WW2 German Artillery Graveyard
Special thanks to Jersey War Tours, a non-profit volunteer organisation, for drone footage and photos. Please visit the following link for more footage and images of the surviving guns: www.jerseybunkertours.com/ww2...
There is one place on the old Atlantic Wall where dozens of large-calibre German artillery guns remain, dumped just after WW2 - it is the 'artillery graveyard'.
Dr. Mark Felton FRHistS, FRSA, 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; Jersey War Tours; Bundesarchiv; Imperial War Museum.
Thumbnail: Jersey War Tours
Music: 'March of Midnight' by Scott Buckley
Special thanks to Jersey War Tours, a non-profit volunteer organisation, for drone footage and photos. Please visit the following link for more footage and images of the surviving guns: www.jerseybunkertours.com/ww2-gun-graveyard
What a giant waste. Tourism! Seeing all the guns is the only reason I would go to these islands. Why would anyone go with the guns all gone from their original locations? They ruined their chances of tourism being a thing.
Cheers Mark, great edit :)
@@JerseyWarTours I'm very jealous that you have such interesting war history in your backyard. For better or worse Canada doesn't have many such installations and very few within a short drive. Thank you for preserving and sharing it with the world!
@@andrewthomson We are so lucky to have this in our backyard! thank you.
@@robinblackmoor8732 agree who would visit does island.... It's not like Hawaii or something like that 😂😂😂
I was born on Jersey in 1966, my friends and I as kids, would climb down the cliffs to the guns and play. We also used to explore the bunkers and tunnels. They were not sealed off so much then as they are now. This has brought back fond memories of my childhood. Great video as always Mark.
Soundtrack was a bit melodramatic
@@johnyoung2279 More than a bit!
Those were the days, we were very lucky as children being able to play in the afterglow of history, castles, bunkers, gun emplacements etc before the intrusion sanitation and commercialism of modernity.
Great sound track! What was the title of this piece?
Kids in Brisbane found sub-guns in old tunnels, a couple of years back. (It made the news, probably pretty rusty though).
I was born and raised on Jersey and have lived there most of my life, and yet somehow had never heard of this artillery dump before. Thank you Dr Felton for showing me a fantastic piece of history from my very own home. I know what I'm doing when I next go back.
I was born and raised in Jersey too. What exit?
Do you have a chinook helicopter! 😅
❓🤔❓ Yes, I too lived in Jersey for some time. But I can't seem to locate the German bunkers, the guns, _OR_ the tall rocky cliffs. I've searched all along the Jersey beaches, including Wildwood, Cape May _and_ Atlantic city, and all I can find are boardwalks, casinos and salt water taffy! 😁
@@HighlanderNorth1 I've seen the entire Jersey Shore and never come across any old guns. I'll have to re-watch the series all over again now I guess... 🙄
@@trje246 Lol. That's even funnier!
I imagine getting posted to the Channel Islands as a German soldier was the best possible outcome in terms of surviving the war and having a relatively easy life.
I wholeheartedly agree.
Yeah both sides sort of hunkered down and made the best of it. Obviously there were still incidents but the civilians had it reasonably good compared to many on the continent.
Food became in very short supply, both for the extra tens of thousands of occupiers and the population. In the winter of 44/45 the Red Cross sent a ship full of food (the SS Vega) but it was strictly for civilian use, not for the garrison, who were cut off (by this time the Allies were reaching out to Germany itself).
In hindsight, yes.
Sure beat the Eastern Front!
Being from Jersey myself, I knew the British army discarded the artillery off the cliffs but I never knew that they survived with some restored. Amazing footage, great stuff 👍🇯🇪
Do you think you’d be able to traverse the cliff side and pick me up a relic and ship it to me? I’m on the other island England🙋🏼♂️I really want to partly restore one of these relics or make something out of it a lamp! It would look amazing, only if it’s not too much hard work abseiling down the side of the mountain😊thank you it would mean a lot
I am semi-retired and living in the Republic of the Philippine islands. A trip into Manila and a ferry ride to the mouth of Manilla bay will take you to Corregidor island. The only non-original feature is the Corregidor inn, built to accommodate folks who desire more than a quick day trip. This is a place where you can get a deep immersion into history. Most of the heavy guns are still resting on their emplacements. If you are a history buff and plan to be in or near Manila, take a minimum one-day excursion out to Correggidor, I promise it will be worth your time.
I always take guests to the island. We retired to Cavite in 2018 from Texas.
