About Mark

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MARK FELTON

Author, Historian & YouTuber

Dr. Mark Felton is the author of several acclaimed books, including the recent hit Zero Night (“The story of the greatest escape of World War II has been told for the first time” – Daily Mail)  and Castle of the Eagles: Escape from Mussolini’s Colditz, both of which are currently being made into movies in Hollywood.

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Japan’s Gestapo was voted ‘Best Book of 2009’ in The Japan Times, link, and other works have been used as the basis of television and radio  documentaries in Britain, the United States and Europe.

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IN THE MEDIA

Mark and his books have both been the subject of numerous newspaper features, including The Times, The Daily Mail, The Independent and many other daily UK nationals. Mark’s books have also featured in many famous international newspapers, including The New York Post, Wall Street Journal, The Australian, New York Times and The Sydney Morning Herald. Mark is also in demand on the radio, appearing recently on The Jeremy Vine Show and the Mark Forrest Show, both on BBC Radio, among many others.

Mark appears regularly in television documentaries, including the 10-part Discovery Channel/American Heroes Channel series ‘Evolution of Evil‘ (watch here: CLICK)  and Discovery’sMad Science: Nazi Killer Bugs‘ (trailer here: CLICK) as well as The History Channel’s new 8-part series Combat Trains (trailer here: CLICK). He also appeared in several episodes of Top Tens of Warfare on Quest.

Mark most recently appeared in the National Geographic documentary series World War Weird, presented by Dr. Sam Willis and La Bete D’acier (The Beast of Steel) on French channel RMC Decouverte.

Hear Mark in a fascinating BBC Radio documentary based on Zero NightThree Minutes of Mayhem.

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BIOGRAPHY

Born in Colchester in 1974, Mark gained his PhD at the University of Essex where he lectured in history before spending nearly a decade teaching in Shanghai, latterly at one of China’s most prestigious colleges, Fudan University. He also organised the Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal for Eastern China, and was an education instructor for the Peoples’ Liberation Army.

Mark was involved with many historical and World War II commemorative projects in association with the British Government and Ministry of Defence including his discovery of the lost graves of four British servicemen killed in Shanghai by the Japanese in 1937, a story which hit the headlines around the world. See the BBC News report here: British Soldiers’ Lost Graves in Shanghai Found

British soldiers’ graves honoured in Shanghai cemetery

In 2016 Mark was made a Companion of the Naval Order of the United States.

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In 2021, Mark was made an Associate Companion of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States.

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As well as being published in the UK, US, Australia, India, South Africa and New Zealand, several of Mark’s books have been translated and published in Brazil, The Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia and Romania.

He lives in Norwich with his wife and son.

Mark Felton’s Books

48 thoughts on “About Mark”

  1. Hello Mark…Owen Tudor Boyd,s Wellington T2873 was not shot
    down by Italian fighters based at Cosimo. It reached the vicinity
    of Malta which was covered in cloud & the crew failed to locate the island.They had a gentle tail wind & probably overshot by about 15 miles.The skipper turned towards Sicily.As they approached the skies cleared.At this point they could have turned back under the clouds towards Malta.Had they done this they would have ditched in the sea as they were very low on fuel.Boyd opted for land .T2873 made a forced landing near Roveto in open rough country.There was just enough fuel to
    fire the aircraft.Fighters from Comiso may have helped to locate the aircraft.They were taken prisoner fairly quickly by the Italian Navy based at Marzamemi or Tonnary di Vendicari?
    William Watson….son of navigator T2873

    1. Hi William. Thanks for getting in touch. I based my version on Flight Lieutenant John Leeming’s (AVM Boyd’s ADC) detailed description in his book – I guess he was not fully aware of all the facts himself during the confusion of coming down. Other sources were contemporary newspaper coverage and some further research by aviation historians. I’ll pass along this new information. Many thanks, Mark.

