veteran, the response from the grandson gave me cold chills! What a wonderful family and out come! Great work Sir
I suppose family can look back at now because of all that's been written about that era. We can appreciate how different the world could've been if the Allies hadn't won. I also think that Thank God the Allies won so myself and my children could lead free lives.
@@juliaforsyth8332 Yeah, Europe would still be for Europeans.
@@davidb2206 Absolutely correct! 👍
@@juliaforsyth8332 You got to be kidding me. The war had nothing to do with your freedom other than letting bolshevikism go worldwide. The results are in and the wrong side clearly won the war. Look around
@davidb2206 No. Most Europeans would have been relegated to a lower class of humanity and enslaved to serve the "superior" Aryan race. Children born with the slightest defect would be euthanized. The Jews, Romanis, Gays, Jehovah Witnesses, people of Poland, Ukraine, people of differing views would all have been cruelly murderer. Is that how you see a pure Europe?
You're a good man with great soul. Thank you for your channel .
I have been watching your presentations for a couple of years now. Your work is absolutely stunning in research and depth. Simply amazing!
Thank you ever so much for this valuable word. It brought involuntary tears to my face when reading the second email Georg Rieck's grandson sent to Henze to make sure the old man rested assured that no one hated him, but felt compassionate to him and all sent into war. Will we ever learn ? So far, we haven't. Seeing the misery which war inflicted and how it influenced the next two generations deeply may help us to come to our senses. Again, merci beaucoup from Germany.
Thank you for this fine post. It totally humanizes the soldiers & what they had to endure under the most stressful of circumstances.
Excellent account of the needless horror of war and devastation of families. My father fought in the Pacific (at 19 yrs. old) and had PTSD for the rest of his life due to kamikazes attacks .
My father was a marine in the Pacific at the Ryku Islands. He has severe
PTSD and so bad I never new him. I understand why he was never right.
So many of us were deprived of our service warriors familys torn apart . I respect their fight and duty.
Excellent video, that gives the family closure. My mother too never saw her father. A New Zealander, he was a bomber pilot for 51 Sqdrn RAF and was buried in Scotland. She is now 84 and feels his loss even more strongly now than she did when she was a child.
Thank you Dr. Gassend for sharing this poignant story. Excellent research on your part. I'm glad Lt. Hensleigh was able to communicate w/ the German soldier's grandson and provide the family with the wedding pictures he'd taken from the soldier's body. I found myself wondering if the German soldier's daughter might still be alive and able to enjoy the pictures of her parents. She'd probably be 79-80 years old.
Rieck's son was alive and well at the time I did the research.
I am so glad you took the time on this superb work. Having details like this brings those dark days to life that we may better understand them. My uncle was a BAR man in the Battle of the Bulge and went through tremendous combat and suffering. He was not the same when he came back from the war and shared very little of what he went through. It was only after his death that a war buddy of his contacted me and shared some of the combat they went through together. I would never have known. Thank you again.
Brilliant channel. Fascinating stories that re thoroughly researched and well-presented.
“We’ll never know why he kept on fighting when he knew the war was lost” It sounds like he loved his men, and was trying to get them out alive. That’s why he kept fighting in the ambush surely.
He was a fanatic. Common problem with Germans at the time.
@@rpm12091we don't know that for a fact.
@@rpm12091 So he's a fanatic while the Yanks coming back for revenge weren't?
The letter of the other German sounds as if he coverd the retreat of the wounded, maybe it was indeed his goal to save his comrades.
@@rpm12091 Not every German was fanatic just because he was a German. Some were simply forced into the ranks, as Russian soldiers are today. May mankind some day find a way to bury the Universal Soldier and settle a peace!
Thank you for your tireless research, and for keeping history alive. Invaluable!
Oh my god. Thank you so much for the hint to the grave search. I've just found my grandma's brother who went missing in 1944. 80 years of not knowing what happened and now we finally have a trace. I had no idea this search existed. Thank you!
Well done, 'Crocodile Tear' - amazing work & research
Powerful.......Thank you so much for this very moving tale.
This is excellent research. You have salvaged a small but important piece of our human history.
One of my neighbors Dad was in WWII. He recalled a time when he killed a German soldier and took his helmet. He was surprised and shocked to find a picture of the soldiers girlfriend in it. This made it more personal for him.
Genuinely heartbreaking, I'm glad the family has them now.
How tragic the deaths on both sides. I can't help remember what Darrell "Shifty" Powers once said:
"We might have had a lot in common. He might've liked to fish, you know, he might've liked to hunt. Of course, they were doing what they were supposed to do, and I was doing what I was supposed to do but under different circumstances, we might have been good friends."
It's wonderful you did this research! It reunited people. A miniature moment of World Peace ❤ ✌️ 🌎
Excellent account of two men who should never have had to face one another as combatants. This helps us appreciate how events experienced during the war remain fresh in soldiers' minds even decades afterward. Thank you for your informative research.
