Did Hitler Murder His Armaments Minister?

2023 ж. 27 Жел.
274 400 Рет қаралды

In February 1942, German Armaments Minister Dr. Fritz Todt was killed in a plane crash at Hitler's Eastern Front headquarters, the Wolf's Lair. It has long been suspected that Hitler had a hand in his death. In this video, we examine what actually occurred and a probable solution to the mystery.
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...
Visit my audio book channel 'War Stories with Mark Felton': • One Thousand Miles to ...
Help support my channel:
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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: The National Archives; Library of Congress

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  • Got to the office, sat down, fired up my computer ready to get some serious work done..."Did Hitler Murder His Armaments Minister?" Damn it Mark.

    @richardm3023@richardm30234 ай бұрын
    • 100% he did. Hitler had the plane blown up with a bomb planted on the plane.

      @mikeoz4803@mikeoz48034 ай бұрын
    • riveting isnt he ? LOLOL

      @cartersmith8560@cartersmith85604 ай бұрын
    • These guys were serious about the WAR to have an entire Minister whose.focus is Armaments 😂😂....and I hear there was also Minister of WAR 😂😂

      @sarasonsalas3472@sarasonsalas34724 ай бұрын
    • @@sarasonsalas3472 they were German, they probably had a minister for zoo animals, a minister for shoe shine, a minister of latrines...etc.

      @richardm3023@richardm30234 ай бұрын
    • Simply unmissable!

      @greenockscatman@greenockscatman3 ай бұрын
  • “Sometimes, a cigar is just a cigar,” Sigmund Freud. Sometimes a plane crash is just a plane crash. Nice one Dr. Felton sir.

    @doberski6855@doberski68554 ай бұрын
    • If you get that cigar from a Nazi it just might not be a cigar

      @ammantophori@ammantophori3 ай бұрын
  • As a pilot, i confirm that in such circumstances the line between the sky and ground can be very difficult to distinguish. I completely agree with Herr Felton’s analysis and conclusion.

    @swampwhiteoak1@swampwhiteoak14 ай бұрын
    • Ya just look at what happened to JFK, Jr. in 1999.

      @guyfawkesuThe1@guyfawkesuThe14 ай бұрын
    • FUN FACT: Allied a/c operational losses far exceeded combat losses. When Mark got to the part with inexperienced pilot and snow conditions with limited visibility it was a no brainer for me. Added in a VIP ' schedulitis'. Just gotta get there.Another one who just had to get there...and never arrived... was British Air Marshal Trafford Leigh-Mallory.

      @Tempestzzzz@Tempestzzzz4 ай бұрын
    • @@Tempestzzzz Ya Patton died in a transportation accident too! Secondary roads in Europe are "iffy" now and were probably worse back then by the way.

      @guyfawkesuThe1@guyfawkesuThe14 ай бұрын
    • Not sure if proud or embarrassed by that fact ​@@Tempestzzzz

      @jrmckim@jrmckim4 ай бұрын
    • Luftwaffe ace Werner Mölders also perished in a plane crash, also an He-111, in a thunderstorm. He was flying to attend the funeral of Ernst Udet, his Luftwafffe superior who had committed suicide.

      @AudieHolland@AudieHolland4 ай бұрын
  • Circling to land at 90 feet is crazy. Far too low to be safe. Standard practice is to make the crosswind turn at 500 feet. A modern pressure altimeter also has an acceptable error up to 75 feet plus or minus.

    @wojciechgrodnicki6302@wojciechgrodnicki63024 ай бұрын
    • Wasn't everything low back then due to war?

      @arostwocents@arostwocents4 ай бұрын
  • Dr Felton’s conclusion is almost certainly correct. Inexperienced pilot flying in very poor visual conditions, perhaps suffering from a lack of spatial awareness due to no visual horizon references, making what is known as “The Impossible Turn” to return directly to the airfield in the opposite direction from takeoff, likely stalled the wing of the aircraft due to banking at low altitude and insufficient power, causing the plane to literally fall out of the sky. Many pilots have died trying to make “The Impossible Turn”, even highly experienced ones, when confronted with a difficult situation.

    @HughShower@HughShower4 ай бұрын
    • I would hate to see these German pilots try and fly an tilt-rotor "Osprey" the US Air Force, Marine and Navy fly. Numerous crashes have killed many military people!

      @guyfawkesuThe1@guyfawkesuThe14 ай бұрын
    • GOOGLE Kathyrn Report. Details Gen Aviation accidents and causes. Happens way too much to people who should know better.