  2. What is the name of the German marching music so often heard in the background. A particular episode that bangs off with the music is your piece on the “SS” symbol.
    I appreciate hearing from you.
    Great work, all these short clips. Three or four minutes is about right, to get a lot clicks on your productions!

    1. Can you make me a video about two US tanks used during the Korean War; the M26 Pershing and the M46 Patton, and how it compare in terms of performance, and it’s service length . God bless, more power and Get well soon sir Mark .

  3. Just read your book , Castle of Eagles and greatly enjoyed it. I am quite a WW11 student and I have never heard of this . Thanks for writing this important piece of history. Very well written and hard to put down. I am passing it on to others . Karl Shogren, Montgomery, Alabama, USA

  4. I’ve some information regarding the whereabouts of Titanic’s lifeboats into the 1960’s.

    As a youngster, the topic of Titanic came up a number of times in our family as my father and uncle were both active mariners in one way or another in the New York area. One day I happened to ask after a discussion of Titanic – What ever happened to her lifeboats?

    The response was immediate and definitive… “The attic of the New York Yacht Club”.

    I cannot say I ever heard this anywhere else, nor was I able to verify it personally later in life. I have tried unsuccessfully to interest others in their disposition, and until you posed the question in your Nov 2018 video on youtube, no one else ever seemed to care.

    I hope this information helps you in your quest.

  5. Hi Mark,
    My Fathers best friend wrote a book about his experiences during the second world war titled” The two Jacks” it is a book about their experiences during the war.
    If you are interested , please cont ace me at brian.smyth223@gmail.com

  6. Hi Mark –
    I do a lot of historical research in my own field of study, and never read anything for fun anymore. However, when I saw your Ghost Riders book I had to have it…..I well recall as a child watching the Disney movie on this…..and so I dared treat myself to an outside book! Horrors! However, I can tell you I am only 50 pages into it and so appreciate the detail and the research behind it. I just want to show my appreciation. And when I have finished, I will surely post a review on Amazon. Thanks a million for giving me something to read besides the usual grim stuff I am dealing with!

  7. Hi Mark, loving the videos. You might want to take a look at the RAPWI (Repatriation of Allied Prisoners of War and Interns) teams that Force 136 of the SOE parachuted into the still occupied islands of South East Asia. My uncle commanded one such 4 man team, taking control of 15,000 Japanese troops. A memoir of one of the doctors in one of the 6 man teams reckoned that his team alone saved 200 lives a week during the 6 weeks they had to wait for the Allied forces to arrive, and there were 48 teams that were successfully parachuted in.the logistics alone in terms of supplies are fascinating reading.

  8. Dear Mark

    I‘m a big fan of your youtube channel, which is unique, and have made a contribution on Patreon.

    If ever you get a chance to make a video on the Halbe Pocket, I would be most grateful.

  9. Hey Mark, I watch all of your videos and love your work! I have a library of about 100 WWII DVDs, most of which have public domain footage. I have watched them all more than I care to admit and I was going to toss them and then I thought of you. If you have any interest and could use them on your videos I’d be glad to send them to you as a donation to your channel. I noticed some of the same clips over and over on your videos and thought you could use some new material. Best, Dean

    1. That is very kind of you, but I think it is logistically easier for me to download clips. Many thanks for the thought though, appreciated.

  10. I built a model plane of the Gothe or Zepppelin- Staaken R .VI when I was 7 years old, very tricky with the lines between the wings. Now, 51 years later, thanks to Mark F. Prod., I understand the history about the planes, lovely.

  11. Hi Mark,

    I saw you latest video about Laurits Lauritsen’s old Mercedes 320. I grew up in the town next to Klejtrup where Laurits had his garage and spent may saturdays having coffee with him and spending time crawling under his old partially restored cars. remember vividly when he first got the 320 and the state it was in – the old oak based chassis and the enourmous drum brakes. When he first contacted Mercedes to ask for drawings and specs they told him he was mistaken as there was no way he could own this car. they sent a representative to look at it and offered a very large sum to buy it in the state it was in then. Have driven in it a few times – lovely car and smooth running too.