I wish I had the courage to relocate to a foreign country. In the last 18 months everything has gotten 'crazy expensive' in the USA.
Thank you for these interesting places, greetings from a strange world 😊
Took that trip about 15 years ago. Very interesting island.
My family comes from Jersey. They like so many others were evacuated to England just before the Germans arrived. After the war the emplacements featured in this video became a childhood adventure park for me as my father, time and time again, lectured me on their construction and purpose! In those days the ‘bunkers’ were not nicely restored as they are today, but rather dangerous places to play! The guns thrown over the cliffs were part of his lectures then too. These experiences inspired me to a lifetimes interest and study of both world wars. Thank you Mark for your well researched and beautifully narrated videos, all of which I have watched with great interest. Keep up your great work, you are a true giant among researchers and presenters ! 👍
Your father did you a great service of talking to you about all of what went on, how it was made etc. Sorry to hear the old bunkers were dangerous, it sounds to me like a kids dream to play around in all those old bunkers! I remember playing army all the time and to have had real props to use would have been kid heaven! I of course, being the girl AND the youngest was always the Nazi, the Japanese, the Indian,the Confederate Rebel whatever the older boys didn't want to be fell to me and a few other lower on the pecking order=we are talking the 50's now. We had great imaginations but I do wish I could have played the hero a time or two!
The surviving bunkers on Jersey have largely been restored or are in private ownership. Playing in them during the 1960s was a bit hazardous to say the least. Many were partially filled in with earth in a vain attempt to keep the inquisitive out, or used as store rooms. Usually there was a way in for the intrepid adventurer armed with a pocket torch! Today the best place to find relatively untouched German fortifications is Alderney. 🤓
@@hogfather355 Thank you so much and I shall now add the Island to my WWII must visit sites!
I’m from New York, so even after watching a video surrounding the Channel Islands, I still thought you meant New Jersey and was very confused. Very good story though, I love small memories like this from back during the war. Glad your family was alright and got to return home.
@@PrestonFrankel So let me get this straight. You thought the Germans had occupied New Jersey in June 1940 ?
Dr. Felton..... always providing knowledge and enjoyment. Thank you Sir.
❤ 🇩🇪
And a very rare photo of a young Dr. Felton @3:15
🤣
Jersey Bean here, love that you covered this. My Stepdad told me about the German guns at the bottom of the cliffs when I was sixteen years old, I’m hitting forty soon, and this entire time I’ve been trying to work out a way to lift one of those bad boys back up the cliff to clean-up and place in the garden, lol I’ve had ideas, but as soon as you mentioned Chinook, all bets are off 😂 All the best Mark, take care mate 🤝
kzhead.info/sun/ddmqZJSaqXl6h5E/bejne.html
get a winch off of a land rover or toyota, abseil down the cliff, tie a gun to a rope connected to the winch and bobs your mothers brother. Tip; make sure the winch is well anchored, and 'steer' the gun up the cliff with guide ropes, so it doesn't foul up.
@@mistag3860 That was the main plan, lol, won’t be attempting it though, I’d likely get in serious schtick and besides, I can barely walk further than the shop across the road these days 🤣
@@KumaBean yea, probly, and it would have to be 'disabled' and i bet you need a metric tonne of licences, and permits, fees, and permissions. nice thought tho
@@mistag3860 And an olympic swimming sized parts cleaner !
Went to Jersey 18 years ago, loved looking at all the WW2 era fixtures and the Underground Hospital.
For tourism, it would have much better sense to keep all the artillery as they were.
@MVProfits I'm sure that's the last thing they were thinking about at the end of ww2
@@sicknote1558 yes I'm sure thery were thinking what 4the quickest and cheapest way to render these guns unusable? Transporting them off was obviously too expensive. I don't know why they didn't leave them in place and just fill the barrel with cement or make a hole in the side of the barrel.
@nancymilawski1048 I'm talking tourism like most if not all wars every trace of the losing regimes were erased from history as best as possible like Germany hittler Italy musalinie araq saddam every trace possible was removed. Britain had been through a VERY COSTLY war high in debt the Last thing people wanted was any trace of occupation especially after all the suffering natzi Germany had caused to the British people so preserving natzi artillery was the last thing people were thinking or wanted
The extended sequence at the end. All of the lingering shots of the ordnance. The musical accompaniment. It is well produced.