      @Tempestzzzz@Tempestzzzz4 ай бұрын
    • Un piloto inexperto trasladando a una personalidad importante del Reich nos dice que más allá de como se dio todo, una victoria del EJE era imposible

      @norbertopineda1167@norbertopineda11674 ай бұрын
    • The simplest explanation is usually correct

      @Sshooter444@Sshooter4444 ай бұрын
    • As a former GA pilot, I was about to say exactly the same! Aerodynamics knows nothing of war or peacetime, politics or plots of assassination, just physics. "The Impossible Turn" has killed many pilots, experienced or otherwise, in even ideal flying conditions, and still does. I believe this incident was no exception, as errors in low altitude aviation are unforgiving & non-discriminatory, regardless of any other factors of the time period in which they occur.

      @gravesclayton3604@gravesclayton36044 ай бұрын
  • Werner Molders and Hans Hube (among many other high ranking Germans) also died in airplane accidents. It was not uncommon, air travel was not as safe then like today. Happy New Year to Dr. Felton, his family and the MFP community!

    @michaelporzio7384@michaelporzio73844 ай бұрын
    • Also General Walter Wever.

      @davidc5191@davidc51914 ай бұрын
    • What makes you think it is safe today? Safer maybe, but not safe.

      @flyingsword135@flyingsword1354 ай бұрын
    • A problem that plagued both the Axis and Allies. It seemed that at every Allied top meeting at least one officer would be absent due to a plane crash. Examples of Allied plane crashes with high rank casualties: 1940 Canberra air disaster, Major-General Herbert Dargue, Lt. General Frank Maxwell-Andrews and Wladyslaw Sikorski (Soviet involvement in the crash rumored).

      @ghostdivision7@ghostdivision74 ай бұрын
    • @@ghostdivision7 very true. Also notable was Glenn Miller who went missing and was never found.

      @michaelporzio7384@michaelporzio73844 ай бұрын
    • ​@@flyingsword135that is what he said though: "not as safe then like today" 😅

      @TheDJGrandPa@TheDJGrandPa4 ай бұрын
  • As an aviation mechanic, I'd look at hydraulic lines first. Then look for any tools that might have been left in the engines. This happens a lot, this is why we check for our tools five times per task.

    @mintyfresh436@mintyfresh4364 ай бұрын
    • This takes me back to when I was an apprentice at BAe 40 years ago. In one lecture I recall the instructor suggesting that it may not be a good idea for fitters to etch their name on their tools. Didn't apply to me as I was a miller.

      @stephenribchester2185@stephenribchester21854 ай бұрын
    • hahahaha this is true, its why I dont write my name on my notebook for note taking either @@stephenribchester2185

      @mintyfresh436@mintyfresh4364 ай бұрын
    • There is no need for a mechanical fault. This kind of turn back to the same airfield shortly after take-off is notorious for pilots misjudging the airplane lift and stalling. With the weather conditions, it is also very likely that the pilot midjudged the distance to the ground.

      @aapje@aapje4 ай бұрын
    • Five times per task and still can’t find that damned spanner, another sortie cancelled, have a cup of tea

      @y_ffordd@y_ffordd4 ай бұрын
    • Damn kind of like a surgeon

      @ButterBallTheOpossum@ButterBallTheOpossum3 ай бұрын
  • I never read in WW2 books of Todts' death being nothing more than an accident. But after Dr. Felton laid out the facts, I've seen nothing to change that opinion. Good video

    @marks_sparks1@marks_sparks14 ай бұрын
  • When you mentioned the low visibility, I immediately thought of spatial disorientation. I'm glad we both agree.

    @twistedyogert@twistedyogert4 ай бұрын
    • From what I've read regarding the crash, I'd have to agree that it was just a freak accident caused by poor weather conditions, and other factors. As others have pointed out, air travel wasn't as safe 82 years ago like it is today.

      @brianrunyon266@brianrunyon2663 ай бұрын
  • that picture of you saying “I’ll be back” is hilarious and nice video!

    @user-rp5uu4td7y@user-rp5uu4td7y4 ай бұрын
  • Congratulations on 2 Million subscribers Dr. Felton!

    @SitttingDuck@SitttingDuck4 ай бұрын
  • “Stepped into his jackboots”: Good one, Mark. Never a dull moment in your videos.

    @user-kt2on3zc1t@user-kt2on3zc1t4 ай бұрын
  • To bank any aircraft in bad weather at only 90 ft is foolish. Leave it to Mark Felton Productions to reveal unknown tidbits of WW ll history. Thank you again Dr Felton!

    @garylawson5381@garylawson53814 ай бұрын
  • Whenever my German Shepard hears Dr Felton’s theme she jumps on the bed 🛏️

    @shepardsinsequence@shepardsinsequence4 ай бұрын
  • Thank you Dr Felton for pointing out an important difference between Hitlers and Stalin’s leadership styles. This does not make a mass murderer Hitler a better person (or even a better strategist as while he tolerated dissent, he ultimately ignored most of the advice due to a feeling of superiority). But is an important distinction many people are ignorant of.

