Inside a GIANT Normandy Bunker!!! | History Traveler Episode 176
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- čas přidán 13. 11. 2021
- This episode was produced in partnership with The Gettysburg Museum of History. See how you can support history education & artifact preservation by visiting their website & store at www.gettysburgmuseumofhistory...
Part 2 of the "Normandy 1944" Series
In preparation for the Allied invasion of the European continent, the German army built a series of fortifications along the coasts that became known as the Atlantic Wall. In this episode, we're exploring a GIANT bunker that the Germans built in the Sword Beach area that has been converted into a museum that shows a bit of what life would have looked like for the average German soldier. Enjoy!!!
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You never disappoint. Keep up the amazing work!!!!
Absolutely love your videos. Thank you so much for everything you do.😊🤗❤️👍
Hey, JD you have done more then needed for me to subscribe to your channel you have done a fabulous job
So the Germans managed to hit you in the head 77 years later. Damned nazis!
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My uncle survived the war against Nazi Germany. He said lots of German soilders he talked with were actually good guy's. He said many of them were just children that didn't even understand what they were fighting for or against. It's sad that lots of people today don't understand this. I'm not defending Nazism , it was pure evil but it should be taught to our younger generation. Thanks JD. Love your channel.
Completely agree. Thanks for watching’
@@ohioTrue. Both sides were terrible there.
@@agentmueller both sides huh
It's unfortunate how nuance is absent in many minds. It's a tribalist type of mindset. Black or white. This or that. Good or bad.
I find it to be a lazy mindset. It's easier to ignore things that would change your mind, and place perspectives in easier to identify boxes.
I was always guilty of that because it was just too overwhelming to sort out the details.
Thank God for CZcams (never thought I'd say that 😅) for providing new & entertaining ways to get people interested in history.
@@agentmuellerincomparable.
“He looks like his cheese done slipped off his cracker.”
I laughed out loud at that shit.
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I choked on my gaterade when he said that….LOL
HAHAHAHAH
I have a great photo of the manic man always makes me chuckle when I see it
Cheese falling off your cracker is no laughing matter, it turns you into a museum display mannequin
I think it's important to learn both sides of the conflict. Having lived in Germany for 13 years, I have spoken with so many German vets. So much in common for the "normal" soldier!
Oh man, I would loved to have had an opportunity to sit down with a lot of those guys.
This justifies the Russian approach to captured German soldiers: "Kill em all, let God sort em out". No " both sides" nonsense there.
I always tell people when talking about say the Nazi's and collecting or sharing their items, you are not celebrating what they stand for, you're celebrating those that fought to over come them. same with civil war statues here in the states.
@@24escalade
...Except you don't see any Hitler statues in Germany because a statue is a monument to a person. Artifacts are a different story because they are in museums.
Sadly a great number of these warriors are or have passed. I remember when I was a kid just about every man I talked to was a vet of WWII. I had 2 neighbors who served. One in the Pacific, Port Moresby & the other in Europe. They both had astounding stories to tell. My neighbor who served in the Pacific had a brother who served in Europe. He was a POW of the Germans. He never ever talked about his ordeal. My father in law was a surgeon during WWII. He went ashore at Normandy 1 week after D-Day. He said the beach was still red with blood. He treated our troops of course but also the Germans. He said you never saw a happier bunch of guys to be captured because they knew they’d be treated well & fed. One German soldier he was treating said through an interpreter, do with me what you will, but keep me away from them as he pointed to an area of the compound that held SS soldiers. He had many amazing stories as you might guess. My first job was in a grocery store. Wendell our produce managers parents were farmers living in Nebraska. They had 3 - 4 German POW’s working on their farm. As I recall he said at that time, mom & dad still get Christmas cards every year from 2 of the prisoners. One of them loved America, so much, after returning home began the process of bringing his family to America. Always amazing stories to share.
I can’t wait for the rest of this series. Going to Normandy has been a dream of mine since I was a kid. Just watching these kinds of videos makes me tear up.
Thanks! Got A LOT more videos coming.
Really interesting . The bunker was designed as a flak and control tower for the AA surrounding the port of Ouistreham. As you said it finally fell to three men lead by Lt Bob Orrell of 91st Fd Coy RE on the 9th of June , But not before the bunker defenders inflicted heavy casualties. Look forward to the next episode.
