Crisbecq: A GIANT German Bunker Complex in NORMANDY! | History Traveler Episode 198
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- čas přidán 4. 06. 2024
- Most people who visit Normandy will pay a visit to the German gun batteries at Longues-sur-Mer or Point du Hoc, but there is a bunker complex in the Utah Beach sector that way more vast than either of those. Crisbecq Battery was a menace to the Utah Beach sector on D-Day and in the days after. It's also where one of Niland brothers (from whom the Saving Private Ryan story is based on) was killed. In this episode, we're exploring this vast complex and getting a better idea of what the German defenses looked like along the Atlantic Wall.
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...
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Whenever you show these bunkers, all I think about is how loud those guns must have been. Had to have been deafening. Great video
Imagine a shell leaving the gun aboard a ship and it's destiny is entering a doorway of a bunker. Wow. Great video. Thank you.
Pretty crazy. That big hole was made from a shell that came from Azeville Battery though. Can't imagine being on the receiving end of that.
@@TheHistoryUnderground Hey I started watching you for your Civil war content But since your covering so much on D-Day i wonder if you’ll visit the memorial at my hometown Bedford VA and do a episode about the Bedford boys
Sadly Azeville was closed when i went Normandy in 2018.
As they say, The Avon Lady may ring your chimes but me and my Howitzer only knock one time.....
The shell came from the back. Not from a ship
I'm so proud of you. You managed to go into bunkers and not hit your head (on camera).
All I have to say is Erwin Rommel was an absolute genius when it came to planning out defensive positions for the atlantic wall.
Yeah, no wonder why they won… wow!
@@michaelsullivan1262just because they lost doesn’t make the defensive positions any less impressive
@@michaelsullivan1262they literally had the entire world fighting against them lol
He predicted the Normandy attack. Hitler wouldn’t listen to him.
They lost though
I have to say, as you go up those steps into the Tobruk….I was literally like “don’t bump your head JD” then the patient at the aid station when you said “somebody bumped their head…”. Oh goodness that’s hilarious 😂 another brilliant episode
Ha!
Same here! Haha
I was thinking the same thing!!!
@@stephenrrose something about great minds eh? 🤔😂
I was there back in 1995 when all was still covered under earth and barbes wires.
The engineers ( USA ??) blew up the battery to avoid future use by the Germans , in case...., I was told by a local named Gigi.
I have the privilege to travel to Normandy every 8 weeks ever since but never returned to Crisbecq.
See me around in 3 weeks !!!! I do stroll around when I have time but your videos give a name to lot of these nameless places. Keep doing this great work. Love it. Love from Belgium
Very, very interesting, thank you, another place to visit upon return to Normandy.
Been here couple of years ago, it is an amazing site
Absolutely.
All those medical supplies that were found! Fascinating. One of the things I collect. One can only imagine what went through the minds of the Germans when they saw the vast armada out before them. Thank you JD. Again just in time for break at work!
Thanks! And yes, those medical supplies were pretty cool.
Aye, happen time to break out what's left of the Pervitin for a bit of determined concentration on the disaster approaching.
Your description of preservation after 60 years etc would almost fit that of the camp at Grandcampe Maisy. Maisy Battery was literally buried after the war. A gent called Gary Sterne wrote an excellent book about this. ‘The cover up at Omaha Beach’. Sure you’re familiar with this. If not I highly recommend a read mate. He has excavated it and new bunkers have just been added to the known site. Truly massive and very controversial.
Its amazing the time, money, and manpower they had to build fortifications
Pretty crazy. Only to have it breached in a day.
@@TheHistoryUnderground yes that too, all that effort just to last a day lol
Manpower? Forced labour...the least of their problems.
Time? They had from 1939 till D-day...
Money? Appropriated everything from their captives and their country.
So,all in all, they paid the architects...maybe.
@@howler6490 true true all still amazing
To me this is one of the coolest set up as a museum but still is the history of back in 1944
I think its great that you give well deserved publicity to these places, that might otherwise be overlooked by historians and tourists and are then hopefully able to remain open to the public. well done and thank you from England.
Nothing like having coffee and watching history unfold.
Nice!
Oh my that is a horrendous big bunker and never knew it was that big show me alot what the bunkers look like they're see why they have problems. Another excellent video on Normandy take care may God bless you and your family
Thanks. Pretty massive complex.
