The Eagles That Landed - Forgotten Luftwaffe Cemetery Sandringham 

As a U.S. Air Force combat veteran and amateur historian I admire how the British people have honored 🎖 🥇 all of these warriors. Thank you, Mark, for all your hard work.

To see this reminds me of my uncle, he was radio operator in U 76. After sinking his boat 1941 he was a POW, 2 years in Britain, 4 years in Canada. There he worked in a ketchup factory, he never touched a tomato again for the rest of his life. He always said: „ We were opponents not enemies“ and the survivors of both Kriegsmarine and Navy met every year to celebrate together and remember the fallen comrades , he was always there with them till he died of cancer. RIP uncle Günther

The dignified burial of our adversaries will always set us apart from less civilized persons. Another top shelf offering from Mr. Felton. Many thanks for your diligent work in providing us these videos.

I remember visiting a German war cemetery in France while touring WW1 battle sites on the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge. I've always found it interesting that so many men lay buried in forigen soil rather than their homeland. Thanks so much for this video, Mark! Another interesting watch, as always!

In Odense, Denmark, there is a very nice memorial with two bronze eagles commemorating the 23 British and Canadian airmen who lost their lives over the island of Fyn. The graves are arranged in two neat rows. I used to visit often when I lived on Fyn. I couldn't think of a more pleasant place to be at rest.

Personally, im having great difficulties with placing a human being behind a simple tombstone in a churchyard...But when Mr Felton tells the role and achievent of these men, they really come back from history again...And it really goes to show that these men were not forgotten...

Thanks for a wonderful story, Dr Felton. Our local cemetery at Caversham in Reading used to have a few German war graves, but they were moved to Cannock Chase. There are still a few German war graves in the enormous cemetery at Brookwood near Guildford. That site has several war cemeteries inside a wider collection of fascinating civilian cemeteries. There is a French war cemetery and the only USA First World War cemetery in England, along with an American temple. Brookwood would be a very rewarding subject for one of your documentaries.

Many thanks to the locals who maintain these graves! The show of respect for human life, regardless of nationality, speaks volumes about the people who keep this cemetery in pristine shape.

Beautifully presented. Quite a moving story. Thank you

Mark, your commitment to history is overwhelming! Thank you for your comments at the end of the video. The ravages of war are extensive all round.

I love the respect that the Allies showed to the German fallen. I also appreciate that you take the time and effort to pronounce German names correctly, unlike many channels (even history-based ones) that either do not try or do not seem to care.

As a Licensed Pilot, there is a strong mutual respect and admiration of fellow pilots no matter their national origin. It is extremely difficult flying at night with very basic avionics, and I can imagine despite the ideological differences, that the two nations’ airmen at that time respected each other highly.

Might break out The Eagle Has Landed from the archives after work tonight. Thank you Mark Felton.

I have to say that I have never found any of your vids boring. Many thanks to you and the faceless assistants that work with you. Another good story !

The fact you consistently produce such beautiful, educational, fascinating and well researched content continues to amaze me. This has got to be my favourite video so far. Where I live, we have a German military cemetery thats tucked away in a small corner of a much larger cemetery. It contains 187 German war dead from both world wars that perished here in Canada. I make it an effort to donate every month to the German Remembrance Society of Canada to keep up with the upkeep of the cemetery and Volkstrauertag (German Remembrance Day). One of the soldiers has the same last name as I do. And upon further research, he was born in a village very close to where my family came from in Germany. Makes me think of how that could have been me. Many years ago. Bless you for all that you do. And let us never ever forget.

My perspective about a war grave for a crew member on a bombing aeroplane, is now altered forever. I have seen a few war cemetery's of infantryman, where usually all the fallen are each marked with a headstone. But in this historical analysis, every headstone represented more than 1 person. So that makes it even more significant, as 11 headstones actually represent 34 German Luftwaffe Crew. The others lost at sea, maybe forever. Thank you Dr Felton, for raising our knowledge, about what is really behind the crosses, in a small cemetery, in a quiet Norfolk churchyard.

Thank you Mark, sensitively & movingly put across.

My warmest congratulations on having passed the 2M subscriber point. Richly deserved!

My Father now 91 was playing in a small village in Wiltshire in 1942 when he and his friend watched a Spitfire chasing and eventually shooting down a Messerschmitt. They quickly ran across the fields and found the plane and pilot. He had landed and was being held by the local farmer. Eventually the police arrived and took him away. It must have been amazing to see.

when a soldier dies hes no longer the enemy but another brother in arms

There is something quite admirable about respecting the dead of an enemy. No matter how terrible the circumstances and struggles, we too will be dead one day.

