Hitler's Praetorian Guard 

Over 80 years on, and still the best looking uniforms.

The black uniforms certainly did give off the elite unit appearance. Good stuff like always Mark!

Another great documentary by Dr. Felton. No filler, just interesting facts always impeccably researched and presented.

Before the French Revolution and the nationalising of militaries, most palace guard units in Europe were foreign mercenary units. The Swiss Guard of the Vatican being 1 lasting example. French kings often had Scottish units.

Dr. Felton's historical media, and especially his books renewed my interest in becoming a historian. I ordered several of his books when I was in prison and now I am working on my Masters.

Best military documentaries on the net,concise,articulate,well spoken,very informative and no bias.

Such elegant outfits, i dont think anyone could recreate something like this in an original fashion without copying the SS

And now I can't even send my kid to school in Belgium without him being bullied for being white ...

Okay I have to admit that, the changing of the guard at the end was pretty cool.

I am in Munich at the moment and this all feels so much more real. Fantastic video.

This channel consistently makes the very best historical content on RU-vid

That goose-stepping is killer on the knees.

I watch a ridiculous amount of WW2 documentaries and Mark is hands down my favorite. The stories he tells us are not long drawn out 1 hour history generalizations. Sometimes his videos are only a few minutes but he always tells me unique pieces of history I probably would have never known about unless he gave the information to us. Another great one Mark! And as you sometimes say, many thanks!

These were the good old days.

That funny walk always reminds me of Basil Fawlty

Damn, they looked good.

Another outstanding take on History Mark, your work stands tall over other History Channels. I have a story to tell and I hope soon I will be able to do so. 👍❤️🇺🇸

The "goose stepping" looks painfull.

Ah, yes, good old Bruno “Himmler can’t tell ME what to do- yes, I’ll have another drink!” Gesche

In the memoir Für Volk and Führer: The Memoir of a Veteran of the 1st SS Panzer Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler, the author, Erwin Bartmann, was 14 or so at the time during the Berlin Olympics and happened to witness members of the LSSAH during a changing of the guard and was impressed with them. When it came time to enter the armed forces, the LSSAH was his top choice.

Fantastic sharing of knowledge as always Dr. Felton.

Just as good as Gideon's and snokes

In the ‘90s in Seattle a antique shop dealer had a back room business selling German WW2 uniforms. Many were SS. You’d think there wouldn’t be anything available or that they were easy copies/fakes. But I have to tell you the energy in that room was oppressive. Dark. Very disturbing.

Gods, the amount of duplicate lines of effort really makes you begin to understand that the Nazis were successful early in the war despite their organization, rather than because of it.

I really like your short documentaries for how concise they are. No useless reenactment, no filler, no jumpscares/other cheap tricks, no constant moralizing, just a guy with a calm voice telling an interesting and well researched historical story accompanied by matching historical footage. This is exactly how a documentary should be.

Another fantastic documentary, thanks Dr. Felton. I had always wondered about this topic.

Yet another great doco Mark. Your research never ceases to amaze me!

Ideology and actions during WWII aside, ceremonially, the formations, precision and uniforms were outstanding. If only history had not taken the dark course it did with the actions of these men, I'd imagine the tradition would've carried on. I count myself as one of the few during my Marine Corps career that actually enjoyed drill, inspections and mass formations. Something about either seeing or being a part of an activity where others are doing the exact movement in uniform always motivated me. Maybe the application of hours of practice in heat or rain, or the contrast of guys who are either wrestling around, drunk or being rowdy, suddenly being silent and following commands, it was something I liked being involved in.

By the third quarter of 1932, the all-black SS uniform was designed by SS members Karl Diebitsch (artist) and Walter Heck (graphic designer) One of Boss' first big contracts was to supply brown shirts to the early Nazi party. By 1938, his firm was producing army uniforms, and eventually it manufactured the iconic all-black uniforms Waffen SS too - though it did NOT design the SS uniform. The German fashion firm Hugo Boss has apologized for its maltreatment of forced workers during World War II when it supplied the Nazis with uniforms.