JD.... Again the best reenactment of the Normandy Invasion ever. I have felt in everyone if your vlogs have taken your viewers on a realistic battle to free the world of Nazi tyranny. Thank you
Thanks!
My wife and I were able to visit Azeville but we were unaware of Crisbecq. Always more to see.
JD, Tell Erik and maybe Paul, we are sorry not sorry if you held them up! Just Kidding!!! Thank you again for a great video and helping me "Learn things!" As a medic I found the First Aid Room and actual Bottles used on site, interesting!
Interesting that for so many years people wanted to forget about these sites, but now we want to know as much about them as possible.
What an amazing site, so glad they were able to pull off such a fantastic restoration and turn it into what it is now! I would have never realized just how large that complex was without your drone footage, great addition. 👍🏻
These videos should win awards , great work 👏👏
I was waiting for it when you were walking through those tight spots and up to the tobruk. I cracked a smile when you mentioned the poor guy that was receiving medical care. You made it through without banging your head!
All kidding aside, great content as always. Thanks for another great lesson.
Awesome! Can't wait to get over there this summer!
Pretty amazing place.
What an amazing place, I could spend all day exploring there. I’m so glad that they restored it. Love everything you do to bring history to everyone. Keep on keeping on..
My favorite video of yours yet. I think of myself as a knowledge person of WW2. Then, I see something like this and I realize I've only scratched the surface
I have to give kudos to the French for restoring the bunkers. When I would’ve thought they would want to erase everything that reminded them of the nazi occupation. Great video again!
Thanks! And yes, the French deserve a lot of credit for the work at preserving the history.
@@TheHistoryUnderground Did it cost you anything to tour the complex?
That aerial shot in the end really shows how freakin huge this complex is! A whole lot of concrete an rebar...
Thanks for another great episode!
Keep it up!
It’s crazy. Glad that you enjoyed it!
Going there was an experience I can't describe properly. Just an amazing place.
If you ever have the chance you should visit the US cemetery in Margraten in the Netherlands.
I would definitely like that.
@@TheHistoryUnderground i live nearby and that is more than holy ground for the citizens here.
On my trip to Normandy for the 70th anniversary, I introduced myself to a veteran quietly sitting in the Notre Dame Cathedral in Bayeux. He was wearing a hat with the name USS Corry. He humbly explain the ship blowing up. I asked what did he do when this happened. His reply was “What the hell do you think I did, I jump in the water”. He mentioned it took 3 hours for their sister ship to pick them up. So humble.
You should go and visit the MKB Hanstholm in Denmark, big Guns and a amazing museeum. Never saw action in WW2 but realy interesting. its only a 18 hour drive from Crisbecq...... :-))
Oh dang. I'd like to see that. Thanks!
Interesting 👍 been to "Pont de Hoc" but not there 🏴🇬🇧
You're not alone. I think that Crisbecq is definitely lesser known.
Wow JD! That battle damage was incredible! That shel blasting the wall? WOE! Cool to see!
Yeah, that might have been my favorite part of the whole complex.
@@TheHistoryUnderground I sent this to my sons, was like -WOE BOYS! Momma wants you to see this! Lol
YES, ive been here. So happy you went thier mate, i couldn't believe that it was a German shell that went threw like that. Respect to all that fought thier and lets not forget the labourers who built it too.
We can never say it enough, thank you for preserving a part of our history and our freedom. Freedom is not free. God, Family, and Country.
👍🏻
At first, I thought that the first bunker room (where they exploded the ordnance) was a gym! I used to train in a gym that looked very similar to that room. Thanks, as always, JD!
Oh dang. That would be kind of a cool looking gym.
A nice job of restoration. Thanks for the video.
Glad that they worked to save this place.
So much treasure (money) engineering, and labor expended for the cause of war. How much better would the world be if we could use these resources exclusively for the betterment of mankind.
Completely agree.
Those gun bunkers are a amazing history especially digging them out. The damage they withstood is unbelievable great information and history. Of course you would find a connection to the 101st Band of Brothers...
Thats one of the double edged swords of the BoB "thing." I swear there are people who think the 101st and more specifically E Co. of the 501st- won the entire ETO on their own.