Another Dr. Felton Masterpiece.

Great classic movie and story, the scars of the air battle over Britain worthy to be remembered. As always you are the best of the best... Ty Mark Felton

Thank you for posting this touching video featuring the remains of military men from opposite sides of that brutal war, sharing a burial ground forever. I have relatives from Yorkshire, as well as from Newcastle upon Tyne who served in WWI & WWII, and I also have relatives from Kitzbuhel Osterreich (Austria) who also fought in WWI & WWII. I am from the Boomer generation, so many of my Uncles and Aunts, as well as my parents were veterans from WWII, and I have always been proud of my English and American family members who fought in WWII, but was ashamed of my Austrian family members. I am just now reaching out to many of them to connect with them, and I am pleased that we have been able to forgive what happened in that horrid war. I am also discovering that many of those who were Nazi's were reluctant, and were in fact conscripted into their duties. Time is forgiveness, and I recently visited a cemetery in the U.S. (where I currently live), and found the gravestones of several German and Austrian servicemen who died while in prison camps. I prayed for their souls, and I left German coins on their graves in honour of their souls.

There is a similar collection of German graves at Littlehampton cemetery in West Sussex. They to are buried in a Commonwealth war graves plot. It would be interesting to know their stories. In fact touring round the country there are many individual British servicemen and women buried in cemeteries with CWG headstones or in small plots. They can at least be found on the CWG web site for a little more information.

My wife and I have visited the German war cemetery on Cannock Chase. This is the one referred to by Mark when many graves around the UK were moved there. It is also the final resting place of a Zeppelin crew shot down over the UK during WW1. There is also a smaller Commonwealth Graves cemetery nearby.

My uncle is buried in France. My, lot younger, uncle goes over to Normandy often. He tells me the French look after the (ALL) Allie’s grave with respect, great care, and love. War is ugly. Nonetheless, the gratitude is Magnificent!

Speaking of Sheringham, there is a fascinating story of some Georgians, pressed into the Wehrmacht who tried to surrender after crossing the north sea from the dutch island of Texel right at the end of the war. It would make a good episode for Dr. Felton. It would make a good feature film too!

I applaud you Mr. Felton for your interesting shows. As you may already know, my mother was a German war bride as she married my father , a US Army sergeant, after the war in bombed put Berlin. They then returned to the US after his duty in the US Army occupation forces in Germany. I am in my 70s now and I had two uncles in the Wehrmacht on the Eastern Front, both survived the war but were not in good shape. With all the insanity going on in , what was once the United States, today, and the usual chaos on the planet, it is still very interesting to me to remember true history.

It must be comforting to the spirits of all war dead that Professor Felton really takes to heart the spirit of "At the rising and the setting of the sun we shall remember them". #AbsolutelyEveryWarriorGetsALastPostSomeday.

When I first saw the German graves, I wondered why their loved ones made no effort to bring them home to Germany after the war. I would certainly try to bring my three relatives home. Then it occurred to me that their loved ones probably died in the war, too. That makes the whole thing even more poignant. It was a tragic war.

Thanks you. My family were fighting on both sides. I appreciate your giving respect to all of them.

Another great video! Shows the futility of war! Mankind at it's worst and most cruel

Great episode, thanks for treating this topic with the dignity it deserved. Well done.

Just a small sample of the many war dead from both sides of the conflict. Mark's last statement is so true about so many young people whose lives were cut short by war. One thing I am curious about is whether families ever visit these graves.

Saint John the Devine is an Anglican Church in a small village called Red Row nestled away in South Northumberland. As a child my mother would take me to lay flowers on my grandparents graves . I remember tugging at her arm to go see the graves of Lufftwaffe aircrew . It's been many years since I visited the cemetery but this feature brought back childhood memories . Thank you

I am stoked that you are talking about this. I have watched the movie countless times, and it is one of my all time favorite WWII movies. Such a great story and plot. They don't make movies like this anymore. An epic watch for all to see.

I find it endlessly fastinating that so much detail about so many individual combatants is still retained today.

That looks beautiful, thank you to the people taking care of them. Sadly my grandpa's brothers are still missing. Much love from Germany.

Every book Higgins ever wrote begins with the 'dark and stormy night' gig. Excellent video, as always.

Another gem by Mark Felton :)

I'm a long-standing fan and subscriber of Dr Felton's channel, but this one is particularly interesting to me - I live within sight of Brancaster beach, where the bodies of some of these men washed ashore and I walk my dogs there daily. It's poignant to think that even such a peaceful location was touched by the war.

Always something fascinating from Dr. Felton! Always!

What a class these people demonstrated.

Thank you Dr. Felton, Another informative and entertaining presentation.