It’s like the battle of Truk atoll in World War II. There was a Japanese army garrison of 80,000 troops. When the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marines occupied the atoll huge piles of weapons and personal effects were bulldozed into the Truk lagoon. This included thousands of Nambu and Mauser pistols, Leica, Canon, and Nikon cameras, and samurai swords.
My brother said one of his saddest duties in the navy was the destruction of surplus light weapons by reading the serial numbers to a lieutenant who confirmed the number and then tossed them overboard while at sea.
Thank you very much for covering my home island of Jersey! I grew up just down the road from Battery Moltke and we used to play in and around the bunkers as kids, we would even climb down the cliffs at low tide to see the guns up close. It's an amazing place to live and so full of history, so it's always lovely for our little island to get some attention.
I'm from Jersey, you're from Jersey, what exit?
@Matt M tower, I don't think we have a tower.
@Matt M As far as I know it's still possible! But it's not an easy climb down, super dangerous and definitely not for the faint of heart
@@1pcfred Are you sure you're talking about the same Jersey? 🤣
Likely New Jersey , there is a turn pike (highway) that spans the State and your exit would identify roughly what area you live in. I don’t think the Germans ever invaded but it was a British territory at one point 😂
That final segment, showing the guns at the foot of the cliffs, has a terrible beauty. My compliments to your cinematographer.
Mark, your staff are to be commended in their unfailing quest to find relevant and interesting material for your channels. Kudos to all of you, thank you.
Yeah both sides sort of hunkered down and made the best of it. Obviously there were still incidents but the civilians had it reasonably good compared to many on the continent.
I went to the Channel Islands and loved walking around to find all the bunkers and gun placements. It’s such a shame that a lot of it was destroyed. History is amazing and should never be forgotton
very cool in
Unfortunately is is being erased and rewritten in the US.
My late father was in the 2nd AIF, mostly in New Guinea during WW2. After the Japanese surrender, the massive cleanup began. This included the loading of near new GMC American trucks, bulldozers, 4WD vehicles & the like being launched off the ships decks, whilst running, into the oceans depths. Dad said to me “It just seemed so damn wrong to destroy all this amazing, wonderful machinery!”
I was told about this also years back from an old Marine who was a farmer prior to his military service. Brand new Caterpillar D4 tractors, just run over the side into the ocean. He said they were not allowed to be returned to the U.S.
@@northdakotaham1752 Supposedly because it would cause a world wide glut of machinery. Meaning there’d be no manufacturing for many years! False economics?…
@@andrewd7586 maybe not world wide...but certainly U.S. wide. The manufacturers had some fine print....."No Returns, No Refunds"
In 1946, the Australian Government began returning to the Pacific Islands and recovered hundreds of these pieces of machinery and returned them to Australia where large mechanical workshops were set up and hundreds of returned servicemen were employed in they're restoration. This was done to provide a machinery pool, similar to that of the Military, where tradesmen could request trucks, bulldozers forklifts, cranes, etc, for use as they sought to return to civilian life and continue returning industry to normal practice after being on a war footing. It was called the 'Commonwealth Handling Equipment Pool'. To this day, there are hardwood pallets used for transport of goods with the acronym 'CHEP' painted on the side, and exist all over the country in their thousands in factories and warehouses. When I first read of the history I thought, what a remarkable idea that was at the time. 👍🇦🇺
@@lukewise1227 WOW just WOW , I never knew what the CHEP stood for , I forklifted 1000's of those pallets over the3 years. Thanks.
When I was stationed with the USAF on Okinawa in the 1980's, occasionally I would take the ferry to Ie Shima, a small island several miles off Okinawa. During WW2, the USAAF established airfields on Ie Shima (as well as Okinawa) as part of the war effort. A wing of P-47's - as well as other units - flew missions from Ie Shima in the Summer of 1945. When I was stationed there, the Marines had a target range on the island, although the runways were still very evident. Years later, I was reading a book that had pictures of bull dozers pushing the P-47's into an enormous slit trench on Ie Shima only to bury them! This happened, of course, after the war ended. If I would have known that when I was there, I would have try to locate the mass grave of P-47's (and who knows what else was buried there!).
Just last night I read again about brand new lend-lease fighters (paid for by US taxpayers) that were heaved into the ocean from British Aircraft Carriers when the war ended. Such a waste, but somehow it made economic sense? War is at it's core wasteful in so many ways. It is tantalizing to think of those rumored P-47s being unearthed. From archived news articles I know that a B-17 and B-26 from nearby "Barksdale Field" crashed near my town during WW2. I often wonder if the wreckage was recovered or buried. I haven't been able to confirm the locations. There's so much hidden history yet to be discovered.