    @borisgurevich5504@borisgurevich55044 ай бұрын
    • Agreed. Despite a lot of other negative aspects that are definitely attributed to Hitler, he was more likely to demote, transfer, or straight out relieve an officer of duty if the officer disagreed with Hitler's ideas/plans. The officers (and others) that were ordered executed by Hitler was (typically) because Hitler suspected them of direct treason, i.e. trying to assassinate the Fuhrer.

      @skyden24195@skyden241954 ай бұрын
    • Are you saying that Stalin WASN'T a Mass Murderer? Because history proves otherwise.

      @BA-gn3qb@BA-gn3qb4 ай бұрын
    • @@BA-gn3qbof course he was.

      @borisgurevich5504@borisgurevich55044 ай бұрын
    • @@BA-gn3qb "Are you saying that Stalin WASN'T a Mass Murderer?" This was neither stated nor implied.

      @john_something_or_other@john_something_or_other4 ай бұрын
    • @@BA-gn3qbThat isn’t what he’s saying. He’s noting that Hitler wasn’t the type to have someone executed simply due to an argument or disagreement, whereas many who incurred Stalin’s wrath paid with their lives.

      @JBM425@JBM4254 ай бұрын
  • Blind flying was literally still blind in the 40's

    @kahhowong3417@kahhowong34174 ай бұрын
  • If the He-111 attained only 90ft of altitude, she was only going about 150-160 kph, not much higher than it's straight and level stall speed of 140kph. Once you introduce a banking angle, your stall speed now decreases. With the pilot being rather green for the aircraft type, coupled with his decision to turn around just after take-off at low altitude, it's highly likely that he underestimated his aircraft's side slip rate (the moving sideways of the plane), lower stall speed and low altitude, thus entered a stall that was not recoverable at that low altitude.

    @miket2120@miket21204 ай бұрын
  • A very interesting story. Love how you find obscure World War 2 topics to cover, as well as ones that involve other wars, and more.

    @brianrunyon266@brianrunyon2664 ай бұрын
  • Every time I watch your incredible documentaries, the intro music is soooo powerful I literally sing it!

    @kallumlgltd@kallumlgltd4 ай бұрын
  • Not all of the labour force of the Todt Organisation was 'Forced or slave'. They employed many voluntary nationalities - especially when it came to the largest structures, such as the U-boat pens.

    @oliabid-price4517@oliabid-price45174 ай бұрын
  • Mark Felton always brings the heat.

    @omarhamed136@omarhamed1364 ай бұрын
  • Speer said that he was supposed to be on the plane too, but wasn’t, because of a long conversation with Hitler.

    @LambdaNL@LambdaNL4 ай бұрын
    • Mark said he overslept. Maybe he was tired after the long conversation you mentioned!

      @caw25sha@caw25sha4 ай бұрын
    • According to this video, the actual reason was because he had supposedly overslept. That alone sounds very suspicious.

      @sjpavur@sjpavur2 ай бұрын
  • With regards to Speer, I believe it was Alfred Hitchcock, who said “I don’t mind coincidence but I hate convenience”.

    @AMD7027@AMD70274 ай бұрын
  • I received your book "Never Surrender" for Christmas. I read it and learned things I did not know before. Thank you sir.

    @sergiozayas1862@sergiozayas18624 ай бұрын
  • Lots of people love conspiracy theories, especially if it involves murder and mayhem! But the death of an important official by a combination of bad weather and pilot error is too bland for many.

    @bullettube9863@bullettube98634 ай бұрын
    • I heard it was a 6 ft 3+1⁄2 in tall white Puca rabbit named Harvey piloting the plane.

      @wwmoggy@wwmoggy4 ай бұрын
    • And the inexperienced pilot ordered to fly in non flying weather could have been deliberately sent to his death. Or it could have just been just supervisory negligence.

      @LaymansGnosis-kd8wy@LaymansGnosis-kd8wy4 ай бұрын
    • When a senior official says he wants to get back to Berlin yesterday, inferior officers do not argue! @@LaymansGnosis-kd8wy

      @bullettube9863@bullettube98634 ай бұрын
    • @bullettube9863 Bland indeed and it also makes us more aware of our own mortality. Plus if Hitler had killed him he’d be a martyr. Instead he made one of several foolish mistakes that day.

      @chamuuemura5314@chamuuemura53144 ай бұрын
  • 'Should we wake up Albert? He's supposed to be flying back with us' 'Nah'

    @oliverhughes610@oliverhughes6104 ай бұрын
  • This channel is probably the only one I subscribe to that I can guarantee each and every video will have been thoroughly researched for factual circumstances, before a range of hypotheses are presented to the viewer. Excellent video as usual.