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I visited The Grand Bunker nearly 20 years ago, and thank you for refreshing my memory :)
This is def one of the most impressive D Day Museums on the Atlantic World, and well worth a visit. The fact it’s within sight of the Port at Ouistreham is a bonus.
Always a joy to relive history through the lens of your camera combined with your thoughtful narration. Continue to grow your channel to unseen heights. Thank you from IA.
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I love it! JD: “there’s nothing that says we can’t so we will”! I’ve always said “if it does say you can’t, then you’ll need more camouflage”! JK
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JD you knock it out of the park just about every time.
Appreciate that!!!
Ok this one got me. I’ve never in one second of my life heard of or seen this bunker complex. Nice one JD
Thanks! Glad that you enjoyed it.
Nice virtual visit! Thankyou
Thanks 🙏🏼
Appreciate you sharing this stuff, as I will never see it with my own eyes. And to anyone that has served.. thank you.
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Kudos to the Normandy French for saving important historical locations and artifacts that in today's world is about as un-PC as is gets.
100%
I hear where you are trying to go with the "un pc" remark but you need to think things through a little bit more--in the US no one is not saving legitimate artifacts and historic sites and artifacts--no one is trying to get any Civil War battle sites de-listed as preservation sites--what has happened is that several monuments and flags that were erected for the specific purpose of glorifying the leaders of a failed insurrection against the American government over the issues related to the enslavement of African Americans, a truly awful thing to glorify. Some of the states that had the stars and bars added to their flags didn't do so until the Civil War centennial right. about the same time that the civil rights movement started. demanding that African Americans be treated equally under the law. It has nothing to do with heritage preservation and everything to do with shoving symbols of a failed racist ideology that took up arms against the American government to preserve the institution of slavery. Gettysburg is still an important part of the National Park Service.
In Germany you can be arrested for having Nazi stuff. I agree, forget about it and it will repeat itself.
@@johnjarpe2393 so it's ok to remove historical artifacts if they offend you, got it.
Your videos have taught me a lot of history that I never knew. Thank you for taking folks with you.
My pleasure! Thank you.
I went to this bunker on my trip to Normandy in 2019! The one bit you skipped that I think would of been interesting to show was on the ground floor entrance. There were figures of two Canadian sappers that blew off the hinges to the metal door into the bunker and you can see where the door was blown off it's hinges by some well placed TNT! Really cool!
Pretty amazing place
If this bunker is on Sword Beach, then the Canadian sappers were on the wrong beach.
@@bobmcrae5751 his statement is actually correct: On June 9, Lt Bob Orrell and his team of three men from the 3rd Canadian Division took four hours to breach the armour-plated doors, and the garrison of two officers and 50men surrendered shortly afterwards.
@@jamesr.9852 That's awesome!
"Dang,we found the guns!" I love it. I can't recall ever seeing a bunker at Normandy beach that tall. Outstanding video. Also, I have never heard that remark about the cheese falling off someones cracker. Ha ha ha.
Ha! To my knowledge (and I could be wrong here), I think that this is the largest bunker along the Normandy coastline.
Why do the german maniquins have ppsh type weapons? Isnt that a soviet weapon? Strange that would have been in normandy.
I noticed in one of the displays a German soldier (mannequin) was shouldering a Russian PPSh-41 sub machine gun. Interesting for sure.
Probably to represent the Ost battalions.
Normandy is an amazing place, visiting and entering a large bunker is both eerie and amazing. If WW2 is your thing, visiting Normandy is a must.
Thanks for the great tour. That mannequin with the crazy smile is something. Like you, I thought shell-shocked.
Ha! He definitely looked like something was off.
Oh my goodness!!! I lost it when you said his cheese done slipped off his cracker!!! That is a great one!!!! 😂😂😂 You have made my day.
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As a WWll history buff, this is really cool to see.
Thanks! Got a lot more on the way.
@@TheHistoryUnderground Awesome, big fan of all your videos. Keep them coming.
Thank you for doing this show I really enjoyed it and the younger generation needs too see things like this as well thankyou so much !
Thanks! Hopefully people are sharing these videos with the younger crowd.
Not really,.. I mean its nice but for example at 6:16 he said guns, guns and there were shells and ammunition, grenades and antitank weapons
@@simongontkovic5039 - The “guns, guns, guns” thing is a reoccurring thing that I’ve said through the series that regular viewers will pick up on. Obviously, a grenade or antitank weapon is not a gun. I’m assuming that the people watching are smart enough to know that.