At one of the islands in the Pacific there is an area called Million Dollar Point. When the Americans were standing down from the island the local population wanted to keep the Jeeps/Trucks/Bulldozers, etc….The Commanding Officer said okay but you’ll need to purchase them for a million dollars which the locals didn’t have. The CO then ordered all the equipment pushed into the ocean off an elevated area instead of giving it to them. Hence the name Million Dollar Point. Douche move on our part.
@@glennh3977 Just looked it up: it's the Island of Espiritu Santo, Vanuatu. I never heard about it. So some of the Greatest Generation lived with rationing of food, fuel, tires, and bought War Bonds. Then, Not so "Greatest" leadership wasted millions (and poluted the sea) just to spite the Brits and French. Then again there's all the stuff the US left in Afghanistan as the national debt continues to rise! Nothing changes 🙄
Dr Felton. Thank you for a very interesting video. On the subject of the Channel Islands defences. Have you considered looking at the curious story of the Batterie Mirus on Guernsey? The saga of its construction being most unusual, involving as it does the guns from the Imperial Russian Navy 'Imperatritsa Mariya' Class Dreadnought Battleship 'Imperator Alexsandr III' dating from 1912. In 1992, along with a friend I was shown the remains of the Batterie Mirus by Richard Heaume (The German Occupation Museum, Guernsey) Who also told us about the history of the Batterie. One unusual aspect of the various German gun batteries on Guernsey and Jersey was the use of surviving windmill towers as range finding towers. Being designated as the following. 'P' = 'Peilstand' or 'Direction Finding Position' 'M' = 'Messtelle' or 'Range Finding Position' St Martin's Mill at Rozel. Being designated 'M6' supplying information to the Batterie Mackensen (21cm medium howitzers). The Mill tower being substantially altered both internally and externally during the conversion. The tower was almost doubled in height. Today, it stands in the garden of a large house serving as both a Seamark and a garden shed. Bouvoier/Bouvoir Mill at Grouville (as a complete aside Bouvoier Mill is the most southerly windmill in the British Isles) Bouvoier Mill also reported to Batte5rie Mackensen being designated 'M8'. It was converted into a house during the late 1970s. Grantez Mill at St. Ouen. It was sold to the States of Jersey in October 1911 to be preserved and used as a Seamark high above St.Ouen's Bay. By the mid 1930's, there was a considerable movement led by G.S.Knocker and the Société Jersiaise to restore the mill to working order. Regrettably, this laudable aim proved to be impossible. As following the occupation, it was converted into a 'Beobachtungsstelle' or Observation Post for the nearby Batterie Ludendorf (However, unlike the other converted windmills on Jersey. Grantez Mill was not given an 'M' designation) As a result of this, all of the machinery was removed by the OT during conversion. Today, it serves as a Seamark whilst the base serves as the HQ of a local Scout group. Two windmills on Guernsey served a similar role. They are Vale/Pinnacle Mill, Vale. Which was extensively remodelled and extended in height by some 40'/12m. It served as distance and range finding tower for three inland batteries. Today, it serves as a Seamark. Mont Saint Mill, St. Saviour. Built in 1820 as a cement grinding mill. It was also converted into a 'Beobachtungsstelle' After the war, it was used as a Seamark. More recently, it has been cosmetically restored with a new cap and sails being fitted. Also, following the arrival of the German forces on Sark (4th July 1940) It was proposed to convert the Seigneural Mill (one of the oldest surviving windmills in the British Isles dating originally from 1571) into a 'Beobachtungsstelle'. This would have led to the removal of the milling machinery. But, due to the polite relationship between the then Seigneur and the German administration, this did not occur. Also, the officer who carried out the conversion liked old machinery. As a result, the absolute minimum of damage was done to the mill. Today, the Seigneural Mill is the only windmill in the Channel Islands, which still has the bulk of it equipment in situ.
Another fascinating place used for arms dumping is Beaufort's Dyke between northern Ireland and Scotland, an underwater trench where munitions were dumped after the second World War. Bombs from the trench occasionally wash up on coasts in the area and when some of them exploded underwater in the 80s it registered as 2.5 on the richter scale. As well as being an interesting historical tidbit and minor nuisance it's right in the middle of the most practical route for a potential bridge or tunnel across the Irish Sea.
