Why were the Fallschirmjäger called "Green Devils" ("Grüne Teufel") 

Can you please do a video on the Gebirgsjäger who fought a rear guard action in Austria in 1945 and were not told to retreat last minute but left to their fate. They still fought like wildcats. I read a little about this in the book Alpine Elite by James Lucas. The way Lucas tells it the out numbered Gebirgsjägers where defending against the pouring in Russians and holding them back time and time again and the German army was trying to get across the river and surrender to the Americans and at some point the Gebirgsjäger couldn't contact their HQ and sending a runner there they found it abandoned....they were not told to retreat and they no longer could make it by the date necessary. They kept fighting on it was a heroic story. The Author was a British soldier who fought some of them at Monte Cassino.

@@CalebNorthNorman Fighting against the Soviets isn't heroic. It's abhorrent.

@@Spade_1917 Its something for sure. I wasn't really talking about specifically who they were fighting but How they were fighting.

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Killing commies IS heroic

Wow!

Did he enjoy Texas?

Good health to Georg!

@@alexanderryan1176 He was treated quite well, especially when compared to the treatment accorded colored people there, the difference upon which he commented. Also treated quite well in England. He went back after returning to Germany to visit with English friends he'd made.

@@schmid1.079 Thanks! I think he has the luck of my opa, who served as a German infantryman in WWI, was briefly a training cadre early in WWII, and his two other sons one who served as infantry on eastern front, the youngest as a flak helper, and they all survived unwounded. Knock on wood!

yeah, I saw that one too. The lad with the Teeside accent seemed like a very solid chap.

Similar story for an older gentleman I knew in mid 80s in my hometown in NE Scotland. He too was captured at Cassino. I asked him how… and he said that they had no more ammunition or water and that the battle was now past winning, and to save his men, they surrendered

up to finland you go then :D

@@noobster4779 Actually the Gebirgsjäger rarely fought in the mountains ironically enough.

Fair. A vast area of high mountains must be far more difficult to hunt than a cloth of silk with some ropes.

Jäger is Jäger

@@tomendruweit9386 Tyrol is Deutchland

good point, I haven't look into this yet. I had loaned a book from the library once, but I think it was mostly a compilation.

And later Generalmajor Hellmuth Pfeifer changed the symbol to the popular handgrenade, transforming the division into "The Hand Grenade Division". General Pfeifer, described in the divisional history as having "indomitable energy" and of being a "military role model", was a tough guy and wore the Infantry Assault Badge on his uniform (uncomon for a general) and lead from the front. The soldiers were proud of the name and the divisional newsletter was named Die Handgranate ("The Hand Grenade"). The story of how the 65. ID got its name can be found on youtube as "How the Hand Grenade Division Got Its Name". I believe the youtuber in question is the author of book "Indescribable Ordeal: The History of the German 65th Infantry Division 1942-1945", only recently published: 8 March 2021.

Divisional/unit Tactical Symbols were allocated by OKH, although as has been pointed out, it wasn't unusual for (new) commanders to change them to something 'unofficial'. A famous example of this is the well known 'Leaping Horseman' symbol of the 24.Pz division, but not many people know this was actually the 'unofficial' symbol, the actual 'official' symbol was a 'Diagonal Arrow' similar to that used by the 22. & 23. Pz divisions and which can be seen usually on the left rear of the divisions tanks.

@@MilitaryHistoryNotVisualized I remember reading that they changed the runic IDs for the panzer divisions for map legibility and to a lesser extent because they kept adding more and more units. The early system (which replaced complex and highly distinctive emblems for each of the original panzer divisions) was workable enough up to 8-10 divisions but broke down after that because they couldn’t just keep adding more dots for example. It must be said that even the later revisions also broke down, such that the 116th had a Greyhound as its ID symbol. Edit: I’ll go find the source when I have a chance

For good or for bad, English is the new Lingua Franca. If you want to reach the most people possible on the internet, you use English.

one of them is austrian, actually

the other one doesn't speak english very well. i cringed but don't question the expertise.

The Belgian national football team is also called red devils (Rode Duivels). The Dutch black devils ("black" on account of the very dark blue overcoats they wore) were actually Dutch Marines and it is doubtful if the Germans ever actually bestowed that nickname on them.

Yeah, the soil in Tunisia where they fought was a reddish colour, plus they tended to have the flap on their Denison smocks unfastened, they'd hang down at the back, looking a bit like a tail,

The color of the beret comes from the wife of commanding officer an American actress

In his book, Army - Airborne Forces in the Second World War, Lt Col T.B.H. Otway states that the British 1st Parachute Brigade was nicknamed Rote Teufel by the German troops they opposed in North Africa in 1942, because of this General Alexander made Red Devils their official nickname.