It is nice that JD wears dark clothes, it really cuts down on reflection when shooting video of displays thru glass. Thank you for sacrificing your skull for the view. Waiting to see the "History Underground" bump-cap in the merch...
Ha!
Interesting choice to outfit that German soldier with a Russian PPSh-41 (?) reassigned to Normandy from the eastern front and issued a battlefield pickup .??.
Fantastic museum. Would get lost in it for hours. Huzzah!
That’s what I’m guessing. Glad that you enjoyed it!!!
JD you do such a job of pulling the viewer into the story, nice work. So much history in one building "bunker." If those walls could talk, the stories. I'm happy people like yourself are keeping American history alive, it's really needed right now. Thanks for your hours "of fun" work you put into your videos for us the viewers.....
Appreciate that! It’s a lot of work, but I enjoy it.
Love the ppsh being held by the German soldier by the bunks. Probably my favorite weapon of the era.
Definitely a cool firearm.
I took a university class in WWII studies that included travel to Normandie....beautiful place, friendly people, and intense class
Agreed. Love it there.
Spending some time going back over the old episodes….they never fail to show teach me something and make me appreciate your work all the more!
The irony of such a nice set up (for that time) of around 50 men basically waving the white flag to only 4 soldiers. My uncle had a gun from that period and its so interesting to match that weapon with the bunker & real photos from that time. Good vid! About to check out some more
Thanks!
It is pretty awesome to see this restored bunker against what WW2HistoryHunter usually finds. The electrical boxes, and bunks, and pretty much anything metal have all been scavenged. I recognized so many things that I have seen torn apart in his vids in their pristine state in this vid. Very cool.
Thanks. I really enjoy his channel.
@@TheHistoryUnderground Also you remind me of my Texan father with the "dadgum"... this vid might be a record for the amount of them, lols
@@broncobum 😅
"His cheese has done slipped off his cracker." Luv it. HA!
Ha!
Excellent tour,it's amazing how well built the bunker was and how it survived.
Agreed. Pretty amazing structure.
Very interesting!! Hope your head was ok … you can hear the thump hen you hit 😖 … Another great video JF Thanks for taking us along 🥰
Thanks 👍
Great video thanks for posting this my great grandfathers fought in the first world war in France and both of their sons in the navy this time fought in ww2 ,, that place looks awesome,,least we forget the sacrifice of many ,, for our freedom ,,, from northern Ireland ☘️☘️☘️☘️☘️☘️☘️
Wow! That’s quite the legacy.
Cheese slipped off his cracker!🤣🤣 Smoked my dadgummed head🤣🤣🤣
Love it! How tall was the tower you climbed? What a view! Great video!
"His cheese done slipped off his cracker" 🤣 OMG you slay me!! The way you go crazy with guns just makes me happy, because I like seeing old guns, too. Hope your head is ok. By the way, you answered your own question, a knucklehead would climb those walls.
Ha! Yeah, it was quite a place.
I was a SSG in a US Army Cavalry Scout unit.
..... ---> That observation position at 10:30 and again at 11:20 would have most likely also included a Forward Observer. He would talk with the Artillery or Mortar crews via the radio and directed fire where it was needed most on our US Army soldiers on the beaches.
Thanks for that extra info!
Is it a true History Traveler episode if JD doesn't hit his head on something? The World Wonders... Cool place. I hope I can make it over there someday.
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Thanks for taking us to the top! 🦲☝🏍💨
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"His cheese has done slipped off his cracker"..... lol :) !
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Man JD, I was waiting to see if you'd make it up there unscathed. History Traveler hard hats! Next item on the store? All kidding aside, that had to hurt. Great tidbit about the gentleman that secured the maps, etc. This series is starting out great!
Thanks! And yes, that head bump is probably one of the top 5 most painful that I've had.
This fellow would be an awesome history teacher or professor which ever.
Probably would be average at best, but thanks!
Very interesting!! Thank u sharing! Have a good week.
Thank you! You too!
Wish this dam virus would go away so we can start traveling again. Would be awesome to go there. Love the tank, machine gun and that 88. Inside that huge bunker has some pretty awesome 👍😊 artifacts from WWll. Thanks.
Agreed. I’m ready for things to return to normal. Thanks for watching!
“There’s nothing telling me I can’t”
“That son of a gun right there!”
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Ha!
JD, your video brings back happy memories of visiting this bunker back in 2008. It is spectacular! Great video! I hope the bump has subsided!