Thanks for being an amazing historian Mark
Mark thanks for always posting these informative and well researched videos 👍🏻
I lived in Jersey in 1976 in St. Brelade. Is the underground German hospital still a museum? It was amazing! What I remember most was seeing the letter the German forces sent to the Bailiff of Jersey, informing them that they would occupy the island in June 1940. Jersey is one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen. Thanks for your wonderful videos!
Yes it's still a museum and a fascinating place to visit if you have any interest in what happened to the Channel Islands during the Nazi occupation of them. My wife and I have visited Jersey twice about six and seven years ago we hired a car and went right round the island, so peaceful now. However we visited the North west area and the fortifications, but were never told about the artillery pieces thrown down the cliffs. I would like to have seen them for myself. Maybe we will go there again and I will definitely try to see them somehow, but not climbing down the cliffs as some of the Jersey residents did as children according to the posts on here above. Being nearly 70 years of age and with arthritic knees and a bad back I think I might well get to the bottom in around the same speed as the big guns did !
@@samrodian919 maybe a boat with the right wind and wave conditions would be a way to see them?
@@nancymilawski1048 yes that's certainly a possibility if there are boat trips around the island in summer, I don't know because both our trips were in late October and January.
What a fascinating sidebar. Thanks Dr. Felton for this incredible story.
A relative from my family served as a German soldier in Guernsey. But he died of an illness and lies in the military graveyard there. He was considered missing and no one in the family knew he was there or how he died.
Mark You have the best theme music . It’s always exciting to see your new episode post and hearing that opening. Means an interesting and informative history lesson is about to begin.. Thank you for all your efforts…
I love the little animated captions that pop up when an image of the guns comes on the screen. Very high quality content.
Always impressed by Mark Felton Productions, History should never be forgotten, for it could repeat its self and we never learn from our mistakes.
Wow wow wow! Absolutely the most visually stunning video you’ve done to date. This vid is definitely an instant classical. From the drone shots, to the edited info tags, to the over all editing and impeccably accurate historical knowledge, this vid is a perfect storm!
Met an Australian who told me that he grew up on Guernsey. I told him that I had some ancestry from Guernsey too. He told me about the day when he was about 10yo in around 1960 playing with his mates on Guernsey and they came across an underground storage facility from WW2 up in the hills. There were racks of uniforms, guns, motorbikes with sidecars, all previously undiscovered. Being kids they told the adults and didn't get a thing, he wished they all kept their mouths shut until they were older! He told me about the time on Guernsey in the 1950's that the German Commandant was invited back by the locals, he was welcomed with a tickertape parade and given the keys to the city in a ceremony to thank him for his humanity during the War.
Went to jersey around 2005 went in the big bunker and to a lot of the fortifications and stuff but never knew about this! Thanks for another great video as always!
Reminds me of a park near San Diego, where a cemetery was cleared of the headstones and monuments by tossing them into a nearby ravine. Apparently, the graves themselves were not disturbed or remains disinterred. I've sometimes wondered whether family members of the deceased were consulted and in addition, whether the laying of pipes for irrigation for sprinklers have disturbed the unopened graves. Great video.
I've sat in the Sechsschartentürm at La Mare Mill, St Peter, which is very well preserved, and, as an ex-infantryman, been impressed and in equal parts terrified at the skill with which the defences were put together, layered and fortified. Over 800m off the beach, armed with heavy machine guns embedded in cast iron and hidden among strewn rocks, all served from deep chambers far below. It would have been difficult to locate and even harder to neutralise - and it was just one among many interlocked defences, infantry and artillery, defending the bay west of the airfield. I highly recommend the guided tours available - there is so much underground that you don't get to see from the surface. I would personally recommend Marc Yates's Jersey Military Tours.
Fascinating! Can't get enough of this stuff Mark. An excellent channel. Keep up the good work!
All of that steel is extremely valuable. Steel made before 1945 has unique properties that can no longer be made so there is a good market for old steel. I will not be surprised if all of those old guns are recovered and reused in the next few years.
I cleared out the Georgia Hotel in Van Canada and the old bedspring steel goes back to 1911 . Man, you can't cut that stuff it's so hard. And seems to get HARDER WITH age. !!!
Pre-war steel is un-tainted with atmospheric radiation from the detonation of nuclear weapons in the 50's, it is useful for sensors but we are quickly getting to the point where it has dissipated enough that this steel is only necessary for ultra accurate sensors, this is why chinese boats have recently been caught scavenging ship wreckages
You add so much detail and context to WWII history!