    Keep up the good work

    Bengt

  12. Dear Mark
    have you ever come over RAF 990 BB.
    It is a story I have looked into the last 2 years and you should tell it. Please contact me if you need the story.

  13. Dear Sir:
    I am Fan Guoping.The Phd. of Fudan University.My Group had published two books of yours,which were Japan’s Gestapo and the Devil’s Doctors.I am studying the war crimes of Japanese Army.I shall publish more books of yours.I need your E-mail.Please tell me .I want to ask some questions about your books.

  14. Mark, I regularly watch your videos and our three year old daughter loves your opening music. Could please tell me where it from. And I do love your videos.

  15. greetings mark,

    I watched your short on a tiger attack in the
    Nam… there is a man in my little town I believe is the only marine to surive a tiger attack in the nam.. his name is “dick”
    Richard Goolden….. he is still alive today
    one of his daughtors tried to get him purple heart … its my understanding he was in Loas or Cambodia at the time if your interested in his story I could try to see if he is willing

  16. good day… in your travels have you run across the eagle that was in Hitlers office in the Reich Chancellery? I own the one at the far end of Mosiac Hall and have located the other 4 but have been unable to locate the one in Hitlers office. Might write a book about the eagles and their stories of survival. They all seem to have great stories… mine does.

  17. Dear Dr. Mark
    I was watching your “Last Stand at the Leipzig Monument”. This fine production of yours hits particularly home to me as this was my father’s setting as a 17 year old boy drafted by the Luftwaffe in September 1944 and stationed on an anti-aircraft 88mm flack cannon outside of Leipzig. My father may have been acquainted with some of the Wehrmacht boys pictured at :50. If you have any more of these archived pictures from the Leipzig Luftwaffe Flack Division (1944-1945), I would be most appreciative to be able to view them. Thank You So Very Much

  18. Just watched the excellent video on the “last german jet fighter”. It reminded me of another (very similar) subject. The Messerschmitt P.1101 was copied to become the Bell X-5. That one flew even later than the Pulqui. It was not really a fighter so it wasn’t the last nazi jet fighter design, but maybe it was the last nazi jet design that actually flew.

  19. Dear Mark,

    rushing through youtube because of the 75th anniversary of VE-Day I discovered your channel. The topics, the pictures, the language (well understandable forforeigners like me) everything is just perfectly assembled.
    Cudos to you – another fine example of British historians delivering expertise on WW II!
    I was born in 1969 and could talk to many veterans of WW II, collecting data, experiences and scientific approaches to the history etc. Today we have to create new efforts to educate our youth. Your videos on youtube are an amazing tool – thank you so much.

  20. Hi Mark, I discovered your videos on YouTube as a result of the lockdown and find them to be balanced and informative. One WW2 story that you might consider is the Irish Concentration Camp. Unusual in that it held both Allied and Axis PoWs were allowed to visit local pubs and dances once they had signed a commitment not to escape. Not sure about the amount of video footage that is available but here are 2 links to get you started if you are interested: https://forthelifeofme-film.com/2019/07/30/the-most-bizarre-pow-camp-during-wwii-curragh/

    https://www.military.ie/en/public-information/defence-forces-museums/the-curragh-museum/

  21. Hi Mark,

    Thank you for giving my grandfather, Ken Searle, the credit and recognition due for his key role in the Warburg Wire Job – especially since this fact has been largely unknown to all apart from his family. It’s amazing to see his name in print after all these years and makes my heart beat a little faster with pride and joy. Throughout his life and until the very end he was as you described, a true gentleman.

    With enormous gratitude,

    Lucy

  22. The biggest mark distinguishing your historical films and those that are televised by your big name competitors is that they tend to use the very lowest quality media – blurred, fuzzy, over/under-exposed, lots of visual noise flashing across the screen. Moreover, I have noticed that they happily use the same footage to illustrate different stories and periods of WW2.