Thank you for sharing this story of war and humanity.
Sems the German NCO sacrificed himself so the rest could retreat, even the original MG man who was wounded, survived and retreated.
I see what you're saying now.
Thanks again Jean-Loup for a wonderful and also sad snapshot of the history of those days. Great work. =)
The senseless price of war on all sides.
Another brief time in history brought back to life as if it happened yesterday! Merci Jean Loup 👏🏻
Thank you for posting the story. May they rest in peace.
How could those German soldiers not expect to be flanked, given they were aware the Americans knew their position? I cant understand how in a group of experienced soldiers, not one thought the Americans might come back but flank around from the woods. Seems like a simple thing to figure out when your life is on the line.
Very good comment. These were their first days in combat against US troops and perhaps they were overconfident and believed their own propaganda, and didnt expect agressive infantry actions, but only overwhelming artillery from the Americans?
We can perhaps take the account of the letter with a grain of salt, but it sounded to me that Reick and the Germans were in the middle of being relieved by another unit and possible re-position right as the second attack occurred.
Hindsight ?
watching the video of the Lt, it reminds me of all the WW2 vets I conversed with @ the VAMC. That long term care room was a flashback where I heard many stories just like his. RIP Lt.
This loss in the families creates long-lasting trauma. The last words had been hard to swallow and made my heart feel heavy and weighed down, due to the told story and due to incidents in the wider range of the family and my own experience. Thanks for your interest in history and for showing the results to a broader public audience.
What an amazing job you've done here. My Grandfather survived WW2 and only spoke of it a couple of times. War is man's insanity on parade and I wish peace to all who want it.
I am speechless...I don't know what to post. Thank you!
A battle narrative equal to the best. As a modern American I find this so full of humanity & sadness. Very well done.
Fascinating story...very well researched.
What great research into a sad event for the families of these fallen soldiers. Fantastic work to find the complete story of this long ago action.
Your research is second to none.. am glad there is someone like you keeping an eye on thinks from then
Fantastic video! You told the story very well, and brought all the facts together nicely. Thank you!
As a Veteran I know terrible things happen in war. My Dad also fought in the Korean War and he rarely spoke of his combat experience as many war veterans are reluctant too. But despite what happens in war and combat there seems to be a flicker of light of humanity and hope that one day all will be reconciled in time and as we know Father Time heals all wounds.
Thank you for sharing this story!!
Wow! Fabulous video, one of the best I've seen on CZcams. Thank you very much for creating and posting this. Every man killed, in every battle of of every war, was someone's son, brother, father, or grandfather. Or maybe just a friend. Each death is a family tragedy. Learning their names and hearing their stories brought it all to life today for me. And it made me cry.
Absolutely incredible. Thank you SO much for your work.
As a veteran this thing has me internally tearing up. Thank you.
Excellent work as always, Jean-Loup.
Great research and shows how devastating the cost of war is on a person-by-person basis for all sides. This gives some closure to both families that will last generations. May the Lord have mercy on all of us.
What a heart wrenching story of the effects of war upon families. I've never been moved so much by a historical narrative. Please keep up the good work.
Had a priest history instructor in an excellent residential school I spent 6 years at.
His constant refrain after every lesson was "and there is another example of mans inhumanity to man".
Took me a long time to finally realize how very right he was. War is inhumane and all are led into to it repeatively, by the inhumane who are never in the firing line unless they lose their war.
In those days the leaders actually had been in very intense firing lines in previous wars: Hitler, De Gaulle, Churchill, Mussolini...
@@CrocodileTear There goes my theory apparently, except for the fact that none of the leaders got their fingers dirty a second time . . .
@@user-qs7gx7rp7m Htiler and Musolini did not survive WWII, if I am not mistaken De Gaulle was condemned to death by the French governement, etc.
I echo all the great comments posted about your fantastic research, your ability to bring an event and the soldiers back to life, as well as your presentation style and narration! Just terrific!
Thank you for another fine video and telling a side of history that otherwise nobody would have knowledge of my condolences to the families
This was so interesting, and I appreciate how much you researched both sides of this encounter. I'm even more amazed at the incredible reaction of the family. Thank you for sharing this!
Amazing the amount of research that goes int these vids. Thanks for your efforts.
Fascinating, and a superb video & story once again. Thank you!
An excellent example of why war makes no sense.
I found myself near tears at the end. To all of those who know what such loss is, smile when you can and cry if you have to. S. Stoddard former Co. C 2/75th Ranger Airborne
The German war machine was a very disciplined smooth operating bureaucratic system. When a German soldier was wounded, sick, captured, or killed his parents and spouse would receive a detailed summary report of the events. The bodies of German soldiers were reburied in cemeteries on the Eastern and Western Fronts or transported back to Berlin, unless frontlines became captured territories by the enemies. They were very meticulous about honoring their dead. *This letter is a reflection of that. Remember Herr Feldwebel's friend was just a young soldier himself, and look how detailed and specific this letter is reporting the circumstances of Herr Feldwebel's death to his wife and parents. The soldier that wrote this at the end of the war was very young. My Dad was in the Korean War, but I had many relatives in WW2. One uncle in the Battle of the Bulge. Another Uncle in the Pacific. I've done interviews with WW2 vets. One a D-Day Utah Beach survivor, who died just a few years ago, RIP, Joe Miner. He was 94. He was in Patton's army. A Hitler Youth, (still alive in his 90's), was liberated at age 16 by Montgomery's army.