How did the Germans conquer the islands? Many killed?
What an amazing soundtrack under the part with the big guns!
Incredible to see the enormous number of weapons, both huge caliber and smaller that were left after the war was over. Thank you, Dr. Felton!
Brilliant Work! The ending is a magnificent piece, where reconstruction and annotation is blended wondrously with the musical score : Pure Historical Magick, Professor Felton! Please, if possible, one of Your marvelous videos on Carinhall - that would be so very appreciated.
When I was stationed in Germany I would go around usually on the weekends when I'm not doing anything and look at World war II stuff like the Krupp Decoy building Krupp made heave guns, tanks, armor plates and submarines for the German war effort. Very interesting for me to see what things were at one time
I have watched dozens if not hundreds of your videos, always fascinating and informative, though I know I will never even come close to even a smidgen of true understanding of this grotesque war. Thank you! (also thank you for introducing me to Scott Buckley's music!)
very much enjoying the recent surge of videos. I can tell, not just by the information, but by the footage you put a lot of effort in the videos. thank you
It's heartbreaking to think of all of the history we dump, or destroy, after wars.
or the tens of billions of dollars of taxpayer paid military equipment abandoned to be re-purposed by our enemy.....just recently.
@@northdakotaham1752 That's even worse!
What an amazing video! Mark comes up with the most impressive historical facts on WW2 than any other historian that I know of.
Had they kept those guns/emplacements intact that island would be a huge tourist attraction today - thus the reason they started to recover and restore them!- thanks for another great video Dr Felton !
Or took them out to keep them away. Sorry I live in a tourist area.
I helped build the Hong Kong campus for the University of Chicago business school (Booth), we had to work around WW2 defensive gun emplacements on the mountain, they’re classified as heritage sites. Was so cool going to them and getting the wide & expansive view of the bay and imagining the invading ships headed in. Dad was stationed in Japan during Vietnam, outside Tokyo, and was a scoutmaster for the base troop. Have pics of them out camping and standing next to WW2 AA battery emplacements used to defend Tokyo. I’m glad all these sites are being preserved as much as possible for future generations to see. The way the world is going, you never know, they might need to be reactivated.
My cousin dumped huge barge loads of Japanese weapons in the deep ocean after the war. He said it was fun to shoot them until they were red hot and then dump them. But he also regretted that he didn’t keep some of the Baby Nambu pistols he dumped!
I've heard that before some of the Japanese weapons were dumped at sea local occupation troops were told "Come on down and get a souvenir if you want!" Some did, some didn't, but interestingly most Japanese WW2 rifles you see here in the US ARE those souvenired guns, easy to tell since they're the ones with the imperial chrysanthemum ground off the receiver. A Japanese rifle with the mum intact is a battlefield pick-up and not as common as the others.
That explains a lot. I have a few of the rifles with the chrysanthemum on them and I’ve seen ones with them ground off. I’ve wondered why they were defaced. Thanks!
Dear Mark, you inspire. I want to go to your nation and learn all i possibly can , however mundane or irrelevant history may look on the surface. You are a gem to history livers worldwide. Words from New York.
The difficulty in retrieving them in modern day is a testament to the effort of putting them there in the first place. Considering the amount of time they have been sitting there many look in exceptionally good condition. Great video as always. Thanks
Excellent video. The final aerial footage and the accompanying score are exceptional. You are an almost unmatched documentary filmmaker. Thank you for your content.
Those German troops on the islands were undoubtedly the LUCKIEST German military anywhere!
OMG, right?? No battles, plenty of food and booze, and probs women, too. Just hangin out on the islands.
@@Lerxstification No crime either, a very young Bergerac took care of that.
Fantastic presentation once more Dr Felton! Enjoyed the very evocative music the end! War is mind bending in its wasteful nature. The vast wealth spent in armaments is staggering, let alone the wastage of Human life. Thank you for these insightful presentations.
I never get tired of these videos. Always a pleasure to watch these informational videos of WW2.
Such a pleasure to watch your videos Dr. Felton. Thank you!
Brilliant stuff. Once again. Thank you to the good doctor. ! Wouldn't the quality of the metal hold a significant scrap value. Id have one as a garden feature ,if I lived there and could think of a way to get at one. Amazing that they're still just laying where they are. God dam ,I love these videos. Just brilliant. Even getting some new fancy graphics and over lays. 💛👊👍 top notch !