    @TrueBrit1@TrueBrit14 ай бұрын
  • Ridiculous. Hitler was very fond of Todt and described him as one of his most capable and important men. He was devastated after his dead and it was a tragedy for the armament program,

    4 ай бұрын
  • I've been wondering for years when you were gonna talk about this Mark. Thank you!

    @YukariAkiyamaTanks@YukariAkiyamaTanks4 ай бұрын
  • Always a great day when Dr. Felton drops a new episode! ❤

    @mattgeorge90@mattgeorge904 ай бұрын
  • "Given the arms and industrial supremacy of the Anglo-Saxon powers, we can no longer militarily win this war." - Dr. Fritz Todt, 29th November 1941.

    @Intreductor@Intreductor4 ай бұрын
  • Thanks Mark. I hope you can cover the accomplishments of the Dieppe Raid. Most historians only focus on the negatives. There were several successful objectives achieved during the operation by British commando units.

    @rayross997@rayross9974 ай бұрын
    • Why was the dieppe raid launched?

      @Ramzi1944@Ramzi19444 ай бұрын
    • From a purely historical standpoint, I agree that there were several important lessons learned from the Dieppe Raid in general. I can also agree that there were a couple of relatively successful & important objectives achieved by the various commando units involved. As a Canadian, however, I agree with the reasons why "most historians only focus on the negatives" - the high cost in Allied lives (in particular Canadian) make the tactical "successes" of the mission hard to justify. From a purely "tactical" perspective none of the commandos' achievements vs. the cost should be looked at in any light/focus other than a negative one.

      @robertdickson9319@robertdickson93194 ай бұрын
    • @@robertdickson9319 Thank you for your comment, Robert. I pretty much agree with you. The cost was extremely high. I understand that one reason for the raid was to try and show Stalin that the allies were willing to begin a western front to much the Soviets eastern front. If my info is correct over 100 German speaking spies were placed behind enemy lines during the raid. I hope Mark will cover both the failures and the few successes of the Dieppe Raid. All the best.

      @rayross997@rayross9974 ай бұрын
    • If nothing else, the Dieppe Raid gave us lessons on what not to do for the Normandy invasion -- D-Day.

      @steveolive9991@steveolive99914 ай бұрын
    • @@steveolive9991 US Army Chief of Staff George Marshall wanted to do a large scale raid into France called "Sledgehammer" in 1942 but he was denied by the wiser British...thank goodness. It would've turned into Dunkirk 2 at best. The US would have to learn some hard lessons in Operation Torch first and Italy later.

      @scockery@scockery4 ай бұрын
  • What detail.Great video as always.Thanks.

    @paulmoore120@paulmoore1204 ай бұрын
  • I was just looking for your video and here it is!

    @razinkhan68@razinkhan684 ай бұрын
  • Happy New year Dr. Felton! Great video as always.

    @lukefriesenhahn8186@lukefriesenhahn81864 ай бұрын
  • A good, very informative video as always Dr. Felton! Thank you! Happy New Year!

    @thepetehill@thepetehill4 ай бұрын
    • 100% he did. Hitler had the plane blown up with a bomb planted on the plane.

      @mikeoz4803@mikeoz48034 ай бұрын
  • Thank You Dr. Felton Always Enjoy Your Videos Happy New Year 🎉

    @leonardcroft1467@leonardcroft14674 ай бұрын
  • Excellent video. I appreciate Mark’s detached reporting of the facts.

    @hanknichols6865@hanknichols68654 ай бұрын
  • Great video, Mark. This was an exceptional lesson. many thanks for your efforts.

    @chuckmeadows1581@chuckmeadows15814 ай бұрын
  • Another great video. I like the shorter format! Thanks Dr Mark!

    @douglasdejager8450@douglasdejager84504 ай бұрын
  • It’s always a wonderful surprise to see Mark Felton has uploaded a new video! Thank you sir!

    @Pembo-vn7qq@Pembo-vn7qq4 ай бұрын
  • Fascinating! Great videos as always!

    @Patrick_0n@Patrick_0n4 ай бұрын
  • Thanks again Mark for another intriguing video ! Wishing you a very Happy New Year !

    @andrewpinner3181@andrewpinner31814 ай бұрын
  • Did You know, that Mr. Felton actually lives in Germany in one of AH's former headquarters?

    @Schwanenwerder@Schwanenwerder4 ай бұрын
  • Glenn Miller died during WW2 when the Allied plane he was in ditched in the English Channel during cold weather.

    @johnnyT428@johnnyT4284 ай бұрын
    • There's an airman came forward who said he was ditching bombs returning to england on the same route and time and saw an explosion!