Once again I am astounded by the sheer quality of your videos and your knowledge, informative, respectful but also excellent videography and entertaining, its a crime that each of your videos does not have 1million views. Would love to buy you a beer and show you around my local museum if you are ever in the UK.
I believe that the bunker complex is where Major Pluskat was stationed when they saw the invasion coming from the sea. They have recently unearthed and restored the command bunker across the road from the site where you were visiting. If you think Crisbecq is large wait until you see Maisy Batterie😉
Each time JD shows a large bunker, he manages to find a much larger bunker. Thank You!
The entire tour was supremely interesting - thank you very much!
I explored the 210 mm gun emplacement, that sunk the USS Cory , killing 24 of her crew. In answer, the USS Nevada made a direct hit on that gun emplacment killing all 25 men manning that position. The gun you showed at position 19, had a different tragic ending. American engineers set explosives to destroy the emplacement,. but the explosives detonated prematurely, killing between 10 and 12 American soldiers. A local told me that not all the remains form either of the emplacments were totally recovered.
It's also awesome history that this bunker system exchanged fire with the Nevada, the ship that would not die.
Great video, JD! Nice restoration by the French. They could have easily just let these places be, as is.
Because of their work, all of these complexes stand as a reminder to future generations of how things can get bent in the wrong direction.
Ha, history tends to repeat, because of lessons learned, are forgotten.
Seems ring true, as I write this, eh?
During the drone shots above the battery you could see, on the grass, faint lines. This could mean that thee is something under the grass that hasn't been dug up. Archaeologists sometimes use aerial photos of field to highlight where stone structures have been . The stone under the earth causes the grass to grow at a shorter length than the surrounding grass. When up high you can see the difference. There appeared to be a few 'structures' under that grass?
We were in Normandy in 2017. We didn't see this bunker system so thanks for sharing. Amazing insight on the structures and damage by allied shipping. Thanks for sharing. Say, would you be able to show the bunker where Pluskat actually first viewed the allied fleet. Like that scene in 'The Longest Day'.
Glad you enjoyed it! That bunker that you're referring to is at Longue-sur-Mer. I did a video on that on my last trip. Here's the link: czcams.com/video/V0KY3LUSg80/video.html
@@TheHistoryUnderground Thank you. I just viewed that video. Amazing view from that shore bunker. Can't imagine what Pluskat thought. Holy Shit come to mind.
Wow this is one of the best episodes yet ! I look forward to each new installment in this series . Thanks so much.
Wow, thanks!
Where I was born and grew up, these bunkers were EVERYWHERE 😔. A constant reminder of what took place there. My grand father was actively fighting in the résistance.
Wow !! Took several days and pounding US Navy to accomplish this sector . Great video .
Finally I have been to a place the same as you, that place is amazing and yes very true its not a very visited place.
Ha! Nice. And yes, this one kind of flies under the radar.
@@TheHistoryUnderground I spent almost six hours there and before we left we sat and had a coke right in front of the 210mm gun in the video and was just amazed at it all.
Fascinating stuff and an impressive complex ! Equally impressive and with an amazing story of a direct hit from a US battleship is the battery at Azevill close to Crisbecq
Wow, this was quite a complex! I had never heard of a grenade trap. For some reason I thought of miniature golf when you showed that!
Interesting...as you may remember Guernsey is the most defended..many been brought back to life..excellent museum...batteries for 305mm ex naval guns...observation towers ..you should visit ...be a new angle
Definitely hope to visit there at some point.
Impressive tour JD! I cannot get over the size of this facility and how self supporting it is. Thanks for taking me along with you!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Outstanding as always. Seemed like a lot more to see. Time constraints are a bummer 😁
Visiting some bunkers is definitely on my bucket list. Glad to see they took the time to bring this one back.
One of the few things my father in law did talk about regarding his WWII experience was guarding the German prisoner work detail they used to move ammo into a quarry for disposal (blowing up) after the end of the war somewhere outside of Munich. Thanks for bringing that memory back JD 👍
Wow!
If you haven't been, there are two places in London that are a must see. "Churchill's War Rooms", and "The Imperial War Museum". There are many more, of course, but those are "do not miss" destinations!
JD just another fantastic video. I really enjoy your Chanel. God bless and keep up the great videos.