Usually the CO send a more formal and less detailed letter. it is rarer for a friend to have sent a highly detailed and sincere letter such as here. US families in most cases never received anything more than the official telegram. That is why US families are often clueless about what happened. Richmonds family though he had been killed by a flamethrower while parachuting into France....
You have a wonderful way of documenting History and also recounting it!
Excellent research as always
Thanks for sharing this, amazing how much information was retained about something that was quite a small contact, for those who where not present of course. Charles
I just subscribed your channel this morning and I went to check if this channel is still making videos and I see you've uploaded one while I have been watching! I love the WWII German stuff, great work man!
That was a riveting story... Thank you for your effort and enlightening us all.
Great video! Merci beaucoup for having the interest and passion for telling the stories of these men, their fate and highlighting stories from a front that might have otherwise been forgotten.
I can imagine the family members stumbling on your channel and watching every detail of those events. I know hardly anything about my grandparents. It's a well made documentary. Thank you.
Amazing video ! Amazing research ! !
You never cease to amaze me with you every last detail. Thanks for this touching story. What a waste of life so close to the end.
Another fascinating story. Thanks for reporting your research findings.
awesome video, so much information, i have a few wartime pictures of dead germans that the americans searched through the dead german, it was common practice in ww2! Fantastic video with research at another level. thanks for posting jean loop
What was common in WWII shocks millennial youtubers. Perhaps such topics should be censored?
@@CrocodileTearReality sucks !
War is hell..war is sad,there is no glamour
Here, we are reminded of the absurdity and futility of war as well as the dedication of war fighters and why they fight. Extremely well researched and told.
Wow, During this videos - What a conflict of emotions, for all parties . . . . . . .
Respect to all those
R.I.P. - Brave they've souls !
It's great that young authors such as yourself, Stephane Jacquet and Fabrice Avoie are continuing to tell the story of France 1944-45.
What an interesting vignette from WW2! Thanks for making this video and sharing it.
Excellent work in recovering all the information for this touching story.
That was most interesting and very well presented. When you drill down into the personal stories it really brings home what an absolute tragedy it is when countries go to war.
The 517th was my father's outfit. He fought up through Italy, across the Alps, and was ultimately wounded during the Battle of the Bulge. I have a couple of pictures of him in Nice, one in front of the Bagatel night club, and another of him with a pretty French girl under each arm.
He was a medic who carried a weapon and refused to wear a red cross on his helmet because the Germans used it as an aim point. My brothers and I listened to his stories but couldn't comprehend the sheer brutality of what he experienced until we were grown men.
It's been 25 years since he passed, and I'm sure he would have enjoyed this video and most likely recognized some of the faces and names. Remembering the hardships and sacrifice these men and their families endured gives intimate insight to the toll of war.
Could you please send me an email? I wrote a book about WWII in Nice and would much appreciate if you could send me scans of the photos. My email is shown at the end of the video.
Your research is fascinating. I wish I had more info about my grandfathers' stories. I have some info but some I have not been able to find.
A beautifully researched and presented story which was deeply moving; THANK YOU!
What a remarkable story. You did a fantastic job of research.
This is an excellent video, really bringing to light the experiences of what it was like to fight during this time. Also excellent is your work to contact the surviving relatives of the German soldier.
Very good video
I sincerely appreciate your unwavering dedication for the truth and history
You are a hero for such work
What an amazing researcher you are and story that makes history richer.
This was a beautiful story, very well told. Thank you for bringing it to the world.
For Howard Hensleigh to have kept those photos his whole life, suggests what happened that day really bothered him. My late mum lived near Brighton, in Sussex, during the war, where a lot of the allied forces were based before D-Day. Although she was only around 17 at the time, she met a French-Canadian soldier and they went out a few times - courting, as it used to be called. She said he was a lovely, handsome and very respectful guy who really took a liking to her, as she did him. Their friendship was cut short when he went over to France, and she received letters from him regularly, until one day they just suddenly stopped. She could only assume he had been killed. My mum went on to meet and marry my dad, and they married in 1950 and were together until my dad passed away in 2001. Despite all this, my mum kept those letters from the French-Canadian soldier her whole life, in a drawer in her dressing table. I think it's a similar thing - it left a lasting impression on my mum, who at such a young age, must have found it difficult to understand.
Do you have the Canadian soldier's name? I would be curious to know what happened to him.
You are such a good investigator. Amazing story and well done.