      @DiggingFrance@DiggingFrance4 ай бұрын
  • Keep 'em coming Mark! The problem with all your videos is that they just keep on...getting better!

    @paulmurphy42@paulmurphy424 ай бұрын
  • I was thinking the same thing where the pilot didn't know where he was. The same thing happened with the 1970 Marshall University Football plane crash. It was trying to land in fog and light rain. It crashed just about a mile away from the runway. On that plane, it was determined that the instruments were working just fine.

    @dustylover100@dustylover1004 ай бұрын
    • The pilot was attempting a manual landing.

      @dustylover100@dustylover1004 ай бұрын
  • Sometimes bad weather is just bad weather.

    @spiritofthetime@spiritofthetime4 ай бұрын
  • I concur with Dr. Felton's analysis. As a rationalist I tend to take a skeptical view of most conspiracy theories which I enjoy studying. As usual, there is no actual evidence of foul play, and no shortage of actual evidence that all points towards the conclusion of death by accident due most likely to human error. This is a very solid examination of the facts of the case. Well done. (Edit: Typo)

    @jec1ny@jec1ny4 ай бұрын
    • I would hate to see these German pilots try and fly a tilt-rotor Boeing "Osprey" aircraft the US Air Force, Marine and Navy fly. Numerous crashes have killed many military people!

      @guyfawkesuThe1@guyfawkesuThe14 ай бұрын
    • Well said. And let's remember if Hitler was disappointed in you for whatever reason he didn't have to kill you since you served at his pleasure to begin with. He just fired you and got someone else to do the job. It happened more than once. If he was fed up with Todt he'd have just fired him and that would have been the end of it.

      @wayneantoniazzi2706@wayneantoniazzi27064 ай бұрын
    • As a rationalist myself, I tend to agree. Conspiracies can often intoxicate people, drawing conclusions that garner bias.

      @GatCat@GatCat4 ай бұрын
    • @@GatCat What this video seems is a rhetorical question that no one asked?? It is like saying "Was Hitler gay?"

      @guyfawkesuThe1@guyfawkesuThe14 ай бұрын
    • As a rationalist surely you also know conspiracy is one of our most common behaviours. Private conversation with a doctor is a conspiracy. So is keeping secrets about Mums Xmas present. Every business has secrets. Hence non disclosure agreements. That is conspiracy.

      @LaymansGnosis-kd8wy@LaymansGnosis-kd8wy4 ай бұрын
  • Always unbiased and thorough I never miss these videos. I hope Dr Felton keeps up the great work for many years to come.

    @Raven6794@Raven67944 ай бұрын
    • 100% he did. Hitler had the plane blown up with a bomb planted on the plane.

      @mikeoz4803@mikeoz48034 ай бұрын
  • The pilot over reached his ability and not wishing to disapoint his important passenger but more likely too he stuck with his flight prep until he realised too many factors were not lining up then tried to abort within poor visibility...he should have never left the ground. Great work Mr Felton.

    @ahall1459@ahall14594 ай бұрын
  • 8:55 Correction: Stalin didn't off people he argued with either, he targeted men he suspected of working against him and when he did that he also made sure to fire all of their cronies too leading to situations where entire departments were all fired, reassigned, jailed, or perhaps even killed.

    @samsonsoturian6013@samsonsoturian60134 ай бұрын
    • Have you any idea of the amount of people Stalin had killed? If you looked at him the wrong way or didn't clap after a speech, in his paranoid mind, this was grounds for execution. If he even thought that there was a possibility of suspicion, he had that person and everyone close to them whacked. So you're comment was utterly redundant 😂

      @EOJ111@EOJ1114 ай бұрын
  • Another outstanding video! Love your show !

    @johnberryhill8106@johnberryhill81064 ай бұрын
  • Thanks for covering this I always thought this was a possibility.

    @uncleeric3317@uncleeric33174 ай бұрын
  • I almost flew into lake Erie about 50 yrs ago on a cloudy day became of the horizon between the water and the sky looked similar. I was with my cousin Larry who was an experience pilot. He said " look at your altimeter" when I did it said 400 feet but Though I was at 5000 feet I leaned a lesson.

    @ronrobertson59@ronrobertson594 ай бұрын
    • Wow..

      @frisianfreedom1143@frisianfreedom11434 ай бұрын
  • Always interesting stories. One would think the airfield would be dilineated with lights, flares or brightly coloured flags. If it was indeed pilot- error, it is difficult to see how the number of engines on the plane would have made any difference to the outcome.

    @StevenKeery@StevenKeery4 ай бұрын
    • I guess Hitler didn't trust the reliability of engines in those days.