A amazing place went a few years ago the reality of size of the invasion kicked in when looking through the range finder and seeing the vast distances along the coast.
Can't imagine the panic for those guys when they saw that vast armada.
Excellent Video JD, you do a great job explaining everything and are quite knowledgable
I appreciate that!
Fascinating to see the internal workings of these bunkers. Thank you for sharing all sides.
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Great video! Definitely heard and felt when you hit your head. Another great series!
Its amazing to see stuff through CZcams and movies and such, and know that you've been there! I loved this place and I'm glad you enjoyed it as well!
Nice! Thanks!!!
Thank you for sharing. Have often wondered what the inside of the bunkers looked like.
Glad that you enjoyed it 😁
Thank you for explaining the ventilation system. Very interesting!
I thought so too!
It was powered, but included a handle to crank it up if power was lost. That job would stink, lols. Reminds me of Kimmy Schmidt in her bunker cranking away...
I just found your channel, and I really like it. Very interesting videos, as this one. You seem to be well documented, and I like your comments while you show what you see. As a French-speaker, I appreciate the fact that you speak very clearly, so it is very easy to understand everything! :) Thank you so much for sharing your great work. 😊👍
Duck !!! Great video JD , keep'em coming ! Thanks again for your Historical effort's , they are very much appreciated !
Thanks! 😅
That was so cool to see! I also liked the JD workout, but alas, I have no bunker nearby to practice it. Thanks for another amazing video!
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My Grand Father landed on Sword Beach, D Day. He was a Royal Engineer. He drove a dozer which cleared a passage through the beach obstacles prior to the first wave of landing craft hitting the beach.
Great episode! I also follow WWII History Hunter, and he goes inside abandoned bunkers to the north along the Atlantic Wall. Your tour of this restored bunker gives a lot of context to what those may have looked like when they were in operation. Wow!
That mannequin was the last guy that hit his head on that ladder!
Ha! I know how he feels.
"His cheese has slipped off his cracker" Bwahahahahahahahaha .... gotta remember that one.
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Hope your head was ok 😖 you can hear the thump when you hit .. ouch!! Another great video!! So interesting.., thanks for taking us along 🥰
Thanks!
I can’t believe I’ve never seen this , been to Normandy a few times & visited Pegasus bridge which is only down the road from this . Thanks very much for posting.
Thanks for watching!!!!
We were there 2 weeks ago. We just walked through the area out side where the SPR boat is and the other really cool things they have outside. We didnt have time to go inside as we were on a tight intinerary and we were parked illegally on the street beside the bunker. We spent 4 days exploring the D Day Beaches and as you know if you have been there, that is not enough time. So, we made a list of what we wanted to see and covered that list. We live in North Carolina and the trip to Normandy was well worth the time and money. I highly recommend going if you have an interest in what happened there. May favorite part was exploring WN62 on Omaha Beach. Really cool if you know some of what happened there. The American and German Cemeteries were way cool also.
Very much so. And yes, there’s never enough time.
Great job. It's on my bucket list to go there but not sure if that will ever happen. But thanks to you I am getting a great tour of it.
Thanks! Got a lot more to come! There’s a playlist that has a bunch more Normandy content from a previous trip if you haven’t seen it already.
Fantastic to see. Visited Normandy few years ago but I missed this bunker… keep the videos coming JD. On to the next place!!!
Thanks! Much more on the way 😄
@@TheHistoryUnderground that’s great news 😁 Pegasus bridge is also interesting to visit.
Thanks for showing both sides. 👍
You bet
"What kind of a knucklehead would do that?"
Line starts forming....
Ha! That’s no joke.
Ha ha! The sign is there probably because somebody did!
It is an old American custom with these kind of signs and warnings. Yep, liability comes to mind. Great video! Again.
Loving all your videos as always. If you don't get a beer with Mags and Woody it will be a travesty!!
Thanks! Decent chance that you'll be seeing them in a few episodes :)
@@TheHistoryUnderground can't wait!!
We just drove by this museum about 5h ago on our way to Pegasus Bridge, not knowing it was there… Would have been interesting.
Sounds like a good excuse to go back 😄
@@TheHistoryUnderground Unfortunatelly we had to return our rental car today. Next time :)
JD, amazing work as always. I live about 4 hrs from Gettysburg and always try to hit the Gettysburg Museum of History every time we go.
Awesome! Thanks.
