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: https://www.jerseybunkertours.com/ww2-gun-graveyard
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: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Felton
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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
source
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: https://www.jerseybunkertours.com/ww2-gun-graveyard
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So much stupidity back then with dumping all that in the sea when the world needed so much of it to rebuild the future.
If you were a German soldier, I guess this would’ve been the best, safest assignment anyone could have had!
Quel dommage , what a pity , as they might say in France .
Hard to understand that all of that very high grade steel would not have been economically viable to salvage instead of refining and smelting/forging raw materials. All together millions of pounds, could have made at least 2 dozen cars. LOL
0:18 Sniper Elite 5
The Nazis would have ethnically cleansed those islands and put German's in their homes . Those guns should be left to rot .
Yes,but the quality of metal and materials that they dumped is far better than virtually anything you get now from China.Did our relativs die to make the Chinese rich or was it just plain greed that would make them rich and powerful?They wouldn't have dumped any of it because they would have seen it as a waste of good quality materials and they could get ideas for their own ammo. But, as always Dr Felton, an informative and entertaining article, and I think it would make an interesting story, what did the Chinese do with all the equipment left by the Japanese and Americans.
I love the little animated captions that pop up when an image of the guns comes on the screen. Very high quality content.
Nice
The Courland of the west.
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.
Too bad Germany didn't win. 😕
What a shame And loss of history , They all should be recovered and put back in placement . For that to remember WAR is to NEVER have WAR!
Oh well. Fish habitat?.
Hi,
I was wondering what this bombastic music piece in the was?
Thanks.
mayby they should send these ones also to ucraine
Amazing the number of WWII vessels sunk in the Pacific that have been recycled to oblivion.
I don't get why they had to roll them off of the cliffs. Surely they could have left them in place and welded them up or something, sort of like a modern banging a nail into the touch hole of a cannon.
As long as there was no ammunition for the big guns, no one would have been able to fire them after the war anyway.
This is the next best thing to visiting the sites in person! Excellent as always! ❤
In a hurry to restore the island, they missed an opportunity to create a historical museum that would draw tourists.
Damn, what a treasure. I wish someone would restore them for future generations to see also.
Those were the lucky Germans LOL!
what happened to the Jewish people who lived on the channel islands. did British police collaborate with the nazis. please do vid about this history.
Another vanity project for Hitler. He wanted to hold a strategically unimportant part of British territory for purely political reasons. The resources would largely have been better devoted to the defence of the Atlantic Wall.
While I was in the USN my squadron was forward deployed to Japan. We made stops at Wake Island and Iwo Jima. Wake Island had a couple small tanks half buried right in the lagoon which you could wade out to see up close. Iwo Jima had shell casings of many calibers everywhere. We were allowed to explore many of the tunnels as long as you went in with at least one other person. So much intact equipment and supplies. Both places are largely as they were left after WW2 so the gravity of what took place immediately apparent and heavy emotionally. Nothing you will ever read or watch about the battles fought there prepares you for seeing both locations in person.
Incredible story. Thanks.
Hitlers ego tied up a whole division and all that artillery wow!
And after 500,000 yrs the guns are now reduced to minerals.
Well 1 thing for sure…. the allies were staying well clear of those islands 😄
I just realized that I didn't click the thumbs up button on your video. I'm back. If I could do 10 thumbs ups, you earned it. And now I'm forwarding this video to my artillery casing collector friends. Great work, thanks!
I visited the German under ground hospital in the mid 60s
whatever next Dr Mark, himmla and hitla's and gobbles droppings found
No wonder about German quality.
Close to a century even than no significant rusting on the barrels.
Simply extraordinary.
Compare this to recently deactivated russian tanks in Ukraine where you see a pile of rust .
Agreed with Mark Felton, it is complete stupidity throwing away these guns which could have potential for more tourist to visit the islands!
The attitudes and beliefs of those people after WW2 seems to be totally ridiculous.
"we'll clean it up for the tourists governor" tugging at forelocks attached to an empty brain casing.
The only reasons people go to these Islands is to see the WW2 emplacements/relics, or gawk at
the tax dodging super rich.
Who could have imagined in 1945 that unused German artillery emplacements would become tourist attractions? Everyone had more than enough of war, and destroying the tools of war must have been intensely satisfying for the survivors.
Very interesting and unique episode, thanks! I just wonder, why all of these quality metal was not the worth it to reuse and also – it seems very qualitative to not rousted fully away in 80 years!
Where did you go on your holidays Mark?
amazing
I live in Jersey, and loved bunker hunting, did it more as a kid then now days. I have seen these gun from the cliff side but never been down to them. Great video.
And imagine, all those guns and artillery pieces never fired a single shot, not in anger or otherwise.
My German grandfather was on Jersey from 43 after losing 2 toes in Russia.
Went back on holiday nearly every year from early 70s. 319 Artillery Corps at Victoria Point.
From Buffalo, N.Y. This is a very interesting video, very interesting. Thank you.
Maybe these guns could be salvaged and sent to Ukraine? Lol
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Observation: clearly, sea levels have nor risen since the end of WII. This destroys this climate change rising sea BS.
Top grade steel
Thanks!