      @twistedyogert@twistedyogert4 ай бұрын
    • It’s a common misconception even among pilots that multi engine airplanes are like that for reliability in the event of an engine failure. Plenty of twin engine airplanes through history couldn’t maintain altitude on one engine and those that could require a lot of focus to keep under control in that situation, especially at low speed and high weight as you’d see at takeoff. The theory of insisting on three engines for travel was probably based on the notion that if one fails you’re left with 2/3 of the total power and slightly less asymmetry in thrust.

      @TimTheInspector@TimTheInspector4 ай бұрын
    • The number of engines was irrelevant in this case, but the reason this regulation existed was due to engine reliability/redundancy and did make sense at the time. Indeed, more than 2 engines were still recommended for intercontinental flights well into the 1980s - resulting in overseas routes being flown mostly by the Boeing 747, and Douglas DC-10/Lockheed Tristar "tri-jets" with their third engine mounted through the tail section.

      @jaredfreeland9153@jaredfreeland91534 ай бұрын
    • @@jaredfreeland9153 : Curious, yet the De-Havilland, Mosquito fighter/bomber only had two engines to carry the weight of crew, fuel and bomb load. Yet it was regarded as a very successful plane. In this case the decision of the pilot to fly, only to change his mind shortly after take off seems a strange one. Landing in such conditions must surely have been more difficult than taking-off. Many years ago, I drove my car in a thick fog in London. The fog was so thick, I literally could not see the end of the bonnet of my car. I could not tell if I was on the road or the pavement. I had to put my hazard warning lights on and just crawl along at walking pace, ready to brake hard, until the fog lifted a little. I had read about such fogs in London but never experienced one up until that point. The thought of someone crashing into the front or rear of my vehicle if I simply did not move was what prompted me to move forward at a crawling speed until I found a place where the fog lifted a little. I can sympathise with that pilot, trying to land in such a fog, at a much greater speed, would have been a nightmare scenario.

      @StevenKeery@StevenKeery4 ай бұрын
  • Todt was an incredible builder.

    @thinman8621@thinman86214 ай бұрын
  • One of your best video's to date Dr Felton. Your hypothesis certainly makes a lot of sense, bad weather and a pilot who lacks experience with an unfamiliar aircraft lead to dire results!

    @TheGV50@TheGV504 ай бұрын
  • Spatial Disorientation is a killer. John Kennedy, Jr.'s crash was from this phenomenon.

    @garypulliam3421@garypulliam34214 ай бұрын
  • Happy Holidays 🏆🏆🏆❄️🙏🎉 Thank you for sharing

    @drmarkintexas-400@drmarkintexas-4004 ай бұрын
  • I visited Mr Todt's grave on Invalidenfriedhof in Berlin this summer. While there, I pondered the strange circumstances of his death. Therefore, thank you, Mr Felton for this and all those other videos this year. And a happy 2024 in advance!

    @Mediaevalist@Mediaevalist4 ай бұрын
  • You may not read this comment, but I have followed your videos for some time now. Your research is breathtaking, (where are your sources?). I have read a lot about the German theatre in WW2, which fascinates me. Perhaps there is a need for a huge detailed collation of chronological accounts of the European theatre for long term posterity. Of course, it will not be a best seller, but for historical reasons, there is a good argument for which you might need funding, which should not, in terms of finance, be huge (enough to give you a quality secure retirement).

    @malcolmabram2957@malcolmabram29574 ай бұрын
  • a great very interesting video as always Mr.Felton.have a good one and Happy New Year.

    @sealove79able@sealove79able4 ай бұрын
  • "Many thanks for watching." Many thanks to you Dr. Felton for such well done and fascinating content!

    @bf1905@bf19054 ай бұрын
  • Mark Since you sometimes make videos about niche stories about ww2, you should make a video about the only non commonwealth commando Anders Lassen

    @_t_h_o_m_a_s_@_t_h_o_m_a_s_4 ай бұрын
  • Since all the pilots are coming out of the woodwork, I have about 25,000 hours and 3 decades of flying pretty well everything. I agree with the possibility of spatial disorientation however doing a low level turn in poor weather at 100ft requires very good instrument flying skills. A slight relaxation in the required back pressure on the control column in these condition would send you into the ground in seconds.

    @XxBloggs@XxBloggs4 ай бұрын
  • Thanks Mark Felton and a Merry Christmas. Looking forward to more awesome content from you in 2024. Live and prosper Mark!!!!

    @GhanaianBliss@GhanaianBliss4 ай бұрын
  • Excellent video. Happy new year.❤

    @jasonmussett2129@jasonmussett21294 ай бұрын
  • Got my PPL. Private pilots licence. You never turn back if there are problems on take-off. The parsimonious explanation, is that he stalled and spun in. Per Mark's narrative. This is all too common.