Dr. Felton once again you do not disappoint this lecture was another great one. You continue to bring the history to life without making it boring. Thank You Sir! Semper Fidelis. SSgt B.

Always start my day listening to some ww2 history with me Felton on the way to work.

That theme tune gets me everytime. And its a WW2 related video as well. Super.

Brilliant, as usual. Thank you so much for your work. The genius is that, while it is always firmly historical and grounded in history: discovery, explanation and teaching, without ideological taint; notwithstanding, in the end of it, there are plain, stark lessons for us to learn. I don't think I've signed up for your Patreon yet, but I will do it.

Best looking uniforms.

Absolutely intimidating. What a great subject Mark. Another fantastic piece of media on the great history of the world. I absolutely love your work.

Hi again Dr. Felton! Thanks for keeping at it, seemingly endless secrets about WWII and beyond that you constantly uncover for everyone to know.

This man is nothing less than a professor in my mind.

Thank you for the great uploads, literally have never let us down mate. Cheers!

Fascinating and exhaustively researched. Thank you.

Beautiful uniforms.😀

i used to hate history in school and now i love seeing a video from you

The FBB Standard flag is quite interesting. Perhaps worth doing a video about all different flags used in the Nazi regime.

Thank you again, Dr. Felton! Great piece of substantial unknown history that has produced multiple pithy conversations! Thanks again!👍

Another great day with another great video, thank you for the amazing content, Felton!

I’ve been a student of German history most of my adult life, particularly Nazi Germany, although I’m not an academically trained historian. When I was stationed in Germany with the Army in the mid-1980’s I had the opportunity on several occasions to meet Max Wunsche, who was Hitler’s SS Adjutant from 1938-40, the victory years of that era. Prior to that he commanded the ceremonial guard at the Berghof, and he can be seen at 6:00 in the video as the white jacketed SS officer preparing his guard to greet the arrival of visitors to the Berghof. (Many of Hitler’s personal staff like Wunsche were much younger than Hitler himself and survived the war well into old age.) As one who actually lived and worked at Hitler’s side during those victory years, he offered fascinating insights into Hitler the man himself, the dictator and his dictatorship, and how it came to be enthusiastically embraced by the German people. And at no time in our conversations did he come across as a fanatic, although by that time 40 years had elapsed since the end of the war, which I think allowed him to mellow and perhaps come to terms with his service to Hitler, at least on some level. My own personal take aways from those conversations can be summed up as follows: 1. The Nazis were indeed a warning from history. 2. Believe the dictator...it was all laid out in “Mein Kampf.” 3. The line between the humanity that gave us Bach and the inhumanity that gave us Bergen-Belsen is not as fine as one might think...or hope. 4. But the one take away that now resonates with me the most, given Putin’s absurd reasons and unhinged rhetoric for invading Ukraine and the subsequent atrocities unfolding there, is from Voltaire, who once said, “Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities.”

Ah yes, Dr. Mark Felton brings today's history lesson

Dr. Felton = instant like! Another informative and interesting video. Thank you, sir!

Always top shelf! Thanks for educating us, Dr. Felton!

Well researched, beautifully edited,thoughtful narration. Excellent. 🙏🇦🇺

The Uniforms back then were the best they just looked so good

My days are always more informative when you upload!

You never disappoint me, Sir Felton!

Sepp Dietrich had a good eye for solders 3 DC's, and 8 Knight's Crosses in Battle. That's like 8 CMA awards, for 1 company of American solders.

Doesn’t get any better than Dr. Felton!

Absolutely fascinating, Dr. Felton. Thank you.

Always very professionaly produced. History must be to teach us...alas..history comes back again. Thank you for your passion for this subject. Take care young brother.

Love your channel, the work you put into each episode is excellent! I have one question, Mark. In a couple of frames there's two guys standing outside Hitlers office door wearing what appears to be 18th century garb, what's the story there? Are they also part of the LSSAH? Thank you for the the work & time you invest in educating those of us who feel history is important.

I love the history of WW2!! Thanks for sharing your work!

Man your content is right on point, thanks again

Excellent episode!