My Grandfather never went to the HJ (The H....Joung) but when he was 17 reached the "Nothing new at the Western Front" time. Signed, and because he was a good climber (having one first climb in the Alps; not first, but first alone.) So he was easely able to do the 10 climb ups and the 50 "Knee benches". So: Monte Cassino. He allways told me, that the only reason he survived where the "Old Landsers" (the veteran Guys) and he was the Company Mascot. Bla...Bla... In the end, he was there with three other young guys, and nobody of them had a glue how about driving a "Kübelwagen", which was standing around. So they took bicycles, and came through a italiean town of partisans, they were all just smiling...strange. Hitting the pedals they went downhill into a british - 4 tanks across the street - blockade. They took his diary, with the promise, that he will get it back, after its checked for war important stuff. Never happend. So they drove him back to Landsberg (Where H..... dictated his My Fight) but again, the old guys: Hey Waldenar you are just from around here. We will hinder the guards short bevor the next hill, the cant turn that fast, you know the woods....Worked. He scratched his belly for two months, cause he still thought he still have lice, and wasnt allowed to eat regullary cause... kind a thin. Then tried to smuggle coffee through the alps. And then for sure Canada, doing Draisine.

@@reinerfunden3205 Yes I was please my mum and dad ended up catching up with their old Fallschirmjager foe in 1981. They had so much in common they were now friends! My parents and other veterans of the Famous 20th Battalion from New Zealand had a great time and both sides toasted their lost comrades. We have so much in common!

@@robmiller1964 Thats so...really heartbreaking. I attenden civil service after the storys from the Fallschirmjäger Grandpa and my other Easternfront Grandpa. You had to do youre duty back in the days in Germany, so i worked with handicaped people, and never regreted it. I wish you, and your family all the best, just wishing every politicaly declined "Foe" would have had the chance, to see the fundamentely Human inside each other. Damn, i miss my grandpa. Was allways a sociallist, went climbing with him, collecting mushrooms, and he thought me how to catch fish with your bare hands. Which he learnt from the indians in canada.

@@robmiller1964 That guy never stops talking, once he started: The Paratroops where within the Air Force, and had therefore superb "food" and a bottle of Schnaps (40%) and two boxes of cigarattes. While he started trading the hard stuff for chocolate and food. He came back, as an level drinker and smoker. Got pretty old, and died two weeks later than expected by the doctors. Cause in full koma, the liver should gave up, pretty soon. But we have a solid liver. I myself was on Alcohol rehap: What? You are drinking 4 bottles of whine every day....your liver parameters are just fine. On the other side, the real drinkers: Okay, so you are drinking four bottles of whine every day, and what are you doing in the afternoon?

@@robmiller1964 And...he allways spoke in full respect, and emphaty about the New Zealand "Lethernecks" who got burnt, by the allies. They bombed the shit out of the hill, but lets send the New Zealand guys in. That was an inhuman battle, of which nobody was proud of. All the time he tried to tell me stuff, there were allways those moments, when his Blue Eyes got glassy, and he went out of the room. Came back and changing the conversation completey. He was a "Humancatcher" allways willing and able to keep everybody comforted and left no one dry. And now to something completely different: Isnt live nice!

Our pleasure!

It was not only because of that they fought ferocious, it was also because of the uniform they wore at that time.

@@The_Bored_Traveller Yes, because of their black uniforms i mentioned that in my comment.

If "Swarchze Teufels" is supposed to be German it should be "Schwarze Teufel"

"Rock of the Marne" FTW

@@johnd2058 "Rock of the Marne" is the nickname of the US 3rd Infantry Division. The Marines were assigned to the US 2nd Infantry Division.

@@washingtonradio Darn, I didn't know they went to Indianhead. Maybe 3ID got to take that MEF along some other time. Thanks for catching my error.

@@johnd2058 More interestingly, the divisional history of Indianhead, the Marine brigade was substituted for the original all-Army 4th Brigade. In the divisional history, the brigade is referred to as 4th Brigade (Marine). After WWI, the 4th Brigade was reorganized with the 1st and 20th Infantry replacing the Marine units.

@@washingtonradio This would give a precedent for 2ID's stay in Korea -- as likely a place as any for further joint operations with Marines.

...the divison wars very quickle....

It is the 51st Highland Division, not Regiment. The Germans had not forgotten the 51st . When the Division surrendered at St Valery they were marched to captivity in Germany filmed by Goebels Propaganda Unit, this was shown in Cinemas throughout the Nazi controlled countries. When the 51st Highland Division marched at past Winston Churchill and General Allan Brooke Commander In Chief General Staff in Tunis in February 1943 General Allan Brooke was to say: It was quite the most impressive sights I have ever seen. The whole Division was most beautifully turned out, and might have been in barracks for the last three months instead of marching 1200 miles and fought many battles during the same period. As I stood alongside Winston watching the Division march past with the wild music of the pipes in my ears, I felt a lump rise in my throat and a tear run down my face. I looked at Winston and saw several tears on his face. For the first time I was beginning live through the thrill of these first success that were now rendering ultimate victory possible.There is a video of this on RU-vid.