    @nickgood8166@nickgood81664 ай бұрын
  • Thank you Mark for your insightful videos, always appreciated!

    @HeatherGemmen@HeatherGemmen4 ай бұрын
  • I learn something new every time I watch your videos!

    @hangin-in-thereawesome4245@hangin-in-thereawesome42454 ай бұрын
  • 8:50 - I think this observation on Hitler's leadership style, not arbitrarily executing people disagreeing with him like Stalin, bears further discussion.

    @kleverich@kleverich4 ай бұрын
  • Fritz Todt wasn't the only high-ranking official of any nation involved in WW2 to die in a plane crash, it happened more often than you'd imagine. Although air travel was very safe and reliable by the 1940's as the new/old saying goes, "S**t happens!" Or as my USAF veteran brother puts it "An airplane's a machine, and machines do break!" Throw human error into the mix and anything might happen. One aside about Fritz Todt, foreign dignitaries and newsmen who met him all wondered how someone so intelligent could get mixed up with the Nazis to begin with! As far as pilots being intimidated by their passengers it used to be USAF policy (and still might be) that VIP flights were all staffed with veteran pilots, typically colonels or lieutenant colonels, who weren't far away from retirement and sufficiently "salty" enough not to be intimidated by anyone, either civil or military. If they said "We ain't flyin' today!" they meant it.

    @wayneantoniazzi2706@wayneantoniazzi27064 ай бұрын
    • If I remember correctly,is this not part of the reason the Polish president was killed flying into Russia years back. The pilots wanted to Abbort the landing and try a different airport due to weather but we're unduly influenced to try and land causing the fatal crash.They apparently would be late for the important event if they were to fly on ,so the pilots were told to land.Its been a minute so ,I do not remember if there was absolute proof of this. Watched a documentary about the event.

      @johnmacdonald5483@johnmacdonald54834 ай бұрын
    • Regarding the safety of 1940s flight: Guy Gibson, famous for the Dambusters raid, also took part in bombing raids on Italy, during which only two or three planes were lost. In his memoir "Enemy Coast Ahead," he compares this favourably to civil airline loss rates.

      @DavidCowie2022@DavidCowie20224 ай бұрын
    • George VI's younger brother was killed in an air crash during WW2.

      @archstanton6102@archstanton61024 ай бұрын
    • Although it happened after WWII perhaps Dr Felton could investigate the crash of a Vulcan at Heathrow in 1956. Aroused a lot of controversy afterwards due to the possible pressure placed on the captain by his illustrious passenger, occupying the rh seat, to land at Heathrow due to a reception being organised. An ACM, AOC-in-C Bomber Command himself, in the co-pilot seat; the deceased co-pilot referred to as a navigator; no bang seats for the rear crew. Had tumultuous consequences at a now infamous dining-in night at Waddington a few years later.

      @philipbrooks402@philipbrooks4024 ай бұрын
    • @@johnmacdonald5483 I remember the president of Poland being killed in a plance crash but not the circumstances involved. I DO remember a Clinton Administration cabinet member named Ron Brown, then Secretary of Commerce, being killed in a plane crash in Coatia in 1996. The flying conditions were marginal and the jet, a USAF CT-43, a modified Boeing 737, crashed into a mountainside on approach to Dubrovnik Airport. The speculation at time was since the pilot and co-pilot were captains and not colonels (which surprised commenters familiar with VIP flights at the time) they may very well have been intimidated in to flying when their better judgement should have told them not to. A captain with possibly 20 years of service ahead of him is more likely to worry about what angering a politician might do to his career than a senior colonel ready to retire would be.

      @wayneantoniazzi2706@wayneantoniazzi27064 ай бұрын
  • Professor Felton, Hope you had a Merry Christmas and I wish you a Happy New Year.

    @danielsweeney6742@danielsweeney67424 ай бұрын
  • Speer has never impressed me as the "palace intrigue," for lack of a better term, type. Unlike some of his high ranking counterparts who were more than happy to stab someone in the back to get ahead. Could be wrong on that, but all I've ever read about Speer just doesn't give me that impression of him.

    @panderson9561@panderson95614 ай бұрын
  • A great idea for a thriller film. Get started on the script, Mark! Cheers!

    @mitchmatthews6713@mitchmatthews67134 ай бұрын
  • “Unpleasant careerist” is wonderful British understatement

    @Sheehan1@Sheehan14 ай бұрын
  • Another historic mystery solved !! Thanks & Happy New Year!! ❤❤❤

    @caniacstevehenderson7115@caniacstevehenderson71154 ай бұрын
  • All aircraft, especially of that size, will require adequate airspeed to turn and bank, in which was highly unlikely on this flight. If you speed is to low, you trade altitude for direction, and if you fail to recognize that immediately, you'll become one with the earth

    @darrinlumby3296@darrinlumby32964 ай бұрын
  • People love conspiracies but they look even less liikely after the passage of time, given our current understanding of how primitive and deadly aircraft of that era were. There was a reason why Hitler insisted on three engine rule (which probably wouldn’t make a difference in this case). Not sure why a better plane was not available for such a high official.

