The Bastogne Brits - A Secret British Operation: Ardennes 1944

Wow, i didnt know they was in the bulge, its like the battle of the sheldt with canadians! untill quite recently i didnt know that british units helped there aswell, not sure if it was 5th scots and parts of lancs regiment....

the fact they did it without any losses is kind of amzing really.

i can imagine the senior american commander reaction when he says a bunch british armoued cars turn up suddenly out of nowhere.

Who knew that blue jobs got that close to the front lines?

... "I say Olde Man" ... "GOOD Show!" ... ;-)

Rock apes

I used to work for the RAF regiment. when i was 22. The fire section was also part of the regiment ( on every RAF base the fire men put out burning aircraft) .

Love Marks stories. Concise and so interesting. Keep up the content. Love it.

Enjoyed immensely

Slippery sods those Brylcream boys, good old blue jobs back just in time for a brew up no doubt 👍

The Operations Room for animated visuals of the Battle and Mark Feldman for True History.
(The O.R. mispronounces Bastogne)

You must visit the National Tank Museum in Danville, Virginia, USA.
Happened upon it while traveling & remains one of the best unexpected surprises of my life. Huge inventory & properly presented.

If the brits were involved...no wonder things got out of control. British tanks and armored troop carriers were much like the Italians...one forward gear and five reverse gears. England was and is a joke.

According to reports monty was held by the americans for failing to
Identify himself due to skorzeny
Men in allied uniforms!

Ah, the RAF Regiment or 'Rock Apes' as I knew them when stationed at RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus - 1965-1967 - and many a time having a good night out with a few friends I got to know when in the NAAFI during the evenings, and a good bunch of blokes too...I think their main job was airfield protection, and spent a lot of time doing exercises around the base.

Every Brit should go to this amazing and moving town
Thanks for another dip into this Professor

I love these little tidbits you give us. Happy New Year.

Happy New Year Mark frm The Philippines!

Salute.

Sounds a little like saving private Ryan. The RAF avoided the big battles to save their guys then went home rather than staying to fight. Also that is crazy the RAF got half of the radar group went to Brussels and turned around and went back??? Crazy

Can you perhaps delete the advertising comment for bitcoin whatsapp groups that is now top of your video?

I’ve a question: what role did Collins play in the Ardennes?

here is a somewhat amusing story from OIF, there used to be a Haliburton truck stop called cedar. now known as "Ceder 1"the Coilition leaders meet with the tribal leaders and asked "whats the least desirable land, we need to not be seen taking the best land for PR purposeses. They told where that was but they told them it is guaranteed to flood and be useless and they shouldn't use that particular spot. Well sure enough come rainy season they had to move the camp five miles down the road to Cedar 2. this sounds like an episode of the Simpsons when they had to move the whole town down the road. This was in the area Saddam turned into a swamp during the war with Iran. that's the way I heard it anyway.

My salute to these magnificent British troops. Their courage in pressing the attack and completely the mission is in keeping with the highest traditions of the British military. The battle of the bulge p=sented a serious threat to the Allied effort. Only the bravery of all Allied troops defeated the German effort.

Sir This is a History Channel.

Exercise Ardent Groung 83, was held at Elsenborn. I was RAF groundcrew on a Puma Sqn. Our "Rock Ape" contingent went to great lengths to educate us Penguins about this action.....and the American 509th airborne regt..
The Rock's often get overlooked by historians, but post D-Day there were 60 odd Sqdn's., foreword ot the main front tasked with capturing/neutralising enemy airfields . A part of their story often overlooked.

This reminds me of when discovery, history, and tlc channels covered real subjects with facts.

Charles Whiting - 'B of the B, Britain's Untold Story'

Americans might be more willing to share credit for the victory in the Ardennes if FM Montgomery hadn't tried to claim all the credit for himself.

Amazing!

Another Dr. Mark Felton masterpiece! I and likely many others have never heard this story before.

This is meant as an honest question, I know little about the technicalities, but would the Germans have learned much? I know that they had mobile radar at the start of the war, but maybe they would have gained some technical details, but would there have been time and materials to use it? I am not questioning the bravery of the men that completed the mission. I am glad I will never have to do anything similar, and I greatly respect their bravery.

THANKS FOR UNCOVERING THIS

Marc, it's the very first time I hear that Stosser's paratroopers reached Marche. Would you be so kind to direct to sources expanding on it ?

He (Montgomery) had told Eisenhower's deputy chief of operations, the British officer Jock Whitley, that Eisenhower should put him in command of all troops north of the German penetration. Somebody, Montgomery added, meaning either the Combined Chiefs of Staff, of which Brooke was a member, or the British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, should give Eisenhower "a direct order ... to do so." page 416
A Time For Trumpets MacDonald

Always interesting, thank you.

😂s'il vous plait Mr Felton...
Voulez-vous arreté...
My 3rd form French was a vain attempt to say...hold it one minute...
The radar crew or whatever their military designation is...supposed to provide early/advanced warning and inteligence monitoring etc...
But ended up having to run helter skelter from the Ardennes😂
So I guess the radar and radio traffic monitoring crew slept or were their findings ignored like Pearl Harbor?
Please do not tell me that German high command kept radio silence ahead of the launch of Watch on Rhine...as a parent or teacher etc...too much noise is cause for alarm- too much silence is cause for action😂😂😂

Read bout tis in Look and learn magazine a long time ago, thanks for refreshing my memory👍

Anyone know what the vehicle on the left of the thumbnail is called?

Ah, the Battling British Bastards of Bastogne. Hitler wanted to split the alliance between the US and UK, but it appears he was way too late. The British and American forces were completely entwined and working together.

But didn't I once hear that "Wars are not won by evacuations"?...

It's always messy.

Never heard of this before. 😮

British Resolve. Makes one wonder what WW2 would have been like if Hitler had actually been able to make Britain an Ally as he wanted. Imaging what a combination that would have been!

The RAF Regiment doesn't get the recognition it deserves.
Per Ardua

I have major respect for Great Britain,battling Nazi Germany on by themselves,especially the RAF, and the British civilians who were being targeted psychologically by Vengeance weapons and the sounds they made…It just made them more resilient,I wonder how close the cabinet was to peace with Germany,I know Churchill knew that Hitler was not to be trusted but he is just one man and can be outed and called a warmonger…Thank God for Ser Winston Churchill, the right man at the right time, and I bet Hitler was scared of him..

Mark, what a fascinating story and a forgotten piece of history. I appreciate the fact you're bringing this to the light of day so that these RAF veterans contribution to the Battle of the Bulge is not disregarded. Mucho gracias, amigo y vaya con Dios.

I say it again Mark, I didn't know about this. RAF regiment, and it role in the Battle of the Bulge.
60 Flight mobile radar. Getting them out.
Then the 2nd successful retreaval. Getting more equipment out.

I guess my query is was their any battle honours in European theatre of war where the RAF Regiment was in action.
I found some, Burma WW2 and more modern conflicts. But none online in Europe. Just wondered.

Monty was the overall commander of the Battle of the Bulge, Patton was barely involved .