Another great documentary! I do enjoy it, when you lift those edges not normally lifted or covered in other channels and go onto cover elements that are as important, yet able to touch on the personal sacrifice given by all armed forces personnel who lost their lives like the one above. Looking forward to the next one!

I found a section of a cemetery in Montgomery Alabama devoted to aircrew from France and the U. K. who had perished training at nearby Maxwell AFB. They were well kept 70 years on; quite moving.

Thank you for this respectful and interesting video. Despite the fact that they were "the enemy" in WWII, they were still men and so very young and a tragic waste.

Everytime that i watch a Mark Felton video, i more or less instantly start to watch a random "The world at war" episode afterwards from my collection.

So sad, yet respectfully beautiful

My uncle in buried in same way in Lowestoft cemetery - it took my parents 50 years to find him. War is heartbreaking, for all sides. 💖🙏🏼

Very interesting and an excellent commentary. 🙏

I've been here a couple of times, and always come away with a feeling of inner peace. I live not far from the American Cemetery at Madingley in Cambridge - as you drive down the beginning of the M11 you can catch a glimpse of the memorial chapel there, high on the hillside. I think it might be worth your visiting...my namesake is up there on the Wall of Remembrance.

There is a German Military Cemetery in Ireland also. It is at Glencree in Co Wicklow about 15 miles from Dublin. Glencree is in the Wicklow Mountains and despite being close to Dublin it is a very remote but beautiful place., After WW2 all the remains of German airmen and sailors whose bodies were either recovered or washed up after both World Wars were reinterred there. The graves have a flat headstone and are covered in heather from the mountaiinside. It is well worth a visit.

Thank you Mark another great documentary. Keep up the good work your brilliant

Amazing record keeping, and your research to tell each individual story. Great work as always!

Superb video and good to see the graves well tended still.

It's nice to see they were given a dignified internment. So many others weren't afforded that courtesy. I have personally visited two sites in the U.S. where German and Italian war dead were buried. There is a German / Italian cemetery on the grounds of the old Fort McClellan AL, and in Greenwood Cemetery in Jackson MS. It was strange to drive by the later and see graves marked with an Iron Cross.

Mark magnificient research. Very impressive. Ty

I love the title of this episode. Good work! Greetings from Australia.

On the strength of this video I went to visit this place today from London and after parking the car practically in a ditch (it really is a small village) I found the place quite spellbinding, I have seen military graves before but this place is remarkable for its setting. If you ever get a chance then have a look.

These stories remind me of my father and 2 uncles who fought the Japanese in the Pacific.Uncle James died in Siam and is buried at the Kachanaburi Cemetary.Thanks for the story.p

Thanks for another interesting video. While I had heard of Guy Gisbon I never realised he flew a Beaufighter.

Appreciate all your research and sharing. Also really enjoyed the introduction here as the eagle has landed is one of my childhood favorites, and I had watched the movie earlier this year.

Wonderful history

The same was done in the cemetery of the town I grew up in: Tonbridge in Kent. Germans and Italians buried side by side with British war dead, with no distinction between enemies.

It is nice to see that all the men have tombstones with their names on them.... All war fallen should have this....unfortunately, that isn't always possible.

Once again a very fine piece of content Dr Felton…

I've read the novel: great piece of fiction, convincing characters, great story. Most of all, it could have happened in real life. What instead is real is the slaughter of many young men. May they rest in peace.

Enjoyed that Mark x thankyou.

It is the same at the Scottow cemetery, a few miles outside North Walsham in Norfolk. The cemetery is split between local civilian and military, as it lies just to the side of the former RAF base Coltishall. There all nationalities rest in peace.

Very interesting and moving to watch this. There are indeed other Luftwaffe airmen buried in England, one notable grave site for a crew is in Brighton Cemetery, following an Me110 crash into the wall by the road there, if I remember correctly.

As a suggestion for a possible follow-up, the story of the military cemetery in Margraten is pretty amazing. It was built during the war, with troops stationed in the town. They developed a bond with the locals and when those boys were killed, they ended up in Margraten. At the end of the war, there were around 20.000 graves, about half of which were moved to the US at the request of the families. When the war ended, the locals asked if they could adopt the graves, which was made possible. The US government cooperated gladly. By the end of 1946, all graves were adopted and have been ever since. They are cared for as if they were the families own blood. Many relatives of those buried there end up having a good relationship with the family caring for the grave. It was made a UNESCO Immaterial Cultural Heritage site in 2012. I highly recommend this video on the subject. There's an interview with a woman who was there in 1945 as a kid and she met the soldier who's grave she cared for all those years. It's beautiful. watch?v=KZxHmA5vCEA

They shall not go old as we grow old, nor the years condemn. At the setting of the sun, and in the morning, we shall remember them. Lest We Forget!