    @borisgurevich5504@borisgurevich55044 ай бұрын
    • Well, the HE-111 was actually a very GOOD airplane, popular with it's pilots and British test pilot Captain Eric Brown was impressed with the captured one he test-flew. However, you can have the best airplane in the world and if the pilot's not as well-trained in the type as he should be and you throw in marginal flight conditions then it's a recipe for trouble any way you look at it. Old aviators saying, "If the birds are walking so should you!"

      @wayneantoniazzi2706@wayneantoniazzi27064 ай бұрын
    • @@wayneantoniazzi2706 sure it was an excellent plane by the standards of 1940s. But today’s military planes can probably fly in any conditions.

      @borisgurevich5504@borisgurevich55044 ай бұрын
    • @@borisgurevich5504 Certainly. As good as it was the HE-111 is no 21st Century airplane. It has no "E-Z Fly" button (quoting my USAF veteran brother) like modern aircraft do.

      @wayneantoniazzi2706@wayneantoniazzi27064 ай бұрын
  • I thoroughly enjoyed the video, thanks again.

    @gypsydildopunks7083@gypsydildopunks70834 ай бұрын
  • of course he didn't, It was Albert Speer in the Parlor with the Candlestick!

    @albdamned577@albdamned5774 ай бұрын
  • Spear lied about EVERYTHING else

    @xys7536@xys75364 ай бұрын
  • Hard to believe Hitler could be a murderer

    @Carfeu@Carfeu4 ай бұрын
    • "No one who speaks German could be evil"

      @SnoopReddogg@SnoopReddogg4 ай бұрын
    • "You know, with Hitler, the more I learn about that guy, the more I don't care for him." - Norm Macdonald

      @johnanon6938@johnanon69384 ай бұрын
  • 8:54 That's an awesome example of a Squaddie tan on the officer on the right! Bright white head from wearing headgear all the time and burnt brown face! Most likely, a front-line combat officer giving a situational briefing.

    @charliemanson4808@charliemanson48084 ай бұрын
  • Another great and informative video. Thanks

    @semperfi3569@semperfi35694 ай бұрын
  • "Any headline that ends with a question mark can be answered with No."

    @DavidCowie2022@DavidCowie20224 ай бұрын
  • Todt's name is also emblazoned on that massive gun emplacement in France! Thanks for the great history Mark!

    @i-a-g-r-e-e-----f-----jo--b@i-a-g-r-e-e-----f-----jo--b4 ай бұрын
    • Batterie Todt

      @minhthunguyendang9900@minhthunguyendang99002 ай бұрын
  • He decided to make a parachute jump, without a parachute!

    @davids9520@davids95204 ай бұрын
  • Another interesting episode from Mr Felton👍

    @TheSeoras@TheSeoras4 ай бұрын
  • Thank you Dr. Felton, another amazing documentary.

    @serenus369@serenus3693 ай бұрын
  • Simply stalled the aircraft. Lost lift,lost speed ,lost todt.

    @blindhog2756@blindhog27564 ай бұрын
  • It’s so rude to assume a guy like hitler would have someone killed

    @pattap2583@pattap25834 ай бұрын
  • Have always loved all History, so it is always a pleasure to view Dr Felton's videos.

    @qre268Zrtb@qre268Zrtb4 ай бұрын
  • I have not heard of Todt before this video. It would be great if you could do a quick or extensive bio on him.

    @ajlancjc99@ajlancjc994 ай бұрын
  • Todt assassinated by plane crash on orders of his boss? Really? I mean... it's not like he used a private army of mercenaries to raise a mutiny against Hitler....😁

    @douglassun8456@douglassun84564 ай бұрын
  • Another good one Mark...I tend to agree with your conclusion. Thanks !

    @Roscoe_B@Roscoe_B4 ай бұрын
  • Best wishes and seasons greetings to Dr Mark, and all his followers😊😊😊

    @hughgordon6435@hughgordon64354 ай бұрын
  • He died on my Birthday exactly 40 years before I was born. February 8th

    @RedEyedPatriot@RedEyedPatriot4 ай бұрын
  • There would be no reason to kill Todt in that manner,for hitler if he had an issue or felt threatend from todt it would have been far more useful and beneficial to remove todt and disgrace him before ultimatley topping him at that time anyway!

    @roobear78@roobear784 ай бұрын
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