Disarmed Wehrmacht returns from Czechoslovakia (Tannenbergsthal, May 1945)

In late April and early May 1945, in Tannenbergsthal, the Wehrmacht from the region and from northern Bohemia (the border is only a few kilometers to the southeast) was demobilized (disarmed, registered, taken prisoner of war) in the valley basin. This is why you see dozens if not hundreds of Wehrmacht vehicles, equipment and also refugees from the East. As is known, the Vogtland did not remain in the American zone, but came to the SBZ/GDR, like all of Saxony.
Most if not all of the footage is not shot in Czechoslovakia or even Sudentenland, but in Tannenbergsthal and Jägersgrün in Vogtland/Saxony. Tannenbergsthal would soon become part of the soviet zone and later of the GDR.
The deep forest surrounding Jägersgrün and Rautenkranz was also home to some alleged Werwolf activity around the time of the total surrender, albeit some argue, that it was just Nazi-lumberjacks and their hunting rifles. Reaching the US Army in the Vogtland was very important to a lot of German soldiers in Bohemia, which probably explains the heavy frequentation of the Vogtland camp.
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Thanks to Sven Schubert for the background information about this footage.
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0:13 Panzerkorps member, wearing the black Panzer-jacket
3:40 Hanomag 1300
4:31 Gasthof zur Tanne, Tannenbergsthal

Music track "Retribution" by courtesy of Antoine Marsaud

[bobbyricigliano]

I see a lot of soldiers from all sides smiling in this video because they have just survived the worst global conflict in human history. A very logical reaction.

[Cainer]

My oldest aunt's brother-in-law was killed in Czechoslovakia 3 days before the war ended. He was a tank commander in the 401st Tank Battalion. It seems that while on patrol, his tank slid off the road and overturned, presumably crushing him. He had survived from the beaches at Normandy only to die in an accident 3 days before the war ended. Life can be so unfair at times.

[j.d.peppmeier]

The Germans were happy to have survived the war and not to have fallen into the hands of the Red Army !

[mmarkotan]

very good quality footage. I´m Slovakian and I´ve seen a lot of videos from this era but this was new to me. Thank you very much for posting this.

[elchuckozeke]

My wife's uncle was the last American soldier killed in Europe at the very end (last day) of WWII. He was killed in Czechoslovakia by German ambush when they did not know the war ended. His name was PFC Charlie Havlat of Nebraska. His father emigrated from Czech before WWII. Yes he was Czech American.

[lukewagner]

Greetings from Germany. My granddad told me, that they didn't concern the Americans to be enemies. Lots of Germans had relatives in the States who emigrated there. The one ideological enemy where the soviets.

[geniawheddon]

Churchill warned Roosevelt of an iron curtain in east europe. Roosevelt did not listen. Russians had fought germans bravely 1943 to 45.. but they murdered millions. East europe suffered

[malcolmcog]

My Uncle was in a POW camp in Eastern poland. When the Russians came close the Germans fled. Most of the POWs decided to wait, but my Uncle who was from the wilds of Scotland and a Scots Guard decided to go West to see what he could find hoping to meet up with advancing British troops. Well after a couple of months and many miles, in April 1945 he came across an American unit. They shouted at him, and his broad Scots accents was mistaken for German so they shot at him ! Luckily it was just a flesh wound ! He suffered from lung illness because when he was captured in Italy in 1943 the Germans beat him so badly he had breathing problems, and when he eventually went to hosptial in 1945 he had a lung removed. He smoked role your own ciggies in spite of his lung problems. He died in 1976.

[SandervkHistory]

Amazing quality of footage!! Please keep uploading! 🙏

[Bigbassdrum]

My dad was a medic and part of the 508th medical collection company now called Mash. I remember he told me when the got to the Rhine River below Remagen Germany and crossed, if the wind was right you could smell the Germans. He said when they crossed the Rhine on a Bailey Bridge after The Remagen Bridge finally failed and fell into the river, his unit picked up more wounded German Soldiers than American Soldiers. They were in pitiful shape and the fight was out of them. I also remember him telling me that most of these Whermacht Soldiers were tradesmen before the war. Finish Carpenters, Masons, electricians, shoemakers, tin smiths. They were friendly and offered service to the U.S. Army in any way they could before being rounded up and shipped to the rear to be held in a POW camp. He said several were very very good cooks and what they served beat the hell out of the Army Chow.

[homenj]

All my uncles and dad fought in WWII. My dad said the war was such a relief to them because they were all starving to death (uneducated share croppers) during the Great Depression and this gave them dependable stable employment. Two of my uncles made a career in the military 20+ years.

[prutkowski]

00:14 The German tanker displays an interesting service history on his uniform jacket. On the left upper arm can be seen the rank insignia of a Stabsgefreiter which would mean that he was barred from becoming an NCO. Regarding his decorations on the left side of his jacket this appears even more intriguing: He has the ribbon of the Eisernes Kreuz second class and the small red Ordensspange to the right of this could be the medal for the winter fighting in the East 1941/42. A very lucky survivor then? Probably, since he also sports a Nahkampfspange in either bronce for 15 hand to hand fights or in gold for 50! Plus a wound medal in silver meaning he was wounded three or four times.

[Chiller]

Fascinating video. Thanks for uploading.

[adamsmith]

My Boy Scout leader was a German soldier who was picked up by an American patrol. He later served in the US Army. Wolfgang Kinzel, RIP.

[johnvoorhees]

Amazing how the Germans and Americans respected each other in this video.

[teleguy]

Seems so real in color. Growing up, WW2 was a distant black and white event. I've spent a lot of time in Europe. This could have been filmed yesterday.

[chinogoes]

That restaurant at 4:31 is still there. Gasthof zur Tanne in Tannenbergsthal (Saxony).

[salernototo]

5:27 GI on the right wearing SSI for the US 87th Infantry Division, the "Golden Acorn". Thanks for uploading this great color footage from the end of the war in Europe.

[Moonfog_PSN]

I drive this road every day. I did not know that there are such recordings of it...

[donwalker]

In a time when history is being canceled at a rapid pace videos like these are important