Thanks 👍
That was quite a complex. Looks like a city that was fortified. That bomb making it in through a door is quite astonishing. That certainly wasn't a welcomed guest! The head bump had to happen JD, that's your unofficial trademark!😆🤕😆
Questioning an American? He's probably demanding their surrender. LOL
What an impressive place and on D-Day was like an ant's nest with activity. Some pretty big bang to take out those gun bunkers. wow!
Yeah. I didn't mention it, but it became a testing ground for the U.S. to see what the bunkers could withstand.
Wow. Great video. Very impressive construction to take that kind of punishment. It reminds me of some of our coastal defense fortifications and some of their later uses. I have one near me that used for training during Vietnam. It took way more abuse than you can imagine and is still standing.
This video makes me want to visit Normandy even more.
The big busted bunker from crisbeq (the one you show at the end) actually explode on the 25th of September 1944. I did a lot research on the explosion itself as its the first losses the 104th Infantry Division had during the war. If you want, you can contact me directly and willing to share my research.
I remember when that place was discovered and they started the excavation. So awesome to see the progress that has been made.
This place was huge. Must've been pretty intimidating. I enjoyed this one a lot. Pretty neat stuff. Thanks again for sharing JD!
Great job JD. I couldn't imagine trying to fight in and live in those bunkers.
JD: please visit Wilmington, NC, my favorite town in my home state. You'll find there the WWII battleship North Carolina Museum and Memorial, and also the Civil War era Fort Fischer, a vital CSA stronghold. Wilmington was one of the most important ports the Confederacy had, I really think you'd love the history and culture in Wilmington, and you'll never get better oysters. I would also recommend the Museum of the Bizarre. I would love to see you visit Wilmington, NC. There are also museums on our Outer Banks that display U-Boat wrecks, the site of the Wright Brothers first flight, a sunken Civil War ironclad submarine, and artifacts from all sorts of shipwrecks, including Queen Anne's Revenge, Blackbeard's flagship. We even have an island that's home to wild horses directly descended from the horses the Europeans brought to the New World.
You'll find Jockeys Ridge, the tallest sand dune on the east coast.
Also the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse was moved like half a mile in the mid 90's and is the tallest Lighthouse in the US.
I have spent a lot of time in the Normandy and Calais area over the last 23 years and I must congratulate you on your retelling of history with accurate and interesting information. Your videography is also excellent. I cannot believe I have only just found your incredible page. Well done and thank you very much. Jon in the UK. Ex Royal Air Force Police.
Another fantastic video, thank you. While staying Normandy in 2016 I visited Crisbecq Battery. The mincer in the cooler room at 16:17 was made in my home town of Uttoxeter in Staffordshire, England. Goodness knows how it ended up in Crisbecq Battery, Normandy, France to be used to prepare food for German soldiers.
When the 4th Infantry men mounted their assault on Crisbec Battery the commander of the battery ordered the commander at the supporting Azeville Battery to fire directly onto Crisbecq to drive the attacking American soldiers off.
Great video. Thank you for teaching me about this complex. I had no idea.
I'd love it if you toured some of the fortifications of the Gustav line at some point. I've been enjoying Rick Atkinson's "The Guns At Last Light" and hope to one day see the site of the battles around Monte Cassino.
Great preservation work. The World needs to look after more of these sites for the future. Amazing structures
I was stationed with the 5/81st ABN FA in Wiesbaden Germany. We use to participate in training maneuvers at Grafenwoehr(Rommel's old stomping grounds). This was the first time I experienced German bunkers. They were strong, well-built structures that I found fascinating. Glad you like showing them.
Wow!! That. Place was/is massive! Thanks for taking us along 💞🥳
Best bunker tour so far, J.D. Battle damage is cool. Coming up on 200 episodes. Something special planned?
Thanks! Nothing big for episode 200. Just business as usual. :)
One of the many reasons I love this channel is that I learn something new every video. I have never heard or read about any Kriegsmarine personnel being anywhere on the Normandy invasion beaches, but apparently there were 👍🏻
brilliant - so amazing to show the detail - love it
I love how you bring everything in detail so we have a better understanding of what happend or took place there. Love the videos keep em going! There's also tons of bunkers on the border with france and germany might be cool if you went there and made a video on it :)
Thank you so much for doing such a great job in preserving history. I don't know of any other place that I could go and get exact history as you are giving. Keep up the great work
That is a very cool bunker complex and a nice alternative to those at Pointe du Hoc. I cannot imagine the volume of planning, research and coordination that you and others have invested in these videos. Thanks for the work and the journey.