    Your films are remarkably crisp and clear, almost as if they had been shot yesterday, so I guess you are putting these old films through a clean-up process first. Either that or your competitors are using cheap-skate footage whereas you have gone the extra mile/dollar when sourcing your absolutely superb high quality films.

    Quality is one of the best business ethics. It always wins. Keep it up.

  23. Dear Mr. Felton.
    Always enjoyed your Youtube videos.
    Student of history especially the little stories that don’t get told by the academics.
    Can you do a story on the 80,000 French troops who were evacuated at Dunkirk? I learned that 60,000 of them returned to France when the French capitulated. I would be interested to know how this was done in the middle of a shooting war.

    Richard Hem
    Cdn Army Retired

  24. Hello Mark,

    After D-Day, many of the supplies were brought to the front by train.
    For this, among others 15 Locomotives from the series WD29 to WD48 were brought to Normandy.

    https://farm2.static.flickr.com/1569/26529859271_08c6dab2d0_c.jpg

    The other 5 have been sent to Suez, where 3 have disappeared.
    I’m working on a book about these Locomotives.
    Do you know where to find information about these Locomotives ?

    Kind Regards, Dirk

  25. Dr. Felton,
    I was reading a declassified piece from the NSA’s Cryptologic Quarterly, (date unknown) called “SIGINT and the Holocaust”. On page 4 of this excerpt, it indicates that “Within weeks of the end of the Polish campaign, some brave german officers went to the Papal Nuncio in Berlin to report that the German Army was murdering Jews and other defenseless Polish civilians”. This is a first heard by me and I found this to be one of those historical threads that might be worth pulling, that is seemingly in your wheelhouse. I am a big fan of your work, appreciate your style of history and greatly enjoy your youtube efforts. Thank you for what you do. Cheers!

  26. Good evening Mr. Felton. I enjoy your clips. I just wanted to know if you have any information about American troops in Berlin at the last weeks of the war? Thank you for taking the time to read this.

  27. I just listened to your talk on Japanese cruelty during WW2. You stated that the Japanese did not recognize bravery among their foes. A counter example though is from the battle of Samar. There is an account of the commander of a Japanese cruiser saluting the survivors of an American destroyer escort as the cruiser passes by the wreckage, and the Japanese sailors on his orders, tossing canned food and fresh water to the Americans in their life rafts.

  28. Keep up the fantastic work, love the YouTube documentaries. A former British Soldier, living in Germany, who wouldn’t mind doing history long distance.

  29. Hello Dr. Felton,

    My name is Jenn and I’m a casting producer with Go Button Media – a Toronto-based production company. I’m currently working on a new TV program about a sub-group of S.S. Nazis and we’re looking for historians to appear on-camera to discuss various aspects of the S.S. and Nazism.

    I was wondering if this is something that you might be interested in. If so, please let me know and I can give you more information.

    Go Button specializes in factual and lifestyle TV in addition to web and branded content. Some of our previous historical programs include: SECRET NAZI BASES, NO ROSES ON A SOLDIER’S GRAVE and A WORLD WITHOUT NASA. I’ll provide a link to give you a glimpse of our work.

    Thank you for you time and I look forward to hearing from you,
    Jenn

  30. As many have already stated, your videos are first class, non-political and extremely detailed. My son and I enjoy them very much. I surely appreciate history and was ranked number One in my high school in New York for that subject out of 800 students. My particular interest lies within the holocaust, and I have actually visited Auschwitz and walked the camp for 5 hours. You can hear & feel the lost souls drifting around the air. I particularly liked Your videos on the Warsaw ghetto uprising. It made me very proud – it’s unfortunate that those uprisings were so few.

  31. Mark,

    Your youtube channel is a source of entertainment and education that is not present on TV. Thank you so much for investing your time into what you do– I am extremely grateful for your absolutely amazing content.

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