I'm Australian & no expert but didn't their Pipers take part in attacks just playing their instruments & march back and forth to encourage their side forward? If they'd seen this, then I think the Germans would have come up with a much better name than "devils in skirts", and by better I mean darkly respectful

@@Ye4rZero Yes they did go into action with pipers playing. They were still used in the night attack as El Alamein and famously Bill Millin came ashore on D Day playing his pipes. One other small story, when the Black Watch launched their last attack before being amalgamated they stormed into an Iraqi village with pipe music playing from speakers on their Warrior IFVs!

"Devil in Skirts" could apply to many ex wives and girlfriends.

@@douglasturner6153 If they see your post you will find out how true it is

508th of the American 82nd are also known as 'red devils.' Paras seem to fancy themselves devils regardless of the nation. 😄

Nice idea, but I read 3 old German books, all before WWI. None of them changed the grammar in this specific case. But yes: Also German grammar changed slightly. Example: old: dem Manne new: dem Mann

You are right with grammatical or other changes of a language, especially the german, influenced by the english over decades. If I am watching old films or old TV-reports / discussions in the 50s / 60s it is fascinating, how clear and with what word combinations the people spoke. In comparison to today, it looks all a bit mumbled and in every second sentence is a anglicism. I am no fan of it obviously. But in this case, I am quite sure that it was no archaic german. ‚Teufelshund’ is the singular. ‚Teufelshunde‘ Plural. An additonal ‚n‘ makes no sense, if you don‘t say a sentence / combination like: „Bei den Teufelshunden ist genug zu Essen.“ // „With the devil dogs is enough to eat.“ But good objection.

@@EinBaierImHimmel One of the books I mentioned, was from Otto von Bismark, German chancellor from 1871 to 1890. In his autobiography he used a lot of French words and quoted many French sentences without translation because everyone knows French. Sometimes he quoted English sentences but then he gave a German translation because nobody know English. Many of those French words are no longer in use in today's German, but others stuck and are no longer easily recognizable because of a germanized spelling. The most famous is "bureau -> Büro".

@@MrCosinuus If you look back to the 19th century you are right. There are several grammar changes and word changes since then. For example words that were written with ‚C’ are now with ‚K‘. cement and Zement. Especially in the Post-sector were many french words common, that were pushed back by an initiative for using new german words after the Franco-German war. For example ‚Anschrift‘ for ‚Adresse‘. I have also read Karl Marx partially. It was quite difficult to read, also because of the differences you mentioned above.

@@MrCosinuus I have meant ‚C‘ and ‚Z‘. But where there also differences in ‚C‘ and ‚K‘.

@Mialisus nice one!!

Because of the black berets

Because the Germans were dressed by haute couture designers like Hugo Boss the US troops looked like they got their uniforms at Walmart. You have to imagine that phrase spoken in a condescending tone looking down the aquiline nose of an SS officer.

@@Chiller01 German POW the 82nd Airborne captured: 'We've got plenty of men and equipment, and we're full of fight and we don't mind tangling with most Americans, but you verdammt people are crazy. On that attack last week our patrols reported beforehand that only a handful held that line and we called on our artillery and then attacked. From somewhere you mowed us down and wiped us out by scores. Our dead filled six ambulances. We don't mind fighting the regular infantry so much, but deliver us from those devils in baggy pants. You don't fight a fair war.' In the diary of a German officer who fought the 82nd at Anzio: 'American parachutists - devils in baggy pants - are less than 100 meters from my outpost line. I can't sleep at night; they pop up from nowhere and we never know when or how they strike next. Seems like the black-hearted devils are everywhere...' Both quotes are from Ross Carter's book 'Those Devils in Baggy Pants.'

sounds as dodgy as the other claim.

@@MilitaryHistoryNotVisualized Typical soldiers, they repeat their stories often enough and they get believed, especially when it's good for morale. In the case of the British it travelled up the food chain so fast it was believed by the C in C Middle East within a few months.

Antwort auf diesen Vorschlag kommt nächste Woche.

@@MilitaryHistoryNotVisualized Edel

I think you are correct that there can be a loss of information. But English speakers seem reluctant to take the time to read subtitles and won't watch as a result. This hurts the profitability of the channel. Personally, I would welcome it to some degree as it might help with my command of the German language. There is also an added amount of work to make the translation.

Like a lot of other stuff in history, yes and no.

That probably Hass to do with the enormous amount of war crimes they were responsible for in Italy and Greece

All branches of the Wehrmacht were part of war crimes though. Is there a study that shows that Fallschirmjäger were deeper in this?

Well that´s rather likely because German schools teach English.

Watch more foreign language films!;)

Personally I did not have any problem understanding him.

if only he had a crisp, Iowa accent

I think we’d see a lot more green methbillies here in the states if that were a thing.

There's "the white death" . I think its a cultural difference in naming. Or swearing. In swedish "jävlar" = devils. Think the finnish version is "perkele". Don't believe that some people would name a unit "fuck/fuckers" in english.

Grünmeliert Devils!

@@NoodleCollectors YES !