That hole in the wall is amazing. The people on the other side would have been vaporized. Another outstanding video. This series is batting a thousand. All the content is superb. JD, has late night TV or NPR or anyone reached out to talk to you about this? It's really remarkable.
I am assuming this has only been restored in the last few years. We have been to Normandy to see the sites at least 5 times and I can't believe we could have missed this one.
JD would you ever do a series of videos about the last days of the Reich? Things like the 101st Airbornes at the Eagles Nest and the capture of places like Munich by US troops? Love the WW2 content.
Definitely.
@@TheHistoryUnderground happy days! 😊
That was awesome dude, a piece of history that seems to be left out of movies and documentaries, thank you so much for this video and bringing history into the light.
Another great episode. Just love those big guns! Just love the restoration of this battery as well.
210mm gun = 8-1/4" gun. Larger than the guns on a Heavy cruiser. Could destroy anything smaller than a Battleship. (and do serious damage to older American Battleships that were used in the D-day invasion)
Definitely deadly.
I cannot wait to get back to Normandy! Your videos have set up my next trip!
Again thank you for what you do and bringing this History to us. You are living my dream. If I could talk my wife into i would Sell alot of my stuff Move to my familys home who live in N Ireland and do what you do and go around to the WW2 sites. My Granda and Grandma Both served in the Royal Air Force in WW2 and had my dad in 1946.
great video JD how far from the shoreline is it located? looks to be about a mile.
Je conseille vraiment de la visiter. Je pensais faire la visite en 1/2 heure, nous y sommes restés 1H 1/2.
If you wish to properly explore this complex you cannot get round it in 1 1/2 hours - spend half a day and take in the strategic positioning and appreciate the movement restrictions when it was under fire
@@richardwest6358 I m agree with you, but when you have only a day to visit Utah beach sector, you cannot pass half day to visit a place...
MyFred35. I agree with you completely. Some people seem to think they can "do" the invasion beaches and inland sites in a couple of days. In reality, to do justice to the immense historical importance of this blood soaked ground deserves more than a brief "glance over the wall at the cemetery". I have listened to people asserting that they have "done" Pegasus Bridge in 15 minutes. What an insult to the brave men of that action.
I’ve been there last year and your aerial footage completes my impressions. Well shown! Your series shows it all 👍🏻
Great video again JD. I have been to that site when they were excavating. Looks like I need to go back and see the result. Thanks for sharing. As a kid I was very impressed by the battery at Cap gris nez. The biggest ones I have ever seen and these are well preserved and dressed completely. worth a visit, not to far from Normandy at Calais.
Oh wow! That would have been cool to see during the excavation process.
The bunker at Ouistreham is also well worth a visit.
Dadgum! Ya think?? Outstanding video. Love your vids. Having studied WWII for the last 65 years permits me soak up all I can from any way possible. Thanks.
JD you always have the best luck going to all these places and being alone.
Very nice job of maintaining the site. It's big history. Merci beaucoup.
Very interesting place, for sure.
Great video, paid a visit there last week and was blown away by the size and scale of the place.
Pretty dang cool.
Love your work JD. Coming from a WWII history buff all I can say is I'm super jealous of you being able to tour Normandy and visit so many place of great significance. Keep up the great work.
They did a super job bringing this bunker back to life ! Thank you for the tour ..
Boy I gotta tell ya I had the chance to visit France some many decades ago, in college, and am sitting here trying to figure out how my brain totally misplaced all my fascination with WWII. I spent time in Paris and took the rail to the coast, many miles south of Normandy, only to just lay on the beach and improve my tan. The humungous gun emplacements, giant concrete pillboxes, were still intact some forty years after the fact, and were impressive. However not impressive enough to awaken my lifetime study of WWII, especially D-Day. And now that I'm thinking of it my trip ended on ~June 8th. Most curious of all is I never thought of it once until just now seeing your video. Thanks for the memory, huh!?!