Recover would cost more than the scrap value. They are worth more as display pieces, but some are too heavy for a helicopter to lift, I saw a Sea King trying to lift one many years age, they throttled up, but it didn't budge, all that happened was the blades bent up at the tips!
@@colinfaed5910 that would have been quite a thing to witness. Brilliant. 👍💛 It'll get to a point where the balance tips and there will be a mass grab of them, I should think this video will help. Nice one. 👊
Thanks for a great video to listen to for the commute to work!
Afternoon Mark...thanks for the video. So envious of your visits to these places.
Awesome. Getting my Friday fix of Felton. Great way to end out the work week Mark. Cheers from Canada
Sad as it is to see all that history dumped there, the actual dumping grounds are an interesting part of history. One of the sites I work at is the 100 ton gun in Gibraltar and I'd love to be able to see photographic records of where the original gun ended up
What a remarkable story . Thank you for this fascinating bit of history !
As I jersey born (kiwi raised) lover of history, I love seeing content relating to my home and the conflict history such as ww2 and the battle of jersey
So sad. What a waste of excellent weapons. My poor grandfathers are turning in their grave with sadness. Excellent episode again Dr Felton. Greetings from South Africa
I was in Jersey in 2019, what a great place was only there for 3 days but plan on going back for a longer time! Saw the guns on display but had no idea about the dumped guns below. Well worth a visit for a great vacation!
I've seen some of that bunker architecture revisited, usually in sci-fi art. When you hear about the higher value of pre 45 steel, it's surprising no one has recovered what's left there. Even with the difficulty.
As far as I’m aware pre atomic steel has to have been protected from the atmosphere by for example a minimum of 10m of seawater in order to maintain the qualities that make it valuable
Well I guess if those things are just laying around unattended anyone with the wherewithal might as well go and help themselves to them! Talk about the ultimate lawn ornament! 🤩 Seriously though, if anyone's in the Lansdale PA area you can see two examples of those French M1917 155mm guns on display in Memorial Park. Used by the US Army during WW1 they're the same kind of guns used by the Germans on the Channel Islands. Great video Dr. Felton, as always!
I've been inside of battery Lothringen when i was working on Jersey in 2015. Nice place and nice poeple living the island live.
I have watched a lot of videos about Jersey during and after the war but not one mentioned these dumped guns until this one, well done Mark.
A couple of thoughts on recovering the guns for scrap... 1. They are pre-atomic age and the steel isn't contaminated with radioactive materials. Therefore, good for scientific or medical use where nuclear contamination is a problem. 2. They are made of high quality steel and could be useful for precision use. Perhaps as tool steel.
I think someone has already proposed salvaging steel from Scapa Flow, scene of the scuttling of the German Grand Fleet - they've been there since the end of World War 1.
Historic side note: When i visited Jersey several of the ammunition bunkers are today used for commercial mushroom farming, The Underground Hospital is also certainly a place to visit. An unfortunate fact is that forced laborers of the SS had to build all that and that Alderney was the main concentration camp.
Awesome video. Also quite interesting to see what seems to be the whole population of Jersey commenting 😀 And something else, never the least... I've been watching Mark's channel for years, he's never repeated a vid or subject... he keeps finding stuff and always with solid background info 👍🏼👍🏼
It always helps to research these things before you go. i couldn't find a lot of these places in jersey when i went. and the ones i did find were shut. the war tunnels were open though. but 99% of the stuff in there was added after the war. the gun outside the war tunnels was found buried in a farmers field, and restored.
I get goosebumps every time the ominous orchestral instrumental starts playing! Editing on point 💯 🔥 🔥 🔥
Fascinating thanks.
Your YT videos really are little jewels, Doc. Rare and original detail embedded in finely-wrought and precise narrative 🤩
When I was a kid, in 1978, I went to Jersey and saw these guns at the base of the cliff at Les Landes. I managed to take some photos of the gun bits , of which there were many. One large gun didn't quite make it over the cliff and sat half way down the slope to the cliff edge. I managed to get down the slope, which had very loose gravel/stone, to the gun and I have a photo of me sitting on it, you could see where an attempt had been made to remove the muzzle brake. I also found a steel dome, from a smaller gun, in the rocks below the observation tower at Corbiere. I still have a couple of small armored sliding doors from one of the bunkers, that lay among some later scrap, in a tunnel in St Aubins. I have attempted to return these to Jersey, but have received no reply from preservation groups there.
