Historian Reacts - US Soldier Receives German Medal of Honor (and my thoughts on Germany)

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[aj]

American Army officer here, Germans are the best fucking tankers I have ever served with. One of the few regrets in my career is not doing more work with German Soldiers

[Noname-urct]

Video: Has something with "German"
Germans: Allow us to introduce ourselves

[yxolloxy]

I want to touch on this a bit to; I'm Dutch and we got invaded early in ww2 and, I'm not saying we had it the worst of all countries (not by a long shot), but the Netherland did suffer quite a bit under German occupation.

There was a lot of ill will towards Germans, understandably, among the generation that lived through it; the next generation (my parents amongst them) got raised on that animosity, but you could already see the resentment getting less and less (football matches notwhitstanding, there's been plenty of animosity on the pitch)

My generation just see Germans as our neighbors; the big cousin to the east, and ofcourse you'll always keep the goodnatured, and at times less goodnatured making fun of stereotypes, but I don't think there's any real ill will anymore about history among.. the general populace.

The important part to take away about ww2 is that hatred will only bring more misery and that things can go really bad really fast when nutcases get power.

[pyrointeam]

As a German i say give that man a medal. Oh we did. Nevermind.

[xGoodOldSmurfehx]

"Hans, give zis man ze medal, ja?"

all jokes aside, receiving one of the highest awards from another country you are not part of is not something one simply accomplishes so this speaks tons and volumes about the whole story

[epic-olli]

As a German, I thank you very much for your kind words.

[BossPenguin]

Thanks for this video, mate. Hope to see you someday over here in Germany! Cheers, Chris

[goldmanjace]

What you said got me to subscribe. I am a german american. My mother is german and my father is an american. We all still live in germany. My father was a US soldier. I served in the german military. Thank you for your words! You are a great person. If you ever visit germany, I would be more than happy to assist you!

[DeslazDeslaz]

In Germany you don't get a medal quickly - there aren't many medals that Germany bestows on heroes. Those who receive such a medal have achieved a lot more than expected and saved more than just a few lives. This medal also means we owe his debt to him for his great deed.

Danke, daß Sie uns Freunde nennen, es ist mir ein Vergnügen

[althelas]

There is a great line in the MCU movie "Captain America - The First Avenger", when Dr. Erskine said to Steve Rogers "The first country the Nazis invaded was their own." This line resonates with me so much, because it is true. Most of our ancestors were not murdering Nazis. My grandfather was forced into the Wehrmacht in 1943 (He was a farmer in a small village in Northern Bavaria) and one day the Wehrmacht stood in front of his door, demanded that he should hand over his crops and his lifestock and report for duty because he was needed to protect the Fatherland. He could chose between fighting a war he did not want or being shot on the spot, leaving his wife and his 3 year old son alone. So he went to war and fought for his country. He was captured on the Crimea by the Russians and spent years ion a Russian POW camp, before he returned in 1946. He never talked about his time there but according to his sister, he was never the same again. This war, like any other war destroyed at least two generations not only in the US, Russia, Japan but also in Germany. Most people in the USA don't know how life in Germany was before the Marshall plan and the Wirtschaftswunder. It is a big wonder that I can type this here, because the babies born in 1945 and 1947 that became my parents survived the years of starvation, Infant deaths because of the lack of medical help, poverty in general, etc. We owe so much to the Americans including our lives and I am hapy to see that we could turn the tables and went from enemies to friends.

[stefanmargraf]

As a german, i was shopping in NYC photographer shop BH. At the exit, there was an elderly man. He spoke to us in german language and said, that is the first time speaking German, since he managed to flee the Konzentrationslager. I cried. Will never forget.

[gregoryeastwood]

I’m 71, in a hospital…and about to be discharged (thank God). I’m watching this video on my IPad, and tearing up. I was an American soldier ( medic) in the early 70s and worked with German soldiers in West Germany when I was 21. Tears of happiness streaming down my face.

[TheRaidenLP]

The german soldier giving the speech was at the rank of Captain (Hauptmann in german), while the other soldier that later hugged him was a Corporal / Specialist (Oberstabsgefreiter).

[robwhythe]

For your German followers: I'm a Brit, currently living in Canada, and one of my favourite books is "I Flew For The Führer" by Heinz Knocke - the diary of a fighter pilot during WW2. He begins by describing his life as a young teenager in Hamelin, enjoying life in the Scouts and trying to keep away from the Hitler Youth, but proud that Germany is getting back on its feet and regaining its place in the world. He enlists as a fighter pilot after the Battle of Britain is over, and spends most of his time defending Germany against Allied bombers. His diary at this stage reads much as I would imagine a British pilot's would, proud of his country and defending it against attack. 

Then he wins the Iron Cross and is awarded it by Goering in person - and is shocked to realise that he is wearing makeup. From there on, after being badly injured, he feeds intelligence back to Berlin on what is happening on the front lines, but is ashamed to see that life in Berlin goes on much as usual, as it is beyond the reach of Allied bombers. He begins to realise that Hitler's leadership is not the best, and that some of his countrymen are not as committed to the war as he himself is. Then, at the end of the war, he finds out about the concentration camps and the atrocities that had been going on behind his back, and he is broken.

So when modern films refer to all Germans as Nazis, I wince inside. Some were. But most weren't. And now, as Brexit takes hold in Britain, it is I who am ashamed that we are turning our backs on our friends and neighbours, undoing all the good experience of partnership and cooperation that has created an atmosphere of friendship and collaboration. Germany, please forgive us.

[amazinghoffman]

The German-American relationship is by far not without issues and there are many differences to be addressed, nevertheless, seeing such comeradery and brotherhood between soldiers of different armies is truly touching. Love from Berlin.

[poedameron]

Approximately 2:00 in the vid: "It's such a neat thing..."

Not gonna lie, whenever something good or heartwarming happens in history it leaves you speechless, and this is one of the few responses that can actually stick in those moments. Great vid.

[mhdover]

You talking about Germany, how, as it is today, it is not to be blamed for what happened in the last century, really touched me.
Like I commented before, I always had a strong bond with the US. Partly because my godfather, who is very important to me, is from the states.
I would love to go there and visit him as soon as possible so seeing this and hearing that the two countries that are most important to me can stand side by side as friends, as brothers, that really made my day.
I had tears of joy and a smile on my face while writing this comment, thank you for this upload.

[ambtn]

Love watching your content man. You seem like a really stand up person. Much love from Germany and stay safe

[nov-lunl]

Pete Woken is my son in law and this was a great moment in his life.

[derkohler]

i spot several colonels and at least a brigadier general of the german bundeswehr there. considering that in comparison the german forces haven't that much brass running around, this as well is quite a recognition.