Awesome episode again! Great to see the bunkers in that much detail. Beautiful place
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Loved this! Thank you, JD!
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Yes! I was hoping you would make it there. I stood in the back of that Higgins boat and imagined the scene from Saving Private Ryan when the landing ramp dropped. I had no idea it was the same number. And leave it to you to do something I didn’t do when I was there. I didn’t climb the ladder to the the top. Such an interesting place, and the story of how it was captured is pretty comical. Thanks for the content, glad you made it to this place.
Thanks!!!
How was it captured
@@BigRed1551 , Lt. Bob Orell of the royal engineers took 3 men and blew the door off with explosives after 4 hours. He captured 50 plus German soldiers.
Wow! Really set up just like a Command Center. Thanks.
HEY, JD WOW THAT Bunker is a totally awesome place they have done a fabulous job on the reenactments that were being portrait in a commend bunker of this style I have thoroughly enjoyed this series so far so keep up the wonderful job OK take care stay safe God bless and will see you on the next video projects
Thanks! Got A LOT more content on the way 😁
JD has done his research and knows his stuff. I love how he gets excited when he finds the guns.
“There’s nothing saying I can’t.”
JD, you are my influencer.
Great video, safe travels.
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All those German bunkers and they still LOST. USA, USA, USA
That place is really cool and filled wit so much history, thank you for the upload and the time you take to do all this,
Thanks 🙏🏼
Awesome tour JD! Thank you!! Incredible sights! Great work brother! 👍
And I have that hitting your head problem too being 6’5” I’m always having to watch low areas too lol! Be careful and safe my friend! Frank from Philadelphia, PA.
Thanks! I’m not nearly 6’5” and still seem to crack my head on things often.
@@TheHistoryUnderground your welcome! Lol, I hear ya, just be careful brother!
Wow...how great of a video was this one!
Hi there! Thank you so much for these….just got back to Texas from France and these were so helpful planning our trip. Air France cost us a day ugh but with your vids I can see the couple spots I didn’t get to see. Stayed at Hotel Casino on Omaha, couldn’t have been better. Cheers from a fellow historian.
dang, heard that dinger on your head lol! Love your videos tho! Thanks for putting all these together for everyone who enjoys history.
Appreciate that! And yes, that one left a mark.
My wife and I stopped by Oiusterham back in 2013. We spent a lot of time at a different museum in town with a French commando telling his tales. We did stop by this museum as well but for some reason did not go up into the bunker, just the gift shop area. Thanks for the tour!
My pleasure! Thanks for watching 😁
Always a great job of telling the stories. If you are still in Normandy area, you may wish to do an episode on LaCoupole Museum .
Thanks!
Next stop if I visited Normandy again. Thanks !
Nice! You'll enjoy it.
New subscriber from ATL. Pretty cool stuff so far. I’ll be watching more often!
Awesome! Thanks so much!!!
Excellent vid. Thanks for posting it!
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8:47 when the scho-ka-kola kicks in
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Be careful JD. That smiling German soldier inside probably had too many unnecessary blows to the head. Another great video though.
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awesome series, i really love your videos !
Thanks! Feel free to share it out.
Nice. Thanks for sharing. LE and GB key off to kryptos WW2 layer and 5x5. T bunker. 5 bunkers X bunker another, Churchill Underground bunker another. So much history is hidden in plain site. Rich history. Thank you again for sharing the video.
There's something similar to that observation tower in Aramanche. It too is preserved as a museum. A very touching place still 💙
That was brilliant!
Thanks👍
One thing that Gen. Rommel did to the defenses, was to go out at low tide & carve out long trenches parallel to the shore. So, what happened during the landing, the Higgin Boats would hit the sand bunkers below the water line, figuring they had hit the beach, lower the draw gate then as the soldiers got off, they dropped into a deep, water trench where they drowned. It is estimated each soldier was carrying about 60 to 70 pounds of equipment.
That smiling dude though😂... guy who climbed the wall watching the video says: im the knuckle head😬
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Was wondering why that bunker wasn't shelled by naval gun fire into oblivion. It was surrendered to 4 Brits. Prob also because its a comm center not gun position. Great tour - love all your vids.
Thanks!
Cool Post thanks a bunch Merry Christmas
Absolutely awesome, thanks for sharing
Glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for watching. Got A LOT more to come.
That's cool. Been all over Normandy. One of my faves. Also went to verdun and crawled around the trenches. Should go to butte de vaquois where they blew up mines. Incredible