Excellent presentation.

thanks for the many good videos. I enjoy watching them and always learn something new about our shared history! Gute Arbeit und weiter so ! Greetings from Germany

Great episode!

Always interesting, thank you.

Well done to the locals for such meticulous maintenance of all graves 👏

thx for that interesting and sensitive clip!

In my native village in the southern Netherlands, there is a Commonwealth cemetery from WW2. 363 young men lie there. From what I remember, the average age of the enlisted men was around 20, with the officers sometimes closer to 30. If we forget about the sides in this war for a moment, that's a lot of mothers and fathers who never saw their children again.

There are several small cemeteries scattered across Kent that have German war graves in them, the largest being close to the former RAF stations at Hawkinge, Detling and West Malling - Hawkinge having the largest number at nearly 60. I think the headstones are marked with a Maltese Cross, not an Iron Cross. When I worked for Dover District Council our graves records clerk receive a kind letter from the relatives of a Luftwaffe crewman buried in Hamilton Road cemetery in Deal. They had visited the site and were impressed that the two graves containing three of the crew - also from a Do17 - are so well tended. The forth member of the crew, the pilot, was washed up 3 days after the rest and was buried at nearby Aylesham cemetery before being being reinterred at Cannock Chase.

very beautiful video mark.

It is good to see that the servicemen of both sides were given the same respect despite being on opposite sides during the war.

Very touching.

So young War is unforgivable

Intressting story. Well done

well researched Mark

It is good to be reminded that it wasn't just 'our boys' that gave their lives for what they believed in. All wars are such a waste of human-kind.

Really appreciate how the Brits respect their enemies after death. No hard feelings.

Great video Mark, must have taken you a long time to find all the info from the headstones?

Great video mark thanks

Brilliant, and possibly the subject of some future videos?

Im glad they rest together in reality they should and could have being friends !

Thank you Mark so much for all your videos they're a wealth of interesting information I study world war II extensively and as a little kid to an adult in college and yeah so I love this kind of stuff I eat it up and I always learning something thank you for the videos I get a kick this is nothing but I guess it's like I got to kick when you mentioned Sutton bridge or something when I hear like towns and names with Sutton cuz that's my last name and I don't know where and when we acquired it but I know it's generation I'm going to add this in 2002 the first time I was in England I stayed in London we I went with my sister we we did a lot of toys we didn't stay in London we stayed in lots of places but I had two very interesting experiences both know what happened in London and the other happened in Brighton and one was a couple a contemporary of mine I'm 652,002 thank you I guessthey must have heard our accents and they were from America and they were talking you know asking us so you know when we got there and let you know just that kind of stuff and then they they thanked me for the help in world war II I was flabbergasted these again these were not older people these are my contemporaries you know they were more than even probably born during world war two I was amazed another one was in Brighton I think that was in Brighton and it was a young woman a contemporary of my age and whatever she thinks that she thanked me to for the same thing I was amazed flabbergasted I love England I'm not too happy with what's going on there now to be honest with the BBC in the British government and all that but then again I said the same exact thing for the United States and the government here and all the news channels anyway it's a great country with a great history and I loved it and every time I stepped foot on English soil I was always thrilled sincerely Bob the blind bedroom guitarist

And all in their twenties. Life cut short at such a young age.

It is an interesting concept, that people in uniform are given honorable military burials by those who they attempted to harm and conquer. I suppose that even a civilian criminal is given a proper burial, even though they lived and died in an improper manner? Like most wars, (excluding coups and uprisings) the men who die, are never the ones who are guilty of starting the conflicts, but they themselves, their families, communities, and their opponents are always the ones who bear the sufferings, anguish, trama, chaos, and loss of precious lives. What is the most striking thing about history, is that people never stop repeating the worse aspects of it, but merely change the uniforms and weapons, but the bloodshed never stops, the flag draped coffins always need a hole, and the graveyards are continuously expanding.

My grandmother's brother Max was a Canadian casualty at the Battle of Amiens, France during the Great War. Earlier this year I was able to travel there and lay a wreath on his grave. I toured the battlefield and numerous Commonwealth Cemeteries. I was quite impressed by how well they were maintained. I think it fitting that all war dead be treated with respect. At Sandringham the foes that once faced each other in battle now face each other peace. Quite appropriate I believe. 🙏💐🪦

this is massively depressing to me, but I am still intrigued

Thank you so much for this - excellent, subject and narration. Mit kameradschaftlichen Grüß aus Berlin, as the natives here say!