Hi Mark, Thank you for the video. Me and my wife was in Jersey last September and we went to most German bunkers they also got the jerset tunnels which was fantastic also one guy as a museum in one of the bunkers the stuff in there was amazing and it all belongs to 1 guy and he sells original german items as well to fund the bunker. going back this year as Jersey is fantastic place to go for a holiday and search out the other bunkers. Cheers Gary 🇬🇧
Thanks for the amazing content keep it up
What a waste of artillery
That's the point
Korea and Taiwan would have liked to have them in the then near future.
Bruh you want more guns in wars?
@@Usrthsbcufeh More gun will be made anyway so might as well reuse old ones and then you don't have to waste metal making new ones.
Yea insane waste, that’s some beautiful high quality non Jewish Swedish-German steel, they could have made some nice Damascus knifes or other nice things from all the steel Sad to see it rot like that
I recall my history teacher in grade eight or so (early 70's) who was a refugee from Germany in the late 40's telling us he was a young "volunteer"and was stationed in the Channel Islands. I don't remember which of them it was, but he did say it was better duty than the Ost where a few close family never returned. Always stuck with me in my privileged life, considering.
A video about must-see WWI and WWII sites and museums would be a great idea for tourists.
You know I’m amazed on how well (I think) Mark pronounces the German words. Awesome job in every video!
I wonder how many of the captured Germans on the Channel Islands are thankful that Hitler kept them garrisoned there instead of using them as cannon fodder on the mainland. Of course this is all hindsight. But still, they were lucky.
Same for the 400,000 German troops stationed in Norway.
I've read the German troops on the Channel Islands (the army personnel anyway) were very well behaved. Service on the Channel Islands beat the hell out of service in Russia so they weren't going to do anything that would get themselves in trouble!
@@wayneantoniazzi2706 other than the concentration camp or the thousands of POW slave labourers or the thousands of locals starved or those shot for having radios. But yes, very well behaved.
Thank you, sir, for sharing your knowledge of WWII with us. I always learn something new.
As a child I remember walking my auntie's dog around noirmont on Jersey nosing around the pill boxes. I was fascinated. Cheers Mark
Imagine a graveyard for those railway guns! You'd need a whole city block.
What happened to the big railroad guns?
@@goldgeologist5320 wherent they just bombed to hell by bombers
Dr Felton, your work is so rich in amazing facts and information. Thank you so much for bringing the truth to life. The drone footage in this video is mesmerising.
This is the most interesting WW2 content I've seen in years. Batterie Moltke looks futuristic. Imagine how intimidating this was 80yrs ago.
I constantly wonder what Germany could have accomplished if all their steel and industrial know how had been used for peaceful enterprises.
It's a wonder how th Germans got the guns there and mounted.them, all without a helicopter... Got give up for the German engineers.
I worked a while with a German guy who'd done his service with the engineers. He told me that his dad did general haulage after the war with a beat up ex military truck. His greatest advice to his son was, remember! during a recession you can always collect scrap. I absolutely love German engineering. :-)
Great documentary as usual mark but I felt the need to give very special recognition to your editor for that music score, sensational.
It would be very cool to see them raised up, and installed again. The irony of their goal was that the batteries actually bring a lot of tourism.
What a waste of resources! Like Hitler refusing to evacuate Army Group Courland because of some delusion the British and American were going to declare war on the Soviet Union and needed a staging area! LOL!
Fascinating, another excellent installment in your series, thank you Dr. Felton
Outstanding information and research that is a hallmark of a Mark Felton video. Thank you very much from one military history nerd to another.
You really nailed it with the choice of music for the denouement! Excellent.
ive been to dunkirk, and my next holiday has to be jersey ! amazing to see living history like this preserved
There was a program with John Nettles of Midsomer Murders fame on the Channel Islands. It was interesting. This program has given me a nice historical update. Thank you.
Phone ringing in Jersey cop station “Bergerac, Bureau Des Etrangers”.
Thank you, Dr. Felton. Another missing piece of WWII... well done. I have one suggestion as a topic for a further video -- the hill named Teufelsberg, on the outskirts of Berlin. If you don't already know of this landmark, then I think you will really enjoy the research into it's origins and existence.
Very interesting, great choice of music as we view the discarded guns at the foot of the cliff. No words required, just the dramatic and rather sad music.
Awesome Work Mark, Thanks 👍👍👍 Greetings from Helsinki, Finland 🇫🇮