Buzzing with joy that I knew something about this before Mark covered it! That’s a rare feeling 😂

Thank you. You have taught me more than my university.

Another very interesting video. Thanks, Dr. Felton.

I find Dr Feltons documentaries endlessly fascinating, he is filling in a lot of the missing details in our understanding of WW2. I have a family connection to both sides of this conflict, including what came after.

Praetorian guards killed a large percentage of Roman emperors that they were guarding...

I love your relentless uploads. Being from Slovenia I would love your insight into what was going on here during WW2. There were a lot of tragic moments, even families divided over one brother joining the nazi supporting White Guard / Home Guard and the other joining Partisans. My grandfather was lucky as he was young and was able to join a youth work brigade - working on railroads.

A great very interesting video Mr.Mark as always.

I love this channel, it’s very informative. Keep up the good work boss!

All that goose-stepping in Berlin stopped when the East German army was disbanded, saw them in summer 1990.

Please keep the content coming. Your shows are the best part of my day. Although my wife knows when she hears your intro music she does not have access to me.

I think this chanell is one off the best there is for its information . Grtz from the Netherlands

Interesting upload as usual

Another excellent video Dr.Felton, maybe you can make a video on the direction of design and overall aesthetic choices that led to these outfits i know very little except that a guy named karl diebitsch designed some parts of it

Having has a grandfather the in the SSTK, I was able to get to know a former SS LAH soldier who migrated to the USA via South America. He was very old at the time and semi immobile yet still proved to be quite a character. Naturally now he’s passed on.

I absolutely love this channel. Other than the World War 2 channel, this one is solid upload after upload. Love the little details and comprehensive attention to detail.

Thanks for another superb video, looking forward to more

The crazy thing is how much we still don’t know and have yet to learn about WWII via such sources as the old Soviet archives, &c.

Grossdeutschland eventually morphed into a Panzer Korps not just a division. The Hermann Goering Fallschirmjäger Panzer Korps evolved similarly but almost never fought as a single unit. It was parcelled out willy-nilly with its individual constituents sent where needed.

Nice video Mark!!👍👍

Thank You Dr. Felton Always Enjoy Your Videos

My grandad served in SS special operations units on the Eastern front.

A very interesting video. I would like to see similar videos about the security arrangements for Churchill and Stalin.

Super interesting content as always, I wish this was a bit longer

Fantastic documentary Mr. Mark, I really like studying from your videos, very nice.

It's not hard to see where George Lucas came up with his Imperial guard. Excellent presentation with some very rare footage.

❤your content mark

As always, best history channel ever made.

Brilliant informative video thank you Dr Felton.

I wonder how many of the guard survived the Var?

Always great to hear something new about us World War II. Though it is my favorite period of history to learn about. There are a lot of things that I is person don’t know or don’t even think about.

Great Vid Dr Felton as always on stuff you have always Wanted to know more about , but couldn't find it.

I really hope you get paid for making these... One of the very few history channels left that doesn't spew propaganda on modern issues. Just straight up history... pls never change..

The bohemian Austrian served as a trench runner during WWI.

Any chance of getting a video about the auxiliary cruiser ‘Atlantis’? Quite a good story she and the captain had. Especially captain Rogge being awarded an ornate katana by the Japanese for raiding a ship with top secret documents about the British power in the east.

Felton gives better insightful, did you knows, and other topics better than most TV military shows

Quite the difference between these guys and Il Duce's Musketeers.

My aircrew father was posted to Germany as an intelligence officer immediately after the war on denazification duties which seemed to entail amongst other things trawling around on tip offs looking for arms dumps. He had a copy of a pre war laudatory German Adolph Hitler book/album which I have seen for sale on the internet. I used to look through it as a small child fascinated by the at one and the same time impressive but terrifying photos of the Nuremberg rallies and these SS guards. Thank God we won the war.

bro i never thought about it but the intro music goes hard 💀

Another great video from Mark, Thank you.

When Napoleon retreated from Moscow, all that was left at the end was remnants of the Imperial Guard. He later sent them to their deaths at Waterloo.